The first season reboot of the hit show Charmed is now well under way, airing its mid-season finale episode last Sunday.

Despite starting off with a pilot that felt rushed and slightly too in-your-face with the social commentary, the show seems to have settled in and began finding its feet, with interesting storyline developments that finally feel like they are building up to…something. One key storyline that seems to be driving this season is the relationship between Maggie Vera and Parker Caine, which happens to pose some parallels with a couple from the original series: Phoebe and Cole.

Those who watched the original Charmed series will all know of the long-running, tumultuous relationship between Witch/Charmed One/ youngest sister Phoebe Halliwell and Cole Turner. Their relationship was a long running story arc in the series and was a major test of Phoebe’s relationship with her sisters as well as her stance as a good witch/Charmed One.

Cole Turner (played by Julian McMahon) was a half-demon (demon name Balthazor) initially assigned by the Triad to kill the Charmed Ones, but fell in love with Phoebe (played by Alyssa Milano) while on his mission. He had an internal struggle with his demon side and his human side, his human side being his “weakness” that allowed him to fall for Phoebe Halliwell. Their relationship faced struggles due to their positions and duties in the supernatural community and more realistic issues like Cole’s manipulative and obsessive behavior towards Phoebe.

Fast-Forward to 2018 Charmed 2.0, and it seems we may have another Phoebe and Cole on our hands. Maggie Vera (played by Sarah Jeffery), the youngest sister/Charmed One (like Phoebe Halliwell) is a college freshman and meets Parker Caine. There seems to be an instant attraction. Maggie discovers Parker (played by Nick Hargrove) is dating her friend Lucy and tries to keep her distance, but when trying to distract Parker from demonic activity thinking he’s an innocent human she needs to distract, keep safe and out of the-know, she kisses him.

After the kiss, Parker is persistent in his pursuit of Maggie and lands a date with her. Maggie thinks she can trust him because, unlike her sisters, she doesn’t have an active physical power (also like Phoebe Halliwell) and reads minds. Parker’s thoughts don’t seem too suspicious, so nothing to worry about, right?

Wrong.

In 1×08 “Bug A Boo,” of the 2018 reboot, viewers discover Parker is a half-demon, sent on a mission by his demon father to get close to the Charmed ones — Maggie in particular. Parker’s human side is being killed by his demon side, and the clock is ticking to find a way to become full demon so he won’t die. In the most recent episode, 1×09 “Jingle Hell,” we find out that not only is Parker’s family working towards making him a full demon, but they intend for him to be The Source (of All Evil), which he is supposedly prophesied to become.

In season 4 of the original series, Cole’s demon side is vanquished, and he lives as a human in a loving relationship with Phoebe. Later in the season, a demonic seer manipulates Cole, leading to him being possessed by The Source, who fills the empty void of his old demon side. Despite being taken over by The Source, the love Cole’s human side holds for Phoebe is so strong he concocts a plan to destroy the Power of Three and turn Phoebe evil, with the ultimate plan of them becoming rulers of the underworld together with her as his queen.

So, we have Cole, a half-demon. We have Parker, also a half-demon. Both are sent on missions to close in on the Charmed ones, particularly the youngest sister without an active power. Cole became the Source. Parker is prophesied to become The Source. What is different, though, is the vibes the actors/characters give off. Cole was charming, confident and passionate and his turns to good were a product of his genuine, overwhelming love for Phoebe. Parker, on the other hand, has a softer feel. He seems naturally inclined to not give into his demon side rather than for the sake of Maggie.

He tried to avoid hurting a man protecting the power-stealing amulet in the mid-season finale, asking his full-demon brother, Hunter, not to kill him. He has a more boyish, teen angsty kind of feel in comparison to Cole – which makes sense as he appears to be posing as a college teen. The show seems to be going for the cute,young love college kid couple type image for Maggie and Parker whereas Phoebe and Cole had a more mature, passionate, chaotic kind of relationship. It is early days for this series though, so far all we know is that the similarities indicate the show could still be heading for similar storylines with Maggie and Parker.

As of the mid-season finale that aired Sunday, Maggie, upon discovering the truth, is hurt and feels stupid for trusting Parker even though he confesses he loves her and couldn’t go through with using his amulet gift for her, which was actually given to steal her powers.

Will Maggie be able to forgive him or trust him again? Are we buckling up for a wild ride of ups and downs in their relationship, like Phoebe and Cole’s? In the original, Cole is actually somewhat successful with his plan, though his victory isn’t long lived. Will Parker aim for the same goal? His priority until now has been saving himself from dying, which requires becoming a full demon. Now we have the reveal that he’ll potentially become The Source. Will his love for Maggie send him in Cole’s footsteps and fuel plans and actions to ensure she becomes The Source’s Queen?

There has been some controversy regarding the choices leading up to the reboot of the hit show.
The old cast, particularly Holly Marie Combs seemed to not be fond of the marketing for this ‘fierce, funny, feminist‘ reboot. Combs, who played Piper in the original series, took to twitter to express her feelings.

“I will never understand what is fierce, funny or feminist in creating a show that basically says the original actresses are too old to do a job they did 12 years ago. I hope the new show is far better than the marketing so the true legacy does remain.”

The season is nine episodes in and it still feels too early to tell if the reboot will live up to the legacy of the original, but there is potential. Will re-creating an old storyline trope go down well? Is it necessary in making sure the “true legacy does remain”? There has been some mixed reactions to the Maggie/Parker storyline from viewers who noticed the similarities:

It looks like a bit of a wait until we see how this storyline plays out, as Charmed returns to screens in January 2019 after the mid-season break. How do you feel about the similarities between Maggie/Parker and Phoebe/Cole? Let us know in the comments below!