Episode Report Card Couch Baron: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Once, Twice, Three Times A Ball-Buster
By Couch Baron | Season 1 | Episode 16 | Aired on 03.02.1999
Parking garage. Perky Prue enters from the elevator just in time to almost be seen by Claire, who's driving out with True Prue. When they're gone, a smoke bomb tumbles down the stairs and goes off harmlessly, except for the bright light it emits, which blinds Perky Prue. She reels against a car as Gabriel draws his sword and blathers triumphantly. Perky Prue desperately focuses her eyes in his direction, causing his sword to fly up, cutting his face. Enraged, he skewers her in the stomach. In Claire's car, Prue doubles over in horrible pain. Perky Prue breathes her name, and expires. Ms. Statler runs over to Gabriel and asks where Prue's soul is, and Gabriel bellows that he's been tricked, as she has none. Claire, horrified, asks True Prue if she's okay, but she's clearly not. Ending a rather well done little scene, True Prue cries us into the commercial break.
Cable car. They have those in Atlanta? Establishing shot of a coroner's office. The coroner starts talking, and even before we see him, I recognize the voice as that of Bernie Kopell, Dr. Adam Bricker from The Love Boat. Hey, when I was nine, Saturday night was The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. I can't believe my parents let me watch that trash, but how else was I going to learn how the rich and tawdry behaved? (There's that word again. It can't be helped -- it's just too good.) Dr. Bricker is telling Andy that he's got a homicide victim, and opens one of the drawers and slides Perky Prue out as Andy's attention is occupied by her personal effects. He finds the music awards tickets, and knowing full well that he's the only one who sent away for them, looks up in horror to see Perky Prue's corpse. First stage of grief: Liplessness.
Phoebe punches away at Slam Man, and you just know that the sales motto was "Satisfaction guaranteed." The doorbell rings, and it's Andy, wiping the glycerine from his eyes. He breaks the news to Phoebe, saying that Prue's body was found in a ravine near the Presidio. He goes on that they found a few drops of blood at the scene that could belong to the killer, which will be relevant to the Ps for reasons that should be obvious. Phoebe, thinking the odds are pretty good that it wasn't True Prue, asks Andy what color sweater she was wearing. Andy can't believe her reaction, but upon being pressed, tells her it was pink. Phoebe buries her head in her hands and says "Thank God" in relief. She then rather hilariously tries to cover by telling Andy that it's no secret that she and Prue fought at times. The jokes are flying through my head like bats in a belfry. Which perhaps is not an inappropriate metaphor. Andy's starting to berate Phoebe when Piper appears with Predator Prue. Andy babbles incoherently until the front door opens to reveal True Prue. Piper, moving fast, freezes Andy before he can see True Prue. Phoebe explains why Andy's there, and True Prue isn't surprised given what she felt in the car, although Predator Prue says she didn't feel anything. I'm not sure feelings are your long suit, hon. Anyway, the younger Ps send True Prue out of the room before Andy unfreezes. Piper and Phoebe try to get Andy out the door, but he's not ready to leave until Predator Prue calmly tells him that it means the world to her that he came, but she's alive and kicking. He starts to go, but then mentions the music tickets, and of course Predator Prue has no idea that they'd arrived. Sneaky, Andy. Outside, he walks down the stairs, and we see that Ms. Statler is watching the house. Since she returns to her estate later, I'm not sure what the point of this is, but I suppose logic is just a gleam in a Vulcan's eye at this point in time.