MovieChat Forums > Charmed (1998) Discussion > When you REALLY pay attention to it...

When you REALLY pay attention to it...

posted 8 years ago by MsCurlsNCurves
25 replies | jump to latest

You can almost see the feud between the girls on screen....

I'm a Virgo and I can be very analytical...I take notice to things that most people don't.

But when you look at the actors when they're in the background not talking or waiting to say their lines you can kinda see their expressions of annoyance or dislike. I also knew that there was a "feud" between Shannen and Alyssa but I didn't know that Holly was somewhat involved as well.

Alyssa states that being on set felt like high school because Shannen and Jolly were always so close and you can see how there's a favoritism amongst the girls. At first they try to throw you off because Prue and Phoebe aren't exactly the friendliest when the series begins and then they try to throw you off by making them do this unbelievable cutesy scenes with them holding hands and giggling together.

During Season 1, the actresses seem genuinely happy and cutesy together which is to be expected with something new but by the time that Andy dies you can see the eye rolling, stern looks, the not so playful hits to each other in the background.

Then by Season 3 when Shannen's hair is really long everything becomes super serious. They barely have any sisterly moments anymore and when they do it all seems forced. Again, we're focused on the new level of evil theyre facing and Cole getting involved with Phoebe to really pay attention to it.

It kinda sucks though, Season 1 and half of Season 2 were golden to me. Cheesy with bad CGI....yes...but very entertaining.

[–] Stab-El 8 years ago

I disagree, I think you are looking for this because you know about the back story.

There are plenty of sisterly moments in Season 3, its just that there are more serious issues going on with Cole. Prue's reaction is completely justified and in character, so it really has nothing to do with Shannen & Alyssa.

I can recall moments where Phoebe & Prue are at the beach and they have sisterly moments & also in Sin Fransisco, Phoebe & Prue walking down the street talking very affectionately.

Believe me I've looked for such moments too, and I just can't really see any that aren't justified by the more series tone of season 3 over season 1 & 2.

I see ridiculous theories about Prue being turned into a dog & Phoebe being sent to the underworld so they didn't have to work together for the last couple of episodes. I just don't buy it. They we're still on screen together enough.

I do however think the writers knew they we're going to kill Prue off as there are enough hints in the second half of season 3 that Prue was going to meet her demise, with the Angel of Death & Prue's invincible attitude throughout season 3. Those are in show moments that I can believe might have been influenced by the decision to fire Shannen.

Also, I think season 3 is the best season of the show.

The unexpected is the new cliche ~

[–] gzv969 8 years ago

Your right from watching you could never tell that anything was going on. Prue Nd phoebe seemed even more closer 2nd and 3rd season but after you know the back stories some pieces could be sort of put together speculations and theories. Like why while Shannen was directing 'The Good The Bad and The Cursed" did they have the subtle Cole Prue moment etc. Phoebe being sent to the underworld in AHBL.

[–] Larsii90 8 years ago

Agree with you. Charmed wasn't a perfect show by far, by I would not list "obvious tention between Shannen and Alyssa" as one of them. I think their acting was brilliant when Shannen was still on, and all the noticable tention is due to Prue and Phoebes problems with eachother, not Shannen and Alyssa's problems. If anything, yes, it might have helped them when their characters were supposed to be fighting in the show that they weren't the best of friends on set, but that's it.

[–] gzv969 8 years ago

So much has been speculated on what caused the feud and what really happened on set in season 3. We may never really know But n my opinion the fact Shannen dated Julian in real life while Alyssa had Julian as her onscreen romance could not have helped matters. I could just imagine the tension on set. And Alyssa did say quite recently it was like high school on set to which Shannen and Holly got really upset about and got all over her case. Makes you wonder. Old wounds

[–] JustEs 8 years ago

Well, keep in mind that Alyssa was dating Brian Krause - whose character had just become Piper's husband! So it was quite a soap opera.

But as others have said before, I really think it was more just the characters had been written to take into account the tension that had always been between Prue and Phoebe (not Shannen and Alyssa) and then just popped up more when Phoebe put a half-demon in front of her sisters, something Prue would see as a betrayal.

There's also the fact that both Shannen and Alyssa have acted since they were children (Holly, too) and all three were true professionals. They would've left any personal feelings aside and become their character as soon as the director said, "Action".

