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1990's, Alyssa Milano, Brian Krause, Charmed, Charmed Season 1, Dorian Gregory, Holly Marie Combs, Shannen Doherty, T. W. King
I decided it was about time I got back to my TV reviews. This time for all you lovely followers its Charmed, otherwise known as one of my favourite TV shows ever. Yet again this is a supernatural show, I don’t know what it is I’m just drawn to it so much because of the fantasy elements and the presence of magic, plus three strong female characters which is always a plus in my book. Running for a successful eight seasons, here is my review of the debut season which bristles with promising charm, thrills and magic. Be warned people, spoilers will follow in my overview of this debut season.
The three Halliwell sisters; strong-willed Prue(Shannen Doherty), sensitive Piper(Holly Marie Combs) and rebellious Phoebe(Alyssa Milano) have all inherited their Grandmother’s Manor in San Francisco. Prue and Piper first move in, later followed by Phoebe who isn’t on the best terms with Prue. Upon moving into the old Manor in which they grew up, a set of mysterious and unusual events leads Phoebe to the attic of the Manor. In it she finds a Book of Shadows, a bound volume for witchcraft. Curious she reads the first incantation in the book, that speaks of the Power of Three. Prue and Piper are skeptical about Phoebe’s claims that the sisters are in fact powerful witches, known as The Charmed Ones and that they descend from a long powerful line of witches. That is until they discover that they each have inherited a power from the spell Phoebe cast; Prue can move objects with her mind, Piper can freeze time and Phoebe receives premonitions of the future and the past. The book says that they must face a world of demons and evil beings in order to protect innocent people and stop the spread of demonic power on Earth. While trying to adjust to life as witches with incredible power, the sisters must also deal with not getting their powers exposed to the outside world( such as Prue’s inspector boyfriend Andy Trudeau( T. W. King) and his superior Darryl Morris(Dorian Gregory) while taking down the evils that they must rid the world of in order to protect many innocent people. As the season goes on, their powers continue to grow and we watch how the sisters must learn to control them and use them for the greater good, and not for their own personal gain. Throughout Season 1 we follow the Halliwell sisters as they navigate their way through battling demons as The Power of Three, personal lives and a whole load of other things, whilst being bound together as the most powerful witches in the world.
The main focus of this season is Prue’s tragic relationship with Andy, Piper adjusting to her powers and falling for Leo(Brian Krause) a seemingly normal handyman who is actually a magical being called a Whitelighter sent to watch over the sisters and Phoebe’s rebellious attitude to magic which often lands her in supernatural trouble. Humour is provided throughout Charmed in the many attempts that the sisters make to ensure that their Wiccan secret is not exposed to anyone. The romantic entanglements of the girls often brings about unexpected consequences, especially Piper falling in love with Leo, despite the powers that be forbidding such a union. Leo may leave for a while to contemplate the relationship and what his magical superiors will say, but the seed has already been sown for his return and what will become one of the romantic touchstones of the show as we later see in the future the love that they share for one another. Prue’s relationship with Andy also gives this season a certain emotional resonance, especially the outcome of the relationship and its effects. After finally revealing that she is a witch and Andy coming around to the idea, he is tragically killed by a demon, which devastates Prue. Prue gets even by vanquishing the demon in question, but the loss of Andy deeply affects her as he was her true love who she will never forget.
People may say that the show is predictable and goofy at times, but it’s extremely entertaining watching the sisters take down the powers of evil on a daily basis. And I mean just look at some of the demons these girls take down; psychopathic hell bitches, sight stealing Grimlocks and a mystical beast called a Wendigo that temporarily transforms Piper into a beast just like it after attacking her. To say it isn’t a blast seeing them kick evil’s ass is a blatant lie. It’s also great when the sisters delve into their past; literally at one point travelling back to when they were children and realizing why their powerful Grams bound their powers. Plus, there’s an excellent opening credits sequence of explosive action and magical paraphernalia of candles, spells and demons . The most prominent enemies in this first season are Rex and Hannah, two demons masquerading as Prue’s smarmy bosses at an auction house and Rodriguez, a vicious demon who will stop at nothing to kill the sisters and ends up providing Season 1 with a tragic ending as he is the one who kills Andy.
