Episode Report Card Demian: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Wrestling with the Nielsens
By Demian | Season 3 | Episode 12 | Aired on 01.31.2001
Freddie Prinze, Jr., looks like a scary clown, but I'd still do him. Just sayin'.
Back in the ring, Prue pulls it together and boots Mega-Man in the head with her free foot. She knocks Thunder off of Phoebe, and the Hellmouth closes. The fight ends quickly with Phoebe and Prue managing to stun the two wrestlers. The Ps pin them, the portal opens, and the wrestlers scream their way down to Hell. Where they belong. Prue and Phoebe leap out of the ring. Prue threatens the remaining trainees, who scuttle off like the little girly-men they really are. Prue and Phoebe drag the unconscious Piper to the Elevator Of Doom.
Upstairs, The Dolt ransacks the office, looking for a way into the Perlman Academy. The elevator doors open up behind him, and Prue and Phoebe drag Piper over. The Dolt yanks the razor sphere out of her back and applies his special tingly touch to her gaping and bloody wound. Once he determines that the tingly touch is taking, he tells the other two that The Elders believe the best way to vanquish Ron "is to get one of his recruits to turn against him." Prue decides to get Mama Peters into Halliwell Manor. Tom and Ron are sure to follow. Once they're all in the same place, Prue is certain Mama Peters will be able to restore her son's humanity. Phoebe says it sounds like a plan, and the two leave The Dolt alone with Piper. Out in the hall, Phoebe wants to gab more about the Cole situation. She thinks there's a good chance they won't be able to vanquish Ron, and wants to resolve the issue with Prue in case they die. Prue doesn't want to hear it, as she's determined to save the jock. Phoebe wants to know what makes Tom so different from Cole. Prue shuts her up: "He started out good. He didn't start out trying to kill us." She glides past Phoebe, who trails behind after indulging in a bit of self-pity. Back in Ron's office, The Dolt has healed Piper's wound, mending her lilac sweater and removing the bloodstain in the process. Piper tells him she found the ring. The Dolt beams. They embrace. Whatever.
House of Delusion. Mama Peters pulls up outside and opens the trunk of her car to remove her groceries. Darryl approaches, identifying himself and flashing his badge. Mama Peters: "Tom?" That poor woman.
Manor exterior, night. It's obvious the rolling blackouts in California haven't affected the Halliwell's ability to waste electricity. Lights blaze from every window. Rasputin's in the parlor, growling at the invisible forces that flutter through the drapes. Darryl and Mama Peters enter and note the mouth-breathing on the soundtrack. Prue and Phoebe run in and thank Mama Peters for stopping by. A purple smear enters through the open window, and Phoebe guesses that "some lost souls" have responded to her spell as well. Mama Peters demands to see her son, who barges in the front door at that moment with Ron. Ron is a bit surprised that Phoebe and Prue survived the ring, but thanks them "for leading [Tom] to the victim." Ron orders Tom to kill his mother. Tom shoots an FBOD her way, but Darryl pulls her out of the way. Prue TKs Ron into an antique secretary, which he demolishes on impact.
Prue rushes to Tom's side, urging him to look at his mother and reconnect with his humanity. Ron flings a razor sphere at Mama Peters's neck. It hangs there in front of her as he screams, "Kill her, dammit!" More purple smears sweep through the parlor. Tom approaches his mother and grabs hold of the sphere. A series of jump-cuts to each of the characters in the parlor, the better to "heighten" the "tension." I'm surprised they didn't include a shot of the dog. Tom finally spins and hurls the razor sphere into Ron's neck. The smears circle Ron's lifeless form in a plot device ripped right out of Ghost. Prue, who apparently has seen that movie once or twice, guesses that the smears are there to escort Ron to Hell and tells Phoebe to get rid of them. Phoebe, winging it: "I return what I didn't want to find. Let it be out of sight, out of mind." Ron screams, and he and the smears disappear. Tom grunts in pain and lifts his sleeve. The chevrons on his forearm push together and disappear. He hugs his mommy, who tells him everything will be all right. Phoebe notes, "I guess some guys are worth saving, after all." Prue smiles, and nods her head in agreement. Another shot of Tommy and his mommy, followed by a fade to the engagement ring on Piper's hand.