Let’s get this out of the way first: reboots are not necessarily a bad thing, especially when the writers make an effort to place their new interpretation of the series in modern times. A lot can change in ten to twenty years, and adjusting a famous story to feel relevant to a new era works — if it has something to say. To its benefit, the new Charmed makes an effort to be of the times… it just can’t really accomplish all it sets out to do.
This new interpretation of the series follows the Vera sisters — Mel (Melonie Diaz), a grad student and political activist, and Maggie (Sara Jeffrey), a sorority girl. They’re both mourning the mysterious death of their mother when Macy (Madeline Mantock), a scientist, shows up at their door claiming to be a long-lost sibling. It also turns out that the three girls have recently developed supernatural abilities, and that they may be faced with defending the universe from the forces of evil, including a demon who may have murdered their mother and is now out to get them.
Obviously, the supernatural elements to the series would be familiar to anyone who grew up in the 1990s. But the new Charmed seems more interested in politics than it does sorcery, and spends much of its runtime talking about feminism, affirmative consent, and rape culture, amongst other hot-button topics. For example, an ongoing mystery set up in the premiere involves a woman who accuses a high-ranking professor of rape, only to mysteriously fall into a (perhaps paranormal?) coma.
Meanwhile, a group of Mens’ Rights Activists (who might be headed by a demon) plan a rally on campus, which Mel is dedicated to stopping. This blending of the supernatural with the political is far from subtle, but at least keeps things interesting and differentiates it from what came before. It’s 2018… not addressing politics in such volatile times would feel silly.
But some of these socially conscious moments don’t work at all. Take, for example, a cringe-worthy moment where Maggie schools a demon on affirmative consent, mere moments before she disposes of him with witchcraft. You can see what the writers are going for: a witty one-liner that ties into the show’s broader themes of female empowerment and social justice.
But the line doesn’t work, and almost serves to trivialize the topic, instead of naturally rolling it into the story. Another cringe-worthy exchange between Mel and an MRA finds both characters seemingly reciting bullet points about rape culture that feel like the writers just googled the topic, and copied and pasted whatever they found into their script. These topics all deserve to be discussed but, furthermore, they deserve to be discussed well.
At the very least, The CW have found a solid trio of actresses to bring life to these parts. It’s particularly wonderful to see Melonie Diaz again, after Hollywood ignored her stunning breakout performance in Fruitvale Station almost five years ago. Diaz, Mantock, and Jeffrey are all clearly having fun, and should make for charismatic stars. Also worth noting is that the show’s main mystery about the aforementioned coma, is somewhat intriguing, and the series introduces a compelling will they/won’t they romance in Mel and her complicated relationship with Detective Niko Hamada (Ellen Tamaki).
For all its modern touches, the new Charmed feels quite old fashioned both in execution, and in style (the special effects are truly awful, even by CW standards). It will be interesting to see if the show connects with modern audiences the way the original still connects to interested viewers. But, if it wants to have true staying power, the writers should figure out how to organically introduce politics and social justice into its story. Nothing gets accomplished if heavy topics are used for buzz words instead of genuine arcs or interesting storylines.
Overall rating: 4 out of 10
Charmed airs Sunday nights on The CW Network.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_q2cuq90pM
