Fade up on the manor kitchen, where the entire produce section of the local Treasure Island has been dumped all over the counter. Slow pan to Piper, who drops what looks like a squid tentacle into a pot of lavender liquid simmering on the stove. The liquid flames up, as Piper worries that even if the "vanquishing potion" ends up working, they still have to find Belthazor. Prue, clad in a leopard-print sheer strappy top that for some reason makes her breasts look huge, tells Piper she has a plan for that, but they must finish with the potion first. Cockleshells are in the mix, despite the fact neither sister knows exactly what they are, which does make me wonder how they managed to obtain them in the first place. Banter over pig's feet, one of which when added causes the brew to flare up again. Prue announces that all they need is the slice of Belthazor flesh Piper cut from the demon in the last episode, and they're good to go. Prue calls for Phoebe, but Piper notes Phoebe might not be in a "vanquishing mood," as she hasn't heard from Cole in over a week. Prue makes dismissive noises, stating she never liked Cole, and her dislike for him goes beyond the fact he's "a greasy lawyer." "A greasy what?" Phoebe perks as she enters the kitchen, and Piper covers with "A greasy…layer on the potion." "Too much mandrake," Prue agrees. Whatever.
Phoebe announces she doesn't care, she just wants to deal with the Belthazor issue before Cole gets back. "And he will come back," she insists more to herself than anyone else, as Piper and Prue exchange Looks Of Concern. The three then recite a spell from the Book of Shadows. A spell that abuses semicolons, as you see below:
Spirits of air,
Forest and sea;
Set us of this
Demon free;
Beasts of hoof
And Beasts of shell,
Drive this evil
Back to hell!
Oof.
Nothing happens. Why? Piper forgot the Belthazor pepperoni. She retrieves it from the refrigerator, where they've been storing it in a Tupperware container. Piper gingerly picks it out with a pair of salad tongs and flings it into the simmering liquid in the pot. The potion more or less explodes, hurling Piper backward onto the kitchen floor. Worried noises as Prue and Phoebe rush to her aid, and Piper makes an "attack of the killer pig's feet" unfunny. The camera zooms in on a close up of the Belthazor entry in the BoS, as we cut to a funeral in progress.
The attending minister reads the following from the thirty-seventh psalm: "Fret not thyself because of evil. Neither be envious of wrongdoers, for they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb." Get it? Good. As the minister continues on, we pan across the cemetery to a memorial carved in an angel's image. The injured Belthazor snipers down to the grass beneath the angel, panting through his prosthetic mouthgear. He heaves himself to his feet, leaving a bloodstain on the angel's base, and lurches towards a mausoleum with the word "MAUSOLEUM" in large black letters over the door. I understand the Mausoleums were rather prominent members of the San Francisco community back in the days of the Barbary Coast. In fact, I think one of the Mausoleums was a founding member of Bohemian Grove.
As Belthazor lunges his way to the final resting-place of the Mausoleums, a meaty paw appears in a ray of light back at the bloodstain. The meaty gentleman attached to the meaty paw swipes up a bit of the blood and raises his meaty fingers to his meaty nose for a sniff. Doesn't he know that all bodily fluids should be treated as biohazards? Meaty Man snarls at the scent, and his eyes wander to the Mausoleums' mausoleum, where Belthazor is just pulling shut the door. Cut to Belthazor crouching behind Granny Mausoleum's bier. Meaty Man enters, calling out to the demon by name, telling Belthazor he can't hide forever from the Meaty Man's wrath. Meaty Man has been sent by The Source himself to do away with Belthazor, presumably for Belthazor's shoddy treatment of the Andrews Sisters in the last episode. Meaty Man menaces. Belthazor cowers. Meaty Man urges Belthazor to die like "a hero, not a coward," and Belthazor rushes to the door. Meaty flings a little sparkly demon voodoo Belthazor's way, knocking the red demon to the floor. Belthazor recovers and shoots a blue energy ball at Meaty, trapping him under a fallen column, and then runs outside.
