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Hamels was selected the Phillies starter for Game 1 of the World Series ; the Phillies won 3 – 2 , and Hamels earned his fourth win of the postseason . Hamels also started Game 5 , which was suspended due to rain after the top of the sixth inning tied at 2 @-@ 2 , and receiving a no @-@ decision ; when game five resumed the Phillies won 4 @-@ 3 to clinch the World Series . Overall , Hamels made five postseason starts in 2008 , going 4 – 0 with a 1 @.@ 80 ERA . Hamels threw a total of 35 innings during the postseason , and held opponents scoreless in 28 of them ; he never allowed more than one run in any of the seven innings in which he did not hold opponents scoreless . Hamels was named the 2008 World Series MVP .
Subsequently , Jayson Stark wrote ,
The names on the list are the names who have carved their legends in the month of October ... We know their names because October was their kind of month , and they belong on that list because they once did something very few pitchers have ever done . They all won four starts in the same postseason . And now they have company ... a 24 @-@ year @-@ old left @-@ hander named Cole Hamels . And with every time the Phillies handed him the baseball in October 2009 , it became more apparent that he is one of the sports ' most special talents .
The Philadelphia chapter of the Baseball Writers ' Association of America presented him the " Steve Carlton Most Valuable Pitcher " award for the second consecutive year .
= = = = 2009 = = = =
Hamels started his 2009 season by signing a three @-@ year , $ 20 @.@ 5 million contract with the Phillies . On February 14 , the first day of spring training for pitchers and catchers , when asked who the Opening Day starter would be , manager Charlie Manuel responded , " Yeah , you might as well go ahead and pencil him in . I don 't think there 's any sense in me playing games . Go ahead , pencil him in . "
However , Hamels left spring training on March 16 after feeling tightness between innings , and flew to Philadelphia to have his left elbow examined by Dr. Michael Ciccotti . " This will obviously set me back a couple of days , and I don 't think that should be a big deal " , said Hamels . Ciccotti found no structural damage in his arm , yet Hamels still did not pitch on Opening Day as expected ; Myers did for the third consecutive season . For the first time in his career , he went winless in his first four starts , and left back @-@ to @-@ back starts early due to injury in late April , sustaining a left @-@ shoulder contusion and an ankle sprain respectively . From June on , however , he returned to his previous form , recording two complete @-@ game shutouts ( tied for the NL @-@ lead ) , striking out at least 10 batters in two separate games , and amassing a 21 @-@ inning scoreless streak from August 21 to September 6 , while allowing just two home runs in his final eight starts . In July , the Phillies augmented their starting rotation by acquiring two former Cy Young Award winners in Cliff Lee and Pedro Martínez from a trade and a free agent signing respectively . Due to his early season injury struggles , Hamels posted a 10 – 11 record and a 4 @.@ 32 ERA in the regular season , his first major league season in which he posted a sub-.500 record , and the worst ERA of his career to that point .
Hamels started Game 2 of the 2009 National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies , allowing four earned runs through five innings to take the loss . Nevertheless , the Phillies won the series , three games to one . He earned the win in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series as the Phillies beat the Dodgers , 8 – 6 . Hamels started Game 3 of the World Series against the New York Yankees , pitching 4 1 ⁄ 3 innings , allowing 5 earned runs and taking the loss as the Yankees won that game 8 @-@ 5 . Afterward , he told reporters , " I can 't wait for it ( the season ) to end . It 's been mentally draining . It 's one of those things where , a year in , you just can ’ t wait for a fresh start . " Later in the series , after the Phillies won game five , a confrontational Brett Myers mockingly asked Hamels : " What are you doing here ? I thought you quit . " The Phillies lost the World Series to the New York Yankees in six games .
Rob Neyer a sabermetrician and columnist for ESPN.com , contradicted anyone who asserted Hamels ' skills had deteriorated , instead commenting ,
" Last October , everybody was ready to anoint Hamels some sort of superhero . This was largely because he went 4 – 0 during the Phillies ' championship run , but also because he went 14 – 10 with a 3 @.@ 09 ERA during the regular season . Last season , Hamels ' strikeout @-@ to @-@ walk ratio was 3 @.@ 7 ; this year it 's 3 @.@ 8 . Last year , Hamels gave up 1 @.@ 1 home runs per nine innings ; this year he 's given up 1 @.@ 3 homers per nine . The only real difference between the 2008 Hamels and the 2009 Hamels is luck . "
Phillies ' pitching coach Rich Dubee and Hamels himself blamed Hamels ' demeanor for some of his decline , noting , " He is such a perfectionist … his approach wasn ’ t very good last year . His success won ’ t come back until his demeanor changes " and " The more angry you get , it 's that much tougher to execute your next pitch . I think I let [ expectations ] get to me " respectively .
= = = = 2010 = = = =
Entering the 2010 season , the Phillies traded away Cliff Lee , but in doing so , acquired Roy Halladay in a " mega @-@ trade " . They did not re @-@ sign Myers , and Halladay was named the Phillies ' opening day starter . Among Hamels ' season highlights were a start on June 7 against the San Diego Padres during which he threw 61 ⁄ 3 innings of no @-@ hit baseball , winning five consecutive starts including three consecutive scoreless starts from late @-@ August to mid @-@ September , and striking out 13 batters , tied for his second @-@ highest career total , on September 13 against the Florida Marlins .
