CHARMED REVIEWS
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Daddy
Dearest: Indestructible.
"You can outdistance that which is running after you, but
not what is running inside you." Both Cole and Sam are trying to run away from what is inside of them. One is
good and one evil, yet they both believe that the opposite of what is inside of
them is what should be present. In the end, they can’t run away from what is
already on the inside. Once again, this episode was superb. The series is beginning to pick up pace
and starting to bring foreshadowing’s of the future. It was such a delightful surprise to finally see an episode devoted to Paige.
The youngest of the sisters, it seems as if she has been overlooked the entire
season thus far. Seeing a Paige centered episode was both pleasant and
enjoyable. It seems that Rose McGowan has really come into the part of Paige.
There was several times in this episode that the viewers were given reason to
care about her, and see her as an actual Halliwell sister. In fact, several
times, it was mentioned by both Phoebe and Piper that the reason the family was
still together and strong was because of Paige’s skill and persistence. Getting the opportunity to meet her biological father was something that it
seems Paige has never considered. Many times this it isn’t surprising to hear
that an adopted child really has no interest in meeting their biological
parents. It is not uncommon for adopted children to view only the adopted
parents as their primary parental figures. Seeing the surprise on Paige’s face
was very believable since she has never indicated that she resented her
biological parents for giving her up. Her stance has always been that her
childhood was wonderful and the family that took her in and raised her really
cared and loved her unconditionally. Seeing the change in Sam since we last saw him was surprising. That he had
become a Whitelighter again and then made another mistake gives the viewers more
insight on The Elders and the Hierarchy of the Wiccan structure. It seems that
no matter what mistake or problem may come about, certain people are just
destined to be Whitelighters. Finally, having Paige work as Sam’s Whitelighter was pure genius. It gives
the two the ability to begin to know one another. Most importantly, however, it
allows both Paige and Sam to look inside of themselves and begin to trust others
again. Something they both lost a little of when they were separated. In
addition we will hopefully see Sam in the future. As for second chances, it seems that Cole has run out of his. His downward
spiral over the last four or so episodes coincides with the withdrawal that
Phoebe has been invoking on their relationship. First the separation, then the
divorce, and finally she begins dating others. Obviously, this is enough to push
Cole over the edge. The question that is posed, though, is which edge is he
destined to take? Within Cole a self-struggle of immense proportions has been taking place
since coming back from limbo. Cole has wanted to use his powers for good, even
though they are evil powers. He has gone out of his way to do good with his
powers. Yet, there have been times when he has slipped and used the powers to
destroy evil. Phoebe only wants to focus on the times that he has used his
powers as evil, thus driving Cole to the very brink of his own self-destruction.
In fact, he seeks out his own destruction at the hands of the Charmed Ones;
believing that there is no other option for him. However, there seems to be some beings that are both in between good and
evil, working to tip the scales for both. They make themselves known to Cole and
that they want him to join them, the Epitras. Cole refuses, instead focusing on
his own self-destruction. In fact by attacking the Charmed Ones, hoping that he
leaves them no option but to vanquish him. Phoebe does realize what his intentions are and doesn’t want to help him
with his suicide, but since she already has the potion, he gives her no choice,
using his powers to destroy himself. Imagine what a surprise it was to the
viewers to see the ball of flame that exploded was Cole. This twist of storyline left us in suspense for all of the 4:45 minutes of
commercials. Making us believe that Cole really was leaving the show, resulting
in the end for all the Phoebe/Cole fans. Except, surprise, surprise Cole is
still standing and indestructible. Finally, the writers have given a story and something for Julian McMahon to
do on the series since late last season. In the process, they’ve given the
viewers something to question. How did Cole become indestructible? What about
Piper and Leo’s baby? When it was attacked it destroyed a Darklighter’s
arrow before it could inflict any harm. Does this mean that the baby is
indestructible too? Will the baby and Cole be pitted against one another in an
epic battle? All of the questions that arose from this episode have left us at the edge of
our seats wondering what will happen. This is right up there in suspense as the
end of Season Three and which sister would die. The writing in the last two
episodes has been so stellar, that I’ve really forgotten what my earlier
complaints were and am left trying hard to remember what even did happen at the
beginning of the season. (Really, it is all a haze that I’m not trying to hard
to recover.) Once again, we have found superb acting on our favorite show and are looking
towards the future with great anticipation. This-and-That:
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