Manor kitchen. Fade in on a fork, lying on the table to some Pier 1 dinnerware. Pan up to Prue, trying unsuccessfully to TK the fork to the floor. After a couple of wrist flicks with no effect, she tries to fake the fork out, pretending to ignore it. Wrist flick. Nothing. I can tell already this episode is going to be a classic. In clomps Phoebe, struggling with the straps of the beige scarf top she's wearing. Said top is decorated with an array of brown feathered roach clips. I am not making this up. "Look at me," she pouts. "I am a fashion blunder. A 'Mademoiselle Don't.'" It's a "Glamour Don't," sweetpea, but otherwise I agree completely with that statement. Prue ignores her, concentrating instead on the fork. Phoebe, noticing the ineffectual wrist-flicks, asks if Prue's lost her powers. "Can't lose what you never had," Prue replies, and we discover that Powerless Prue has been astrally-projected into the kitchen by the real Prue in the attic. "I hate when she plays astral games," Phoebe grumps, and stomps up to the attic, still fidgeting with the straps on her top. Number one, Phoebe, if that's all you hate her for, you're not trying hard enough, and number two, just change into a normal goddamn shirt already. I know you have at least one.
Attic. Prue's curled up in a floral-upholstered wingback chair, perusing a book entitled Telekinesis. She tells Phoebe she's been attempting to train herself to use telekinesis in conjunction with astral projection since she did a little more research into Belthazor, who, as we know, is the biggest, meanest, nastiest demon ever. Phoebe cracks wise about Belthazor's hideous skin and mutters, "I would hate to find myself alone with this guy." But isn't she dating Cole? And isn't Cole really Belthazor? Oh, that's right: yes, and yes. Not only do I. Fucking. Get it already, I think my mother, who wouldn't touch the crap on the WB network with a bargepole, also. Fucking. Gets it already. So, shut up about it. Now.
Anyway, Phoebe flops into a wicker chair to Prue and announces that she has a date with the demon. Prue notes that she doesn't seem too happy about it, and Phoebe snits that it's a lunch date. Since she and Cole have been macking loudly and publicly for a week now, Phoebe thinks she's entitled to a candlelit dinner at the very least. Prue starts to respond, but is cut short by a sudden pain from one of her molars. Dentist-appointment-in-an-hour chatter. Phoebe tells Prue to make sure she keeps the appointment, as Phoebe hates to see her sister miserable. Prue remarks that she hates to see herself miserable, and stands to leave the attic as Phoebe leans in to study the entry for Belthazor in the Book of Shadows. Gee, I hope for their sakes that Prue doesn't end up in the basement by the end of this episode, rocking back and forth in empathic pain while leaving tooth marks all over the scenery in Shannen Doherty's latest attempt to snag that ever-elusive Emmy nomination, like all of the previews for this episode have promised, because that would suck, wouldn't it? Wouldn't it? Oh, forget it.
Halliwell SUV. Prue, on her way to the dentist, is stopped by some road construction. Cole squiggles in as a bus passes by, a "Buckle up" transit ad with the tagline "Save the Innocent" emblazoned on its side. Cole, with a flick of his wrist, changes the direction of the blinking arrow from left to right on the detour indicator, then squiggles out. Prue looks either concerned, puzzled, or indifferent, and follows the arrow to the right. Cut to the manor, where Phoebe answers Prue's call from the car. "Did you cast any 'give me a sign' spells lately?" Prue asks. Phoebe answers in the negative, and tells Prue to ignore whatever signs she thinks she's seeing in favor of her dental appointment. Prue is stopped again by a construction crew, and hangs up on Phoebe, telling her she'll call back later. Another sign, "Final Stop Import Export," is painted onto the side of a brick warehouse, and if some idiot really named an import/export company "Final Stop," I have no trouble seeing why the business failed. Prue gets the attention of the construction foreman, who assumes she's from the Department of Social Services. Apparently, a tenant refuses to leave his loft in the condemned warehouse, and demolition is scheduled to start that day. "Someone actually lives here?" Prue asks. "If you can call it [living]," replies Foreman George. The tenant hasn't left his loft once in the last four years. Prue ponders this for a moment, then ignores the big red sign that reads "DANGER: DO NOT ENTER" to step into the warehouse.