The series is given an emotional undercurrent as we witness that bond that the sisters share and how above it all, they are sisters who happen to be witches rather than the other way around. This is further helped by the chemistry between the three main actresses who really gel together to make this a believable trio. Shannen Doherty successfully exhibits tough strength, hard determination and an inner vulnerability as the eldest sister Prue, who aside from battling literal demons has other personal ones to deal with. The main things are the relationship with Andy and how she tries to hide her secret from him and the wounded memories of her father leaving her when she was younger, plus her sense of loneliness that arises from her mother’s mysterious death. Holly Marie Combs embodies the caring and sensitive personality of the middle sister Piper, who is often mediator between her two other sisters when they are engaged in a disagreement or skirmish. Out of the three, Piper is the one who we are shown to feel sympathy for as she does crave a normal life once again. Although this could have made the character become whiny, because of Holly Marie Combs performance it becomes sympathetic and very human. Rounding out the trio is Alyssa Milano, who provides humour, playfulness and charm as the youngest sister Phoebe. Many of the hi jinks that the sisters find themselves in this season somehow relate to Phoebe as she learns about not abusing magic. Being the youngest, Phoebe’s free-spirited attitude is often a cause for magical concern because of the way she attempts to use it trying to help others, but the result backfiring. Out of the sisters, Phoebe is the one who embraces their destiny the most, even if it puts her at odds with her other sisters.
T. W. King plays Andy very well and provides an outsiders suspicion of the sisters, especially Prue who he deeply cares about but is not sure what to make of her as she keeps popping up in many unexplained cases. I must say that his death really is tragic and is the first major one we see committed by a demon on someone the girls care for. Andy is character whose death really hits the viewer hard as he’s basically a nice guy trying to do his job, who happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time trying to protect the woman he cares about. Dorian Gregory is wryly humorous and curious as Andy’s partner Darryl Morris, while Brian Krause gives warmth and tender strength to the role of Leo, the girl’s guardian angel for lack of a better word who falls deeply in love with Piper.
And now starting with this review for TV, I will feature a rating for each of the episodes in the season, from A to F.
- Something Wicca This Way Comes – A+
- I’ve Got You Under My Skin – B
- Thank You For Not Morphing – C-
- Dead Man Dating – B+
- Dream Sorcerer – A
- The Wedding from Hell – F
- The Fourth Sister – C-
- The Truth is Out There and It Hurts – B+
- The Witch is Back – A-
- Wicca Envy – A
- Feats of Clay – D
- The Wendigo – A
- From Fear to Eternity – A
- Secrets and Guys – B
- Is There a Woogy in the House? – B+
- Which Prue is It, Anyway? – B-
- That ’70s Episode – A
- When Bad Warlocks Turn Good – B
- Out of Sight – A+
- The Power of Two – C
- Love Hurts – B+
- Déjà Vu All Over Again – A+
Watching the first season of Charmed once again and it bringing so many great memories back to me, I really look forward to what Season 2 has to offer.
Mel @ The Creative Fox Den said:
I love how you rate each episode! I’ve sworn off TV for a while. No time! But I might give this series a try one day
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, I just thought I should give each episode a rating to make it easier. You should check this out one day.
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lukebbtt said:
I was tempted to give this a go yesterday. Might have to bump it up my list.
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vinnieh said:
By all means do it Luke. I’m sure you’ll love this show.
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lukebbtt said:
I am a major Buffy addict, so it does tick the initial boxes.
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vinnieh said:
I’m a major Buffy addict as well Luke.
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theipc said:
Never seen an episode!
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vinnieh said:
Eric you said. It’s got beautiful women kicking supernatural ass on a daily basis. Trust me, you’ll thank me for it.
