HEARTBREAK CITY

PLOT

On the stairs in an office building, a man hovers as a young couple, Max and Cindy, engage in conversation and, as the ring on his hand glows, he declares "it's a match."  At the foot of the stairs, time slows around the couple as the man talks to both, telling each to take a risk on the other.  When things return to normal, Max asks Cindy if she wants to go for a coffee.

Later, a demon named Drazi attacks the man on the stairs and, reaching into his chest, threatens to rip his heart out.  Instead, he decides to take his adversary's ring, intending to tear apart some of his recent unions - the hate spread will slowly kill Cupid.

After leaving the cinema, the Halliwell sisters and Dan and Jack decide to go for a coffee.  Feeling the odd one out, Phoebe decides to call it a night, only for Cupid to grab her.  However, he flees when Dan chases after him.

The next morning, Phoebe discovers both Prue and Piper's bedrooms are empty.  As she talks to Prue on the phone, the man from the previous night tries to speak to her, only for Phoebe to kick him against the wall.  She drops into a fighting stance as he tells her that he knows her and that he wants the help of the Charmed Ones.

Dan brings Piper breakfast in bed and gives her a heart-shaped pendant.  As the pair kiss, Phoebe waves furiously as Piper to attract her attention.  After she's frozen Dan, Phoebe introduces her to Cupid and tells Piper that she needs to come home immediately.  Unfreezing Dan, Piper starts grabbing her clothes and tells him that she has to go.

Max and Cindy are having coffee and Drasi is seated at a nearby table.  His ring glows.

The sisters interrogate Cupid and doubt his story.  He tells them that he's powerless without his ring and starts reeling off a list of their previous boyfriends to try to prove his identity.

Outside the coffee shop, Max gives Cindy some flowers.  Drasi slows down time for the pair and causes them to start arguing.  Max walks off and is his by a car, something which causes Cupid to collapse, clutching his chest.

At the accident scene, Cindy is telling a cop what happened earlier.  Cupid tells the sisters that he can feel Drasi since the pair are linked cosmically.  He sees Drasi leaving the scene and he and the girls go after him.  Prue astral projects to confront Drasi and, after she finds her projected self unable to use her powers, she knocks him out with a piece of wood.

The others go after Drasi, who is just getting up when they catch up with him.  Piper freezes him and then Phoebe throws the potion to destroy him which she's made at him.  Drasi dissolves into a black pool, but Cupid isn't sure that they've destroyed him because Drasi was wearing his ring.  He tells the sisters that he needs his ring or another potion from the Charmed Ones to get back.  He suggests that Phoebe help him because Prue and Piper have dates.  After they've left, Drasi emerges from the black pool.

At the Manor, Phoebe is making the potion which will send Cupid back.  He tells her why Drasi blames him and says that her heart is closed to love, which she denies.

At P3, Prue asks Piper if she wished the necklace came from Leo instead of Dan, and she says no.  They also discuss the secret they're keeping from Dan and Jack.  Elsewhere in the club, Dan and Jack discuss the sisters' habit of vanishing.  Phoebe and Cupid show up, as does Drasi, whose ring glows at Dan and Jack.

Phoebe has the potion and spell to return Cupid and tells her sisters to tell Dan and Jack they'll be back shortly while they cast the spell.  Drasi uses the ring on Dan and Jack and when Prue and Piper return, both couples start arguing.  Phoebe tries to speak to them but it's no use - Piper returns Dan's necklace and Phoebe orders Cupid to leave.  Cupid tells Phoebe that they have to reunite the couples that Drasi has split up.

Back at the Manor, Prue and Piper discuss what happened earlier.  They admit that Dan and Jack might have a point but when Prue suggests Drasi is behind it, they dismiss the idea.

Cupid gets Phoebe to tell Cindy to take the risk with Max and she visits him in hospital, where each apologises to the other.  Phoebe then tells Cupid that they have to reconnect Prue and Jack and Piper and Dan, while Cupid warns her that the more couples they reunite, the more Drasi - who has been affected by Max and Cindy getting back together - will come after them.

Jack and Dan march into the Manor after Prue and Piper, demanding to know why they've been summoned.  Phoebe shows up with Cupid and admits that it was her.

Taking charge, Phoebe tells the others to get past what they said tonight.  The couples make it up and then she sends Dan and Jack out for some food while she explains the situation to Prue and Piper.

Drasi enters and reaches into Cupid's chest, determined to pull out his heart this time.  Piper freezes the pair and Phoebe moves the ring back to Cupid's finger before throwing the potion at Drasi, who is destroyed for good this time.  Cupid tells Phoebe that he has to go and kisses her goodbye.

Later, the three sisters and their dates emerge from the cinema.  Phoebe's date apologises for standing her up earlier and the group goes for coffee. 

CAST

Clayton Rohner played Chandler Smythe in G vs. E.

CONTINUITY

Despite the bizarre calendar that the series seemed to adopt in Ms. Hellfire, this episode is clearly set in early 2000 (Max and Cindy discuss Y2K at the start).

Prue doesn't love Jack.

THE BOOK OF SHADOWS

Once again, the Book doesn't appear, although Phoebe might have checked it out to get the potions to use against Drasi and to return Cupid home.

THE POWER OF THREE

Prue astral projects in order to catch Drasi, although she finds her projected self doesn't have her power of telekinesis.

Piper freezes Dan in order to speak to Phoebe.  She also freezes Drasi twice - once outside and then later back at the Manor.

NOTES

The films seen at the cinema are Love Story and The Dirty Dozen.

If Cupid's ring is so important, why don't they take it from Drasi the first time he's frozen?

COMMENTS

Yet again, the Book of Shadows doesn't provide a cop-out solution and the episode is a particularly strong one for Phoebe.  Not only does she get a lot of the action, she also learns a few about herself into the bargain.

It's also nice to see the series starting to leave the more standalone approach of the early season one episodes behind, as Phoebe's kickboxing is used and there's the ongoing Piper/Dan/Leo saga as well, although it seems unlikely the Prue and Jack one will last much longer.

Drasi and Cupid are slightly more interesting than some of the series' previous good and bad guys, with some back story provided by way of explanation.  Max and Cindy also do what they're intended to, although it's a shame that characters like these aren't occasionally drawn from the ones we might see in the background occasionally such as the staff at P3.

And on a final note, Holly Marie Combs looks even better than normal in this episode...

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