S3 or S4?

[rebooted]

Chose between these two seasons.

[Emmett]

S3 easily.

S4 had so much potential, but I just don't like the second half of S4. I would've preferred if the whole season was focused on mourning, Prue, introducing Paige and doing things organically and not rushed ending S4 with the Source vanquish.

[Aaeiyn]

S3, no question! I can do the chart, but I'm confident in S3.

S3E1 "The Honeymoon's Over"/S4E1 "Charmed Again, Pt 1"
S3E2 "Magic Hour"
S3E3 "Once Upon a Time"/S4E3 "Hell Hath No Fury"
S3E4 "All Halliwell's Eve"/S4E4 "Enter the Demon"
S4E5 "Size Matters"/S3E5 "Sight Unseen"
S4E6 "A Knight to Remember"/S3E6 "Primrose Empath"
S3E7 "Power Outage"
S3E8 "Sleuthing with the Enemy"
S3E9 "Coyote Piper"
S4E10 "A Paige from the Past"/S3E10 "We all Scream for Ice Cream"
S4E11 "Trial by Magic"/S3E11 "Blinded by the Whitelighter"
S3E12 "Wrestling with Demons"
S4E13 "Charmed & Dangerous"
S3E14 "The Good, the Bad & Cursed"
S3E15 "Just Harried"/S4E15 "Marry-Go-Round"
S4E16 "The Fifth Halliwheel"
S4E17 "Saving Private Leo"/S3E17 "Pre-witched"
S3E18 "Sin Francisco"
S4E19 "We're Off to See the Wizard"
S4E20 "Long Live the Queen"
S3E21 "Look Who's Barking"/S4E21 "Womb Raider"
S4E22 "Witch Way, Now?"

Totals
S3 = 12/17
S4 = 10/15

S3 wins!

[West]

S3 hands down wins. I used to really like S4 but now the second half feels like its poorly done. Too much going on not enough room to let the story/arcs breathe.

[Melinda Halliwell]

For the same reason as West, choose I preferred season 3 over 4 because I didn't like the Phoebe/Cole Source storyline except for the Seer who was a good villain of course.

[lunchking]

S3. S4 can be too depressing at times to watch. Most here nailed the reasons above.

[rebooted]

Jun 26, 2023 16:28:00 GMT -5 West said:

S3 hands down wins. I used to really like S4 but now the second half feels like its poorly done. Too much going on not enough room to let the story/arcs breathe.

Yeah I agree. 

I have been watching with my 11 year old niece and we have watched up until Charmed Again Part 2 - it provides *some* clarity to what happened to Prue and a happy ending with Patty.

I really like the character of Paige but now I feel like its up to her whether she wants to go back and watch the episodes we skipped over between S1 - S3 (that were either too sexual or violent etc.) OR to go forward. 

Potentially ending at Trial By Magic is a good place to stop. The Source is hugely injured by this point in Brain Drain. Cole is human and the development of Paiges character in Paige from the Past is good.

[Aaeiyn]

Tagging chromaticanmomdasia , since IK they're a S3 & S4 fan 😝 I'll tag missjessica , too 'cause I think they're similar. If not, either way, this thread could use a bump.

[Keeper Of Melinda's Locket]

Lol this was the easiest poll. I already had my mind made up with S3 just looking at the thread title.

[missjessica]

Jan 18, 2024 17:27:20 GMT -5 Aaeiyn said:

Tagging chromaticanmomdasia , since IK they're a S3 & S4 fan 😝 I'll tag missjessica , too 'cause I think they're similar. If not, either way, this thread could use a bump.

Lol took me 3 months to decide. I voted S3. But I do like both.

[Too Much Coffee]

S3.

[Aaeiyn]

Bumping 'cause it was being discussed in the Personal Rank of the Seasons 1-4 (Preferred to Least) thread:

Oct 25, 2024 2:41:03 GMT -5 rebooted said:

Oct 24, 2024 2:27:56 GMT -5 West said:

Voted 1, 2, 3, 4 before.

I think I might be 1, 3, 4 and 2 now.

What makes you put 3 before 4? 

Just curious because I am 1,4,3,2 and am torn between 3 and 4 in the middle as well.

Oct 25, 2024 3:01:07 GMT -5 West said:

Oct 25, 2024 2:41:03 GMT -5 rebooted said:

What makes you put 3 before 4? 

Just curious because I am 1,4,3,2 and am torn between 3 and 4 in the middle as well.

I just find S4 disjointed. Great potential but the whole Source story has a pretty weak conclusion with all this build up. However I do think S4 has a stronger finish over S3. The end streach of S4 does drag. I do think the back end of S4 is stronger.

S3's opening arc and the first half of S3 is very good. I think the Cole arc up to Sleuthing With the Enemy is much stronger than S4's first half. I think they overall did a good job with the Cole arc, and the show being more darker.

But come ask me in a year I might end up switching them again. I just know S1 may stay in number 1 spot.

