VANQUISHING DEMONS

[vandergraafk]

Vanquishing demons and warlocks is the Charmed Ones stock in trade. Or, is it? In Something Wiccca This Way Comes, Phoebe announces that she, Piper and Prue are the Charmed Ones, protectors of the Innocent. Accompanying a still skeptical Prue on the way home from a local bar, Phoebe describes and discusses the engravings in the Book of Shadows. She indicates that the Charmed Ones were safe from demonic attack as long as they were ignorant of their powers and their legacy. Now that the prophecy has been revealed, they are no longer safe. Warlocks and demons will attack in order to deter the Charmed Ones from protecting innocents.

Over the course of several seasons of Charmed, the sisters did just that. They defended themselves against demon attacks while protecting innocents from attack. However, as the seasons wore on, the Charmed Ones seemed to approach demons differently. In Hell Hath No Fury, an angry, vengeful Piper is on the warpath. In the company of Cole and Phoebe, neither of whom seems capable of dissuading her from her self-appointed task, Piper wreaks havoc on demons seemingly at random. She scrys for evil and orders Phoebe and Cole to go along for the vanquish. It seems the end - protecting the innocent - has been displaced by the means - vanquishing demons - to the extent that now vanquishing demons seems the main goal of Piper.

This might be excused, given Piper's grief at the loss of her older sister Prue. Yet, two seasons later, the Charmed Ones are browbeaten by Chris, their new whitelighter, into attacking demons systematically. The ostensible aim is to protect a young Wyatt from being turned by unknown demonic forces. There is no question of innocents lives being protected. The only unifying theme in these demon vanquishes is the protection of Wyatt, hardly an innocent and certainly capable of defending himself.

When the Avatars arrive, the Charmed Ones are skeptical at first, but eventually buy into the Avatar vision of a world free of demons. They then set about vanquishing as many demons as possible before utopia is ushered in. These demons to be vanquished are harming no one at the moment. Yet, they are vanquished because of the threat they pose to utopia. A world free of evil cannot tolerate the presence of evil in its midst is the tautological device used to justify these demon vanquishings.

Eventually, the Charmed Ones recognize the Avatar utopia for what it is: totalitarian thought control. Independent thought and free will are demonized and subject to vanquish, as the Avatars freely demonstrate after utopia has been ushered in. As a result, the Charmed Ones seek to undo the great mistake they have naively bought into.

Yet, the problem seems ever present. The Charmed Ones, whether misguided by a whitelighter, seduced by utopians, or consumed with vengeance, set upon the vanquishing of demons as their top priority. It cannot be, nor should it be. Yet, the Charmed Ones fall into this trap constantly. Under what circumstances, then, is it acceptable for demons and warlocks to be vanquished?

[Xenith]

It really is funny to go back to the first two seasons. The demon Rodriguez attempts to kill the Charmed Ones and then kills Andy, and yet the Charmed Ones (Prue who just lost her friend/lover included) try and let him just walk out once he is defeated...WOW.

Then there is Painted World where the sisters are REMORSEFUL when the painting containg the two warlocks is burned killing them.

And then of course Astral Monkey with Piper in tears after killing Dr. Williamson blaming herself.


Then you watch the later seasons where they kill demons left and right without blinking an eye. When Piper interrogated an demonic henchman it was certain that she was still going to blow him up after he told her what he knew and begged for mercy. It seems completely forgotten that warlocks were at one time human, and the Charmed Ones barely seem to shed a tear when they fail to save someone. (Unless of course one of them had been doing said person.)

As much as I did not like Billie I still think that Piper especially jumped to the conclusion that she had to be killed much to quickly. Although unlike a certain Blonde Bimbo she had enough sense to think further and to at least attempt a non-lethal solution first...

[vandergraafk]

Yes, and this trend was much accelerated by Chris during Season 6 when he went on his vanquish now, see the results later approach to demon hunting. To what extent are the Charmed Ones flirting with danger when they go this route? Is this the sort of logic that ultimately turns witches into warlocks? Richard seemed on the brink of this by using all kinds of magic - white and black - to impress Paige. Had Paige not stripped him of his powers, he would have become a warlock! Maybe the Charmed Ones should have taken another trip into the future and seen themselves as warlocks!

[Scott]

In a dialogue with a fan who wrote the following:

Although a large part of the show was about empowering women, I think we can't forget another aspect was about protecting the ones you love (family and friends) and defending those who can't defend themselves. I think this was an important underlying message of the show and I hope, even if you did not get a chance to speak to this, someone else did.

vandergraafk expressed these sentiments:

I share your sentiments. Perhaps that's why I am so drawn to the character of Paige who, as social worker, is best positioned to give practical aid to those who need defending. Of course, the best example has been her willingness to put aside her own salvation to care to the needs of a client: Caroline. That was probably one of the most defining moments for revealing Paige's character. It was no surprise that she was drawn to Brody and ultimately chose to marry Henry, a parole officer convinced that his job entailed more than just monitoring released prisoners. To give his parolees a chance for success was what drew Paige to him.

But, one must acknowledge that the Chris led "die demon die" campaign was problematic. One need only contrast his approach with the comment that Prue made at the conclusion of Deja Vu when she chooses to free Inspector Rodriguez. "We are not murderers, but we are no angels either." Wanton destruction of demons should not have been the mantra of the Charmed Ones. But Chris really pushed this creed in order to protect Wyatt. However noble the latter goal, the means were very, very corrupting of the Charmed Ones. This corruption culminates in the arrogant attempt to bring about utopia. However worthy the desire for a "normal life" it can never be acceptable to achieve such a life at the expense of innocents - who are liquidated by the Avatars simply for being obstreperous - or at the expense of a systematic destruction of demons. That made them murderers - according to Prue's definition. Though the Charmed Ones undid the killing of innocents by making a stand against Avatar mind control, they never ever addressed the demon hunt propelled in large measure by the preemptive strikes demanded by Chris.