It’s a complete waste of time to clean house: Because some demon is going to show up and make a big mess anyway. Spray some air freshener, and you’ll be good to go.
Best Line
SEER: Grimlocks . . . emphasis on the “grim” . . . hate me.
Second-best Line
PHOEBE: Paige! Demon! No active power! Do something!
Phase Three: My Final Answer
Well, I did my homework. I listened to fans, watched a whole bunch of episodes and took copious notes to find the secret behind the show’s amazing success. What was that magic that held viewers spellbound? I am no Charmed expert, but I think I figured it out.
While somersaulting through several seasons, I decided that although the core of this series is supposed to be the fight between Good and Evil, the one constant that ran through every episode was the love of the three sisters. No matter what they transformed into or who they were possessed by or how many times they died, they never gave up on each other. And the demons they saved each other from weren’t necessarily the corporal variety they could simply blow to kingdom come.
Instead of being my usual analytical self, I found myself crying, laughing and rooting for them. Between the body-hopping, power-swapping and demon-stomping, I grew to care about the characters. And although Good has prevailed so far, it hasn’t been without sacrifice. I’d like nothing better than to see them win and have peace, but that’s not how life works. Their lives may be more dramatic than ours, but we all hurt the same. We all have demons. They might not show up at the front door, but they exist and the challenge is to vanquish them. Every week, we get to watch the sisters do just that—with courage, attitude and each other. And that was what finally seduced me.
Okay, maybe that’s not why everyone else watches this show, but it’s my reason and it’s just as good as the others I heard. And in the end, the reason doesn’t really matter.
Suffice to say, I am no longer a Charmed virgin. I’m captivated. I’m smitten. And like everyone else, I’m just plain charmed.
C. J. Barry is an award-winning author whose love of the paranormal began young, with science fiction novels and her brother’s comic books. An earthbound wife and mother of two, C. J. lives with her family and cat in a small town in Upstate New York where she works as an Information Technology Manager. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal chapter and president of the Central New York Romance Writers. For more information, visit her Web site at www.cjbarry.com.
1 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a registered trademark of Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto, California.
1 I could spend a lot of time talking about Cole’s chest. It’s not shaved, like Fabio’s and a lot of other cover models’, thank you very much. It’s got a nice covering of dark hair that looks like it would feel wonderful to the touch.
1 Insert shameless plug for BenBella’s book on His Dark Materials, Navigating the Golden Compass.
1 And as we’ll see later, it’s actually more than resisting Evil. It’s resisting it for the right reasons.
2 This particular episode illustrates the true genius of Charmed—its deft mixture of serious situations and humorous ones. Metaphysical subjects? Absolutely. Drama and tragedy? You bet. But interspersed with the heart-wrenching scenes of Piper, transformed into a Fury because of her grief over losing her older sister, we have scenes of Paige experiencing the hilarious backfire of personal gain from a spell she cast. Okay, maybe chest-fire is the more appropriate term. She inappropriately used magic to make a man irresistible to women to teach him not to be sleazy, and she ended up with an excess of “charms.”
3 Unbelievably great lines of dialogue ensued. If you haven’t seen this episode, camp out in front of your TV until it airs. I don’t want to disclose/ruin anything more about it.
4 Leo delivered an all-time classic line when the sisters asked him if he had checked with the Elders about the box of sin balls, and he replied that he orbed halfway there but then got tired and came back!
5 Gideon of course went a little too far in the other direction. Talk about your unsuccessful Elders!
6 Otherwise, the battle would go on. Even though the Charmed Ones vanquished the Source of all Evil, Evil still existed. It just wasn’t consolidated in one convenient being who could dole it out to ambitious demons in exchange for their allegiance. With the Source vanquished, the demons began battling one another to take over the underworld. Thus they were distracted from coming after the Charmed Ones, but not for long.
7 Off topic, but worth noting: Charmed does time travel better than any other television series, including past and present (and future?) sci-fi giants.
8 There are so many more examples of Good versus Evil, Charmed-style, and no more room in which to discuss them. There’s Darryl, the best nominee for future Whitelighter; Grams, who is an essay all by herself; the Manor, built on a spiritual nexus that can be either Good or Evil. The list goes on and on, as does the battle. Pick almost any episode, and you’ll see it unfolding.
1 Quan, Tracy. “The Littlest Harlot: Barbie’s Career as a Role Model.” In Whores and Other Feminists, Jill Nagle, ed. London: Routledge Incorporated, 1997.
1 When used to refer to the fictional witches of Charmed, I have used the normal lowercase spelling of the word “witch.” But when referring to real Witches in the real world, people who are following the spiritual path of Witchcraft, I have capitalized the W.
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
Shannen Doherty is Prue Halliwell
Born April 12, 1971, in Memphis, Tennessee, showbiz veteran Shannen Doherty includes Jenny Wilder on Little House on the Prairie and Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills 90210 among her almost three dozen film and television credits.
