Charmed and Dangerous
The Seer has a vision of the Source's planned attack on the Charmed Ones. In her vision, he is vanquished. To avert his own death, the Source plans to take in the Hollow.
Piper wants to leave all of the sisters' possessions to Leo in case anything happens to them. Just then, Phoebe mentions she and Cole have found a way to vanquish the Source. Phoebe has created a spell that uses the magic of the entire Warren-Halliwell line against the Source. Leo orbs away to tell the Elders.
Phoebe isn't sure about Piper writing a will, but Piper doesn't want to leave anything to chance; Prue arranged to leave everything to them, and had she not done so, they'd still be tied up in probate court. Phoebe touches Cole and has a premonition of him being hit by a fireball to protect her. She tells Piper about it, but doesn't want to tell Cole, since the demon who threw it is one she hasn't seen before—one with only half a face. Since Cole is fully human now, she wants to keep him away until she can find out who it is.
Paige receives a woman, Carolyn, at social services. Carolyn is trying to gain custody of her son, but has made a lot of mistakes in her life and has recently gotten out of an abusive relationship. Paige and Darryl encourage her not to worry. Suddenly, Paige's phone rings—it's Piper, alerting her about Phoebe's premonition. Paige can't get out of the office yet. Meanwhile, Phoebe hustles Cole out the door.
The Guardians of the Hollow, one good and one evil, are playing chess, when the Source shows up. The Source vanquishes the good Guardian and removes the Hollow from its storage place. It is contained in a small black box. The evil Guardian tries to talk the Source out of unleashing the Hollow, but the Source opens the box and the Hollow enters the evil Guardian. The Source sends him to absorb powers and bring them back to him.
Piper and Phoebe are looking in the Book of Shadows, when the evil Guardian shimmers in. He throws an energy ball at Phoebe, sending her flying into a mirror. Piper tries to blast him, but the Guardian absorbs her power. Piper grabs an athame on the table and throws it at the Guardian, vanquishing him. During the scuffle, Phoebe is injured by a huge glass shard stuck in her back. She nearly dies, but Leo is able to heal her. Piper discovers that she's somehow lost her powers. She finds the Guardian in the Book. When Leo sees this, he's greatly alarmed. He tells Piper and Phoebe about the Hollow. It's a powerful force that absorbs all magic. The last time it was unleashed, good and evil had to join forces to contain it. Piper and Phoebe suspect that the Source was desperate enough to release it, and will likely send another demon after them. If that happens, their powers won't do any good, since that demon will certainly have the Hollow as well.
Carolyn hasn't shown up for her hearing, worrying Paige and Darryl. Paige fears Carolyn's boyfriend has tracked her down. Just then, Phoebe rings in to warn her about the attack from earlier. Paige heads for the manor and asks Darryl to stall for time.
Piper and Phoebe are making a potion, when Cole comes back. Phoebe finally tells Cole of her premonition and describes the demon she saw. Cole tells Piper and Phoebe that the demon is the Source.
In the Underworld, the Source is testing out Piper's powers. The Seer is concerned, but the Source is determined to get all of the Charmed Ones' powers. The Seer fears that the Hollow will eventually consume the Source, but the Source won't hear of it. He summons a Darklighter and puts the Hollow into him. The Source orders the Darklighter to kill Leo.
The sisters are readying for the Source's expected attack. They've set up a Crystal Cage, and Piper has made a potion to replicate her blasting power, while Phoebe has her vanquishing spell ready. Leo orbs in and confirms everyone's worst fears—the Source has unleashed the Hollow. He also says they need good and evil magic to contain it again and restore Piper's powers.Just then, Darryl calls— Carolyn's boyfriend found her and gave her a savage beating. Darryl managed to delay the hearing for an hour.
The Darklighter attacks in the manor and shoots Leo with his crossbow. Paige tries to orb the crossbow, but the Hollow steals her power. The Darklighter targets Paige, but Phoebe vanquishes him with a potion. Piper pulls the arrow from Leo's stomach. She wants Leo to switch powers with Phoebe, so Phoebe can heal him, but Leo is afraid the Source could come back before then. Phoebe is worried; it seems as if the Source is one move ahead of them.
The Seer has a vision of everything being destroyed, unless the Source puts the Hollow back in the crypt, but the Source is determined to kill the sisters.
Cole gives Phoebe an engagement ring with a large diamond on it. Darryl brings Carolyn to the manor. Her face is covered with cuts and bruises. Paige casts a spell to heal Carolyn's face, and tells Darryl to get her to the judge and get her boyfriend off the streets.