Belthazor slumps to the ground as the funeral disperses, and morphs with some difficulty into Cole, who then stands and walks towards the cluster of mourners. Meaty menaces on out of the Mausoleum mausoleum, scanning the cemetery grounds for Belthazor. Cole approaches a woman who is busily wiping stray tears from her eyes with a delicate hanky, and makes his escape by bumming a ride with her to "the wake." Cole surreptitiously checks the blood seeping through his white shirt, then buttons his grey mohair coat. Meaty stands by a gravestone, looking lost.
Credits and commercials. I know Dracula 2000 is supposed to be crap, but as I am Jonny Lee Miller's whore, I get the sinking feeling I'll be in the theater watching it weekend.
Manor hall. Phoebe power walks her way through as Prue descends the stairs. Prue asks Phoebe where she's off to, and Phoebe replies she's got class and a little Cole stalking to attend to that day. Prue reminds her of their Belthazor priority, and exposits she's reworked the "magic calling magic" spell they used to summon Melinda Warren in order to summon Belthazor. Prue then launches into a little bit of sisterly concern regarding Phoebe's unhealthy obsession with Cole. Phoebe tells her to cram it, as she knows Prue never approved of Cole. Prue notes Phoebe she didn't approve of all of Prue's boyfriends either, then apologizes. She reminds Phoebe of the Halliwells' need to be honest with each other after the run-in with Andras and Belthazor in the last episode, and allows that the Cole situation is entirely Phoebe's call. I wonder if that whole honesty thing is going to come around and bite them in the ass sometime this episode. Phoebe thanks her as Piper enters, asking if the other two are ready for a little demon vanquishing. Prue replies that Phoebe won't be participating, as she has boyfriend issues to process through. Prue notes the Power of Three isn't necessary, anyway, as all they require for the task is the potion. Piper presses a vial of said potion into Phoebe's hand "just in case," and Phoebe takes her leave.
Cut to the "grungy city alley" set on the lot, where Cole staggers through a cloud of steam. The poor boy's face is looking awfully ragged and unshorn as he strips off his coat and pulls open his shirt. He grunts and pants in pain as he pries a wad of gauze from the gaping silver-dollar-sized wound in his side. You'll want a little antibacterial cream on that, honey. It's nasty. He pulls off his shirt and grunts and pants a bit more as he attempts to rip it in half. Shirtless Cole pauses momentarily in frustration, panting and gasping a bit more as he leans back against a wall. I pause to offer my heartfelt thanks to Brad Kern for this scene. Cole morphs into Belthazor, who easily tears the shirt in two. Belthazor presses the cloth to the wound, which doesn't look as nasty on him as it does on Cole, then scampers off when he hears someone approaching. Heavily Stoned Homeless Dude enters the alley, spies Cole's discarded coat, and hugs the coat to his chest possessively.
Manor parlor. Piper and Prue prop a coffee table up on its side as Piper worries, "This is going to be messy." "That's why we Scotch-Gard," Prue sniffs. Snicker. The huddle behind the table with a couple of vanquishing vials and recite, "Magic forces black and white, reaching out through space and light: be he far or be he near, bring us the demon Belthazor here." Oy. And it's a twister, Auntie Em! Right in the middle of the parlor. The two fling the vials at the figure emerging from the swirling cloud and duck behind the table. Oops. They summoned Meaty Man, not Belthazor. The vials crash against his coat and spark up, but do nothing else. Meaty Man calls them "stupid" and shoots a bolt of blue energy at them, blowing a jagged hole through the tabletop. "That was an antique," Prue growls, and TKs Meaty Man backwards. Piper freezes him in mid-air, protesting to Prue about the grandfather clock Meaty's about to smash into. "We can't afford to keep fixing that thing," pouts Piper. Shout-out? You decide.