Prue walks up the stairs to the warehouse lofts, massaging her aching jaw, and somehow manages to pick the correct door on the first try. She knocks, and tries to open it, but it's chained. "Go away!" the man inside wails, and Prue elects to ignore him, shutting the door, TKing the chain off the hook, and entering the loft. The man inside scrambles into the corner, shouting at her not to come closer. She asks if he's injured, and he moans about the pain in his head. All of the collective pain of the city has gathered in Moany Man's head, it seems, and in spite of Prue's assurance she's there to help him, he insists the pity she feels for him is only making matters worse. He then howls, as he can feel the pain in Prue's mouth as well. "All of this pain! I can't stand it!" he screams. I gaze on in silent sympathy, then remember I'm recapping this crap, and tell him he doesn't know what real pain is. "Why didn't you just go when I asked?" Because then we wouldn't have an episode, genius, and my liver would have made it through to see a better day. Can't have that, now, can we?
Credits. Does Brian Krause have a clause in his contract that mandates his appearance in every episode? Because they seem to manage quite nicely without Dorian Gregory on a regular basis. Just asking.
Manor parlor. Leo guilt-trips Piper because she introduced him to an acquaintance of hers as a "friend." She tells him to cram it, because she can't very well say she's dating a White Lighter, and that's all you need to know about that. Prue enters with Cole, which both Piper and Leo find a little odd, given Prue's antagonistic attitude towards Cole in recent weeks. Turns out he's just there to pick up Phoebe for their lunch date. Phoebe enters on cue, having changed from the roach-clip scarf top into a midriff-baring, off-the-shoulder orange number and a long, loose black skirt. God help us all, she actually pulls this one off. Prue fills them in on Moany, and Cole helpfully offers to make a call for assistance. Piper directs him to the kitchen, and he leaves them to chat in private.
I think I'm beyond all hope, as I actually enjoy what follows. Cole dials a number on the cordless in the kitchen and stands at the table, waiting for the call to go through. Shadow Cole disengages himself and stalks over to one of the vents by the floor. Cole tells Shadow Cole to hold up. He thought they had an agreement not to provide the Triad with updates until a plan has succeeded or failed. Shadow Cole pouts against the wall. Phoebe ducks into the kitchen at this point to retrieve some aspirin and water for Prue and her toothache. Blonde that she is, she fails to note Shadow Cole lurking ten feet or so away from Fleshy Cole. She asks Fleshy Cole if he's okay, he tells her he got "disconnected," she gives him a quick peck on the lips and perks out to the parlor. Cole reassures Shadow Cole that Prue followed the signs he had given her, and that his latest plan will work. Shadow Cole relents, and eases himself back into place at Cole's side. Cole rolls his eyes, and redials the number on the cordless. Snicker. I can't help myself. Really.
Back in the parlor, Leo guesses Moany is a "future empath." "Future," Leo? Moany seems to have a pretty good handle on that empath stuff right now. Empath discussion. Leo tells the Ps that empaths are mortals who feel the emotions of others, and often return to earth after they die disguised as counselors or teachers, using their gift to guide others. Prue doesn't think Moany feels like he's been gifted, and Leo theorizes that Moany might be fighting the power rather than embracing it. Prue doesn't care about Moany's afterlife -- she's more concerned about helping him in the here and now -- and the sisters then wonder who provided Prue with the signs that led her to the warehouse. Leo guesses, "It could be 'Them,'" indicating The Powers That Be, "or it could be --" "Cole," Piper interrupts, as Cole reenters from the kitchen. See what they did there? Wasn't that clever? Wasn't it? Huh? Okay, I'll shut up now. Cole tells them all he's contacted someone at the housing authority who can set Moany up with a place to stay if he leaves the warehouse of his own accord. Prue takes Cole's card and heads off alone to deal with Moany, despite an offer of assistance from Piper. Moany can barely deal with one other person, Prue notes, but she thanks Piper for her offer anyway. Cole and Phoebe make to leave for their date, and that dolt Leo manages to invite himself and Piper along for lunch as well. Cole defers to Phoebe, who grits out a "fine," and the four exit.
