With eight, 22-episode seasons of the originalCharmed— starringShannen Doherty,Holly Marie Combs,Alyssa Milano, andRose McGowanas Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige, respectively —new rules surrounding magic were periodically inventedto keep things fresh. For instance, the concept of personal gain became a much more comical, heightened threat later in the series than it was earlier on, as it provided some interesting hijinks for the sisters to navigate as they attempted to save the world and live their lives in San Francisco. New magical beings were also introduced along the way, specifically in the latter half of the series. However, the introduction of one such magical being, the Cleaners, brings about what is arguablyCharmed’s largest and most noticeable plot hole throughout eight seasons full of little plot holes (that are easy to ignore to make the story work).
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Who and What Are the Cleaners in ‘Charmed’?
First introduced inCharmedSeason 6, Episode 3, the Cleaners arrive on the scene when baby Wyatt exposes magic to the world by conjuring a dragon (among other things). The episode begins with the Cleaners taking Wyatt from Piper, and we see thatnot even the Charmed Ones’ powerswork against them. The reason the three are powerless to stop them is because the Cleaners exist outside of time and space as a neutral force to ensure the secret of magic is never exposed, protected by both sides to keep the cosmic balance in order. Thus, the Cleaners wipe the world’s memory of Wyatt completely, leaving gaping holes in the sisters’ memories that they use a spell to fill as they relive the events of the previous day.
In the end, the sisters are only able to stop the Cleaners by exposing magic themselves, purposely making an even bigger mess than Wyatt did. This puts the Cleaners in a tricky position because the sisters vow to continue to expose magic, but the Cleaners can’t make the Charmed Ones disappear — as they did with Wyatt — without tipping the scales of good and evil and no longer remaining neutral. So, after the sisters confirm they’ll stay vigilant to keep Wyatt from exposing magic, he is returned and memories are restored. But, the invention of the Cleaners this late in the show brings about a major plot hole, one that impacts a great portion of the show, particularly the Season 3 finale (where Prue dies).
‘Charmed’s Season 3 Finale Wouldn’t Have Happened If the Cleaners Existed
Ultimately, the reason the Cleaners are a significant plot hole is that the story of the Season 3 finale wouldn’t have worked if the Cleaners had existed. To begin this episode, Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are in the middle of their quest to protect an innocent from theSource’s assassin Shax.When Phoebe goes upstairs to find a spell, Shax attacks, dealing serious blows to both Prue and Piper, knocking them unconscious, and is only stopped when Phoebe recites the spell herself — but, as a Power of Three spell, this alone isn’t enough to vanquish him. Once Leo (Brian Krause) heals Prue and Piper, they take to the streets in broad daylight to finish Shax off using Piper’s new power to blow him up. Unfortunately, when they do, the supposed vanquish is recorded by a cameraman for the local news, exposing magic and outing the sisters as witches to the entire world.
Once they learn Shax is still alive, they find him again and actually vanquish him, though this comes with more exposure. After all of this, the press and random citizens won’t leave them alone and have swarmed their house, including one woman who shoots Piper in the stomach with a crossbow. So, as if the threat of exposure wasn’t enough, it came at the cost of one of their lives. Luckily, Phoebe and Cole (Julian McMahon) convince the Source to have the demon Tempest reset time, saving Piper. But, the Source keeps Phoebe and Cole trapped in the underworld, so when time resets to pick up where the episode began once more, Phoebe isn’t at home to stop Shax from attacking Piper and Prue and killing their innocent.
Prue Wouldn’t Have Died If the Cleaners Were Around
As such, after this story, introducing the Cleaners brings about a major plot hole as their mission is to stop such events from unfolding. The sisters’ careless exposure of magic on the local news would’ve been wiped away, and they would have continued on with their lives and battled Shax again under different circumstances. Neither Prue nor Piper would have died as Phoebe and Leo wouldn’t have been stuck in the underworld due to, quite literally, having to make a deal with the devil to save her sister’s life. Thus, allowing her and Leo to save Prue (and Piper) as they did the first time Shax attacked. Instead, Prue and Piper spend almost an entire day with the world knowing their secret and witnessing firsthand the damage that causes, which was wholly unnecessary given the Cleaners’ role in keeping the secret from being exposed.
Ultimately, introducing the Cleaners later in the series lessened theimpact of the events that led to Prue’s death, which is absolutely horrible givenwhat a nightmare it was for Piper and Phoebethat without Paige they wouldn’t have survived. It also creates a gaping hole in the first five seasons when the sisters spend so much time worrying about exposure and what would happen if magic is exposed, using their magic and saving innocents with that threat very much at the front of their minds. The invention of the Cleaners makes one rethink so many scenarios in which the sisters could have revealed their magic to save the day and had their secret covered back up to keep them safe. It also takes away any real threat of exposure for the remainder of the series, which is something that added quite a bit to the writing ofCharmed. In short, the Cleaners should never have existed. (Also, you’re telling me the Cleaners couldn’t get the police off of the sisters’ backs with their connection to so many “unsolved” cases? Sure.)
