Comparing Season 1-8 Review

[SimplyAretha]

Es. asked me to post this here, so she could comment and others could give their two cents too.

Some of the seasons were good but some were horrible and I actually would have stopped watching if I wasn't a committed Charmed Cafe member.

Season 1: First of all, my favorite season would have to be Season 1. Why? Because Season 1 was untainted and pure - it was the raw idea of three sisters who happen to be witches. Slowly each season lost this basic storyline and I think ruined the show. The whole Prue/Andy storyline I loved. Killing off Andy was... I don't know. On one hand I'm glade he's gone, his character left on top and they didn't get the chance to destroy his character like they do to Cole in future seasons. The whole endless love between Prue and Andy - I wish Prue got the chance to be happy.

Season 2: I hated the whole Dan/Piper/Leo love triangle. Jenny. OMG. What can I say that I wouldn't ban my own-self from this board? I didn't like her. Everything else I was fine, nothing too special but just fine.

Season 3: Introducing Cole *gasp* - I love him. I love this season if only to watch him. Now I know I said all that about the sisters but I like the Cole from this season. Piper and Leo's wedding - wait season 3 is my favorite. This season for me is when the show was still good. It can be accredited to one person, Constance Burge (you probably thought I was going to say Cole)

I probably would have said Season 1-3 if I didn't have to include season 2.

Season 4: I think of this as my grieving period. No Prue and it's not even how she died it's how she was fired from the show. I have not fully recovered from this travesty. I hated Paige, I think her acting sucked and I could think of other people who could have played this role better. She will grow on me but not this season. Cole and the underworld, ulg I don't want to comment only because I don't think you would want to read a mile long rant on how messed up the whole storyline was. I started hating Charmed during this season.

Season 5: I like to pretend it didn't happen- I barely watched the show during this time. This has to be one of the worst seasons. This is when they destroyed Cole's character for good. The birth of Wyatt. I'm torn again. I wanted the baby. I didn't care that it was a boy. This is where I get annoyed: Twice blessed? Excalibur? Seriously? I think Wyatt could have been a better storyline but I think they pulled this garbage out of a hat. I'm almost positive that even the writers of this season don't put this on their resume.

Season 6: Enter Chris and the reason I started to love Charmed again. Season 6 brought me back. I still didn't like the whole Wyatt twice blessed stuff but I was trying to ignore it. The whole Elder trying to kill Wyatt I think was another storyline pulled from a hat. I like this season but it could have been better. I just focused on Chris and tried to ignore the rest. Especially Piper. Piper was always my favorite but there are times during the series were I didn't like her at all.

Season 7: Avatars did destroy the Charmed ones - or at least the Charmed show. Didn't like them with Cole and I don't like them now. The show should have ended here. This is when I realized that the show can't get better. I didn't want Season 8 because I knew that if this is what they have to offer with a bigger budget then season 8 is going to be a disasters.

Season 8: Billie and Cristy? seriously. This season made me have a misguided hatred for Kaley - it wasn't her fault that she was brought into a show that she wasn't wanted in. She was the face of a misguided story plot line that a lot of people hated. LEAST-FAVORITE SEASON!

I feel like I just spent an hour on the psychiatrist couch.

[SEERofCHAOS]

Alright here is my 2 cents.

The first 3 seasons to me feel like a trilogy.

Season 1: This was a great season. It introduced the sisters, the powers, and introduced some great recurring villains into the show. I personally think this was the most creative of the seasons.

Season 2: The mythology of the show starts to work itself out here. I don't like the love triangle with Piper at all, Dan was just a plot device to me, and was barely referenced later. Although it had some great one-shot stories I watch over and over again, I think this is the weakest one in the trilogy.

Season 3:My favorite season ever. It mixed story-arc plus Demon of the Week plots very well. I felt the sisters had grown and matured a lot this season, and the plot line with Cole was well done. I will never tire of this season.

Season 4:This season is mixed for me. Well it starts off with some pretty weak episodes, it slowly gets better after the first Source was vanquished. The Phoebe going evil plot line wasn't very good, but Womb Raider remains one of my favorite episodes and The Seer if you couldn't tell is my favorite villain.

Season 5:Another mixed one. I do enjoy a lot of episodes from this season, and the sisters are still helping innocents, which now became an abundance of fairytale creatures. Cole's character was ruined, he should have stayed dead, and this season was too Phoebe focused. I don't have a problem with Wyatt like most people do.

Season 6:What the...how did this happen...what happend to Charmed...my god, least favorite season.

Season 7:The Avatar plot was a mess and I hated it, but when Drake came the show became a lot better. They didn't go back to what they were like during their glory days, but they gotten better. Plus Zankou and Charisma Carpenter gives bonus points to this season.

Season 8:Not my least favorite season, but there is little redeeming qualities here.

[Astral Alex]

Ooh, I love a good ol' analysis.

Season 1 - Excellent. It was the foundations of the show, introduced the sisters, the Power of Three, their powers, and I think the demons were more creative yet sort of believable in this season, demons such as the Grimlocks etc. I notice how Warlocks were very prominent in this season and then next but sort of became a rarity in later seasons. I loved the character of Andy, I think his character was killed off at a good moment, as it showed progression in the story as a whole, but I think his character could easily have lasted another season successfully.

Season 2 - After the success of Season 1, Season 2 will remain one of my least favourite seasons. Not for any particular reasons, just because I think their could have been a lot more growth within the show. I hated the first few episodes and the only stand-out episode in Season 2 is Ms. Hellfire, which I enjoyed and will remain one my favourite episodes. I think the writers were just trying to find their feet during this season and trying to ensure the show would continue being a success. It is neutral really, I don't particularly love it, but it isn't the worst.

Season 3 - One of, if not THE best season. The development in Prue, Piper and Phoebe's powers interested me, as well as Leo and Piper's wedding and amazing episodes such as 'All Halliwell's Eve', 'The Honeymoon's Over', 'Blinded by the Whitelighter'. I loved Cole during this season too, the development of his character was superb. Phoebe began to grate on me in this season, I have always found Phoebe to be my least favourite character. The end of the season was fantastic, however 'Look Who's Barking' in my opinion was awful, and not very fitting for the penultimate (and Prue's penultimate episode.) All Hell Breaks Loose was one of the best episodes of the entire series. Fantastic drama, and gave Prue the best exit possible.

Season 4 - Now, I know a lot of people hate Paige, and Season 4, but personally this is tied with Season 3 on how much I love it. I thought Charmed Again Parts 1 & 2 and Hell Hath No Fury were good openers and introduced Paige well. I must admit the first half of the season was a bit weak, and could have been structured better but I (again unlike many people) loved the hunting of The Source and Charmed and Dangerous is a stand-out episode in this season for me. Then with Phoebe's baby I thought it was great, especially Womb Raider. Also the scene where Paige finally is accepted as a sister when the three of them are hugging on the bed gets me every time.

Season 5 - Hmm, I hated A Witch's Tail, and most of the season is 'forgettable'. The Day The Magic Died however was one of my favourite episodes, and I love Wyatt but just hated the fairy-tale aspect of this season, as Charmed had been so dark during Seasons 3 & 4. Also I think the decision to bring Cole back, only to kill him off finally ten episodes later was a mistake. His vanquish at the end of Season Four was more memorable and the perfect end to the series. Phoebe also began to REEEEEEAAAAAALLY annoy me during this season. Her selfishness and 'I should get what I want' attitude didn't fit with Piper's all of a sudden motherly role and Paige's superwitch role. Although I did love it when Phoebe enjoyed playing Aunt to Wyat..

Season 6 - Odd. Extremely odd. I never knew what to make of this season. They abandoned the 'fairy-tale' element which I am glad of, but I never really warmed to Chris at all. Piper and Leo's break-up was also strange, I generally didn't think they would get back together. One of my pet peeves about this Season though is how they introduced the power of Empathy to Phoebe, a really interesting power with a lot of potential, only for it to be stripped less than a season later. I know this was done for budget reasons due to levitation being expensive, but still, a rant is a rant. I didn't like Piper's second pregnancy either, it seemed too rushed and thrown in - but I am glad that they decided to use a 6 month jump instead of dragging the pregnancy on into Season 7, as that would have been a baby overload. There aren't really any stand-out episodes in this season, the only thing I miss was Paige's strawberry blonde hair. She suited that the best

Season 7 - Horrendous. My least favourite season. Everything about it. The Avatars, Kyle, Zankou, The Fake Death, oh it was just awful! Phoebe became baby-obsessed which I didn't like, Piper became some cold, hard super-bitch while Paige became, I don't know, distant. I knew from this point onwards that Charmed was going downhill, and when Season 8 was announced I almost cringed

Season 8 - Controversial. It had it's good points, and it had it's bad points. In the beginning, I quite liked Billie but that quickly changed. The Charmed Ones reverting to their previous identities was ridiculous as well, you could tell the writers realised that they wouldn't be able to continue the show with their new identities so quickly fixed it. I understand the budget was tight with this season but the Billie/Christy saga was just so unnecessary, it took over the show and prevented the final season of Charmed with some good, high-action drama about the three sisters. Leo's absence I found, rushed, unneeded almost, they could have easily loosened the budget in other ways (the helicopter in Payback's A Witch? Really?) Also, I didn't like that Henry and Coop were introduced so late in the show, and Paige and Henry were hurriedly married off. I felt like they had no chemistry, nothing, it was just to show that Paige had developed and at least married once during her five years on the show. Phoebe and Coop's relationship was horribly rushed as well, and the final few episodes transpired into Billie and Christy plotting the same old, same old. Nothing new, nothing interesting, just a battle. Kill Billie Vol. 2 and Forever Charmed are the only stand-out episodes in this season. Plainly for the fact that they were exciting, and even though the season had been awful, Forever Charmed was a very fitting send-off. It did the show some credit.

Wow, feels like I've written a book there aha!

[SimplyAretha]

I like how we all have different opinions on the season but we can all agree that the Avatars were a bad idea.

[Jad]

Well, I'm going to be the fly in the ointment....

I liked season 7 because they didn't have bad guys that were one dimensional. A fantasy show like Charmed needs well thought out bad guys to be believable. The Avatars and Zankou were the best thought out bad guys of the series. OK, Cole would be the best if he was pure bad guy. So, using this criteria, I take a look at the seasons.

Season One- the only bad guy to consider in season one is Rex and company and yes he was a little more devious than most of their enemies. This is the first time the Charmed Ones were fooled by evil but by no means the last. I can write this one off as the girls being new and naive. Although some of the production quality and writing this season was pure cheese, I give it a thumb and a half up. The Wedding from Hell is my all time worst episode.

Season two- this one meandered with only the Dan/Leo thing being the only arc worth mentioning. They did some good episodes this season but they were always the stand alone types. I give this season a half a thumbs up, but it's not my worst season. The last episode, the one with the Genie, saved it for me.

Season three- this one defined the Source of All Evil. I can define the character of the original Source in one word, hubris. This season was well done and Julian was a good addition. Both Phoebe's and Prue's weakness was shown this season. Phoebe's was lust and Prue's was pride; these flaws almost saw the destruction of the Charmed Ones and the death of one of them. I give this season two thumbs up but not my favorite.

Season four- using the second season episode P3H2O as an explanation for the hidden fourth sister was well done. It was almost as if Mister Kern had planned it all along. Well, maybe he held it in the back of his mind just in case. The original Source never learned that he was never going to defeat the sisters by brute force. This was his pride; this was his hubris. Cole as Source was always on the defensive against the other demons, so he never got the chance to be a well thought out bad guy. Here is the first season that had a great set up but failed to bring it home. The Fifth Haliwheel is my all time favorite episode. This season gets a solid thumbs up from me for the plausible existence of a fourth sister but failed to bring it home starting with We're off to See the Wizard.

Season five- the ruining of Cole as a character or the devolution of a good character done in by Miss Phoebe Haliwell who could not let go of Cole. The exit of Cole could have been done better if only Phoebe could have an adult relationship with a man. The second half of the season had a couple of good episodes but for the most part were a waste of time. My worst season ever. Some of the Cole episodes were good and the Wyatt episodes in the second half. I Barely give this season a half a thumb.

Season six- this season would have been great if the mirror that Gideon had was not dropped on us in the season finale. They way it was done felt too contrived. If on the other hand, we had been glimpses behind the curtain two or three times before the finale, it would have come off much more believable. Chris Fuller was a good addition as Chris, but Gideon's fall needed more time spent on it to make it plausible. I give this season a solid thumbs up....

Season seven- this is the thinking person's season. The bad guys had the most depth. The Avatars were the second deepest bad guy on the show only shown up by Zankou. Zankou was their most dangerous villain. He not only almost defeated them; he wrecked them psychologically. This right after the Avatars twisting them around a few times. In the end they were still standing but the mental strain pushed them into the disappearing act. This one gets two thumbs up from me, for me the best season in the show. Zankou wasn't trying to kill the charmed Ones; he was trying to subjugate them.

Season eight- such a let down after season seven. It seemed to me that the writers just mailed it in and went on vacation. The new witch as apprentice was a good idea but the going bad arc should only have taken two or three episodes not the whole season. They really had a chance to develop the triad as world class baddies, but they blew it big time. Worst season ever, I feel sorry for Kaley as Billie in that she deserved better.

If you haven't noticed, I approach this from the angle of a writer.

[Esmeralda]

First thanks to everyone for their analysis, especially to SP for bringing hers over her from another site.

