Synopsis of A Witch in Time
Written by Brandee Mode
Phoebe is on the porch with Miles and they are discussing good dates vs. great dates. When they start to kiss, Piper interrupts, purposefully walking between them. She is carrying groceries and Leo follows her, also carrying grocery bags. When Phoebe asks what's wrong with Piper, Leo says they were given paper bags instead of plastic and then closes the door.
Inside, we learn the real reason is that Piper thinks Phoebe should not be dating Miles and lists his faults as being divorced, wearing cologne and being a computer programmer. Leo sarcastically says they should vanquish Miles.
Piper merely points out that they are not right for each other and worries that Phoebe will get hurt. At this point, Paige reveals herself, asking for them to be quiet. She is on the couch and has been making out with a guy this whole time.
Phoebe and Miles come through and go up to her bedroom. Piper wonders if she should interrupt them. Paige tells her "not unless you want to make an ass of yourself" and goes back to kissing her date. Leo leans toward Piper and tells her she should not get involved in *whatever's going on* upstairs.
Upstairs, Phoebe and Miles enter her bedroom and start taking off their clothes. When they kiss, Phoebe is hit with a premonition of Miles getting killed in a police shoot out. Miles asks Phoebe if she is OK and then the opening credits start.
The next morning, Piper asks Paige about her "couch buddy" and Paige informs her that his name is Max and he has "just the right touch of weird style" for her. Phoebe and Miles come downstairs and Phoebe makes a point of telling Miles she will meet him at the office and they will walk to lunch.
[Apparently, in the premonition, he was killed outside the restaurant.]
After Miles leaves, Phoebe explains about the premonition and asks one of them to go to lunch with them. Paige comments about the premonition not being supernatural. Leo says it's probably part of the power advancement, being able to detect "natural" threats also. Piper wonders if they might not be meant to save Miles BECAUSE it's not a supernatural premonition. Phoebe tells Piper that she is being insensitive. Piper reads from the newspaper that "a rebound romance burns fast and hot" and "it leaves the rebounded blind to the flameout ahead". Phoebe calls that psychobabble, to which Paige points out Phoebe wrote it in her column. Phoebe tells Piper that he "makes me feel" and to "just be happy" for her. Paige offers to cancel her lunch-date, but Leo thinks they have a better chance of protecting him with Piper's freezing power.
The next scene is Piper swerving to park the SUV in front of Miles' office building. They are running late and Phoebe runs inside to see if Miles is there. While she is gone, a delivery truck parks next to Piper and blocks her in. When she asks him to move, he refuses because she parked in a loading zone. Phoebe hurries back to Piper and announces that Miles has left. Then we hear police sirens. When Piper tells her she's blocked in, Phoebe says that it's only two blocks away and they should run. They reach an intersection but Phoebe doesn't know which direction to go. Piper hurriedly decides they should go left and they start running again.
The criminal runs past Miles and police cars pull up on each end of the alley. The criminal turns to face the policemen behind him and fires his gun. Piper and Phoebe arrive and Piper freezes everything, stopping the bullets a few inches from Miles. Phoebe runs over and plucks the bullets from mid-air, then she takes the gun from the criminal's hand and tosses it to the ground.
Phoebe runs back behind Miles and tells Piper to unfreeze everything. Once time returns to normal, Phoebe tackles Miles to the ground. The criminal briefly wonders where his gun went and quickly surrenders. Piper silently backs out of the scene. Mile and Phoebe stand up and he is shocked that she just saved his life. Phoebe suggests dinner at the house and they kiss. Phoebe gets another premonition. This time Miles is killed by a knife in the chest while sitting at the dinner table. Miles realizes that Phoebe is rattled and escorts her off to get coffee. After they leave, a demon named Bacarra emerges from a brick wall. He reaches back and touches the wall, creating a ripple effect.
[The only purpose I can see for that is to let us know there is a time portal there.]
Bacarra magically moves a bush in front of the portal, then blinks out of the alley. Bacarra reappears in Cole's pent-house. Cole looks tired and it appears that he has not shaved for a few days. Cole looks up from his Chinese food and rudely asks Bacarra who he is.
Bacarra introduces himself and informs Cole that he was sent back from the future to save Phoebe. Cole doesn't believe him. Bacarra tosses a ring at Cole and he gets up to compare it to the one he has. Cole pushes Bacarra against the wall and asks where Bacarra got the ring. Bacarra says Cole is the one who sent him back. The Angel Of Death is the one coming for Miles and they all know that Angel-Of-Death doesn't stop. For the next six months Phoebe continues to save Miles from dying and eventually dies herself because of it. Future-Cole sent Bacarra back to tell present-Cole that he should kill Miles to save Phoebe's life. Cole doesn't believe this, he thinks it's a trick to get him to murder someone. He asks Bacarra why he should trust a demon. Bacarra says he is Cole's closest advisor, in the future, Cole is head of the Underworld again. Cole is angry to hear this and throws an energy ball at Bacarra, who blinks out and reappears on the other side of the room. Bacarra says that future-Cole warned him that present-Cole would react that way and leaves to kill Miles himself. At the house, Miles has sent Phoebe 144 red roses. Phoebe sits on the couch looking through the Book Of Shadows.
