1. The Power of Three (Sisters)
Perhaps most important of all on Charmed, as a whole, is the bond and connection between the three (four) Halliwell sisters. During interviews with the show's writers and producers, it has been discussed many times that the sisters' magical prowess is, fundamentally, a metaphor for their bond as sisters. This concept has been explored during several episodes, mostly notably 'Power Outage' in Season Three, when the sisters lost their powers after they used them against each other during an argument, only regaining them once they had reconciled. Once again in Season Four, it was noted that Piper and Phoebe's powers had been greatly diminished because of Prue's death and they were no longer Charmed. Only by initiating Paige into their Power of Three were they able to restore their full powers. However, other than the mechanics of this, both sets of sisters (Prue, Piper and Phoebe / Piper, Phoebe, Paige) went through the same journey of accepting each other as sisters, growing as women and then uniting as a force which could access its' full potential. I think this concept added a vital component to the show which made it more than about 'magic', but, as the writers have said many a time, 'a show about three sisters who happen to be witches, NOT three witches who happen to be sisters'. Charmed worked best as a multi-genre show, mixing a perfect blend of soap-opera themes, horror, fantasy, comedy and drama, which I think was a rarity on a television series, at the time, and, in some respects, still is. Nevertheless, it could be argued that the show has paved the way for similar series to flourish, such as Supernatural and Ghost Whisperer. Did you love Charmed? Share your thoughts below.