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The Magic Of Charmed

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Something Wicca this way comes...

The TV series "Charmed" was groundbreaking. It showed a new side to witches and indeed the whole concept of Wicca. Witches were no longer seen as warty old hags with black hats and broomsticks. Instead they became glamourous women, only casting spells for the Greater Good in a constant battle between good and evil.

For perhaps the first time on television (certainly the most accessible since the comedy "Bewitched" back in the sixties) the witches were a force for good, and the many evils included countless demons and warlocks (portrayed as evil witches).

Also, a great deal of the supernatural storylines used in the series actually had a basis in mythology. The series provided a unique way of introducing these myths to a new generation. On the whole, the storylines were well researched, although some aspects fell fould of dramatic licence, as you might expect.

The stories themseves were quite intricate, particularly when they included past lives or time travel, so the viewer needed to follow closely! However, this made Charmed facinating to watch.

Charmed became so popular that when it was decided that series seven would be the last, it was public opinion which persuaded all invloved to come back for an eighth series. Now the final series has been shown, or has it?

Table of Contents

  1. How it all began...
  2. First, the DVD Box Sets
  3. The Story of Charmed
  4. Series 1 Highlights - Spells and Vanquishes
  5. The First Three Series on DVD
  6. The Sisterhood re-invented
  7. Charmed Merchandise from Amazon
  8. The Book of Shadows
  9. The Characters: Prue Halliwell
  10. Some great moments from Prue
  11. Here's one explanation for Shannon Docherty (Prue) leaving the show after only three series...
  12. And here's another...
  13. Piper Halliwell
  14. Some great moments from Piper
  15. Phoebe Halliwell
  16. Some great moments from Phoebe
  17. Paige Matthews
  18. Some great moments from Paige
  19. Paige sings "Fever" in Charmed
  20. A funny scene from Charmed series five
  21. Leo Wyatt
  22. Wyatt Halliwell
  23. Chris Halliwell
  24. Some great moments from Chris
  25. Series Four to Eight on DVD
  26. Some of the best Charmed vanquishes
  27. Penny Halliwell (Grams)
  28. Patty Halliwell
  29. Victor Bennett
  30. Cole Turner/ Belthazor
  31. Billie Jenkins
  32. Some Great moments from Billie
  33. Sam Wilder
  34. Andy Trudeau
  35. Darryl Morris
  36. Melinda Warren
  37. The Making of Charmed (part one)
  38. The Making of Charmed (part two)
  39. Would you like Charmed to return?
  40. Charmed Collectibles currently on eBay
  41. Featured Lenses
  42. Forever Charmed
  43. some other great Charmed sites
  44. Recent blog posts about charmed
  45. The ending of Charmed
  46. Amazon Recommendations
  47. If you liked this, please take a look at my other lenses below.
  48. Reader Feedback

How it all began...

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First, the DVD Box Sets

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The Story of Charmed

The basis of the story (for those who have never seen it) is as follows:
Three sisters (Prue, Piper and Phoebe) move back into the family home just after their grandmother (known as "Grams") dies. Their mother had also died, although many years earlier. Phoebe comes across an old book in the attic entitled "The Book of Shadows" and reads aloud an incantation in the front. Further reading reveals the foretelling of three sister witches "The Charmed Ones". All three have magical powers. One can move objects with her mind, another can stop time and the third can see the future. Prue, Piper and Phoebe are in fact these sisters, and the incantation awakened their powers. However, now they have their powers, Demons and Warlocks are out to steal them...

Series 1 Highlights - Spells and Vanquishes

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The First Three Series on DVD

Featuring Prue, Piper and Phoebe

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The Sisterhood re-invented

At the end of series three, we lost the character of Prue. This could have been the end of the series, as the whole premise was based around "the Power of Three". However, series four began with a new direction, a fourth sister that was previously unknown.

Paige was the daughter of Patty Halliwell (the mother of Prue, Piper and Phoebe) and her Whitelighter Sam (otherwise known as Patty's gardian angel). As this was not allowed by his "bosses" (The Elders), Paige had been kept a secret, and given away at birth for adoption. With Prue's death, Paige realised who she really was, and the Charmed Ones were reconstituted.

