The Charmed Ones race against time to put a stop to the nightmare future Inara has planned for the world, but may have instigated something even worse.

If I were to sum up the final ever episode of this iteration of Charmed in one word, it would have to be rushed. If I were to be asked to use more words…well, that’s a review.

Truth be told, I have struggled with Charmed over the years. Starting strongly as a powerful, political and refreshing take on the material, it quickly devolved into so much silliness. And it wasn’t just the run of the mill type of silliness that one might expect from a show about witches, demons, trolls and suchlike, but rather the irritating repetition of characters who were asked to learn the same lessons week after week, before apparently being bashed over the head offscreen so they could do it all again. It was the never ending need for escalation which gave us increasingly convenient and unconvincing threats and antagonists and artefacts which never felt like they were part of a coherent, organic world but rather something the writers had come up with on the back of a cigarette packet. It was the fact that the strongest, most interesting characters were often underserved by scripts – Abigael – or just plain punished by the writers week after week – Macy.

And then Season 4 started. I was sceptical that the show could even continue, given the departure of Macy, but Kaela was a great new character who brought fresh energy. Add in the return of Josefina (sort of) and a new sense of that political commentary which the show had done so relevantly in its earliest days, and all seemed right in the Charmed Ones’ world. Then about four episodes ago, it wasn’t.

All this to say, this is not a good episode. Certainly it isn’t an episode I feel either the cast or creatives would want to be remembered as the show’s legacy. Basically pressing rewind and giving the girls a second go around at Inara, it then just carries on getting sillier. By the time we’ve gone through some slutty jokes for one of the ‘original’ Charmed Ones, a Fight Club-esque scene for another and Harry talking to the spirit of a deceased troll, it really does feel like the show needs to put itself out of its misery quickly.

The writers clearly agree, with all the significant stuff to the actual plot being wrapped up a good ten minutes before the episode’s end. And that wrap up? Remember last time out when I said that the sisters were bound to find some magical doohickey that got them out of all this? Well, I was maybe partially wrong, but the laziness of the final threat is matched only by the way in which it is suddenly and fortuitously disposed of.

Which just leaves all the actual wrap up, as we see what the girls (and their boys) are now up to, and how each will carry on with their lives. Lots of talking, in other words, followed by what I’m quite sure was supposed to be an endearing bit of self-reference but in fact comes off as a cheap way of trying to capitalise on the popularity of ‘crossover’ and ‘multiverses’ in the modern genre landscape. Reader, I did not laugh (not least because it was basically signposted a mile off).

Verdict: A poor end to what has been, at best, a mixed show. When it did it right, it soared. Unfortunately in this finale, it falls flat on its face. 2/10

Greg D. Smith