Charmed: The Complete First Season
BY Ryan LaMarca / 2008-02-09
When Charmed premiered back in 1998 on The WB, the series premiere "Something Wicca This Way Comes" pulled in a record 7.70 million viewers, an all-time high, for the struggling network. One has to wonder if the creator of the series, Constance M. Burge, knew the series would become such a success and transform into a cult phenomenon. Although never reaching the high success of similar shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Charmed held its own and went on to surpass both shows in terms of length, staying on for eight years. Season one of Charmed stars Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano, T.W. King, and Dorian Gregory. I, personally, did not start watching the show until the third season, so I only first experienced these episodes on DVD and it was very fun to explore the early days of the Charmed Ones and see how certain characters, settings, plots, and stories panned out over the course of the show. Many of the show's long-running supporting characters are introduced as well, such as Leo Wyatt, Darryl Morris, Penny "Grams" Halliwell, Patty Halliwell, and Victor Bennett (albeit being played by a different actor).
Some people often criticize the first season of Charmed for succumbing to the frequent "villain of the week" scenario that plagues most fantasy shows in their early stages, but I think it works out fine, especially to introduce all of the characters who would pan out to be important players in the Charmed universe. There are several short story arcs in the season; however, such as Prue versus her demon bosses or Andy's investigation of the sisters' abilities. Although I would not say any of the episodes are bad, I can say that some of them are fantastic, including the pilot episode "Something Wicca This Way Comes," the time travel themed "That 70's Episode," "The Truth is Out There and It Hurts," and the season finale "Deja Vu All Over Again," to name a few.
The first season also offers some characterizations that would later evolve and change throughout the series' run. One such example is the characterization of Phoebe Halliwell as the irresponsible, jobless, slacker, least powerful sister. Phoebe would later change and learn to become responsible as well as a celebrity through her job as an advice columnist and take charge in a number of magical duties. The other drastic change in character comes from Darryl Morris, the Charmed Ones' police friend. In the first season, Darryl is played as the wise-cracking, non-believing cop who would try to convince fellow officer Andy Trudeau that magic is make-believe. However, after Andy's death, Darryl is let into the sisters' circle and becomes their liaison, so to speak, to the mortal world, as well as their inside man, informing them of any information that would help them in a case. Leo Wyatt, the Charmed Ones' Whitelighter and Piper's future husband is also introduced early on in the series as a handyman who later reveals himself as their angel guardian. Interestingly enough, actress Rebecca Balding also appears in one of these early episodes as the character Aunt Jackie in "The Fourth Sister." Balding would later go on to play Phoebe's boss Elise Rothman and become a recurring character in season four.
Other important characters first introduced in season one are the Charmed Ones' immediate relatives: their deceased mother and grandmother and their estranged father. Their father, Victor Bennett (played by Tony Denison this season), abandoned the girls when they were very young, leaving them to be raised by their Grams, Penny Halliwell (Jennifer Rhodes), after their mother, Patty Halliwell (Finola Hughes), was killed by a demon. In "Thank You For Not Morphing," Victor returns, wishing to make-up for his abandoning them. Piper and Phoebe are very welcoming to their father, suspecting no ulterior motive, while Prue is very suspicious, still angry at her father for leaving them. In the end, Victor was being forced by morphing demons into trying to steal the Book of Shadows, but actually wanted to help his daughters. Victor is a very dynamic character and eventually becomes an important person in the sisters' lives.
Most people probably do not realize that Charmed was actually produced under television mogul Aaron Spelling, the creator of many other successful television series (Charlie's Angels, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place). However, it was and now you can also see the connection to former 90210 star Shannen Doherty being cast as the eldest sister, Prue Halliwell. Doherty lasted on the show for three years before her abrupt departure, the cause of which is still disputed today. Fans of the show are also divided concerning which sister they liked more, Prue or her replacement Paige (Rose McGowan, Season Four), and how the direction of the series changed between Doherty's departure and McGowan's arrival. I, personally, like and dislike both in a couple of ways. If you are not used to seeing Prue around, you will eventually learn to like her throughout this season's progression, mainly due to her relationship with Inspector Andy Trudeau, who reveals her human qualities. She may become overly bossy and egotistical, but so do Piper and Phoebe.
