The
red-eyed demon snarls as his eyes spark a ferocious glow in the eerie darkness. He carefully advances towards the three women standing before him. One of them throws a vial, which is filled with the vanquishing potion needed to defeat the demon. As expected, the demon bursts into flames before
their eyes. Another victory in the life of the Charmed Ones.
Charmed, the Sci-Fi/fantasy/drama television series, which aired on the WB for eight consecutive years, featured the chaotic lives of three sisters who also happened to be witches. Prue, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell are the sisters prophesized long ago by their ancient ancestor, Melinda Warren, as
the group of legendary women known as the Charmed Ones. And with taking on this destiny also comes great responsibility in the epic battle against evil warlocks, demons and other magical creatures. Using an ancient spell book passed down in their family from one generation of witches to the next
called the Book of Shadows, these women are able to use the spells and their supernatural powers in saving the lives of victims known as innocents. Yet, with this knowledge that they possess, their desire to be "normal" also plays a vital role shaping this show into what it became as they
experience betrayal, love and loss. Most importantly, however, is the bond that is formed between them and how their sisterhood can never be broken.
Prue, the oldest sister, has the power to move things with her mind as well as the power of astral projection. Piper, the middle sister, has the ability to freeze things with her hands while the youngest sister, Phoebe, has the power of premonition, which later turns into a stronger empathic
ability. As the seasons progress, we see their powers begin to change and grow stronger. In the beginning of the first season, the women are sent a Whitelighter named Leo who acts as their guardian and is a guide for them as they face numerous demons and warlocks in battle. He also has the
ability to heal and is called upon multiple times to heal the battle wounds of the three heroines.
Although it is against the rules in the magical community for a Whitelighter and a witch to be together, the enduring relationship and love shared between Piper and Leo is irresistible. Despite everything that is going on around them and everything trying to tear them apart, they are the one
couple throughout the show that is most akin to a fairy-tale type romance. It is without any doubt or reservation that these two were meant to be together as their relationship proves that love is truly able to conquer all. In addition, Phoebe also finds love with a half-demon half-human
creature named Cole who is very well-known amongst the underworld of demons as the demon called Balthazar. However, in this case, their fatal and forbidden love proves to be hazardous, both to the Charmed Ones and the demon underworld alike and Phoebe is eventually forced to vanquish Cole for
good. Being the oldest sister is hard for Prue, which doesn't allow her to love or let love in, especially because she remembers the premature death of their mother when she was a little girl.
When Prue dies at the hands of a merciless demon, a new sister witch is called upon. She is the half-sister of Piper, Phoebe and the now-deceased Prue whose birth occurred when her mother, who was also a witch, had an affair with her Whitelighter, making Paige half-witch and half-Whitelighter.
This gave Paige the ability to orb, a power that all Whitelighters use as a means of transportation. Paige has trouble accepting her abilities and duty as a witch at first and Piper is hesitant about welcoming her into the family because she was still struggling with Prue's death, but Paige is
able to prove herself and hold her own, which made her a loveable sister and made the Charmed Ones whole once more. Furthermore, Paige also finds love with a mortal, a parole officer named Henry, in the middle of the show's eighth and final season.
Their bond as sisters and how they interact as a family unit is continuously threatened throughout the course of the eight seasons. This problem becomes especially persistent when Piper gives birth to son, Wyatt Matthew, and later to son, Chris Perry. Wyatt becomes the object of every demon's
fanatical obsession as he is the first born son of the legendary Charmed Ones. He becomes known as the Twice Blessed child. An adult Chris Perry comes back from the future in hopes of saving his family and preventing Wyatt from turning evil, so he can go back to a harmonious future. Phoebe also
begins to have a few visions of the future, one that represents a peaceful, demon-free world where she sees what her future daughter would look like.
I think Charmed ended its eight year run on a high note. In the final episode, after the ultimate and final battle, we see Piper, Phoebe and Paige continue to go about their lives and live out the dreams they had always hoped they could. Each of them have three children with Piper having Wyatt
and Chris as well as a little girl, Phoebe having three little girls, and Paige having twin girls and a boy. Phoebe finds eternal love by falling for a man named Coop, a Cupid, and becomes the writer for her own column called Phoebe's Finding Love. Piper opens her own restaurant while her
husband, Leo, takes a job teaching at the Magic School. And finally, Paige continues to help those who are future Whitelighters come into their own. We see the Book of Shadows being passed down to their children and the children after that. As the epic series finale comes to a close, we are
reminded that they will always be "Forever Charmed".
Lara Ameen is a junior at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in English with a double minor in Creative Writing and Disability Studies. She enjoys writing about her favorite paranormal television shows and is fascinated by the relationship between psychology, spirituality and the
paranormal. Her biggest aspirations are to be a fiction novelist and television screenwriter.
