Why Disney's So Weird Is Still My Favorite Show, Even As An Adult

July 12, 2022

As a lover of the paranormal for most of my life, So Weird became a favorite TV show of mine when it premiered on the Disney Channel back in January of 1999, when I was 9 years old. The original show ran for two seasons, a total of only 39 episodes. There was a third season after that, which we won't discuss in detail here except to say that it was a completely different show, despite having the same title and most of the same cast members. Oh and also, it was terrible. Like, really terrible. I thought it was terrible then and I think it's terrible now (and yes, I did give it a chance). But the first and second seasons were, and still are, truly special.

By the time Disney+ premiered, the show hadn't aired on television in 17 years. Many diehard fans had bootleg copies originally recorded on home VCR's, but the rest of us (including me) hadn't seen the show since at least 2003, and possibly as long ago as 2000. Since Disney had seemed to pretty much forget about the show entirely, it was a shock that they decided to add the entire series to Disney+.

I didn't even know if it would still be enjoyable after all these years, since it was intended to be a kids' show. In my experience, most of the shows you like as a kid don't hold up when you re-watch them as an adult. Still, I was excited to give it a try and see if I could still appreciate it now that I was grown.

As I re-watched, I realized there was a lot of stuff I didn't remember, including some huge plot threads and major pieces of character development. Perhaps I missed some episodes when it was on the air, or just forgot over time, or perhaps it's because I wasn't as observant back then. Chances are I just didn't care about those details because I was so young. Most other young kids probably didn't care about them either, and that's probably why a lot of kids' shows don't have the best continuity or attention to detail. Why bother putting in all that effort for something kids won't appreciate or even notice?

But that's one thing that sets So Weird apart, and makes it a show that grown-ups can enjoy just as much as children -- or maybe, even more. The secret to its cult following isn't just nostalgia, but the fact that the creators made a show that was actually good, and that held up even as its fans grew into adults.

(Which is why the third season is even more of a slap in the face to the first two, as it was clearly geared toward much younger children, despite the fact that its original fans were getting older. In fact, I hate everything about the third season so much that I might someday write a whole other blog post on that subject. But for now, I'm focusing on the positive.)

Because there's so much I never paid attention to, couldn't relate to, or that went over my head as a kid, my experience watching it now is obviously very different. But instead of it being less enjoyable, I actually find it more enjoyable. So much that I have now watched seasons 1 and 2 six times since Disney's streaming service premiered, and every time I watch it, I become more obsessed. The characters, the family lore, the song lyrics, and the tiny, barely noticeable details are now deeply engrained in me. I've become a So Weird expert.

And I'm not the only one. When I say this show has a cult following, I mean it. And that following is almost entirely made up of adults now (although thanks to Disney+ they are now also introducing it to a new generation).

As a kid who loved the paranormal, I appreciated how dark and spooky So Weird was, but I didn't realize back then how deep and emotional it was. Now, I feel all the emotions when I watch it -- I'm not kidding when I say there are multiple episodes I cannot watch without crying -- and I appreciate it so much more for the painstakingly in-depth, thoughtfully planned-out, and deeply sentimental story that it truly is.

Honestly, if this show had not aired on Disney (which refused to allow certain things the creators wanted to do), if the showrunners from seasons 1 and 2 hadn't been replaced, and if the original third-season plans had come to fruition, I believe it would have been one of the greatest shows of all time.

Here are a few reasons I feel So Weird is such a special piece of television history, and why it means so much to me, personally. Buckle up, because I could talk about this show for hours.

#1. Fi is a truly great character

Despite being 13-14 years old, Fi Phillips is a character that even adults can admire and relate to. She was far more grown-up than any other character I can think of in the same age group. She had a good heart, wanted to help people, and stood up for what was right. She was an incredibly brave and strong heroine, especially for her age. This girl fought demons and vampires, chased after ghosts and aliens, stared a banshee in the face and demanded a chance to change fate, and even made bargains with evil spirits to protect her loved ones. It wasn't that she was never afraid, but that she put her fear aside in order to do the right thing. Fi came off as so mature that you often forgot she was only 13-14, even in spite of her diminutive height. Her intelligence and maturity earned her respect from most of the adult characters. The character Tad Raxall often looked to her for ideas because she "thought outside the box," and while her mom was protective of her, she gave her a lot of leeway when it came to making her own decisions.