I've told this tale many times - I didn't join an onsite board or read fan mags until S5 and never once did I suspect anything going on between the actresses - it was all perfectly in character. That's why I was so shocked when it appeared that Prue and Piper were dead and then even more shocked when I found out during 'Charmed Again' that Prue was.

As others have said, I think some fans just find what they want to see.

It's like some fans picking up on stuff that proved that Chris was Piper's son during 'Oh, My Goddess!' when not even the writers knew that until Season 6. Had Brian Krause not signed his second contract between Season 5 and Season 6, Chris exploding Leo's atoms would've been the last we would've seen of Leo - and very obviously there would've been no way Chris could've been Piper's son unless she was already pregnant, which wasn't likely while Wyatt was still that young.

[–] gzv969 8 years ago

Very true.

[–] gzv969 8 years ago

Wasn't it the same thing when fans said that prues pictures couldn't be used because shannen owned the rights to her character. Don't think anyone really proved that or could have known the reason for that

[–] Larsii90 8 years ago

As far as we know that is true, because Shannen owned the rights to her character after she qot fired, as a co producer of the show. Brad Kern talked about this (not in details about Shannen's ownership of things) in recent interviews

[–] gzv969 8 years ago

The inaccuracy was with saying that Shannen owned the rights to her image, it was just that her contract had it such that they would have had to pay her per episode salary if they used her picture or showed flashbacks in any episode like she was there. According to what the network told Brad. Something the network could have done occasionally if they really wanted to. But from kerns interview it didn't seem like he believed that reason.

http://tvline.com/gallery/charmed-anniversary-photos-biggest-moments-prue-death-phoebe-cole/#!13/charmed-season-4-photo/

. To this day, fans note with disapproval that all photos of Prue vanished from the manor after her death — but it turns out there's a very good reason for that:
Explains Kern, “I tried like crazy to get her in flashbacks and to have photographs of her on the walls, but what I was told — and I've subsequently been told that this is not the case — by the studio that we would have to pay her per-episode fee, which we couldn't afford, if we were even just going to use a photo of her. That's what I was told."

http://tvline.com/gallery/charmed-anniversary-photos-biggest-moments-prue-death-phoebe-cole/#!26/charmed-season-8-finale-001/

Despite Prue's memory factoring into the series finale, "there was no talk about bringing [Shannen Doherty] back physically," Kern says. "We just didn't believe it could ever happen — that she would ever want to do it, or the network would want to do it. And we may have been wrong. She might have jumped at the chance. But there were a lot of internal issues that led up to her leaving … on a lot of different people's sides. It just felt like that was probably not ever going to be able to happen. That was the prevailing opinion at the time."

http://tvline.com/gallery/charmed-anniversary-photos-biggest-moments-prue-death-phoebe-cole/#!27/charmed-season-8-finale-002/

Still, Kern regrets not being able to — at the very least — include a photo of Prue in the episode's final montage.
"You can't end Charmed without honoring Prue," he acknowledges, "but the powers that be made it clear that it was either almost impossible to accomplish, or it was going to cost us a lot of money. So I had to make the choice: Do I pay the money for the one photo and not be able to afford to bring back Patty, Grams or even Leo?”

[–] Michelle_89 8 years ago

When I first watched season three, I knew nothing about the lives of the actresses, and I picked up on tension. It is very, very subtle, but it's there. I have to reiterate that I knew nothing about the actresses fighting off-screen. And it is tension between the actresses, and not between the characters because of the issues surrounding Cole.

You can say what you want about me just seeing what I want to see, and that's fine. But I'm extremely observant, and I could see it. When I rewatch season three, I'll try to find moments that I saw the tension in.

[–] MarkAnthony1990 8 years ago

When I first watched season three, I knew nothing about the lives of the actresses, and I picked up on tension.

Well that's bound to be the case considering there was a lot of sisterly tension in that season.

Babies kill TV shows!

[–] FireWave 8 years ago

Well that's bound to be the case considering there was a lot of sisterly tension in that season.

Correct. Complete Phoebe/Cole storyline going up against Piper and especially Prue.

You can't cheat Dheath, unless you're not Sidney, Gale and Dewey... :)

[–] JustEs 8 years ago

The problem with Virgos (and I know a few...) is they OVER-analyze. I think that's what the OP did.

