Most common Charmed problems:

[rebooted]

I just figured out that its exactly 20 years since I became disenfranchised by Charmed, or sort of at least losing hope around mid 2003/Season 5 that the show would get out of its decline. (My opinion. I know others love the later years).

I loved the first half of Season 4 and did enjoy the Cole Source storyline just because of the drama and performances but having to deal with Prue's absence, the change in birth order, then Julian's character torn apart, Julian's departure, Phoebe and Paige becoming unrecognisable, Wyatt over Melinda and finally fairytales - which was the final nail in the coffin for me... I felt that I was really just watching out of loyalty and for Holly Marie Comb's acting and to see where the character of Piper would end up.

My faith was restored a little in Season 7 but my preferred ending would have been Prewitched in Season 3 for the Prue years OR Brain Drain/ A Paige from the Past in Season 4 - perhaps even in Charmed and Dangerous when the toast to Prue.

However, I am happy to have Long Live the Queen as the series finale, leaving the storyline open and the sisters avenging the Source and Prue's death.

But 20 years is a long time I suppose to still love a series, that ending up being mediocre in the long run for me starting in 2003

[Aaeiyn]

Mar 27, 2023 5:31:51 GMT -5 rebooted said:

Phoebe and Paige becoming unrecognisable

My Phoebe and Paige heart! 😭

I understand the Phoebe complaints, I used to be there, but I always felt like Paige only got better as the seasons continued.

[aggiefan12]

Forever Charmed the series finale had some problems Grams looked a lot older than some of the earlier episodes when the Charmed ones were kids or when they were younger adults did anybody notice this?

[theredqveen]

Jan 28, 2009 8:26:59 GMT -5 Hansemand said:

Well, Alyssa was also not their first choice to play Phoebe
But the actress Lori Rom quit right after the pilot due to personal reasons, so in order to get people to watch Charmed, they hired Alyssa instead to be Phoebe, obviously because of her good looks and her own fans that she could bring along to the show.

Because seriously, in the beginning of Charmed she was not that good as Phoebe, that followed later as Phoebe developed into a bit more responsible adult and thus also Alyssa.

This is a wild thing to say.

[theredqveen]

The amount of people (regular humans, not even demons/etc) who died in or around the manor was nuts. In reality the sisters would have been on 24/7 surveillance and probably a FBI watchlist 😂

[theredqveen]

May 20, 2016 3:32:59 GMT -5 sol said:

Paige helped Leo to heal Cole and I don't think she loved him

But in the scene, it's actually Leo who is using his healing powers actively and Paige is just there to boost his healing. Leo is channelling his whitelighter healing and Paige's dormant whitelighter healing, so it's not so much about if Paige wants to save Cole or not.

[sonja]

How androcentric it became.

[Aaeiyn]

Aug 13, 2024 4:18:08 GMT -5 sonja said:

How androcentric it became.

I disagree. Men were always displayed as wrong or stupid, all throughout the show, and that the Charmed Ones are always right and smart.

[Ravenna]

I'm sure it's already been discussed but the recycling of romantic plots was a big issue for me. The will they-won't they back and forth with Piper and Leo, elders taking Leo away because "witches and whitelighters can't be together". And then with Phoebe and Cole, Phoebe pretending she hates him and can't be with him because he's evil but then he's not evil and gave up his powers and then he's evil again.
And there always being another Big Bad. Once the Source was gone that should have been the peak of their demon killing, you can't call something the source of all evil and then try to top that. it's an issue I also had with Supernatural and why I fell behind with it, there was always something bigger and more evil coming.

[sonja]

Aug 13, 2024 5:04:52 GMT -5 Aaeiyn said:

Aug 13, 2024 4:18:08 GMT -5 sonja said:

How androcentric it became.

I disagree. Men were always displayed as wrong or stupid, all throughout the show, and that the Charmed Ones are always right and smart.

This is just my impression, but at one point in spite of Charmed Ones always being established as the most powerful witches in the world, in the final showdowns it became about men saving the day (Leo, Chris). And while Cole was around I think they focused a lot more on his moral ambiguity than Phoebe's (which would've been more interesting to explore, within and outside her relationship with Cole). I actually think the impression you get that Charmed Ones were positioned as right and smart was because the nuanced writing was given to the male characters at one point of the show (I wanna say around season 5, though I can't say for sure), and Charmed ones weren't allowed to be wrong, and therefore interesting. Even when they made mistakes, they wouldn't learn from them. In my opinion, this is a consequence of the type of writing that prioritizes men or the male perspective, even if it's unintentional.

[Aaeiyn]

Aug 17, 2024 1:40:51 GMT -5 sonja said:

This is just my impression, but at one point in spite of Charmed Ones always being established as the most powerful witches in the world, in the final showdowns it became about men saving the day (Leo, Chris). And while Cole was around I think they focused a lot more on his moral ambiguity than Phoebe's (which would've been more interesting to explore, within and outside her relationship with Cole). I actually think the impression you get that Charmed Ones were positioned as right and smart was because the nuanced writing was given to the male characters at one point of the show (I wanna say around season 5, though I can't say for sure), and Charmed ones weren't allowed to be wrong, and therefore interesting. Even when they made mistakes, they wouldn't learn from them. In my opinion, this is a consequence of the type of writing that prioritizes men or the male perspective, even if it's unintentional.

Oh, I get it. Men can't do anything in this show, ever, at all times. They're just supposed to be standing there, looking pretty. Not a man hating stance, at all.

It's OK for the show to evolve. Besides, it stopped being Connie's show as soon as S2 began. Everytime a new season begins, it's an entirely different show. None of the seasons are really linked together in any cohesive way. That would be a common problem, for me. Even if it remained about just our leading ladies, the seasons don't really link with one another really well.

That being said, I don't mind other characters (men or women) being included in the Charmed universe. 'Cause I do get sick & tired of the same characters, over and over again and consider it pretty lazy writing, when no other characters are involved.

Even if it wasn't men but other female characters (like Billie & Christy in S8) IK that's another problem, too, for some (not all) people. It's like no other characters can exist BUT the sisters. Besides, Darryl & Andy have been part of the show, as well since S1. And, Andy had more character development than Piper, so I've perceived it, in S1. Yet, I don't hear too much criticism about that.

Though, I guess they semi wrote Darryl just fine, by not going too in depth with his character until about S6-S7. Is that about how much involvement any character (that's NOT the sisters) should have in this show?

I just take issue with the fact that men (and sometimes other female characters) simply just can't coexist in this show, at all, with our leading ladies. Especially directly towards the men. Comes off as sexist.

[Aaeiyn]

To be more fair to you, sonja , I will agree that the show stopped developing the main leading characters. As by S8, most of the character development and backstory was utilized on Billie & Chrisy, in S8. However, it is S8, so the writers probably felt like they didn't need to expand on their leading ladies, anymore. BUT, I still think Piper was wrong and still wrong and agree, she never really learned her lesson, like she should've. And even in this case (despite it being women on women), the writing pushed for our leading ladies to just be right, in this case, Piper.

And do agree, that there needed to be more involvement in Phoebe's own moral ambiguity (and hurt that her marriage with Cole caused). We only have little bits of pieces about it, here and there, across S1-S4 about it. I (personally) went more depth about it, in a different thread, that I can't find, right now.

But, I just think all of this is just a result of bad writers. Especially because it took way too long to develop Darryl's story, who has been a part of the Charmed universe since S1. And, he doesn't get development until the end of his run. Same with Leo.

That's how I perceive it.