Synopsis of The Importance of Being Phoebe
The show starts with Paige driving and talking to Phoebe on her cell phone. Paige is gathering ingredients to attempt a potion to vanquish Cole. Phoebe mentions that a woman is suing her and The Bay Mirror because she thinks Phoebe gave her bad advice. A demon named Dex is standing on the side of the road. He waves a hand and causes Paige's car to go into a spin.
Her car hits another and Paige is knocked unconscious. Dex goes to a demon-strip-bar and meets with Cole. He confirms Paige's accident and tells Cole all he has to do is "a little mind control on the witnesses and maybe a cop." He also mentions that the plumbing leak at Piper's club has been taken care of. Dex thinks Cole is a genius for using the law to take down The Charmed Ones. A stripper named Kaia has a crush on Cole and wants to dance for him. He lets her and tells her "you know what I like". Kaia morphs so she looks like Phoebe and begins to give him a lap dance.
At the hospital, Piper suggests that Leo should heal Paige, but Paige says she only has a mild concussion. Paige also admits it was her fault because she "knows better than to talk on a cell and drive and the same time." Phoebe comments about her problems at work with the lawsuit. This leads Piper to complain about problems at the P3. She says the club is having plumbing problems and the health inspector is due that afternoon. Phoebe wishes they could use the Book Of Shadows to solve their problems. Piper says they can't because of the "no personal gain" thing. Phoebe thinks it's unfair that evil gets to use magic for personal gain whenever they want. Phoebe rushes off to work for a meeting with lawyers. Paige and Piper have a brief discussion on the need to vanquish Cole, then Piper leaves. As Paige prepares to get dressed, a police officer enters and tells her she is under arrest.
Dex informs Cole that Paige has been arrested for "felony hit-and-run" and notes that they have "guys" in place at P3 for when the health inspector arrives. Cole thinks the sisters will figure out what he's doing but not in time to prevent him from taking control of the house. By doing so, he will gain control over the "spiritual nexus" under the house. Cole explains that which ever side owns it, good or evil, will get a power boost. Cole hopes to tap into that power and spread evil. He believes that since Phoebe was born at the manor, she will return to evil and as a result, return to him also.
*Phoebe* enters with a picnic basket and invites Cole to lunch. But when she kisses him, Cole can tell it is not really Phoebe. Kaia has done a glamour and made herself look like Phoebe. Kaia is disappointed and returns to looking like herself. Cole realizes she has a crush on him but orders her to leave. When she gets to the door, he stops her and she turns to look at him.
Cole tells her to "go out the way you came in" because they "keep up appearances" in his office. Kaia morphs so she looks like Phoebe again and then leaves.
Over at P3, the health inspector tells Piper that the club needs to be shut down for repairs. Leo reminds him that they have not had any problems in the past 4 years. The inspector is about to give them another day to get the plumbing fixed but then he sees a rat and orders them to close down for a month and get rid of them. They can't get him to change his mind, and while Leo escorts him out, Piper tries to blow up the rat. Leo tries to comfort Piper and tells her it's just bad luck. Piper complains that "it's more than bad luck, it's sabotage, it's demonic." She realizes she might be on to something and they hurry to leave. After they are gone the rats morph into demons then blink out.
Paige is getting her mug shot taken and the officer taking the picture has to leave to find more film. While he is gone, Paige tries to get Darryl to drop the charges because it he knows she is innocent and a demon must be causing the problems. Darryl says he can't because he's a lieutenant now, people are watching him more closely and more importantly because what she has now are "legal problems". Paige begins to put things together but then the officer returns with the film and takes her picture.
