A Farewell to Charmed

It's been 2 years now since Charmed has ended (and a few days ago celebrated the 10th anniversary of the airing of the first episode) and I pretty much liked the idea of the show from the beginning. Well, the magic part of it more than anything else but anyway...

In 2004 (possibly late 2003) I committed myself to watching every single episode of Charmed and I finally finished at 6 pm today. Reason it took so long was due to O levels and what not.

So, I've decided as my tribute to Charmed not to create a list of the best episodes or powers, but of the best guest stars. Maybe I should say, 'coolest' guest stars because this is a list of those characters who demanded attention in every episode they were in. So, ladies and gentlemen, today's blogpost is a Top Ten Countdown!

Ten
Shax

First appeared in the final episode of Season 3 and finally vanquished in the first episode of Season 4. Unique in being the only demon to ever successfully kill a Charmed One, albeit with a little help. That's probably what puts his 'cool' weighting at such a high level. Coolest thing he ever said (and as I recall, the only thing he ever said) : "The End" - when his target asks who he is. He's also the only demon to close the doors at the end of a season. Portrayed by Michael Bailey Smith.

Updated Nine
Gideon

Yesterday this guy was number eight, but when the status of the Avatars changed...sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. Some may disagree, but come on, this guy was like a younger and more responsive Albus Dumbledore. Ok, fair enough, he became consumed with his mission and his misguided attempts made him do things which may be considered evil. But still, it was in the interests of the Grand Design. Apart from that, he was the Headmaster of Magic School...what's cooler than that? His evil counterpart in the mirror world was probably cooler than good Gideon but we didn't see him as often of I'll go with good Gideon. Our guy first appeared in 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' in Season 6 and was killed by Leo in the finale. Best thing he ever said : "Sacrifices must be made for the Greater Good". Portrayed by Gildart Jackson.

Updated Eight
Avatar Alpha

Yesterday, the 'Avatars' were in ninth place. But now I've decided it makes more sense to focus on Avatar Alpha who was clearly the coolest (the guy on the left). Of course, I expect some may disagree with me. He first appeared in the Season 5 episode "Sam I Am" in an attempt to get Cole to join the Avatars. Then, after a long absence following 'Centennial Charmed', he returned in Season 7 to recruit Leo and was last seen in 'Charmaggedon' when he was forced to reverse the effects of Utopia. Coolest Utterance : "You've assumed the identity of the Cole in this reality. The one who used to be known as Belthazor - the Source's right hand man. A powerful demon, to be sure...but hardly indestructable". Plus, he tried to create Utopia...which is pretty cool. Portrayed by Joel Swetow.

Seven
Lazarus Demon

Some of you may be saying, "Who?". Only two Lazarus demons have appeared throughout the series, one in the Season 4 episode 'Marry Go Round' and another in the Season 5 episode, and 100th episode of the series, 'Centennial Charmed'. He's cool purely for this quote : "I don't know where Shax is". May not seem like much but view it in context in the alternate reality of 'Centennial Charmed'. Add to this, the accent of the actor makes it a great line in a great episode. Portrayed by Stephen Daniel in 'Centennial Charmed', by Coolio in Season 4.

Six
The Source

When I say 'The Source' I'm referring to the one who was never given a name and was referred to as The Source, not the actual power which was later consumed by Cole. He was the first real challenge for the Charmed Ones, up there with the Triad, Zankou and the 'Ultimate Power'. We first 'see' him in the final episode of Season 3 as a cloaked demon bargaining with Cole. Then, after his vanquish in Season 4, we see him again in Season 8 when he is conjured by some demon-lady with no eyes. Such great and feared power deserves to be on the Top Ten. His best line in my opinion was in his last ever appearance in 'Desperate Housewitches' : "Without the Hollow, you can't hurt me!". What's so great about it is that he shouts it, entirely certain of himself. Piper then says "Oh really..."; the look of despair on his face appears so suddenly it's incredible - as if he knew what Piper was about to do. Naturally his appearance in 'Charmed and Dangerous' was also really cool because we could finally personify such a powerful evil. Best version portrayed by Peter Woodward.

Five
Future Wyatt

As you can see by the picture, I'm talking about Evil Wyatt. Good Wyatt isn't particularly cool. Firstly, he looks a lot cooler, secondly when he's evil, for some reason, he has a British accent. The first time we see him is in the episode 'Chris Crossed' and the last time (as Evil Wyatt) is in 'Imaginary Friends' in Season 7 (Seen in Season 8 in stock footage). Evil Wyatt's accent made most of what he said sound cool so if I had to pick one phrase it would be from the 'Imaginary Friends' episode but as Good Wyatt : "Enough! Leave my family alone." Of course, what makes this cool is the dark echo when he says 'Enough' and the energy blasts he proceeds to emit from his arms. Portrayed by Wes Ramsey.

