Sympathy for the Demon

Season 5, Episode 7, Aired
EDIT

Episode Summary

Barbas, the Demon of Fear, returns and tricks Paige into giving him Cole's powers, and plots revenge on the Halliwell sisters by playing them against their darkest fears.
8.4
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Great
274 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate It

Watch Online

Netflix
Subscription

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Fan Episode Reviews (11)

See All

  • Barbas is back, and he is very put out.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By iltarion, Jul 31, 2011 Report Abuse
    The original demon is back in this brilliant episode, and after stealing Cole's powers he is powerful enough to shrug off the very spell that destroyed the Source. Now THAT is trouble!

    Some reviewers have complained about Barbas and the acting of Billy Drago. Not me. The guy is a genuine creepy demon, and his valium-induced and somewhat self-amused style is truly unique among the catalogue of Charmed bad guys. He absolutely oozes vengeance in this one, and I love it when he loses it after Phoebe tempts him (great scene).

    The genius of Barbas is that not only do the sisters have to conquer him, but they also have to face their own inner demons in doing so. In this episode we find out that Piper is afraid of her baby having to grow up alone, understandable, Paige is afraid of being isolated and trapped, and Phoebe is afraid of actually being evil, again, also very understandable. We see a great piece of Charmed history when Victor argues with Grams and leaves the manor. I love it when Piper overcomes her fear and blasts Barbas- "Preying on an expectant mother's fears. That's a good one, but not THAT good." I love how angry she is there and that for once a Charmed One made the mistake of talking before attacking, allowing Barbas to shimmer out.

    Paige carries this episode for the most part. Her desire to be as good as Prue is fleshed out from the beginning. In fact, this episode is sort of a memorial to Prue; she is mentioned constantly. The only annoying part of the episode is putting up with the sisters harassing Paige over empowering Barbas. They were all manipulated by Barbas, and it isn't like Paige knew what could happen. Stripping Cole's powers was actually a dang good idea that should have been thought of sooner. This episode put it to rest that it won't work. The abuse towards Paige helps build the sense of isolation that she has. So, at least, there is a good reason for it in the script. The scene where Phoebe cries over Paige's body after killing her (this is the first of two episodes in a row where Paige gets killed) while Barbas hunches over her, whispering to her in consolation and then raising the dagger to kill her is one of the best Charmed scenes ever. Amazing.

    The final showdown was no let down. Fortunately, Barbas chose to kill Paige first. Pulling a Prue, she is able to orb a spilled potion off the floor and into Barbas' mouth. Then, of course, it is always great to watch Cole vanquish someone. Poor Cole. Someone perhaps should have thanked him in the end, but we are starting to see where this is all going. This is the 2nd time that Cole's powers nearly killed the sisters.

    Fantastic episode. Among the 20 or so best of Charmed, and the best of Season 5 until Centennial Charmed.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    2 0

  • Sympathy For Billy Drago

    8.0
    "Great"
    By lenzinoH20, Jul 15, 2011 Report Abuse
    Sympathy For The Demon-Barbas, the Demon of Fear, returns and tricks Paige into giving him Cole's powers, and plots revenge on the Halliwell sisters by playing them against their darkest fears. Oh great! Barabas again! Another episode where we have the misfortune of watching Billy Drago try to deliver a line without coming off as a tool yet fails! Not to mention, I hate how the writers keep building Barbas as this powerful villain that the sisters can't defeat, so that's why he keeps showing up. Honestly, Barbars was probably the least most interesting aspect of both "From Fear To Eternity" and "Ms. Hellfire", so why the hell would the wirters bring him back? A recurring villain must have a presence and charm to become a enough of a fan favorite for the writers to bring such a villain back for more. But with Drago in the role, it's such wasted opportunity and such a boring villain to watch!

    Despite all that, this is probably the best Barbas has ever been used. Instead of his usual M.O., we get a surprisingly well plotted revenge story with a psychological edge. There were actually moments through the episodethat were effectively creepy like the opening where Cole has his hallucinations. Not to mention the moment where Barbas survives the Soruce vanquishing spell and trapped the sisters in the Manor added some genuine suspense that I actually felt scared for them, which is rare for Charmed (at least at this point in the series). My favorite moments was definately Piper re-living the day her father left and Phoebe beating the crap out of Pagie only to then kill her soon after. Seeing a sister kill another sister was shocking, not to mention the moment where Barbas taunted Phoebe as she cried over Pagie's dead body was the first time he felt like a threat. I also loved the when Leo suddenly became Barbaus during Piper's fear, nothing big, but a nice fakeout. I also enjoyed how Prue was brought up to remind us that she was the only one who defeated Barbas the last two times and how much Paige is trying to step up her game to be as strong of a witch as she was. Considering all the on set drama, I'm glad the writers remember how much of a focal point Prue was to the series the first 3 seasons.