Cut to the Crest Hills Psychiatric Hospital. A balding, middle-aged, unshaven inmate reads about Moany in another inmate's newspaper, and becomes agitated. "Father Thomas" insists he be allowed to leave to head to the warehouse so he can "protect the innocent," setting off a minor ruckus among the other psychos in the dayroom. As he's restrained by a male nurse, we cut to the Final Stop Warehouse of Imports, Exports, And Psycho Empaths, where Prue negotiates with a deputy on eviction duty. The officer agrees to give her "three minutes" to get Moany out of the building, but if she fails, Moany goes to jail. Prue thanks him and rushes inside. Upstairs, she enters the loft and gently approaches Moany, who's perched on a mattress on the floor, rocking himself back and forth. Prue asks Moany his name, and upon his answer of "Vince," asks for his last name. "Misery," he groans. "Would you like some company then?" she asks. Vince stops rocking, looks up at Prue, and states flatly, "That's not funny." I like Vince. Prue settles down to him, telling him he'll be arrested for civil disobedience if he doesn't leave the loft, and Vince insists that he'll die if he gets thrown into jail. Prue assures him she believes him, and tells him she knows what it's like to have a power she doesn't want or understand. She urges him to consider the "blessings" that come with such a gift.
Vince leaps to his feet and stalks away from her, telling her he knows she doesn't really believe a word of what she's saying. What she really is, Vince tells her, is confused, afraid, panicked, and "sorry," and Prue's near tears in agreement. I, on the other hand, am near manic laughter in agreement with that "sorry" bit. As the deputy pounds on the door, Vince insists he cannot leave, and that he's been cursed, not blessed, with this "gift." Prue TKs the door in place, preventing the deputy from entering, and approaches a startled Vince, who asks her how she's holding the door shut. She tells him she's been sent to help him, and we come to a Hallmark moment: "Free the empath, release his gift," Prue chants as Vince drops to his knees and clutches her arm. "Let his pain be cast adrift," she finishes, crying a bit, and halts the TK on the door. The deputy bitches the two of them out; Prue apologizes and hands Vince Cole's business card, telling Vince she'll explain everything later. Vince eyes her suspiciously and thanks her, guessing she has no idea what she just did for him. Taking this as a compliment, she smiles at him, and leaves the loft. Vince then walks over to the disgusted deputy, who tells Vince it's time to scram. Vince notes that he's wondering what the deputy is feeling at the moment, and the deputy wonders why. Vince darts out his hand, putting the deputy in a chokehold, and starts frying the deputy's head like it's been chucked into a demon microwave. As the deputy's skin bubbles up like burnt cheese on an overcooked pizza, Vince intones, "Because. I. Can't. Feel. A. Thing." Way to go, Prue. Close up on Vince's face, then fade to black and commercial.
Fade up on Piper, Leo, Phoebe, and Cole sitting around a restaurant table in awkward silence. Phoebe attempts to kick-start conversation with the pitiful, "How about them 'Niners?" Cole looks at her blankly. "The San Francisco Forty-Niners," Phoebe explains, and asks Cole if he follows football. He shrugs silently in reply, leading Phoebe to joke, "He's not human." Cole pulls a spit take with the glass of water he's just raised to his lips, then calls to the passing waitress for the check. Phoebe and Piper give each other the eye, and silently agree to a private confab in the ladies' room. They excuse themselves, leaving the guys alone at the table, and on their way to the bathroom, Phoebe complains to Piper that she can feel Cole pulling away from her. Actually, Phoebe, he might just be pissed off that you allowed Leo to crash the lunch date, but whatever. Back at the table, Leo tells Cole that they all worry about Phoebe, and urges Cole to be "straight" with her. Cole clearly doesn't think it's any business of Leo's what he does with Phoebe. The women return, and the waitress arrives shortly thereafter with the check. Cole suggests that Leo and he split the bill, Leo pretends to reach for his non-existent wallet, and Piper covers for him, pulling out her own credit card to pay for the meal. Before they can continue with more of this tedious and awkward relationship nonsense, Cole's beeper goes off. He insists he has to take the call, apologizes, and leaves.
