Less interesting than its predecessor, primarily because there isn't a huge amount of story to tell. Phoebe's mermaid escapades are most evident of this, with various sequences of Alyssa lazing around on rocks and getting caught up in fish nets. I guess the interview with Nancy O'Dell was funny, but the story bottomed out long before the credits rolled. Cole's involvement produces some interesting moments (I liked his interaction with Paige), but it still feels like the show is exploiting a tired story arc since there's so little new to say.Piper's fear spell is amusing, as is her electric eel torture in the cavern at the end. But too much of the story felt derivative, right down to the exact same 'vision of Mom' closer previously used when Prue was drowning way back in season one. Elsewhere, Paige quit her job, which I always found annoying. I liked her as a responsible young woman with an actual career, this plot development ensuring season after season of Paige being a directionless moron.
Season five has opened with a lighter feel, with greater emphasis placed on magical creatures than dark depictions of underworld demons (which I felt grew flat at the back-end of season four). It's certainly fresh, and Charmed-lite doesn't necessarily guarantee badness. What is weakening the show are the actual sisters themselves, each one of them creating bouts of annoyance here. Lite is fine if the characters continue to ring true, but when the Halliwells begin to bug, the show is doomed. C-
Credits
Guest stars Finola Hughes (Patty Halliwell); Nancy O'Dell (Herself); Tom McCleister (Fisherman); Judson Scott (Necron); David Reivers (Bob Cowan)
Writers Alison Schapker, Monica Breen Director Mel Damski
I don't really have much to say, since you know where I stand on most of this! But, while I agree about Phoebe and Paige, I actually liked Piper in this premiere. She was handled so well during this season, but I think a lot of that is because of how bad the others are in comparison, since they spend most of the time running around like twits. Great review though, I'm looking forward to more. (Nipple jokes were as great as I thought they were going to be!).
ReplyDeleteHeh, thanks a lot. On Piper, you're right that she wasn't as annoying as the other two this year, but I felt like she was always wrapped up in illogical stories, like the fear thing here and later when everybody's worried about the baby and stopping her from doing anything. Eh. Bad material all round, but Holly was consistently great.
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