Charmed Merchandise from Amazon

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The Book of Shadows

It is a fact that every witch, or at least every coven of witches have their own Book of Shadows. The purpose of a Book of Shadows is that it should contain all of the witche's (or coven's) spells and information related to the Craft. The design on the front of the Charmed Ones Book of Shadows is called the triquatra, and is in itself a known wiccan symbol. The meaning of the triquatra is the cycle of life, ie Life, Death and Rebirth.

It has been said many times in Charmed that the sister's powers come from their emotions. While this is true, it is also dependant on both their bond as sisters (the Power of Three, as denoted by the triquatra design as appears on the book) and also the Book of Shadows itself. Back in series one, warlocks forced the Charmed Ones to cast a spell to relinquish their powers, so as to give them to the warlocks. When this spell was cast, all of the pages in the Book of Shadows magically became blank. Luckily, Leo in his capacity as their whitelighter was able to reverse the spell in the nick of time, enabling the sisters to vanquish the warlocks.

The Characters: Prue Halliwell

Played by Shannen Docherty

As the oldest sister, Prue always needed to be on control and take charge of every situation. After their mother's death, Prue helped Grams to raise her sisters, and became like a mother figure to them.

Prue's power was telekinesis, that is to move objects (and even people) using only the power of her mind. She would normally do this with either a wave of her hand or by sqinting her eyes. After a while, her power progressed, and she became able to astral project. In these cases, her body stayed where she was, almost like she was asleep, while her astral self would appear somewhere else. Prue tried hard to master this power, and to be able to use her telekinesis with her astral body, without sucess.

At the end of series three, Prue was killed by a demon called Shaks. He was the Source's assassin (the Source being a shortened version of the source of all evil).

Some great moments from Prue

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Here's one explanation for Shannon Docherty (Prue) leaving the show after only three series...

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And here's another...

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Piper Halliwell

Played by Holly Marie Combs

As the middle sister, Piper was always the mediator, constantly resloving the numerous disputes between her older and younger sisters. At the beginning of series one, it was Piper who agreed for Phoebe to return home to live with her and Prue. However, she conveniently "forgot" to mention this to Prue in fear that she would change the locks to prevent Phoebe from returning home!

Piper's power was to freeze time. She could do this simply by raising her hand, although this would only work for a short time at first and in a limited area. After some time, Piper's power progressed to blowing things up, particularly demons. It was explained that her freezing power worked by slowing down molecules, and to blow something up involved her speeding them up. Her new power took some time for her to be able to control.

When Prue died, Piper was suddenly the oldest sister, and had to take on Prue's role in the family. This took some adjustment, and gave the show a whole new dynamic. In doing this, Piper became more confident and outspoken than ever before.

Some great moments from Piper

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Phoebe Halliwell

Played by Alyssa Milano

Initially in the series, Phoebe was the youngest sister, and a bit of a rebel. At the time the first series began, Phoebe had been living in New York. However things had not worked out there and she had decided to return home, albeit to a frosty welcome from Prue. It was Phoebe that discovered the Book of Shadows in the attic, and read aloud the spell to grant the sisters their powers. From the start, Phoebe loved being a witch, even though both of her sisters had misgivings.

Phoebe's power was to see the future via premonitions. She could also see events in the past. This tended to work when she touched something, although she found this very difficult to control. Phoebe was also very intuitive, and for a time became an empath, and could feel what others around her were feeling.

After Prue's death, Phoebe embraced her new sister, whereas Piper took some time to open up to the idea of allowing another sister into her life.

Some great moments from Phoebe

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Paige Matthews

Played by Rose McGowan

Paige was the younger half-sister of Prue, Piper and Phoebe. However, no one in the family knew she existed until after Prue's death, as she was kept a secret and adopted at birth.They shared the same mother, and her father was her mother's Whitelighter (gardian angel) so she inherited powers from both parents.

After Prue died, Piper cast a spell to find her lost sister (meaning Prue), although this made Paige curious about her birth parents and she sought out the Halliwell sisters.

Paige's power was similar to Prue's. That is she could move objects with her mind,although this was not telekinesis. From her father's side she inherited the power to "orb". This is to make an object or person (including herself) literally disappear in a cloud of orbs, and magically reappear somewhere else. This became a very useful power for the sisters.

Whilst at first mortified by becoming a witch, Paige very quickly came to love it, and learned the craft very quickly.