Over at The Bay Mirror, Phoebe's boss (Elise) reminds Phoebe of the advice she gave to the woman who is suing them. Phoebe had told the woman that if she had any doubts about her upcoming wedding that she should "flee at the speed of a baby cheetah at feeding time". The woman followed Phoebe's advice with bad results and now claims that she discovered a pattern in Phoebe's advise column; that Phoebe is trying to destroy romance for others because of her own "bitter divorce". Phoebe asks if they can just pay the woman so she will drop the lawsuit. Elise says that the woman does not want money, she wants Phoebe to be fired. Elise tells Phoebe she is suspended without pay while the lawyers try to make a deal. While packing her belongings Phoebe realizes Cole might be the cause of their problems.
Darryl has arrived at the manor and is talking to Piper. He starts to tell her about Paige being arrested, but Paige orbs in while he's talking. Darryl gets angry, saying that Paige's disappearance from her jail cell could put his career in jeopardy. Paige says that she put pillows under the blanket to make it look like she was sleeping, and explains that it always fooled her adoptive parents when she was growing up. Darryl is frustrated but relents, telling Paige to be back in her jail cell by 2:00 for her hearing. Darryl leaves. Piper explains that Leo is off checking with the Elders to which Paige rolls her eyes.
PAIGE: "Our problems are legal, right? Who's the only demonic lawyer we know?"
Piper agrees but doesn't understand how this is benefiting Cole. Elsewhere, Phoebe enters Cole's office. He quickly realizes it is the real Phoebe (instead of Kaia pretending to be Phoebe) and he hides the blueprints for the manor. Phoebe orders Cole to admit what he is doing so she can use magic to fight him. He admits nothing and she flings papers into the air out of frustration. Phoebe leaves. Out in the hallway, Kaia sees Phoebe leave and watches her body language. Kaia enters Cole's office and tells Cole she can give him what he wants. Kaia morphs so she looks just like Phoebe. Back in the hallway, Phoebe gets tired of waiting for the elevator and leaves to take the stairs. Just after that, Piper and Paige emerge from the elevator move toward Cole's office. They stop in the doorway when they see Cole kissing the Phoebe-impersonator and they are totally shocked.
Piper and Paige go back into the hallway.
PAIGE: "We need a plan."
PIPER: "How's this? We go home. We vomit..."
PAIGE: "And?"
PIPER: "That's all I have so far."
In the office, Cole pulls away from Kaia and tells her that he still wants the real Phoebe. Kaia is disappointed, but she reverts to her own form and leaves. Dex sees Phoebe and thinks it is Kaia pretending to be Phoebe. He grabs her by the arm and begins to scold her, telling her that "the leader of the underworld will never have a whore as his queen". Kaia exits the elevator and Dex realizes that he is holding on to the real Phoebe. Dex immediately teleports out, taking Phoebe with him.
Leo has returned and informs Paige and Piper that the Elders have sensed a rise in demonic activity. They think it's because the underworld has a new leader. They explain that they think Phoebe might be evil again because they saw her kissing Cole. Leo is surprised but suggests that maybe Phoebe was only exchanging sexual favors for information. Piper likes this idea, claiming that Phoebe being "slutty and manipulative" is better than being evil. Leo mentions that Darryl just called and the grandfather clock strikes 2:00. Paige realizes she is late. At jail, Darryl is trying to delay the guard from going to Paige's cell. We see orbs around the edge of the blanket and Paige sits up, surprising Darryl.
Dex, Phoebe and Cole arrive at the apartment, Dex admits that he mistook the real Phoebe for Kaia-pretending-to-be-Phoebe and said too much. He explains that he brought Phoebe here to detain her until "the operation" is done. Cole thinks that was a good idea, but then kills Dex with a fireball for making the mistake in the first place. Phoebe starts to leave but is stopped when Cole waves his arms, causing the windows to flash yellow for a moment. He explains that he activated a supernatural security system and Leo will not be able to hear Phoebe if she calls for him. He guides Phoebe to a chair while he starts talking about the nexus under the manor. He realizes too late that Phoebe didn't know about his plans for the nexus, but Cole shrugs. Since he has to keep Phoebe hostage anyway, Cole admits he is the cause of Piper and Paige's legal problems. Phoebe points out that they will notice her absence and come looking for her. Cole waves a hand and Kaia appears, looking like Phoebe. The real Phoebe is shocked and Cole tells Kaia to imitate Phoebe's words and gestures. After a couple practice phrases, Cole takes Phoebe's purse and ushers Kaia-in-Phoebe-form into the elevator. He orders her to stop playing with her hair because "Phoebe is more sophisticated than that".