Oct 25, 2024 4:35:28 GMT -5 rebooted said:

Oct 25, 2024 3:01:07 GMT -5 West said:

I just find S4 disjointed. Great potential but the whole Source story has a pretty weak conclusion with all this build up. However I do think S4 has a stronger finish over S3. The end streach of S4 does drag. I do think the back end of S4 is stronger.

S3's opening arc and the first half of S3 is very good. I think the Cole arc up to Sleuthing With the Enemy is much stronger than S4's first half. I think they overall did a good job with the Cole arc, and the show being more darker.

But come ask me in a year I might end up switching them again. I just know S1 may stay in number 1 spot.

Yeah totally. I will probably change my mind too West!

I liked Paige's character introduction and Paige's suspicions of Cole being similar to Prue's distrust for him - but also being so new to the group but pulling the family together when it all falls apart. 

I too liked the first half of Season 3 except the make out scenes are quite intense! I start to lose admiration for the sisters individually and like the drama, story, writing, performances more and I Love the conflict in both Season 3 and 4 between the different set of sisters. 

Theres a post middle part of Season 4 I dislike from The Three Faces of Phoebe until Saving Private Leo. 

Ultimately though I like the choice the sisters are presented with at the end and the way Piper's pregnancy is revealed. I nice was to end a tense year in 2001/2002.

Oct 25, 2024 5:00:43 GMT -5 Aaeiyn said:

Oct 25, 2024 3:01:07 GMT -5 West said:

I just find S4 disjointed. Great potential but the whole Source story has a pretty weak conclusion with all this build up. However I do think S4 has a stronger finish over S3. The end streach of S4 does drag. I do think the back end of S4 is stronger.

S3's opening arc and the first half of S3 is very good. I think the Cole arc up to Sleuthing With the Enemy is much stronger than S4's first half. I think they overall did a good job with the Cole arc, and the show being more darker.

But come ask me in a year I might end up switching them again. I just know S1 may stay in number 1 spot.

I always felt S3 was a stronger season than S4. Even my spread sheets (when charting down stats) defines S3 as the "objectively better season".

I can watch these episodes, over and over, again and not get tired of them:

S3E1 "The Honeymoon's Over"
S3E2 "Magic Hour"
S3E3 "Once Upon a Time"
S3E4 "All Halliwell's Eve"
S3E5 "Sight Unseen"
S3E7 "Power Outage"
S3E8 "Sleuthing with the Enemy"
S3E9 "Coyote Piper"
S3E10 "We all Scream for Ice Cream"
S3E11 "Blinded by the Whitelighter"
S3E14 "The Good, the Bad & the Cursed"
S3E17 "Prewitched"
S3E18 "Sin Francisco"

S4E4 "Enter the Demon"
S4E5 "Size Matters"
S4E11 "Trial by Magic"
S4E16 "The Fifth Halliwheel"
S4E17 "Saving Private Leo"
S4E19 "We're off to See the Wizard"
S4E20 "Long Live the Queen"
S4E22 "Witch Way, Now?"

S3 wins by miles. I don't like super sad depressing episodes which S4 has A LOT of. And, I'm assuming how rebooted responded to my How do You Preferred Charmed to be? Where do You Lean? thread, I can see why they like S4 over S3 because S4 is QUITE dramatic & theatrical compared to S3, IMHO. And, how I answered that thread, I prefer the show to be more comedic & silly which S3 is over S4.

[Aaeiyn]

Time to share some (not all) of my stats:

ALL THREE Being Present at the Final Fight/Vanquish & Doing Something, Instead of Just Standing There & Doing Nothing (or NOT There, at all)

Season Three
9 Episodes
S3E1 "The Honeymoon's Over"
S3E3 "Once Upon a Time"
S3E6 "Primrose Empath"
S3E7 "Power Outage"
S3E9 "Coyote Piper"
S3E11 "Blinded by the Whitelighter"
S3E13 "Bride & Gloom"
S3E16 "Death Takes a Halliwell"
S3E17 "Prewitched"


Season Four
11 Episodes
S4E1 "Charmed Again, Pt 1"
S4E2 "Charmed Again, Pt 2"
S4E5 "Size Matters"
S4E6 "A Knight to Remember"
S4E9 "Muse to My Ears"
S4E12 "Lost & Bound"
S4E13 "Charmed & Dangerous"
S4E14 "The Three Faces of Phoebe"
S4E20 "Long Live the Queen"
S4E21 "Womb Raider"
S4E22 "Witch Way, Now?"

---

PO3 is Acknowledged, No Other Witches will do BUT the Charmed Ones

Season Three
4 Episodes
S3E3 "Once Upon a Time"
S3E4 "All Halliwell's Eve"
S3E8 "Sleuthing with the Enemy"
S3E9 "Coyote Piper"

Season Four
5 Episodes
S4E1 "Charmed Again, Pt 1"
S4E5 "Size Matters"
S4E6 "A Knight to Remember"
S4E11 "Trial by Magic"
S4E12 "Lost & Bound"

---

ALL THREE Sisters ORIGINAL Warren Powers are Used in the SAME Episode & NOT Just Alluded to nor Faked (MUST be Authentic!)