We cut from Phoebe's expression of dismay to Cole squiggling into the loft at the Demon Emporium, where he assesses the blackened remains of the deputy. Demonic exposition. Vince thanks Cole for sending Prue his way. Vince could feel the "empathic cancer" transfer from his own body into hers during the spell, and Cole asks Vince how long it will be before the empath power cripples Prue. Because she's a mortal, Vince estimates the power will crush Prue's resistance within a day. He thinks that Cole will be pleased to see Prue self-destruct, but Cole reveals he'll be out of town, as he doesn't need to see Piper and Phoebe lose their sister. Vince thinks Cole's been undercover for too long, and that his newfound compassion doesn't suit him. Cole tells Vince to mind his own business, and Vince goes off to take care of Father Thomas, who apparently infected Vince with the empath power in the first place. Cole warns him against this, as the three Ps might catch on to what just happened and track Vince down to reverse the spell. Vince snarks that he's immune to the Halliwell powers, and Cole counters that Vince is not immune to the powers Cole himself possesses. Vince takes the hint and agrees to lie low.
Cut to the dentist's office, where Prue is trying to reschedule her earlier, missed appointment. A twentysomething couple in the background engages in an unseemly display of public affection as Prue negotiates with the receptionist. When the gent of the pair grabs a handful of his girlfriend's ass, Prue squeals as if she'd just been groped, and whirls around. Prue attempts to pass this odd action off as a side effect of the pain from her tooth, but the receptionist gives her the stink-eye anyway. The receptionist states she could squeeze Prue in at 4:15, and Prue inexplicably bursts into laughter in response. The door to one of the internal offices swings open, revealing a matronly woman in navy blue with a serious case of nitrous-oxide-induced giggles. The matron, for some reason, reminds me of Barbara Bush, without the faux pearls. Prue slowly realizes what's happening, makes her excuses to the receptionist, and hustles out of the office, pausing on the way to grab a couple of handfuls of the male twentysomething's ass. His girlfriend is not pleased.
Manor hallway. Phoebe, post-lunch-date-from-hell, asks Cole what's wrong. In brief, he dumps her and doesn't explain why, noting only she'll understand his reasons soon. Prue rushes through the door as he leaves and pulls up short, stating she hasn't felt the emotion she picked up from Cole since Andy was around. Phoebe asks Prue to explain, and Prue reveals she can sense Cole falling in love with Phoebe. Phoebe dismisses this, but Prue can feel the same emotion coming from her sister. Phoebe leads Prue into the kitchen, where Piper and Leo are sharing some tea. Phoebe fills them in on her suspicions about Prue's new empathic power, then proves it by fiercely pinching Piper on her arm. Both Piper and Prue jump in pain. Prue babbles about receiving the gift from Vince, but stops when she senses fear emanating from Leo, who worries Prue might not be able to handle the new power. Piper and Phoebe agree, leading Prue to get so worked up about their negativity that she blows up the mini TV in the kitchen. Phoebe urges Prue to calm down and offers to head to the attic to research empaths in the BoS. Prue senses Phoebe really wants to chase after Cole, and sends her off to "get [her] man." Piper and Leo offer to help Prue with the BoS, but she tells them their "couple issues" are starting to give her a migraine. Whoa there, missy. The line for couple-issue-related migraines starts behind me. "We have couple issues?" Piper asks. "Resentment," Prue tells Leo. "Denial," she says to Piper, adding, "Be nice." Heh. Prue heads up to the attic, and Piper starts in on Leo. Blah bitch blah, he was humiliated when she paid for lunch, she apologizes. They snog on the couch. "Not now," Prue snits from upstairs, "I have a headache." Word.