Prue and Piper approach Meaty, still frozen in mid-air. They agree they've got the wrong guy, and Prue suggests Piper unfreeze his meaty head only, so they can find out who he is. To her own surprise and delight, Piper does just that. "What have you done to me?" Meaty asks. "Um, excuse me," snarks Prue. "You're frozen in mid-air. We'll be asking the questions. Who are you?" Meaty threatens them in response, telling them to unfreeze him immediately. Piper casually says, "Okay," before unfreezing him, and Meaty hurtles backwards into the clock, smashing it to pieces. As Meaty slumps to the floor, Prue glares at Piper. "What? It was worth it," Piper shoots back at her. Again: snicker. Piper and Prue hustle over to Meaty's side, and Prue kicks him onto his back, again asking him who he is. "I am Krell. A Zotar," Meaty replies. Krell? Zotar? Whatever the writers are on, I want some. "And I'm Prue. A Scorpio," she snits back. "Where's Belthazor?" Kwell jumps to his feet and exposits he's a demon bounty hunter, sent to find the same guy the sisters are looking for. The three stare at each other warily.
Cut to the courthouse. Phoebe slinks her way towards Cole's office, and lets herself inside. She finds "Reese Davidson" of the DA's Bureau of Investigation rummaging through Cole's files. Reese asks the intruder who she is. "Phoebe," she replies. "That's it? Like Cher or Madonna?" Not funny. Cole's been missing since Monday, apparently. Reese quizzes Phoebe on her connection to the missing ADA, guessing she's "his girl." Phoebe confirms this, and, at Reese's prodding, allows that Cole had mentioned going on a trip, but those plans were cancelled because of a "big case" he was working on. Reese informs her that Cole hasn't been working on anything aside from filing extensions for months, and gives Phoebe his card. He suggests that she call him should she think of anything else. A worried Phoebe leaves.
Manor sun porch. Kwell is bitching about underestimating Belthazor, whining that he thought since Belthazor couldn't "shimmer," his other powers must have been gone as well. "Shimmer"? That's what they're calling it? Try "squiggle," moron, because that's what Cole actually does. Piper, Prue, and Kwell exchange information. Kwell isn't powerful enough to vanquish Belthazor on his own, but he can track Belthazor when the demon is in his demon form. He also fills the sisters in on the untimely demise of the Andrews Sisters. In addition, Belthazor's inability to squiggle somehow explains why Kwell was summoned in his place. Prue moves to make a deal to collaborate with the demon, over Piper's objections and despite the fact that the idea of working in concert with witches "turns [Kwell's] stomachs." Kwell tells them to make up their minds about the deal quickly, and rays himself out of the sun porch. Prue and Piper glance at each other, then call for Leo.
Chez Belthazor. Phoebe pounds on the door, calling loudly for Cole, much to the annoyance of Cole's blonde -door neighbor. How much you want to bet our little bad boy's been doing his neighbor on the side? Phoebe starts to walk away, but notices drops of blood on the hall carpet leading to Cole's door. She eases his unlocked door open, calling his name. More blood in the apartment, leading to the bedroom, where Belthazor lurks behind the door. Phoebe enters the bedroom to find Cole pulling on a blue shirt, the blood from his wound seeping through the bandage on his side. "You shouldn't be here, Phoebe," he says, and a lingering close up on Julian McMahon's face takes us to commercial.
Bring me the head of Sandra Bullock.