Despite all of this, she still came off as a realistic, and relatable, young girl. In fact, in many ways, she reminds me of myself when I was young, and not just because of our shared interest in ghosts. She was mildly tomboyish, but embraced her girly side too, and just liked whatever she liked regardless of what others thought of it. Despite being intelligent, she struggled in school when she didn't care for the subject matter, particularly math; but she loved learning when it was a topic she cared about. Her unique interests often found her passionately researching, debating, and educating others, but when it came to actually being a student, well, her heart just wasn't in it. She was often described by her brother as a "geek queen" or other similar titles thanks to her unusual hobbies and knack for technology, but she was never actually presented as being geeky. In fact, her outfits were pretty stylish for a girl her age in the late 90's and early 2000's -- the chunky boots, butterfly clips, etc. -- but that was always a background detail and never presented as a part of her actual personality.

Fi was kind of the epitome of the phrase "Be yourself." She proved that you don't have to fit any particular mold and can like things just because you like them. The perfect balance of average kid and non-conformist, her unique hobbies and lifestyle made her unlike any other teenage girl on TV. And she made being different look so cool.

When the show first aired, I was younger than Fi by several years, and now re-watching it, I'm more than twice her age. But at both stages of my life, I've respected her character. I don't think I even realized it at the time, but in retrospect, I'm pretty sure I considered Fi a kind of role model, someone I wanted to be like... because I already was like her in a lot of ways. She was relatable, unique, and had some similar interests to mine, including the paranormal, music, and to some extent, quirky 90's fashion. Also, we were both homeschooled, with bus driver/head roadie Ned doubling as the kids' teacher while they were on tour. Though hers was different from mine, it was the closest thing to representation of my own homeschool life that I ever saw on TV.

And honestly, now that both myself and the character are/would be in our 30's (in-universe, Fi would be 37 today), I imagine that the grown-up version of Fi has a lot of similarities to myself as well. For instance, many fans of the show want a reboot where Fi has a daughter, but I can't imagine her being a mom, because I see too much of myself in the character. She would definitely be more of a "cool aunt" figure to her brother's and friends' kids, in my opinion.

Although I'm not sure if it was ever actually their intention or not, I consider her a great feminist role model for young girls -- and anyone else, too.

#2. Molly is also a wonderful character

I think that the adult characters being such a big part of this show is one of the things that make it more relatable and make it feel a lot less like a kid's show. Particularly, the inclusion of Fi's mother, Molly. In shows about kids and teenagers, it usually seems that the parents or parental figures are often portrayed as annoying and overbearing, embarrassing, and practically more of an enemy than an ally. If they aren't portrayed as uptight, then I feel like they are usually shown as immature and barely able to take care of themselves, much less the children in their lives. But if there's any show that defies those expectations, it's So Weird.

Molly Phillips, a widowed mom who is also a famous rock star, is far outside the norm for a kids' show parent, and not only because of her interesting career. Even without the trappings of a professional singer touring the country, Molly would be an interesting character. Some episodes, like Rebecca and Banshee, which are by far the most emotional episodes and also happen to be my favorites, are almost entirely focused on Molly, her grief, and her rocky relationships with friends and family throughout her life.

Throughout seasons 1 and 2 there were multiple hints to the fact that Molly, though she either didn't know it or just refused to believe it, is descended from witches. Her maternal bloodline, the O'Shianhans, are a family full of witches, and Molly has inherited the ability to sometimes see visions of the future. The original season 3 would have explored this plotline in more depth.

Another thing Disney refused to actually put on the air, but is still accepted as canon by most of us because of what executive producer Jon Cooksey has shared, is that Molly has battled alcoholism in the past. It's what the lyrics to the show's theme song, "In the Darkness (Is the Light)" are actually about, and was going to be the focus of an unaired season-two episode called Chrysalis, which was replaced by an episode called Avatar because Disney didn't approve of the subject matter.

Still, it doesn't change what we know about the character, and this plot thread still exists in everyone's head-canon. It would have been a really important part of the character in my opinion, and it's special to me as someone who's worked in the field of addiction. Though I'm not in recovery myself, it became a topic close to my heart when I worked in that field and met so many wonderful people affected by addiction. Mackenzie Phillips, who played Molly, is also a counselor with addiction and recovery experience in her personal life. This fact makes it even more a part of canon, as far as I'm concerned. That's a part of her character that was written specifically for her, perhaps even at her request, and I'm sad that we never got to see her play it out in an episode as planned.

