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.

Let’s side step for a minute here to talk about all things possession. Despite it being one of Charmed’s standard go-to’s, this episode felt like it took a different approach, but it’s an approach that wasn’t taken all the way. Instead, we fall somewhere in the middle with blurry magical rules and contorted continuity. It still provided a few guilty giggles here and there, Alyssa really owned the French hooker thing, and the idea of Karma playing a role in this show’s mythology is cool, but it all felt very half-done.

Elsewhere, Paige’s character destruction continues, with her meddling and bossy ways really becoming a problem for her likability. I’ve always been a general fan of hers, especially after she first arrived, but she’s losing positive traits at a scary rate. It’s luck that Phoebe and Paige’s minor clashes can be attributed to sibling angst, but again, it’s all half done and accidental.

There was something simple and likable about Jason, despite how unappealing the story of his and Phoebe’s love was. It didn’t feel quite as fitting for this show as other love interests that have floated in and out before, but he did genuinely seem like a perfect fit for Pheebes, especially after all the drama she went through with Cole. The ending felt right here. He doesn’t need Phoebe’s craziness in his own life, which is already crazy enough.

Even so, Phoebe did give him something that he needed in the end. He was a work man, spending most of his time jetting around in and out of conference rooms, never really seeing anything else going on around him, and Phoebe taught him that there’s more out there than he thinks there really is. It’s a small thing, but it really helped to close his chapter in the Charmed story nice and neatly.

Richard’s introduction as a recurring character didn’t go as smoothly as it could have. Not just because his charm equals negative 6, but because the writers never took his character in the direction he should have been taken. There was a nice opening her for the downfall of someone due to the corruption of evil magic, a minor re-hash, but still a vaguely fresh idea. But as the years go by, so do the missed opportunities and the exciting possibilities of this episodes ending are tossed aside. Meh.

It had its moments, but Used Karma episode still felt dragged out and dull.

5/10