Chez Belthazor. Phoebe smoothes out some blankets on the bed and eases Cole down onto them on his back. Phoebe tries to remove the bandage to get a look at the slice in Cole's side. He tells her not to, she insists she's "seen a lot worse," and he snatches her wrist, hissing at her, "I said, 'Don't.'" His face then relaxes as he adds a whimpering "please." Phoebe eases his hand off her wrist and suggests they go to the hospital. Cole disagrees with this plan, telling her it wouldn't be safe as "They" will find him there. Phoebe demands to know who attacked Cole, but is answered with silence. Phoebe fills Cole in on Reese, causing Cole to pull himself up, worriedly asking her what she told the investigator. Before she can finish with her answer, Cole groans loudly and slumps against her. Phoebe eases him back down onto the bed, assuring Cole she'll find someone to help, then whispers urgently for Leo. Cole protests weakly, and Phoebe insists she will not just stand there and watch him die. She tells him she's running back to the manor for assistance, gives him a lingering kiss, and leaves. Cole grunts in pain on the bed, morphs briefly into Belthazor, then morphs back.
Manor attic, night. Piper bitches at Leo's ignorance of the Andrews Sisters' fate. Blathercakes, wherein Piper questions the smartness of the decision to work with Kwell, and Prue and Leo convince her they have no other choice. Cut to the sun porch. Prue and Piper with the "magic calling magic" spell again, and another Kwell-filled tornado. Phoebe enters through the front door at this moment, screams, "Demon!" and lands a flying kick to Kwell's jaw before anyone can stop her. Kwell destroys another table while flying backwards, resulting in much Halliwell eyerolling. Prue and Piper give Phoebe the Cliff's Notes version of the day's events, and she agrees to the plan. Phoebe then asks to speak with Leo in private. Kwell takes this opportunity to strap his bitch on about the sisters' seeming lack of urgency, noting he's got Belthazor's scent now. Prue and Piper agree to accompany Kwell, and Kwell directs Leo and Phoebe to the cemetery, as Belthazor views cemeteries as safe havens. Phoebe, in an aside, tells Leo she needs his help, and they exit.
Chez Belthazor. Phoebe and Leo enter the hallway outside Cole's apartment in mid-argument. Leo insists it's against the rules for him to heal a mortal who was not injured by evil, and that Cole should be in a hospital. Phoebe reminds him Cole refuses to go to the ER, and snits that Leo's broken the rules before. Leo looks hurt. Suck it up, frat boy. Phoebe apologizes and convinces Leo to do what he can for Cole. They enter the apartment to find Cole slumped, barely conscious, in one of the interior doorways. Phoebe rushes to him and cradles his head in her lap as Leo approaches. Leo strips off the bandage and makes with the White Light special tingly touch. Cole's wound glows and emits small sparks of energy as Cole shudders though epileptic spasms in Phoebe's arms. As Phoebe and Leo wonder what's going wrong, Cole's wound blows out a bolt of light that flings Leo back and over a chair. Phoebe checks to make sure Leo's okay, then returns her attention to Cole, reassuring him that he's all right now. Leo stalks up to note with alarm that Cole's wound isn't entirely healed, and we cut to commercial.
Chez Belthazor again. Cole's changed into a dressing gown, and Phoebe enters, handing him a glass of water. Cole notes he feels "like [he's] been hit by a truck," and Phoebe replies he's lucky to be feeling anything at all. Cole agrees, then turns to Leo to offer a bit of disingenuous thanks. "You must be one hell of a doctor," he says, smirking a bit. Leo tells him not to worry about it, and calls Phoebe out to the hall for a private chat. Cole tells her he'll be fine without her, and she joins Leo outside. Once the door is shut behind them, Leo insists they leave immediately. Phoebe agrees, guessing that whoever wounded Cole in the first place could show up any time. Leo asks if she "saw what happened in there," and Phoebe's all, "Yeah. You healed him." What's that sound? It's the clue bus zipping right past Phoebe because she doesn't have exact change. Leo points out he healed only a part of Cole's injury, not all of it. Phoebe refuses to follow where Leo is leading her, but he presses on. Since Leo can heal mortals "completely," Cole must be a demon, and is likely the demon Phoebe is set to vanquish that evening. Leo runs down the checklist: both Cole and Belthazor are injured and on the run, and Cole's wound corresponds to the one Piper inflicted on Belthazor. Phoebe shuts Leo down, refusing to believe him, and orders Leo to leave. Leo doesn't want to leave her alone with Cole, but Phoebe reminds him she has a vial of the vanquishing potion in her purse. She tells Leo again to leave, and he reluctantly orbs out. Phoebe reenters the apartment to find Cole lurking behind the door with a sly smile on his face. He asks if everything is okay, and she tells him things are fine.