So not only is Molly a literal rockstar, the descendent of witches who writes prophetic song lyrics, and an extremely supportive mother, but also a very strong woman, who has suffered so much grief and loss including that of her one true love and her childhood best friend, as well as a difficult relationship with her father, substance abuse, and the hardships of raising two kids on her own. Despite all that, she stuck it out, raised two great kids, and still continued to rock out on stage every night.

Coolest. Mom. Ever.

#3. The MUSIC!

As if a show about the paranormal wasn't interesting enough, making the main character's mom a professional musician and the majority of the show take place while traveling the country on a tour bus was just an extra level of awesome. The unique combination of music, ghosts, and family drama truly made the show what it was -- if any of those elements had been missing, it wouldn't have been the same. And for those reasons, there will never be another show like it.

But can we talk about how good the songs actually are?

The original music of So Weird is one reason I will never actually believe that it was truly a children's show. It was a show for everyone, and I view the songs as proof of that. If you were to listen to the soundtrack of seasons 1 and 2 without knowing what it was, you would never guess that the tracks were written specifically for a Disney Channel show, thanks to both the quality of the writing, and how grown-up the sound and lyrics are. While most people would associate Disney with bubblegum pop, cheesy love songs and lyrics full of basic motivational cliches (such as in season 3), the first two seasons' soundtrack stands as a well-written, mature album that any professional rock band could be proud of (if only they had actually released it on CD! But luckily, we have Bricriu the Joker on YouTube). To me, the quality of the music is just another element that proves the writers of this show didn't look down on their audience because they were children, but actually cared enough to take the time and create something of quality.

Musically, the songs were written by a songwriter who now goes by Ann Marie Cullen, but was credited as Ann Marie Montade at that time. The lyrics were written by executive producer and showrunner Jon Cooksey, and the two of them were the perfect pairing to write amazing original music. The detail put into each track is spectacular. For instance, check out the piano work on "Origami."

I talk a lot about executive producer Jon Cooksey and how I admire him for his work on So Weird. But there were a lot of producers, writers, and other people coming up with ideas for the episodes. The show itself wasn't even Cooksey's idea, despite being the showrunner for the first two years along with his wife Ali Marie Matheson. Tom J. Astle actually created the show. So why is it that I admire him, specifically? For one thing, I really appreciate how much he has shared with us about the making of the show and the original plans that never happened -- because of his love for the show, we know so many things about it that we never would have known otherwise.

But I'm pretty sure that another reason I feel so attached to his work specifically is because he wrote all the song lyrics.

When I listen to music in general, I pay a lot of attention to the lyrics. They're important to me, and I'm always in awe of people who write poetic, clever rhymes. Despite having no history as a songwriter to my knowledge (please correct me if I'm wrong), Jon Cooksey achieved this so well, and every song he wrote lyrics for was absolutely perfect for the characters. His ability to channel his characters and write lyrics through their eyes as if he'd actually lived their experiences, to me, is astounding. I'm so impressed by the emotion he gave the lyrics that, in universe, were written by Molly about her life.

Cooksey's lyrics are not only well-written and clever, some of them are even quite dark and mature. I guess that shouldn't be surprising considering the content of some episodes. However, there were some things Disney cut out because I guess they came across a little too mature. For instance, while most of the full lyrics to "In the Darkness" did eventually air in an episode, most of the first verse was cut from the opening credits. The first four lines of the song are actually: "Demons come from every side / Pulling me on a downward slide / Getting hot the deeper I go / Into the darkness down below." I guess Disney thought a verse about going to Hell was a little too intense for the opening theme song.

Several years prior to the premier of Disney+, even after more than a decade without seeing the show, I was still listening to some of the songs regularly on YouTube. The music of this show never left me, and the fact that they are songs I'd actually listen to voluntarily, even before I knew if I would still enjoy the show, speaks volumes.

It's really hard to choose a favorite song from So Weird. Emotionally speaking, I would say "The Rock," which has a beautiful double meaning to it, and is the highlight of my favorite episode. Then, of course, there's "Rebecca," which is just as heart-wrenching as the episode of the same title; "More Like a River," a beautiful ballad about a widow's grief; and "Love Is Broken," which, within the context of the show, is probably the saddest song I've ever heard. Musically, "Origami" is amazing, and "New Math" is an instant good mood for me, though it might not be the heavy music I typically listen to. It's a fun song one would listen to when the weather is beautiful and life is carefree -- and it has a really fun little guitar solo.