    With such a strong episode, it sucks that the writers have to continue with Phoebe/Cole's beyond tiresome dilemma. It doesn't help that everytime Phoebe is in the same room with Cole she has some smart a$$ remark. Get over yourself please! Cole was actually presented as a selfless person with and without his powers by giving them up to save Phoebe (and not hurt anyone else in the process) and taking them back to defeat Barbas. The moment where Cole takes his powers back and everyone stares at him like he's a monster again makes me sick. If anything, the way everyone keeps pushing Cole away, telling him he's evil, is probably the reason why evetually gives in to being evil again a few episdoes down. Sigh. Anyway, "Sympathy For the Demon" is a solid episode that makes Barbas seem like a formitable villain and gives us some dark plots to sink our teeth into. Too bad for those poorly done CGI spiders. I guess that portion of the budget was used for Billy Drago's check....shaking head.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0

  • Fear Factor

    8.0
    "Great"
    By MovieMark, Mar 27, 2011 Report Abuse
    Season 5 offers up its first corker. Barbas is probably one of the most irritating guest-stars in Charmed's whole run, however he's used rather well in this instance. Abhorrent overacting aside, the repercussions of his attack on the sisters (thanks to his newly advanced powers) allows for a rare moment on Charmed where the sisters must deal with the psychological before throwing potions. It's their inner demons that cripple them, and in a shocking display of brutality against Paige, it's Phoebe's fear of being evil that's the real highlight of the hour. While the girls struggle with motherhood, spiders, and claustrophobia, I have to ask once again why the writers depict Cole as an evil doer? He selflessly rises to occasion and offers to take his powers back in order to stop Barbas and save the CO's. It's the third time now on the show that he has been infected with magic beyond his control. The guy is a flippin' tragic hero!moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0

  • Come on Barbas let's go party

    9.1
    "Superb"
    By Blinksterboy, May 13, 2008 Report Abuse
    A great title, an explosive storyline and a good comeback for the demon of fear.

    Yet again, Charmed manages to take a load of ideas it has done before and rework them into an interesting story. Yes, we have seen Barbas before but never this powerful. Yes, we have seen Cole lose his powers before but not to another demon. Yes, we have seen Paige killed but not by Phoebe. Anyway, you get the picture.

    I enjoyed seeing Barbas again. Quite how he managed to master his new powers so fast was a bit of a mystery but it did lead to some great effects. Seeing him in Cole's flat with his henchmen was totally dj vu. Didn't like his demonic sidekick. Don't like sidekicks in general. All they do is moan at their master then look surprised when they get vanquished.

    The most memorable scene by far is where Barbas traps the sisters in the Manor and brings their fears to life. I love the way he steps up a gear when his first attempt fails. The flashback of Victor and Grams is cool. I also enjoyed Cole in the opening scene.

    Not sure why the Charmed Ones thought Barbas could not be vanquished. They've never tried before. They two times they've met him previously he was whisked back to prison the moment he failed to kill them.

    Once again, Cole is the fall guy. He may be half demon but the bloke is nothing short of a saint this week. He knows taking back his powers will most likely kill him but he does it without flinching. It hurt to see Phoebe so willing to let this happen. Doesn't even a small part of her still love him?

    So far Season Five is nothing like as bad as everyone seems to make out. Never believe the critics!moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    2 0

  • It's great! It's a entire hour of effects/wicca/powers and there is aswell a brilliant character development. Besides this episode has one of the best camera work ever in Charmed. A terrific acting aswell.moreless

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By Lostfinding, Sep 29, 2007 Report Abuse
    I really want to give a congratulation to the whole camera job that they did in this episode. The scenes were so great! They did some really interesting scenes and the episode was able to transmit the feeling. I really loved the way they filmed the "Prudence, Patricia, ..." spell, that scene is amazing. Seconds later you can see how Alyssa open her eyes and then whoe they made the windows disappear after she. Besides there is more! Piper remembering scene was so brilliant! How they filmed the demon burning next to her! I loved it. Phoebe fighting page scene was great too. I think the whole episode was filmed so amazinly that it deserve a good puntuation at least for that.

    In the other hand this episode had such a great acting, for the three of them and I would add Cole too. Barbas is brilliant aswell, I know that a lot of people hate him but I don't, in fact I think this episode is his best! Holly was a ten, like she always is. Alyssa was great aswell, so that was a surprise for me and Rose is always that good xd Anyway the scenes were meant to be that... I don't know. They were meant to transmit. In fact this episode is very emotional.