I've posted my season reviews in the Season Discussion sub-board but here they are all together. I wrote this the summer after Charmed ended and my feelings towards the seasons haven't changed much.

SEASON ONE: Finding their Destiny

The more I watch this season on DVD, the more I enjoy it. I remember coming into it excited to see Alyssa, who I knew from "Who's the Boss?" and Holly, who I knew from "Picket Fences." I'd never watched Beverly Hills 90201 and everything I'd heard about Shannen was negative, so I wasn't looking forward to seeing her, but Prue had me caught before the end of the season, just because she was so much like me.

I liked the relationship Prue had with Andy, and with Darryl, too and still cry when I watch the last episode of that season, when Andy dies. So much of this season reminds me of what Charmed was and what I wish it remained:

• I wish that whitelighters and Elders (darklighters, too,) remained more the way Leo described them back then - messengers and guardian angels, not supernatural taxicabs and doctors.
  
  
• I wish that when the sisters used magic for personal gain that it would just fade away like Phoebe's lottery ticket.
  
  
• I wish that saving innocents remained more important than personal desires.
  
  
• I wish that Piper could still want a normal life without constantly whining about it.
  
  
• I wish Phoebe was still our Phoebs rather than PhoeME/Freebie--more interested in magic than sex.

Favorite eppis includes all the ones that include Leo, least-favorites include all the ones that don't, except for "That Seventies Episode", which is my favorite of that season with "Love Hurts" just a little bit behind it--I LOVE the sacrifice Piper is willing to make in that one; a sacrifice she won't make in S6-8--she SOOO should've given up her powers before she had kids!

B+// 8 out of 10 stars // Very Good!


SEASON TWO: Living their Destiny

This is my favorite season of Charmed! Unlike so many other fans, I liked the "Demon of the Week" format because it allowed the show to concentrate on relationships, much more important to me than the next demon.

I loved the fact that Prue continued to mourn Andy and the fact that she found someone she could just have fun with--I got a kick out of Jack! No other Charmed One has grieved for the one who was supposed to be *her* guy beyond the episode following that one's death. Prue was still mourning Andy halfway through the season in "Murphy's Luck"

I loved the whole bit with Piper choosing between Leo & Dan. Personally I still think she should've chosen Dan, especially if Leo could've learned to love Prue or Phoebe or, best, Paige. To me, Dan represented the normal life Piper craves so much. If Piper had married Dan, Leo would still be a whitelighter, his calling, what he's destined to be. Leo represented the wicca life that Piper doesn't want. For the one who wants to be a witch the least to end up with a magical guy just doesn't make sense.

Unfortunately, Dan ended up being a creep, but only after Awakened, when he discovered Piper's true feelings, even before Piper did! And Piper & Leo *are* soulmates, no matter if they should be or not!! In the latter seasons I missed Leo my angel *so* much!!

I loved Phoebe going back to school and the way she cared about the innocents and her sisters *so* much. As I said about in my S1 review, I miss Phoebs dreadfully, even more than Leo my angel!! She was still a bit of a PhoeME, but in a loveable way, since she's the baby, a way that didn't translate once she was forced to become the middle sister. And she definitely wasn't Freebie!! We also discovered that her soulmate is a demon--Anton. No wonder she was attracted to Cole! He reminded me *so* much of Anton!! All of Phoebe's guys were tall, dark and dangerous-looking--just like her soulmate, Anton!

Some of my favorite innocents were part of this season and so were some of my favorite demons. And my all-time favorite eppi, "Morality Bites", was part of it. Each time the sisters (or Piper's younger son) forget that Wrong Things Done for the Right Reason are still Wrong, and We're Supposed to Protect the Innocent, Not Punish the Guilty, I cringe!

There were a few eppis that were very simply bad, but even they always helped push the season along, like "Animal Pragmatism" (I LOVED Leo's Valentine for Piper!) and "How to Make an American out of a Quilt"--Piper first making it clear how little she wanted to be a witch and why she should've chosen Dan and not Leo.

A+/ 10 out of 10 stars/ EXCELLENT!


SEASON THREE: Losing part of their Destiny

Although this wasn't my favorite season, it came close. The characters were more developped--the Halliwells were both witches and sisters--the closeness between the sisters was there. The idea of Phoebe falling in love with a demon, especially after us finding out that a demon, Anton, is her soulmate, made for a ton of suspense. No doubt Cole was the best male character on the show, he truly had so many different sides, and Julian played them all so very well!

There was constant foreboding about Prue, ending up with her dying saving an innocent; to my knowledge the only one who has--saving a family member doesn't count.

And Piper & Leo and their marriage and her getting her new power (undoubtedly setting them up so that the girls still had a way to take care of demons once Prue died) was perfect, even though I wish they could've found a different one. Once a single Charmed Ones could destroy demons just by using her own power, she no longer needed her sisters, the way Prue still needed hers, since her TK didn't kill. Originally Piper could only push people away with it, not actually kill them. That would've been much better, because personally I think that changing Piper's power from time manipulation to molecular manipulation is the worst mistake made on the series--it set up Piper to be much too powerful and allowed her to take over the show, so the show was about her and her husband and her sons, and, oh, yes, didn't she have a couple of sisters, too, and didn't they also have powers?

I also think that everyone looked their best in this season. I loved the blonde in Phoebe's longer, fluffier hair. I loved Piper getting rid of her bangs and letting her hair grow, and I loved Prue's longer and fluffier, too. Leo looked his best (until S8!) and so did Cole and Darryl, who became a closer friend.

For me, the first three seasons make the perfect trilogy. It has nothing to do with Prue vs Paige, who became my favorite sister of the second set of Charmed Ones, but just the way it's set up, with S1 being Prue's love story, with her guy a mortal, S2 being Piper's with her guy an angel and S3 being Phoebe's. with her guy a demon. Finding out about their destiny in S1, living it in S2, losing part of it in S3.

When Shax turns and says, "The End", I truly thought it was and a lot of times think it should be. It's why I stopped buying DVDs after I got S3, and don't ever plan on buying any others.

A-/8 out of 10/Very Good!


SEASON FOUR: Screwing up the Birth Order

This used to be one of my least-favorite seasons until 6, 7 & 8 came along. Now it's just so-so.

For me, it's much too dark and doesn't have the humor that I love so much about Charmed. I also felt like Paige was pushed at us, the way Billie and Christy were in S8, and being a huge Prue-fan, didn't appreciate it. I'll admit I howled over her huge boobs (best bit of the season and the last time there was a backlash for using magic for personal gain!) and felt bad for her when she went into the past, but that was about it.

Piper was never meant to be the oldest and it shows. She's so busy with her own life with Leo, she can't keep her sisters out of trouble or under control, the way Prue could. But Holly's portrayal of the Fury was one of her best acting jobs.

As an only child and a social worker, Paige should've started caring for and taking care of her new sisters. Even tho the youngest, she could've done that, letting Piper and Phoebe still be themselves rather than forced into molds where neither fit. And she could've/should've done it in a totally different way than Prue - treating them as women, not as children as Prue did, allowing all three sisters to grow, not backtrack as they did.

Speaking of, I thought it would've been a lot better if Phoebe had realized what was happening with Cole and helped him beat it. Her becoming evil by choosing him over her sisters was way too much for me. And the fact that Alyssa looked her ugliest during Phoebe's wedding still makes me howl to this day! That dark hair with those spiky bangs!! UGH!!!

But the season *did* include the best mourning scene of the entire series, that of Phoebe's after vanquishing Cole/the Source when the sisters comforted her. Bringing Cole back in S5 was a HUGE mistake--they should've let him stay dead after this!!

The worst part of this season was showing the original Source's face. He was *so* much scarier as just a hooded character with a deep resonant voice, who could possess anyone--something I felt they should've taken more advantage of. Never knowing who was possessed by him could've been terrifying! Once we saw his face, he was just another actor with a bad makeup job.


C-/4 out of 10 Stars/Mediocre


SEASON FIVE: Meeting the rest of the Magical Community

Along with S4, this one was one of my least favorites until S6, 7 & 8 came along. Now it's just mediocre.

S4 was much too dark; S5 was much too light. Funny, but during S4, a lot of fans were writing on the boards that we should get a chance to meet other peoples in the magical world. I guess this proves to watch out what you wish for--you may get it!! I liked all the fairy tales and everything better than the darkness of S4, but not by much.

By far, the best part of the season was Wyatt, both while Piper was carrying him (and we thought she was Melinda, who he should've been, and he *definitely* should not have had a prophecy of his own; one that no one had even heard about until then) and his birth and his first demon. Remembering that unicorn as the sign of purity still hurts when I think what they did to his character in S6.

This season includes two of my favorite eppis--"Cat House" (although I want to kill Kern for the way he fired Shannen, so she ended up not allowing scenes of Prue to be shown!!!) and "Sense & Sense Ability"--that *had* to be the funniest episode ever!!

But I hate what they did to Cole! It's almost as if they were trying to make us hate his character so we wouldn't mind when they got rid of him in the 100th eppi--and that that--so he could be part of that eppi was the only reason for hanging on. Oh, did THAT backfire! That eppi just made me (and a lot of others) miss Cole and abhor Phoebe!

This season was when Piper began to whine and Phoebe began becoming Freebie/PhoeME and Paige was beginning to become a dumb Valley Girl rather than the gal who went to college and should've been a social worker. The deterioration of their characters from potential whitelighters to selfish b!tches began!


C-/5 out of 10/OK


SEASON SIX: Upstaged by a couple of cute upstarts

I HATE CHRIS!!!

I think he's the worst thing that could've happened to the series (I consider HIM the true Big Bad of Charmed for how badly he screwed up his mother and her sisters!) and as such, I consider S6 my least-favorite of all the seasons. The *only* saving moment was in Spin City when Paige said, "Bug spray! We should've used Bug Spray!" Amen! Then Chris would've been gone!

Why do I hate Chris? Because he was a lying, murdering, whining brat who never apologized for his lies and who I thought was going to kill Wyatt up until the moment *he* died (I cheered!) and who turned my favorite male character (Leo) from my wonderful pacifist angel into a murdering Elder by vanquishing him to Valhalla, where Leo was forced to hate and kill!

And why does Chris hate Leo? Because he wasn't around for him! OH, POOR BABY!! Leo is out saving the world and his son is pouting and whining coz he doesn't have time for him!

To top it off, thanks to his obvious belief that ends justify the means, he taught his family to feel the same way besides getting them to stop worrying about innocents and just concentrate on their family--they became self-centered b!tches from then until the end of the show--and as proven in Imaginary Friends, he didn't really save Wyatt--Wyatt's still just as prone to becoming evil since, like Phoebe, he was born in the Manor, so Chris did all that for nothing, as far as the series is concerned!

By the end of S7, I was certain there was no doubt the Wyatt in *this* world was going to hate his mother, coz *she wasn't* around for him thanks to Big Chris making them concentrate on themselves rather than innocents, like they're supposed to! Let's just worry about ourselves and our own desires to live a normal life (he learned how to whine from his mother!) and not others! Was there anything more stomach-turning than the S7 finale??? Let's walk off and have fun living our own life (Piper's normal life!) and who cares that poor Victor is going to have to try to raise two magic kids! I was certain that thanks to Future Chris making his mother and aunts totally self-centered, just like him, it would be FUTURE CHRIS who would make our sweetie Baby Wyatt turn evil, not Gideon!

Obviously S8 showed that I was wrong, and I was glad, but since Chris came into their lives, Piper constantly whined, Phoebe was more PhoeME than ever and Paige was a dummy!

The other worst part of S6 was Phoebe going on that visionquest, where from then on, finding the father of her child (to hell with love!) is all that she was interested in. And I actually liked that part at that time.

People say that what Chris did was OK coz he saved the world. But did he? But did he?! What did he really change for the good? Wyatt was still almost turned to evil in S7, so Chris obviously did not prevent him from turning evil simply by saving him from Barbas or Gideon, and obviously he didn't save Wyatt's life the first time around, since Wyatt *was* alive during ChrisCrossed. By vanquishing his father to Valhalla, Leo learned how to hate and how to murder, something we never saw in our gentle Whitelighter before. By turning Leo into an Elder, that's when Leo murdered and became an Avatar and *almost* caused the end of the world as we know it, none of which would've happened had Chris kept his skinny a$$ in the future where it belonged, or at least come back, write what was going to happen in the Book of Shadows, leave it on that page, then get his ultra-skinny a$$ back to the future where it belonged!

Although Bianca wanted Chris to go back to save Wyatt for their sake, most of it looked more like Chris went back to get revenge on Leo for "not being around for him." Oh, poor baby!! Your dad is off saving the world and doesn't have time for his self-centered son! BARF!

Although the sisters and Leo immediately forgave him and loved him as soon as they found out he was related (a very stupid reason as far as I was concerned for forgiving all of his lies, his murder, his screwing up their lives--especially Piper & Leo's!-- all the things he never once said he was sorry for!), I never saw any loving on Chris' part. In fanfics, definitely. On the show, nope.

Yes, I agree that the main reason for the mixup is Holly becoming pregnant so they had to change their original plans for Chris, hence the reason he is so different in "Oh, My Goddess" and in S6. It's also probably the reason why we never got a chance to see any nice moments between Piper & Chris once she found out who he was--Holly was too far along--but to go very strictly by the show, there are no true moments of caring between Chris and Piper in the show, only in the fanfics. Would someone who truly loves and respects his mother speak about his upcoming conception as coarsely as Chris does in I Dream of Phoebe? If I hadn't hated him before, I sure did then!