"In the Darkness," as I mentioned earlier, is not just about ghosts and demons in the literal sense, but about Molly's battle with alcoholism, which makes it special to me and gives it an extra emotional layer. It's another song with a great double meaning, and a classic theme song that I can't leave out of my list of favorites because it's so iconic and unique. The lyrics and the guitars both make it a good song in its own right too. But my favorite version is the season 1 theme version that includes some epic vocalization in the background of the chorus. I am obsessed with these backup vocals. I find myself joining the background singers every time I watch season 1. Best theme song ever!

#4. I want to be part of the Phillips/Bell family

The single most important thing about any show, in my opinion, is the characters and their relationships with each other. So Weird really hit the mark with this one.

First of all, the Phillips/O'Shianhan family history is everything. Their family lore is such a big part of me now, from the characters who are still alive during the show's run, to Fi's "crusader" father and the namesake great-grandmother who was the matriarch of a family of witches. Throw in the touring rock musicians, and this is the coolest family to ever exist.

But the Bell family is also full of wonderful characters, and the relationships between all of the main characters makes me wish I could be adopted by them. While the Phillips and Bell families are not related by blood, they are definitely chosen family. I more or less consider Molly and Irene sisters, and their four kids practically cousins.

But it's Molly and Ned's relationship that I find even more wholesome. In fact, Ned's relationship with everybody is perfect. He seems to have been kind of a surrogate father figure to both Fi and Jack since their father's death, as well as being a great father to his own sons and husband to Irene. Ned is such a loveable character. He has that "big, lovable teddy bear inside a gruff ex-biker's body" thing going on and it works perfectly. And he and Irene raised two really great boys. In my headcanon (and possible actual sequel fiction series I may or may not be writing for my own pleasure), Clu definitely has sons when he gets older, so he can pass on those wonderful qualities of healthy masculinity to another generation of Bell men.

Clu really stood out to me, from the very first episode, as someone who is a great and supportive friend. There's a particularly touching scene in the second-season episode Nightmare where Fi is being comforted and held by her brother, but when he has to step away, Clu then takes over the role of comforter, holding her and stroking the top of her head and telling her "It's okay." The scene is heartbreaking, but so touching and it makes me love Clu even more. And then when his older brother Carey joined the show... well, we'll talk more about that later.

#5. That long-term plot that was supposed to last 3 seasons

For the most part, each individual episode can be watched on its own, with each one having a different topic that concludes within 30 minutes. But what really made this show stand out among kids' shows, or even some adult shows, is the continuing plotline that lasted for two seasons, and was actually leading up to an insane third season that unfortunately never happened.

When I re-watch the show as an adult, I'm far more interested in the Phillips family, and the drama and grief associated with the death of Rick ten years ago, than in the actual paranormal stuff, despite the paranormal stuff being the reason I began watching it in the first place. Watching Fi slowly find clues to her own destiny and uncover surprising details of her father's death is by far the most satisfying aspect of the show to me now.

Watching the first season, you wouldn't even know that so many seemingly small plot threads brought up so early on were actually leading up to something really big in the third season. The overarching plot for the entire three-season run was planned before the show even gained momentum, and some of the earliest episodes set up this continuity for episodes that weren't planned to be aired until two years later.

#6. The small details

Throughout the seasons, there are multiple small things that are mentioned several times, such as Ned working on the KISS reunion tour and being a former biker, and Molly's dad playing the piano, which is never actually seen, but mentioned in at least three episodes and even included in the lyrics to "She Sells." After the appearance of Callie Snow in the episode Siren, a poster of her album cover can regularly be seen hanging in the tour bus. Molly occasionally wears old T-shirts with the PKB (Phillips-Kane Band) logo on them, from their previous tours in the 80's. The car Jack, Clu and Carey chip in to buy at the beginning of season 2 is driven by the guys throughout the rest of the series (even season 3, so at least they kept some part of the continuity in that season). And Fi regularly instant messages characters whose screen names we should recognize from previous episodes, even if those characters never physically appear again. Fi's friend Candy's username even includes three numbers that might seem random unless you live in Colorado (or you Google it like I did); it's an actual area code from the Denver area where she's supposed to live.