The Phillies finished with the best record in MLB . Hamels started Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Cincinnati Reds and , for the first time in his postseason career , pitched a complete game shutout . The Phillies advanced to the National League Championship Series facing the San Francisco Giants , where Hamels took the loss in Game 3 giving up three runs as the Giants ' Matt Cain shutout the Phillies , en route to the Phillies ' ultimate elimination in six games .
Statistically , Hamels rebounded from his previous season by posting a 12 – 11 record with a 3 @.@ 06 ERA , the latter of which was , at the time , a career @-@ best . He also struck out a career high 211 batters . Throughout the season , he was plagued by a lack of run support ; in 1 ⁄ 3 of his starts , the Phillies did not score a single run while he was in the game . Moreover , he received the fifth @-@ lowest run support in the NL . Nevertheless , he allowed three or fewer earned runs in 26 of his 33 starts . Jeff Nelson " facetiously " evaluated Hamels ' season as follows :
" Headcase . Immature . Soft . Unprepared . He wouldn ’ t pitch on three @-@ days rest if asked . He 's not a big game pitcher . He sounds like a whiny 7 @-@ year old – these were some of the descriptions I heard and read from many Phillies fans following Cole Hamels ’ disappointing 2009 season . Heck , some people even wanted him traded after what he said during the ’ 09 World Series . To the naked eye , Cole just wasn ’ t right two years ago . Fast forward a year later and Hamels all the sudden ‘ found his game . ’ He ‘ flicked a switch ’ or ‘ put his game face on . ’ He was more prepared heading in to 2010 or he was cured from the Verducci effect . "
= = = = 2011 = = = =
On December 15 , 2010 , Cliff Lee returned to the Phillies as he signed a free @-@ agent contract with Philadelphia for five years and $ 120 million with a vesting option for a sixth year . After this signing , the Phillies ' starting rotation consisted of Roy Halladay , Roy Oswalt , Cliff Lee , Cole Hamels , and Joe Blanton . This rotation was considered one of the best in pitching history by many . Halladay , Oswalt , Lee , and Hamels were dubbed the ' Phantastic Phour ' by fans and the media .
Hamels entered the 2011 season with a large amount of excitement and hype from fans and the media . By the All @-@ Star game , Hamels was 4 – 3 . On July 3 , when the rosters for the 2011 MLB All @-@ Star Game in Phoenix , Arizona were broadcast on TBS , it was announced that Hamels was voted onto the National League team along with fellow pitchers and teammates Roy Halladay , Cliff Lee , Plácido Polanco , and Shane Victorino . He was not eligible to play , however , because he had pitched the Sunday prior to the All @-@ Star Game . Hamels shared his dismay with this rule , saying , " It 's one of those things where people who don 't play the game make the rules . "
The Phillies finished with the best record in MLB for the second year in a row . In the 2011 National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals , Hamels started Game 3 which resulted in a 3 @-@ 2 win to give the Phillies a 2 @-@ 1 series lead , however the Phillies would lose Games 4 and 5 to be eliminated .
Hamels finished the 2011 season with a record of 14 – 9 , 194 strikeouts , an ERA of 2 @.@ 79 , and a 0 @.@ 986 WHIP . He finished fifth in the Cy Young Award voting behind Clayton Kershaw , Roy Halladay , Cliff Lee , and Ian Kennedy , respectively .
= = = = 2012 = = = =
During the 2011 off @-@ season , Hamels underwent elbow and hernia surgeries . Hamels had missed scheduled starts in August due to a stiff shoulder , and loose bodies were removed from his elbow to fix his problems . Hamels was ready to pitch by the start of Spring training 2012 .
On January 17 , Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a one @-@ year , $ 15 million contract to avoid arbitration . This was the highest salary ever paid to a pitcher eligible for arbitration before free agency .
On May 6 , Hamels was suspended for five games after hitting Bryce Harper in his lower back with a pitch , after admitting that it was intentional . On July 21 , 2012 , Hamels hit his first career home run off San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain , who had homered off of him in the top half of the same inning , the first time in MLB that two pitchers had hit home runs off of each other in the same inning .
Hamels would stay a Phillie when he agreed to a contract extension on July 24 . The six @-@ year , $ 144 million contract was the second @-@ largest contract ever signed by a pitcher . The deal included a vesting option for 2019 worth $ 24 million . If the option didn 't vest , it would have turned into a club option for $ 20 million that included a $ 6 million buyout .
Hamels finished the season with career highs in wins ( 17 ) and strikeouts ( 216 ) , and finished eighth in the NL Cy Young Award voting . His 3 @.@ 05 ERA ranked second @-@ best in his career ( behind only his 2 @.@ 79 ERA in 2011 ) . The Philadelphia chapter of the Baseball Writers ' Association of America presented him the " Steve Carlton Most Valuable Pitcher " award .
= = = = 2013 = = = =
Before the 2013 season in spring training , manager Charlie Manuel named Hamels the 2013 opening day starter , which Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote was a " long time coming " . In his first career opening day start on April 1 against the Atlanta Braves , Hamels surrendered five earned runs in five innings and took the loss .