Alley. Kwell looms into view beneath a neon sign that reads "OD." Kwell announces Belthazor must be close, as he can smell the demon's blood. Do we all see where this is going? Yes? Anyway, Prue, clad in a sheepskin suede jacket, notes to Piper that if Kwell weren't such a "bad guy," he'd come in handy. Piper tells her to can it. More unsuspenseful searching of the alley, before Kwell pulls a cardboard box off of the Heavily Stoned Homeless Dude from act one. Kwell orders the Ps to fling their potion upon HSHD, who makes "Dude" noises in the background. Prue hesitates. "Don't you think [Belthazor] would have picked a better human?" she tactlessly asks, then apologizes to HSHD. HSHD: "Dude." Kwell snatches one of the vials from Prue's hand and flings it at HSHD. Nothing, of course, happens. Kwell clues in to the fact that HSHD is sleeping in Cole's bloodied coat, and asks HSHD where he got it. HSHD: "Dude?" Kwell hurls HSHD up against a chain-link fence and grills him (literally, with a bolt of demon electricity) about the coat's provenance. Prue knocks Kwell to the ground. HSHD, smoking against the fence: "Dude!" HSHD then disappears, muttering.
Kwell threatens to kill Prue should she touch him again. She coolly replies that he had no reason to hurt HSHD. Kwell notes that as a demon, it's his nature to hurt people, and Prue counters that it's the Halliwells' nature to protect people. Kwell whinges some more about torturing HSHD to find out the coat's source. Prue tells him to shut it, as the sisters have their own non-torturing ways of doing things. Piper thinks Phoebe may be able to yank some sort of premonition out of the garment, and, noticing the label, compliments Belthazor's apparent expensive taste. Prue suddenly recognizes the coat, and asks Kwell how long Belthazor's been in town. Kwell tells them the Andrews Sisters sent him up two months ago, and Prue makes the connection with Cole. Piper finds this hard to believe, but Kwell clearly thinks Prue's on to something.
Chez Belthazor. Cole and Phoebe call out a conversation about Leo to each other between rooms. He's in the bathroom shaving while she sneaks through the living room, checking his briefcase and desk for demonic clues. Phoebe asks Cole if he's sure he shouldn't be lying down, as he's not entirely healed. He calls back that he still has "to worry about the people who did this" to him. Phoebe, rifling through the desk drawers, tries to tease more information out of Cole by noting she mentioned his "big case" to Reese the investigator that afternoon. Cole relies on his standard vague answers. Just as Phoebe hits a desk drawer containing nothing but a pencil, Cole emerges from the bathroom in a black turtleneck to ask her what she's looking for. She tries to cover with a bubble-headed looking-for-paper excuse, but he's not exactly buying it. Cole turns to return to the bathroom as Phoebe moves to retrieve the vial from her purse.
Prue, Piper, and Kwell enter the lobby of Cole's apartment building, plotting a vanquishing scheme. Piper thinks vanquishing Phoebe's boyfriend will be certain to cause stress in the Halliwell household, and Kwell reminds them that Belthazor will kill them if they hesitate. Piper snits that she's having "a private conversation," and Prue rues letting Cole out of the crystal demon trap from the stalker episode. As Piper urges caution until they get all of the facts, in orbs Leo in front of the trio. More exposition of events we've already seen. Leo admits to healing Cole, which everyone else agrees was a really stupid thing for him to do. Piper orders Leo to remain in the lobby while the others head upstairs to fix things.