Also, as I pointed out earlier, the other thing that Chris taught them was that ends justify the means. If doing all the dreadful things he did is OK coz he ended up saving the world (which as I just pointed out, I don't think he did), whatever happened to "The wrong thing done for the right reason is still wrong!" (Phoebe in "Morality Bites")? Since they learned from Chris that ends justify the means, they did more and more stuff for personal gain (Phoebe wanting to switch powers just so Piper could have a premonition of the Avatars' future and changing reporters who were irritating Piper into rats being chief among them ). If "Forever Charmed" was Piper's delusion as she almost died, as believe it was, then I'm also certain that on Feburary 26, 2009, the day when Phoebe burned in "Morality Bites", it was all three sisters (especially Piper and Phoebe) who ended up on the pyre, and it's Chris' self-centered journey to the past will be the reason! It's why I'm so grateful to Paul Ruditis for changing the sisters back so I no longer think that at least in the Charmed Comics world this will happen.

Even Chris saving Wyatt didn't do anything--after all, it was his coming back that ended up with Wyatt almost dying, since Wyatt was still alive in Chris-Crossed.

I read somewhere that this season, Kern wanted to show Piper as a single mom, trying to raise a magical kid. Well, Wyatt never did much magic after the first couple shows and Piper dating so soon after Leo left was totally disgusting and showed no respect for the man she professes to love so much. Not that I blamed her--thanks to Chris, that wasn't the Leo she & I love.

In this season, Phoebe became a combination of Freebie/PhoeME, disgusting. Paige became a totally dumb clutzy Valley Girl--just as disgusting. Piper became as whiney as her son. There was no longer a Charmed One to like. And Leo was totally disgusting, looked fat and ugly and was nothing like the angel I loved and miss. The Elders were more demonic than the demons! And not once did the Charmed Ones try to save an innocent that wasn't family, except when Chris wasn't around--my favorite eppis.

No wonder they tried to make Chris be the hero. Too bad just being cute and being a member of the family didn't cut it.

Introducing Magic School was also a horrible mistake--trying to steal too much from Harry Potter and not doing a good job at it! The writers obviously agree since it became the headquarters for the demons in S8, even if they put Leo in charge of it at the end - more proof that this is all just Piper's delusion, since all of those kids would've used their magical powers to walk all over him!

And since Chris dominates the season so much, I hate the whole season! The only good episodes are ones that don't include him. The bad ones are the ones that do.


F-/0 out of 10 stars/ATROCIOUS!


SEASON SEVEN: What should've been the last season

What tells you the most about my feelings towards S7 is the fact that my favorite characters are the demons!! I LOVE KYRA, DRAKE & ZANKOU!!! ZANKOU IS ONE OF THE HOTTEST GUYS ON CHARMED, EVER!! ONLY BANE IS HOTTER AND COLE, JUST BEHIND THEM!!

The whole bit with the Avatars was dumb. Enough said. Kyle could've been so perfect if it wasn't for the fact that he was so obsessed. That he was turned into a whitelighter and Leo punished when Leo did more to save the world than Kyle ever did was totally disgusting!!

None of the actors did a good job except when everyone saw all the deaths, with the kids doing the best job! But the fact that THAT--family deaths and not what it was doing to the rest of the world, taking away their free will--was disgusting. So was the fact that Kern and Shannen still hadn't been reconciled so Shannen didn't let Prue be part of that montage!

Except for that one scene, all the characters became a parody of themselves, so cardboard was the showing of their feelings. And except for Sandra, who I liked a lot, the Elders continue to be more demonic than angelic while except for Kyra, Drake and Zankou, the demons were simply comedic.

Like I mentioned in the S6 review, the worst moment of the entire season was when Phoebe wanted to use the power-switching spell just so that Piper could see her vision of the future. If that wasn't personal gain, I'm not sure what was! Originally Piper did it to save Leo's life, but this???

Leo's fall was also disgusting, setting him up for Vayo con Leos. If he was going to be mortal, he should've gone back to his own time--he was useless in this one. And if Piper truly loved him (which I don't think she ever did), she would've let him go--or better, bind her own powers, bind her sons' powers and go back to the 30's with Leo, where she could just be a mother and have the normal life she wanted so badly! THAT's how Charmed *should've* ended!

Also fat ugly baby Chris! Why couldn't they have found a cuter set of twins, like the ones who play Wyatt? What makes it hilarious is that Baby Chris were played by set of fugly GIRL twins! No wonder so many fans thought that Chris was gay, despite his relationship with Bianca!

THE WAY THE SHOW WAS SET UP, PRUE'S POWER OF ASTRAL PROJECTION IS A PART OF HER ABILITY TO MOVE THINGS WITH HER MIND, HER POWER AS PART OF THE POWER OF THREE!! IT WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE TAUGHT!! Maybe Paige could've done it, since her power is also to move things with her mind, including herself, but not Piper or Phoebe--those two, at least, should've died in the finale!! Had that been the finale--had they truly died saving the world, it would've been great, just like Prue (and almost Piper) dying in "All Hell Breaks Loose". But as is, it stunk. Nothing was more disgusting than seeing them just walk away from their destiny, as if the Elders (or demons) couldn't see through those disguises!

IF YOU DON'T WANT TO USE YOUR POWERS PROPERLY THEN GIVE THEM UP, YOU SELFISH B!TCHES! OOOOOOOOOO @ Kern!

The best moment of the show was Drake! Although I rolled my eyes at the whole Robin Hood thing, I totally loved Show Ghouls!! DRAKE TAUGHT THE CHARMED ONES HOW TO CARE FOR INNOCENTS!!! The first time in *how* long? He also showed them how to be happy and how to live. I hated seeing him go, because as soon as he did, the sisters went back to their self-centered ways, taught to them by Chris in S6!!

I also *love* Kyra!! I wish she was the one who learned to help the sisters in S8, not Billie! A spinoff about a demon who wants to be human would've been fantastic! Killing her off was a horrible mistake!

I was also hoping Kyle would end up being a relative of Cole's--the names are similar and they look similar in certain poses. "Charmed Noir" is one of my favorite episodes. The guy who played Kyle could also act better than all of the other slampieces through the series.

Oh, did I forget to mention Leslie???

All-and-all, the bad guys truly saved the season, because the sisters and Leo sure didn't!!


D+/3 out of 10 stars/Bad, but not terrible


SEASON EIGHT: What a horrible way to end what could've been such a great show!

After watching S8, I truly wish that it had ended with S7 with the Charmed Ones and the Manor being blown to Kingdom Come, something like what happened in Kill Billie, Vol 2, but with no survivors.

Season 8 very simply sucked!

All those guest stars were SOOOOOOOOOO unnecessary! Why couldn't they have used the same Angel of Destiny as they used at the end of S4, if that one was cheaper? I didn't see a single guest star who I recognized and I didn't think any of them acted very well. To not have the final season be based on the sisters and include Leo, when he was part of the show from the very start, very simply sucked!

Ditto for no Darryl! He SOOOOOO should've been part of the last season; once you lost him, you lost that connection with reality which the FBI guy didn't do one single bit!

The only guest star I liked wasn't a guest star but a new regular. I *loved* Henry, but his and Paige's romance was just SOOOOOOO rushed! I wish they could've introduced *him* in S7 rather than Kyle. And the idea of Paige becoming pure whitelighter even though she was still alive thanks to those !@#$%^ Elders and moreorless making her give up her destiny as a Charmed One, as a witch? GRRRRRRRRRRRR @ Kern!

I HATED Coop! Man, he was hot, but all he did was make Phoebe even more of a Freebie/PhoeME than she was before. A self-centered Cupid?? Oh, barf! I wish they could've brought back the one from "Heartbreak City"; either that or make Billy from "Chick Flick" real; with them was when I loved Phoebs best! No wonder I love S2 so much! Again, I'm happy that Paul Ruditis has changed that, showing Phoebe and her cupid in love, not just in lust.

And the idea that the ELDERS sent Coop to Phoebe because they thought they'd goof up her life??? And that Phoebe had never known love until she met Coop? OH, BARF!!! I wish they could've brought back Cole or Drake. Even Anton would've been better than Coop! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR @ Kern!

Like rushing Paige & Henry, it was just a way of being sure that all three sisters were married before the end of the series, with Phoebe still getting a fantasy man when what she truly needed was a hard slap of reality! I wish she'd ended up the way that Rebecca, the woman who wanted to marry a rich man on "Cheers", ended up. Rebecca ended up with a plumber. Phoebe should've ended up with a REAL non-magical handyman!

Oh, speaking of handymans, then there was Piper. Using magic for personal gain right and left and never feeling any backlash--as long as it was funny, it was OK. Constantly shoving her kids, especially fugly Chris, off on her dad (and Wyatt was easily the show-stealer - I *love* little Wyatt!). Using Leo as her own personal errand boy rather than either helping him get his his wings back or sending him back to his own time. Then having the NERVE to cry when he's hurt and almost dies! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR @ Kern!!!!!

Why couldn't Kern have shown them actually in love before that?

And worst of all, the only way that Piper would agreee to fight evil was if they'd freeze her hubby! THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR DESTINY--TO FIGHT EVIL, YOU SELFISH, SELF-CENTERED B!TCH! You did one sh!tty job of leading the Charmed Ones! Prue would be SOOOO disappointed in you!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR @ Kern!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How the higher-ups at the WB (and they were the ones who suggested it to Kern, just like they wanted the mermaid spinoff) would possibly think that we could accept a dumb blonde who dressed in faux leather and had more powers than the Charmed Ones combined, totally voiding out Melinda Warren's prophecy and even the Twice Blessed Brat's prophecy, and then make the sisters treat her as if SHE was a sister? OOOOOOOOOO! Piper and Phoebe actually accepting her better than they accepted Paige! That was enough to make me want to vomit!

I actually liked the character Christy as an evil character. I liked the Stockholm Syndrome angle and the actress did a good job. So did Kaley when she worked with her--she overacted even more than Rose did before Marinette showed up!

I didn't like the return of the Triad--Cole vanquished them, for Pete's sake; they should've been a CINCH to vanquish so how the heck could they be the Big Bad? Ditto for only showing the original Source for a single episode. The TRUE Ultimate Evil should've been the self-centered, turn-away-from-their-destiny sisters themselves and they should've either been punished or changed! (or we should've been shown the REAL Ulitmate Evil--the Kernus Demon of Discontinuity and vanquish HIM in the last episode with the longest, slowest, most painful vanquish you can possibly think of!)

The end of Kill Billie Vol 2 and Forever Charmed truly sucked! It was SOOO unrealistic, especially because Paige is the one who should've survived thanks to panic-orbing, Piper shouldn't have been able to use Coop's ring (he should've gone on the time travel trip with her, not Leo), Leo should not have been returned until after the battle was *truly* won; and Wyatt and Chris had nothing to do with the plot and were just there to make their fans happy. ANd if they were going to do that, why didn't Chris hug Leo at the end! Also...where was Henry??

The worst part of "Forever Charmed" is that it didn't leave the door open for a spinoff or a movie or anything; we know that everyone (well, at least Piper and Leo!) will live happily ever after (if Leo can live happily ever after as Piper's errand boy for the rest of his life! Or worse, be a teacher at Magic School where all of those kids could use their magic on him!), so even if they did do a movie or a spinoff, we'd know that they'd have to end up happily and there would be no suspense, just like a prequel. Paul Ruditis has done that by blurring some of the words in that last entry, but even so, it appears that he's going to let everything in it end up being true and that's disappointing.

And don't even START me on the !@#$%^&*()_)(*&^%$#@! wall!

I truly hope that if a Charmed movie ever does come out (I don't think there ever will, but IF..), we find out that either the full season or at least "Forever Charmed" was simply Piper's delusion as she almost died and not real!

Brad Kern did a "wonderful" job of taking 3 would-be whitelighters and turning them into 3 would-be darklighters who should be burnt on the stake! Thanks, Kern! Thanks a helluva heap! Just thank God for fanfic writers and Virtual Series writers who know how to do things better!!


F/1 out of 10 stars/A bit better than S6 but not by much!

[ljones]

Season One - It did a decent job of establishing the show and characters (with some continuity mistakes). However, some of the rules on magic established during this season struck me as very questionable.

Season Two - It had a few first-rate episodes, but not a favorite season of mine. The series failed to develop during this season and I almost gave up on it by the finale.

Season Three - My favorite season of the series. It introduced Cole Turner. However, I wasn't that thrilled by its description of him as human=good; demon=evil. I wish they could have been a little more complex. Some of the best Prue episodes were aired during this season.

Season Four - It could have been better, if not for the badly written manner in which the Source/Cole storyline ended. It featured a pretty good introduction of Paige and she was at her best during this season.

Season Five - Horrible beyond words, aside from a few episodes.

Season Six - I found the writing somewhat questionable, especially in the manner in which Paige's romance with Richard Montana was handled. But Chris was a breath of fresh air. And this season featured the best episode of the last four seasons.

Season Seven - It sucked, especially the Avatar storyline. The only redeeming qualities about this season was Kyle Brody and Oded Fehr as Zankou.

Season Eight - Pure crap. The worst season of the series.

[SimplyAretha]

OMG ES I feel like I have to get into my PJ's and make some pop corn because it's going to take me a while to read and process your review. lol

[Esmeralda]

Decided to bump this to see if anyone else wants to add their reviews...

