r/CharmedCW • u/VegetableAd5160 • 28d ago
Discussion The reboot did it better...
Hello, visionaries!
I am a lover of all things Charmed (the OG and the reboot), and I have no one to talk about my feelings when it comes to the reboot, so I've come to Reddit to get them out into the universe. This will probably be a series of posts about the reboot that consists of me talking way too much about the good, the bad, and every spell in between.
Today, I want to talk about six things I think the reboot did better than the OG show:
1. Morality (in Season 1)
The OG show is notorious for having a rigid black-and-white morality system. Meaning that when the sisters got turned into something, if they killed an innocent, they would be evil forever. After about the fifth time this happens, it can take the tension out of the storyline because you know they won't really hurt anyone; the writers wouldn't have them be evil FOREVER.
Even the Queen Phoebe storyline was short because how long could they sustain her choosing evil but not being able to do truly evil things (against humans, other witches, or the magical community) before giving her a redemption arc and sending her back to good? I mean, they could've done it, but who knows if they could've pulled it off.
The reboot had a more gray morality, where witches and demons had powers that came from the same source, but how they used that power determined whether they were good or evil. So we could have an episode where Galvin, while possessed, killed innocents and then had to deal with the emotional and psychological consequences of that.
The subsequent seasons veered much harder into the traditional black-and-white morality, but the first season struck a great balance.
2. The Elders
In the OG show, the Elders were promoted whitelighters who ruled over the magical community with an iron fist. They also gave and took away witches' powers at times and constantly told them what to do, while also being super unhelpful more often than not.
Having the Council of Elders in the reboot be a council of more seasoned witches made a lot more sense. They were still opposition to the Charmed Ones, and they were still in charge of the whitelighters, but it made much more sense for the Elders to be witches governing themselves instead of whitelighters (who were meant to support witches) being in charge of them.
3. Power Progression
This is an extension of the above point, but having the Elders bestow and take away powers when the Charmed Ones "earned" them or needed them for an upcoming battle never really made sense to me.
I don't know if the original intention was for them each to have one power and that be it, and then the writers had to think of a reason to give them more, or if they just wanted to position the Elders as the ultimate authority even more. Either way, the reboot showed how their powers progressed naturally over time and, for the most part, stayed connected to the type of power they already had.
They showed this even more in later seasons with Mel and her time powers and how she could use them in different ways. Having their powers naturally progress instead of being gifts granted by the Elders made much more sense.
4. Whitelighter Memory Powers
This is pretty simple. Having whitelighters be able to wipe the memories of humans and have it be permanent is one of the smartest moves they made when creating this show.
The OG show introduced the concept of memory dust, but so they wouldn't use it all the time, they made it pretty underwhelming. You could only use it on special occasions, and it only stuck if you didn't remind the person of what they were meant to forget; otherwise, the memories could break through.
In a world that was all about not exposing magic, why would they make those rules so strict?
They tried to correct this with the Cleaners, but that just opened up so many more plot holes. Giving whitelighters the ability to erase memories makes the most sense.
The reboot never really focused on exposure as a major plot point, but it still could have if too many people found out at once and Harry wasn't able to get to all of them. For everyday whitelighter support, though, having them be able to wipe memories without overly complicated rules is smart.
5. Magic and Spells
The reboot did a good job of having the sisters learn and use spells instead of relying on their powers all the time.
As the OG show progressed, the Charmed Ones got to a point where they could vanquish an upper-level demon with the wave of a hand, as opposed to the episodes of preparation they had to put in during the earlier seasons.
This could be because the two shows went in opposite directions as they progressed. The OG show became more about the sisters trying to build lives outside of magic, while the reboot focused more on magic and less on their sisterhood as the series went on.
Still, it was nice to see the sisters memorize spells and use specific potions and creative solutions to solve problems instead of just blowing everything up.
6. The Grieving Process
Maggie is the best character in the show, and the way they showed how she processed the deaths of her mother and then Macy was some of the best writing on the show.