Particularly early in the season , Hamels was plagued by a lack of run support ; as of May 27 , he had the fifth @-@ lowest in the major leagues . He lost his eighth start on May 27 , declining to a record of 1 – 8 , which one Sports Illustrated column attributed more to the Phillies poor offense than Hamels . Nevertheless , it was " easily ... Hamels ’ worst performance of his eight @-@ year career " . Aside from offensive struggles while Hamels was pitching , the Phillies defense struggled , though Hamels kept a positive attitude , once commenting that his luck should improve , as " I 've been doing pretty well on the plane in poker . " Towards the end of the season , however , Hamels " put it together " ; in his final 11 starts. he surrendered more than three runs only once . In total , he amassed an 8 – 14 record with a 3 @.@ 60 ERA in 220 innings and 202 strikeouts ( sixth in NL ) . Despite struggles from his teammates , Bill Baer noted that Hamels ,
" ... was worse at generating swings and misses . His strikeout rate declined by 2 @.@ 6 percent and his overall swinging strike rate declined by 2 @.@ 1 percent . That doesn ’ t seem like a whole lot , but consider that opposing hitters swung at 1 @,@ 774 pitches during the 2013 season . A 2 @.@ 1 percent decrease means 37 fewer swings and misses . That 's a combination of 37 more balls in play or foul balls prolonging an at @-@ bat . "
Despite Hamels ' poor record and ERA , 25 of his 33 starts were quality starts , and thus he gave his team a chance to win 25 times , yet only got eight wins .
= = = = 2014 = = = =
Before the 2014 season , Hamels announced that he would not be ready to pitch on Opening Day because of tendonitis in his biceps . On April 6 Hamels pitched in a Minor League Class A @-@ Advanced game , striking out four while allowing two earned runs on three hits in four innings . He made his first start of the season on April 23 .
Despite lack of run support contributing to a poor win @-@ loss record , Hamels was among the best pitchers in the National League , and was even mentioned as a Cy Young candidate . On September 1 , Hamels pitched six innings of a Phillies combined no @-@ hitter against the Atlanta Braves . Hamels was pulled for a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh due to having five walks , a hit @-@ batter , and 108 pitches through six innings . Overall , Hamels was the only consistent star on the Phillies , finished sixth in Cy Young voting , and was frequently mentioned as a candidate to be traded in the offseason to bolster the Phillies ' lackluster farm system , after he avoided being dealt at the July trading deadline .
= = = = 2015 = = = =
At the start of the 2015 season , there was much focus and speculation regarding trade possibilities surrounding Hamels . The Boston Red Sox , Los Angeles Dodgers , Texas Rangers , Chicago Cubs , New York Yankees , and San Francisco Giants expressed interest in trading for him during the 2015 season .
On July 25 , 2015 , in what would be his final start for the Phillies before being traded , Hamels no @-@ hit the Chicago Cubs 5 – 0 at Wrigley Field , striking out 13 and only giving up two walks , both to Dexter Fowler and besting the Cubs ' Jake Arrieta — himself a no @-@ hit pitcher a month later , on August 30 of that season . It was the first no @-@ hitter against the Cubs since Sandy Koufax 's perfect game in 1965 , and first at Wrigley since the Cubs ' Milt Pappas in 1972 . Hamels also joined Vida Blue , Mike Witt , Kent Mercker and Kevin Millwood as no @-@ hit pitchers who also pitched in a combined no @-@ hitter .
= = = Texas Rangers = = =
On July 31 , 2015 , Hamels was traded to the Texas Rangers along with Jake Diekman in exchange for Matt Harrison , Nick Williams , Jorge Alfaro , Jake Thompson , Alec Asher , and Jerad Eickhoff . Hamels became the first pitcher to be traded during a regular season after pitching a no @-@ hitter in his final start with the team that traded him . Bert Blyleven had been the last pitcher to pitch a no @-@ hitter in his final start with the team that traded him ; after pitching a no @-@ hitter for the Rangers in his final start of the 1977 season , he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates that offseason .
With the Rangers , Hamels went 7 @-@ 1 in 12 starts with a 3 @.@ 66 ERA . The Rangers were under .500 as late as August 3 but posted a winning record for the remainder of the 2015 season and eventually overtook the Houston Astros in September for the American League West division lead . The Rangers clinched the AL West title on the final day of the season , as Hamels threw a complete @-@ game three @-@ hitter in a 9 @-@ 2 win over the Los Angeles Angels , the team 's 6th division title and 7th postseason appearance in franchise history . Hamels ' positive effect on the Rangers was compared to that of the Toronto Blue Jays ' David Price , another ace starting pitcher who helped spearhead a run to the postseason after blending in seamlessly with a struggling team who acquired him at the trade deadline .
The Rangers lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in five games in the Division Series after squandering a 2 @-@ 0 series lead . Hamels received a no @-@ decision in Game 2 as he left the game tied , but the Rangers won in 14 innings . Hamels started Game 5 , and was pulled in the bottom of the 7th inning while the Rangers were leading 3 @-@ 2 ; the Jays subsequently scored 4 runs to win 6 @-@ 3 , and Hamels was charged with the loss as he was responsible for the runners on base .
