Synopsis of Sam I Am
Written by Brandee Mode
At P3, Paige breaks up with the guy she has been dating while Piper and Phoebe watch from across the room. Piper starts to leave so she can clean the house before morning because they are going to start interviewing "magical creatures" for potential nannies. Phoebe thinks it's too soon since Piper is not showing yet, except for Piper's "boobies" and Piper agrees that they are "large and definitely in charge" and she is grateful that there is at least one thing normal about this pregnancy.
[They don't look any different to me. You would think that if the writers make a point to comment on this, that the wardrobe department would stuff Holly's bra or something for this scene.]
Piper leaves and Paige sits down. Paige explains that she didn't think it was going anywhere so she broke up with the guy "before he started to like me too much". Phoebe starts talking about Cole. He hasn't contacted her in days and she thinks it's because he is busy planning something evil.
Somewhere in a stereotypical biker bar... Cole sits at the bar drinking alcohol from a shot glass. He looks like he has had several already. Two guys come in with guns and shoot ate the bartender. Cole ignores all of this and pours another drink. One of the bullets goes through Cole and shatters his shot glass. Cole stands up and uses telekinesis to throw the two bad guys against the wall. Everyone else in the bar runs out and to two bad guys reach for their guns, but Cole kills them with energy balls. Cole yells in frustration. A black cloud appears and morphs into two men wearing all black. They tell Cole they have "been waiting for this moment" and then the opening credits start.
Piper and Paige are in the kitchen talking about nannies when Leo orbs in and tells Paige that the elders are assigning her a first charge. Leo says the charge's name is Samuel and that's the only thing he can tell her. Piper points out Paige's lack of experience, but Paige is excited about it. Phoebe enters and asks Paige for the vanquishing potion for Cole. Paige said she didn't know Phoebe "needed that right away" which leads Phoebe to explain about what happened at the biker bar. [They never mention how Phoebe knows about it.] Paige suggest Phoebe confirm what happened before trying to kill Cole. Phoebe leaves to visit Cole but tells Paige to make a stronger potion just in case.
The two black-wearing men from the biker bar appear at Cole's apartment and introduce themselves as "The Avatars Of Force And Power". They say that Cole crossed a line last night and they invite him to join them. Cole swears that he will not turn evil and tells them to go away. They claim that they drive both good and evil and say they are "preparing to wield a power, the likes of which this world has never seen". Cole throws an energy ball at them but it has no effect. They tell Cole he can't fight them and that he will join "sooner or later". The Avatars leave and Phoebe enters right afterward. She asks Cole if he killed the two men last night and he admits to killing the "criminals". Phoebe points out that they were also human.
[They were also murderers and technically Cole was only defending himself. Similar to when Prue killed the Dream Sorcerer. He was human and Phoebe didn't have any problems with that.]
Cole tells her to spare him the "judgmental crap" and she tells him that if he kills anyone else, she will vanquish him. He asks if she really thinks she has enough power to do it. She answers with "Try me." as she gets back in the elevator. Cole gets a thoughtful look on his face and he mutters that he "might just do that."
Leo and Paige are walking through an alley and Paige says she is going to use her background as a social worker as a cover story. They arrive at the back door of a bar, just as the bouncer ejects a drunken man through the door. Most of us recognize the man as Sam, who was Patty's whitelighter, and is Paige's biological father. Leo orbs out and Sam vomits near Paige's feet. Paige assists Sam into what appears to be a studio apartment. Paige tries to make small talk about the condition of the apartment but Sam tells her to go away. Paige writes her phone number on a piece of paper and tells him to call her at any time, for any reason.
SAM: "I can't believe the elders finally tracked me down, with a novice no less."
Since Paige doesn't know who he is yet, she is shocked that he knows about whitelighters. Sam asks if she has read the whitelighter manual. Paige is confused and Sam again tells her to leave but she refuses. A darklighter named Ronan appears and aims his crossbow at Sam.
