Although I’ve watched the show dozens of times, one Charmed storyline from 22 years ago still doesn’t make any sense to me. As a Charmed superfan, I have strong opinions about the show, some of which go against the grain. For example, many people within the Charmed fandom hate Chris’ story arc in Charmed season 6, but I have to admit that he’s one of my favorite characters. I’m still disappointed they didn’t go through with the Charmed spinoff featuring adult Chris and Wyatt.

That being said, I agree with the general consensus that his story was poorly written and frequently confusing, which contributed to Charmed season 6 being ranked as the worst season. To fill in some of Charmed‘s plot holes and clarify the contradictions, I’ve come to think of Chris as a character who lies all the time. For this reason, I can write off most of his contradictory storylines. However, Chris is a part of one Charmed storyline that still doesn’t make sense to me, no matter how many times I watch the show.

Leo’s Hostility Towards Chris Feels Out Of Character For Him

Leo Has Subtle Hostility Towards Chris & Never Seems To Trust Him

Every time I watch the Chris-Leo storyline, I feel like I’m missing something obvious that everybody else picked up on. Up until he meets Chris, Leo is a very patient and curious person who forgives easily. He rarely shows any hostility toward anyone without cause. In Chris’ very first episode, he proves himself good by saving Phoebe and Paige, orbing, using good magic, and touching the Book of Shadows. The audience has reasons to question him based on his comment to baby Wyatt, but the characters in Charmed only see his good side, including Leo.

Despite this, Leo shows Chris nothing but skepticism, subtle hostility, and resentment starting at the end of the Charmed season 5 finale. He correctly guesses that Chris already knew that the sisters would defeat the тιтans, Leo would become an Elder, and Chris would become their Whitelighter. However, he doesn’t actually have a reason to suspect that Chris is a liar.

Leo also doesn’t have a reason to believe that Chris killed the Valkyries with bad intentions, considering other whitelighters acted in non-pacifist ways before him. Leo goes so far as to try and strip Chris of his whitelighter powers. Ultimately, no matter how many times I’ve watched Charmed, this storyline still never makes sense from a narrative standpoint.

Chris’ Hatred Towards Leo Is Introduced Too Late In Charmed

An Earlier Introduction Of Chris’s Hatred Towards Leo Could Have Explained The Elder’s Behavior

One significant change could have explained Leo’s behavior towards Chris – Charmed introducing Chris’ hatred of Leo earlier. If Chris had shown negative emotions towards Leo from his introduction, it could have explained why Leo distrusted him. He could have acted good around the sisters but shown little hints of his true feelings around Leo. However, they don’t introduce Chris’s anger and hatred of Leo until after it’s revealed that he is Piper and Leo’s son.

The rumor about the inconsistencies is that the writers introduced Chris to fill in as the sisters’ whitelighter if Brian Kraus left and that they planned for him to be evil. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any reliable sources that verify this information.

However, Drew Fuller did reveal at the 2024 Steel City Con (via Fandom Spotlight) that he was told his character would be a love interest for Paige when they brought him on. The plan only changed because of his onscreen chemistry with Holly Marie Combs. As such, the relationship shifts between Chris and Leo in Charmed Season 6 could have been because they needed to alter their plans for Chris.