Starting in 2016 , the Texas Rangers have a special cheering section known as Hamels Heroes , whenever Hamels starts at Globe Life Park . It was inspired by the success of the Seattle Mariners ' " King 's Court " for Felix Hernandez .
Hamels was named the Opening Day starter for the Rangers in 2016 . On Opening Day , after allowing two home runs in two innings , Hamels calmed down to pitch 7 strong innings , while only allowing two runs on 4 hits and 8 strikeouts for a 2016 Opening Day win against the Seattle Mariners . On June 12 , in a start against Seattle , Hamels recorded his 2,000th career strikeout , becoming the 77th player , and 7th active player , to reach the milestone .
= = Scouting report = =
Hamels is known throughout baseball for possessing one of the better changeups in the game . In 2012 , Fangraphs ranked Hamels as having the fourth best changeup in the game trailing only Jason Vargas , Tommy Milone , and Félix Hernández . The Hardball Times called his changeup a " killer " pitch to right @-@ handed hitters , noting that while it is also effective against left @-@ handed hitters , when they put it in play , they generally have success . Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux said of Hamels ,
" It 's a difficult task to try to get young guys to throw changeups , because their whole amateur career is spent staring at the scout with the gun . For a young guy to have a good changeup , that 's an aptitude right there . It 's pitchability . "
The development of Hamels ' changeup is attributed by his high school pitching coach , Mark Furtak , to the fact that in high school he broke his arm . He could no longer work on his curveball for several months , and was forced to focus on the changeup . Chipper Jones , who was a star @-@ third baseman for the rival Atlanta Braves commented that Hamels is the " best lefthander in the National League ... you have to respect his fastball , and his change @-@ up is devastating . If you 're guessing fastball and you get change @-@ up , you 're way out in front of it . His change @-@ up is a soft sinker that just falls down . " Aside from the changeup , he throws a four @-@ seam fastball in the low 90s ( can reach 94 to 96 miles per hour ( 151 to 154 km / h ) ) , a cutter 87 to 89 miles per hour ( 140 to 143 km / h ) , and an " inconsistent " curveball that sometimes loops and other times is sharp , and hovers in the mid @-@ 70s ( around 73 to 77 miles per hour ( 117 to 124 km / h ) ) . Prior to the conception and advent of his cutter , he briefly threw a two @-@ seam fastball around 2008 and 2009 , before debuting his cutter in 2010 . Once he attained a " feel " for how to effectively utilize his cutter , it helped him increase his groundball rate ( percentage of balls in play that were groundballs ) , including to over 50 @-@ percent in 2011 .
= = Personal life = =
= = = Family = = =
Hamels , who is of Dutch descent , is the oldest of three children . He grew up in San Diego , where his parents still live . He now resides in Newtown Square , Pennsylvania with his wife , Heidi Strobel , whom he married on December 31 , 2006 , but they are making plans to move to the Dallas , Texas area full @-@ time during the 2015 offseason . Strobel was a contestant on the sixth season of the reality show Survivor : The Amazon . They had their first child , son Caleb Michael , on October 9 , 2009 , and their second son , Braxton , on November 2 , 2011 . On December 24 , 2012 , they adopted a baby girl from Ethiopia named Reeve .
= = = The Hamels Foundation = = =
Hamels created and currently runs an organization known as The Hamels Foundation with his wife , Heidi Strobel . The foundation was created in 2008 . The Hamels Foundation funds childhood programs in Philadelphia and Africa .
= Kyra ( Charmed ) =
Kyra , also known by her title the Seer , is a fictional character from the American television supernatural drama Charmed , which aired on the WB Television Network ( the WB ) from 1998 to 2006 . Charmed follows the supernatural adventures of the Charmed Ones , a trio of sisters known as the most powerful witches of all time . The character was created by executive producer Brad Kern and was portrayed by actress Charisma Carpenter . Carpenter was invited on the show after acting with Charmed cast member Holly Marie Combs on the ABC Family television film See Jane Date ( 2003 ) . The actress ' original contract was a guest star role that included three episodes in season seven , with media outlets reporting the possibility of Carpenter becoming a series regular .
A demon characterized by her powers of divination and precognition , she eventually forms a friendship with Leo Wyatt ( Brian Krause ) and the Charmed Ones , specifically Phoebe Halliwell ( Alyssa Milano ) , after expressing her desire to become human . Despite being killed by the demon Zankou ( Oded Fehr ) on the show , the character makes further canonical appearances in the comic book series Charmed : Season 10 . Her storylines focus on her involvement with witch Prue Halliwell 's new destiny , and her romantic relationship with the newly revived Benjamin Turner ( the father of Cole Turner ) .
The Kyra character has received mixed feedback from critics , and has been defined by her sex appeal and called " overtly sexual , coy and kitteny " , and " tasty " . Critics have positively and negatively compared the role to Carpenter 's previous performance as Cordelia Chase on the supernatural dramas Buffy the Vampire Slayer ( 1997 ) and Angel ( 1999 ) ; Demian of Television Without Pity criticized the character as a copy of Chase because of her lack of a unique identity .
