Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Doing the Time Warp with Charmed

Season 2 is ON! And Leo got chunky highlights and a brand new ill-fitting and sad jacket for the occasion!

screencap-paradise.com
Tweedy fleece blazer/cardigan vs. washed-out windbreaker. Discuss.

Pheobe continues her tradition of truly unfortunate hair in season-opening episodes.

screencap-paradise.com
Yeah, those are totally the plastic rubber bands you wore when you were six.
I swear, I'm going to do a "Best of the Worst" Charmed fashion edition. Not even Prue escaped hot messiness.

screencap-paradise.com
The floral-do-rag-wearing Vegas mermaid look is appropriate for any occasion.


Episodes Watched
"Witch Trial"
"Morality Bites"
"The Painted World"
"The Devil's Music"

Into It
I officially love it whenever the Charmed Ones do a time travel episode. "Morality Bites" has the sisters magicking themselves ten years into the future to save Pheobe from execution via burning at the stake. The story had all sorts of interesting things to say about the Butterfly Effect and scapegoating and why the girls aren't allowed to use magic for personal gain. But the real fun came in how the writers imagined 2009. You'll all remember how two years ago, we were using our voice activated television sets, imprisoning convicts in cells with electrified, transparent walls, oh, and COLONIZING THE MOON. Pretty big leap there, Charmed futurists.

But just watching Charmed is like time traveling. Example: "The Devil's Music" has '90s one-hit-wonder Dishwalla single-handedly saving Piper's new club from bankruptcy through an appearance there. Now, they'd be lucky to land a gig playing the State Fair on the Moon.

screencap-paradise.com
Quick: name their hit!

Over It
Looks like we have two new regulars on the show (in addition to a larger role for Andy Tru-douche's partner--but he doesn't really bother me and is sort of funny). Uncle Dan and his niece Jenny have moved in next door. I have no problem with new characters, but the little kid annoys me. I at first thought she was going to be a witch and we'd have a fun mentoring situation going on, but since Piper could freeze her in "The Devil's Music," that means she's not, if I'm understanding the rules. So why? Why? Why not just have Uncle Dan?

screencap-paradise.com
"Toddlers in Tiaras" ten years later.

Speaking of Dan, he and Piper seem to be sparking up a flirtation, especially since Leo is always disintegrating to save innocents, or whatever. Which fine, I appreciate a good love triangle. But when Dan and Leo met, Leo started giggling like a little girl because Dan was some sort of baseball star. It was awesome that Leo brought up how his promising career was ruined when he blew out his knee. (As an aside, why is this the go-to sports injury? It's like how being run over by a bus is the default personal injury nightmare.) But, he did it in an exposition way, not a snarky way. I want to see Leo seething with jealousy, whitelighting Dan's ass UP.

screencap-paradise.com
I'll see your chunky blonde highlights, and raise you a chin cleft and a leather choker.

Waiting for It
Speaking of Piper and Leo, I do like the way the show is figuring the problems his whitelighting and her witchery cause their relationship as similar to the negotiations and frustrations any two-career couple might have. I think we have a Feminist Metaphor Alert. 


No comments:

Post a Comment