Multiple characters are mentioned in conversation long before they are ever seen on-screen, as well, including Clu's older brother Carey, who is first mentioned in episode 8. The character was at college in Colorado during season 1, so we never saw him until he dropped out at the beginning of season 2 and joined the cast full-time; but despite never seeing him before, it feels like he was part of the canon from the beginning thanks to being mentioned in episodes prior to his appearance and even being mentioned by name. He was an established part of the family before we actually met him, so his sudden appearance didn't seem out of the ordinary. The same can be said of some other family members and friends like Candy in Hope Springs, Aunt Rachel in Manhattan, and Grandma Kathleen in Philadelphia, who were all mentioned long before being seen on-screen. Even Fi's other set of grandparents, Will and Valerie, were mentioned by name more than once even though they never appeared in the show. That's good continuity.

#7. Carey is an absolute gem and I would die for him

In Carey's first appearance, while clumsily trying to flirt, he described himself as "really manly, but with that boyish quality" -- and in seven words, perfectly summed up his entire character.

As a kid, I was a Clu fan, and was actually pretty upset when he left the show and was essentially replaced by his older brother. I remember feeling like something was missing without Clu, and actually thinking Carey was boring. Now, I feel guilty that I didn't appreciate him at the time because Carey is actually amazing.

I guess Clu's teenage surfer dude energy appealed to me more as a 10-year-old, while Carey brought a far more adult presence to the show, which is more my vibe now. (For the same reason, I appreciate the other adult characters a lot more these days, too.)

He was only around 19 in most of season 2, and 20 in the ill-fated season 3, but despite being so young, he has a very calm, mature energy most of the time, to the point that he sometimes comes off on almost the same level as the parents of the series. He represented an almost in-between age group that had been missing before. Even though his brother Clu is only between one and two years younger than he is, he was very much a teenager in his demeanor, while the only other main characters were either 16 and under, or old enough to be the parents of those kids. Bringing Carey on was a good move because he was young enough to follow Fi around on her paranormal adventures but mature enough to bring that grown-up energy. A professional musician by night, and a paranormal investigator (or at least a supportive tag-along friend) by day.

The way they wrote him onto the show was brilliant, too. Writing him on as Molly's full-time guitarist after hers suddenly quit was the perfect way to integrate him into the show. Otherwise, it might have seemed quite strange that someone his age would be following his parents around on tour when he's legally an adult and should probably be at home looking for a job. Introducing him as a musician and making the tour his full-time job was perfect, not only for keeping him as a regular character and explaining why he's there, but also just for adding another layer to the character. In Listen, when Molly first asks him to fill in for her guitarist, he's so excited to be performing. In Encore he expresses glee that he'll get to be on the first Molly Phillips solo album, and in Twin he's nervous to perform live on national TV (but of course nails it). It would have been great to see his confidence grow and to focus more on his growth as a musician during season 3.

Carey was a bit like Fi in the fact that he was not an academic by any means. He dropped out of college, said that he only read the cliff notes of The Odyssey in freshman English, and told Fi about the "educated guessing" method of test-taking when she was struggling to study. He even confused George Washington with FDR while trying to remember who was on the quarter. But just like Fi, when it comes to the thing he's passionate about (in his case, music), it's a whole different story. He also never comes off as dumb or ditzy (except for the whole FDR thing), unlike his brother, who my mom always said must have been named Clu because he didn't have one. Yet despite his actual cluelessness, Clu is the one who seemed to be succeeding in college, and Carey, who comes off as more mature and wise, is the one who dropped out. Fi and Carey both serve as examples that there's more than one way to be smart -- which is really close to a direct quote from the episode Vampire -- and that having a college degree or getting good grades doesn't define you. You can still be intelligent and skilled in other areas.

Apparently, a lot of teenagers and preteens watching the show had a crush on Carey back then; I was super late to that party and didn't develop a crush on him until I re-watched the show at age 30, which is admittedly kind of odd since he was only 19-20 in the show. I am normally not aesthetically attracted to guys that young, or that tall, or even that... Caucasian. But let's be honest. This man's face was a work of art. And he was not only beautiful, but compassionate, loyal, caring, funny, sweet, talented, and basically the most adorable person ever. His personality makes him more attractive than his looks, but he certainly isn't lacking in either department.