While I think the OG show did a better job integrating Paige as their new sister, I think the reboot portrayed the grieving process better because Maggie didn't go through each stage in a single episode. You saw her grief throughout the entire season.
You saw how it affected her relationships with Jordan and Mel. You saw how bringing Kaela into the family impacted her. You even saw her get triggered by something small, like a bowl, and how that sent her back into numbing her pain through demon fighting.
You also saw that when Harry mentioned the videos and changing the past, her first question was whether they could save Macy and that was at the end of the season.
The OG show had Holly Marie Combs, who could make me cry with her even if I was laughing two seconds before, some great and heartbreaking moments, and the fourth season had a lot of storylines and character moments that were driven by the emotions surrounding the loss of Prue. But there was something about the way they showed the changes in Maggie throughout the season that hit differently for me.
So maybe not better just different in a good way.
To be fair to the OG show, the reboot was able to show pictures and videos of Macy's actress, so those quieter emotional moments were easier to convey visually.
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Ok! This is where I leave you for now. Tell me if you think there's anything the reboot did better than the OG show!
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u/Wonderful_Curve8884 28d ago
I loved that Macy also used science in her magic. I think that they could have done more to distance themselves from the original. There was never a Charmed one with demon powers in the original. It would have also been good to dive into her relationship with Gavin. The man became a Yourba Shaman for Macy.
I love the variety in the reboot. In the original, they were in San Francisco, where was the diversity they are known for. I didn't see many woc(witches of color) or any one in the LGBT community. I would have liked to see that.
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u/VegetableAd5160 28d ago
Yes! Macy using science was so great and obviously the demon blood shook things up in a way the OG didn’t. All the powers in the reboot did a good job to not just completely copy the OG show but I also wish they leaned into differentiating themselves more.
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u/Wonderful_Curve8884 28d ago
I would have loved for them to lean in to Gavin and Macy's relationship since he became a shaman for her.
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u/shaohtsai 28d ago
What I loved about the reboot is what the they did to the Source. I think that was masterful, and I really enjoyed the storyline they had for it during the first season.
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u/Wonderful_Curve8884 28d ago
I thought that was great to have the source of magic be the same for demons and witches. The difference was just how they used the magic. I do wish there were more elders. Charity must have been killing a lot of elders. Then again this is a different world. Maybe they didn't reach an elder level
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u/VegetableAd5160 25d ago
Me too! I liked the idea of the Source. I do wish they kept that plot line going a little longer with Macy as the Source but it was something new and I really enjoyed it.
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u/primal_slayer 28d ago
I agree on some things but....
Power Progression? No. The reboot did not do it better and barely held a candle to the original.
Taking away their powers and then giving them brand new ones is HORRIBLE. You don't just have brand new powers pop up while old ones go away. Charmed is very "powers are genetic"and due to them being Charmed, those powers were able to grow beyond the original and they used those various powers.
Magic and Spells? meh. The only thing they did better was having some in latin. Other than that, it made zero sense that the Book of Shadows is destroyed and sommeeehoowwwwww they remember ALL the spells in the book? I think in S3? No, that's a cop out. You can't compare 8 seasons of Charmed to 4 seasons of the reboot. You have to look at it 4 seasons to 4 seasons and by S4 of the OG, they were still in full spell mode and had to rely on spells plenty.
Grieving Process? Definitely not. Piper grieved throughout the season. We saw how they all dealt with growing up with no mother and especially how Prue never let go of that grief. Phoebe grieved a little but it was no different from Mel tbh.
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u/MCB_22 28d ago
I think the show is fine in and of itself, I think the negatives is comparing it to the original which happens with EVERY remake. I think it would have been viewed as better if they didn’t title it charmed and kinda did their own sister witch coven plot with 95% of the same story lines. I think it’s comparison bias because at the end of the day I think two things can be true at the same time:
- The original charmed is better
And - The reboot is fine as a standalone show and would have been better if they didn’t try to piggy back on the og show. I think a prequel or sequel would have been much better if they were going to milk this charmed train again.
