Episode Report Card Demian: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Charmed Again, Part The Second
By Demian | Season 4 | Episode 2 | Aired on 10.03.2001
Manor, the following morning. In the kitchen, Piper applies an ice pack to the Dolt's sore neck, a souvenir from his run-in with Fruma-Shax the previous evening. Piper's having trouble wrapping her mind around the idea that the Dolt can heal innocents, but is useless when the injured party is himself. I'm certain he's useless in so many other ways as well, but let's keep this recap moving, shall we? Phoebe, entering from the hall, wonders how someone who is "technically dead" can "even get knocked out" in the first place. The Dolt: "Three years together, and now you're asking these questions?" I was wondering about that myself. Piper believes that "the more important question is, how does a Whitelighter get somebody knocked up?" Well, Piper, it's like this. No. No, I am so not going there. Ew. I'll just note that, in "Morality Bites," you saw a version of the future in which the Dolt himself had knocked you up, so why is this even an issue? Oh, yeah. Alyssa had Shannen fired, and now a team of crack-addled writers is desperately scrambling for ways to preserve the central conceit of the series. Sorry, I forgot that for a moment. Not. The three carry on in this vein for a bit, providing expository material from the episode we've just SEEN so that when this one hits syndication, the backstory for the events to follow will be in place. Eventually, they're interrupted by the doorbell. Piper snarks something about "[hoping] it's not another long-lost relative" before stomping out to answer the door.
Darryl enters and, without even greeting Piper, starts searching the premises for the Mummy, also known as "Inspector Cortez." More expository blather, saved only by the fact that Darryl actually wasn't present when Phoebe and Grams sent the Mummy to Nepal or wherever. The Dolt reassures Darryl that everything's fine; they sent Cole to retrieve him. Cleansing Burst Of Synchronicity, as Cole squiggles into the hallway at that moment. The boy's crouched down a bit and panting, and he doesn't return Phoebe's hello. We quickly discover the reason for this as a Demonic Bounty Hunter rays into the parlor. The DBH tosses a lightning bolt at Cole, Cole parries with a Flaming Ball Of Death, and the DBH sizzles his way down to Hell. Let's all say this next bit with Cole, shall we? "Damn bounty hunters. They're like gnats." "Bounty hunters" this evening is like the secret phrase from PeeWee's Playhouse. I keep expecting the furniture to scream every time I hear it.