MovieChat Forums > Charmed (1998) Discussion > Overall Thoughts...

Overall Thoughts...

posted 8 years ago by trackstar_hates_idol
12 replies | jump to latest

Even though I definitely think that generally speaking, the Prue era >>> Paige era, I have to say after rewatching the series recently, Season 4 is hands down my favorite. I love how dark it got and so many of the storylines from transitioning from Prue to Paige, Cole turning evil again and Phoebe becoming the Queen, I thought it was phenomeonal. Lots of my favorite episodes came from this season including Charmed Again, He'll Hath No Fury, A Paige From the Past, Long Live The Queen, Bite Me, Womb Raider, etc,

[–] gzv969 8 years ago

I agree with you. Season 3 and 4 were the best for me. Generally the seasons where there was a genuine scary fear of the Source or Cole (meaning Balthazar) or where Cole was evil were the best seasons. Part of the problem was that with the absence of a formidable Source or evil the darker tone to the show went away with it. The sisters just felt they could take on whomever and their weren't any real challenges. That's why I so wished Cole took over the underworld again as the Source in season 5 instead of turning him into a demon that lost his way to a failed love then being hot and cold from episode to episode. Importance of being Phoebe and A Witch in Time were great episodes where that darkness in Cole could have been restored but they had to kill him in Centennial Charmed instead of him to become the Source again with all his new powers being indestructible and the sisters enemy. That would have really put the fear back into the girls. Phoebe was already freaking out as it was when she found out in Sam I Am that Cole couldn't be vanquished. Wish Cole just overcame his love for Phoebe and concentrated on being evil like he tried to do in season 3 when he swore to overcome his love for Phoebe and hate the charmed ones. Though it didn't work after Phoebe banshee came after him.

[–] Stratego 8 years ago

After rewatching the show, I thought it became even worse after season 1 than I remembered. Season 2 was already a decline for me and season 3 went even further downhill. I really can't watch the show after the third season.

[–] FireWave 8 years ago

Yes, I agree. Season 4 remains the strongest for me, but unlike many people on this board, I am huge fan of Paige era.
The only season I love with Prue is season 1.
Seasons 4, 6 and 1 are perfect trio for me. All different and all covered best moments of all characters' lives.

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

[–] smck_82uk 8 years ago

Season 3 for me will always be the peak of Charmed but four is very strong also. I'm not going to lie though I'll always wish Season 4 had been a Prue season.

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

[–] JustEs 8 years ago

Oh, yes, it would've been a much better season with Prue than with Paige, especially if that's where the series ended.

Or if if had to continue, if Prue was allowed to die saving Paige during 'Witch Way Now?' and that's what led them to discovering that she was their half-sister and reconstituting the Charmed Ones.

I've been told that Dynamite Entertainment, the comic company that's going to take over the Charmed comics from Zenescope likes to do alternate-universe stories of the TV shows/movie whose comics they publish. I would LOVE if it started with 'All Hell Breaks Loose', but all three original sisters survive, with Phoebe stuck and evil in the Underworld, and continue from there - with or without Paige.

[–] gzv969 8 years ago

Yep. Or even better, in Witch Way Now the Angel Of Destiny comes to just Phoebe at the end and tells her it's time to wake up from her coma, that the fate of the power of 3 depends on her. Then she wakes up in the underworld finding out she's been in a coma since the Source trapped her down there in AHBL and all season 4 to date was just a huge dream she seemed to have had. Prue is alive, Cole escaped but lost Phoebe to the Source in the process of trying to escape with her. The Source trapped her and put her in a coma somewhere Cole and the other sisters can't find her. He did that to keep power of 3 from being. He doesn't want to kill Phoebe because he's been tapping into her mind to learn more about the charmed ones and find out how to harness the power of 3 plus their powers. Cole has been working with Prue and Piper to find her in the underworld and have had no success. Later Phoebe's escapes in the beginning of season 5 by faking she's still in a coma then beating up a demon that comes to check on her and forces him to shimmer her above ground where she calls Leo immediately. Phoebe finds out many parts of her dream were actually kind of psychic premonitions as a result of what the Source was doing to her daily and some things were real future and past events to some extent. Phoebe finds out she's not been in a coma as long as she thought. Just a couple of weeks. One difference is they have a 4th sister and Phoebe is the only one that knows. Piper did cast a To Find a Lost Witch spell with Prue when looking for Phoebe that supposedly didn't work. All season 5 is phoebe's premonitions in her dream working it's way out in reality but not exactly as we saw season 4 while in her coma. With phoebes guidance they find Paige, Paige is a social worker that frequents pipers club and becomes their close friend but denies being their sister. Phoebe is convinced her dreams were real and looks for proof from Grams and Patty who deny it strongly for fear of what it will do to the power of 3, but Phoebe doesn't give up. Everyone thinks she's crazy and the Source did something to her. She helps Paige find out she can orb which is a start. They defeat the Source as she saw it, cole goes evil, tries to make Phoebe evil also but she's prepared this time. Gets pregnant again like in her dream but she and her sisters are able to keep her son from the seer due to phoebes prior knowledge of what could happen or happened etc.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] JustEs 8 years ago

I admit this is the first time I've managed my way through your idea (hard to do as one long paragraph - I kept getting lost in it), but now that I have I have to admit that I really, truly wish this is the way it had gone.

[–] gzv969 8 years ago

Sorry. I tend to write like that sometimes when I'm playing out stories in my head and typing it at the same time. I just keep typing..........................

[–] JustEs 8 years ago

:) That you do - and you do a great job - I love watching your mind at work!

[–] Corate 8 years ago

I've been rewatching as well, and as much as I bash the show I have to say that it maintained a guilty pleasure aspect from seasons 1-5. The show attempted to be something more in seasons 3 and 4, but failed to actually capture the depth that Buffy had effortlessly managed to do. Season 4 of Charmed is the best attempt at being Buffy, for sure.

[–] 8 years ago

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