[–] FireWave 8 years ago

You feel that way because you are aware of that backstory. They perfectly fit on screen.

You can't cheat Dheath, unless you're not Sidney, Gale and Dewey... :)

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] MsCurlsNCurves 8 years ago

I think you all really missed the entire point of my post.

I never said the girls were bad actresses or didn't fit together...on the contrary it is because of their great acting and good writing that you are easily fooled into thinking that the girls were perfect and Shannen simply left for a positive reason.

But like I mentioned before, you have to really pay attention. Instead of looking at the center of the screen (aka the person who was saying lines) and look at the actresses in the background...they can be seen with unnecessary stern looks and rolling their eyes.

Also it was quite smart to change the writing so that no one could pick up on what's going on. The episode where the girls get pissed at each other and use their powers on each other was one of my favorites.

And for those who say it's because I know the back story...I noticed that stuff a long time ago back when the episodes were 1st airing...I got half way through 3 until I stopped watching (I was young and my mom used to be super religious). I didnt pick the she back up until nearly the end of Season 5 and throught the years I caught up on the show with those beautiful TNT re-runs. It wasn't until now that I started re-watching the show that I understood my previous thoughts.

[–] FireWave 8 years ago

First of all "fooled"? What does that suppose to mean? The girls, as in Prue, Piper and Phoebe actually were perfect. You are not watching Shannen, Holly and Alyssa. Shannen's character left because Prue was killed. That fact is importnant to viewer.

You can't say the girls fit perfectly on screen one moment and then the other you say there were stern looks. You are contradicting yourself, because if there were stern looks, then they wouldn't fit perfectly.

To change the writing? Are you saying that demon of anger wouldn't be introduced at all if actresses weren't into fight behind the scenes?

Don't get me wrong but you are acting like you discovered something really valuable which is not the case at all.

You can't cheat Dheath, unless you're not Sidney, Gale and Dewey... :)

[–] MsCurlsNCurves 8 years ago

Clearly, you did not read my initial post carefully...

I said that I am very analytical and notice things that most people do not.

With that being said most of the responses make it seem as though I'm saying the girls were bad actresses and their dislike for each other was very obvious. So I came back to clarify...the girls did a great job which is why the earlier seasons are the most loved, but every now and again you can catch some eye rolling and stern looks in the background when the focus isn't on them...

And no I'm not here acting like I just discovered the cute for AIDS or something...this is a community board about Charmed where people come to discuss the show. I wanted to make a post so that maybe when others watch they'll pay a little more attention and see what I see. So please don't try to belittle me just because you don't understand/agree with my point.

[–] FireWave 8 years ago

So other viewers are not very analytical just as much as you are?
Look, tell me episode where you caught those stern looks and eyes rolling so that I can view that for myself.

There is nothing to understand in your post, because it doesn't explain anything.

Just for the record, I am conversing with you, not arguing or anything similar because I am sure you got that feeling.

You can't cheat Dheath, unless you're not Sidney, Gale and Dewey... :)

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] smck_82uk 8 years ago

You really can't imo

Most of the season 3 friction is between Prue and Phoebe mostly over Cole not Shannen and Alyssa.

As said there are lots of lovely sisterly scenes between them scattered throughout the season. Had Shannen made it to Season 4 I'm sure it would've been more of the same

They think we're the demons now - Prue Halliwell ~ All Hell Breaks Loose ~ Charmed

[–] letsgotothemovies84 8 years ago

Anyone who has to tell other people they have a special skill usually doesn't.

It's as obnoxious as 'I just say it like it is' and is often as untrue.

[–] Stratego 8 years ago

I actually agree with the OP that you can notice some more tension between Shannen and Alyssa in season 3. Sure, a lot of it can be explained away by the storyline, but there were some looks and eye-rolling going on that seemed more personal than related to what was happening on screen. And some irritation in their voices even when the sisters were supposed to get along. They did do a good job, though, you'd never think there were times they wouldn't even communicate with each other.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] holtondekker 8 years ago

I'll have to check that out. But all I have to say about the whole situation that I've said for years, is despite the fact that there was a feud of the actresses proved that they were very professional and not letting it affect the work and was still able to create great sisterly bonding on screen.