The End of An Era (Series Finale of Charmed)

So that's it, another day, another long-running TV series finished by Vickie. I just finished watching the final episode of WB's "Charmed" and I'm very, very quietly freaking out.

And that's really, really hard.

As series' endings go, it was perfect. It actually *ends*, a trait that is
unfortunately more absent than it should be in today'sprime time shows. Anyway, I don't really feel the need to talk about the ending as much as I want to talk about the beginning, because without it, there wouldn't have been an ending to geek out about, eh?

"Charmed", like a few select others, I have watched right from the beginning to
the bittersweet end. I remember staying up and watching it every Sunday with my sister, and freaking out when Prue died, and beaming as hard as I could when Piper and Leo finally got married and...just everything, EVERYTHING, that happened. What's special about "Charmed" is that it exemplified the true strength and power of sisterly bonds and friendship, bonds I felt I could draw courage and inspiration from for my own. The Halliwell Sisters, though fictional, did perfectly what all well-made fictional characters should do: Give their audience people to easily identify with. Throughout the years, I've consistently seen parallels between these characters and the complicated web of relationships they have. Not to mention their countless trials that kept us coming back to see them through it every week.

The one thing about "Charmed" was that it kept it real. Well, I mean, not "real" real, but you know...They just never made it easy for the Charmed ones. Along with the usual death and near-death experiences expected in such a storyline, they were faced with Time/Space Continuum decisions, having their hearts emotionally ripped out time and time again, and multiple acts of self-sacrifice, all for the Greater Good.

The point I'm trying to make is, even though they had Magic on their sides, they always had their problems, thus communicating to the audience that there is never, ever an easy way out. That...you can't run from your problems, you can only face them with everything you got, with all the power you have. And that you're never alone, that when it comes down to it, you're stuck with the people that care about you and they're stuck with you. That, despite all your attempts to leave things to luck and
chance, everything happens for a reason, be it simple or beyondanyone's wildest imagination.

I realize that this series finale review is coming in almost a year after the fact, but I said it once and I'll say it again: This really does feel like the end of an era, as do the end of all great TV experiences. The Sisters Halliwell will forever live on in our memories, in re-runs, and in fan fictions across all media conduits all over the world. Thank you for sharing with us, me and the rest of your fans, the Power of Three.

~Vickie Marquez

End note: Oh and two more things...actually well three more things. Number one: Yay for Coop being, well, Coop! I mean, you could see what was meant to happen from miles away, but oh good lordy did I SQUEAL when grown-up Wyatt said "Uncle Coop" Aha, moving on to Number Two: Grown-Up Wyatt...*purses her lips and exhales* He. Is.
Fine. He is very, very good looking. Very. And, I'm going to be completely honest (but only because I know Nathan has a chance of reading this) he made me go semi-three-quarters-and-a-sixteenth BEEP. There I said it! >.< Finally, thing Number Three: What was WITH Billie's crying sob when she vanquished her sister? I'm sad to say but that ranks pretty high on my TV's Worst Crying Ever list. Don't get me wrong, I *love* Kaley Cuoco to death, she definitely making a name for herself after "8 Simple Rules" but come ON! Kaley, that attempted sob-fest was atrocious.