Season Three
5 Episodes
S3E1 "The Honeymoon's Over"
S3E2 "Magic Hour"
S3E5 "Sight Unseen"
S3E6 "Primrose Empath"
S3E11 "Blinded by the Whitelighter"

Season Four
0 Episodes
Pity Point Episodes: 4
S4E5 "Size Matters" - Piper only uses her freezing power when shrunk
S4E19 "We're off to See the Wizard" - Phoebe is under the influence of her demonic offspring
S4E20 "Long Live the Queen" - Phoebe is under the influence of her demonic offspring
S4E21 "Womb Raider" - Phoebe's premonition was fake

---

You would think S4 would win because of the other categories but because it doesn't AUTHENTICALLY represent the ORIGINAL Warren powers too well is why I think S3 is still the better season, statistically, over S4. Once Paige comes into the picture, the ORIGINAL Warren Powers by ALL THREE sisters, are hardly used especially AUTHENTICALLY. Also, still, for my own personal enjoyment, S3 > S4.

[rebooted]

Season 3: 9

45. 3-1 05 Oct 00 The Honeymoon's Over
46. 3-2 12 Oct 00 Magic Hour
47. 3-3 19 Oct 00 Once Upon a Time
48. 3-4 26 Oct 00 All Halliwell's Eve
49. 3-5 02 Nov 00 Sight Unseen (close to Size Matters)
50. 3-6 09 Nov 00 Primrose Empath
51. 3-7 16 Nov 00 Power Outage (close with Brain Drain)
52. 3-8 14 Dec 00 Sleuthing with the Enemy (close with Black As Cole - both not liked)
53. 3-9 11 Jan 01 Coyote Piper (close with Muse episode)
54. 3-10 18 Jan 01 We All Scream for Ice Cream
55. 3-11 25 Jan 01 Blinded by the Whitelighter
56. 3-12 02 Feb 01 Wrestling with Demons
57. 3-13 08 Feb 01 Bride and Gloom
58. 3-14 15 Feb 01 The Good, the Bad and the Cursed
59. 3-15 22 Feb 01 Just Harried
60. 3-16 15 Mar 01 Death Takes a Halliwell (loses to 5th Halliwhell)
61. 3-17 22 Mar 01 Pre-Witched
62. 3-18 19 Apr 01 Sin Francisco (Bite Me so close)
63. 3-19 26 Apr 01 The Demon Who Came in from the Cold
64. 3-20 03 May 01 Exit Strategy
65. 3-21 10 May 01 Look Who's Barking
66. 3-22 17 May 01 All Hell Breaks Loose - still think its epically directed and acted.

Season 4: 13

67. 4-1 04 Oct 01 Charmed Again (1)
68. 4-2 04 Oct 01 Charmed Again (2)
69. 4-3 11 Oct 01 Hell Hath No Fury
70. 4-4 18 Oct 01 Enter the Demon
71. 4-5 25 Oct 01 Size Matters
72. 4-6 01 Nov 01 A Knight to Remember
73. 4-7 08 Nov 01 Brain Drain
74. 4-8 15 Nov 01 Black as Cole
75. 4-9 13 Dec 01 Muse to My Ears
76. 4-10 17 Jan 02 A Paige from the Past
77. 4-11 24 Jan 02 Trial by Magic
78. 4-12 31 Jan 02 Lost and Bound
79. 4-13 07 Feb 02 Charmed and Dangerous
80. 4-14 14 Feb 02 The Three Faces of Phoebe
81. 4-15 14 Mar 02 Marry-Go-Round
82. 4-16 21 Mar 02 The Fifth Halliwheel
83. 4-17 28 Mar 02 Saving Private Leo
84. 4-18 18 Apr 02 Bite Me
85. 4-19 25 Apr 02 We're Off to See the Wizard
86. 4-20 02 May 02 Long Live the Queen
87. 4-21 09 May 02 Womb Raider
88. 4-22 16 May 02 Witch Way Now? - ultimately like it as the series finale, happy ending to the storyline


Season 4 steals my heart everytime! But some episodes are like 'swing states' and can drop back and forth like Coyote Piper and Muse to My Ears

[Aaeiyn]

The only reason why S4 does NOT win this poll is because I ONLY compared S3 & S4 (with NO OTHER season), as far as ALL THREE sisters being present, at the final fight (BONUS for ACTUALLY contributing to it). It's a tie/toss-up between the two because it was 11 & 11, but S3 BARELY won out S4 by ONE point, in honoring ORIGINAL Warren powers. So, I'm still saying S3.

[prueislove]

Phoebe made s4 draining to watch for me. I don't mind Paige (definitely prefer Prue) but Phoebe was a horrible big sister to her. Piper who didn't accept Paige at first became the sister Paige deserved in my mind and Phoebe never does enough to make up for it.