Charmed - Pilot - Review: "Defying the Whispers" + POLL

I am a skeptic by nature and way back last year when CW announced this reboot I was along the People rioting and trying to protect the Legacy of the Original Show. Today and like 5 rewatches (not that I didn't enjoy it the first time but hey summer was really long) of the Reboots first episode I am a beliver. A believer that this show will do its own thing but appreciate the origin it came from.

First off comparison to the original is inevitable but than again we can't compare a wonderful eight year run with 1 episode. That being said the 1998 Charmed Pilot wasn't perfect but it did have that spark. It introduced a bright world and set up the chemistry between the sisters. CW's version of Charmed did a similar thing but included some different obstacles and took a different narrative to the story.

Charmed was always a story about sisterhood, about living and trying to survive the normal and paranormal life. This past hour introduced us to Maggie and Mel Vera, sisters opposite as water and fire who after the loss of the mother find out they had another sister, Macy Vaughn and that they are witches with supernatural powers. Them being reunited after the loss of their mother awakened their bound powers and set them on the course to become the most powerful trio of witches.

The introduction of the 48 hour window and Harry their Whitelighter was a great scene. Rupert Evans brought a great doze of lightness and while at moments slightly annoying it was a good scene and opened the show up to new viewers and people unfamiliar with the original show.

Out of the 3 sisters, Mel delivered the best impression. Melonie Diaz really gave so much to the character and made the best out of the material she got. The discrepancy between Mel before her mothers death and after was poignant and resonated really well. The writers exploited her well in this hour, from schooling girls about concent to hitting that guy to accepting her destiny, Melonie was spot on and Mel grew to me with each scene. The death of her mother changed Mel and you could've seen it on her face. The Person she loved the most and who she looked up so much was just gone, simply torn out of her life and the only thing she had was that sense of injustice and disrespect of her mothers human legacy which turned into rage. A rage that drove her but which quickly turned into motivation to accept the
witchy legacy of her mother. The scenes when Mel accidentally freezed stuff were hilarious. Her facial expressions were priceless and I am really looking forward to where her story is heading from here.

That one scene between Maggie and Mel where Maggie confessed her sense of guilt was a great moment. It allowed the two actresses to shine and created depth for both characters. Sarah

Jeffrey's take on Maggie was another positive surprise for me. Sarah is a new face for me and the balance between the quirky Sorority girl and carring sister transferred well from the screen. She seems shallow and not the brightest at moments or better said has a looser pov on life. Nevertheless she has a major heart and Sarah's screen presence was really captivating. I'm not a fan of her power, I think the premonitions were way more quality material to work with, but the writers exploited her powers well. Especially in the moment when she read Macy's thoughts and sensed how lonely she was. It opened up great sister moments and I really appreciate those. Magie being open to meet and connect with Macy felt really genuine. I look forward to see more of their sisterly introduction.

Last but certainly not least we meet Macy Vaughn. The brilliant scientist who indeed felt like a mixture of Prue and Paige (the sisters with telekinetic powers in the Original). A natural leader and a bit stiff like Prue, a lonner like Paige and just like both of them trying to find her footing in this world. Macy felt like the odd one out at moments and I am not sure if that was intended this way or just happened. The writers pushing her scientist nature on us felt a bit pushy and unnecessary. We don't need her to try to break down everything scientifically, don't complicate stuff unnecessarily. Still, the backing powder stint was great and served up some good laughs along the way.

Storywise this wasn't a nailbitter or blowing my mind. It was a good introduction story and as already said the backing powder and demon dog were entertaining and funny. The ice demon was solidly done but it did seemed a bit awkward (to say at least) that he was just waiting there to be vanquished. Like why didn't he go after the sisters if he knew about them?

There were two odd things out for me in this Pilot. First off the spell being on Latin. Completely unnecessary and took away a lot of charm from the story. Second off Ellen Tamaki's Niko. I don't understand why they put those baggy clothes on her. She really didn't look like a cop, she looked like she was on her way to a costume party.

Why do I think this show deserves a chance? It tells the tale of 3 everyday women, different and relatable to the masses telling the story of how to be yourself in this world when all the odds are against you. It tells the story of how hard it is to be a woman today and that the way is layered with too many questions and justifications. And if they are doing this great work, why not use a powerful and strong mythology like the Original Charmed.

That is a wrap from me. What are your thoughts on hour 1 of CW's Charmed. Did they Charm you ? Or do zou wanna join the Cold Demon's ranks? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and don't forget to vote in our POLL. Till next week. . .stay Charmed.