Cole and Phoebe have an idea to get Piper and Paige's powers back—use the To Call a Witch's Power spell to get them back from the Hollow. Cole goes down to watch Leo, but the Seer casts a spell and Cole finds himself in the Underworld with her. She greets him as Belthazor, and proposes to help him and the sisters defeat the Source. The Seer tells Cole that if he takes in the Hollow, he can absorb the Source's powers, enabling the sisters to vanquish him. Once the Source is dead, the Seer then intends to help the sisters contain the Hollow again. Cole is suspicious, but the Seer tells him this is the only way to stop the Hollow from destroying everything. Cole agrees and the Seer puts the Hollow into him. The sisters are casting the To Call a Witch's Power spell, when The Source attacks in the manor. He blasts Piper with a fireball, knocking her out. Phoebe and Paige carry Piper to the attic and set up the crystal cage, but he merely orbs one of the crystals. The Source throws a fireball at Phoebe, but Cole shimmers in and runs in front of the fireball, thus absorbing the Source's power. Cole throws fireball after fireball at the Source, distracting him long enough for the sisters to vanquish him with Phoebe's spell. The Seer appears a moment later and she and Phoebe read an inscription on the Hollow box. It is, thus, restored to its proper place and Piper and Paige have their powers back. Phoebe asks, at one point, where the Source's powers went and the Seer cryptically replies, "into the void". Paige can now heal Leo.
As the sisters, Leo and Cole celebrate at P3, we see Cole's eyes turn black, implying that he is now the Source.
Tropes
- Answers to the Name of God: The sisters try summoning their powers and get the Source instead.Paige: Oh, my God!
The Source: Not quite. - Big Damn Heroes: Phoebe foresees Cole diving in front of her to protect her from a fireball. That plays out, but Cole survives because of the Hollow.
- Brought Down to Normal: Piper and Paige have their powers stolen by the Hollow. They are however still able to cast spells and use potions.
- Call-Back:
- The Source's line "say hello to Prue for me" calls back to "Apocalypse Not" where Prue says "tell the Source we said hi".
- Paige is able to substitute her whitelighter half to heal someone by piggybacking off Leo's powers, as she did in "Charmed Again".
- Continuity Nod: Piper suggest that Leo use the power swapping spell with Phoebe so that she can heal him, as they did in "Love Hurts".
- Enemy Mine: Per the Hollow's backstory. Good and evil had to work together to contain it. A representative of each side remained to guard it. Ultimately, the Seer helps Phoebe send the Hollow away.
- The End... Or Is It?: The final shot shows Cole still has the Source's powers.
- Evil Lawyer Joke: A self-deprecating one from Cole after Piper mentions that Prue made a will leaving everything to her sisters.Piper: Thank god she did or we'd still be tied up dealing with lawyers. (looks at Cole) No offence.
Cole: Oh, none taken. I've come to terms with my evil past. - Exact Words: When Paige asks the Seer where the Source's powers went after he was vanquished, she curiously responds "into the void". Keen listeners will pick up on the fact that she referred to a "void" in Cole where his demon half used to exist.
- Female Angel, Male Demon: The Guardians of the Hollow. It's mostly symbolic at this point as both of them are dedicated to keeping the Hollow from being released by either side. The demon even tries to kill The Source when he arrives to take the Hollow.
- Foreshadowing:
- Paige makes a joke to Cole "too bad you're not still evil". He gets possessed at the end of the episode and becomes the season's main antagonist. Doubles as Tempting Fate, as Source-possessed-Cole targets Paige in particular.
- The Seer has Phoebe help her read the inscription to banish the Hollow, and the two are side by side. The Seer will use Phoebe as part of her master plan across the remainder of the season.
- The Seer also says "I didn't do this for your future. I did it for mine" and on the first watch, it seems to just be a case of Even Evil Has Standards. However, we later learn that her master plan was to create an heir for the Source that she could carry, and essentially assume control of the Underworld.
- Holy Halo: The good Guardian of the Hollow has a halo that lingers even after The Source kills her. She's the only angelic figure in ths show's history to possess such a feature.
- Give My Regards in the Next World:The Source: Say hello to Prue for me.
- Good Victims, Bad Victims: Discussed re: Carolyn. When she's attacked by her ex and left bloodied and bruised, Darryl says it will count against her "with her history" of being an alcoholic.
- Levitating Lotus Position: The good Guardian of the Hollow is introduced this way.
- Manipulative Bastard: The Seer uses vague wording in order to get Cole to use The Hollow to absorb The Source's powers. Specifically, she doesn't tell Cole he would still have The Source's powers even after giving up The Hollow.
- Orifice Evacuation: How the Hollow leaves Cole.
- Orifice Invasion: The Hollow enters a body through the eyes and mouth.
- Properly Paranoid: When Paige decides to heal Carolyn's face with a spell, Daryl knows something seriously bad must be happening for her to try this.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: The Source to Phoebe."Your power was always the weakest. Hardly worth taking. Your life, however, is!"
- Sadistic Choice: When Leo is shot by a darklighter, the sisters are faced with waiting until the Source is vanquished to find a way to heal him or else have him trade powers with Phoebe so she can do it, which would also put them all at risk if the Source attacks while she's still learning to use his powers. They choose the former.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: The Hollow was so devastating that good and evil could only seal it away.
- Two-Faced: The Source is revealed to have one under the hood. According to Cole, the damage occurred during the battle that brought him to power and only a handful of upper-level beings in the Underworld have ever seen it.
- Wham Shot:
- The Source having the same face as the being in Phoebe's vision.
- Also, the final shot of the episode revealing Cole still has the Source's powers.
