Greetings, witches!
If you’re new here, welcome to Boy in Pink! If you’re returning, come take a spell with me.
You don’t need to be a self-proclaimed pop culture connoisseur to notice that every franchise has that character. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Star Wars fan who’s even neutral towards Jar Jar Binks. Nobody I know is rocking with Moesha’s daddy. Every time you utter the name William Schue, the Glee fandom collectively has to catch their breath. If you’ve seen every episode of Charmed to the point that you know what season you’re watching based on Rose McGowan’s hair color, you’ll know that a certain Ms. Phoebe Halliwell will elicit a visceral reaction from diehard fans. I won’t lie and say that Phoebe is a perfect character. She’s not. However, I think it’s time we as the Charmed fandom fan some of the flames we have towards Clairvoyant Carrie.
Before I start defending Phoebe’s character like I’m on her payroll, I think it’s important to give a little context to my engagement with the Charmed fandom. Since I wasn’t born until halfway through the show’s run (July of 2002 for those of you curious), I have zero recollection of feelings toward Phoebe’s character when the show was on the air. When I did start watching Charmed, I was six years old and while the internet was very much a thing in 2008, I barely understood phonics, so I don’t think I’d be reading Charmed message boards deconstructing Phoebe. It wasn’t until I was fifteen that I truly started engaging in online discourse about this little witch show from the late 90’s.
When I decided to rewatch Charmed back when it was on Netflix, I went in thinking that Piper would remain my favorite sister. But as I binged my way through the show, my favorite sister, like my show size, evolved that summer. As I neared the end of season seven, I thought, “I need to see what folks are saying about Phoebe online!” When I discovered the last online forum dedicated to the series, I felt like I had struck gold. As I spent time scouring the forum, however, I was shocked to find that a lot of people didn’t share my sentiments toward Phoebe. “She’s selfish,” they would say. “She prioritizes her relationships over her duties,” I heard. “Her fringe bangs were ugly,” I agreed. Like every fifteen-year-old, I wanted to fit in. “She is selfish,” I parroted. “Phoebe did prioritize her relationships over her duties,” I believed. My opinions on her fringe bangs were unchanged. It wasn’t until I majored in English and had an experience or two that reframed my view of Phoebe and brought me back to loving her.
*We’re about to enter spoiler territory, so read ahead at your own risk*
From what I’ve read online, Phoebe is universally considered a beloved character in the show’s first two seasons. She’s the free spirited youngest sister who dives into witchcraft with optimism and curiosity. Armed with the power of premonition and a good heart, it’s her power and eagerness to help those in need that serve as the catalyst for the sisters saving so many “innocents” as they call them. “Why is she hated then, Derrick?” I’m glad you asked.
Third Time’s Not a Charm
As the show entered its third season in the fall of 2000, disgraced showrunner Brad Kern decided that Phoebe needed a demon-turned-good doer love interest. Enter Cole Turner. He’s a handsome, charismatic ADA whose actually a demon sent by a group known as The Triad. His M.O.? Kill the sisters Halliwell. Unfortunately, he can’t do that because that Phoebe is just too damn charming. Throughout season three, we see the ups and downs of Phoebe and Cole’s relationship as he battles his demonic nature since evil is genetic apparently. “That doesn’t sound so bad,” you might say. Well, here’s where many fans want Phoebe’s head. In season 3, episode 8, “Sleuthing With the Enemy,” Phoebe is confronted with Cole’s betrayal and has two options: vanquish the man who’s been trying to kill her, Piper, and Prue for months or let him escape. She chooses the latter. Was this a reckless mistake on her part? Yes. Is it worthy of such vitriol? I don’t think so. In universe, Phoebe is twenty-five years old, an undergrad with bad credit and a bike, and Cole has been her first real love. I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility that she’d take such a risk for the first man she’s really loved. She may be a witch, but she’s still human, and I think it’s very human to not think clearly when love, romantic or not, is involved. From a storytelling perspective, Phoebe’s decision introduces great conflict to the sisterhood. For the past three seasons, we’ve watched the sisters grow closer as a result of being witches. When Phoebe confesses her “sin” so to speak, her sisters are rightfully angry. Phoebe’s not a fool for chasing love. She’s a fool for putting her family in danger whether Cole claims to be good or not. You’re not going to believe what Ms. Halliwell does next.
