Charmed 6.23 It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World (Part 2)

It’s almost disconcerting that season 6 would finish on such a high note. Part 2 of this season’s finale brings its biggest story to a close in a way that totally contradicts how it’s played out since it started; it was tight, cohesive, emotionally powerful, weirdly funny, and pretty exciting, too. Maybe I’m just happy to see this show being great again, but it actually feels like there’s some gears turning behind Charmed, still.

Charmed 6.22 It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World (Part 1)

And so we’ve reached the culmination of one of Charmed’s most decrepit seasons, and it’s a conclusion that’s surprisingly fresh, exciting and strong. This being Charmed, though, there’s a lot that needs over looking, but I can’t help but feel like a lot of Charmed’s downfall is down to laziness and poor execution than lack of ideas.

Charmed 6.21 Witch Wars

Can demons really do all this in those caves? Where Witch Wars succeeds is its rapid fire pacing and it’s attempts to try something different. The show’s tendency to crib from growing trends and current fads bugs, but it makes it a lot more interesting when the show makes these trends its own, and doesn’t just blatantly recreate what we’ve seen elsewhere.

Charmed 6.20 A Wrong Day's Journey Into Right

Stories may have been largely inconsistent this season, but one thing that’s remained constant is my opinion of the sisters themselves, whose likability has been fledging since late last year. A Wrong Days Journey Into Right is still a mostly terrible episode, but it managed one important thing; one sister finally showed some fire.

Charmed 6.19 Crimes and Witch Demeanors

Crimes and Witch Demeanours is an episode that has some great ideas behind it, but like so many other episodes in the past, it’s the execution that really drags it down. With very little time dedicated to the aspects we want to see, the show forgoes interesting stuff for dull retreads, and literal montages of early episodes, some that had zero to do with the problem at hand. It’s one of the best examples of not how stupid this show had become, but how soulless it is; it’s just plain boring sometimes.

Charmed 6.18 Spin City

It’s hard to believe that the show is burning through most of what it should have over the first 15 episodes in the space of a few weeks. Since The Courtship... Chris’s true identity has become full Halliwell knowledge, Leo was finally taken off Piper (for real this time), Leo has come back after a 6 month absence, and now we’re getting into emotional territory that explores future boy’s distaste for his father.

Charmed 6.17 Hyde School Reunion

3 years ago Piper grappled over whether or not she should spend a night of her now profoundly important life with a group of people who couldn’t even begin to understand how much more she’s worth than them. Her sisters also faced the terrifying ordeal of their beloved sister being taken over by a body snatching super bitch. Now 3 years later, Phoebe has the same struggle, and though things are quite similar, Phoebe even gets taken over by her own super bitch (only it’s herself in this case), the shocking drop in quality only serves to diminish this episode’s strengths.

Charmed 6.16 The Courtship of Wyatt's Father

I will preface this one by saying it’s a lot stronger than people give it credit for. In terms of the overall structure of season six, this is one of the few episodes that actually makes sense of the sloppiness of this year’s narrative. As a fan, it’s also an episode that’s remembered quite fondly, but I can’t help but feel angry that it all had to happen at all.

Charmed 6.15 I Dream of Phoebe

Given how absolutely ridiculous and absurd ‘I Dream of Phoebe’ is, it’s bizarre that it’s one of the strongest episodes in a while, at least by season 6’s standards. There’re a number of plot holes that take some effort to overlook, but once you get past it, there’s a lot to like. Though I wasn’t a fan of a genie being season finale material back in season two, I did like the idea of it being a bit of mid-season bit of fun, and it’s nice that one of the show’s attempts to recreate a past storyline actually resulted in some decent material.

Charmed 6.14 The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell

Magic School. Introduced during the height of the Harry Potter phenomenon, it served as the new backdrop for the sisters’ magic research and as a safe haven for a very close to popping Piper. There’s a dozen or so of the show’s pre-established magical rules that are being blasted to pieces, and that’s just the idea of this place existing, let alone all the weirdo principles it spouts out over the next two years.

Charmed 6.13 Used Karma

There’s a general blah-ness to everything Phoebe and Jason. He sort of served as the beginning of Phoebes increasingly dull love interests that culminate in the sucking black hole of charisma that we meet in a couple of years, but beyond that, there was something there, and a general chemistry between Milano and Dane that kept it from sucking a whole lot.

Charmed 6.12 Prince Charmed

This is one of Charmed’s low-points. A vain, offensive, crappy episode that goes so far as to utilise of the negative attributes that have been plaguing the show since this season started. Wiccan rules are abused, the girls act like brain-dead bimbos, Piper whines her ass off, and Chris continues his quest to single-handedly destroy the show, though the rest of this episode helps in its own way.

Charmed 6.11 Witchstock

As a vain attempt to utilise one of the solid go-to formulas that has only ever produced quality episodes in the past Witchstock fails to make much of an impact. Previous time travel episodes all seem to have some sort of an emotional or narrative payoff. That 70’s episode giving the sisters the chance to see their mother again, and All Halliwell’s Eve being a huge part of Cole’s introductory arc. There’s very little here of substance, even if the flashiness sucks you in a little.

Charmed 6.10 Chris-Crossed

One of the few saving graces of the sixth season, and it’s something I’ve discussed previously, is the idea of a greater purpose behind the serial plot this year. Chris Crossed is an episode that gives us our first piece of solid information by finally giving the walking enigma that is Chris a little more meat to his bones. If only Drew Fuller wasn’t a black hole of charisma...

Charmed 6.09 Little Monsters

Little Monsters is an episode that works in spite of its flaws, of which there are many; too much nagging Chris; other characters acting like fools to mention but a few. The story of this episode is one that actually hit home, especially considering how strong a connection it has to Piper, who shares something similar to this week’s “monster”, a son.

Charmed 6.08 Sword and the City

A common thread of the later years of Charmed is this blatant use of classic tales, with very little left to the imagination. There’s nothing new or exciting to give these worn stories some extra life, nor is there any alteration to the Charmed universe, save for the appearance of a few magic creatures here and there. It’s getting tired at this point.

Charmed 6.07 'Soul Sister'

Paige’s struggle for independence is a recurring theme when it comes to her character. Her new temp jobs were probably her own attempt at asserting that independence by giving herself something to do outside of the power of three. Unfortunately, this attempt always comes at the price of making Paige into a bit of a selfish idiot, no more so than Soul Sister, where her secret plans come at a high risk to her sister witches.

Charmed 6.06 'My Three Witches'

As part of the writers' ongoing mission to forge out individual story lines for each of the sisters, the show has seen their paths separating a lot this season. Phoebe has her career, Piper has her new life as a single Mom, and Paige has her useless weekly jobs. While it takes a while to drive them apart, this episode plays on that new approach to their episodic writing, and uses it as a mechanism for some dual reality demon drama. Though the concept is pretty cool, some lame twists, and poorly conceived mythology stops ‘My Three Witches’ from heading anywhere meaningful.

Charmed 6.05 'Love's a Witch'

Love’s a Witch is a rare later years Charmed episode that tackles something new and fresh, using a seemingly tired filler plot for Paige, and creating something unique and different from it. Familial discord is at this show’s heart, and this episode had that theme running through its veins from the beginning.

Charmed 6.04 'The Power of Three Blondes'

Even the idea of an episode like this is grounds for abuse towards what was left of the Charmed writing staff at this stage. It’s crude, silly, trashy and not even remotely close to the show this started out as. But, I can’t help but get sucked in. I know it’s ridiculous, but it’s just so much fun. God help me.