Moderator: Chief Couch Potato Kylie

THE SPECS:

Who: “Charmed (2018)” is an American fantasy drama and reboot of the 1998 series of the same name, which previously aired on fall to spring Fridays on the CW; it is currently on extended hiatus (due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic) and will be moving to Sunday nights when Season 3 premieres.

What: Developed by Jennie Snyder Urman, Jessica O’Toole, and Amy Rardin, Charmed (2018) is a reboot of the WB series of the same name, which was created by Constance M. Burge and which originally aired from 1998 to 2006 on the CW and its predecessor network.  The series follows the lives of three sisters—Macy (Madeleine Mantock), Mel (Melonie Diaz), and Maggie (Sarah Jeffery)—who, after the death of their mother, discover that they are the Charmed Ones, the most powerful trio of good witches, destined to protect innocent lives from demons and other dark forces. Each sister has an individual magical power, which is noticeably stronger when all three sisters work together as the “Power of Three” to defeat their enemies. The sisters are aided by a Whitelighter, Harry Greenwood (Rupert Evans), an advisor who protects and guides witches.

SYNOPSIS

The series begins with sisters Mel (Diaz) and Maggie Vera (Jeffery) living with their mother Marisol, who is attacked and killed by an unknown dark force. Three months later, Mel and Maggie discover that they have an older half-sister, Macy Vaughn (Mantock), who was kept a secret by their mother for years but who recently moved close by to accept a new job at the local university. The sisters unexpectedly start exhibiting new magical abilities the first time they are together in the same room: the eldest Macy receives the power of telekinesis, middle sister Mel can freeze time, and the youngest Maggie can hear others’ thoughts. Soon afterward, their Whitelighter Harry (Evans) gathers all three sisters together and reveals to them that they are witches, as was their mother, and that Marisol bound her daughters’ powers when they were each born to protect them and to let them live normal lives but was in the process of unbinding their powers on the night she was murdered. The sisters ultimately accept their new destiny as the Charmed Ones, the most powerful trio of good witches, who protect innocent lives from demons and other dark forces.

When: Season 2 aired from October 11, 2019, to May 1, 2020, on the CW with a total of 19 episodes (after production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Where: In Season 2, the show is set primarily in Seattle, Washington, though the sisters have access to a magical portal that can take them pretty much anywhere.

Why: Listen to Episode 2 linked below for the panelists’ individual stories on how they found Charmed (2018).

How – as in How Was It? – THOUGHTS

Couch Potatoes Unite! has been around for awhile now; listeners are finding us a bit more and becoming more comfortable reaching out with all sorts of feedback, which we highly encourage and welcome! A couple of years ago, a listener by the name of Marcel recommended that we launch a Charmed panel, particularly in light of the then-upcoming reboot that ultimately premiered in 2018 amid much rancor and backlash from members of the original series cast as well as from the devoted Charmed fandom. We started this series by Looking Back at Charmed (1998) earlier this month. We then Looked Back to Look Forward at the first season of Charmed (2018) last week. To catch up on those prior episodes, listen here:

The Charmed Series, Episode One: Looking Back at Charmed (1998)

The Charmed Series, Episode Two: Charmed (2018), Season 1 + Charmed (1998) Vs. Charmed (2018)

This week, our Charmed Series panel – namely Sarah, Jeremy, Jessica, and Michael – returns to the Water Cooler to continue its magical journey by resuming our Look Forward “Around the Water Cooler” at new seasons of the reboot. Now finally caught up to the present, tonight, we offer the third episode of our series covering the various trios of sister-witches, wherein we recap and review the much-improved and much more well-liked (on average) Season 2 of Charmed (2018). In fact, tonight’s discussion reminds all of us why persisting with a series might yield a more rewarding viewing experience in the long-run, even if initial episodes suffer from off-putting growing pains. This specific series’ overall improvement leads one to consider how quick networks and streamers are to cancel cult properties these days, despite the trend of rebooting and reviving older properties to capture and to capitalize upon nostalgia, even if the newer version never fully satiates most viewers’ need for nostalgia because the new version is not the same as the old version. Of course, it’s too early in this series’ broadcasting life to deem Charmed (2018) the hallmark example for this argument, but it certainly makes one think and, in some small way, motivates further viewing of a series like this rebooted Charmed.

This podcast episode was recorded in June 2020, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS, as we cover major plot points of the second season of the rebooted Charmed series. Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!

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Remember, new episodes and blog posts are published weekly! Next Wednesday, our Riverdale panel triumphantly returns to the Water Cooler, ready to kick off ongoing Water Cooler coverage of Archie-kins and the gang with their recap and review of Season 4. Stay tuned!

Questions, Impressions, and Future Considerations

1) Will there be a huge battle to preserve the viability of magic between magical creatures and mortal humans, as panelist Michael hopes, wishes, and predicts?

2) Who is the Conqueror and/or the leader of the Faction? Is it Julian (guest: Eric Balfour)? His once dead sister Rosemary? His Aunt Vivienne?

3) Will Julian’s sister Rosemary wake up/come alive and have magical properties, qualities, and/or identity, since she has been given doses of Black Amber?

4) What happened to Godric? Where did he go after Parker gave up his demonic magical abilities?

5) Will Macy get more power expansion in the coming season, as panelist Michael hopes? Maggie seems to have experienced the most magical evolutionary progress, at least in Season 2.

