Welcome to the new ‘Charmed’ series… it’ll be okay.

Ten or so years after we said goodbye to the Halliwell sisters, the Power of Three is setting us free once again.

Or, at least, they’re trying to.

Ready to encounter a sisterhood of witches?

Despite the controversy, it’ll be interesting to see how the show sets itself apart from the original series, and when the news first dropped about the Charmed reboot, there were whispers it would be a 1970’s spin on the original Halliwell family origins. Culturedemandsgeeks couldn’t have been more excited to delve back into their witchy world.

However, when the creators ultimately decided to redevelop the show into a more “current” version and start afresh with a brand new sisterhood, our excitement shifted to hesitation.

Then showrunner Jennie Synder Urman came out with the now infamous comment that their show would be a “fierce, funny, and feminist” reboot of the original, one that focused on “vanquishing supernatural demons, tearing down the patriarchy, and maintaining familial bonds.”

Okay, but … isn’t that what Charmed was all about in the first place?

Through the entirety of its eight seasons, Charmed revolved around four women managing their social, work, and love lives, all while battling evil and saving the world time and time again through the Power of Three. A bond created by the sisterly connection only they could possess.

That sounds pretty fierce, feminine, and family-centric to me.

The first episode wasn’t a total disaster, I’ll give it that. It had moments of genuine humour, the chemistry between the sisters is organically there, it wasn’t boring, and there were a few points during the episode I thought, “this could really be something.”

Only a very few though.

The Plot of It All in a Nutshell:

The plot was really where this reboot had an opportunity to shine.

Yes, it was going to take the skeleton outline of what the initial Charmed was as far as mythology goes, but it had the opportunity to create a new, riveting, unique story that captured viewers attention right from the get-go and made us all forget about that pesky original series from the moment it came on screen.

After the sudden death of their mother, Mel and Maggie Vera find out they have another estranged sister, Macy Vaughn. Oh, and that they also happen to be three of the most powerful witches of all time.

But it just didn’t do that.

Even if you were a newcomer in the Charmed universe or an old fan who took in the fact that this is, of course, Charmed (and you knew the sisters were ultimately going to win almost every time, but most certainly in the very first episode), the plot was unbelievably contrived and easy to predict.

Right down to every single red herring, plot twist, and du-ha “big” reveal.

Again we knew the sisters would be the ultimate champs if any foreseen battle, and yes, we knew that they would ultimately accept their fate as witches.

But did we have to see everything coming before it happened?

From the moment Professor Thane came on screen and explained his release from “false accusations of sexual harassment” to Maci before promptly going on, to, well, sexually harass her, it was clear who the big bad of this storyline was.

Because in this day and age, especially in the relevant climate #MeToo campaign? We all know good and well that any character who is disrespecting women and getting away with it isn’t going to be getting away with it for very long.

Beyond the initial scene with Maci, even though we saw very little screen time of Thane, sister Mel (hell-bent on “tearing down that patriarchy”, all right!) was out for blood when it came to the acquittal of his charges, charges their late mother had originally set in motion.

This guy obviously objectifies women, gets away with it and is the central conflict Mrs. Vera was dealing with when died.

If that isn’t a red flag with “VILLAIN” printed all over it, I’m not sure what is.

So when the show then tried to steer us towards Maggie’s slightly stalker-ish ex-boyfriend Brian, or Maggie’s (now covered in baking soda) sorority sister Lucy, or even the random guy who Mel proceeds to punch in the face after he supports Thane’s freedom … as viewers, we knew better than to take the bait.

I suppose I have to give the writers some credit, for trying to serve up three red herrings before “revealing” the true villain of the episode.

I just wish it hadn’t been so lazily thought out.

BUT WE DID LIKE:

As luck would have it, the girls’ big mystery demon turned out to be Professor Thaine, allowing them to kill two birds with one stone hand-holding chant. But just as they were about to celebrate the death of their mother’s killer, the demon used his final breath to say, “You think I killed her? You poor, stupid girl. Now, it’s begun.” (I’m no expert in demonology, but I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a single good part about that.)

The episode ended with one last unfortunate surprise for the newly reunited sisters: A message warning them not to trust Harry was delivered (from Marisol?) via the spirit board, and when the girls foolishly read that message out loud, they summoned their supposed enemy right to their doorstep. Ruh-roh.

Charmed Trailer:

Culturedemandsgeeks are a curious breed, and we are keen to hear what everyone thinks of The CW’s Charmed, and especially interested in hearing from fans of the original series: Did it meet your expectations?

If you were worried, have your fears been… vanquished?Were you excited about the reboot? The first episode?

And finally, what are your hopes for the continuing show?