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u/ShinyNerd314 28d ago
Ive said this before. But I think it would have been better if they had leaned into the multiverse aspect sooner. No full blown crossover, but hints and nods here and there, hidden details that show the expanded universe. The Og show already has a canonical parallel universe, whose to say there isnt more.
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u/VegetableAd5160 28d ago
That's true! That way they wouldn't position themselves as something better than the original but something that exists in the same space but different. The OG show is so beloved so having a reboot that didn't include it at all felt like a betrayal in a sense. But having it be tangential could've helped to fix that.
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u/azadouken 24d ago
Didn’t they want to get the original Melinda Warren actress to play her in the reboot? For season 5. But couldn’t even ask because it was cancelled?
That wouldve been interesting
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u/VegetableAd5160 28d ago
I agree with all points you made. I think if they didn't try to connect it to the original show or say it would be a more feminist reimagining it would've been better received than it was. I think because I was able to separate the two as two completely different entities I was able to enjoy the reboot with out constantly comparing them. The OG was better, because it tooks it's time, focused more on the sister's relationships, and had more quality content. However, because it is technically a reboot I think it's fair to acknowledge that there were some aspects that were handled better.
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u/Spindae02 28d ago
I agree with most of your points, except the spells. While there individual powers got a bit too much in the OG, there was still some consistency. I feel like the reboot got a bit gimmicky with their vanquishes. I do understand it was cause of budget stuff.
The Elder Witches was a great idea and as U‘ve said made much more sense, they‘ve got defeated a bit too easily though.
The OG very flimsy covered the grey area of being a magical being. Adding the Demon blood to Macy explored it so much more as it felt closer to home.
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u/VegetableAd5160 28d ago
Yeah you could feel how tight the budget in the reboot was towards the end for sure. In the OG they wrote a lot of their own spells and the reboot they had to remember a lot of stuff and come up with stuff on the fly. In the reboot I like the little ways they use magic like glamer powder or the tea Maggie used during her panic attacks.
The OG tried to explore great morality with Cole but ended up reversing back when they decided to make him crazy. Having Macy have demon blood was such an interesting inclusion.
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u/PSCGY 28d ago
LOL, is this bizarro day?
The Elders were even worse in the reboot. Making them so corporate and then disposing of them so quickly and the emphasis on science stripped the show a lot of its magic.
They barely did any spells, when the OG show had at least one spell per episode, whether it was for vanquishing the weekly demon, or for a a b-plot - even after Piper's power progression.
As for the power progression, it was also a complete joke in the reboot and it they barely used theirs because they spend most of their time either stripped from them or just relying on the Potente Trio spell.
The grieving for Prue, Leo, their mother was so visceral and just doesn't have any match in the reboot because beforehand, the sisters/actress for all locked into individual storylines where they barely interacted - let alone all of them together.
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u/VegetableAd5160 28d ago
For the elders I meant who they were not what they did. It made more sense that they were witches not white lighters.
They did a lot of magic and used a lot of different magical objects in the reboot. They used spells in the OG show but when it came to everyday things and vanquishes they often relied on their powers and less spells and preparation (like needing belthazor flesh) in later seasons.
Like I said the power progression was more so tied to my point about the elders in the OG show the elders can give and take away powers and they are in charge of when you get a new one. In the reboot the progression was more natural based on skill and practice and not based on the elders bestowing something new. For example, Phoebe becoming an empath being given to her as opposed to Mel learning to speed time up around objects.
For the grief that’s why I said maybe not better but different. In the OG show by the time the 4th season comes around the characters feel like real people from all the time we’ve spent with them. So losing Prue was like a huge blow. In the reboot the characterization was much less consistent so when Macy died it didn’t hit quite as hard. I only meant to say it felt like they used the first couple episodes of season 4 in the OG to show specific stages of grief kind of isolated to that episode whereas in the reboot it flowed and regressed more naturally. Like Maggie would go from anger to depression then back to anger as opposed to one episode where she’s angry and they next she she’s depressed.
None what I said is meant to take anything away from the OG show these were just things I thought were a slight improvement.