6) Will there be a musical episode, which seems to be all the rage on the CW these days and since Mantock and Jeffery can sing?

7) Will one of the Charmed Ones die in this coming season, per the Ghost Elder’s (as Chief CP Kylie has dubbed her) prognostication when discussing the ledger of past Charmed Ones found in the Elders’ Command Center? If so, who would it be, and would she be replaced, similar to Paige’s story line on the Original Charmed?

8) Does the Ledger of Charmed Ones list Charmed Ones that have existed in this universe? Wasn’t there only one set of possible “Charmed Ones,” as asserted by the Original Charmed? Or, does the Ledger suggest that there are parallel universes with different sets of Charmed Ones, as panelist Michael theorizes? Are the Halliwells and Paige listed in that book? Will we see their names listed?

9) Is Abigael (Poppy Drayton) somehow distantly related to the Veras and Macy? Panelist Jeremy said he was kidding, but now we can’t help but wonder if witches are all distantly related to each other.

10) Does the discussion of lay lines and of the existence of magical places imply that there are more sources for Black Amber or other mystical substances that fuel magic? Are there nexuses elsewhere around the world in this Charmed?

11) Will the house and, therefore, the sisters move again, since they were magically transported from Michigan to Washington State in Season 2? Are they drawn to where they are needed, or will they stay in Seattle for a time? If they don’t stay, what will happen to Safe Space, Jordan (Jordan Donica), and some of the other relationships that the sisters started in Seattle?

12) Whatever happened to spells used for personal gain in this Charmed? Are they allowed without consequences in this series?

13) If Julian is the Conqueror, how is he stopped? Will it require Macy to sacrifice her budding relationship with Harry to save him, since Julian still appears to be very much in love with Macy?

14) Will Parker return in Season 3? Will Jordan? Or, is Maggie destined to be on a love-related carousel?

15) Whatever happened to Mel and Maggie’s special gifts, namely Mel’s bracelet and Maggie’s staff, left for them by their mother to channel their magical abilities?

16) Was there a spark of a little something-something between Mel and Abigael, as Chief CP Kylie noticed? Similarly, are Mel and Ruby done forever?

PARTING SHOTS

All in all, our Charmed panel, with the notable exception of panelist Jeremy, generally regarded Season 2 much more positively than Season 1. In particular, the women of our panel praised the transfer of the show’s setting to Seattle and the introduction of mechanics such as the Command Center, the Book of Elders, and the Sacred Tree – as well as the related adjacency to Safe Space – as elements that not only refreshed the story and added more intrigue and engagement but also provided room for Charmed (2018) to stand apart from the series from whence it rebooted. Generally speaking, the panelists also opined that the season pacing and story progression appeared to be much more structured, organized, and thoughtful in this second season, so much so that panelist Sarah evolved from outright hating the series to having some genuine enthusiasm for it.

Despite the observed improvement, however, Charmed (2018) continues not to be recommended by any member of our panel currently, especially not to anyone older than younger Millennial viewers or Generation Z. The panelists unanimously see the rebooted Charmed as an entirely inferior product compared to its predecessor and adamantly believe that, to the extent that Charmed can be recommended to anyone – and it would have to be the type who generally enjoys the magical, the fantastic, and the formula so often found on shows produced for the CW – the original Charmed was the only way to go in good recommending conscience, even as all five panelists appreciate the modern context and the inclusive casting and concepts underlying the reboot. Panelist Jeremy, assuming position as the panel’s new naysayer sees Charmed (2018) as more of a drab and repetitive recycling of formulae and tropes specifically employed on similar CW shows, such as Supernatural and the Original Charmed. He described watching Season 2 as a “chore” and a “slog” that no longer enticed him like the first season did because the new season lacks a “good hook” that renders the general tone of the entire show unique or different from other, similar fare. Panelist Jessica, however, cautiously sees potential for the reboot and feels comfortable recommending this more recent series with several qualifiers, including a disclaimer about the unevenness of Season 1.

Further, the panelists continue to unanimously believe that this reboot suffers from some drastically uneven performances, with some players (Mantock, Evans) being more convincing than others (Diaz, though she improved markedly in Season 2); from inconsistent (if improved) writing, even in this second season; and from poorly executed special effects. Still, every one of our Charmed panelists views Charmed (2018) as more of the same pure candy fluff representative of the superior original version. With the problems presented by the reboot, however, in terms of the production and performance quality as well as an unusual number of growing pains for a show that was controversially rebooted from another established series that ended relatively recently, our panelists are not so sure that this new iteration of the Power of Three will set you free. Take that for it’s worth, gentle listener, even if what it’s worth is but a casual mention in your personal TV-related Book of Shadows.

LOOKING AHEAD

The CW renewed Charmed (2018) for a third season, which is slated to premiere in January 2021 due to a delay in production caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, though an official third season premiere date has not yet been announced at the time of this publication.  CPU! will next return to our Charmed Series following the finale of Season 3! Until then…stay tuned!

As a footnote, and unfortunately, contrary to what I, your Chief CP, said at the end of tonight’s episode, as of this month, the original Charmed was removed from Netflix, given that its contract with the streaming service elapsed. The rumor is that it will be moving to NBC’s streamer, Peacock. If it’s there, give us a shout, or say a little spell.