Piper and Leo are interviewing what appears to be an elf. It quickly becomes obvious that she has a bad attitude, as she refuses to cook and only does *light* house-cleaning. Leo says that won't be a problem because Piper is a "neat freak". The elf asks if she will be "expected to protect the baby from the incessant demon attacks". Piper claims that demons "rarely attack us in the house" which causes Leo to make a comment that indicates he disagrees. Paige orbs in with Sam and Ronan appears on the other side of the room. Ronan shoots an arrow that hits Sam in the shoulder. Piper tries to blow up Ronan but only succeeds in amputating his arm from the elbow down. Ronan disappears. The elf curtly tells them to consider her application withdrawn and she disappears in a green mist. This is when Phoebe runs in. Piper and Phoebe look at Sam and realize who he is. Phoebe takes the arrow out of Sam's shoulder while Paige complains about the elders assigning her a charge without telling her that he was a whitelighter too. Leo heals Sam. Piper orders Paige upstairs to check the book. Paige is reluctant since they already know Ronan was a darklighter, but Piper claims that something was different about him. It's obvious that she is also is just trying to get Paige out of the room. Sam looks uncomfortable and says hello to Piper and Phoebe by name and they don't waste any time asking what happened. Sam says they made him a whitelighter again and he doesn't seem happy about it. Sam also says he screwed up again.
[I find it hard to believe they would force him to be a whitelighter if he didn't really want to. Couldn't he have said "no thanks"? Sam never explains what he meant when he said he "screwed up again" so I assume that means one of his charges died. I kept waiting for Leo to make a reference with how he dealt with Prue's death.]
PHOEBE: "Last time we saw you, you were riding off into the after-life with our mother. What happened?"
SAM: "They made me a whitelighter again. And I screwed up, again. I guess I never got over..."
PIPER: "Losing your daughter?" Sam looks upstairs. "Yeah, that's the one."
Sam immediately tries to leave. Cole appears in the next room and listens to their conversation with no one noticing. Piper asks if Leo knew about this "supernatural Jenny Jones reunion" and Leo claims that he was "sworn to secrecy".
Sam gets irritated that the Elders involved Paige and claims she is better off without him. Leo says that once Sam stopped using his powers they had no way to track him except with a blood relative. Phoebe wants Sam to stay for Paige's sake but Sam doesn't want Paige to find out her father is a "two time loser and a drunk". Cole has apparently heard enough and disappears.
[I'm wondering why Cole went to the manor in the first place or how he knew about Ronan. They never mentioned him when Cole was listening. Makes me wonder what he knew ahead of time.]
Sam orbs out just as Paige comes down the stairs with the book. Piper explains that Sam orbed out. Leo explains that Ronan is a higher lever darklighter, called a Tracker. Leo orbs out with Piper to look for Sam, leaving Paige and Phoebe to work on a potion for Ronan. Elsewhere, Cole appears to Ronan and offers him a deal: if Ronan helps him kill the Charmed Ones, he will help Ronan kill Sam. Ronan is scared of the Charmed Ones and refuses. Cole waves his hand and makes Ronan's arm & hand reappear. Cole also amplifies Ronan's powers. Ronan wants to know why Cole is doing this.
COLE: "Let's just say, I'm looking for a showdown."
Meanwhile, Sam has been "orbing all over creation" hoping they would not be able to track him. But Piper and Leo have simply been waiting in his apartment. Sam starts on a tirade about how painful it was to give up his daughter at birth. Sam says he gave up so she would never find out who she really was and end up getting killed as a result. They try to convince him to talk to Paige but he refuses.
Back at the manor, while making a potion, Phoebe is urging Paige not to give up on Sam. Paige has to force the issue but Phoebe finally admits that Sam was their mother's whitelighter and is Paige's biological father. They look over and see *Sam* standing in the doorway. He asks to speak to her alone and they go into a different room. He comments that she must hate him. Paige tells him that she had a father she was proud of and "no offense, but I don't know you" so she hasn't spent much time thinking about him. *Sam* says considering he gave her up that must have caused her some pain.
Leo and Piper orb into the kitchen and Phoebe congratulates them on getting Sam to talk to Paige. They are confused and tell her that Sam refused to come back with them. They run to the other room and tell Paige that the man she has been talking to is not the real Sam. Now that he's been discovered, *Sam* morphs into Cole and Paige calls him a "son-of-a-bitch". Cole happily tells her to "Wait, it gets better."
[Cole was practically giggling when he said this. It's been so long since we saw him smile. I liked it.]