In case you have never seen an episode of Charmed, here's the rundown of the sisters' powers, as per the first season (their powers grow and expand throughout the years). All three sisters possess the rudimentary abilities of any witch in the Charmed universe such as spell casting, scrying (looking for something lost), and the ability to make potions. In addition, Prue (Doherty) has the ability to move objects with her mind, known as telekinesis. Piper has the power to stop time, commonly referred to as freezing. And finally, Phoebe, the youngest sister, has the power of premonition, to see into the future and past. Together, with the help of their Book of Shadows, they are the Charmed Ones and fight the forces of evil.
The series' first episodes, titled "Something Wicca This Way Comes" features the girls first accessing their magical powers. When Phoebe arrives back home in San Fransisco after living in New York for awhile, she happens upon the girls' old spirit board which spells out the word "attic." Curious of the message, she goes to the attic and finds the Book of Shadows, a book featuring all of the various spells and incantations for witches. She reads the first spell of the book which sends a light throughout the house. The next day, the sisters each start exhibiting magical powers in a different way. After this, it is revealed that Piper's boyfriend Jeremy is actually a warlock who wants to kill the sisters to steal their powers. The girls vanquish Jeremy with a spell and now have to live with the fact that they are destined for this new calling. The episode was written by the series' creator Constance M. Burge.
One particular episode, "The Wendigo," offers a very predictable, yet intriguing story. However, you can see the ending coming a mile away and the guest star, Jocelyn Seagrave, offers a bland performance as the she-Wendigo in human form. In the episode, Piper is attacked by a wolf-like monster while alone in the park in a phone booth and is scratched. The monster is scared away by Billy Waters (played by Billy Jayne) who reveals he has been hunting the creature for several months after it killed his fiance. He is assisted by an FBI agent named Ashley Fallon. Through the Book of Shadows, the sisters discover that the monster is a Wendigo, a wolf-like creature that kills single lovers in order to rip out and eat their hearts. The Wendigo was once a man scorned by a woman, who had his heart turned to ice. Later during a steak-out, Ashley, the Wendigo, attacks Andy but the Charmed Ones arrive on time to vanquish her.
And the season finale "Deja Vu All Over Again" starts off with the demon cop Rodriguez exacting his plans to kill the Charmed Ones by setting up Andy. Rodriguez is also aided by the demon Tempest who offers to continuously turn back time every time Rodriguez is defeated in order to learn and eventually take out the sisters. Meanwhile, Phoebe gets a premonition that Andy is going to die during the attack. Prue warns him, but being stubborn he still goes to the manor to try and help. Rodriguez arrives and actually kills Phoebe before being vanquished by Prue. Tempest starts the day over so Rodriguez can try again, and this time he kills Phoebe and Piper, before dying. Every time the day is restarted, Phoebe gets deja vu more and more and is able to predict Rodriguez's attacks. Finally, Andy barges in and distracts Rodriguez in order for the sisters to knock him out, but Andy gets hit by an energy ball. They find a spell to kill Tempest and Rodriguez, but realize in doing so, they will not be able to revive Andy. Prue agrees that it is the only way and they vanquish both demons, but Andy remains dead.
Throughout its entire eight year run, Charmed was filmed in fullscreen video format and is presented that way on DVD. The video is acceptable, with only minor grain and some scratchiness in some of the dark scenes. Paramount Home Video presents the first season in a large purple slip case with six individual slim cases each with individual production photos. The menus are very basic and simple, with no music. However, the worst part about this set and the following six sets is the lack of special features that also plague almost every other Paramount season set. There is not one bonus feature to speak of on this set, which is very disappointing considering the series' popularity.
Despite the lack of special features, Charmed: The Complete First Season is definitely a worthwhile venture. Its filled to the rim with action-packed, deeply-moving, emotional stories in every episode with a dash of humor thrown in occasionally. If you are a fan of the show, it's a given that you'll pick this up. If you are a newcomer to the series and may have liked similar shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel, then I can highly recommend Charmed. People often mislabel it as a girly show, and it may be true in some cases, but not completely. I highly recommend the first season of Charmed for everyone.
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