I really wanna know; why is Charmed bad?

POSTED BY: Zoot
UPDATED: Friday, May 6, 2005 12:55
VIEWED: 11327
PAGE 1 of 4

1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE

ZOOT

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 6:53 PM

A recent thread which turned briefly to this subject got me thinking and I really want to know - Why IS Charmed just not that good???

I mean it has all the elements which should make it dandy:
(a) Witches;
(b) nice story arcs;
(c) amusing story lines;
(d) (one for the men) many a naked or semi-maked woman (Query: Is it always hot enough for those girls to wear what they wear (if you can call it clothes)?)
(e) attractive men (at least in the first series before they all got fat).

So why does it just suck a little bit . . .

Is it just that it had no Joss Whedon?? Please someone help me out here 'cos I really would like to KNOW!!!!

*******************************************

Okay, I'm lost, I'm angry, and I'm
armed.

KELLAINA

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 7:07 PM

Because all of the plot lines appear to be based on the skimpy costumes and not on actual story (this may not be a problem for the guys but it bores me, and I'd imagine many other women as well).

And no Joss is definitely a strike against it.

If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do. -"Angel"

EMBERS

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 7:36 PM

repetitive story arcs that go nowhere and mean nothing
how many times did Cole turn good & evil?
HOW many times did Leo bounce in and out of family life

and lame one shot plots with no other purpose than to get girls into costume
mermaids
goddesses
amazons
jeez how lame can they get?

and tired melodramatic dialogue...how can they take themselves so seriously when they are prancing about half naked?

It didn't start off like this,
originally they were saving innocents and dealing with sister issues that actually seemed to mean something...
even the acting got worse (not just the writing)

JMPO of course

GROUNDED

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 7:39 PM

I started watching it a while back when Living TV in the UK came back around to start it from the beginning. I think I watched the first three seasons, maybe more, one ep per weekday and while I was moderately interested at first, the whole thing rapidly became tiresome. For that reason, the next bit applies only to the stuff I've seen, which is probably around ten episodes after Paige showed up. If there's been a big improvement since then, obviously I won't know about it.

I think the biggest problem is, ironically, the magic. When you have a world where practically anything is possible, it's easy to do whatever the hell you want without really thinking about it. Episodes can be wrapped up with the casting of a spell, characters can be resurrected at the drop of a hat, huge plot holes can easily open up when someone conveniently doesn't use a power. Personally I think sci-fi/fantasy shows are much better when they establish boundaries within which the writer's have to work. I think that makes people really work hard to come up with original material and test the limits of their premise.

Of course other things contribute, as was mentioned in the other thread: poor acting, wooden characters and so on.

ZOOT

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 9:30 PM

Yeah, Grounded, I think you have a Big Damn Point there - good call - thanks, I think you may have answered my question - and I think it can be summed up thusly:

NOT ENOUGH PERIL!!

Have to say I only started watching it 'cos living TV kept doing those weekends where you vote for episodes and I had to then watch the first series to try and unravel the plot as I'd seen about 30 episodes out of order . . . Have to say, I still watch back episodes occasionally but only cos I still haven't worked out what made Cole turn evil again or the pivotal episode where he became human (if that's what happened) plus I never did see the Phoebe daemon baby stuff - have just heard plot lines from my sister - I always seem to miss the key episodes - darn it!!

***************************************

Okay, I'm lost, I'm angry, and I'm
armed.

ZOOT

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 9:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by embers:

and lame one shot plots with no other purpose than to get girls into costume
mermaids
goddesses
amazons
jeez how lame can they get?

Embers, you forgot the Super Hero episdoe - those were some damn fine costumes

I think it comes to something when a character's motivation is the costume she's wearing (that doesn't of course apply to any Brown Coat type issues

)

***************************************

Okay, I'm lost, I'm angry, and I'm
armed.

EMBERS

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 10:08 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Zoot:
Embers, you forgot the Super Hero episdoe - those were some damn fine costumes

oh I've forgotten a dozen of the lame costume ideas,
because they are just not memorable...

Quote:
posted by Zoot:
I think it comes to something when a character's motivation is the costume she's wearing (that doesn't of course apply to any Brown Coat type issues )

But we know Mal's motivations transcend his brown coat...
because you'll recall in 'Trash' he didn't have the coat,
or ... anything...
and his motivations were still right on target!

RUXTON

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 11:41 PM

Charmed...was better with Shannen Doherty. It might have done better if the producers (two of the main actresses, at least) had had the brains to keep Charisma Carpenter on as a main character, or if they had done more with Kristen Miller than run her around nude on horseback, with precious little to say. Miller is incredibly funny, but her talents were wasted on Charmed. Two of the main gals seem to be seriously aging and, I suspect, are jealous of anyone on the show who might make 'em look bad.

And what color IS Alyssa Milano's hair, REALLY? Is there anyplace she does NOT have tatoos? And do we really care?

I also think the acting on Charmed is uniformly atrocious, at least among the regulars. They don't seem to give a darn. Charisma, perhaps not the finest of actresses on a world scale, came across far better than any of the regulars, I thought.

At least Rose McGowan comes across as fresh, most of the time.

Oh, and Veronica Mars HAS BEEN RENEWED!

ZOOT

Thursday, April 14, 2005 8:09 AM

If only I knew what Veronica Mars was - Woe unto thee, British TV!!!

***************************************

Okay, I'm lost, I'm angry, and I'm
armed.

MRSKBORG

Thursday, April 14, 2005 12:35 PM

I'm still being subjected to this, its dull, repetative, the characters are boring, wooden - although Billy Zane was almost a breath of fresh air. However, I have a twelve year old who disagrees, probably because she doesn't remember the earlier ones so its all new to her. At least thats what I keep telling myself.

"This movie may be a beautiful butterfly, but I loved that damn caterpillar." Joss Whedon.

1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE