Episode Report Card Demian: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT The Contrived, The Unrealistic, And The Overlong
By Demian | Season 3 | Episode 14 | Aired on 02.14.2001
Cut to a diner for a little man-to-man with Victor and the Dolt. No, not like that. If you want that kind of action, switch over to Queer as Folk. The Dolt nervously chugs down a glass of water as Victor starts in with "so I hear you're a handyman," and I smirk as I think of all the ways Emmett Honeycutt could twist that statement around. Bamp chicka bamp bamp, indeed. The Dolt notes he's actually a doctor -- "a counselor-kind-of-doctor. I guide people." Victor wonders if there's good money in that sort of profession, and the Dolt allows that no, there isn't, but he's happy because it's his "calling." There's a tasteless priest joke in there somewhere, but I'm trying to keep this PG-13, so I'll pass. Victor cuts to the chase, telling the Dolt there's something he needs to discuss with him -- wait for it -- "man-to-man." The Dolt fidgets in his seat, repeating that last bit. Victor modifies, "Well, from one mortal to another," and smiles. The Dolt holds his breath. Victor launches in on his Problems With Patty, otherwise known as Piper's mom. Again, the idea that his marriage collapsed because he refused to allow his daughters to be placed in harm's way is jettisoned in favor of the Whitelighter-as-homewrecker non-plot non-point they've chosen to tart up in cheap scent and slingbacks and run with this evening. Warning the Dolt of dangers worse than warlocks and demons, Victor pokes a finger in the Dolt's face and asks, "Leo. Do you know what a Whitelighter is?" Dun-dun-dun! Not. The Dolt stammers a "Whuh?" as we cut back to the manor.
Pan across various yellowed documents and up to Phoebe's exposed abs. She sports an enormous purplish bruise on her side, and winces when Prue touches it. Prue guesses Phoebe got the bruise the same way she received her split lip. Phoebe doesn't think it's exactly fair that some ghost gets the shit kicked out of him and she has to suffer for it. Piper, paging through the BoS, wishes she knew what to look for. Phoebe clues her in on the whole "Mr. Sutter" thing, and suggests Piper investigate any demons of that name. Prue cuts them both off with a discovery she's made while leafing through the town records: all records of any kind stop after April 25, 1873. Land grants, death certificates, everything. "It's almost as if time just stopped," she notes. Piper wonders if this means everyone just dropped dead at the same moment. For Prue, it's as if "time stopped moving forward," and she reminds the other two of "Time Loops" they've encountered in the past. Phoebe dismisses this, reminding her that they "vanquished that demon." Piper tells them both to hold up for a moment as she checks the entry on Time Loops in the BoS. The entry allows that not all Time Loops are caused by demons. She reads, "Certain spiritual traditions believe that a great Evil or great Injustice can be cursed into a Time Loop until righted." I wonder what the Native American term for "Groundhog Day" is. Phoebe translates Piper's information to mean the sisters must right some past wrong. Prue agrees, but doesn't do this by saying, "Duh," as I would have. Prue adds they have to determine what to do before Phoebe's "symptoms get worse."