Chez Belthazor. Shirtless Cole. I pause the tape and light a cigarette. People in the forums have insisted that Julian McMahon is a hairy beast. If so, Spelling Productions must have included a trimmer in his contract package, because his torso, while certainly not waxed, would not put me in danger of developing hair balls at any point in the future, if you know what I mean. And I think you do. Mmm. Shirtless Cole. Where was I? Oh, recap. Anyway, there's a knock on the door. It's Phoebe, looking rather fetching, come to tell Cole something. "Actually," she says, "I was always better at show than tell," and the macking commences. Cole starts off with his eyes closed, then opens them, looking frightened and a bit worried. Phoebe slams the apartment door shut and leaps up to wrap her legs around his waist. He backs her against the door and breaks the kiss to tell her, "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." "Neither do you," she replies and starts sucking on his lips again as we tastefully fade to commercial.
Chez Belthazor, the morning after the night before. Snuggling. Tickling. Whispered words of naked-in-bed-together bliss. Neither of them has bed head, and Phoebe's left her bracelet and watch on all night. These two look like they've spent the last two hours in hair and makeup, not sweating and snoring beneath the duvet, drooling on the pillows and each other. Whatever. Phoebe notices Cole's partially-packed suitcase, and wonders if he's going anywhere. He gives a vague answer, leading her to reassure him that he need not keep secrets from her. "Secrets? What secrets?" Cole announces he has to get to work, and Phoebe frets beneath the covers, watching his naked ass make its way to the bathroom.
Cut to a church, somewhere in the city. Vince, not following Cole's orders, manhandles a church secretary, trying to find out where Father Thomas is. She tells him the priest was confined to a mental hospital three years ago after suffering a nervous breakdown, and for her troubles, he gives her the burnt-cheese face. Slick, Vince. Real slick.
Cut to Prue, cowering in the basement of the manor, her hands clamped against her ears in a futile attempt to shut out the screaming voices coming to her from seemingly every house in the neighborhood. And for an upscale neighborhood of pricey Victorians, there's an awful lot of domestic violence going on behind those lace curtains, apparently. Piper and Leo enter, asking Prue what's wrong. She hyperventilates an explanation about the pain the empath power is causing her, and as she hits a spike in the emotions she's receiving, her telekinesis flares out, buckling the floorboards above them. Piper declares the empath power was never meant for Prue, and that they're going to give it back to Vince as soon as they find him.
Condemned Demon Emporium. The area is taped off with yellow "Police Line" warnings, and there are several squad cars parked in front, along with an ambulance from the coroner's office. Phoebe runs up to Leo and Piper and asks after Prue, who has stayed in the car. Piper notes Phoebe's walk-of-shame attire, and after confirming Phoebe did indeed have all-night sex with Cole, she and Leo fill Phoebe in on what's happened. Phoebe "smells a demon," Piper wonders how a demon would obtain empathic powers, and Leo guesses they were placed as a curse on the demon by a true empath. The three enter Vince's abandoned loft, and Phoebe is flung into a string of visions: Vince frying the deputy, Vince frying the church secretary, and Vince frying Father Thomas at the nuthouse. Piper wonders how Phoebe could have a vision without touching anything, and Leo notes the loft is likely "dripping with psychic remnants." Thanks for that mental image, Leo. Ew. Phoebe's not certain the last of the murders has taken place yet, and the three agree to head over to Crest Hills. Prue, meanwhile, huddles in the back seat of the car, going all Snake Pit on everyone.
