THEY'RE EVERYWHERE

PLOT

A museum tour guide is telling a group of visitors about a map tablet found in the Ivory Coast.  The engravings are so far indecipherable but it is believed to be a map giving the location of an account of all the significant events in time.  Eric Bragg, who is studying the tablet suddenly exclaims, "That's it!" and hurries out, observed by another man.

In a convalescent home, Eric tells his father that he's cracked it and although he know that they're going to come after him be will be prepared.  Phoebe, who is volunteering at the home, brings in a vase of flowers.  Then, Dr Stone tells Eric that he wants to move his father, something Eric resists.  After he's gone, Stone blinks out, while in the corridor outside, Phoebe has a premonition of a warlock inserting his needle-like finger into Eric's head.

Prue tells Piper - who is packing for an overnight trip with Dan - that she suspects that Jack Sheridan is a warlock, and thinks her sister would know of a warlock test since she's a "warlock magnet."  Prue asks if she's certain that Dan isn't a warlock, a suggestion Piper confidently dismisses until Dan calls and Kit hisses at him.  After she's got rid rid of him, she calls up to Prue, who's gone to get the Book of Shadows, asking if she's found the warlock test yet.

Prue and Piper find that there's no warlock test in the Book of Shadows, but they do find a spell to hear secret thoughts, which they cast.  Phoebe returns home, heading straight for the attic until she learns that her sisters have the Book and what they were looking for.  "Just prick 'em," she tells them, adding that warlocks don't bleed.  Phoebe's thoughts revealed concern for Eric, and Prue asks how he is, leading to Phoebe telling them of her premonition.

A casually-dressed Jack Sheridan shows up in Prue's office.  She reads his thoughts of 'be careful, she suspects.'  His other thoughts betray that he puts people in graves or incinerates them, and that if Prue finds out he's lying, she's going to die.  Prue gets rid of him and declares that he's going to be dying first.

Dan asks Piper if she's ready and she freezes him so that she can prick his hand.  Nothing happens.  Phoebe arrives and points out that since Dan is frozen, so is his blood.  Once Dan has unfrozen, he bleeds, much to Piper's relief.  As he leaves, Kit hisses again, and Dan discovers a hornets' nest outside the Manor.

On the way to Eric's apartment, Phoebe explains to Piper that the warlocks are known as Collectors, who drain knowledge with their fingers.  Inside his apartment, Dr Stone and the guy from the museum are attacking Eric.  Phoebe and Piper break in and Piper freezes the room.  When it unfreezes, Phoebe puts her kick-boxing skills to good effect against the two Collectors.  Eric pulls a gun and shoots both of them, only for the pair to get up again.  Phoebe drags Eric out of the room.

Back at the Manor, Eric realises that the Collectors have taken his father's mind and suspects a government conspiracy.  He tries to leave but Phoebe throws him to the floor.  Prue returns and a suspicious Phoebe forces her and Piper to admit that they cast the spell.  Prue tells Piper that she needs her to freeze Jack in order that she can test him.

The two Collectors discuss their recent setbacks and decide to get into Eric's mind through his heart.

A smartly dressed Jack Sheridan shows up in Prue's office at Bucklands and Piper freezes him.  Prue uses a dagger to cut his hand but it doesn't bleed - Piper reminds her that since he's frozen his blood is too.  Then another Jack Sheridan, this time casually dressed, walks in.  Piper freezes the room again and Prue declares that if the first one doesn't bleed then the second one is dead too.

The first Jack bleeds and then reveals that the other one is actually his twin brother, Jeff, who was just checking Prue out for his brother.  Piper asks what Jeff does for a job, and he tells them that he owns a chain of mortuaries, hence his earlier thoughts.  Prue slaps both of them and she and Piper leave.  After they've gone, Jeff tells Jack that he approves.

At the Manor, Eric asks Phoebe how she knew to be there to help him.  She tells him that it's a gift she has.  He tells her that he translated the inscription to help his dad; if he can't have him back he wants justice.

Eric and the sisters return to the convalescent home.  The place seems deserted and the receptionist is dead.  Eric rushes off to check on his father.  Stone and the other Collector blink in, only for Prue to use her power to throw them against the wall.  They blink out.

Prue goes to fetch a wheelchair so they can take Eric's father away, only for Stone to blink in and take the dagger.  Back in Ben's room, he blinks in, pulling the dagger on Piper.  The other Collector blinks in, grabbing Eric's arm.  Phoebe picks up the vase and brings it down on Stone's head and Prue then uses her power to pull Eric away from the Collector.

