Charmed’s Biggest Plot Hole Makes Absolutely No Sense
Looks like the Book of Shadows has lost a page.
Created by Constance M. Burge and later developed by Brad Kern, the beloved American television series debuted in 1998 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. The show follows the lives of the Halliwell sisters, who happen to be powerful witches destined to protect the world from supernatural threats.
Over the course of eight seasons, The Power of Three sisters captivated audiences with its blend of supernatural elements, family dynamics, and portrayal of female empowerment. Starring Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano, and Rose McGowan as Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige, respectively, the show continually introduced new magical rules and beings to keep the series fresh.
However, there is one notable magical entity that introduced a significant and noticeable plot hole in the show's eight-season run, which was filled with minor inconsistencies.
The Cleaners are a mysterious and enigmatic group who play a unique role in the show's supernatural universe. They are first introduced in season 6, specifically in the episode Forget Me...Not, and their primary function is to maintain the secrecy of magic and supernatural beings from the mortal world.
Existing beyond time and space, the Cleaners are charged with preserving the secrecy of magic and maintaining cosmic balance. When baby Wyatt accidentally reveals magic to the world by summoning a dragon, the Cleaners intervene, taking Wyatt away from Piper and erasing all memories of him from the world.
Ultimately, the Cleaners, dressed in sleek white suits and possessing a tremendous power to erase memories and rewind events to a specific point in time, create a massive gap in the show's plot. If the Cleaners have been around all this time, it means that their existence is at odds with the events of the Season 3 finale.
In this episode, titled All Hell Breaks Loose, the Halliwell sisters are exposed as witches when a cameraman videotapes them fighting a demon. After the magical exposure, Prue, Piper, and Phoebe face constant threats, leading to Prue's tragic death at the hands of the upper-level demon Shax. So if the Cleaners were part of the story, they could have stepped in and possibly saved Prue's life.
All in all, the inclusion of the Cleaners in the story reveals a significant plot hole in the popular story. If their mission is to prevent magical exposures like the sisters' incident on the local news, why didn't they stop it?
If the Cleaners had intervened, the magical exposure would have been erased, preventing Prue and Piper from dying, Phoebe and Leo would not have been trapped in the Underworld, and acknowledging the Cleaners' role could have prevented the sisters from getting exposed and its devastating consequences.