Four
Barbas

Arguably, the coolest ever guest star before Season 7. You either hated him or eagerly anticipated every appearance. He first appeared in 'From Fear to Eternity' in Season 1 but it was uphill from there and probably his introduction is the 'worst' (I use the term loosely) of all his appearances. His final appearance was in the first episode of Season 7 though he was referenced and has a version of his powers used in the Season 8 episode 'Run, Piper Run'. He appeared in a total of 8 episodes and each time he was the star of the show. It is incredibly hard to single out just ONE of his quotes as the actor delivered every line flawlessly but perhaps his last words in the series will do him justice : "You know I'll be back...FEAR always comes back! You. Set. Me. Up!". Obviously referencing the fact that he is the Demon of Fear and has the ability to keep coming back every 1300 years (even though he was resurrected 4 times throughout the show's 8 year run, only the first of those being part of the 1300 year restriction). Portrayed by Billy Drago.

Three
Zankou

A demon so powerful, the Source had him locked up. Alas, the Source is ranked at number six, and Zankou places at number 3. Like Evil Wyatt and Barbas, part of his coolness comes from the accent/diction which is somewhat British. First appeared in 'Witchness Protection' after being freed from captivity by other demons. His final appearance was in the last episode of Season 7 in which he was vanquished together with the Nexus (which would probably have been on the 'Cool' list if it was a person). He was turned into a pig one time which...was just poor writing but he's number 3, so that's pretty good! Best line comes from 'Charmageddon' : "Touching. I'm gonna miss you guys..." which he said to the Avatars (ranked in ninth place) just as they were about to reverse the effects of Utopia. In general, he was a unique demon thanks to his sarcasm and generally 'good' nature (good being an extremely operative word). His salute to Phoebe and Piper after reversing Utopia was also own-worthy...for a demon. Portrayed by Oded Fehr.

Two
Drake

A demon who made a deal with a sorceror to be good for one year, after which he would die. That already makes him incredibly cool, but his portrayal is both hilarious and downright (as the name of this Top Ten implies) COOL. He only appeared for a three-episode arc in Season 7 ('Carpe Demon' - 'The Seven Year Witch') after which he was only seen in a visit to the past via Coop and Phoebe and with stock footage. Virtually every time he opened his mouth he said something which was worth documenting for future reference so it's quite an injustice trying to pick just one as his 'best'. So I picked two : 1) "Don't scry for me Argentina"; 2) "When love's gone be grateful and F - find another passtime". In the last case he was singing and no prizes for what he was originally gonna say instead of 'find'. Portrayed by Billy Zane.

One
Kira

The last few places were very close, but in the end Kira the Seer won the title of the coolest character ever on Charmed! A very unconventional demon who gave up everything to be good...only to be killed by Number 3 above (Zankou). She first appeared in 'Cheaper by the Coven' assisting Leo and was killed in 'Witchness Protection'. Apart from having complete control over her powers, her portrayal as a sweet and lovable but sarcastic demon wannabe human was the best Charmed had ever seen. Plus, the way she acts around and with Leo is hilarious! For example : "Especially after hunky guy here went to all that trouble to rescue me from those demons" and "That surly one is your wife?". It was really quite sad when she was vanquished, after all she'd done to help. At least, she was vanquished by another person on this list and not some random demon. Portrayed by Charisma Carpenter.

An honourable mention goes to Leo who was pretty dull in the beginning but towards the end of Season 6 when he suddenly had all the pwny powers, through his depression and Avatar (Number 9) stages in Season 7, and his eventually freezing in Season 8 he became one of the coolest characters on the show. He was portrayed for 8 years by Brian Krause, first appearing in the third episode of Season 1 'Thank You For Not Morphing' and eventually becoming a regular with his last appearance being in the last episode of the series. As I said earlier, Brian's exchanges with Charisma were particularly fantastic. Here's one of his greater lines (from The Bare Witch Project) : "You demons have it so easy. No morality to worry about, no attachments, no one to lose. ... When you kill, you feel nothing!"

Additionally, a one-time guest star also made an honourable appearance. I'm talking about Reznor, the pirate from Charrrmed. The reason being the delivery of the following line : "It's a fate worse than death, I can assure you."

So that's my farewell to Charmed. I now switch my focus to Lost and in 2010 (when Lost ends) you can expect a similar blogpost.

Till then, this is Darryl, from Malta - Online.