This episode, more than any other this season so far, truly reflects the themes that I'm assuming the writers were aiming to explore this year. Cole is the series' most successful example of a morally gray character, somebody who orchestrates evil, has no problem with killing anybody that gets in his way, yet is suddenly cursed with a sense of humanity and passion after falling in love with somebody he really shouldn't have fallen in love with. Phoebe, too, is almost possessed by their affair, lying to her sisters and covering up Cole's escape, all because she believes he can somehow change him. It's a story as old as time: the good girl who thinks if she can just try hard enough she'll be able to make her boyfriend somehow different. The story bleeds into the next couple of seasons, and you can see why it was so beloved by fans.I really liked Prue and Piper working together here. I don't know if it's my own knowledge of all the on-set fighting rumors talking, but I always thought they had far greater chemistry than Prue and Phoebe together. With those two, there's always this sense that Prue dislikes a lot about Phoebe's attitude and her personality (which isn't surprising, since Phoebe is a selfish pain in the ass a lot of the time), but Prue and Piper together have an easy chemistry, both actresses completely embodying their respective characters.
You have to give credit to Brad Kern, regardless of what he did in the later seasons, for being ambitious enough to create this Cole arc. It's an interesting depiction of moral ambiguity which continues the theme of the sisters being against one another. This is another strong hour. B
Credits
Guest stars Scott MacDonald (Krell); Keith Diamond (Inspector Reece Davidson)
Writer Peter Hume Director Noel Nosseck
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