= = Development = =
= = = Casting and creation = = =
Charisma Carpenter was invited to appear on Charmed because of her friendship with Holly Marie Combs after they had worked together on the ABC Family television film See Jane Date . Kyra was created as a separate character from the Seer ( Debbi Morgan ) , who was featured as the primary antagonist in the second half of season four . Carpenter joked that she was surprised to be considered for such a minor part on the show as a guest star . In an interview with her official fansite , Charmed cast member Rose McGowan stated that she looked forward to new characters like Kyra and Kyle Brody joining the show , saying " [ w ] e are all delighted to have them on board " .
According to Kristin Veitch of TV Guide , representatives from the WB Television Network ( the WB ) released a statement indicating the possibility of Kyra being promoted to star billing . In August 2004 , Carpenter was set to star in a UPN mid @-@ season replacement comedy called Like Cats and Dogs , but she expressed interest in doing more episodes of Charmed if the pilot was not picked up by the network . She stated while she enjoyed working in the supernatural genre , and viewed it as " familiar " territory , she was hesitant about committing to the show 's demanding shooting schedule as it would take time away from raising her son .
Kyra was one of three characters with precognition that Carpenter has played in her career , including Cordelia Chase from supernatural dramas Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel , and Heather from the Syfy horror film Voodoo Moon ( 2006 ) . In an interview with film journal Static Mass Emporium , Carpenter did not personally identify as a " vision girl " , but described feeling a love for roles involving seers .
= = = Characterization = = =
In an interview with Charmed Magazine , Carpenter described Kyra as having the same sassiness as Cordelia Chase , added that Kyra was " totally evil and a lot sexier " than Chase . She felt that the emphasis on sexuality was the main aspect of the character 's personality , calling her " overtly sexual , coy , and kitteny " . While she viewed Chase as a " smartass " , Carpenter defined Kyra as a " temptress " and a " jezebel " and opined that her flirtatious banter with Leo Wyatt was meant to be a part of her own agenda . She stated that the way she portrayed Kyra was influenced by her revealing outfit , feeling that every woman on Charmed had to look and act " hot " and " notoriously sexy " .
Pat Shand , the writer of Charmed : Season 10 , said he incorporated Kyra in the comic book series as he enjoyed her dialogue and Carpenter 's performance of the character ; he wrote : " To write dialogue for a character played by Charisma is to hear Charisma in your head . Who would turn that down ? " . Shand commended Carpenter 's ability to voice characters in " a very unique rhythm " and called the process of replicating that energy in the form of comics as " a blast " and " super easy " in comparison with the show 's other characters .
When discussing the development of the season , Shand said that the pairing of Kyra and Prue Halliwell 's storylines was a " natural fit " , especially since both characters were his favorites from the series . He clarified that Kyra 's return , specifically her relationship with Benjamin , was central to the season and called it " straight up plot " and " inextricable " from Prue 's storylines in response to fans ' concerns about the character being limited to being part of a subplot . While the two women never interacted on the show , he explained that Prue sifted through " all of the seers in all of the history to see who best tell her what 's the deal " with her new powers and destiny . Shand said Kyra was a vital part of Prue 's plans to perform the Advent , a ritual that would resurrect a powerful race of evil demons known as the Old Ones .
= = Appearances = =
= = = Television = = =
The Kyra character first appears in the season seven episode " Cheaper by the Coven " , when she helps Leo Wyatt ( Brian Krause ) uncover the identity of a masked demon attacking his son Wyatt Halliwell . She is shown as possessing the powers of precognition and divination through the use of a magical pool . She later works with the half @-@ demon Sirk on his plans to track down and kill his mortal relatives in order to seal his transformation as a full demon . As a demon , Kyra cannot feel emotions , but she is shown to be curious about the world of mortals . Longing to experience the emotions she sees in her visions , she contacts the Elders ( a council of whitelighters which governs the forces of good ) to make a deal where she would trade her information on the then unknown threat , the Avatars , if she is made human . The Avatars are later revealed to a group of magical beings capable of warping reality who devote themselves to creating a world without good or evil . As word of Kyra 's betrayal spreads across the Underworld , Leo is sent to save her and bring her to the Halliwell Manor during the negotiations .
While at the manor , Kyra bonds with Phoebe Halliwell ( Alyssa Milano ) over their shared powers of premonition . She guides Phoebe and Lieutenant Darryl Morris ( Dorian Gregory ) to Inspector Sheridan ( Jenya Lano ) , a member of the San Francisco police department who was placed in a coma by FBI agent Kyle Brody ( Kerr Smith ) ; Brody had sequestered Sheridan after she discovered the truth about the Halliwell sisters being witches . Kyra shares her premonition of the Avatars with Phoebe . While the prior episodes established the Avatar as a threat , Kyra 's vision shows Phoebe and her future daughter living in a utopia where demons no longer exist . After witnessing the vision , Phoebe has a premonition of the demon Zankou ( Oded Fehr ) vanquishing Kyra . In order to prevent Kyra 's death , Phoebe convinces the Elders to provide a spell to turn Kyra human . During this time , Kyra forces Leo to reveal his true identity as an Avatar to the sisters . While Piper Halliwell ( Holly Marie Combs ) helps her to prepare for her new life as a mortal , Kyra reveals her real name and abandons her title as " the Seer " . Before the sisters can transform Kyra into a mortal , Zankou kills her because of her betrayal of the demonic world , and his fear of what she might tell the sisters . Her death is a turning point in the season as it pushes the sisters to agree to meet and to help the Avatars build their new world .