Long Live the Queen
When Charmed returned for its fourth season, eldest sister Prue was killed off, making way for Piper and Phoebe’s younger half-sister Paige Matthews. “Damn. I didn’t know one of the sisters got killed off. Why would you spoil that, Derrick?” Well, I warned you that there would be spoilers. But also I mention Prue’s death because it fits with one of the series’s central themes, which is loss. Prue’s demise is only one in a string of losses the sisters have faced. Their mother died before the start of the series, their father was absent for most of their childhood, and the grandmother that raised them is dead at the start of the show. Not to mention the countless innocents the girls have lost due to demons. Put a pin in loss. I promise we’re going to circle back to it. Towards the middle of the season, Cole finds himself possessed by an essence known as The Source of All Evil. Through the deliciously wicked manipulation of a woman known only as The Seer, Cole rises up the ranks in the Underworld and is set to be crowned ruler of this show’s version of Hell. There’s just one problem: Cole is now married to Phoebe, good witch and protector of the innocent. In season 4, episode 19, “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” shit hits the fan when Cole’s role as The Source is revealed. Phoebe now has two choices: vanquish her husband or join him as his queen. Can you guess which choice she makes? “Derrick,” you’re sighing,” why are you defending her? She’s literally making the same mistake she did last season.” Well, yes! But hear me out. Again, looking at this from a storytelling perspective, Phoebe’s betrayal parallels last season (and I love, love, love narrative parallels) and introduces conflict to this new sisterhood. What will Phoebe’s choice mean for a sibling unit that didn’t grow up together? How will Paige react? Will it be easy for Piper to forgive her a second time? Storytelling aside, Phoebe’s decision to become Queen of the Underworld is, in my opinion, a desperate attempt to gain control in her life. Remember how I told you to keep loss in mind? Well, at this point, Phoebe has lost her mother, grandmother, big sister, and too many innocents to count. Aside from her grandmother, what triggered these losses? Evil. The same evil that’s about to destroy her husband unless she quits fighting it and joins in. I’m not saying what Phoebe did was right, and I do wish she would’ve faced more consequences for her actions. However, I think it does a disservice to the character to simply label her selfish rather than taking into account events in her life that have triggered some of her decisions.
Life After Hell
For the final four seasons of the show, Phoebe becomes an overnight celebrity with her Carrie Bradshaw-esque advice column, has her fling of men, and focuses on finding the father of the child she sees in a vision. While I don’t think Phoebe is outright deplorable during seasons five through eight, I do see why some fans take umbrage with her characterization during the last half of the series. For instance, when it’s time to hunt demons or write a spell, Phoebe often hits her sisters with the old “I have to write my column” or “I have a date with my potential baby daddy” excuse. However, she’s not a lost cause. In an episode from early season seven, Phoebe regains her power of premonition after having it stripped the previous season. The reason she gets her visions back is because Phoebe recognizes that she has been acting selfishly and being too indulgent with her gifts. Another moment of humility and empathy from her comes in the final season. Billie, the sisters’ protégée, joins her “evil” sister (Christy’s mistreatment is another story) and turns against Phoebe, Piper, and Paige. With the sisters’ reputation tarnished in the magical community, Piper is ready to vanquish Billie. Phoebe, on the other hand, acknowledges that they have been selfish and suggests talking to Billie rather than vanquishing her. While I hate that Phoebe does a heel turn and sides with Piper, I love the culpability we get from her and that she wants to talk to Billie. After all, who better to talk about evil’s temptations and manipulation than the former Queen of the Underworld?
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, Phoebe is a fictional character. It doesn’t matter if you love her or hate her because she’s not going to see it. However, whenever I see the umpteenth post about how PhoeME is the worst or how Terror Twin #2 only cares about demon dick and caused her sister’s death (she didn’t by the way), it annoys me because a good character to me isn’t one you’re always going to agree with. A well-rounded character doesn’t always make the most morally sound decisions. What makes a character good, in my opinion, is when she makes those questionable choices. She’s well-rounded when you’re able to see the nuances in her thought process. When she, intentional or not, makes you confront the worst parts of yourself, she’s doing her job by reflecting the real world. If this passionate defense of Phoebe Halliwell somehow reaches the Charmed fandom, I can’t overstate enough how these are my opinions. If you read this and still decide Phoebe is the worst sister, that’s fine! The beautiful thing about media is that we’re all going to perceive characters and storylines in our own way. Like Phoebe, our experiences shape our reactions.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading! If you want to deem for yourself whether or not Phoebe is a selfish witch, all eight seasons of Charmed are currently streaming on Peacock. If you want to see whether or not I can defend another fictional woman like my life depends on it, you can subscribe to Boy in Pink. <3<3<3
So great friend!!!
Love the deep-dive!