Funny Farm. Phoebe attempts to bluff her way past Nurse Ratched at the receiving desk. She fails, so Piper freezes Ratched. Leo walks over to Prue, telling her that a mental institution is not the best place for her at the moment. She insists on staying in case Vince shows up, so they can transfer the power back to him. The four make their way into the dayroom, and Phoebe points out Father Thomas as the last person from her vision. Phoebe and Piper approach him, as Leo leads Prue to a chair. Phoebe tells Father T that they've come in search of an empath, and he tells them to stop humoring him. Piper notes she and Phoebe are neither doctors nor patients, but witches, come in search of the empath who cursed a demon. Father T backstories. He was working as a priest when "Vinceres," an unstoppable assassin of the demonic sort, tried to kill him. Father T transferred the empath power just as Vinceres placed his hand on the priest's throat, and notes that in doing so, he cursed both the demon and himself. Piper wonders about that last bit, and Father T tells them he's staring at an eternity on earth with no powers, and therefore, no reason to exist. Piper fills him in on the Vince situation, and he allows as how he read about it in the paper the day before. Phoebe tells him that Prue unfortunately mistook Vinceres for a shut-in, and Father T erupts into a rant about the indestructibility of the demon, which leads to general pandemonium in the ward. Prue, sucking in all of the negative and volatile emotion around her, writhes on the chair in agony and ends up unleashing a Category Four telekinetic hurricane on the room, hurling televisions, easels, and chairs around. Piper, Leo, and Phoebe gape in concern as Prue pounds her head with her hands in frustration, and we fade to commercial.
Halliwell manor. Prue rocks herself into an autistic stupor in a corner of the basement under the concerned gaze of Leo. Whatever. Up in the parlor, Phoebe and Piper come across Vinceres's entry in the BoS. I can't read the text, but there are depictions of the demon in, among others, Crusader, Mongol, and Nazi drag. The boy sure did get around back in the day. Piper notes Vinceres "pretty much lives up to his gloss," not stopping until he destroys his target. "Great," Phoebe smirks. "The Energizer demon." Father T tells them they're all as good as dead. Piper tells him to knock it off with the pessimism as Leo enters from the kitchen. He tells them all that Prue is quite nearly catatonic, and they worry that she won't be able to pull it together enough to reverse the spell when the time comes. Father Pollyanna tells them their powers are useless against Vinceres, and that he allowed Prue's spell to work only because he himself benefited from it. Phoebe guesses Prue will become as powerful as Vinceres, if not more so, if she can channel the emotions she's receiving and focus the power. Father Pollyanna pisses all over this theory, telling them Prue will be dead before nightfall. Piper entertainingly tells him to shut it: "This man has experienced the entire rainbow of human emotions and the best he can offer us is self-pity? I don't think so. You used this power to stop this demon. Now my sister has your power. Deal with it, an then help us." Go, Piper.
Prue, huddled in the basement. Father T approaches with Leo, causing her to lash out at them with "Go away!" Father T speechifies, telling Prue that while fighting the emotions is a natural response, she must instead embrace and focus them. Vinceres was crippled because demons cannot deal with human emotions, and Prue must not allow herself to fall into the same trap. Meanwhile, Vinceres himself kicks in the front door of the manor and strides into the hallway. Phoebe, cowering in the parlor, shouts to Piper, who freezes the demon for a moment. He shakes it off as Phoebe rushes to Piper's side. Vinceres approaches Piper, who breaks a vase over his head. He flings her into an 1860s love seat. He then flips over a table, smashing it in the process, and sets upon Phoebe, who starts in with the judo. He flings her into the love seat as well. Piper freezes him again and calls out to Leo, who watches Father T attempt to connect with Prue in the basement. Father T tells her his power as an empath was concentrated in his hands, and Prue must connect the empathic power with her own in order to succeed. A few more words of encouragement, a lot more glycerin for Shannen Doherty, and the scene shifts to the upstairs hallway.