During her tenure on Charmed, she directed several episodes (“Be Careful What You Witch For” in season two and season three’s “The Good, the Bad, and the Cursed” and “All Hell Breaks Loose”) and choreographed Piper’s dance sequence in “Coyote Piper,” in addition to playing eldest Halliwell sister Prue. The multitalented actress with the famously fiery temper also has business savvy—despite having left Charmed after the third season, she still owns 5% of the show.
Holly Marie Combs is Piper Halliwell
California native Holly Marie Combs was born in San Diego on December 3, 1973. Future demon-vanquisher Holly and her mother Lauralei moved to New York when Holly was in elementary school, and within two years Holly was doing print work and appearing in television commercials. She landed her first big role, Kimberly Brock on David E. Kelley’s Picket Fences, when she was eighteen and followed that success with her role as Piper Halliwell on Charmed.
Like the character she plays, Holly devotes her time and energy to worthy causes—she is involved with Thursday’s Child, a charity helping at-risk teens and has also been a spokesperson for the treatment and cure of breast cancer. Holly also, like Piper, knows the importance of family. She and her mother were very close—Holly was an only child and Lauralei a single mother—and her work on Charmed has generated another family: her own. In 2004, her long-time relationship with Charmed key grip David Donoho resulted in the birth of a son, Finley Arthur Donoho.
Alyssa Milano is Phoebe Halliwell
Thanks to an enterprising aspiring-dancer babysitter who took her along on an audition, Brooklyn-born Alyssa Milano snagged her first role at the age of seven, in the first natural touring company of Annie. From there she won high-profile roles on Who’s the Boss? (as Tony Danza’s adorably precocious daughter Samantha Micelli), Melrose Place (as Jennifer Mancini) and finally as Phoebe Halliwell on Charmed.
Extracurricular activities have included television advertising campaigns for Candie’s and 1-800-COLLECT, serving as the facial inspiration for Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid and fighting to protect actors’ rights on the Web. Thanks to her involvement in charity work, Alyssa has also been appointed a National Ambassador for Unicef.
Rose McGowan is
Paige Matthews
Wild child Rose McGowan, born September 5, 1973, spent her childhood traveling through Europe and emancipated herself from her parents at the age of fifteen. A regular in independent movie circles, Rose has been cast in projects as diverse as Encino Man, The Doom Generation and the dark comedy Jawbreaker before her addition to Charmed as Paige Matthews, the long-lost fourth Halliwell sister.
Rose is the former fiancé of Marilyn Manson and sang backing vocals on the track “Posthuman” on the band’s album Mechanical Animals—great practice for Paige Matthews’ song in season five’s “Sense and Sense Ability.” She has also lived with depression most of her life and, in accordance with her Charmed character’s social worker past, has said that she might someday like to start a counseling program for teenage girls since she herself had such a difficult adolescence.
Brian Krause is Leo Wyatt
Brian Krause, nicknamed Blue Flamer on the Charmed set, was born in El Toro, California, on February 1, 1969, and has been acting since the age of sixteen. He dabbled in sports medicine and a semi-professional soccer career before landing his first feature film role in Return to the Blue Lagoon. That role was quickly followed by other theatrical releases, including Stephen King’s Sleepwalkers and The Liars’ Club.
He also guest-starred in several television shows such as Walker, Texas Ranger and had a recurring role in Another World before becoming a series regular on Charmed. When not protecting the Halliwell sisters from otherworldly harm as Leo Wyatt, he enjoys playing golf, auto racing and playing Scrabble with his friends and family. He has also worked with the Olive Crest Foundation, which aids foster children.
Dorian Gregory is Inspector Darryl Morris
Washington, D.C., native Dorian Gregory was born January 26, 1971. After starring as parapsychologist Diamont Teague on the weekly show Baywatch Nights, he began to land guest appearances on shows such as Pacific Blue, Murder She Wrote and Living Single.
In 1998, he was cast in Charmed as Inspector Darryl Morris, the watchful police officer and invaluable friend to the Halliwell sisters. In addition to his role on Charmed, he finds time to do film work and also co-hosted The Other Half, a syndicated talk show. Like his charitable co-stars and his Charmed persona, he also feels an obligation to the greater good. He is active in the Jeopardy Program, which aids youths at risk in Los Angeles, and also serves as the national spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association.
Julian McMahon is Cole Turner
Julian McMahon was born July 27, 1968, in Sydney to the former Prime Minister of Australia. Though he started out studying law at the University of Sydney, he soon switched to a modeling career, and his work in commercials propelled him to popularity and a role on an Australian soap opera before he began performing on stage in both musicals and plays.
He then began acting in America and landed his role on Charmed as the half-demon Cole Turner. Though his character is no longer with Charmed, Julian can now be seen playing Dr. Christian Troy in the critically acclaimed FX series Nip/Tuck. In his spare time, he enjoys surfing, biking, cooking and collecting classic books.
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