    About the feelings I think most people misunderstood the whole episode. Paige was not feeling insecure for no reason, she does not think she is inferior always, in fact he felt that way coz Barbas was manipulating her. She said "This feeling I've had these last days" that means that Barbas was there whispering in her ears. Anyway I think that without manipulation she does not feel like she is so inferior to Prue. Piper feeling is the best way to understand her character, we have seen her talk about it the whole show. She is completely obssesed about happyness, she believes she is not going to be happy any time. Always things are being good, something happens. In that scene she fears that something will happen to her baby coz there is no way to be happy, and if her baby is ok she will be. Phoebe being bad feeling was amazing, anyway it is not only about season 4 finale, it's like the one in Piper, it's been that way like the beginning. Do you remember the wogy episode? There she thought that she was evil, at least more evil that her sisters.

    Well, ending this episode was fantastic, the beginning was a little boring and seeing them repeat what Barbas said was really anoying but the whole direction and the camera can make this episode at least a 9.5. You gotta see it.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • TRIVIA: Leo is the only main character whose fears are not revealed in this episode. Edit
    • The sisters kept on insisting that the numerous demonic powers had to be returned to Cole because he was the only who knew how to control them. It was most likely a death sentence as said by Paige. However, this all could have been easily resolved by either a potion or spell to remove the powers from Cole and send them to the Demonic Wasteland where it's more than likely that another snake creature would devour the powers. Edit
    • TRIVIA: This is the second episode where one sister kills another - this time Phoebe kills Paige. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • International Episode Titles: Czech Republic: Pomoc pro démona (Help for the Demon) France: La peur au ventre (Gut fear) Edit
    • This episode scored 4.8 million viewers. Edit
    • The WB used the promo title "House of Fear" for this episode. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • (Barbas and the demon Stimple are trapped on a ledge at the mouth of hell, where they've been banished.) Stimple: So the witches are going to do what you want? Barbas: In time. Oh, the Charmed Ones are not your ordinary witches. Stimple: Yeah, I know, I know, it's just, how much time? You've been working on them for weeks. I don't mean to rush you or anything but I'm really hot, like all the time! Edit
    • Stimple: Barbas, please, I beg you. Forget the witches, you can deal with them later. Barbas: The witches may be able to avoid their fears, but they will not be able to avoid my new power. Stimple: Now listen to me, the demonic leadership is backing you. The Underworld is yours for the taking. Barbas: I do not care about the Underworld, I care only about my revenge! Oh, and in regards to that, I need you to hurl a fireball at me. Stimple: What? Barbas: I need to test my new power. Stimple: I don't… Barbas: Do it. (Stimple throws a fireball, which Barbas reflects back at Stimple, vanquishing him.) Finally, he shut up. Edit
    • (Barbas brings to life a memory from Piper's birthday when she was a little girl.) Victor: If my girls are raised around this it'll destroy their lives. Grams: Oh, don't be overdramatic. Victor: A demon tries to kill my daughter and I'm being overdramatic? Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Paige (to Piper): What is wrong with you? Is this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Piper? Make up your mind, lady.
      This is a reference to the novel "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" , written by the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894). Edit
    • Phoebe: Paige, orb the potion. Paige: It's in a puddle. Piper: You can do it. Prue did.
      Piper is referring to what occurred in the season 1 episode "Out of Sight", when she telekinetically threw a spilled potion from the ground to a Grimlock's eyes, vanquishing him, and then again in the season 3 episode "All Halliwell's Eve" when she saved Leo from the Grimlock at the end. Edit
    • Phoebe: He brings really bad things to life.
      A play on General Electric's slogan of "we bring good things to life". Edit

Show Forums

See All
Last Activity
Replies

Watch Charmed Full Episodes

See All

Related Shows

Season 5 Episodes

See All
Ep 23
Oh My Goddess (2)
Ep 22
Oh My Goddess (1)
Ep 21
Necromancing the Stone
Ep 20
Sense and Sense Ability
Ep 19
Nymphs Just Want To Have Fun
Ep 18
Cat House
Ep 17
Lucky Charmed
Ep 16
Baby's First Demon
Ep 15
The Day The Magic Died
Ep 14
Sand Francisco Dreamin'
Ep 13
House Call
Ep 12
Centennial Charmed
Ep 11
The Importance of Being Ph...
Ep 10
Y Tu Mummy Tambien
Ep 9
Sam I Am
Ep 8
A Witch in Time
Ep 7
Sympathy for the Demon
Ep 6
The Eyes Have It
Ep 5
Witches in Tights
Ep 4
Siren Song
Ep 3
Happily Ever After
Ep 2
A Witch's Tail (2)
Ep 1
A Witch's Tail (1)

Contributors

Become a contributor
More
Less

TV Listings

Full Listings
BROWSE | Shows | Videos | News | Listings | Forums | People | Photos | TV.com Blog

CBS Entertainment | About TV.com | About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Ad Choice | Terms of Use