Some great moments from Paige

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Paige sings "Fever" in Charmed

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A funny scene from Charmed series five

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Leo Wyatt

Played by Brian Krause

One of the most memorable storylines is that of the enduring love affair between Piper and Leo.

Leo came into the series early in series one, as a handyman who was fixing nuerous thisngs around the house. What the sisters didn't know in the beginning was that he was assigned as their Whitelighter, or gardian angel to watch over them.

Although he was now an angel, Leo was once human. he grew up in San Fransisco, and died in World War 2, whilst trying to save a wounded soldier. It was because of his good works, helping others, which enabled his the opportunity to help others as an angel.

Things became complicated when Leo and Piper fell in love, as it was against the rules for witches and whitelighters to be together. They overcame many obstacles in their relationship, until finally the elders allowed them to be together and get married.

They later had two sons together, Wyatt and Chris.

Wyatt Halliwell

Played by Wes Ramsey (adult Wyatt)

Wyatt is the eldest son of Piper and Leo. Initially, he was quite a surprise to the family, as everyone was expecting a girl. He came into his powers very quickly, and early on there were fears that he may grow up to use his powers for evil.

Due to the many time travel episodes, Wyatt has appeared several times in the series as an adult, sometimes good and sometimes evil.

This was mainly due to his brother, Chris arriving as an adult from the future, a future in which Wyatt was evil and had the power to control all those around him. From then onwards, the family was constantly on the alert for anyone that might turn him evil. In the end, the good in him won out.

Chris Halliwell

Played by Drew Fuller (adult Chris)

Chris was Piper and Leo's second son. He made his first appearance at the end of series five, when he appeared from the future to save his older brother from turning evil, and in turn provide a safe future for him to go back to. However, the sisters and Leo didn't know this at first. They saw him as a whitelighter from the future, sent back to help them.

Thanks mainly to Phoebe's premonitions, the truth became known, both to her and later Paige. However, Chris had a problem. Piper and Leo were no longer together, as Leo had become an elder. Therefore, he (with the help of his aunts) had to get his parents together long enough for Piper to concieve him. Otherwise he wouldn't exist to come back in the first place! Luckily circumstances brought them together in the end.

Some great moments from Chris

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Series Four to Eight on DVD

Featuring Piper Phoebe and Paige

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Some of the best Charmed vanquishes

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Penny Halliwell (Grams)

Played by Jennifer Rhodes

Penny Halliwell is the sister's Grandmother, affectionately known as "Grams". She died just before the beginning of the series. However, in Charmed, no one in the family stays dead for long! She appears as a ghost on many occasions to help the Charmed Ones.

Married several times, Penny has developed a dislike for men, and feels that they are the inferior sex. Therefore, at first she was disapointed when Piper's first child was a boy. She soon warmed to him though. Being the matriarch of the family, she was called upon to perform the wiccaning ceremony for both of Piper's sons, and also the handfasting of Piper and Leo.

Patty Halliwell

Played by Finola Hughes

Patty was the mother of the Charmed ones. Prue, Piper and Phoebe were fathered by Victor Bennett (her husband). After he left the family, she had an affair with her Whitelighter, Sam, and became pregnant again. This time she gave birht to Paige, although as the affair was against the rules, Paige was adopted at birth.

Patty was killed by the water demon in 1975, when her daughters were very young. So young in fact, that Phoebe grew up without memories of her mother. That is until Phoebe became a witch and was able to meet her again by travelling to the past as a result of a spell. Later on, Patty appeared on a few occasions as a ghost.

Victor Bennett

Played by James Read

Victor Bennett was once married ot Patty Halliwell and the father of Prue, Piper and Phoebe. However, Patty's mother Penny disapproved of Victor for two reasons. Firstly, he was a man (she tended to disapprove of men in general) and secondly he wasn't magical, so was unable to comprehend the magical world. When his daughters were very young, Penny drove Victor away from the family, although the sisters didn't understand why he left at the time.

After Penny had died and the sisters gained their powers, Victor came back to visit them. Prue was unwilling to let him back into her life, although the others were pleased to see him again. Afterwards, he moved back to San Fransico to be near his daughters. Prue did eventually accept her father, although this did take some time.

