- "She's got a following so she must be doing something right."
- —Elise Rothman describing Karen.[src]
Karen Young was the predecessor to Phoebe Halliwell as the advice columnist for The Bay Mirror. The job was passed onto Phoebe as Karen wanted to spend more time at home with her kids. She got the idea to give it to Phoebe as the latter had written her column for her when she was under the influence of the Power Brokers and Phoebe gave better advice than she did. Karen hated her boss Elise Rothman, calling her a witch and wanting to kill her, but apparently she was a fairly good advice columnist given Elise's comments.
History[]
Early Life[]
Karen was born sometime in the 70's. She grew up and got a degree in psychology. Karen married and had one child, a boy. She then took on as the advice columnist for The Bay Mirror and got quite a following.
Receiving a Deadly Power[]
Karen after being infected.
One morning, after saying goodbye to her husband, Karen was on her way to work. She went through an alley, but on her way to the mirror, a power broker threw a power ball at her. She began to feel uneasy and started to wander the busy streets of San Francisco, nearly being run over countless times. Though she seemed scared of the cars, the only thing that she was really worried about was getting to work on time, as she would be fired by her boss, Elise, if she didn't have her column turned in on time.
Being Saved by Phoebe and Piper[]
Karen after being saved.
While Phoebe tries on night gowns and discusses her longing to get a job of her own, she and Piper hear cars honking their horns outside. They look through the glass of a window, only to see a young woman spinning around in the streets where cars are driving past her. Piper and Phoebe walk outside of the store and Piper freezes the block, just as a taxi is about to hit the young woman. Phoebe runs and tackles the woman onto the ground, moving her out of the taxi's range. Piper unfreezes the block and the taxi moves along. Piper runs across the street to the innocent. The pedestrians who saw Phoebe's heroic act began to whisper. Piper and Phoebe ask if she's okay, but she asks if they can help her get to work. She begins to panic. Phoebe agrees, but has a premonition after touching her. She sees Karen walking through an alley. A demon comes by and throws a ball at Karen. Piper asks her what happened, but Phoebe only responded, "innocent".
Arrival at the Manor[]
Phoebe stands with a sad Karen.
Phoebe and Piper arrive at the manor with Karen. They see Cole talking to a man named Mike, who is really the Seer. After Mike leaves, Karen begins to tell them how her day has been. She say that it was still dark, she said goodbye to her husband, and then she says she doesn't remember. She doesn't understand what's happening to her. Piper tries to console Karen, saying that they would help her. After eating a chocolate, Phoebe begins to make-out with Cole. Piper comes over and tells Cole to watch Karen while she and Phoebe see what they can find out. Cole walks over to Karen and asks her what happened. Karen says she doesn't know. Cole says he doesn't have time for this, and begins to use his demonic powers to try and read her mind. Karen begins to panic. She tells a startled Paige that Cole was touching her. Cole then realizes he has made a mistake.
Paige tries to make Karen feel better.
Piper and Phobe come down stairs with the book. Cole comments on how fast they were. Piper says that they're just that good. Piper and Phoebe explain about the demonic power brokers. Cole says that they sometimes use people to store powers until they find a buyer to sell them to. Paige reads from the book, and explains how the one with the power will ultimately die. Phoebe says that there is a potion. Karen gets up and says she needs to go to work. She says that she has a job and she'll be fired by Elise. Paige says that they'll talk to Elise and make it okay. Phoebe then goes off to talk to Elise.
Escaping the Manor[]
Karen begins to go insane.
Paige begins to make the potion while Karen begins to slowly loose her grip on reality. Karen screams and throws the kitchen table in the air. Paige stops her from leaving. She says that her "medicine" is almost ready, but Karen believes that Paige is trying to poison her. Karen says Paige is working for that
Paige is burnt by Karen's power.
bitch Elise and that she is going to kill Elise before she can kill her. Paige tries to reassure her, but Karen throws her to the ground. Karen makes a run for it, but Paige orbs out and tries to stop her. Karen attempts to tackle Paige but ends up landing in Cole's arms. A power broker smokes in and hits Paige with a power ball. Cole let's go of Karen and tackles the demon. Karen then sprays Paige with a wave of acid, which leaves her hands burnt. Karen then runs out of the manor.
Getting Healed[]
The deadly power leaves Karen's body.
Piper and Leo look through the window that leads to Karen's office. Phoebe asks how to spell oblique. Piper says to use spell check. Karen barges in, and Piper gets ready to take her down. Karen pushes people down and tells them to get out of her way. Piper opens the door and tells Karen that Elise is inside waiting for her assignment. Karen runs in and looks around. Piper says that they have her medicine, but Karen attempts to spray them with acid. Piper throws herself out of the way while Phoebe levitates. Karen melts her computer but everyone is okay. Piper freezes Karen. Phoebe grabs the potion and shoves it down Karen's throat. The power floats out of her body and then she is saved. Elise walks in and wonders where her column is. Karen looks around, and Phoebe saves her by pulling out the column that she wrote. Karen begins to smile while Elise reads it. Elise says that it's "good stuff" and she should be sick more often.
Offering Phoebe her Job[]
Karen thanks Phoebe.
As the sisters celebrate at P3, Karen makes her way to their table. Phoebe gets up upon seeing her and greets her. Karen says that she hoped to find Phoebe there. Paige, due to the demonic power, does not remember Karen. Karen tells Phoebe that her advice to the anonymous person asking for advice, was to get a dog. Phoebe says that it seemed right at the time. Karen says that she would have told her to get a therapist and get a life. Piper agrees with Karen. Karen says that Phoebe's advice was better. She says that her advice was proactive and not judgmental, and that the whole column had a freshness and a passion that is has not had for a really long time. Phoebe thanks her for her kind words. Karen tells Phoebe that she was going to tell Elise that Phoebe wrote it. Phoebe tells Karen not to do it, saying that Elise will fire her. Karen says that Elise would hire Phoebe, if she could handle working for that "witch". Piper says that she saw her more as a demon. Karen says that she hates Elise, and that she wants to spend more time at home with her kid. She thanks Phoebe for everything and walks off.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Temporary Powers
- Acid Secretion: The ability to secrete a toxic acid.
Etymology[]
- The name Karen is of Danish origin. It is the short form of Katherine, which means "pure".
- The surname Young is of English and Scottish origin. It is derived from the Old English word geong, meaning "young," the Young surname was used as a descriptive name to distinguish father from son or to the younger of two relatives. Young can also be a Korean or Chinese surname.
Appearances[]
Karen Young appeared in a total of 1 episode over the course of the series.
| Charmed, Season 4 | |||||
| #01 | "Charmed Again, Part 1" | #09 | "Muse to My Ears" | #17 | "Saving Private Leo" |
| #02 | "Charmed Again, Part 2" | #10 | "A Paige from the Past" | #18 | "Bite Me" |
| #03 | "Hell Hath No Fury" | #11 | "Trial by Magic" | #19 | "We're Off to See the Wizard" |
| #04 | "Enter the Demon" | #12 | "Lost and Bound" | #20 | "Long Live the Queen" |
| #05 | "Size Matters" | #13 | "Charmed and Dangerous" | #21 | "Womb Raider" |
| #06 | "A Knight to Remember" | #14 | "The Three Faces of Phoebe" | #22 | "Witch Way Now?" |
| #07 | "Brain Drain" | #15 | "Marry-Go-Round" | ||
| #08 | "Black as Cole" | #16 | "The Fifth Halliwheel" | ||