Three Times Really is a Charm:
Season 3 Charmed continues the show’s heyday. The special effects improve with increased budgets, the acting gets intense fueled by real life scuffles, and added cast actually works for the better. The writers will continue to find that comfortable balance of darker elements and comedic episodes.

Where we left off:
S3 returns a few months after the S2 finale. Prue is slowly gathering information on the ranks of evil. There is an ultimate Source of all evil that keeps the days dark, and the sisters guarded. But the more immediate danger is The Triad, workers for the Source who have been sending demons to kill the sisters.

He’s just so pretty
Enter Cole Turner. The triad hires this assassin to kill the Charmed ones. He is a half human/half demon with the alter ego, Belthazor. Because of his human half, he will be able to infiltrate the Charmed ones. The plan will be for him to win over Phoebe, the most naïve and weakest of the sisters. He will then be able to steal their powers for the Source, obtain the sacred Book of Shadows, and kill the witches. However, because he is half-human (and extremely good looking), there will be complications of the heart along the way.

Prue: Witch extraordinaire
Evil recognizes her power and fears her the most. Prue has intensely studied witchcraft and perfected her powers of telekinesis and astral projection.

Although she is toughest witch of them all, Prue will have to face her old inner conflicts. Her fear of dying at a young age, and her anger at her mother’s death will finally find some resolution in the touching Death Takes a Halliwell.

Piper: Bride, Peacekeeper, Stripper

In S2, Piper and Leo had a forbidden love affair. Now they plan to marry. Her biggest obstacle comes from hiding this from the Elders.(vague higher forces of good)who still forbid this. Their romance will take us through secrecy, punishment, and then finally their wedding.

Out of the three sisters, she is still most resistant to her heritage . And of the three, she is still the bind that keeps them together. By the end of the season, she will finally get her next power, molecular manipulation, aka blowing things up. (Fans provide good argument that this power was a retcon for her freezing time due to circumstances in the finale).

In Coyote Piper, we attend her high school’s tenth reunion. The episode takes us in two directions, very fun, and very emotional. We get to see Piper let her hair down, hop on the bar, and get to it.


Phoebe: Spiraling down, Turning quite orange…

Besides being a little blonder this season and acquiring the power of levitation, Phoebe becomes involved in a tragic romance. It will take her character from all that she has earned and achieved in the last two years down a path where her values, her priorities, and her own well-being is called into question.

Phoebe and Cole fall in love. Her sisters have strong suspicions of him, and this will alienate Phoebe, especially from Prue.

Things will come to a head in the edge of your seat episode Sleuthing with The Enemy. Phoebe has to make a decision between vanquishing her lover or betraying her sisters and putting all their lives in danger. This obsession will lead to the final tragedy in the finale. (Also, Phoebe has an orange hue for some of the season that must be caused by using a self tanner. It can be quite distracting, but oddly fascinating).


Sibling Rivalry
The light:
A lighter take on the sisters relationship can be viewed in Blinded by the Whitelighter. The sisters receive witch training from someone other than Leo. Picture six graders with a substitute teacher, and you get the picture.

And in one of the most comedic eps of the series, Sin Francisco, everyone gets whopped with balls of sin: lust, gluttony, etc. This episode is also a standout for the comedic timing, great one-liners, and exaggerated sins of the characters.

The dark:
There really is a darker element in the sister’s relationship, notably between Phoebe and Prue. In Power Outage, conflict between the sisters will escalate to the point that they lose their powers. It’s a theme that will pop up throughout the season. Phoebe’s saga will unfold, and although Prue forgives Phoebe, there is a sad change in the relationship.

And more:

Cole and the sisters all go back in time in All Halliwell’s Eve, to the birth of the original witch of the Warren line, but for very different reasons!

Prewitched takes place in the past, before the sisters had powers, about the time before Grams died. We get a look at who these women were before we met them in the pilot.

Another fun episode,Bride and Gloom , features Piper and Phoebe getting turned into warlocks, and delighting in doing evil things.


Swan Song (major, major spoiler ahead)

All Hell Breaks Loose is the season finale and the the finest episode of the series. And one that actually is so shocking, the show will never be the same again. This will be Prue’s swan song.

Cole will pick love over evil (or will try anyway) so the stakes are raised to kill the sisters. Phoebe makes the fatal mistake of trying to find Cole in the Underworld separating from the power of three. In a heartbreaking show, with the finest performances given by both Holly Marie Combs and Shannen Doherty, magic is exposed to the world, which is taboo for both good and evil. Through a chain of events Piper will be fatally shot. The death scene is so touching and well played, it will be the ultimate moment for the series of Charmed.

Because of exposure, Phoebe barters her life for the rewind of time to give her sisters one more chance. Evil has the power to rewind time, and when they do they make sure they are ready to kill. In the final scene, Prue and Piper are thrown through a wall. This wall will become famous on Charmed forums across the web. The season ends with Piper and Prue’s fate unknown.

However tabloids at this time had exploded with stories that the audience knew the outcome long before S4 hit the air.

The Unspoken Rule of Charmed
Always remember this is Aaron Spelling television. Expect beloved myths to be bastardized and clothing to be optional.

An E! True Hollywood Story Waiting to be made
There have been numerous interviews, articles, and rumors on this subject. A lot happened behind the scenes of Charmed Season three.

The show’s creator, Constance Burge, was forced to leave as Brad Kern took the helm. Creative differences were sited for her release.

The next issue happened within the cast. Shannon asked to be released from her contract due to creative differences with Brad Kern. As the season wore on, problems also developed between Milano and Doherty. A mediator was brought in to resolve issues. Rumors swirled that Milano gave the ultimatum of Shannon going or Milano herself would leave the show. Whatever the case, Shannen was fired from the show.

Holly Marie Combs is very frank in interviews about this time period. She was caught in the middle, and says that TPTB handled the problems very poorly.

Other little tidbits: At the time of firing, Alyssa was dating Brian Krause who plays Leo. Shannon was dating Julian McMahon (Cole Turner). Both men stayed quiet on any info about the feud. Neither real life romantic relationship made it to S4.



Cast and credits
Shannen was perfect for the role Prue. You could see her passion in her portrayal of the intense, powerful witch. She directs her final episode.

Holly continues to perfect the middle sister Piper. It’s amazing to watch her dramatic scenes. She knows how to touch the audience’s heart.

Alyssa has a great acting season and is especially standout in her comedic performances. She also does a wonderful job of showing the emotional turmoil and decline of Phoebe.

These three actresses had such a wonderful balance that truly made their interactions special. It was such an amazing chemistry. The behind the scenes drama only served to make the performances that much better. The show never again captures the magic of the original three actresses.

Julian McMahon has a charm about him (no pun intended). He’s a charismatic force onscreen. Although I was reluctant with his addition, he will become a vital reason why I stay with the show in the future.

I am a little sad as I write this review knowing this was the end of classic Charmed. Everything the viewer invested into the mythology of the show for the previous three years was just thrown out the window. Or rather, trashed into a wall. ;)




Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older