[Chrisaholic]

Uff, not easy with me as a certain whitelighter fan but I'll give it a shot! Since we have a re-run at the moment, I can recall.

SEASON ONE: Good introduction of good and bad and how the sisters will work in the future. Some episodes were good, and also with Rex & Hannah some enemies which gave a preview up to the next. Losing Andy was the hardest act for Prue.

SEASON TWO: The triangle among Piper, Leo and Dan, okay but Jenny? No words really necessary. The sisters' powers were growing slowly and Leo showed a bit how far he'd go for his love.

SEASON THREE: Introducing Cole Turner was a good effect since only the audience knew he was a double agent. But falling in love with Phoebe was obviously not on his "to do"-list. Finally Leo and Piper got married. We had waited for it. That Prue died at the end was kinda unexpected since I never knew what had happened behind the scenes.

SEASON FOUR: Okay, I admit I lost some interest there. With new shows and all. Paige was a bit annoying for me and her social skills were well developed and she should have concentrated on this, not being superwitch. Phoebe's marriage with Cole -mmmh?! And in the end, the big offer to let go of their Wiccan life (which they didn't) and Piper's pregnant.

SEASON FIVE: Always new characters (which should have come back at one time!) and more magical background, like fairy tales and all other creatures!! Okay, the baby being a boy or girl is a 50/50 chance but Twice-Blessed and with that stronger than the generation before. Confused but in the end: Chris!!

SEASON SIX: My reason to return to Charmed since I like mysterious guys. Must have been the trend at that time. Some episodes were good, others -mmmh. I missed a continuity there and it seemed that a lot was forgotten. And Chris died!!

SEASON SEVEN: Avatars - not really but Drake and Zankou were good, along with Kira. Baby Chris was, in general, only in background. I'd have expected more, grieving and all (Leo!) and also at least some revenge thing on Chris. This guy had spent a lot of time in the underworld!! Nevertheless, Leo's fall was great and Zankou's long plan to get the Book and the Nexus!

SEASON EIGHT: No words, no words!! Billie got too much space in my opinion and with Ultimate Power, Power of Three and Twice-Blessed, I think we're on overload with powers. Which one is the strongest now? I was certainly confused, and the many, many new characters!! *blah*

Okay, that's it from me!! You can shoot or just comment!

[Esmeralda]

Sept 26, 2012 5:02:31 GMT -5 Chrisaholic said:

Uff, not easy with as a certain whitelighter fan but I'll give it a shot! Since we have a re-run at the moment, I can recall.

That definitely helps. I *so* should do a rewatch!

SEASON SIX: My reason to return to Charmed since I like mysterious guys. Must have been the trend at that time.

You're probably right that it was the mystery of Chris that attracted so many fans - that was when the series was the most popular since Season Three. But once his indentity was revealed, the ratings plummeted, never to recover. They should've kept the mystery going.... And making him Piper and Leo's son rather than a bad guy from the future was their worst mistake.

[Deleted]

I liked the demon-a-week thing. Especially how there was a story link with the demon and what the sister was going through at the time.

Season 1:
Liked the introduction of the sisters, Andy and Prue, demon a week and simplicity of the wardrobe and special effects but very strong acting, theme and directing. At the time, I liked the Rex, Hannah storyline too and how evil started out in the corporate world. I'm glad that at least Leo and Piper are one good thing that survived the course of the series... beginning here! Definitely a great cast and superb creativity by Constance. Liked the wicca, showcasing San Francisco and learning more about the Halliwell heritage very early on in the series. Very catchy and attractive music/theme and one of the best Opening Credits theme songs that matches the drama/comic/horror/supernatural genre to it's shows premise. A

Season 2:
Enjoyed the continuation - Prue leaving Bucklands and how Andy's death felt real. Liked the sibling rivalry and the 'hot boy next door' with the Dan/Leo/Piper storyline. We actually didn't know which way it was going to go! Liked the demon of the week and the beginning of arches with Antonio Sab Jr and the Monkeys storyline with Piper's illness. This season had really good writing and I enjoyed fun Phoebe the most here - she really came into her role. I liked how the writers didn't do any drastic to change the show - just changing Quake to P3 and Prue from Buckland's to photography. Very well done. I didn't really mind Jenny - I just didn't understand why she starred in the opening credits! Dan was a spunk! I always thought Prue should have got Levitation rather than Astral Projection - which should have gone to Phoebe.

Season 3:
Love how it was Phoebe's turn to shine and she finally got an active power (although quite useless). Cole/ Julian was just awesome. And i liked how we could compare their relationship with Leo and Piper.... paving the way for Paige's storyline, a continuation of Season 2. Loved the eps Shannen Doherty directed, AHBL and the G, the B and the Cursed as well as the filler episodes like 'Bride and Gloom.' Again, liked the brotherhood and how evil made its mark in the corporate world and what the hierarchy of the underworld was. The best season of Charmed.

Season 4: Loved the emotions, sadness of Piper. Alyssa looked gorgeous in this Season and was growing up - finally getting a job. Liked the Source. I remember my heart beating when first watching these episodes - Charmed and D and LLtQueen. I really missed Prue though and felt indifferent to Paige because Piper and Phoebe were always my favourite. I think the writers did an amazing job with what they had at the time. They were on to it and didn't mess with the show too much. I didn't like the birth order changes and how we lost our Fun Phoebe. Also, this show was about Witches - not Whitelighter's which definitely sprouted the start of how the show would change starting from Season 5. I thought this season had the most adrenaline and intriguing storyline in terms of arches from Prues Death and Paiges introduction to Phoebe and Cole turning evil.

Season 5:
All I can remember is Fun Phoebe not wanting to be a witch anymore...which sucked because she was always the one to embrace it. Fairytales Fairytales.... the show had changed so much already! Why would they showcase the rest of the Good community like this? I only really liked the Gypsies and Sandman. Paige seeming more like a friend than a sister. Red Hair.... when the trade mark is BRUNETTE! But there were great episodes in this Season - mostly which involved Cole including the 100th. I didn't like the 2 hour season premiers/finales idea which I only thought was appropriate for Season 4's start. Didn't like Phoebe dressed up as a skank all the time and thought that their should have been a rift between Phoebe/Piper and Paige to get back the intensity of S1 - S4 sister relationships. Rose McGowan became too easy going with her acting and Wyatt should have been a girl - with none of this twice blessed rubbish!

Season 6:
Magic School? Really Charmed?. Sisters no longer looked related at all. Wyatt annoyed me and he should have been a Girl. Chris was average but no Andy, Cole, Dan or Leo. My least favourite Season. Leo would have never left his family fulltime - that was stupid. I hated the mystical island and the Elders esp Gideon having so much airtime. What I really enjoyed after watching a few episodes last week was Phoebe and Paiges relationship - Paige starting to look up to Paige and Phoebe being more of a role model. I liked how Chris was Piper's second son but Flashforwards to scenes in Forever Charmed should have happened here. There were no hints of Phoebe's children from Chris. Magic school... I can't tell you anymore. I wish they had offered Jason Dean a starring supporting role so he would've stayed and not gone on to Grey's - which he was awesome at. I think Cole, Jason and Drake had more chemistry with Phoebe than Coop and at least we wouldn't have seen such a rushed ending to Phoebe's love search. Rose's acting was average and the sisters looked nothing like sisters any more.

Season 7: Liked Zankou and that storyline. I wish they would have found a gypsie of cupid for Phoebe in the Season to settle down with, rather than every celebrity in the world. I liked Kyle and thought he had the balls to actually be in a relationship with a Charmed One. Some of the Avatar stuff was interesting but it could have been done a lot better especially with Good and Evil working together for once - since Apocalypse Now. I thank god for Zankou destroying magic school.

Season 8: Everyone says they hate Billie. I just think she should have only been there for 12 episodes as opposed to 22. This should have been a half season storyline. Liked Forever Charmed and Vaya Cons Leos but that's really about it and Paige and Henry. Disliked the rushed ending to Phoebe - her character deserved more. I liked the return of the Angel of destiny and death along with the Avatars and a female elder. Piper and Leo was fun. The triad didn't seemed as scary as they did in Season 3 with snakes and funky eyes. They could have done a lot of stuff to relate Season 8 back to storylines of previous seasons to send it off on a good note. I'm glad it ended here and happy that the Charmed ones all found love and had babies as well as the return of Mom, Grams, Wyatt, Chris, Victor in Forever Charmed.

Overall I loved Season 1 to 4. (No favourites at all - they all are) and for me, the show ended when the Angel of Destiny Closed the door at the end of Season 4.

Averagely liked 5 and 7.

Disliked 6 and 8. Six had too much going on and Eight had the wrong things going on.

This was fun!

Loved Charmed in every season for different reasons in order
4, 3, 2&1 tied, 5, 7, 8 and 6 last.

[Deleted]

Oh yes and! Empathy! That was probably one of the best powers on the show! I really think they should have given Phoebe back this power towards the end of Season 7 and maybe levitation in the last episode.

I also think that Phoebe should have had a premonition when she started writing in the BOS when Piper handed it to her to write 'everything' down. This would have meant that Phoebe actually used her powers in the finale and a flashback to Melinda Warren's prophecy and what she saw from 1x01.

We all need to make a movie!

[forbuss]

I have not posted on this thread yet, so here is my comparison of the seasons of Charmed!

Season 1

Season one was a great season! I still get such an excited feeling whenever I rewatch it, because I love the sisters discovering that they are witches, learning to fight demons, etc. That is the plot in season 1 for me, plus I think the demon of the week worked well in the first season. I fell in love with all of the characters in this season, especially Phoebe. I loved the relationship Alyssa and Shannen had on screen, and the acting in this season was great. Some favourite episodes are the Pilot, Is There A Woogey In The House?, That 70's Episode, and the Finale (to name a few).

Season 2

I also love season 2, though I thought the demon of the week episodes were better in season 1. I still loved the Prue-Phoebe relationship. I loved Piper-Leo in this season as well, but didn't love Dan-Jenny so much! Jenny was an awful idea. Some favourite episodes are Chick Flick, Morality Bites (amazing acting, one of the best episodes in the series), Be Careful What you Witch For, Ms. Hellfire, and How to Make A Quilt Out Of Americans, and Witch Trial.

Season 3

Here we go. There is *so* much I love about season 3. In my opinion, this was the beginning of the greatest era of charmed. Piper and Leo went through so much, Phoebe met Cole, and though Prue didn't have an epic love, her character developed so much, and her acting was amazing. This season was the peak of Piper and Prue, and Phoebe as well (although Phoebe's peak went on to season 4 too). I loved the ENTIRE season, but the second half is amazing. Someone said here that they will never tire of season 3, and I completely agree!

Season 4

Here we go. Everyone knows that this is my favourite season. The loss of Prue was felt intensely for me, and I missed her very much. However, I also liked Paige from the get-go. The introduction worked for me, and Holly's acting was, once again, superb. Alyssa's acting, also amazing. The beginning, and end of this season were it's best, the middle was good, but didn't work that well sandwiched into the two different events (Loss of Prue and then loss of Phoebe/Cole). LOVED it. Favourite episodes are everything in the beginning and end of the season.

Season 5

This is the big dividing line in Charmed, in my eyes. I personally still love Season 5, as there is so many great episodes within this season. Yes, some of the episodes are cheesy, but you have to look at them for what they are. Alyssa's acting was great in this season, but the character of Piper started to change towards the end of this season (with the loss of Leo, she turned into a bit of a bitch). I liked Piper having a child this season, it felt right. Some favourite episodes are: Sense and Sensibility, Centennial Charmed, The Eyes Have It, Baby's First Demon, and The Day That Magic Died.

Season 6

Ok, here we go. I did not like Chris, I thought he was annoying and I would have preferred this season without him. It would have been better with Giddeon being a threat from the beginning that we didn't know about. This season has some funny episodes (particularly from Alyssa) but that is about it. I do still enjoy this season.

Season 7

Yay! Season 7 is ranked high for me. I love it, love it, love it. It started to feel like Charmed again, especially after season 6. I loved the avatars, Paige, Phoebe, and even Piper started to feel more like her old self again. Drake was THE best part of this season, and I wish he and Phoebe could have stayed together. Why are the best guys always doomed?! I also loved Cole and Kira.

Season 8

Ohh season 8. I've said this before, I think this season had potential to be great! I think that with different actresses in the roles of Billie and Christie, it could have been so much better. I love Vaya Con Leos, and the finale. There are some funny episodes. Paige/Henry were my favourite part of this season, and I did not like Coop.

All in all, I did enjoy every season of Charmed for different reasons, and there is probably only 3-4 episodes that I can't stand to watch, which is pretty good!

[Deleted]

Sept 28, 2012 13:48:09 GMT -5 forbuss said:

I have not posted on this thread yet, so here is my comparison of the seasons of Charmed!

Season 1

Season one was a great season! I still get such an excited feeling whenever I rewatch it, because I love the sisters discovering that they are witches, learning to fight demons, etc. That is the plot in season 1 for me, plus I think the demon of the week worked well in the first season. I fell in love with all of the characters in this season, especially Phoebe. I loved the relationship Alyssa and Shannen had on screen, and the acting in this season was great. Some favourite episodes are the Pilot, Is There A Woogey In The House?, That 70's Episode, and the Finale (to name a few).

Totally agree with everything you’ve said here forbuss! These are my favourite episodes and I really didn’t dislike anything about this Season!