= = = Literature = = =
In Charmed : Season 10 ( the canonical comic book continuation of the TV series ) , Prue Halliwell summons Kyra from the past in order to better understand her new identity as the guardian of the Nexus of the All ( a spiritual energy that forms the basis of all magic ) . After completing a ritual that allowed Prue to enter her own mind , she turns Kyra human . Despite being overjoyed at her transformation , Kyra is uncertain about her plans for the future . She decides to reconnect with the other Halliwell sisters and devote her life to doing good . She begins by helping the newly resurrected Benjamin Turner , who is the father of Cole Turner ( Julian McMahon ) , readjust to his new life . As they spend more time together , Kyra falls in love with Benjamin and they start a romantic relationship . At the end of issue # 18 ( " Tribunal and Tribulations " ) , Prue kidnaps Kyra , along with Bejnamin and the archai ( a magical being capable of opening portals through reality ) Tyler Michaels , and takes them to a space deep within the Earth .
= = Reception = =
Throughout her run on Charmed , Kyra received mixed critical feedback . Television critic Melanie McFarland of the Seattle Post @-@ Intelligencer deemed the character a " tasty demon seer " and entertainment news website Hypable 's Karen Rought praised her as being the most memorable incarnation of the Seer and a fitting role for Carpenter after her previous performance as Chase . SpoilerTV 's Gavin Hetherington called Kyra a " great highlight of the season " . Charmed Magazine 's Tara Dilullo viewed Carpenter as the perfect actress to play Kyra as she " spent the better part of her career facing down the supernatural with a snark and a smile " . In an article from Today , reader Patrick Kelly cited Carpenter 's appearance on Charmed as an indicator of her popularity among the 16- to 39 @-@ year @-@ old male demographic .
Nadim of Nad 's Reviews opined that Carpenter should have been offered a permanent part on the show Pat Shand criticized the show 's decision to kill the character , saying that she would have filled the role of the " fourth main character " or " non @-@ Charmed One getting all that screen time " in season eight rather than novice witch Billie Jenkins ( Kaley Cuoco ) . He added that he wished that the character had a spin @-@ off with Cole Turner and Darryl Morris .
Demian of Television Without Pity praised the show 's decision to hire an actor from one of Joss Whedon 's shows , but was critical of Kyra 's introduction in the episode " Cheaper by the Coven " , saying that Carpeter was misused and " given so little to do " . He referred to the character negatively as " Cordelia Lite " . Parodying the character 's lack of a concrete identity , he referenced Kyra as " Charisma " and " Cordelia " in his recaps of the later episodes .
= Réunion ibis =
The Réunion ibis or Réunion sacred ibis ( Threskiornis solitarius ) is an extinct species of ibis that was endemic to the volcanic island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean . The first subfossil remains were found in 1974 , and the ibis was first scientifically described in 1987 . Its closest relatives are the Malagasy sacred ibis , the African sacred ibis , and the straw @-@ necked ibis .
Travellers ' accounts from the 17th and 18th centuries described a white bird that flew with difficulty , and it was subsequently referred to as the Réunion solitaire . In the mid 19th century , the old travellers ' accounts were incorrectly assumed to refer to white relatives of the dodo , due to one account specifically mentioning dodos on the island , and because 17th @-@ century paintings of white dodos had recently surfaced . However , no fossils referable to dodo @-@ like birds were ever found on Réunion , and it was later questioned whether the paintings had anything to do with the island . Other identities were suggested as well , based only on speculation . In the late 20th century , the discovery of a subfossil ibis led to the idea that the old accounts actually referred to an ibis species instead . The idea that the solitaire and the subfossil ibis are identical has only met with limited dissent , and is now widely accepted .
Combined , the old descriptions and subfossils show that the Réunion ibis was mainly white , with this colour merging into yellow and grey . The wing tips and plumes of ostrich @-@ like feathers on its rear were black . The neck and legs were long , the beak was relatively straight and short for an ibis . It was more robust in build than its extant relatives , but was otherwise quite similar to them . Subfossil wing @-@ bones indicate it had reduced flight capabilities , a feature perhaps linked to seasonal fattening . The diet of the Réunion ibis was worms and other items foraged from soil . It preferred solitude ( hence the name " solitaire " ) . In the 17th century , it lived in mountainous areas , but it may have been confined to these remote heights by heavy hunting by humans and predation by introduced animals in the more accessible areas of the island . Visitors to Réunion praised its flavour , and therefore sought after its flesh . These factors are believed to have driven the Réunion ibis to extinction by the early 18th century .
= = Taxonomy = =
The taxonomic history of the Réunion ibis is convoluted and complex , due to the ambiguous and meagre evidence that was available to scientists until recently . The supposed " white dodo " of Réunion is now believed to have been an erroneous conjecture based on the few contemporary reports which described the Réunion ibis , combined with paintings of white dodos from Mauritius by the Dutch painters Pieter Withoos and Pieter Holsteyn II ( and derivatives ) from the 17th century that surfaced in the 19th century .