[I don't understand what she's looking for, in the premonition it did not show who threw the knife at Miles.]
Paige wonders what the premonitions have in common other than Miles. Phoebe thinks it was just bad luck that he "stumbled into a police shoot-out today and a demonic shoot-out tonight" but Piper thinks it could be more than that and suggests that Phoebe is allowing her hormones to cloud her judgment. Leo suggests that they do their best to protect Miles until they know exactly what they are up against. Phoebe says she has already cancelled the dinner date with Miles, but Piper and Paige suggest that Miles would be better protected if they did have dinner, but make it a family dinner. Later, Miles arrives for dinner with more flowers and is surprised that it won't be just him and Phoebe.
Paige claims they just wanted to get to know him better. Toward the end of dinner, Cole teleports into the kitchen but Piper is the only one who sees him. Piper goes to the kitchen and tells him to leave, but he explains that he is there to warn her about Bacarra. Piper thanks him for the warning but insists they can handle it and orders him to leave before Phoebe sees him. Cole is irritated but leaves. Phoebe enters the kitchen to complain about Piper's behavior. When Piper hands her the dessert tray, Phoebe realizes that is when the attack happens and runs back to tackle Miles out of his chair, saving him from the knife that Bacarra had just thrown at him seconds before. Piper tries to freeze Bacarra but it doesn't work. Piper tries to blow him up but Bacarra absorbs it into his hand and throws it back at Piper, knocking her down. Paige calls for the knife but before she can throw it, Bacarra magically causes the chandelier to fall and then he blinks out.
After the commercial break, Phoebe is off in another room with Miles who is unconscious. Paige tries to find an entry on Bacarra in the Book Of Shadows but can't find one. Piper admits that Cole came to warn them right before the attack. Paige wonders if they should tell that to Phoebe, but Piper thinks no. Miles wakes up and ask what happens. Phoebe blames it on the falling chandelier. She kisses him and is hit with another premonition. This time Miles is on a balcony, he leans against it, it gives and he falls to his death.
Elsewhere, the present version of Bacarra is holding a knife, searching an apartment for a witch. Future-Bacarra blinks in, remembering having been there and that the witch present-Bacarra is looking for has the power of invisibility. He says something in another language and the witch becomes visible. She runs but future-Bacarra grabs her, says another word in the other language and the witch falls asleep. The present version of Bacarra does not appear to be as calm as future-Bacarra. Future-Bacarra opens a cupboard and starts removing bottles while explaining his plan to steal the Book Of Shadows.
He says they will use some blood from the Halliwell line and a spell from the future to temporarily cloak themselves in goodness.
Piper and Paige are at the pent-house, listening to Cole explain about Bacarra and how Phoebe will die if she continues to save Miles from the Angel Of Death. Paige is ready to go after him but Piper explains that no one can escape the A.O.D. if it's that person's time to die. Piper asks why Cole is associating with demons six months from now, but Cole changes the subject, again warning them that they need to let Miles die to save Phoebe. Over at Miles' apartment, Phoebe and Miles move from the living room to the bedroom...
Piper, Paige and Leo are walking toward Miles' apartment to give Phoebe the bad news. Leo says the Elders will not confirm or deny that the Angel Of Death is after Miles, so Leo is taking that as confirmation. They want to talk to Phoebe alone, so Leo orbs out. After Mile's answers the door, Paige and Piper claim a family emergency so he goes to get Phoebe. Phoebe comes to the door and they tell her that they think it's his "time to die". When they explain that they got their information from Cole and that Leo only "thinks" it's time for Miles, Phoebe gets angry and insists that it is a demon, not the Angel Of Death. They realize they will not be able to convince Phoebe, so they leave.
Miles has gone out to the balcony and Phoebe hears his scream as the rail gives and he falls. He is able to hang on to the edge and Phoebe runs over and pulls him up. He immediately tells Phoebe to stay away from him.
He is freaked out and thinks he is a jinx. She insists that she will stay and help him through this. They hug and she gets another premonition. This time she sees herself and Miles in bed and Cole standing near the foot of the bed.
Piper and Paige are walking toward the Book Of Shadows when Future-Bacarra blinks in and throws a dagger toward Piper. She freezes it but he says something that forces the knife to continue forward. It hits Piper in the upper chest, near the shoulder. Present-Bacarra blinks in near the book. They are surprised that there are two identical demons. Paige removes the knife from Piper's shoulder and the baby heals Piper's shoulder. Present-Bacarra magically takes the knife from Paige.