Sept 28, 2012 13:48:09 GMT -5 forbuss said:

Season 2

I also love season 2, though I thought the demon of the week episodes were better in season 1. I still loved the Prue-Phoebe relationship. I loved Piper-Leo in this season as well, but didn't love Dan-Jenny so much! Jenny was an awful idea. Some favourite episodes are Chick Flick, Morality Bites (amazing acting, one of the best episodes in the series), Be Careful What you Witch For, Ms. Hellfire, and How to Make A Quilt Out Of Americans, and Witch Trial.

So true! This was the best season that was directly all about the sisters. I really liked Dan though – not so much Jenny and again, these are some of my favourite episodes. I always though Alyssa did evil better than the crying scenes but Morality Bites is an awesome episode!

Sept 28, 2012 13:48:09 GMT -5 forbuss said:

Season 3

Here we go. There is *so* much I love about season 3. In my opinion, this was the beginning of the greatest era of charmed. Piper and Leo went through so much, Phoebe met Cole, and though Prue didn't have an epic love, her character developed so much, and her acting was amazing. This season was the peak of Piper and Prue, and Phoebe as well (although Phoebe's peak went on to season 4 too). I loved the ENTIRE season, but the second half is amazing. Someone said here that they will never tire of season 3, and I completely agree!

I think the majority of people on this board agree that this was when Charmed was in its prime. Excellent writing, acting, strained sister relationships and the whole forbidden love thing too! Agree with you Forbuss with Phoebe’s character peaking in Season 4. I love how this season was about the sisters and Julian didn’t take away too much of the focus from this core principle.

Sept 28, 2012 13:48:09 GMT -5 forbuss said:

Season 4

Here we go. Everyone knows that this is my favourite season. The loss of Prue was felt intensely for me, and I missed her very much. However, I also liked Paige from the get-go. The introduction worked for me, and Holly's acting was, once again, superb. Alyssa's acting, also amazing. The beginning, and end of this season were it's best, the middle was good, but didn't work that well sandwiched into the two different events (Loss of Prue and then loss of Phoebe/Cole). LOVED it. Favourite episodes are everything in the beginning and end of the season.

Although I thin Season 3 was the best season of Charmed, Season 4 was definitely my favourite too. I enjoyed how Prue wasn’t forgotten and The Source, Cole being evil, Piper and Leo and relating to Phoebe’s storyline falling for the wrong guy! Can watch this season over and over!

Sept 28, 2012 13:48:09 GMT -5 forbuss said:

Season 5

This is the big dividing line in Charmed, in my eyes. I personally still love Season 5, as there is so many great episodes within this season. Yes, some of the episodes are cheesy, but you have to look at them for what they are. Alyssa's acting was great in this season, but the character of Piper started to change towards the end of this season (with the loss of Leo, she turned into a bit of a bitch). I liked Piper having a child this season, it felt right. Some favourite episodes are: Sense and Sensibility, Centennial Charmed, The Eyes Have It, Baby's First Demon, and The Day That Magic Died.

It’s a season I hate to love but did so out of loyalty to the show. Agree that were some great episodes but loosing Julian was just too much to an already bruised show. Some of the eps you’ve mentioned are my faviourites to. It was the right time for Piper to have a baby, I agree… I just wish she was a girl! At this point – Charmed started to loose a lot of its integrity and that’s saying a lot since it still survived after Shannen left. Magical fairytales was definitely the wrong way to go…

Sept 28, 2012 13:48:09 GMT -5 forbuss said:

Season 6

Ok, here we go. I did not like Chris, I thought he was annoying and I would have preferred this season without him. It would have been better with Giddeon being a threat from the beginning that we didn't know about. This season has some funny episodes (particularly from Alyssa) but that is about it. I do still enjoy this season.

Thank You! I also thought that Chris was way to wimpy to be Pipers Son although I liked the idea of Drew being Piper’s second son from the future. MAGIC school, loosing Julian after Prue and fairytales, all three actresses not being brunette, Magic school were 4 of my peeves about the show. My least favourite… sorry Chrisaholic!

Sept 28, 2012 13:48:09 GMT -5 forbuss said:

Season 7

Yay! Season 7 is ranked high for me. I love it, love it, love it. It started to feel like Charmed again, especially after season 6. I loved the avatars, Paige, Phoebe, and even Piper started to feel more like her old self again. Drake was THE best part of this season, and I wish he and Phoebe could have stayed together. Why are the best guys always doomed?! I also loved Cole and Kira.

Yes Yes Yes! I started to believe that Charmed was getting back to its Season 4 roots again, being dark and mystical and more serious! Drake and Brody were the best and I wish they could’ve stayed on the show until season 8. [/quote]

Sept 28, 2012 13:48:09 GMT -5 forbuss said:

Season 8

Ohh season 8. I've said this before, I think this season had potential to be great! I think that with different actresses in the roles of Billie and Christie, it could have been so much better. I love Vaya Con Leos, and the finale. There are some funny episodes. Paige/Henry were my favourite part of this season, and I did not like Coop.

Those are my 2 fav episdes as well! I liked Kaley but not Billie and in New Zealand, a few of my friends tuned in again to watch the show again because the girl from ‘8 simple rules’ was on it. Henry and Paige were definitely the best parts of this season.

Sept 28, 2012 13:48:09 GMT -5 forbuss said:

All in all, I did enjoy every season of Charmed for different reasons, and there is probably only 3-4 episodes that I can't stand to watch, which is pretty good!

All in all! I think I’ve found my Charmed Soul Mate on this board! I could watch this show with you and know exactly what you’re thinking. Thank you for posting this Es and SimplyPoo!

[forbuss]

I am glad we agree on so much! It's funny, all of my friends that watch Charmed agree with me pretty much, except I have one friend that hates seasons 4-8, which makes me sad! I get that they are easily hate-able, but I just don't hate them! Haha.

[Esmeralda]

Mar 25, 2011 0:57:59 GMT -5 ljones said:

eason Five - Horrible beyond words, aside from a few episodes.

Had to ask, ljones. Which episodes?

Season Six - I found the writing somewhat questionable, especially in the manner in which Paige's romance with Richard Montana was handled. But Chris was a breath of fresh air. And this season featured the best episode of the last four seasons.

Now I'm *really* curious, Which episode are you talking about?

[ljones]

Had to ask, ljones. Which episodes?

In chronological order:

"Siren's Song"

"Sympathy for the Demon"

"Sand Francisco Dreamin'"

"Sense and Sense Ability"

"Necromancing the Stone"

[Esmeralda]

Thanks for the response regarding Season Five, but you didn't answer my question regarding Season Six. Since Cole wasn't part of Season Six, I'm really curious to know.

Oct 18, 2012 21:25:58 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

Mar 25, 2011 0:57:59 GMT -5 ljones said:

Season Six - I found the writing somewhat questionable, especially in the manner in which Paige's romance with Richard Montana was handled. But Chris was a breath of fresh air. And this season featured the best episode of the last four seasons.

Now I'm *really* curious, Which episode are you talking about?

[Esmeralda]

A fan at another site is doing a Charmed rewatch and is doing a review after each season. He had just finished rewatching Season Five and I found his review of Season Five very accurate and decided to post it in the Season Five board. Since D.C. McMilano wanted to read his other reviews, I decided to post them here.

I want to again make this clear - these are *not* my reviews, but another fan's.

Here's Season One:

(*Warning*: If you happened to not like lengthy, detailed reviews, or are a new fan just getting into the series, then stop here.)

So, I decided to do a complete series re-watch since it's been a while since I've watched the series in its entirety. It won't be easy (especially when reviewing the later years. ) But I really enjoyed this series growing up and I am still a fan. So I will try going through each season breaking down all the story arcs, character arcs, themes, villains, etc. Showing the strengths and weakness of each season, giving each a grade and in the end, ranking which seasons top each other and how the series adds up in general.

So..... Season 1:

"Charmed" is mostly remembered for its off-set squabbles and the controversy surrounding cast members/producers exiting (or more accurately fired) from the show. But anywho, it’s easy to forget how enjoyable the series was when it first aired. We get three lovely leads in the form of Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano who have impeccable chemistry between them. Throw in some demons and magic and who couldn't resist the charm of the show?

Starting with "Something Wicca This Way Comes", the actresses put in some solid performances and you are convinced these are really sisters. Penned by show creator Constance M. Burge herself, the pilot makes a good first impression. Sure, Jeremy's vanquish doesn't hold up today, especially the sequence where he surrounds the sisters with a circle of fire. Lame much? But the pilot, without a doubt, introduces a clever spin on the supernatural with The Book of Shadows and the idea of The Charmed Ones, a trio of sisters who would grow to become the most powerful witches the world has ever known. The sisters each having their own individual power was also a nice angle. (Prue=Telekinesis, Piper=Freezing Time which we later find out is actually freezing molecules and Phoebe=Premonitions)

Though I have to admit, the sisters' individual powers are used to a weak effect in the premiere. Watching Prue using her power to make Roger's pen explode and having his tie almost choke him to death just doesn't amuse. I did enjoy Piper's frantic freezing when Jeremy tries to stab her but then you have Phoebe's random premonition of a car accident involving some kids on skateboards which I just didn't care for.

But the theme of "three sisters who happen to be witches" is just excellent- one scene I loved in particular is the sisters' casting their first spell. Loved the reactions from all three characters. The first season really shines the best when it shows moments of or further develops that theme. Also, the sisterly moments in general are just so organic and realistic. Moments like Piper dusting Phoebe while she talks on the phone with Rex in "Wicca Envy" or Piper jokingly threatening Phoebe in "The Wendigo" or the hilarious banter between the sisters in "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "The Truth Is Out There And It Hurts".

Even in the worst episodes of the season ("Feats of Clay" and "The Wedding From Hell") there are enjoyable moments thanks to some fine acting from the leads during the smaller, sisterly moments.

While sisterhood was greatly emphasized and well-written, each of the characters have their own individual personal arcs and challenges they had to overcome. First, I loved the first incarnation of these characters and their personalities. Prue, the oldest, is naturally the assertive, authoritative sister. Piper, the middle sister, is meek yet reasonable and level-headed. Phoebe, the youngest, is carefree, rebellious yet has a big heart at the end of the day. You can tell Constance loved and cared for these characters basing them off herself and her own sisters. Prue, Piper and Phoebe each grow a bit this season, not much, but there is some quality character development.

Prue learns to open her heart more and not be so tough all the time. In "From Fear To Eternity", she says "I love you" to both her sisters for the first time, facing her fear of not only drowning but losing anyone close to her.

She also runs into Andy Trudeau again, a former boyfriend and childhood friend. Prue's relationship with Andy has its moments (some good, some bad, the latter having to do with Andy's inconsistent writing). But through Andy, Prue goes through some heartache, finding out the truth of what he thinks of her being a witch in "The Truth Is Out There And It Hurts".

We also see moments of Prue being overworked, driven by her work ethic because of her need to provide for her family in "Dream Sorcerer" and "Out of Sight". Now that I think of it, Prue always felt like a sometimes brooding, cut-off, I could even say tragic character. Being the oldest sister, Prue is constantly putting herself on the line to protect her sisters and innocents, even as early as this season. Prue's pride is noticeable which is a tragic character trait which makes her death two seasons later kinda make sense given what we see of her here.

By season's end, Prue has grown quite a bit and realizes that while being a witch has interfered with her job and took possibly the love of her life away (Andy), the good she and her sisters have done the past year was worth it.

It's not all doom and gloom for Prue as well she has some fun in the hilarious "Which Prue Is It Anyway?" Not do we see only see a newer side to Prue, we see two! It's without a doubt the funniest episode of the season and Shannen's portrayal of perky, upbeat Prue and sexually-driven Prue were top-notch. Not only a great performance but the first window into aspects of Prue's personality that exist but hides out during years of being the dominant sibling of the household. We'll see more of the funnier side of Prue as well as her struggling to find her freedom outside being the older sister in the next 2 seasons.

Man, I always forget how timid and reserved Piper was at the beginning of the series! A far cry from where she ends the series, that's for sure.

She's the sister who has the biggest reaction to being a witch following the premiere in "I've Got You Under My Skin". In a touching scene between Phoebe and Piper, Piper express fears over being a witch as being evil. Phoebe reassures Piper that she's a sweet, loving person and that she could never be evil. It’s a well-acted scene by both actresses and Holly immediately makes you feel for Piper and her lack of self-esteem.

If there are two developments Piper has this season it's: 1) learning to become more confident in her life by standing up for herself and 2) the beginning of her relationship with Leo. "The Truth Is Out There And It Hurts" is the first episode that tackles both of these developments head on with Piper standing up to her boss and finally making a move on Leo. Good for her! That whole scene at the Manor with Piper and Leo making moves on each other for the first time is simply adorable.

We also see Piper become one of the first sisters to ever be turned into some sort of monster in "The Wendigo". A cool, creature-feature type episode where we see Piper taking on a more assertive, pro-active role when dealing with the Demon of the Week. Not to mention, it's just hilarious watching Piper randomly insulting her sisters. "Screw you, b!tch!" kills me every time!

One thing I also noticed is Piper seems to be the sister responsible for the major "go to" settings for the sisters. Before P3, we had Quake and the majority of any Piper story line involves her continuing struggle of managing the restaurant. These storylines ultimately pay off by season's end as Piper realizes after bumping into an old classmate (who she hilariously insults, finally coming into her self-confidence ) that she wants to be a chef and have a restaurant of her own. It's unfortunate that after this revelation and growth from Piper she decides to delay that dream and own a club instead. I'll get into that reason for my S2 review but for now, Piper went through a nice little journey in the first season in terms of her reaction to being a witch, progression in her personality, career and love life. Bravo!