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MRS N, the Author said:
I love Charmed and I agree with most of what you said. There is so much to love about the series and I was shaken when Andy died. But it needed to happen, I think. It shakes them and makes them vulnerable. Great review, Vinnie! 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Thanks. I know what you mean about the love, the way the sisters are so closing is really nice and quite powerful. I was the same when Andy died, I think I cried my eyes out as I felt so bad for Prue.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
What a great review Vinnie! And I love how you broke down each episode. Andy was one of my favorite characters. I was devastated when they killed him.😥😥😥😩😩😩 What I especially liked about this show was the relationship between the sisters. Even though Rose McGowan did a good job replacing Shannon Doherty, I didn’t think they were able to quite capture the original bond. I missed Pru! Speaking of close relationships and the supernatural, have you ever watched the show Supernatural?
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vinnieh said:
Appreciate your lovely thoughts Kim. I always loved how strong the bond was between them all, they may have had their differences, but in the end they were still there for one another. I actually really liked when they brought Paige into the series, she was really fun.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I really liked Paige also. There just seemed to be something missing though for me.😕
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vinnieh said:
I always felt there were certain similarities between Prue and Paige.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
You’re definitely right Vinnie. I also loved Paige’s carefree spirit. I can’t wait for you to review season 2! If you haven’t tried Supernatural yet, I highly recommend it. I think it just might be your cup of tea! 😊
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vinnieh said:
I can’t wait for Season 2. I will definitely have to look into Supernatural, thanks for the recommendation.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Let me know how you like it? I really think you’ll wind up in the Supernatural Addicts group with me!
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vinnieh said:
I think it will take me a bit of time to get around to it, but I will definitely check it out when I get the chance to.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Yay!
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Grog the Ginger said:
Tempted to go back and watch this again. I remember watching this all the time when I was really young. My dad loved it lol!
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vinnieh said:
You and your dad have really great taste.
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TheMarckoguy said:
I have not seen this in years. I do however remember liking it.
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vinnieh said:
Same here, though it ranks as one of my top shows. I’m really happy to go back to it again.
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impossiblegirl123 said:
Charmed is seriously one of the best shows ever created! I remember how my friends and I always played that we were the sisters and everyone wanted to be Prue hahaha Well, except for me. I always wanted to be Phoebe, but her powers turned out to be pretty boring to play. We even made our own Book of Shadows and potions. Man … the good old times!
I always love re-visiting this show! Glad you made a post about it 🙂
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vinnieh said:
I couldn’t agree with you more, I love this show to bits. I liked all of the sisters, but Phoebe’s rebellious personality and free spirit always made me smile.
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impossiblegirl123 said:
She’s always been my favourite, even as her role changed during the Seasons! Are you going to do posts about the other seasons as well?
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vinnieh said:
You bet I am, I’m going for a full rewatch of every season accompanied by a review.
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impossiblegirl123 said:
Awesome! Can’t wait to read the rest of your reviews!
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, hope my reviews deliver.
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impossiblegirl123 said:
I’m sure they will – as always!
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vinnieh said:
That’s super kind of you to say.
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impossiblegirl123 said:
I like your blog, so it’s just the truth. 🙂
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vinnieh said:
You’re so nice, always appreciate your support of this blog.
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impossiblegirl123 said:
Thank you and you’re very welcome!
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vinnieh said:
I will talk to you soon, just gonna sign off for now. Thanks for all the nice things you said. Be back tomorrow.
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beetleypete said:
Seriously detailed reviewing V. I will have to take your word for it, as I have never seen a single episode, and probably never will. Glad you like it anyway.
Regards, Pete.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks Pete, I try to be as detailed as I can.
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KittNoir said:
Still one of my favourite shows. I’m one of three sisters & we all love it!
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vinnieh said:
Glad to hear from another fan.
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David said:
I am convinced that your review will be far better than any episode. I just can’t get into TV shows.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, this show is just the best.
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David said:
I’ll take your word for it. The girls sure look pretty.
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vinnieh said:
They most certainly are pretty and kick demon ass with style.
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David said:
What more could you ask for in a girl?
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vinnieh said:
You definitely should check this show out when you are free.