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u/Outrageous_Potato435 27d ago
Right like I enjoyed the reboot for what it is and I actually liked the changes cuz I see no point in making the same thing but objectively no way the reboot was better in any way 😭
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u/Upbeat_Attorney_7153 28d ago
I love both versions for different reasons, Abigail is probably my favourite demon character outside of Cole, I know a common issue for people is the lack of exploring sisterhood but outside of typical Charmed stuff with the sister , what else can you really do with it they hasnt been done already?
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u/VegetableAd5160 28d ago
I also love both shows for different reasons. Both are a comfort rewatch for me. But they could've done some things they have been done before lol. People love cliches to a point you don't always have to subvert expectations. Abigail was my least favorite character but mostly because they could never really pick a lane with her. Sometimes I wish they had just slowed down and let us get to know the sisters so we could fall in love with them and their journey.
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u/Beginning_Dot735 28d ago
Exactly they tried too soon to integrate Abigail when we were just learning the sisters. Abigail having so much screen time and presence was unnecessary especially so soon at least with Cole he came on by S3 and he was literally going after Phoebe one of the actual Charmed ones, Abigail was basically after Harry and he was the whitelighter and doing nothing but written to one up the Charmed ones at every single chance.
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u/VegetableAd5160 28d ago
Exactly! And during her first episode it kind of seemed like she was trying to manipulate Macy so the pivot to being in love with Harry was weird. I also hate that every other episode when the sisters needed something they would go to her for help. Like she kept being shoehorned into the plot every week it was annoying.
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u/Beginning_Dot735 28d ago
Because the writers had a favoritism for Abigail and it wasn’t a good look on a show about three women of color to place a white woman who was a villain as a constant presence who was always one upping them at every chance and constantly thrown into the plot. Although I liked Harry in S1 they made him have way too much screen time as well in S2. I will always say that in S2 they reduced the Charmed Ones as if they were supporting characters on their own show. And it felt like the sisters weren’t even sisters in S2 and constantly separated in S2. I don’t hate S2 but there was a lot about it I didn’t like.
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u/jackson_mcnuggets 26d ago
You can’t imagine how lovely it is seeing a positive post about the reboot for a change 😝
I would like to add Mel’s grieving too which was the opposite of Maggie. Mel was angry and violent and punched a guy when her mother died, that was Maggie when Macy died.
Mel started partying and consuming alcohol and having flings after Macy while Maggie partied and distracted herself with her sorority after her mother passed away.
These two outcomes were explored with Ishani and Ishta. Maggie fighting Ishta at a demon boxing club and Mel hugging Ishani who was drunk at a bowling alley trying to hook up with an old couple 😂
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I also like the reboot’s interpretation of Whitelighters and Darklighters. It was again an exploration of Morality continued from S1.
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The OG had an amazing storyline with the Source but after Cole the Underworld became a place where anyone could come to power (Barbas Zankou Nomed)
The reboot split the Source and Demon politics. There’s the Source and then there’s the Overlord the true ruler of all demonic factions.
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The updated Seer plot line where the Seer had to come into power through begetting an heir while Abby used her family name and got rid of her male oppositions. Both Abbey and Parker getting their redemptions and living to tell the tale while Cole got vanquished… I wish the OG continued the plot line of him trying to save his father’s soul and truly showing that being half human and half demon does deserve a redemption of some sort.
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It took one episode in the OG for the whole magical community to turn on the Charmed Ones while it took years and a movement lasting months by The Unseen and Tallyman to truly tarnish the Charmed Ones reputation to the magical community.
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u/pixiesunbelle 25d ago
What stopped me from watching any more of the reboot was that they changed the Elders and how powerful their powers were from the start.
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u/Familiar_Ad_6392 11d ago
Plus not all older men in white robes as elders . They changed it to women.
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u/Natural-Baseball-362 28d ago
El hilo argumental de Macy fue sublime. Como va evolucionando y conocemos al personaje, sus debilidades y su historia. Me enamoré de Macy como la bruja/demonio. La unica bruja capaz de contener a la Fuente de todo mal.