Phoebe is actually the sister who surprisingly tries to change the most this season. Notice that tries is the operative word, as by season's end, Phoebe remains the irresponsible little sister, but what has changed is she knows this and throughout the season makes some efforts to grow up. Like numerous times wanting to get a job whether to pay for a birthday gift for Prue ("Dead Man Dating") or the fact she wants a job, period ("From Fear To Eternity" and "The Wendigo") Though these jobs in the end don't work out, each experience actually provides a bit of character growth for Phoebe by learning to be selfless and how rewarding it feels.

Considering how it is established the fact that Phoebe has mostly been someone concerned about herself over others before she moved back in with her sisters, it's no wonder she becomes the sister who loves being a witch the most, not just because she is saving lives but for the fun (see "Dream Sorcerer" and "The Fourth Sister"). But we occasionally see magic and demons aren't all fun and games for Phoebe when she gets possessed by the Woogyman in "Is There A Woogy In The House?" It's a dark and rewarding episode in which Phoebe faces one of her childhood fears (like Prue's fear of drowning) and comes out a stronger character because of it.

Yet Phoebe's biggest character development though is without a doubt in emotional, extremely touching "That 70s Episode", when the sisters travel back to the 70s and briefly reunite with their grandmother and then their mother. Phoebe gets a chance to change her mother's fate but suddenly changes her mind, knowing that things happen for a reason and she has to let her mother go.

Also, Phoebe's previous issues with Prue are tackled head on in "The Power of Two". All her frustrations over her lack of a job and how her sisters give her crap for that, intentionally or otherwise, especially Prue, are finally let out and Phoebe is all the better for it. It was just nice to see the issues between Prue and Phoebe resolved....well, at least until S3 anyway. Prue assures Phoebe that one day she will have a job and will be successful which Phoebe will do in S4, but sadly Prue won't be there to see it.

The only major character to get development is Andy. But when I say development I mean barely. Honestly, Andy isn't a bad character by any means and Ted King is definitely a capable actor. King's chemistry with Shannon Doherty is also genuine and natural. It's just, outside of their relationship, he's the typical bumbling cop. Sure we get some moments of other sides of Andy's personality ("When Bad Warlocks Go Good") or some depth that immediately gets erased ("The Truth Is Out There And It Hurts"), he remains mostly two-dimensional as a character, there only to show the growth in Prue.

Andy never really comes into his own until the last three or four episodes of the season when he finds out Prue's secret and it sticks. It was a smart move by the writers, because the constant "will he find out or won't he?" was getting pretty tedious toward the end of the season and it's clear they knew that! Andy finally knowing about Prue and her sisters finally puts them on the same level and makes Andy seem less gullible. Even though he doesn't agree with having a life with witches and demons in it ("The Power of Two"), he willingly helps the sisters in the last three sisters in particular "because of who he is" as Phoebe will say in "Witch Trial" the following season.

Sadly, just when Andy gets interesting, he dies a heroic death in "Deja Vu All Over Again" and while a part of me would have liked to have seen where they would have taken Andy the following year, I guess it was for the best.

Outside of the main cast of the season, we have Darryl Morris, Andy's partner who is given little to do this season but is further developed next year and beyond, and then we have of course Leo, the Charmed Ones' whitelighter - as Phoebe puts it "like Tinkerbell, but without the tutu", but also is given little to do. I mean Leo certainly has his moments ("Wicca Envy", "Secrets and Guys" and "Love Hurts"), not to mention watching the romance blossom between Piper and Leo is sweet and well-done, but like Morris, Leo in terms of his own personal character growth isn't really explored until further down the line in the series.

When it comes to the villains this season, the best villains turned out to be the ones with story arcs (Rex and Hannah and Inspector Rodriguez).

The fact that Rex and Hannah were introduced in "I've Got You Under My Skin" and lasted a couple episodes and managed to almost beat the Charmed Ones shows that villains back then were well-thought-out by the writers. "Wicca Envy" is a great episode showing the duo blackmailing the sisters instead of just trying to kill them which was pretty refreshing.

The twist with Inspector Rodriguez turning out to being a demon in "Love Hurts" was an excellent twist and while he's more or less a pawn of Tempus (and the Source to a greater extent), he's well-acted by Carlos Gomez. I also loved the creepy blood-red eyes and he's actually the first demon to ever throw an energy ball on the series, so that's something special, right?

When it comes to the rest of Season 1's rogue gallery, it was a mixed bag. Jeremy was a decent first villain; Alec was serviceable; Javna and Matthew Tate were pretty laughable; Barbas makes the first of too many appearances; Hecate and the Evil Charmed Ones look awesome make-up wise but are otherwise useless; loved the Grimlocks and Nicholas, The Lord of War was too Highlander(ish) but had a good M.O., David Carradine as Tempus=cool!, Dream Sorcerer. my a$$!, Three-eyed future warlock?=Neat!, Woogyman is cheap-looking but it's the freakin' Woogyman, The Guardian of the Urn?= , so on and so forth.

So just to wrap things up:

PROS:
1. The instant chemistry and personality distinctions between the three leads.
2. A second half with stronger and darker episodes.
3. The theme of sisterhood mixed with witchcraft being well written from the start.
4. The Rex and Hannah arc.
5. The mini-arc with Inspector Rodriguez.
6. Piper and Leo's humble beginnings. Awwww.
7. Some series classics in the form of "That 70's Episode", "Out of Sight", "Is There A Woogy In The House?" and "Deja Vu All Over Again"

CONS:
1. Somewhat dated feel to the first season, especially the first couple of episodes. I know "it was the 90s! What do you expect!?"
2. Some poor guest stars, bad acting and weak story-lines. "The Wedding From Hell"=
3. Some dated and cheesy special effects.
4. The whole "just standing there, waiting to be vanquished by the Charmed Ones" syndrome from some demons and warlocks during this season. WTF!?
5. Some inconsistent writing for Andy Trudeau.

Season 1 Episode Grades

Something Wicca This Way Comes-B
I've Got You Under My Skin-C-
Thank You For Not Morphing-D
Dead Man Dating-A-
Dream Sorcerer-C-
The Wedding From Hell-F
The Fourth Sister-C+
The Truth Is Out There And It Hurts-B+
The Witch Is Back-C
Wicca Envy-A-
Feats of Clay-D
The Wendigo-A
From Fear To Eternity-B
Secrets and Guys-B+
Is There A Woogy In The House?-A+
Which Prue Is It Anyway?-A
That 70s Episode-A+
When Bad Warlocks Go Good-D
Out of Sight-A
The Power of Two-B+
Love Hurts-A-
Deja Vu All Over Again-A+

Final Vanquish (ie. Season Grade) = B

Overall a good season. The great sisterly moments, stronger episodes in the second half and really enjoyable character development overshadowed the weaker aspects like some sub-par episodes, weak villains and dated feel this season has.

Here's Season Two:

Well, I finished re-watching Season 2 and I'm still collecting my thoughts, trying to make sense of the whole season. But honestly, I should do less thinking and more writing as it will help get those thoughts sorted.

So........Season 2:

One thing that needs to be pointed out is how there's an unusual shift in tone between Season 1 and Season 2. While Season 1 has a gothic, gloomy approach toward witchcraft and demons, Season 2 plays more like a supernatural sitcom with some splashes of dark, gritty material. Think of Season 1 being inspired by the Craft and Season 2 being inspired by Practical Magic. Not to say that this tone is bad, it just gives the season a jarring feel at times. I mean one week you have the sisters helping Cupid to save love ("Heartbreak City"), the next they are trying to stop a darklighter from getting his victims to commit suicide ("Murphy's Luck"). It's kinda WTF?! Not to mention, some episodes themselves feel that way, with a mix of funny situations and disturbing images ("Reckless Abandon"). It doesn't help that this season is completely episodic, without any overarching storylines that aren't a love triangle. If the love triangle was interesting, maybe it would've made a good story arc, but as is...

It has been said during this season that creator Constance M. Burge and Brad Kern were constantly arguing about which direction they wanted the series to go in. Apparently, Constance wanted a darker series focusing on the sisterhood and the mythology of witchcraft while Kern wanted a lighter series focusing on the sisters' love lives.....we all knew who won that fight in the end. Anyway, the constant back and forth between the producers really shows during this season as each week, the show is either light-hearted fun or serious drama. For the most part like I said, the season is focused on the lighter aspect of magic (not Season 5 light ....thank God!). But it's a mostly easy-going year for the sisters and their battle against evil. I have to admit, because of this predominantly up-beat tone, this season suffers more than the first because honestly, the season's strengths rely on the 3 leads and their growing relationship with each other rather than battling the demons or villains who mostly take a back seat to that. Which seems strange now. I always thought I liked the series best when it concentrated on them being sisters rather than being witches. Maybe I really don't.

Fortunately since this season relies so much on reminding us that they are sisters who happened to be witches, the sisterhood is once again in full swing and our 3 leads couldn't be more believable. One of the great things about this season is that the sisters learn more than once that while their bond as sisters makes them strong, their duty as witches and the innocents they protect must come first. In the dark, haunting "Morality Bites", Prue and Piper have no choice but to watch their little sister burn to death because in the end, it's the right thing to do and changing Phoebe's fate is only in their hands once they return to their own present.

Then in the emotionally-driven "Awakened", the sisters face the scariest threat in the form of a deadly disease that nearly kills Piper. While they use a spell to save her, it backfires big time by endangering other people's lives. The sisters finally decide that the greater good is more important and reverse the spell, which would've killed Piper if Leo didn't come in for a last minute save.

Lastly, in the Y2K hoodoo "Apocalypse Not", Piper and Phoebe must make a choice: save your sister or save the world? It's a well-written development that once again develops the sisters' bond because they have a sense of what the greater good really means. Not only do these episodes test and ultimately strengthen the sisters' bond but the lessons of morality they learn are written with enough certainty and darkness that they don't come off as preachy. The whole idea of missuses of witchcraft leading to unforeseen consequences was always an intriguing concept that I appreciated in shows like Charmed, even Sabrina the Teenage Witch. It reinforces that while these characters are powerful, their world lives by a list of rules that can't be broken just like regular humans follow laws in society they can't break or else. Good stuff. Too bad this didn't remain the case in latter seasons.

While the sisters have their moments of "good vs. evil" discussions, the season is definitely a showcase of the series' best comedic elements. The cast really excelled in some of the most hilarious scenes of the series. I loved the Prue/Piper's mind-reading spell sub-plot in "They're Everywhere", Prue's priceless transformation into a man in "She's A Man, Baby, A Man", Phoebe using her infamous sex diagram to tease Piper in "The Painted World", any scene or piece of dialogue from "Chick Flick", the opening teaser of "Ms. Hellfire", Phoebe's complete failure at landing in "Be Careful What You Witch For" etc. The comedy didn't always work, but for the most part, re-watching this season, I laughed a lot more than I did re-watching Season 1.

When it comes to the sisters individually, there is more character development here than last. I gotta say, I loved what the writers did with Prue this year. Let's face it, Prue seemed a bit too angry and strict during the first season. I mean, sure she's the big sister and that attitude has come with years of raising her little sisters with her Grams but come on, she really needed to lighten up. Lighten up she does as this was probably the happiest and most fun the character has been and will ever be on the series. If Season 1's "What Prue Is It Anyway?" was a brief look into other sides of Prue, episodes like "Ms. Hellfire" finally showed Prue acting on her forbidden urges and letting loose. Then you have the character of Jack Sheridan, who while seeming like a brief comic relief-type love interest, really works as both a character and especially by allowing Prue to start embracing her often-hidden playful side. It's just such a refreshing growth for the character and Shannen definitely looked like she having fun alright playing those sides of Prue more. Considering how tragic Prue's journey is in the first 3 seasons of the series it was just nice to see a year where it wasn't all doom and gloom for her.

Not to mention, she's the first sister to a get power upgrade in the form of Astral Protection. It's a cool power and it's used well throughout the season. Although wouldn't teleportation have made more sense as a further extension of her telekinesis? I guess astral projection is a variation of that power and Paige did make up for that when she came on the series and learned to orb so why complain, I know.

Back to Prue. The character is an isolationist; she carries a lot within her and doesn't feel comfortable to open up to people, even her sisters out of fear of vulnerability or temporary weakness. In "Witch Trial", a stellar season premiere, Prue actually starts the season off in one of the saddest moments of her life: guilt over losing Andy. It makes sense that while Prue seemed to accept Andy's death in the first season finale, that she would still feel a sense of inferiority because she wasn't able to save him. She nearly gives up being a witch because of it and has a serious breakdown not just over her guilt over his death but because of what she struggles with everyday: being the big sister and having no choice but to be the strong, responsible one. It's great work from Shannen and further shows the complexity of Prue.

In the near flawless family drama "P3 H20", the sisters face off against the very demon that killed their mother. Of course, Prue takes it the hardest and there's one section of the episode where Prue makes a very chilling speech that in retrospect seems like another foreshadowing of her death. Can't find this piece of dialogue online to post but what Prue says is that she's pretty much re-living her mother's life and believes she will die like she did: losing her life battling evil, which eventually will happen. Poor Prue is all I can say.

