Post by vandergraafk on Aug 20, 2007 14:31:27 GMT -5
Paige was the first Charmed One to suspect that something had happened to Cole after the events of Charmed and Dangerous. However, Paige concluded that Cole had turned evil again; when, in fact, he may not have. vandergraafk offered these thoughts:
Actually, I have to disagree with respect to Paige's reading of Cole. To actually understand Paige's assessment of Cole, it is important to recall that Paige oftentimes instinctively senses things, especially when some things go awry. On the other hand, she is often times not very good at analyzing her gut instincts, especially during the earlier seasons. In addition, Paige tends to throw in the chips when things really get bad. And, as she notes in Centennial Charmed, Piper will usually figure things out for Paige.
That said, it is certainly true that Paige was the first to wonder where the Source's powers had gone. She did not buy into the Seer's glib comment that they had gone "into the void". Erroneously, however, Paige concludes that Cole has gone back to evil. As we know, this was clearly not the case. The Source's essence was dominating Cole and dictating Cole's reversion to evil.
Certainly, Paige could not gain trust in Cole when the Source sought to destroy Paige in The Fifth Halliwell. Nor was Paige likely to gain trust in Cole as a result of the events in Centennial Charmed when Cole sought to undo all that had happened since the Charmed Ones had been reconstituted. That Cole/Belthazor, in order to regain the trust of the Source, probably killed Paige before she could become "charmed" did not help either. Paige certainly knew that Cole was involved since he knew exactly where he was going to bury whitelighter Paige, i.e., right next to her non-witch self.
Still, Paige was remarkably willing to reflect upon Cole's ambivalent nature. Although she erroneously concluded that Cole was the cause of Phoebe's problems in A Witch's Tail, she allowed her assessment to be revised. Ultimately, she concluded that Cole was not the source of Phoebe's problems and that he could help bring Phoebe back from her life of flight as a mermaid.
An even better example can be found in Sympathy for the Demon. Though it must be acknowledged that FEAR plays an inordinate role in shaping the sisters' responses to the demonic terror that Cole is enduring, each of the respnses emerges from within feelings that each sister holds. Phoebe wants no part of helping Cole. She blames him for all things bad (for Phoebe). Piper initially sees merit in helping Cole in order to protect innocents from the likely collateral damage that Cole's continued torment will produce. Still, Piper yields to the underlying distrust that Cole's persona produces in her. Paige, though, sees merit not only in helping Cole in order to help protect innocents, but in relieving Cole of the terror he is experiencing. Her overriding sense of humanity (towards Cole as a human) leads her to conclude - precipitously - that Cole would best be served by stripping him of his demonic powers. She does, but neither she nor Cole could have anticipated that Barbas had set a trap that depended on Paige providing the power stripping potion.
It should be noted that there is some confusion in Charmedverse regarding power stripping potions. In Black as Cole, Belthazor is stripped of his powers. Where they go remains unknown to us. Did they go "into the void"? Did these stripped powers return to the wasteland? Do stripped powers only revert to another corups if a spell has been incanted in order to prevent the absorption of these powers into the wasteland?
I raise these questions because the message in Charmed and Dangerous, as well as Ordinary Witches, seems murky at best. Though we can presume that the Seer manipulated the stripped powers of the Source, as well as its essence, from entering the body of Cole, we are not sure why the transferred powers during the attempted power switch in Ordinary Witches ended up in the closest human vessels.
If anyone tried to grasp the complexity of Cole it was Paige. Yes, she fell short in understanding everything. And, her premature conclusion that Cole had gone evil when possessed by the Source precluded her from reexamining her initial assessment when that assessment seemed perfectly suited towards explaining Cole's subsequent behavior. It didn't, but who could blame her?
Actually, I have to disagree with respect to Paige's reading of Cole. To actually understand Paige's assessment of Cole, it is important to recall that Paige oftentimes instinctively senses things, especially when some things go awry. On the other hand, she is often times not very good at analyzing her gut instincts, especially during the earlier seasons. In addition, Paige tends to throw in the chips when things really get bad. And, as she notes in Centennial Charmed, Piper will usually figure things out for Paige.
That said, it is certainly true that Paige was the first to wonder where the Source's powers had gone. She did not buy into the Seer's glib comment that they had gone "into the void". Erroneously, however, Paige concludes that Cole has gone back to evil. As we know, this was clearly not the case. The Source's essence was dominating Cole and dictating Cole's reversion to evil.
Certainly, Paige could not gain trust in Cole when the Source sought to destroy Paige in The Fifth Halliwell. Nor was Paige likely to gain trust in Cole as a result of the events in Centennial Charmed when Cole sought to undo all that had happened since the Charmed Ones had been reconstituted. That Cole/Belthazor, in order to regain the trust of the Source, probably killed Paige before she could become "charmed" did not help either. Paige certainly knew that Cole was involved since he knew exactly where he was going to bury whitelighter Paige, i.e., right next to her non-witch self.
Still, Paige was remarkably willing to reflect upon Cole's ambivalent nature. Although she erroneously concluded that Cole was the cause of Phoebe's problems in A Witch's Tail, she allowed her assessment to be revised. Ultimately, she concluded that Cole was not the source of Phoebe's problems and that he could help bring Phoebe back from her life of flight as a mermaid.
An even better example can be found in Sympathy for the Demon. Though it must be acknowledged that FEAR plays an inordinate role in shaping the sisters' responses to the demonic terror that Cole is enduring, each of the respnses emerges from within feelings that each sister holds. Phoebe wants no part of helping Cole. She blames him for all things bad (for Phoebe). Piper initially sees merit in helping Cole in order to protect innocents from the likely collateral damage that Cole's continued torment will produce. Still, Piper yields to the underlying distrust that Cole's persona produces in her. Paige, though, sees merit not only in helping Cole in order to help protect innocents, but in relieving Cole of the terror he is experiencing. Her overriding sense of humanity (towards Cole as a human) leads her to conclude - precipitously - that Cole would best be served by stripping him of his demonic powers. She does, but neither she nor Cole could have anticipated that Barbas had set a trap that depended on Paige providing the power stripping potion.
It should be noted that there is some confusion in Charmedverse regarding power stripping potions. In Black as Cole, Belthazor is stripped of his powers. Where they go remains unknown to us. Did they go "into the void"? Did these stripped powers return to the wasteland? Do stripped powers only revert to another corups if a spell has been incanted in order to prevent the absorption of these powers into the wasteland?
I raise these questions because the message in Charmed and Dangerous, as well as Ordinary Witches, seems murky at best. Though we can presume that the Seer manipulated the stripped powers of the Source, as well as its essence, from entering the body of Cole, we are not sure why the transferred powers during the attempted power switch in Ordinary Witches ended up in the closest human vessels.
If anyone tried to grasp the complexity of Cole it was Paige. Yes, she fell short in understanding everything. And, her premature conclusion that Cole had gone evil when possessed by the Source precluded her from reexamining her initial assessment when that assessment seemed perfectly suited towards explaining Cole's subsequent behavior. It didn't, but who could blame her?