Charmed's Clash of the Whitelighters They're dead, they're mystical, and they don't like each other very much. In the last moments of last season's finale on The WB Network's "Charmed," the fate of good Whitelighter Leo was left in question -- until the show's season premiere Sunday, Sept. 28.
In "Charmed" mythology, Whitelighters are departed souls sent back to Earth to watch over good witches. In Leo's case, his guardianship of the Halliwell sisters -- Piper (Holly Marie Combs), Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) and Paige (Rose McGowan) -- led to romance and marriage with Piper, and the birth of a son, Wyatt.
But, the arrival of a mysterious Whitelighter from the future, Chris (Drew Fuller), threw Piper and Leo's marriage into chaos. Leo was forced to become an Elder to fight evil, and Chris maneuvered to take his place as the sisters' guardian. As the season ended, Leo and Piper were forced to separate, then without warning, Chris hit Leo with a magical blast, leaving fans wondering if Piper's beloved was gone for good.
Apparently, the scene left Krause wondering the same thing. "It definitely looked like being vanquished to me," Krause says. "But, it's made me feel good and appreciated, running into fans saying, 'I'm not going to watch the show if Leo doesn't come back. You're important to the show.'
"But, it was a very nerve-wracking few weeks. When I got the breakdown, and I got the script, I was like, 'All right, they say I'm coming back, but I don't know what's going on.'
"There were a few calls into Brad [executive producer Brad Kern], whoever else might have some insight. 'What do you know? What have you heard? I guess I'm outta here, OK.' Check the savings book, 'I gotta find something else to do. What am I gonna do?'
"I was stressed. Fortunately, I didn't have to accept it for too long before they let me know for sure I was coming back. I could breathe again."
According to Krause, those who've known Leo as a nurturing, supportive guardian, husband and father are in for a surprise. When the season opens, Leo has spent some time banished to the warrior realm of Valhalla, fighting for his life.
"Now that I'm away and obviously not with my wife and child, I'm bitter and angry. I have a lot to vindicate this season. What drives Leo this year is the passion and yearning to be with his wife and child. There's a harder edge to him, now.
"I'm not going to be so nice. I want my wife back. I want my child back. I'll do anything to have that. I'm going to find out what happened and kick somebody's butt!"
Right now, the prime candidate for butt-kicking is Chris. "I [Leo] do not like the guy," Krause says. "I don't trust the guy. I'm going to expose him, and I'm going to take him down. I'm motivated to take care of business.
"He is the sole reason I'm not with my wife and child, through him creating the scenario for me to become an Elder. So, I place all the blame on him."
"I guess he has a very strong desire to beat the hell out of me," Fuller, who became a series regular over the summer hiatus, says. "The thing is, he doesn't have any proof, but he has a hunch. Obviously, his hunch is right, but I'm not going to give him anything.
"Basically, he has all this locked-up aggression. He's just bitter. I'm the new guy. He has all this aggression, and since he sees I'm moving in on his family, he's taking it out on me."
Asked what he thought when he read the end of last season's finale, Fuller laughs. "I was excited. I'm like, 'Yes!' First thought, swear to God, 'I'm the only guy on the show. Yes!' Is that bad? When I read that, I was, 'Right on, I'm the new guy, and I'm the only guy, so there are going to be no misconceptions whatsoever about who the guy on the show is.' I'm the new Whitelighter; he's the old Whitelighter."
One can't blame Leo for being upset, since Chris was trying to weasel his way into the sisters' affections. "Whoa!" Fuller says. "That's a horrible word, 'weasel.' Let's rephrase that. I'm a Cheshire cat, or Puck, very mischievous and very fun. It's not like I'm doing anything really wrong to the point where anyone will hate me.
"I'm always doing something. I might start a fire here, but I'll put one out over there. I'm always redeeming myself in some form or another. I promise!"
At this point, Chris' true motives -- and some fans are speculating that he's the grown-up Wyatt -- remain hidden from viewers.
"I just finished episode five, just more of the same thing," Fuller says. "It's going to be a slow reveal to the audience in regards to what I'm about, who I am, what my goals are, and why I'm really here. I'm playing it like I know. I have certain ideas. I've built a story in my head.
"As long as I'm keeping the audience and the girls and everyone in suspense, I don't want anyone to know what I'm doing. The only one who knows what I'm doing is me, and possibly Brad. I like being the Cheshire Cat. I love being mischievous. It's so boring to play straight-up.
"I love the fact of toying with the audience. That's the best type of television, that's the best type of movies, the ones that keep you really guessing and thinking to the end."
At least now that Leo's been banished, Krause doesn't have to see his gold-velvet Elder's robe again. "I made curtains of it," he quips.
But, there were plenty of comments on the less-than-attractive costume, Krause says. "How many people do we have on our crew? How many people did I run into at the mall? Not to mention Mom. Mom always likes everything, but 'What happened, honey?'"
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