The English Chief Officer John Tatton was the first to mention a specifically white bird on Réunion , in 1625 . The French occupied the island from 1646 and onwards , and referred to this bird as the " solitaire " . M. Carré of the French East Indies Company described the solitaire in 1699 , explaining the reason for its name :
I saw a kind of bird in this place which I have not found elsewhere ; it is that which the inhabitants call the Oiseaux Solitaire for to be sure , it loves solitude and only frequents the most secluded places ; one never sees two or more together ; it is always alone . It is not unlike a turkey , if it did not have longer legs . The beauty of its plumage is a delight to see . It is of changeable colour which verges upon yellow . The flesh is exquisite ; it forms one of the best dishes in this country , and might form a dainty at our tables . We wished to keep two of these birds to send to France and present them to His Majesty , but as soon as they were on board ship , they died of melancholy , having refused to eat or drink .
A marooned French Huguenot , François Leguat , used the name " solitaire " for the Raphine bird he encountered on the nearby island of Rodrigues in the 1690s , but it is thought he borrowed the name from a 1689 tract by Marquis Henri Duquesne which mentioned the Réunion species . Duquesne himself had probably based his own description on an earlier one . No specimens of the solitaire were ever preserved . The two individuals Carré attempted to send to the royal menagerie in France did not survive in captivity . Billiard claimed that Bertrand @-@ François Mahé de La Bourdonnais sent a " solitaire " to France from Réunion around 1740 . Since the Réunion ibis is believed to have gone extinct by this date , the bird may actually have been a Rodrigues solitaire .
The only contemporary writer who referred specifically to " dodos " inhabiting Réunion was the Dutch sailor Willem Ysbrandtszoon Bontekoe , though he did not mention their colouration :
There were also Dod @-@ eersen [ old Dutch for dodos ] , which have small wings , and so far from being able to fly , they were so fat that they could scarcely walk , and when they tried to run , they dragged their under side along the ground .
When his journal was published in 1646 , it was accompanied by an engraving which is now known to have been copied after one of the dodos in the Flemish painter Roelant Savery 's " Crocker Art Gallery sketch " . Since Bontekoe was shipwrecked and lost all his belongings after visiting Réunion in 1619 , he may not have written his account until he returned to Holland , seven years later , which would put its reliability in question . He may have concluded in hindsight that it was a dodo , finding what he saw similar to accounts of that bird .
= = = Early interpretation = = =
In the 1770s , the French naturalist Comte de Buffon stated that the dodo inhabited both Mauritius and Réunion . It is unclear why he included Réunion , but he also combined accounts about the Rodrigues solitaire and a third bird ( " oiseau de Nazareth " , now thought to be a dodo ) under the same section . English naturalist Hugh Edwin Strickland discussed the old descriptions of the Réunion solitaire in his 1848 book The Dodo and Its Kindred , and concluded it was distinct from the dodo and Rodrigues solitaire . Baron Edmond de Sélys Longchamps coined the scientific name Apterornis solitarius for the Réunion solitaire in 1848 , apparently making it the type species of the genus , in which he also included two other Mascarene birds only known from contemporary accounts , the red rail and the Réunion swamphen . As the name Apterornis had already been used for a different bird by Richard Owen , and the other former names were likewise invalid , Bonaparte coined the new binomial Ornithaptera borbonica in 1854 ( Bourbon was the original French name for Réunion ) . In 1854 , Hermann Schlegel placed the solitaire in the same genus as the dodo , and named it Didus apterornis . He restored it strictly according to contemporary accounts , which resulted in an ibis or stork @-@ like bird instead of a dodo . As it was considered congeneric with the dodo , the Réunion solitaire was long believed to also be a member of the Dididae family of pigeons .
In 1856 , William Coker announced the discovery of a 17th @-@ century " Persian " painting of a white dodo among waterfowl , which he had been shown in England . The artist was later identified as Pieter Withoos , and many prominent 19th @-@ century naturalists subsequently assumed the image depicted the white solitaire of Réunion , a possibility originally proposed by ornithologist John Gould . Simultaneously , several similar paintings of white dodos by Pieter Holsteyn II were discovered in the Netherlands . In 1869 , the English ornithologist Alfred Newton argued that the Withoos ' painting and engraving in Bontekoe 's memoir depicted a living Réunion dodo that had been brought to Holland , while explaining its blunt beak as a result of beak trimming to prevent it from injuring humans . He also brushed aside the inconsistencies between the illustrations and descriptions , especially the long , thin beak implied by one contemporary account .
Newton 's words particularly cemented the validity of this connection among contemporary peers , and several of them expanded on his views . Dutch zoologist Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans suggested that the discrepancies between the paintings and the old descriptions were due to the paintings showing a female , and that the species was therefore sexually dimorphic . Walter Rothschild claimed the yellow wings might have been due to albinism in this particular specimen , since the old descriptions described these as black . By the early 20th century , many other paintings and even physical remains were claimed to be white dodos , amid much speculation . Some believed the solitaire of the old descriptions was rather a species similar to the Rodrigues solitaire . Rothschild commissioned British artist Frederick William Frohawk to restore the Réunion solitaire as both a white dodo , based on the Withoos painting , and as a distinct bird based on Dubois ' description , for his 1907 book Extinct Birds . In 1953 , the Japanese writer Masauji Hachisuka went as far as referring to the white dodos of the paintings as Victoriornis imperialis , and the solitaire of the accounts as Ornithaptera solitarius .