"Murphy's Luck" is another dark, psychological episode that explores Prue's psyche as we discover at one point in her life she contemplated suicide. It's a pretty scary revelation in the mist of such a lighthearted year but it's not that much of a shock that Prue would have felt that way given the overwhelming responsibility and lack of a childhood that she experienced growing up.

In the wake of Piper's near-death in "Awakened", Prue decides to quit her job as Buckland's because her heart isn't in it and she wants to continue to stay her standards, not by anyone else's. Unlike when Paige quit her job in Season 5, Prue's temporary unemployment has a purpose by leading her to a career she actually had passion for one time in her life: photography. Sure, it's a random tidbit when we learn that Prue actually pursued a career in photography once before but it's an interesting new chapter for Prue and it's fun seeing her struggle to make a name for herself in a field not really successful for women.

The best storyline to come out of Prue's career move is in "Chick Flick" when she runs into her idol, Finley Beck, who while a gifted photographer, is a complete d@#%. Prue stands up for herself and realizes that people create illusions of people they admire.

Unlike Prue, Piper gets some pretty shoddy characterization this year. Last season, she started to overcome her meekness by becoming more confident in her career and lovelife. This season, Piper starts off wanting her own club, which she gets, in the form of "P3" (the show's "go to" setting for sisters' hangouts for the rest of the series). My problem with this is while I like P3, it's a complete 180 on Piper's decision to become a chef and own her own restaurant. Sure, an excuse for this change in decision is given but it still reeks of Aaron Spelling's cliche of "the hot nightclub with bands no one has heard of" on his series. Although...the Cranberries' performance at the end of "She's A Man Baby, A Man!" is a classic moment from the series, one that probably shows the sisters enjoying just being sisters more than any other.

But anyway, there's that and then there's the infamous Piper/Leo/Dan triangle. Let's face it, we knew who Piper was gonna choose all along, right? Considering we saw Piper and Leo married in the future early on in the season and their continuing back and forth on "should we or shouldn't we?", it just seemed like the writers delaying the inevitable.

Honestly, Dan isn't a bad guy, seriously one-dimensional, but he seemed better than most of the other useless love interests we'll come to see for the sisters in Charmed's latter years. Dan is simply a plot device used to cause a temporary wedge in Piper and Leo's romance just to build tension for viewers but it kinda makes Piper look like using Dan only to soothe her pain of not having Leo be what she wants him to be and nothing more. She clearly has strong feelings for Leo, and Dan is just convenient. Poor guy.

Luckily this near-disastrous love triangle ends mid-season in "Give Me A Sign" and the writers decide to cut to the chase. Thank God! We finally see Piper and Leo in a relationship for the rest of the season and while there are more minor roadblocks (Leo was married! *Gasp*) Piper and Leo end the season trying to make it work and off to meet the Elders as Piper hopes to see where and what Leo does when he orbs off to.... well, wherever.

Tedious love triangle and random club-owning aspirations aside, Piper comes to a couple realizations personally. She sees herself 10 years into the future in "Morality Bites" and finds she's a slightly-destroyed woman who's about to be divorced and still lives at the Manor with the same car. Bright side? She's a mother of a beautiful daughter. The fact that Piper has a daughter becomes a backdrop for future episodes and storylines when Piper eventually tries to get pregnant.

In "Awakened", Piper's illness is a scary situation not just for her sisters but especially for Piper, who despite knowing she will die once her sisters reverse the spell would rather sacrifice herself to save those affected by the spell's consequences. Duirng the early seasons, Piper was always the voice of reason and the most grounded of the original 3 sisters. Sure, her constant whining about wanting a normal life starts this season ("How To Make A Quilt Out of Americans") and she has her reasons but in the later seasons, it's overbearing! It's in seasons like this where Piper doesn't get most of the spotlight outside her relationship with Leo, that we see a very caring person who's deeply concerned for the well-being of others. "Astral Monkey" is the best characterization of Piper as we see a woman riddled with guilt over a man who is a victim of a supernatural consequence that she had no part in, but she still wants to save him. It's a terrific episode, given great emotional resonance thanks to Holly's stellar performance throughout, especially that final scene where she breaks down in Leo's arms.

Now on to Phoebe, who's still carefree, bubbly and as fun as ever at this point in the series! Phoebe starts out the season pushing her sisters to celebrate their 1st year anniversary as witches as well as giving Prue some words of wisdom to overcome her grief over Andy's death.

"Morality Bites" includes one of Phoebe's finest moments where she forces her sisters to watch her being executed after giving a heartbreaking speech about morality. It's a defining moment for the character and Alyssa never delivers acting of this caliber until late Season 4. I just can't hold back tears during that whole sequence, especially when Prue and Piper return home thinking Phoebe was left to die in the future, only to see her walk up to them a few seconds later. Geeze! Phoebe is the first to reveal to her sisters that they have to "protect the innocent, not punish the guilty". Talk about amazing character growth and that was just the second episode.

Although, I'm glad to see we still had some fun "screw-up" moments from Phoebe like her smart spell in "The Painted World" being so entertaining and her accidentally telling her classmates how to cast a correct spell in the fun but flawed "Animal Pragmatism".

Speaking of classmates, Phoebe going back to college was an excellent development for not only the character but for the writers, giving them a new setting to explore. We finally get to see Phoebe pursuing something other than men or demons and doing something for herself to grow and mature as a person.

In terms of other Phoebe-centric episodes, we get a great one in the form of "Pardon My Past", a fantastic Roaring 20s episode where we see Phoebe was evil in her past life. Filled with great set designs, stunning costumes and a solid performance from Alyssa who was clearly having fun playing evil Phoebe, it's a great look into Phoebe's dark side. Season 3 and especially Season 4 explore that to a greater extent but "Pardon My Past" is great groundwork for that.

Leo returns and Brian Krause becomes apart of the cast! Leo's role as the sisters' whitelighter is given more screen time and he even gets a mini-arc of his own when he becomes mortal after healing Piper despite the Elders' wishes in "Awakened". This little arc was actually pretty interesting and Leo seemed more interesting as a human given he now had to form his own identity. While his powers eventually return as Leo realizes he needs to be in the fight against evil since that's where he belongs, it's an unfortunate end to that story which could have had more potential.

Anything involving Leo in the triangle with Piper and Dan was just poor and bad characterization since once Leo is human, he makes a declaration to fight for Piper. Leo, she's in a relationship, because you decided to bail! Human or not, give her time and if she decides to be with you let her! Not to mention, in "Pardon My Past", his preaching Piper about making a mistake in her past life with Dan's past life. wtf!?

Anyway, I always enjoyed Leo better when he was actually written like the "guide" he's suppose to be to the Charmed Ones. "Apocalypse Not" is a good moment where Leo pleads with the sisters to make them realize that losing Prue is worth saving the world no matter what and the Charmed Ones come first.

Darryl returns as well as the sisters' greatest mortal ally and the fact he learns the sisters' secret was worth the wait. Darryl has more to do here but nothing of real significance. He has some nice moments with some of the sisters like his talk with Prue about Andy in "Witch Trial" and his detesting of Piper wanting to save Dr. Williamson in "Astral Monkey". Darryl is still pretty one-dimensional, only needed for police investigation scenes and some minor character moments. But it was nice to see the writers give him a bigger role and he didn't die like Andy, so yay?

In terms of Season 2's rogue gallery, it was even more underwhelming than the previous with only a few villains that I enjoyed. Abraxas was cool, Nathaniel Pratt was ingenious as well as Dr. Williamson's turn as a super-powered psychopath, the water demon served a purpose by making the sisters' confront their mother's death, the Succubus surprisingly worked, Darklighter from "Murphy's Luck" was a great psychological threat (Go Imhotep!) and the Demon of Illusion was hilarious and formidable. The rest, I could care less. Messlin, The Collective warlocks, Tawatha, Elias, Bane, Libris, Cryto, Dragon Warlock etc. Either mediocre or forgettable. The animals turned into sleazy jocks were sadly more entertaining than them. The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse show up and the only interesting thing about them is one of them runs really, really, REALLY bad. I'm already sick of Barbas and Drowsy, Demon of Hate?=

So just to wrap things up:


PROS:
1. More genuine, heartfelt and hilarious sisterly moments.
2. The great lessons of morality in some episodes.
3. The writers heavily reinforcing previous established mythology (personal gain=consequences, protect the innocent/not punish the guilty. Something they completely forgot in the later seasons )
4. A happier, funnier Prue this season. Great to see this side of the character and Shannen really excelled in showing that side.
5. More series classics in the form of “Morality Bites”, "P3 H20", "Awakened" and "Astral Monkey" .
6. Without a doubt, the funniest and most entertaining season of the series. Truly impeccable comedic timing from the cast, especially our lovely 3 leads.
7. The serious upgrade in wardrobe and make-up for the leads. My God! Not to sound shallow but Holly and especially Shannen looked gorgeous that year compared to the last.

CONS:
1. A majority of lackluster villains and boring or average episodes.
2. The lack of a story arc (mini or season long).
3. Heartbreak City =
4. The Piper/Leo/Dan triangle...Zzzzzzzzz.
5. The jarring nature of the season's overall tone.
6. Jenny. Talk about utterly useless, annoying and forgettable. Not even worth talking about!

Season 2 Episode Grades:

Witch Trial-B+
Morality Bites-A+
The Painted World-C
The Devil's Music-D-
She's a Man, Baby, a Man-B+
That Old Black Magic-C-
They're Everywhere-C
P3 H2O-A+
Ms. Hellfire-C+
Heartbreak City-F
Reckless Abandon-C
Awakened-A+
Animal Pragmatism-C+
Pardon My Past-A-
Give Me A Sign-C
Murphy's Luck-A
How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans-C
Chick Flick-A+
Ex Libris-C-
Astral Monkey-A
Apocalypse Not-C+
Be Careful What You Witch For-C

Final Vanquish= B-

Overall a pretty good season. Despite a flawed episodic structure, awkward tone and sub-par villians for the most part, the great abundance of humor, more enjoyable characterizations of the sisterhood and some series standouts in the drama ("Astral Monkey") and comedy ("Chick Flick") departments make Season 2 still one of the stronger seasons of Charmed.

Here's Season Three:

Well, I finished my Season 3 re-watch a week or so ago and am almost done with my Season 4 re-watch. There's a lot to say about this season and part of why I haven't posted it sooner is I don't know where to begin.


But anyway....Season 3:

There's a lot to cover this season and there's no better place to start than with our favorite trio of sisters. Considering this is the final year with the original Charmed Ones, I find it ironic and appropriate that their strongest year as not only the Charmed Ones but as sisters is Season 3. The depth in which the writers reveal within their bond as witches and in their history as sisters is truly superb stuff.

"Pre-Witched" is an exemplary outing for the series as the writers delve into the sisters' lives before they were witches and we realize just how far they have come in just three years. That episode shows a level of storytelling that almost reaches the level of Whedon shows (Okay, I'm sorry. I promise. This is when the Whedon comparisons stop) but I just can't praise that episode enough. It may be my favorite episode of the entire series.

We also get two other great episodes episodes that extend the sisters' heritage ("All Haliwell's Eve") and The Power of Three ("Power Outage") The former is a fun Halloween episode that sees the sisters traveling back to the 1600s and discovering other aspects of witchcraft by helping to save a baby that turns out to be the matriarch of their whole line. The latter is a splendid look into how important their bond as sisters is when a magically-amped fight causes a brief rift among the sisters, causing the loss of the Power of Three. The evolution of the show's mythology just grows richer this season and even individually, each sister is at her most complex.

As the final season for the eldest sister, Prue's journey is probably the most bittersweet yet emotionally rewarding. I have to say, this season was very Prue-heavy and I, for one, am glad it was. While new showrunner Brad Kern may have had his personal disagreements with Shannen Doherty, it's clear he and his writers really enjoyed the character of Prue and this season pushes the character to her limits...literally. Re-watching the early years, each season depicts a new aspect of Prue: Season 1 Prue is bossy, assertive and strict; Season 2 Prue is more light-hearted and at ease; and this season sees her on a one-woman mission against the demonic world or moreso, the Source. We see in the season premiere, "The Honeymoon's Over", she's been studying the Book of Shadows and is trying to stop the Triad but in the dark thriller "Sight Unseen" is where Prue's arc begins in full swing. We see a woman who is on the brink of paranoia but considering both a demon and a stalker were after her at the same time, who wouldn't?

Not only is this a strong year for Prue in terms of the episodes centered on her character but mostly because of the fantastic acting work from Shannen Doherty. I really have respect for her work ethic during this season, especially considering the drama on set that surfaced. "Primose Empath" showcases one of many emotionally-charged performances she gives this year when Prue is forced to become an empath after Viceres tricks her into doing a spell to save him.

"Death Takes A Haliwell" is a stunning yet eerie episode that no doubt hints at Prue's fate at the end of the season. Prue is visited by Death himself and she is once again forced to realize no matter how powerful or strong she thinks she is, she's not above natural forces in the world. Prue not only loses an innocent; she is faced with the reality of losing to Death as we discover she partially wanted revenge after him taking her mother when she was young. Great stuff by the writers and especially Shannen, that last scene between her and Death on the beach is chilling and heartbreaking.

Like I've said before, pride has always been Prue's weakness, even back in Season 1 it is present and in this season, the writers emphasize that weakness in arguably the funniest episode of the series, "Sin Francisco" when the sisters and Leo get infected by the seven deadly sins. While Prue's prideful state is hilarious to watch, it's another temporary moment where Prue is forced to examine herself and realize she's pretty self-destructive with or without being magical infected by sin. Prue's ego is so huge, it literally takes on a life of its own on Piper and Leo's wedding of all days.