Cole turns and calls for Ronan who promptly appears. Piper tries to blow up Ronan but nothing happens. Cole has made Ronan immune to it. Phoebe happens to have the potion with her and throws it at Ronan, but it does not have any effect either. Ronan hoists up his crossbow and shoots. The arrow splits into three different arrows: one hits Paige in the stomach, one hits Leo in the arm and the other goes to Piper's stomach but it hits a force-field and disappears. Paige and Leo drop to the floor then Cole and Ronan disappear.
When the show returns from commercials, Leo is unconscious on the floor and Paige has been moved to the couch. Piper points out that Cole's plan wasn't smart and no matter whether Cole is good or evil, he is always smart. Paige tries to explain about a Cole-vanquishing-potion, but Phoebe tells her to conserve her strength. Piper says that Sam is their only hope and tells Paige she has to sense him so she can go get him.
[I'm beginning to wonder why they can't just call for ANY whitelighter.]
Paige doesn't think Sam will help, but Piper insists that he will because it's Paige who is hurt. Phoebe is worried about Piper leaving the house alone, but Piper explains that "the baby prefers Mommy to be indestructible".
In what appears to be the same alley as before, Sam is leaning against some crates in a drunken stupor. Ronan appears and prepares to kill him but Cole stops him. Cole explains that Sam needs to stay alive so he can heal the others. Cole wants them to come after him, not Ronan. They stare at each and when Ronan attempts to shoot an arrow, Cole kills him with a energy-ball. Cole hears Piper coming and hides. Piper hurries over to Sam and when he tries to brush her off, she cuts him off by blurting out that the darklighter shot Leo and Paige.
Sam orbs to the house with Piper. He kneels next to Paige and tries to heal her but it doesn't work. He starts feeling sorry for himself again but Piper again cuts him off. She tells him that Paige has saved them many times and has brought the family back together. Phoebe tells him to let go of the pain. Paige touches him arm, then there's glowing lights. Sam is cured and heals Paige, then heals Leo. Phoebe leaves to begin the potions for vanquishing Cole. After returning from commercial, Paige, Piper and Phoebe are standing around a table in the attic. They have finished making 3 potions, which Paige claims to be "as strong as the potion" they "used on The Source".
[Which confuses me, because I don't remember them using a potion on The Source.]
They test the potions on the letter opener that has Cole's blood on it. Using small amounts of each potion, first Paige throws her vial, then Piper, then Phoebe. The letter opener is destroyed, along with the tray it was on and a section of carpet.
At the pent-house, Cole sits at the table and writes a letter. As his hand moves across the paper, we can only see bits and pieces of what he writes, but it is enough to show us that it is a goodbye love letter to Phoebe. The Avatars appear just as he seals the letter. He tells them to go away again and they say he will join them eventually. The Avatars leave and the sisters orb in. Cole removes his wedding ring and puts it next to the letter, then he stands to face them. First Paige, then Piper, throws their potions at Cole's feet, causing smoke to form. Phoebe sees the letter propped next to a picture of her and Cole when they were happy together. Phoebe states that she knows what he is doing and she wants him vanquished on her terms, not his and she won't help him commit suicide.
[I think that is a load of crap. She wants him dead, it shouldn't matter how]
Cole tells her she already has and uses telekinesis to pull the last vial of potion from Phoebe's hands to vanquish himself. There is a big explosion. Cole yells and the sisters fall to the floor. When the fire and smoke clears, they are shocked to see that Cole is still standing there unharmed. Cole is shocked also...
COLE: "They knew it wouldn't work! You can't vanquish me, nobody can."
The scene switches to the next morning. Sam is sitting with Paige and apologizes to her for giving her up at birth. She tells him that he doesn't need to apologize because she grew up with wonderful parents. She also points out that she had the chance to walk away from being a witch but she didn't.
Leo orbs into the kitchen and tells Piper that the elf "has a big mouth" and told the other potential nannies what happened and now they have all withdrawn their applications. He tries to stay positive by reminding her that they do have time before the baby is born. Paige enters the kitchen alone and I assume that Sam has left the house. Paige says she is going to invite the guy from the beginning of the episode to go away for the weekend to relax and admits that perhaps she has some abandonment issues to work through. At the table, Phoebe melodramatically sighs and drops her head to rest on the Book Of Shadows. She tells the others that "having an invincible ex-husband is making her really nervous". Paige puts her arm around Piper and says they have someone invincible of their own.
At the pent-house, Cole walks through the mess to the balcony and stares off in the distance.
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