Cole teleports into a hospital room and asks the woman in the bed if her injuries were the result of a car accident with Paige Matthews. The woman says yes and Cole puts his hand on her head, killing her.
Kaia-in-Phoebe-form enters the manor and is immediately confronted by Piper and Leo about the kissing she saw earlier. Kaia-in-Phoebe-form claims that since she was kissing Cole, she must be under a spell, because "pretty sure I hate him". She asks Piper to bind her powers so she can't be tricked into using them for evil.
Elsewhere the real Phoebe tries to escape by throwing a candlestick at the French doors, but it hits the force-field and bounces back. She sees a large vent in the ceiling. She half-leaps, half-levitates up to it and starts trying to pull the grate off.
Back at the house, Piper says the following spell:
This witch's power can not fight
The lure of evil's magic might
Before misuse lands her in hell
Remove the powers of Phoebe Halliwell
We see a yellow ball of light emerge from Phoebe's chest and floats up into the vent. Phoebe falls to the floor landing forcefully on her back. Piper/Leo asks *Phoebe* to try levitating to make sure the spell worked. Kaia-in-Phoebe-form puts her arms out, like she's doing a Superman imitation, then sits down again. They comment on her odd behavior, but Kaia-in-Phoebe-form claims kissing Cole has made her ill. She goes upstairs to lie down while Piper makes tea. Kaia locks the bedroom door behind her and quickly finds a dagger in Phoebe's underwear drawer.
Kaia-in-Phoebe-form teleports into the apartment and finds the real Phoebe unconscious on the floor. Cole teleports in behind them, startling Kaia. She pretends she came to tell him that Piper knows he is trying to reorganize the underworld. Cole appears to be irritated and tells her to get back to the manor. He also tells her that when the time comes, she needs to make sure that Piper visits a bail bondsman. Kaia-in-Phoebe-form teleports out. Cole picks up Phoebe and places her on a bed. He leans down and kisses her but she begins to wake up, so he teleports out mid-kiss.
Piper is knocking loudly on Phoebe's bedroom door. Kaia-in-Phoebe-form finally opens the door wearing headphones and claims that she didn't hear the door. Piper asks why the door was locked but Kaia doesn't have to answer because Leo arrives with the news that "things just got worse". Paige is crying, huddled on the cot in her jail cell. We quickly realize she has just learned of the other driver's death.
Darryl explains that the doctors think it was caused a blood clot in her brain. Darryl also tells her that the charges against Paige now include "vehicular homicide" and her bail has been set at 50 thousand dollars. Kaia-in-Phoebe-form quickly states that they will just go to a bail bondsman. Piper agrees that they can't use the club since it was forced to close down, so Piper and Kaia-in-Phoebe-form go to the bail bondsman. He gives them the money they need and they give him the deed to the house. He gives a receipt to Kaia-in-Phoebe-form and tells her to hold on to it. After they leave the bondsman morphs into Cole. He smiles and puts the deed in his jacket.
Piper, Leo, Paige and Kaia-in-Phoebe-form return to the manor to find it filled with demons. Cole states that he forgot to protect the house from orbing. At Piper's questioning, Cole points out that he has the deed. She points out that "we have the receipt". Kaia-in-Phoebe-form walks over to stand by Cole. She is holding the receipt and morphs so she looks like herself again.
Paige, Leo and Piper stand there shocked. Cole waves a hand and they are *pushed* out the front door and onto the sidewalk. The front door shuts and a force-field flares up over it.
