"Charmed" Sympathy for the Demon (TV Episode 2002) Poster

(TV Series)

(2002)

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10/10
The One Where Cole Is Going Crazy...
taylorkingston8 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I really like this episode. I used to not like Cole, but the first time I watched this season, my opinions of him began to change. And this episode just put him over the top, from most hated person on the show (to me), to a pretty good character (to me). Obviously everyone has different opinions on everything, but I really do wish that Cole had stuck around a little bit longer. Oh well. Nothing can last forever. Except The Simpsons, that seems like that will last forever, in a good way.

In this episode, Cole is slowly going crazy, having visions of hurting people, when he really doesn't want to. Paige gives him a potion to strip his powers away and it works. Until they discover that Barbas was the one giving him those nasty visions, and he takes Cole's powers for himself. He traps the sisters in the manor, whilst turning their worst fears into reality, which ends up with Phoebe killing Paige. The sisters snap out it, and Leo heals Paige. In the end, Barbas thinks he's going to win, but he doesn't. The sisters strip his powers and Cole, reluctantly, takes them back. And then they kill Barbas. But trust me, he'll be back eventually. He always comes back. Until he actually dies and doesn't come back.

Overall, I give this episode a 10 out of 10.
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Barbas house of Horrors
Realrockerhalloween21 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Sympathy for the demon follows Cole as he fears are amplified by the demon of gear that he'll become evil again and when he turns to three witches for hello their dwelling is turned into a house of horrors. Phoebe worrying that she is evil sees her current boyfriend Miles a demon and losing a sister is tricked into nearly killing Paige which would turn her into a warlock. Paige is afraid of tight spaces and the room closes in until talked out of it by her sisters and no one caring about her since she's only there half sibling yet finds out how much her family loves her when they save her life and make her feel special. Piper, the heart of family, thinks she will lose every one around her like her father and Prue. My only problem is they make it seem like Victor left because of an argument with grams instead of Patty's affair.

Barbas really raises the stakes this time around with his torture chambers, taking in the powers of the source and nearly destroying the charmed circle. His humor never fails to amuse me coming off as charismatic, suave and condescending at the same time. The only bad deed here is Phoebe giving up on Cole, unlike Clay, making me wonder why he takes the shoulder of the blame while she's held blameless for her actions.
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4/10
First decent episode of the season...
m-4782629 March 2021
Besides Milano's beautiful long hazel locks, the show also lost a lot of edge during its fourth year. The battle to save her soul, was both rewarding and disappointing at the same time. But it gave the actress the opportunity to show a more nuanced acting, as queen of the underworld Phoebe. The season ended exactly the way it did these past three years, with the sisters faced with a terrible life decision, that could change their destiny forever... Alright! Early season 5 is a ridiculous mess. The show was on full sitcom mode (they even dare including the split screen, during the premiere) and Alyssa Milano ran the show down, with her cringeworthy acting and woman child nonsense. That unbelievable 180 from Cole into a lovesick puppy, was disgusting and completely out of character. And the fact that Holly Marie Combs and Brian Krause, looked bored half of the time, made those episodes harder to get invested into. One silver lining though, Rose McGowan finally seems to have stopped being the third wheel, and is more assertive with her on-screen presence. I don't care why writers felt the need to justify her new hair color, her cherry blonde hair looked great. Those early season episodes, were your regular WB shows fillers, with special guests from old WB shows actors, which is the only good thing they have going for them. That other mini revamp they did to appeal to a larger crowd, is all wrong. And everything good about those episodes, involved old storylines... « Sympathy for the demon » is not there yet, because the show still feels silly and too kid-friendly, compared to earlier seasons, but it has Barbas back, and some of the writing and acting improved during several key scenes of the episode.
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