He dips the blood-covered knife into a vial filled with a potion, then drinks the potion. He is able to force through the protection barrier and pick up the book.
Future-Bacarra says they will take care of the book and they both blink out. Paige and Piper are shocked.
Back from commercial, Leo tries to calm them by saying it will all be OK if they stay together. Phoebe leaves the bed and enters the living room. She tells Cole to come out, she knows he is there. A piece of furniture morphs into Cole, he tries to explain that he is only their to help protect, but Phoebe doesn't really believe him. Paige calls on the cell phone and explains that the book has been stolen. Phoebe wants to bring Miles with her but Cole offers to stay and watch over him, pointing out that he knows he would never gain Phoebe's trust if he kills Miles.
Present and future-Bacarra have gone back to the apartment of the witch who has the power of invisibility. They are preparing a potion "to disempower a witch" which requires a "fresh human heart" so they take the heart of the witch that future-Bacarra put to sleep earlier in the episode.
Leo explains that when a destined event is prevented from happening, it causes a time ripple and that is how future-Bacarra came back through time. Phoebe again insists that it is not the Angel Of Death who is after Miles. Piper and Paige think it's hopeless, because there are so many spells in the book that they can't remember them all, much less defend against them. Leo attempts to give them a pep talk but Piper tells him to stop. They finally decide to create new spells and potions that neither Bacarra has seen before. Awhile later, the three of them are sitting around a small table in the attic.
Paige and Piper have made several potions and Phoebe has written several spells. Both versions of Bacarra blink in. Together they say, "Before the passing of this hour, take away all their powers".
[Sounds like a rather vague spell to me. Too bad it didn't take 59 minutes before the spell activated.]
One after another, Paige throws a potion at them, Phoebe says a spell and Piper tries to blow them up, Paige tries to orb but nothing works. Piper calls for Leo. Future-Bacarra throws a fire ball at Paige and she turns into a pile of ashes. Present-Bacarra throws a fire ball at Phoebe and she turns into a pile of ashes. Leo orbs in, sees the two piles of ashes and realizes what happened. Leo leaps for Piper and is able to orb her out at the last second before she is hit by a fire ball.
The show returns from commercial with Piper crouched near the wall in the alley where future-Bacarra first appeared. She is crying strongly now as it sinks in that she just witnessed Paige and Phoebe die. Leo is nearby running his hands over the wall, looking for the time portal that future-Bacarra came through. He explains that the portal will exist until future-Bacarra goes back into it. Piper perks up when she realizes there is still a chance to save Phoebe and Piper and she begins helping Leo search. In the attic, future-Bacarra instructs present-Bacarra to "call a meeting" of the leaders of the Underworld and demand his "rightful place" as their leader.
Just as Piper finds the portal, future-Bacarra arrives and starts toward her. Leo tackles him and yells for Piper to enter the portal. She does and we see from her point of view, everything going in reverse, starting with her entering the portal, back to the day before. She sees herself and Phoebe saving Miles, in reverse. Piper keeps track of the time on her watch and when it's a few minutes before they save him, she steps out of the portal and goes off to search for herself.
[I don't understand why she didn't give herself a few hours but I guess there wasn't enough time left in the episode for that.]
Past-Phoebe enters the office building to look for Miles. Present-Piper gets in the passenger side of the vehicle with past-Piper, who is obviously surprised.
To prove that she is not a demon, present-Piper pinches past-Piper on the arm, then shows her the bruise that develops on her own arm. Present-Piper tries to quickly explain that they need to let Miles die in order to save Paige and Phoebe from being killed. She tells her past-self that "when Phoebe asks left or right, go right" and then tells her to make sure Phoebe knows it was meant to be. Almost as an afterthought, she also tells past-Piper not to stand in Phoebe's way the next time Phoebe falls in love. Present-Piper then quickly leaves the jeep before past-Phoebe can see her. Past-Phoebe returns and just as before, they run because the vehicle is blocked in. When they get to the intersection, past-Phoebe asks which direction. After a little hesitation, past-Piper says to go right. Just as before, they see police cars going the other direction and they turn around to run the other way. Miles is shot just as they arrive and he falls to the ground. Past-Phoebe runs to kneel next to Miles while past-Piper stays back.
Past-Piper looks over and sees present-Piper watching, with tears in her eyes. Present-Piper nods her head, to convey that past-Piper did the right thing, then she disappears.
At the house that night, Piper and Paige enter Phoebe's bedroom with a plate of cookies, expecting to comfort Phoebe. Instead they find her folding laundry and dancing to the music from her headphones. Phoebe has decided not to worry about whether or not she will fall in love again. Piper promises not to interfere with Phoebe's love life and that causes Paige to ask if she knows something they don't. Piper claims to have "had a little premonition" of her own and smiles. She leaves the room with Paige and Phoebe quickly following, wanting an explanation.
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