Vinceres has Phoebe by the throat, promising her he won't kill her if she gives him Father T's location. Enter Prue, trailed by Leo and the priest. "You want him?" she asks Vinceres. "Come and get him." She then TKs the demon into the wall, cracking the plaster and destroying a couple of framed prints in the process. Vinceres wonders how Prue was able to accomplish that, Prue tells him coolly he'll have to get past her if he wants Father T, and Phoebe and Piper start to pick themselves up off the floor. Prue tells her sisters to stay back, and we get to the part of the episode many have rather loudly complained is ripped off from The Matrix. Because you would have to pay me a large sum of money to watch any Keanu Reeves movie, and because no one came forward with such an offer in connection to that particular flick, I have no way of knowing if the lovable -- if mouthy -- gang on the forum boards is correct. However, I certainly wouldn't put such a tactic past the people who create this show. Hand-to-hand combat between Prue and Vinceres. At one point she literally climbs the stairwell wall, only to spin herself around on the balustrade to kick Vinceres in the face. He manages to get her in a chokehold, sneering that he's immune to her witchy ways. She levitates and smoothly removes his hand from her neck, then kicks him down the hallway. I should note that aside from the framed prints, no furniture has been broken up to this point in the battle between Prue and the demon.
Vinceres rises again to his feet to challenge Prue, stating for the third or fourth time he can handle her powers. You don't seem to be doing such a hot job so far, pal. Just sayin'. Prue asks him if he can "handle pain. Human pain." Vinceres gives her a "Guh?" look, and Prue astrally-projects another copy of herself in front of her body. AP Prue (is that like AP English?) dives into Vinceres's chest, and we're treated to a non-special effect of emotion-laden AP Prue apparently running roughshod through Vinceres's body, before he explodes, leaving AP Prue standing in his place. Piper goggles in disbelief, AP Prue smiles at Special Ed Prue, and then the two Prues merge. I think I caught slimy Vinceres remnants littering the floor, but I'm not sure. Reconstituted Prue announces that the voices have left her, and apologizes to Father T, saying she wished they had been able to return the power to him instead of destroying it while vanquishing the demon. Father T replies that they've made him realize he can still connect with others' emotions, even without the help of magic powers, and I guess that means his years in the cuckoo's nest were all for naught. Smiles all around.
P3 After Dark. Another product-placed band I fast-forward through. Phoebe and Prue approach Piper at the bar for the week's summation. Prue fills the other two Ps in on Father T's advice about demons not being able to process human emotion, and explains that Vinceres was vanquished because she entered his body "with the emotional baggage of half the city," forced him to feel it, and he ended up imploding because of it all. Leo pops in to let them know he got the archdiocese to reinstate Father T, and Piper strokes Leo's cheek, calling him "an angel" for doing so. Leo, blushing: "Well, not technically." Prue, not having it: "Ew." Demian, as Anne Bancroft: "Yes, Helen, yes." A thousand times yes. The three Ps chatter about the source of the signs that led Prue to Vinceres in the first place, deciding the culprit was either the Triad or Belthazor. More self-congratulatory noises from Prue, who then asks Phoebe about her "Cole dependency," wondering where Phoebe and her legal love muffin stand. Phoebe perks off to Cole's apartment to get the answer for that in person.
Chez Belthazor. Cole answers the door, and Phoebe admits that she expected him to have left already. Cole notes an "associate" of his "didn't do as he was told," so Cole still has some unfinished business in the city. Phoebe wonders if this is a good thing or a bad thing, and Cole allows that it's both. He pulls her into a comforting clinch, she nestles her cheek against his chest, and he kisses the top of her head. The camera moves in to capture his poker-faced expression, and we fade to black.
up on Demian's Very Special Weekend Marathon of Charmed: We got trouble in the Halliwell manor, as sisterly sniping degenerates into a full-scale witch-on-bitch smackdown that leaves the three powerless. Will Prue, Piper, and Phoebe kiss and make up? Can the sisters survive week's horde of demons to fight another day? "Duh," and "duh" again.