Up in Cole's apartment, a little game of cat-and-mouse is in progress as Phoebe and Cole talk and stalk around each other. Phoebe has the vanquishing vial hidden behind her back as they natter on about the secrets they've been keeping from each other. Cole, who's donned an open charcoal grey shirt over his turtleneck, tells her he thinks he understands what's really going on. He's "sorry it's come to this, but [he's] not sorry" about their relationship. Phoebe eyes him guardedly, fingering the vial. Phoebe notes Cole never told her where he was from, and Cole calls her on dancing around the real issue. He urges her to ask him what she really wants to know, assuring her he'll be truthful. Phoebe asks him who he really is, but before he gets a chance to respond, Prue flings open the apartment door. Cole turns nonchalantly to the entering threesome, greets Kwell by name, and morphs into Belthazor. Phoebe clutches her pearls and gasps, as Belthazor pulls her up against his towering frame. It's revealed that he's been hiding a dagger behind his back, which he places at her throat. Kwell tosses a bolt of demon voodoo at the pair, to the shouted objections of Phoebe's sisters. It misses, and Belthazor squiggles out with Phoebe. We cut to the shocked expressions of Prue and Piper, and head out to commercial.
In addition to the head of Sandra Bullock, I demand Matt Damon's as well. Crapper Vance wasn't enough, huh? You must inflict All the Petty Whoresons on us as well? Go to hell.
Chez Belthazor, and Kwell is not pleased. Kwell, Piper, and Prue rehash the events that just transpired. Piper doesn't think Cole would hurt Phoebe, but Prue thinks Belthazor might. Kwell demands the potion, telling the two Ps he can track Belthazor faster alone. He also promises no harm will come to Phoebe. Piper's ill at ease with this idea, and Prue wonders why Kwell is now suddenly able to track Belthazor again, given he has regained his ability to squiggle. Kwell tells us all that Belthazor "can [squiggle], but he can't [squiggle] well." Belthazor is half-human. Leo healed only the human half. The demon half is still grievously injured. Prue hands Kwell the vial, warning him that should any harm befall Phoebe, her sisters will hunt Kwell down and kill him. Kwell rays out, leaving Prue and Piper to ponder their move. Prue decides to head to the cemetery, and they exit the apartment.
Graveyard. Belthazor and Phoebe squiggle in, with Phoebe ordering the demon to "stop shimmering all around the place. I'm going to vomit." Phoebe judos Belthazor to the ground and snatches away the dagger, telling him it's time to say goodbye. Belthazor at this moment morphs back into Cole, prompting Phoebe to tell him his human appearance isn't going to save him. And I feel compelled to note that Julian McMahon's human appearance from here on out in this episode is breathtaking. Not that he was at all bad scruffy, but the hair and makeup personnel have amped up his dewy-eyed, long-of-lash innocent look for these final scenes, and I, quite frankly, find it difficult to concentrate on anything anyone says. Cole tells Phoebe he wants her to see him as he truly is, but she counters she's already seen Belthazor. He rises to his knees before her, confessing to all of his many misdeeds as Phoebe dissolves into tears. Yes, he was responsible for what happened on Halloween, and yes, he was also responsible for Troxa and Vinceres and Andras, but even though he had the perfect opportunity as a result of that last demon to kill her, he didn't. Phoebe calls him a bastard, and he cops to that as well. His father was human, while his mother was some sort of succubus. That had to have sucked when he got to grade school. I can imagine the taunts. Until he met Phoebe, he had forgotten about his human half, but his love for her has changed him. Yeah, it's incredibly cheesy and derivative, but it's Julian McMahon, people. How could you not love him?