While "Just Harried" suffers a bit from two storylines crammed together in one episode, the psychological deconstruction of Prue is hard not to love, especially considering how saddening it is. Prue is always doom to sacrifice her own happiness in favor of being the protector of her little sisters.

Her sudden obsession with the demon world once again seems like a tragic development for the character. At one point in "Sin Francisco", Prue tells Phoebe since Piper is married and Phoebe is with Cole, she doesn't feel needed as the big sister anymore. It's another eerie piece of dialogue that speaks volumes in retrospect, it's as if Prue knows her fate and fully embraces her role as a Charmed One because of it.

Speaking of her role as a Charmed One, Prue's evolution as leader of the Charmed Ones is fully explored this season. This development for the character just felt so natural and Shannen really kicked ass in that side of Prue as well. The Charmed Ones as a whole feel like they are the most powerful witches in world and not just being prophesied as such. We get a cool courtroom brawl with the sisters and the Guardians ("The Honeymoon's Over") and see them working together by coming up with battle tactics and ways of utilizing their powers as a unit ("Power Outage").

Although, if there's one flaw is Prue's characterization this season it's her sudden mastery of all things combat. Since when did Prue learn martial arts? Since when is she a better fighter than Phoebe? (see "Wrestling With Demons") And how they hell does she know how to fire a gun so well ? (see "The Good, The Bad and the Cursed")

Regardless, Prue's final year as a Charmed One is remarkable and culminates in what is synonymous as the best episode of the series, "All Hell Breaks Loose" . Prue's final act as a Charmed One is dying protecting an innocent and I can't imagine her dying any other way. While losing such a strong character and a versatile, well-known actress in Shannen Doherty, I feel Prue's demise was 3 years in the making. Nothing more to be said. My hats off to Shannen/Prue. What a great character! I know I'll miss her during the rest of my re-watch.

Fortunately , this season is a much more well written season for Piper than the last. After a poorly-written and totally-needless triangle, the writers finally tackle some real issues with Piper and Leo being together. When the two return from a month's absence ("The Honeymoon's Over"), Piper and Leo return with their relationship on the rocks after the Elders demand they stop seeing each other. When Leo proposes to her to solve the situation, Piper has her doubts, feeling it their marriage should be a life-long commitment, not a solution to their current problems. I really enjoyed Piper during these first few episodes, especially during the double disasters ("Magic Hour" and "Once Upon A Time"). Piper's anger and sadness over Leo being taken away from him are the only saving grace. Holly Marie Combs is just sensational in these episodes and you really feel for Piper.

Once Leo is returned, it's all about maintaining their relationship and proving to the Elders they can maintain a relationship. Once they are allowed to marry by the Elders, their struggling relationship finally culminates in what we all have been waiting for: their wedding. While unfairly sharing the spotlight with Prue's psychological issues, "Just Harried" is an uneven yet enjoyable hour which shows Piper having her dream wedding as well as having her mom there and not just in spirit. I always loved the moment when Patty arrives as Piper is getting ready in her wedding dress. Piper truly is the heart of the family, not just the mediator of her sisters. Really great acting from Holly again as well as one of the best moments from the series featuring all 3 sisters getting a moment to be dependent and vulnerable with their mom.

Outside of her love life, in the hilarious dark comedy (ish) "Coyote Piper", Piper once again faces her old insecurities of being the meek, little girl she uses to be in high school. It's not only another great sister-possession episode but a fine look to how far Piper has come and whether she knows it or not, she's a smart, confident and capable young woman who doesn't need her big sister to come save her anymore, although Prue does technically save her in the end during one of the darkest and suspenseful moments of the entire series.

While Piper is still the middle sister, we see more of her developing a backbone and kinda becoming the second-in-command of the Charmed Ones, almost like a leader-in-training. Episodes like "Primose Empath" where she lashes out at Father Thomas or "Look Who's Barking" where she summons Cole to give an ultimatum were small but solid moments for Piper. Holly was not only great but the writers definitely were drawing Piper away from her mediator persona of the first 3 years. Considering the new role Piper takes next season, it was nice to see that growing side of her before what was to come. Overall, Piper was back to being interesting and relatible this year. Next year takes the character farther and beyond but this was nice groundwork for that.

The other big development for Piper comes in "Exit Strategy" where she gains the power of Molecular Combustion aka Blowing up sh!t! Of all the power upgrades the sisters got over the years, Piper's was the most entertaining and cool. While that power becomes a joke in the later years (Suddenly Piper blows up any demon that pops up and the episodes's over!), oIt's refreshing and hilarious here, giving Piper a nice little story for herself during the last few episodes. I'll never forget her reaction to vanquishing a watermelon!

Onto Phoebe, who starts out the year getting a power boost in the form of Levitation. Finally an active power, if not random and underused and that unlike the other upgrades, has nothing to do with seeing the future. Anyway, Phoebe begins to lose of bit of her baby sister image here. Sure she still the screw-up and considering where the writers took her this year, she screwed up big-time this year. Her relationship with Cole turned out not only being intriguing but emotionally investing. Sure, it could be seen as a blatant knock-off of the Buffy/Angel romance (especially considering Phoebe conveniently being a blonde during this season and Cole being so tall, brooding and morally grey) but this arc between them was still refreshing for the series and each week it was great seeing both characters blurring the lines between right and wrong while trying to maintain a relationship.

"Sleuthing With The Enemy" is a heartbreaking revelation episode where Phoebe and her sisters find out the truth about Cole. Phoebe is devastated and slightly ashamed of herself for being so fooled yet ultimately not only spares Cole from a vanquish but fakes his death! Talk about some morally-ambiguous material and it really added a darker, surreal tone to the season. Alyssa really excelled with the material and the subsequent episodes that followed where Phoebe deals with hiding the truth from her sisters also show some fine subtly in her acting. I really felt for Phoebe deeply and no matter how stupid her decision was in putting the Power of Three in danger, it was completely believable and a superlative look into a darker side of Phoebe. Once Phoebe lets the cat out of the bag, a brief rift between Prue and Phoebe emerges again, the only time the problems off-camera are allowed to be shown on-camera.

When Cole does return, Phoebe tries to fight her feelings but decides to follow her heart instead. Watching Cole and Phoebe trying to have a relationship is just intriguing, and the constant wonder if Cole's love for Phoebe is stronger than his demonic side adds some tension to their relationship. During "The Demon That Came In From the Cold" and "Exit Strategy" when Cole's demonic side overcomes him, a brief falling-out occurs between them. Phoebe is suddenly thrusted back into more heartache and while her obsession with wanting to suddenly vanquish Cole is a bit grating it's understandable here (unlike her animosity toward him during Season 5).

If Phoebe's journey through this season could be summed up, it would be risking everything for love. While at times it was at the expense of her sisters and their concerns, Phoebe's faith and love in Cole was touching if not misguided. Their relationship brought out a conflicting, darker side of the character that was great to see again.

But in the season finale, "All Hell Breaks Loose", we see that while Phoebe tries to reconcile with Cole, she is still willing to sacrifice herself to save her sisters when they are exposed, even if that means damning herself by remaining in the Underworld. But this is only the beginning of Phoebe's turbulent romance with Cole and her ties with the Underworld wll become much greater next season.

Cole Turner/Belthazor is without a doubt the series' first and finest male character/main villain the show had done to that point (probably ever did). Julian McMahon oozes a charm and cool in Cole that was mesmerizing to watch (and re-watch). Unlike much of the scenery-chewing guest actors playing demons, Cole is a fully fleshed-out character who worked on so many levels: a love interest, a hero and a man seeking and finding redemption.

The first 7 episodes introduces the series' first serialized plotting with Cole continuously attempting to destroy the Charmed Ones with elaborate schemes. Whether trying to destroy their entire wicca line ("All Halliwell's Eve"), trying to steal the Book of Shadows ("Sight Unseen"), manipulating Prue to help a demon ("Primose Empath") and breaking the Power of Three ("Power Outage"), the writers made Cole out to be truly a formidable foe who didn't just give up or stand by to get vanquished by the sisters. He was a smart adversary who used Phoebe to discover more personal ways of killing them. Cole soon realizes his love for Phoebe is greater and his humanity ever so present.

Betraying the demonic world by killing the Triad and saved by his beloved, Cole disappears and returns in "The Good, The Bad and The Cursed" to begin his journey of redemption. It's a somewhat hammy, boring old western-type episode which has its moments, especially just seeing Prue coaching Cole on the rules of the good guys but he unfortunately gives in and kills a man.

Cole does redeem himself in some later episodes like helping Leo and Darryl find a murder ("Just Harried"), protecting Inspector Davidson from the Seekers ("Death Takes A Haliwell") and even going undercover to stop his former evil demon organization, The Brotherhood. Sadly, in "Exit Strategy", Cole is forced back to the dark side when he kills a witch out of his control. Phoebe gives up on him and he is completely broken. "Look Who's Barking" seems like Cole may have returned to form but he just can't deny he still loves Phoebe and in "All Hell Breaks Loose" he once again helps Phoebe and Leo try to save the day when magic is exposed.

From his shocking reveal as a demon in "The Honeymoon's Over" to the end of the season, Cole's journey was terrific, exciting and Julian was just great to watch. Next season takes Cole to even darker and deeper heights, not to mention Julian kicks the acting up a notch.

Besides marrying Piper, Leo doesn't have any major screentime this season. As the Charmed Ones' whitelighter, Leo was always the voice the reason and that's it. He does have some moments as usual like his proposal to Piper was hilarious yet sweet and his reasons for marrying her were admirable, fending off the Grimlocks with Darryl in "All Haliwell's Eve" and "Blinded By A Whitelighter" when Leo is a target of Eames' master plan to wipe out whitelighters and witches everywhere.

Darryl, like Leo, is used well when needed but isn't flesh-out either. He gets his first full taste of demon action in "All Haliwell's Eve" and is simply used when one of the sisters' latest demon threats becomes a case he needs to clean up. While lacking real depth, Darryl is always there for the sisters and in "All Hell Breaks Loose", he is ready to protect the sisters when magic is exposed, so that counts for something, right?

Season 3 is excellent upgrade in the show's quality compared to the first 2 seasons. The series returning to a dark tone brought out the best in the actors and brought some wonderful plots involving moral ambiguity. Not to mention, this collection of episodes are filled with some innovative storytelling ("We All Scream For Ice Cream"), tragic romance ("Sleuthing With The Enemy"), well-plotted action comedies ("Blinded By A Whitelighter"), hilarious satire of the characters ("Sin Fransico"), dark comedy ("Bride and Gloom") and of course, the greatest episode of the series, "All Hell Breaks Loose".

In terms of Season 3's rouge gallery, finally, the majority of them were well-developed and served just as much of a purpose as our heroes. The demon children were tolerable and fun, Troxa was cool and pretty inventive, Shax was epic and visually stunning, Eames had an awesome M.O., The Seekers=creepy much!?, Terra as Piper was seductive and threatening, Shadow is by far the best warlock the sisters ever faced and the 9 lives angle=genius!, The Banshee was another visually cool, even slightly frightening creature, we even get a badass cameo from the Source as well. Only villains I didn't care for were Andras (far too much yelling, my God!), The Brotherhood was pretty boring during this watch, and the trolls=kill me now!

So to wrap things up:

PROS:
1. A deeper exploration of the sisters, their history/ancestry and The Power of Three.
2. The introduction of Cole and his arc.
3. The most consistent run of episodes of any season of the series.
4. An impressive roster of villains for once (Shax, Belthazor, Eames, Troxa, Shadow, The Seekers, etc.)
5. More series classics in the form of “Pre-Witched”, “Sin Francisco”, “Death Takes A Haliwell” and “All Hell Breaks Loose”.
6. Stellar performances from our leads, especially Shannen.
7. The series getting morally ambiguous.
8. Better writing with a clear sense of direction for the characters/series and a refreshing dark tone again.

CONS:
1. "Magic Hour" and "Once Upon A Time"=Talk about a complete back to back suckfest
2. Some ridiculous fight scenes and over the top action set pieces.
3. While incredibly badass during her final year, Prue suddenly being an expert martial artist and marksman was completely contrived and nonsensical

Season 3 Episode Grades:

The Honeymoon's Over-C+
Magic Hour-D-
Once Upon a Time-D-
All Halliwell's Eve-B
Sight Unseen-A
Primrose Empath-B+
Power Outage-B+
Sleuthing With the Enemy-A-
Coyote Piper-B+
We All Scream for Ice Cream-A-
Blinded by the Whitelighter-A
Wrestling with Demons-D
Bride and Gloom-B+
The Good, the Bad and the Cursed-C
Just Harried-B-
Death Takes a Halliwell-A
Pre-Witched-A+
Sin Francisco-A+
The Demon Who Came In from the Cold-C
Exit Strategy-B-
Look Who's Barking-C+
All Hell Breaks Loose-A+

Final Vanquish= A-

Overall an excellent season! Not perfect by any means, but the writers really peaked during this year of the series. Fine writing, great character development, strong villains, fantastic performances by Shannen Doherty, memorable character introductions, dark storytelling, etc. So funny that most controversial time of the series produced the finest season of the show.

I already posted Season Four and Season Five in the Season Five board, but I'll repost them here. Unfortunately, not even Season Five fits in this post, so I'll post them both in a separate one.