Even if you try and excuse the show for struggling to fill time with an obvious transition episode, this is still pretty horrible. Can I ask what tool on the writing staff thought it was a bright idea to dedicate so much of the second-to-last episode to those Oirish asshat leprechauns? As well as the hideous collection of ogres, fairies and wood nymphs that make up the 'magical community' on this show? Ah, remember the days when this poop didn't exist to permanently stink up Charmed?The leprechauns are particularly annoying here, and the accents worse than ever. They kind of speak the truth about the sisters treating them like cannon fodder, but completely lose any brownie points once they later trash the Charmed Ones for abandoning them when they were attacked. Way to lose any perspective, dumbasses. Thankfully, we did get a hilarious scene with a bunch of demons killing their annoying butts, which was fun.
Most of Gone with the Witches is an elaborate means to get the sisters banished to the Underworld, and it sure takes a long time for that to happen. In the process we get a trilogy of resurrected 'possession' stories and, like a similar collection of retreads three episodes ago, all it did was make me wish I was watching Sin Francisco instead. Love that episode.
One major misfire occurs with the arrival of Billie and Christy's childhood imaginary friend Dumain, who is secretly conspiring with the limbo-occupying Triad to gain ultimate power when both sets of sisters hopefully kill each other in the upcoming final battle. First of all, I dislike that another villain has been thrown into the mix so late in the game. Second of all, it was fine already with Christy pulling the strings, now we discover that she's kowtowing to some dude? It's unnecessary and undermines what was (for season eight, anyway) a strong character.
Gone with the Witches is full of story padding and annoying contrivance engineered to make everybody turn against the Halliwells. It's an interesting approach, but ruined by bad acting and the continued insistence on making stupid magical creatures so integral to Charmed's mythology. D
Credits
Guest stars Marnette Patterson (Christy Jenkins); Anthony Cistaro (Dumain); Leland Crooke (Candor); Michael J. Anderson (O'Brien); Michael Gilden (Liam); Soren Oliver (Baliel); Steven J. Oliver (Asmodeus); Victor Webster (Coop)
Writer Jeannine Renshaw Director Jonathan West
Agreed on most of this. I just peaked at mine, and I talk about the arc being a fresh one, but it's one that's ruined by all the shoddiness you talk about here. And dear God, more leprechauns, really?
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a bridging episode, and the show doesn't even try to hide that. I did love the idea of the girls' being ostracised, though.
Can't believe you've nearly completed Charmed already, and I'm still a season a half to the finish line! Ugh, anyway, great reviews. I'm already excited for the final two. =)
I probably should have mentioned that it's new material, definitely. Because it is a cool idea, the sisters getting banished like that. But, yeah, stupid magical creatures. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteAnd where are your Charmed reviews, Panda??!! This hiatus is not fun at all!
I know, man! I've been a little caught up in stuff lately, so I just wanted to get other shows finished, or their respective seasons finished at least, before I got back to it.
ReplyDeleteI'm starting them again this week, but I don't know if I'll start season 7 right away.
Heh, I get it. I just noticed you posted one, so I'll head over to read.
ReplyDeleteHave you actually finished writing them yet? I can't remember if you said you had or not...
Yup, I actually finished the show almost a year ago, now but I've just been so terrible for posting them. And 'cause it was so long ago, I end up changing them around a lot, at least the writing style, the general thoughts I keep the same, just so they retain the ideas I had just after I watched every episode.
ReplyDeleteI'm planning on getting season 6 done this week, then maybe getting Veronica Mars finished after that, then hopefully I'll come back to it. Then again, I could end up with more time then I think I will. And I do want to re-do a lot of the early episodes as well; they were so rushed, ha.
Is Alias your only newbie planned for the next while, or are there more shows waiting in the wings?!
I get what you're saying about the re-writing. I finished Charmed in January, and have been re-writing them constantly ever since. It's weird though, sometimes you only catch things after you've actually posted it. Gah.
ReplyDeleteAlso agree about re-writing old stuff. I really want to re-do a bunch of my old Nip/Tuck stuff, since I find some of it pretty bad at this point. It's funny how much I've evolved in those three years or so, and how something I was really proud of back then I now see as filled with errors and awkward writing.
And I have a ton of reviews ready to go, since I'm not planning on writing a whole lot for the next couple of months, but none of the shows are particularly well-known or anything, not along the lines of the stuff I'm currently posting. And I'm hoping to permanently cover one or two new shows premiering in the next couple of weeks, but again it depends more on my schedule and how that all works out.
I'm guessing you're doing the same, with new shows, etc.?
Oh God, I'm constantly noticing silly typos and grammar mistakes after I've posted as well. It's kinda like proof read properly, Cian!
ReplyDeleteAs for the new stuff, I dunno right now. I'm not really excited by any shows this season, not like I was about Once, Ringer and the Secret Circle last year, and we know how those last two ended up... But if something really catches my attention, I might consider it. You planning on covering your other on-air stuff too? Or maybe picking up a baby show permanently?
Agreed about this season being lacking in a lot of ways. I'm reviewing a couple of pilots, but have zero long-term interest in the two I've watched so far. The only fall shows I'm intrigued by are 666 Park Avenue and Nashville, but mid-season has a couple of things that seem fun, like The Following, Red Widow and Anne Heche's new show. But, yeah, not a great development cycle. Everything seems a little stale, networks trying to remake old successes more overtly than ever before. The entire CW slate, for instance, seems to just crib off past WB hits.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping to continue American Horror Story, and maybe 666 if I like the pilot. Again, it depends whether timing works out. I think casually testing the waters is the best way to go, though. Especially since everybody went into last season with these crazy expectations that just weren't realized.