Charmed
Charmed
In wake of the news that 2018 may bring a reboot of the late 90s/early 2000s television show Charmed, I decided to afford myself a walk down memory lane. While the reboot will be more diverse than the usual T.V. fare (it will feature Latinas as the three sister witches, one of whom will be lesbian), the casting of three white-passing Latinas is not a far cry from the original's casting of three white Anglo-Saxon (or Anglo-Saxon passing) women. Hopefully, as this Mitu article suggests, the show will take the opportunity to explore racism and colorism within the Latinx community. Nevertheless, my 90s kid nostalgia fills me with doubt when regarding a remake: I would prefer an entirely new show, with a new title and new plots, allowing audiences/critics to make any comparisons. The original formula is hard to recreate because it is situated in its time of the late 90s and early 2000s. Here is a list of the best and worst things about the original show, in my humble opinion.
1. Three 20-something sisters live in a house that they own in San Francisco, CA
Wow. I went to school in the San Francisco Bay Area and can I just say: living there is so expensive that I shudder at the thought of having to pay rent there, and I am from Los Angeles. However, costs aside living in the Bay Area was a great experience. Add living with your sisters who are around your age and function as built-in friends to the mix and we have reached dream status. It helps that I am soon to embark on living and working on my own (and I hope to get an apartment with roommates to help me afford rent but also, in best case scenario, be built-in friends). Although the feat of homeownership in San Francisco sounds like incredibly good fortune pun intended (and something increasingly afforded only by exceptional wealth and whiteness), the actual story of how the Charmed sisters inherited their home is tragic. Their mother died at a young age, their father left and their grandmother who raised them also died, leaving them with only each other.
2. They owned a hot club called P3 which featured hit bands of the late 90s/early 2000s
Did I mention that this show began in the 90s? The soundtrack featured songs from hit bands of the era who often played live sets on the show in the sister's club, P3. Episodes often featured the sisters hanging out at P3, going on dates, dancing in cute outfits and watching live performances from the hot musical acts of the time. Plus, while the sisters were often preoccupied with fighting demons, warlocks and other evils, they did not always have the time to hold down full-time jobs: the income from P3 was able to sustain them. Now, we are veering into full-on fantasy status: three 20-something sisters living in a house they own in San Francisco and enjoying the hot musical acts of the time while making money via the club that they also own. This plot device was a clever way for the show's producers to secure the show's spot as pop culture gold: by incorporating the performances of celebrity musicians. However, as the next number on the list will demonstrate, the Charmed sisters' lives were far from perfect.
3. Charmed contained a lot of supernatural mythology and folklore
The three Halliwell sisters are said to be descended from one of the witches burned during the Salem witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts in colonial America. Prue has the power of telekinesis and can move things with her mind, a flick of her hands and the power of astral projection. Piper has the power to freeze time and blow things up with a motion of her hands. Phoebe has the power of premonition or to see things that happened in the past or will happen in the future as well as the power to levitate. Along with these magical gifts, the sisters inherited a book of spells and potions called the Book of Shadows, which guides them in their mission to protect innocents by vanquishing demons, warlocks and other evil creatures. The Book of Shadows has the ancient Celtic symbol Triquetra on the cover, which is supposed to symbolize the powers of the three sisters or the Power of Three. Honorable mentions for episodes that feature folklore or mythology: the Wendigo, Succubus, Cupid, the Seven Deadly Sins, Banshee, the classic fairytales, Siren and Leprechauns (these are just my favorites). Above all, the show proved that the work of the Charmed Ones was never done and they risked their lives each episode to do it. The eldest sister Prue even died at the end of season 3, to be replaced by half-sister Paige who had similar powers. This is only partially why I think the first 3 seasons are the best, but there are some enjoyable episodes in seasons 4 and 5. Any season after that, or seasons 6-8 are just insufferable to me and I cannot watch them. Actually, a big reason why I could continue watching seasons 4 and 5 is in the next list item...
4. The Relationships
Honestly, what would a show about three conventionally-attractive 20-something sisters be without a steady string of love interests and romantic plots? As much as the show is about sisterhood, family and magic, it also prominently featured the sisters dating and having relationships. However, in my eyes there are only two relationships that stand out enough to be worth mentioning and they happen to be the longest running relationships featured in the entire series. The first one, which pretty much lasted for the whole series is the relationship turned marriage of Leo, a whitelighter or guardian angel and Piper. This relationship had its heartfelt moments and ultimately worked because Leo was a series regular, whereas all the other guys were guest stars on the show. One of the best episodes of the series is the one in which Piper and Leo get married (for real, not the fake-out time). The second relationship (and my favorite) was between Phoebe and Cole, a half-human, half-demon that was introduced as trying to kill the Charmed Ones. He unwittingly fell in love with Phoebe after he was hired as an assassin, a situation that led to some comical scenes. However, Phoebe and Cole's relationship came to be representative of toxic and abusive relationships, beginning with the fact that Cole was initially trying to kill Phoebe and her sisters. The character development of Cole and the greying of the lines between good and evil was great material. The moral of the story at the end of the day is that two people can love each other but that doesn't mean that they will (or should) end up together. Yet, the electric chemistry between the actors made the relationship a fan favorite, sparking criticisms of glamorizing abusive relationships.