Victor had a hard time accepting Piper's choice of husband, considering that his wife had had an affir with her whitelighter, but his changed as he came to know Leo better.

After Prue's death, Victor's relationship with his remaining daughters became much closer, and he appeared in several stories, including the series eight finale.

Cole Turner/ Belthazor

Played by Julian McMahon

In series three, a group of powerful demons called the Triad sent another demon to destroy the Charmed ones. This was Belthazor, a hired assassin, and half human. In order to blend in and get close to the sisters, he appeared in human form as Cole Turner, a district attorney.

However, he and Phoebe fell in love, and he felt unable to complete his task. His secret was eventually revealed to the sisters, and theydecided to vanquish him. However Phoebe couldn't do it. They ended up getting married and Cole vowed to become good. This didn't work, and although the sisters stripped his powers, he became consumed with the powers of the Source (of all evil). Cole was finally vanquished in series five, in the 100th episode of the show.

Billie Jenkins

Played by Kayley Cuoco

The character of Billie Jenkins appeared in the final series. She was another natural born witch, whose sister Christy had been kidnapped by demons as a child. As Paige was half whitelighter (on her father's side) Billie became Paige's charge.

Billie soon began learning everything she could from the Charmed sisters, and helping them with their constant demon battles. However, her main goal was to find her sister. The Charmed Ones helped her to do this, only to discover that the demons who took her had brainwashed her into becoming evil, so as to destroy them.

Christy used the same tactics on her sister, eventually convincing her that the Charmed Ones needed to be stopped at all costs. The final battle of Charmed was between both sets of sisters.

Some Great moments from Billie

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Sam Wilder

Played by Scott Jaeck

Sam Wilder wwas Patty Halliwell's whitelighter, and Paige's father. When he lost Patty, he fell into despair and became a "fallen angel". It was only after meeting the sisters and helping them to vanquish the demon that killed Patty that he was able to face being a whitelighter again.

However, again he failed, although meeting his daughter years later, gave him the strength to regain his wings. After a rocky start, Sam and Paige's relationship improved, and they developed an understanding.

Andy Trudeau

Played by Ted King

Andy Trudeau was Prue's first love, and a police inspector in series one only. He bumped into Prue in episode one, shortly after Prue and her sisters gained their powers. for most of the series, Prue was trying to keep her powers a secret, although Andy eventually found out.

Andy was killed in the final episode of the series by a demon whilst attempting to protect Prue.

Darryl Morris

Played by Dorian Gregory

Inspector Darryl Morris was Andy's partner, and appeared in the show right from the beginning. After Andy's death, he discovered the sister's secret, and began helping them wherever he could. At first, the supernatural events were too much for him to take in, and he didn't want to know any more than he needed to. Over the years he became very close to the sisters, and they became almost like family to him. This changed in series six.

When magic was exposed, neutral magical beings called the Cleaners stepped in, and were able to change events to hide what really happened. This led to Darryl being convicted of murder, and very nearly excecuted for a crime he didn't commit. This scared him to the point that he would no longer help the sisters.

Melinda Warren

Played by Tyler Layton

Melinda Warren the Charmed Ones' ancestor and was described as being the first in the line of Warren witches. She appeared in series one when the sisters brought her back from the dead to help them. A curse she had placed on a warlock had been broken, and she was the only one able to fix it.

In series three, the Charmed Ones are sent back in time to ensure a baby is born safely. Her mother being a witch that has been kidnapped by a warlock. At the end of the story, it is revealed that the baby is in fact Melinda Warren, the first in the family to possess magical powers. These two events give the sisters (and the viewers) an insight into their heritage.

The Making of Charmed (part one)

Taken from the series eight DVD

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The Making of Charmed (part two)

Taken from the series eight DVD

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Would you like Charmed to return?

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dina says:

Yes bring back a second generation of Charmed ones and include the original cast; there is still a story to be told and battles to be fought

 

Charmed Collectibles currently on eBay

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Featured Lenses

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Forever Charmed

Taken from the series eight DVD

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some other great Charmed sites

The Charmed Ones
More great info on the cast, characters and storylines.
Charmed fan site
Lots more Charmed info
Charmed Quizzes
A selection of quizzes to test your knowledge of Charmed

Recent blog posts about charmed

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The ending of Charmed

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