Anyway, more seductive chatter along those lines. Phoebe refuses to believe he's part human, but Cole notes he bleeds red, even in his demon form. As he insists she's reawakened his humanity, Kwell rays in behind them and stalks up unnoticed through the headstones. Cole offers to prove his love for Phoebe by raising his arms up from his sides, crucifixion style, and telling her to vanquish him. When Phoebe tearfully hesitates, Kwell shoots a blue bolt into Cole's back, flipping Cole up into the air, sending him flying into the ground some yards behind her. Phoebe runs to Cole's aid, pulling him to his feet and dragging him to the supposed safety of the Mausoleums' mausoleum. I'm so happy I got to type that again, let me tell you. Kwell fires off another bolt that blackens a bit of the Mausoleums' mausoleum's exterior stonework as Phoebe and Cole disappear inside the crypt. Phoebe hustles Cole to the back of the crypt as Kwell enters, taunting Cole for allowing his "weaker, human side" to result in his downfall. Kwell approaches with the vial, which Phoebe kicks out of his hand. A bit of hand-to-hand fighting between Phoebe and Kwell. Phoebe lands a kick to Kwell's chest that sends him flying backwards over a marble bier. Phoebe leaps on top of the bier to give Kwell a little taste of her shoe, but Kwell rays out to ray back in behind her. Kwell raises his hand to fry what's left of Phoebe's scattered little mind out of her body. Cole, from the floor behind Kwell, shouts "No," and hurls one of his special blue balls at Kwell's back. No, not like that. Ew. Kwell, rather than burning his way merrily to hell in a wall of fire, frizzes for a long moment, and then explodes.
Cole struggles to his feet, asking Phoebe if she believes him now. In response, she marches over to suck on his face. Cole keeps his eyes closed, so we know he's fully reformed. At that moment, Piper and Prue are shown marching arm-in-arm through the cemetery, calling out Phoebe's name. Phoebe tears herself away from the kiss, and Cole guesses he should make himself scarce. Phoebe replies that that won't be much good in the long run, as "they'll keep looking for [him]." "Your sisters?" he asks. "Them, too," Phoebe allows, and they share a little smile. Phoebe tells Cole to remove his shirt, which she tosses to the ground. She then asks for his hand, urging him to trust her. Phoebe opens a cut on Cole's palm with his own dagger, drips a bit of blood onto the shirt, then flings one of the vials onto it. The shirt explodes into flame. Outside, Piper and Prue note the source of the sound of the explosion, and scuttle over to the Mausoleums' mausoleum. Inside, as the vanquished shirt burns a hole into the stone floor, Phoebe murmurs to Cole, "Nobody will look for you anymore. You're dead." Phoebe and Cole lock lips once more, and Cole squiggles out in mid-kiss. Phoebe lingers sadly a bit, then pulls herself together in time for Piper and Prue to rush in. Prue notes the remnants of the vanquished shirt. Phoebe explains that Cole killed Kwell. "And you did what you had to do," Prue finishes for her. Prue pulls Phoebe into a comforting hug as Phoebe, looking more than a bit conflicted, agrees.
Halliwell manor, the morning. Phoebe's curled up on a sofa to a crackling fire in the fireplace. She distractedly studies Cole's dagger, which she twirls in her fingers. No, not like that, either. Cole squiggled away in the last scene, remember? Jeez. Prue, in Pippi Longstocking pigtails, and Piper enter, bearing "comfort food." Phoebe states she hasn't much of an appetite. Weekly Summation Time, which this week is actually Weekly Dissembling Time, as Phoebe now has a big secret to keep. Prue asks Phoebe if she wants to talk about anything. Phoebe doesn't think there's much to say, but she does feel the need to apologize for what she did. Piper and Prue reassure her Cole fooled them as well; Phoebe did nothing wrong, and, therefore, Phoebe has nothing to be ashamed about. "Don't I?" she asks, and Piper and Prue respond to this with Looks Of Concern. They leave Phoebe to her thoughts, but not before Prue insists that Phoebe let her sisters know if she needs anything. Prue kisses Phoebe on the cheek and exits. The camera pulls back from Phoebe wrestling with her conscience on the sofa, and we fade to black.
No new episodes will be coming our way until mid-January. Happy holidays, all.