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David said:
You won’t even believe the TV shows I don’t watch. Never seen: Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, House of Cards, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc. Just don’t turn the TV on. I’ll try to get to it.
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vinnieh said:
You gotta work on that man, you’re missing out on some excellent shows.
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David said:
ha, so i’ve heard. got other things going on. some day, man.
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vinnieh said:
You’ll get there one day I’m sure of it.
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David said:
i like reading about other people’s opinions on shows. ha!
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vinnieh said:
I’m glad to hear that as there is seven more seasons of Charmed to watch and review.
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David said:
damn. good luck with that. how can anything be that interesting for so long?
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vinnieh said:
Believe me it still remains just as magical as the seasons go on.
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David said:
i await your reviews for all the magic I need.
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vinnieh said:
I’ll definitely attempt to bring the magic out in these reviews.
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emmakwall said:
Great review Vinster and I’m very glad Kim saw this hee hee 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Thanks Emma, you should check this show out. I’m sure you’d enjoy it.
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emmakwall said:
I used to watch the odd episode when I was younger, never got into it like Buffy though 🙂 hee hee!
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vinnieh said:
I’m sure you’d love it if you got into it Emma.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
I love this show! Aaron and I were just talking about Charmed and if we thought we could ever get back to the show again. The first four season were awesome—yes even the fourth. I thought the bringing in of Page worked well with the story and Rose did a great job fitting in. My overall problem with the entire series is that (for the most part) there isn’t a story arch throughout a season. Besides the “Source of all Evil” (which I never understood why they didn’t just call him the freaken Devil) was their ultimate threat, but every episode was a standalone. Every individual episode began with their normal life, that life got interrupted by a new demon, they end up vanquishing the demon at the end of the episode. DONE! Moving on to next week. This was the case for a lot of 90’s dramas. Overall, the show about witches is really unique. I love the sister dynamic, book of shadows, demons, ex. My biggest problem with killing off Prue and bringing in Page was that the sister’s personalities shifted to the new sister role. For instance, Piper was no longer the mediator of the sister group but now the annoyed older sister. That made me mad because Piper was my favorite for the first half of the series. Sorry, I can keep going. I have a lot to say about this show. I wish they would do a remake, but take elements from Charmed, Supernatural, and American Horror Story: Coven—-That would be an amazing show!
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vinnieh said:
Why thanks for commenting with such descriptive quality.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
: ) I have a lot to say about Charmed.
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vinnieh said:
I can see that, hope you think this first review did it justice.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
It sure did.
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vinnieh said:
I’m happy that it did.
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Jack Flacco said:
I loved Charmed. The early seasons though were great. I stopped watching it around the third season–not sure why.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for commenting Jack.
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Natasha said:
I love this show! Great review!
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vinnieh said:
Thanks Natasha, glad to hear from a fellow fan.
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thepunktheory said:
I loooved this show so much when I was younger!
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vinnieh said:
Then you’ll be happy to know I’m watching them all again and publishing a review of each season.
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thepunktheory said:
I will definitely stay tuned to read all of them.
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vinnieh said:
I appreciate that.
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Matt Melo said:
Great review, and great blog! You have good taste… I’m a massive fan of Charmed!
Was very sad today as I found out Shannen Doherty is battling breast cancer 😦
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the kind words. That sad about Doherty, I hope she gets better.
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Annelise Lestrange said:
Since pretty much always I’m tempted to start this series, but I never felt the right trigger. I think now I do, haha! It sounds just like my type of supernatural show ❤ I hope it is available at Netflix, because you got me so curious!!
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vinnieh said:
Believe me, it’s well worth the watch. It just has so much to enjoy in it.
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Annelise Lestrange said:
I do, I can feel it *–* Can’t wait to start ❤
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vinnieh said:
I can’t wait to hear what you think of it.
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Annelise Lestrange said:
thank you!!
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vinnieh said:
I love having conversations with you, you are such a wonderful blogger.
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Annelise Lestrange said:
I also love talking to you, my British gentleman ❤
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vinnieh said:
You flatter me so.
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