Stone blicks next to the bed, still holding the dagger.  Prue whips it out of his hand and then throws it at him, only for the two Collectors to blink out, along with Eric's dad.

A purposeful Eric strides into the museum, followed by Phoebe.  He smashes the case containing the tablet and then smashes it, declaring that no one should have that knowledge.

At the Manor, Prue and Piper discuss their dad.  Piper admits she still thinks about him but Prue only misses who he should have been.  She tells Piper that the only way to save Eric is to take the knowledge from his head.  Piper is shocked that they may have to sacrifice Eric's dad to save him.

The pair tell Phoebe the news.  She can't believe it.  Prue tells her that they have to protect the whole world, not just one person.  Phoebe tells her that she promised Eric, thinking that they don't care.

Stone phones Eric and offers him a trade, although Eric then tells Phoebe that he hasn't heard anything.  She needs to talk to him, so Eric suggests that she gets them so tea first.  While she's gone, he heads off to the rendezvous, but Prue and Piper are able to hear his thoughts.

They drive to Golden Gate Park and split up to search.  Eric finds the Collectors and his dad and orders them to restore his mind, threatening to blow his own brains out when they refuse.  The second Collector restores Ben's mind but then Stone blinks next to Eric, disarms him and starts draining his knowledge.

Phoebe rushes in and kicks Stone out of the way, only for the other Collector to grab her and drain her brain.  Prue throws him aside with her power then Stone blinks out.  The remaining Collector taunts Prue and Piper, but they are able to hear him think to play the decoy.  The play along and when Stone blinks in Piper freezes the scene and Prue moves the two collectors together.  They drain each other's knowledge and destroy one another.  "They really shouldn't've given us the finger," declares Prue.

Phoebe can't remind anything that's happened in the last three weeks.  Eric finds that his father has recovered, but neither has any idea what's happened.

Later at the Manor, Prue and Piper reverse the spell.  Prue remarks that it's a shame Phoebe has met a nice guy but she's not even going to remember.  Just then, Phoebe enters carrying some flowers, which start ringing.  Piper sees Dan leaving without her and freezes him, hurrying away.

The flowers are for Prue and she finds a cell phone hidden in them - it's Jack, who asks her to dinner.  She turns him down and hangs up.  Phoebe takes the phone out of her hand and dials Tokyo.

At the convalescent home, Eric finds Phoebe, who he vaguely remembers from the park.  He asks for some directions and she offers to draw him a map, something which seems vaguely familiar to them both.

CAST

Jim Antonio played Dr Leslie Narone in American Gothic: The Buck Stops Here and Requiem.

CONTINUITY

The episode takes place on or around its original US transmission date - Phoebe says that the last thing she can remember is a Halloween party, which Piper points out was three weeks ago.

THE BOOK OF SHADOWS

The Book contains nineteen specific warlock death spells but no test.

THE POWER OF THREE

Prue throws the two collectors against the wall of Ben Bragg's room.  She also pulls Eric away from the second Collector and whips the dagger out of Stone's hand.  In Golden Gate Park she throws the second Collector and then moves the two frozen warlocks together.

Piper goes power-mad.

She freezes Dan so that she can perform the warlock test, Eric's apartment when the Collectors come for him, the Manor with Phoebe sitting on Eric, Jack Sheridan in Prue's office, Jeff Sheridan in Prue's office and Golden Gate Park.

Phoebe has a premonition of a warlock sticking a needle-like finger into Eric's head.

NOTES

When Stone has a knife to Piper's throat, her hands are free so why doesn't she just freeze the room?

COMMENTS

Along with Witch Trial, the weakest episode of the season so far.

The Collectors are a fairly uninteresting villain of the week.  The idea of a knowledge-stealing bad guy has plenty of potential but it's just not developed and their ability to blink results in the scene in the hospital room where they blink in and out while Prue uses her powers against them which is almost painful to watch.  The final confrontation in Golden Gate Park isn't much better, and the idea of blinking is something we saw only four episodes ago in The Painted World.

Dan does nothing apart from turning up on the Halliwells' doorstep to see if Piper is ready, while after an okay introduction in That Old Black Magic, Jack Sheridan is wasted here, with Lochlyn Munro also getting to play his twin brother Jeff, whose only apparent reason for inclusion is a couple of pointless scenes that try to leave us guessing whether or not his brother is a warlock.

Since we know from the teaser who this week's bad guys are and who the innocent the girls are going to protect is, the chances of either Dan or Jack proving to be a warlock are highly remote.  In other series, that sort of thing might be possible, but this is Charmed we're talking about here.

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