Charmed (TV Series) Sam I Am (2002) User Reviews

The One With Paige's Father...

[taylorkingston · 8/10 · 10 April 2015]

I really like this episode. I really liked seeing Sam again, three seasons later. I remember watching it and I was like, "I know that guy, don't I? Who is he again, oh yeah, that's right."

In this episode, Paige is assigned her first charge, and it turns out to be her whitelighter father, Sam. Sam is almost killed by a demon and Paige saves him. Piper and Phoebe recognize him and they send Paige up to the attic to get the Book Of Shadows. Whilst she's doing that, Piper, Phoebe, Leo and Sam all have a conversation, about the daughter that Sam had to give him. He finds out that Paige is his daughter and he leaves. Cole, wanting to die, finds a way to get the sisters to vanquish him. He helps the demon try to kill Sam, gets him to shoot Leo and Paige with darklighter arrows, that kill whitelighters, and then impersonates Sam. In the end, Sam finds the strength to be a whitelighter again and heals Paige and Leo. Piper, Paige and Phoebe all go to try and vanquish Cole, but then they realize that he wants to die, so they don't. But Cole being determined, tries to vanquish himself with their potions, but it doesn't work. He is still standing there, strong as ever.

Fun Fact: This is the first appearance of the Avatars, which will become a major component in Season 7.

Fun Fact: This is the first time that Piper's baby uses his forcefield.

Overall, I give this episode an 8 out of 10.

Family reunion

[owlaurence · 8/10 · 24 June 2008]

A very good episode, which might actually get you to like the Elders a bit. Paige receives her first mission as a (half) Whitelighter, but her new charge, a cranky drunkard, turns out to be a bit more than she expected : he's her biological father. Of course, the family reunion does not go smoothly as Sam doesn't want anything to do with the daughter he once abandoned. And, to make things even worse, enters our favorite on-and-off demon.

Indeed, Cole has been continuing his downward slide into complete wretchedness. Now he's being pestered by powerful demons, the Avatars, who want to enroll him into their ranks. When he finally comes up with a plan to solve his problems, a plan than involves Paige's newfound father, it isn't at all what we might expect -or maybe it is, since we know Cole better than that by now. Now I could spend hours repeating that, but Julian MacMahon's performance is really awesome. No matter what Cole does, now matter how blood-chilling he gets, you still feel for him --a lot more than the Charmed Ones, apparently. I don't know how they can walk out of the final, breathtaking scene in his lobby.

What keeps the episode from getting a 10 is, first of all and obviously, Sam's rather abrupt comeback. Obviously his case had to be addressed, but his explanation for how he got back is a bit quick and, frankly, what were the Elders thinking ??? Also, Cole's scheme is a mite too convoluted. There were so many simpler things he could have tried first.

I'm Sam Wilders daughter, spitting image of my mother

[Realrockerhalloween · 22 September 2016]

San I Am is a favorite of mine because it deals with Paige's whitelighter half and meeting her father for the first time. At this point Paige has had a year and a half experiencing the witch life so it felt forgotten that she was a hybrid. Her charge is her father who was resurrected to become a whitelighter again instead of staying in the afterlife with Party and she helps him find faith in humanity again while reconnecting with him on a personal level. I can't say I didn't tear up A lot here as he regains healing, which only happens through love, to heal her wound and they talk about what a great gift he have her by giving her a normal life with two of the best parents anyone could ask for.

Another aspect is the writers don't seem to know what to do with Cole. First he's giving them advice and now attacking them so he can be put out I f his misery over Phoebe. I could enjoy season five more if there was more consistency with his character or Phoebe had out him out of his misery instead of saying it'll happen on our terms and making me not like her as much as earlier episode.