5. Although this was a woman-centric show, women were being mistreated behind the scenes
Although the show was created by a woman, featured women in all of the main roles and sported a fan base of mostly women, it was men that held the most power behind the scenes. Some of the actresses described sexist behavior and abuse at the hands of male showrunners on sets while filming Charmed episodes. Apparently, the show only ever had one female director who was pushed out due to her mistreatment by the all-male crew. Even the woman who created the show and based the three sisters on herself and her two sisters, Constance M. Burge, left her position as Executive Producer after the first two seasons because of disagreements with a male producer. It is disappointing to me that a project that literally runs on women's labor was riddled with sexism and made to benefit men first and foremost.
6. The lack of people of color in the cast
People of color and especially women of color were never fully represented on Charmed. They played small roles as witches, demons or warlocks in single episodes, frequently getting killed off by the end. This serves as a metaphor for the disposability of people of color in white-American communities. Furthermore, the series did not feature one gender non-conforming, queer, disabled and/or plus-size actor or character, leaving room for improvement on those fronts. The one series regular who is a person of color, Darryl, appears sporadically and does not play a big role. The Charmed universe could have definitely benefited from more, fully-developed characters of color.
2. They owned a hot club called P3 which featured hit bands of the late 90s/early 2000s
Did I mention that this show began in the 90s? The soundtrack featured songs from hit bands of the era who often played live sets on the show in the sister's club, P3. Episodes often featured the sisters hanging out at P3, going on dates, dancing in cute outfits and watching live performances from the hot musical acts of the time. Plus, while the sisters were often preoccupied with fighting demons, warlocks and other evils, they did not always have the time to hold down full-time jobs: the income from P3 was able to sustain them. Now, we are veering into full-on fantasy status: three 20-something sisters living in a house they own in San Francisco and enjoying the hot musical acts of the time while making money via the club that they also own. This plot device was a clever way for the show's producers to secure the show's spot as pop culture gold: by incorporating the performances of celebrity musicians. However, as the next number on the list will demonstrate, the Charmed sisters' lives were far from perfect.
3. Charmed contained a lot of supernatural mythology and folklore
4. The Relationships
Honestly, what would a show about three conventionally-attractive 20-something sisters be without a steady string of love interests and romantic plots? As much as the show is about sisterhood, family and magic, it also prominently featured the sisters dating and having relationships. However, in my eyes there are only two relationships that stand out enough to be worth mentioning and they happen to be the longest running relationships featured in the entire series. The first one, which pretty much lasted for the whole series is the relationship turned marriage of Leo, a whitelighter or guardian angel and Piper. This relationship had its heartfelt moments and ultimately worked because Leo was a series regular, whereas all the other guys were guest stars on the show. One of the best episodes of the series is the one in which Piper and Leo get married (for real, not the fake-out time). The second relationship (and my favorite) was between Phoebe and Cole, a half-human, half-demon that was introduced as trying to kill the Charmed Ones. He unwittingly fell in love with Phoebe after he was hired as an assassin, a situation that led to some comical scenes. However, Phoebe and Cole's relationship came to be representative of toxic and abusive relationships, beginning with the fact that Cole was initially trying to kill Phoebe and her sisters. The character development of Cole and the greying of the lines between good and evil was great material. The moral of the story at the end of the day is that two people can love each other but that doesn't mean that they will (or should) end up together. Yet, the electric chemistry between the actors made the relationship a fan favorite, sparking criticisms of glamorizing abusive relationships.
5. Although this was a woman-centric show, women were being mistreated behind the scenes
Although the show was created by a woman, featured women in all of the main roles and sported a fan base of mostly women, it was men that held the most power behind the scenes. Some of the actresses described sexist behavior and abuse at the hands of male showrunners on sets while filming Charmed episodes. Apparently, the show only ever had one female director who was pushed out due to her mistreatment by the all-male crew. Even the woman who created the show and based the three sisters on herself and her two sisters, Constance M. Burge, left her position as Executive Producer after the first two seasons because of disagreements with a male producer. It is disappointing to me that a project that literally runs on women's labor was riddled with sexism and made to benefit men first and foremost.
6. The lack of people of color in the cast
People of color and especially women of color were never fully represented on Charmed. They played small roles as witches, demons or warlocks in single episodes, frequently getting killed off by the end. This serves as a metaphor for the disposability of people of color in white-American communities. Furthermore, the series did not feature one gender non-conforming, queer, disabled and/or plus-size actor or character, leaving room for improvement on those fronts. The one series regular who is a person of color, Darryl, appears sporadically and does not play a big role. The Charmed universe could have definitely benefited from more, fully-developed characters of color.
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