= = = Recent interpretation = = =
Until the late 1980s , belief in the existence of a white dodo on Réunion was the orthodox view , and only a few researchers doubted the connection between the solitaire accounts and the dodo paintings . They cautioned that no conclusions could be made without solid evidence such as fossils , and that nothing indicated that the white dodos in the paintings had anything to do with Réunion . In 1970 , Robert W. Storer predicted that if any such remains were found , they would not belong to Raphinae , or even Columbidae .
The first subfossil bird remains on Réunion were found in 1974 , and assigned to a stork , Ciconia sp . The remains were found in a cave , which indicated it had been brought there and eaten by early settlers . It was speculated that the remains could have belonged to a large , mysterious bird described by Leguat , and called " Leguat 's giant " by some ornithologists . " Leguat 's giant " is now thought to be based on a locally extinct population of flamingos . In 1987 , subfossils of a recently extinct species of ibis from Réunion were described as Borbonibis latipes , and thought related to the bald ibises of the genus Geronticus . In 1994 , the " stork " remains were shown to belong to this ibis as well . The 1987 discovery led biologist Anthony S. Cheke to suggest to one of the describers , Francois Moutou , that the subfossils may have been of the Réunion solitaire . This suggestion was published by the describers of Borbonibis in 1995 , and they also reassigned it to the genus Threskiornis , now combined with the specific epithet solitarius from de Sélys @-@ Longchamps ' 1848 binomial for the solitaire . The authors pointed out that the contemporary descriptions matched the appearance and behaviour of an ibis more than a member of the Raphinae , especially since a fragment of a comparatively short and straight ibis mandible was discovered in 1994 , and because ibis remains were abundant in some localities ; it would be strange if contemporary writers never mentioned such a relatively common bird , whereas they mentioned most other species subsequently known from fossils .
The possible origin of the 17th @-@ century white dodo paintings has also recently been examined by biologist Arturo Valledor de Lozoya in 2003 , and independently by experts of Mascarene fauna Anthony Cheke and Julian Hume in 2004 . The Withoos and Holsteyn paintings are clearly derived from each other , and Withoos likely copied his dodo from one of Holsteyn 's works , since these were probably produced at an earlier date . All later white dodo pictures are thought to be based on these paintings . According to the aforementioned writers , it appears these pictures were themselves derived from a whitish dodo in a previously unreported painting containing , called Landscape with Orpheus and the Animals , produced by Roelant Savery c . 1611 . The dodo was apparently based on a stuffed specimen then in Prague ; a walghvogel ( old Dutch for dodo ) described as having a " dirty off @-@ white colouring " was mentioned in an inventory of specimens in the Prague collection of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II to whom Savery was contracted at the time ( 1607 – 1611 ) . Savery 's several later dodo images all show greyish birds , possibly because he had by then seen a normal specimen . Cheke and Hume concluded the painted specimen was white due to albinism , and that this peculiar feature was the reason it was collected from Mauritius and brought to Europe . Valledor de Lozoya instead suggested that the light plumage was a juvenile trait , a result of bleaching of old taxidermy specimens , or simply due to artistic license .
No fossil remains of dodo @-@ like birds have ever been found on Réunion . A few later sources take issue with the proposed ibis @-@ identity of the solitaire , and have even regarded the " white dodo " as a valid species . British writer Errol Fuller agrees that the 17th @-@ century paintings do not depict Réunion birds , but has questioned whether the ibis subfossils are necessarily connected to the solitaire accounts . He notes that no evidence indicates the extinct ibis survived until the time Europeans reached Réunion . Cheke and Hume have dismissed such sentiments as being mere " belief " and " hope " in the existence of a dodo on the island .
= = = Evolution = = =
The volcanic island of Réunion is only three million years old , whereas Mauritius and Rodrigues , with each their flightless Raphine species , are eight to ten million years old , and it is unlikely that either bird would have been capable of flying after five or more million years of adapting to the islands . Therefore , it is unlikely that Réunion could have been colonised by flightless birds from these islands , and only flighted species on the island have relatives there . Three million years is enough time for flightless and weak flying abilities to have evolved in bird species on Réunion itself . But such species would have been wiped out by the eruption of the volcano Piton des Neiges between 300 @,@ 000 and 180 @,@ 000 years ago . Most recent species would therefore likely be descendants of animals which had recolonised the island from Africa or Madagascar after this event , which is not enough time for a bird to become flightless .
In 1995 , morphological study suggested the closest extant relatives of the Réunion ibis are the African sacred ibis ( T. aethiopicus ) of Africa and the straw @-@ necked ibis ( T. spinicollis ) of Australia . It has also been suggested that it was closest to the Malagasy sacred ibis ( T. bernieri ) , and therefore of ultimately African origin .