This is definitely a good first season episode. It deals almost exclusively with character relationships, particularly those involving Phoebe. One of the most interesting elements to this episode, for me, was that it provided some exposition for Phoebe’s time in New York. They have mentioned her time in New York several times before, but never with any detail. This episode we learn that she worked at the Rainbow Room, the Chelsea Pier, and, according to Clay, she had a third job in order to afford her active social life. It seems to me like she did pretty well on her own, with some help from Clay of course.
The main story of this episode was noteworthy in the fact that human greed was essentially the “demon” rather than some supernatural force. This brought up the question of “do people change?” Phoebe is clearly evidence that they can, as her character has matured quite a bit since the pilot. I think this is why she is so determined to believe that Clay can change as well. The unfortunate result of her believing this, and always wanting to see the good in people is that, in some cases, she ends up getting hurt when people can’t or choose not to be good. It’s not that she expects too much from them, it is just that people are not always willing or able to change their nature. Trying my best to keep these reviews fairly spoiler free, I’ll just say that this becomes a common theme with Phoebe throughout the series.
Now let's address the sub-plot of this episode. The Doug and Shelley story. What I liked most about this story was how it presented Piper’s development as a witch. We learn that her powers are advancing, as she can now control when things unfreeze as well as when they freeze. This has clearly increased her confidence in her abilities as a witch, which is evidenced by her rather nonchalant manner of using her powers on Doug. Yay for Piper and her growing confidence. These scenes provided most of the comedy for the episode, especially when we get to see Prue’s reaction to Piper using her powers in public.
Just a couple of other notes I had: Once again, seeing as how their relationship is one of my favorites, I loved the scenes with Piper and Phoebe in this episode. Piper, unlike Prue, is able to help Phoebe without ever actually giving out any advice. She just listens, and pretty much lets Phoebe sort through her feelings on her own. It’s proof that sometimes just being there is better than having some type of solution or advice to offer. The two of them often share this almost silent understanding of one another that kind of allows them to know what the other is thinking or feeling without having to say a word. It's like sibling telepathy, only different. In other relationship news, there is not really anything new to say on the Andy and Prue front. He seems to be following the same path as last episode. He still cares about Prue even if he doesn’t know what is going on with her, and he lets her know he is there for her if she needs him.
Overall, I really enjoyed this episode. There were actually some important moments built into the episode. We had Piper’s power development, an actual explanation of Phoebe’s time in New York, and a deeper exploration of the sisters’ relationships to one another. It is an episode that works well both as a stand alone, and as a part of the series as a whole.
Best Moment:
-Doug gets the girl in the end. You’ve got to love an underdog love story.
Best Sibling Moment(s):
-Piper tells Phoebe she has lipstick on her teeth even though she doesn’t. Prue tells her that was mean, and she says no it wasn’t. Who hasn’t told a little white lie to watch a sibling squirm a little?
-Prue and Piper hug Phoebe after she says goodbye to Clay for good.
Best Quote(s):
Phoebe: I will cook you dinner.
Prue: Oh, don’t threaten me.
Prue: I can worry about my little sister can’t I?
Phoebe: Don’t ever stop.
Piper: Sorry Doug, too pooped to pop.
Piper: (On the phone with Prue) You don’t think he’s good enough for her. Just like you didn’t think Jeremy was good enough for me. Of course, in his case you were right, but that’s not my point.