I’ve always felt like ‘Sand Francisco Dreamin’ is an episode that repackaged an old idea, and got away with it. Another magical creature is brought into the series and despite being a little less silly that some of the others, it still didn’t work out as well as it should have.
Phoebe is contacted by a sandman who is being hunted down by demons in ‘Sand Francisco Dreamin’. After they are attacked and sprinkled with dream dust, all their dreams are brought to life, forcing them to confront their inner desires and fears.
What elevated this episode above flat was the great tone it exhibited; the episode really did feel like it was floating in and out of the heads of each of the girls (and Leo). From Piper’s warm and inviting, ahem, private dream, to Phoebe’s psycho, creepy nightmare, it painted over the cracks a little to disguise what’s really here.
Paige’s identity as an orphan feels like an old idea that’s already tired. Her desire to fill the shoes of her predecessor was already explored, and we already know that the girls think of her as family already, but here a lot of her desire to make up for her lack of childhood doesn’t seem necessary. While the clown idea is wonderfully silly, the dream sequences, like I’ve said, are an intriguing exploration of each of the girls’ personas.
Piper’s pregnancy feels like the only thing holding the series together at this point, especially considering the recent conclusion of the Cole arc. Without anything big going on, the series doesn’t have much of a direction to head in, so we get the sisters running around like headless chickens after we're done with it. Her secret desire to feel wanted by her husband isn’t a piece of writing that exhibits anything hugely original, but it stays true to where Piper is in her life, while still keeping Piper/Leo fans happy.
Since Cole’s departure, the impact his presence had on Phoebe never really got the attention it deserved, with his exit being brushed off completely with barely even a mention the following week. Her nightmare, which is absurdly well produced, explored the part of her that blames herself for what happened. It’s an interesting idea, but one that isn’t given enough time to really make any impact.
The story itself has very little payoff with the demon of the week given a flick of Piper’s wrist before he’s sent off the demon heaven. Yawn. The entertainment factor was upped, and the episode looked amazing, it just didn’t resonate all the way through.
6.5/10
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