My favorite Carey scene is in the episode Roswell when he gives the homeless Andrew a pep talk next to a dumspter in an alley, telling him that his sister is worried about him, and bringing up his own younger brother Clu as a way of relating. It's very touching and shows how mature, down-to-earth and loving his character is.

Fun fact: every source I've found says that Eric Lively actually learned to play the guitar just for this role, which is pretty awesome. Other than that, I don't know a lot about the actor playing Carey, other than he has a super-famous sister (Blake Lively) and that his entire family is made up of people who are, or have been at one time, in show business. But some other rumors I've heard are that he turned down a major role on his own favorite TV show (24) in order to play a smaller role on The L Word because he felt the subject matter of LGBTQ+ issues was "more important" due to "societal discrimination issues" being prevalent; and that he was given the opportunity (presumably by Disney) to release a music video as a solo artist at one time, and he turned it down because music was too important to him to be known only for a manufactured pop song. So, from everything I do know about him, Eric Lively is a real one, and I definitely appreciate that authenticity.

#8. Molly and Rebecca's relationship has an important message

Exactly what that message is was never confirmed by the creators that I'm aware of -- and since the storyline was never concluded, it's up for interpretation by anyone who watches -- but there are two distinct possibilities, and in my opinion, both of them make a great statement about what it means to love someone.

Some people think that their "best friend" relationship, highlighted by what is basically a gut-wrenching love song, was actually intended to be more. That, although it couldn't be said on Disney, Rebecca was actually Molly's first love, not just a best friend who disappeared. This would make Molly canonically bisexual and/or biromantic, and honestly she seemed really comfortable singing a love song to a woman named Eleanor in the episode Blues as well, even if she was just channeling the lyrics from a murder victim rather than actually writing them herself. Still, it was kind of funny that "Last Night Blues" was basically the second love song she'd sung that included a woman's name in the lyrics.

Molly being bi seems natural to me, but I have no idea if that was actually the intention and I haven't bothered to research it further. It wouldn't necessarily surprise me since Jon Cooksey was so involved in the making of the show, and he's a pretty outspoken progressive on Twitter these days, and an ally of the LBGTQ+ community. Mackenzie Phillips, who played Molly, seems to be as well, and has appeared at pride parades in recent years. If you look closely, you'll notice that Fi's bedroom on the tour bus is even adorned with a rainbow wind sock hanging in the corner. It's probably only noticeable to people who identify with the queer community in some way, but Fi has a pride flag windsock. So the idea of there being romantic feelings between Molly and Rebecca -- two girls/women who still haven't forgotten their love for each other almost 30 years later -- is not that far-fetched, even if 90's-era Disney Channel wouldn't allow for it to be stated outright.

But the second possibility is that Molly and Rebecca actually were "just" best friends. And if that's the case, the message I get from it, the message that was probably intended, is that platonic love, such as that felt for close friends and family, is just as important as romantic love.

There's a thing called amatonormativity, which is the belief that romantic love is central to everyone's life and that everyone strives for it. And to take it one step further, that everyone who doesn't have it is pathetic or worthy of pity. This belief can be very alienating to some people, especially asexual and aromantic people, who either have no desire for a romantic relationship at all, or are just perfectly happy being on their own for the majority of their lives. I include myself in this, as someone who identifies as asexual and grey-romantic (meaning I do become romantically attracted to people, but not that often). I am often left out by my coupled friends, spoken down to as if being single is a sad state of being, and constantly having to witness everyone prioritize romantic pairings over deep, meaningful friendships. So to see someone like Molly, almost 30 years later, still so upset by the loss of her childhood friend really speaks to people like me. While I would support the idea of Rebecca being Molly's first love, and support the bi representation in general, this type of relationship is equally or maybe even more meaningful to me on a personal level.

Molly was destined to be with Rick and give birth to Fi, so even if Rebecca had been a romantic interest for her, a long-term relationship between them would have been impossible. However, I do feel like -- if things had been different and Rebecca a regular girl -- the two of them would have remained best friends and been an important part of each other's life well into adulthood. As Molly wrote in the song about her, "So many times I would have called you, if I'd had your number in my hand. You were the one I would have turned to when things didn't go the way I'd planned." It's clear that Molly and Rebecca both would have wanted to be in each other's life for the long haul, and even if there were romantic feelings between them, I don't think that Rick and Molly's love would have stopped that from happening.

