Witches - don't you just love 'em (Charmed)

Member Name: louise1971

Product:	Charmed
Date:	16/03/02 (481 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Spellbinding, magical, funny, a dark side

Disadvantages: Not on often enogh

I do have a pretty varied TV viewing schedule, but one show I always make the effort to see (or tape) is Charmed.

I watch it on Living TV on a Saturday at 9pm, where we are currently on the brand new 4th Series. It can also be seen on Channel 5 at 6:50pm, Series 3.

If you have never seen this show, make the effort to, as it is fun, feisty, heart-rending and has 'beautiful people' in it, as well as quite a few ghouls and demons.

Basically, Charmed is a show about the supernatural. Three sisters (the Halliwell's) have inherited their Grandmothers San Francisco mansion, and soon discover they have magical powers whilst clearing out the attic, and coming across a mysterious old book.........

In order to save 'innocents' (you and me!) from evil, they must use these powers, which are at their most effective when the 3 sisters work together (the 'Power of 3'). As the sisters find out, it is not easy trying to hold family together, not be outed as witches, and fight evil at the same time, but the girls do a good job!

So, let me tell you a bit about the main characters:

Prue (Shannen Doherty) -
unfortunately, Prue met a dramatic end in the exciting cliffhanger at the end of Series 3, after losing a battle with a demon called Shax.
Prue had been the eldest sister, guiding the others with her level-headedness. She had the ability to move objects and people, and also to 'orb' - basically, leave her body to communicate with someone elsewhere. She was viewed as the one with the strongest powers.
After her death, she left behind:

Piper (Holly Marie Combs) -
who was suddenly thrust into the role of decision maker. She had previously been the mediator in the family. Whilst mourning the loss of her sister, she is unsure whether she wants to carry on fighting evil (she does have her mind changed).
Piper has the ability to freeze people and demons with a f
lick of her hand - I am sure in Series 4 her powers will grow, as has happened to all the sisters over the past Series'.

Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) -
had previously enjoyed life as the youngest sister - more 'devil may care' and confident. How will she cope with taking on the mediator role which Piper held?
Phoebe has premonitions - which come in handy when trying to save the lives of innocents. She is also getting a bit handy with martial arts, and has recently discovered the ability to levitate.

Paige (Rose McGowan - Marlyn Manson's ex-girlfriend) -
is the new (half) sister on the block. She is the product of an illicit relationship between the Halliwell's mother and a Whitelighter (more on Whitelighters later).
She, fairly understandably, was pretty reluctant to accept that she is a witch. She is now slowly coming round to the idea.
Paige has the ability to move things with her mind, and also 'orb', like Prue.

Onto the 'non-sister' characters:

Leo (Brian Kranse) -
he is the sister's Whitelighter - a guardian angel, who can warn the sisters of trouble, and also heal them (if he gets there in time!).
Leo is also Piper's boyfriend.

Cole (Julian McMahon) -
is half-demon, half-human. He is Phoebe's boyfriend - a tricky situation for them as he is on the run from The Council, an all-powerful source of evil, after he helped the sisters.

The Book of Shadows -
is obviously not truely a 'character', but it does feature heavily in the lives of the sisters.
In this book, the sisters are usually able to find an incantation to help them solve demonic problems. This may sound like a cop-out, but it isn't. They must first find the demons, which often masquerade as humans, then confront them.

So, what's going on at the moment?

After the bond of the original 'Charmed Ones' has been broken,
the sisters must first try to bury and grieve for Prue, whilst still fighting dark forces which want them dead.

On top of that, they then discover the half sister they had no idea existed.

In the first episode of Series Four (Charmed Again), we see the sisters as humans, not superbeings. They cry, they deny, they cope.
Paige, as mentioned, is struggling to come to terms with the knowledge she is a witch.

In Episode Two (Hell Hath No Fury), Paige steals The Book of Shadows to cast spells for personal gain. Piper is still mourning her sister, and still has doubts about resurrecting the 'Power of Three' At her most vulnerable, she is targetted by female demons.

Hopefully, Series Four will get better and better, and will perhaps gain more viewers?!

I wouldn't recommend this show for kids under 10, as it does deal with some human issues, relationships etc, but there is definitely no upper age limit!

My granny watches Charmed - the only other TV shows she watches are cookery programmes. Recommendation indeed!

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