The Demon Who Came in from the Cold

This complicated episode begins with Phoebe Halliwell fighting with a demon in an alley who has just put an innocent (and prophet) down permanently. Using her martial arts skills, she forces the demon to stab himself with his own (Athame) ensorcelled dagger. Cole Turner comes into the scene, and Phoebe asks him what's the matter as he looks ashen. "You've just vanquished my brother", he responds. The comment sports a quarrel among the couple, and it gets explained that the brother was a blood-brother at the direct appointment of the source of all evil. Leo, Cole and the charmed ones conference, and Leo and Cole opine the brotherhood is way beyond anything they have dealt with before, and the one chance they have is for Cole to go undercover as a demon among them again, to find out what their plans are, so they can be checked and defeated. Most of the group are adamant against Cole going, but he insists insisting he has a plan, which decision rebounds on him as being viewed as untrustworthy later, particularly by Prue. Phoebe thinks he's being suicidal and has prepared a powers binding potion to hide him. He claims he's learned to fight the "good fight", that to do nothing against evil is the wrong thing, so they set a rendezvous at the mausoleum in a tearful goodbye. Cole goes undercover, reuniting with his Brotherhood colleagues to stop a corporate merger that will benefit the Underworld. He claims he was hiding because he had no proof behind the claim that he'd killed the Triad because they were plotting against the Source Cole officially joins the side of good and further helps their fight when at great risk, he turns double agent and goes undercover within his old secret society, an underworld brotherhood to help Prue, Phoebe, Piper and Leo learn more about the evil, but their trust in him falters when it looks as though they are being double-crossed because he hadn't warned them the demons were planning for one of themselves, shape-shifter demon, to take the businessman's place. Cole must deal with the suspicions of the ancient The Brotherhood of the Thorn, to which he has long belonged and who have heard rumors he may have fallen in love with a witch. The Brotherhood of the Thorn is an elite society of upper-level demons. They answer directly to the Source of All Evil who selects the members himself. The members take a blood oath, a life-long pledge of loyalty, which Cole is violating by going undercover to seek information amongst their society. One of their goals was to get a hold in the human world by taking over businesses. Cole's powerful demon half, Belthazor is a member of this elite club[2] A mind-reading demon, Raynor used to guide and train the members of the Brotherhood as the mentor of the group and he proves to be the biggest threat to Cole and the Charmed Ones as he temporarily reconverts Cole in the sequel episode "Exit Strategy" before Cole kills him. Suspicious of Cole, but wanting his power if he checks out the demon leader, Vornac, sends demoness Klea whom he uses as a detective and who can lurk invisibly, to go check Cole's cover story. To ensure his 'true return' in good faith, Vornac the shapeshifter, has Cole throw the energy ball meant to kill the businessman Pirelli, but Cole skips off briefly to forewarn the Charmed Ones of the time and place of the attack, not knowing the intent or target. Piper freezes the attack, Leo Orbs Pirelli away to the manor basement, and Phoebe slips a note into Cole's pocket. Cole must play a dangerous game, particularly with Klea able to spy anywhere and anytime being invisible, as she proves later. Cole is forced by Vornac, who has shape-shifted into the businessman's position in order to lead a stockholders meeting into a merger desired by the brotherhood to stay around. Vornac, more suspicious than ever of Cole over the missing body, sends Cole to lead a demon attempt to capture Pirelli, who should be dead. Concurrently, three demons invade the first floor of the manor while Cole and his friend Tarkin shimmer into the basement for the businessman, but Cole's brotherhood friends find Prue has anticipated trouble and prepared a large batch of vanquishing potion attuned to brotherhood members, killing all three. The women reach the basement even as Cole-Belthazor and Tarkin spirit off Pirelli between them, but they return to Vornac refusing to give him up yet, Cole claiming Pirelli is his guarantee that Vornac won't find him a traitor after all, or that the Charmed Ones won't vanquish him. Vornac replies "The question is whether or not they would vanquish you". Right after the exchange, the Charmed Ones enter Pirelli's office to find Cole sitting in Pirelli's chair. The girls vanquish him and he morphs into the leader and shapeshifter Vornac as he becomes a sooty stain. Cole shimmers in behind everyone and explains he had to play the dangerous odds they would recognize it wasn't him while giving them reason to show up and attack with his inability to get away or give them a message. He argues he must return again to safeguard his cover, hoping to have shown he can be trusted again by the remaining brotherhood, but Klea has arrived in the moguls office, sent by the mentor and overhears enough they are even more suspicious. Cole returns briefly to the underworld and argues with Tarkin, who tells him demon Raynor wants to see him for a full accounting. Cole claims he must go, and to just tell Raynor He'd told Vornac to stay in the underworld and not return to the mogul's offices. As Cole turns to leave, Raynor enters the scene and throws an energy ball and Belthazor is unconish saying, "Belthazor has much to explain and much to answer for."