But either way you look at it, Molly seemed to consider her loss of Rebecca on par with her loss of Rick. Both as devastating to her, both worth writing heartbreaking songs about. One was her childhood best friend, and one was her husband and true love. So no matter if Molly was part of the LGBTQ+ community, or simply felt strong platonic love for a friend who had changed her life, she made it clear that the loss was pretty much as hard to move on from as the death of her husband. A very sad message, but an important one, in my opinion, about the significance of people in our lives.

#9. The dedicated fanbase keeping the original season 3 alive

(Big spoilers for seasons 1 and 2 as well, so maybe skip this part if you're planning to watch the show anytime soon.)

I've referred to the original season 3 plans multiple times already during this post. It will forever be a devastating loss that this season not only didn't happen but was replaced with something so far from the original vision. The least they could have done was make a good season that included some of the same elements that made us love seasons 1 and 2. I would have been surprised if Disney had actually allowed it to be aired the way they had intended it, though; it would have been far too scary for the Disney Channel, and they would have been forced to tone it down at least a little. Probably a lot, because it was about to get pretty dark.

But thanks to Jon Cooksey, we know a lot of what was supposed to happen, which allows us to consider it canon in our minds, and I think that's a big reason why so many of us are still attached to the show after all this time. Even though we didn't get the season we all wanted and deserved, we know that the original creators wanted as badly as we did to do right by the characters and make the Phillips family a thing of legends, which really helps cement my love of the show. While the powers-that-be at Disney Channel betrayed us and the characters, the legend of the original third season remains. (In my own universe, everything still happened, just a year later after Fi returned from the school year she spent in Seattle.)

We know that Fi was going to descend into Hell to rescue her father from the evil spirits that pulled him from his body before his time, and that the unfairness of his untimely death would allow her to bargain for him to be brought back to life on Earth. Yes, Rick was actually supposed to be brought back from the dead, after twelve years, and finally be allowed to live out his life with Molly.

We know that Fi's destiny was to save the planet from these same evil spirits, who were plotting to enter the realm of the living, and that this had been the plan for centuries. Rick, who was born to be the "crusader" had been destined to marry Molly, the descendant of witches, and to bring Fi into the world to save it. Jack was actually a knight from hundreds of years ago who had volunteered to be reincarnated as her brother in order to protect her.

And Rebecca, who we unfortunately never heard from again after her first-season episode, would have played a pretty big role in season three. Because she was literally ancient, she had actually met the knight, who would one day be reincarnated as Jack, in his previous life.

We also know that this takeover of Earth by evil spirits was actually happening on other planets at the same time, and that the aliens from all of the seemingly unrelated season 1 and 2 plotlines would contact her to join forces against it. In Memory, the aliens were actually looking for Fi in that small town in Oklahoma, but they only found Ned and Irene because they had taken the second bus ahead of the rest of the group. In Listen, Fi believes that aliens are preparing them, getting them ready for something, and when Jack asks "Ready for what?" she says, "To listen." In Roswell, after coming into possession of a translation device from a spaceship crash, an alien visits Fi in her sleep and touches her forehead (also shown to be how they communicate in Memory) and says something in an alien language, which the translator then interprets as, "She is almost ready." The aliens had been tracking/guiding Fi the entire time until she was ready to listen. And in season 3, she would have been.

Another important episode for early continuity was the first-season episode Strangeling. There was a lot of foreshadowing about the Phillips family in this episode. Only the eighth episode of the series, it taught us a lot of small things about the family that would have been huge plot threads later on. Three details in particular would have been extremely important in the original third season. Fi's great-grandmother being a witch, Jack being a "real knight," and Molly keeping the secret from Fi about Rick being a paranormal investigator himself, are all things that were alluded to for the first (but not last) time in this episode.

The fact that none of the original plans happened and we instead got an extremely watered-down season 3 starring a random preppy blonde who had nothing to do with the Phillips/O'Shianhan bloodline -- plus dumb plotlines, a bunch of dopey pop songs at carnivals and high school science fairs, and barely any mention of Rick Phillips ever again -- will forever be the greatest betrayal in television history. But at least thanks to Jon Cooksey's loose lips, we have a strong and fairly detailed head-canon that is shared among the fan community, and we know how the real ending went. On behalf of everyone, thank you, Jon.

tags: so weird, disney, television, media, 90s, y2k