Kaia follows Cole into the kitchen, pouting because he doesn't seem appreciative. He tells her that she will be paid for her services, but for now he wants her to leave. Kaia morphs into Phoebe-form and asks if that is what it takes to get some attention. Cole loses his patience and threatens Kaia, telling her to make herself scarce. Then Cole goes to the basement. After he's gone, Kaia mutters that maybe she should make Phoebe "scarce" instead.
Out on the sidewalk, Leo tries to sense where the real Phoebe is and is unable to find her. Piper and Paige can't believe they fell for Kaia's act. Leo tells them they need to come up with a plan. Meanwhile, Kaia (still in Phoebe-form) has arrived at the apartment and is attacking Phoebe so it looks to the audience as if Phoebe is fighting herself. Phoebe tries to explain that she doesn't want Cole, but Kaia doesn't care because she knows Cole will always want the real Phoebe as long as she is alive. Kaia reverts to her own form, and Phoebe comments about her being blonde. Kaia takes out the dagger and the yellow ball of light representing Phoebe's powers emerges from the vent and hits Phoebe in the chest. Phoebe levitates out of the way when Kaia throws the dagger. She pulls it from the wall and stabs Kaia with it. Kaia bursts into flames and disappears. Phoebe levitates up to the vent and calls for Leo.
Leo orbs back to the sidewalk with Phoebe, where Piper and Paige quickly apologize. Phoebe says the only way to get back in the house, is if she pretends to be Kaia-pretending-to-be-Phoebe. The others don't like the idea, but she tells them they already underestimated her today, and she shouldn't do it again. Paige tells her that Kaia twirled her hair a lot. Phoebe goes to the porch and hooks her arm with a demon who's waiting to be let in. The guard at the basement door seems uneasy. He tells Phoebe-pretending-to-be-Kaia that he won't let her past until she reverts back to her own form. Phoebe gives up and kicks him down the stairs. Phoebe runs to the basement and but only goes down a few steps. Cole has just finished saying some sort of spell and the floor splits open near his feet. The dark blob that is the Woogy emerges and enters Cole, causing him to stagger back a bit and his eyes turn black. Phoebe doesn't listen to what he says and just starts saying the spell to vanquish the Woogy.
I am light
I am one too strong to fight
Return to dark, where shadows dwell
You can not have this Halliwell
So go away and leave my sight
And take with you this endless night
Light shoots up from the hole in the floor and surrounds Cole and sucks him down into the hole. Several black mini-twisters shoot upstairs and all the demons upstairs get sucked down into the hole also. Suddenly Cole reappears. Phoebe calmly states that she thought he was dead. Cole admits he thought he was too at first, but since he survived, he is going to summon the Woogy and try again. Phoebe points out that she is truly free of him because she thought he was dead and felt nothing for him. Phoebe claims that even if he were to succeed in turning her evil again, she still would not go back to him. She also says that when they do finally vanquish him she will "never look back". Cole frowns and looks sad. He disappears without saying anything.
Upstairs, Piper, Paige and Leo have entered the house and Phoebe gives Piper the deed to the house. [I don't have a clue how Phoebe got the deed because Cole never gave it to her.] Piper worries about the club and Phoebe's lawsuit. Leo tells her that they can use their magic "to reverse Cole's consequence-free." Paige points out it won't bring the woman from the accident back to life. Phoebe promises that Cole won't get away with killing her.
Cole sits in the demon-strip-bar from the beginning of the episode as a female demon walks over to him. She used to be Kaia's friend and knows what Cole wants. She morphs so she looks like Phoebe. She straddles his waist and says
FEMALE DEMON (looking like Phoebe): "Tell me what you want, baby."
Cole stabs her in the stomach with a dagger.
COLE: "That's what I want, *baby*."
She bursts into flames and disappears. Cole looks at the knife and smiles.