Charmed (TV Series) Heartbreak City (2000) User Reviews

Meeting Cupid

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 19 February 2007]

When Cupid has his magic ring of love stolen by Drazi, the demon of hate, he visits Phoebe asking her to help him. She prepares a magic potion to vanquish Drazi, but the ring saves his life. The demon separates Cindy and Max, Piper from Dan and Prue from Jack, but Phoebe and Cupid resolve their sentimental situation and the sisters destroy the demon.

In "Heartbreak City", Phoebe, Pipe and Prue meet Cupid, and they help him to vanquish the evil and mean demon of hate Drazi. In the end, love wins. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Cidade do Coração Partido" ("The City of the Broken Heart")

Ain't Love grand, tall and dark-haired ?

[owlaurence · 8/10 · 7 August 2008]

The plot this time is rather unusual, but it introduces nice details that will pop up later on. Now, making a whole episode about supernatural match-makers could have become very corny, but fortunately the matchmaking part is limited to a very few short scenes. And while we really don't care about Cindy and her boyfriend, it is much more interesting when Cupid and Drazi reveal the desires and fears that Prue, Piper, Dan and Jack have about their couples. The discussion between Dan and Jack is particularly good since (apart from Leo) we never really dwell on what the sisters' boyfriends think. What I particularly like is how Cupid swears that he had nothing to do with Piper and Leo : it really shows how their love transcends the usual rules.

Anyway, the episode rests almost wholly on Phoebe's shoulders, which is a nice change as she's been a bit left aside recently. Even though she has indeed lost both her parents, I find it hard to believe that she's rejecting love at this stage (unlike seasons 7-8, where she's got some very good reasons to give up). But that is only a slight criticism, and the plot holds together very well. As the only unmatched sister, Phoebe is the only one available to help with Cupid's problem, but Drazi soon forces her to take a hand and to play Cupid herself. All to find herself a bit taken by the angel of Love, and receive a rather warming goodbye kiss.

The only thing I can add is : you just have to re-watch that episode after finishing season 8 and enjoy the wonderful foreshadowing that is handed out (how about Cupid startling Phoebe and getting kicked ??). And feel free to snicker when Cupid blithely declares that Phoebe "shouldn't confuse the message with the messenger". Hah.

this isn't a review!

[bgruy · 7/10 · 31 May 2022]

What kind of tennis shoes is Prue wearing at the beginning of the episode? When she is on the phone w phoebe. Prue is wearing her hair in pigtails. Thanks!

The One With Cupid...

[taylorkingston · 9/10 · 22 April 2015]

I really love this episode. It's not my favorite, or one of my all-time favorites, but it probably is in my Top 7 in Season 2. And since I love every episode of Charmed, it makes it even harder to choose.

In this episode, Phoebe gets shocked when she finds a strange man in her house, claiming to be Cupid. She has trouble believing him at first, but then she comes around. She gets Prue and Piper, who are also very skeptical, to also believe that he is on their side. He gets them to trust him by telling them all of their past loves. But, since he's been newly assigned to their case, he only set Prue up with Jack and Piper up with Dan. Piper asks him if he set her and Leo up, only to find out that it was only the work of them, since it is forbidden. Cupid needs the sisters help to vanquish a demon who stole his ring of love. He's using the ring to undo everyone's relationships. Because the demon, Drazi, fell in love with a mortal woman, and Cupid set her up with a moral man. Then, after they think they've vanquished him, but they really haven't, since the ring of love was protecting him, Drazi eventually splits up Jack and Prue and Piper and Dan. But in the end, they prevail, but not before Phoebe falls for Cupid, and she's heartbroken when he has to leave. And we never hear about this particular Cupid ever again.

Fun Fact: This is the first time the Charmed Ones meet a Cupid.

Fun Fact: This is not the only time Phoebe falls in love with a Cupid.

Overall, I give this episode a 9 out of 10, which in my ratings book is: Amazing.

The Truth Hurts

[seneuser · 7/10 · 16 November 2023]

I find this episode to be somewhat annoying just because the brief relationships between Piper and Dan and Prue and Jack are front and center, and Leo is no where to be found, which means there is no love triangle in this one.

I do give it credit for originality though as this time around a Cupid is involved and the never-ending battle between love and hate, opposite sides of the same coin. Phoebe essentially gets to save the day by simply talking to people.

The first good thing about this episode is that the Cupid has good chemistry with Phoebe. Yes, we've seen this before, but I can kind of believe this guy is a Cupid. I don't really get the whole Phoebe has her heart closed. It seems like she is having good connections with guys left and right and is always interested in someone. Yeah, she's single at the moment, but that is totally fine.

The second good thing and my favorite part of this episode is when Drazi momentarily breaks up Piper/Dan and Prue/Jack by merely dropping a heavy load of truth on them. I mean, not a single word the demon said was false. Unfortunately, Phoebe talks sense into her sisters and the relationships are temporarily healed.

Phoebe ultimately hits Drazi with a potion to ruin his day, and then Cupid has to say goodbye.

By the way, problematic to suggest demons can love. That seems antithetical to being a demon. The more human-like you make demons the more immoral it becomes to destroy them. Cole makes it very clear in Season 3 that he only could love Phoebe because of his human half.

Don't go breaking my heart

[Realrockerhalloween · 27 September 2016]

A demon steals cupid's ring to break up his clients in revenge for taking away the woman he loved. Phoebe is the only one single out of the sisters and learns to open her heart back up to men. The episode is unique in exploring if demons can love or is it obsession since it drives evil to do disastrous deeds like murder innocent people or destroy property. Without love wouldn't it replace it with hate causing the whole city to go evil yet they only act mad towards the ones they broke up with. Cupids are also have many in service so it doesn't make sense why another couldn't be assigned in the meantime. Also I'm glad they were able to open Phoebe's heart at the end as I want her to find someone special without being lonely or unhappy.

Another aspect is the girls wondering if Dan and Jack are right for them. I think Dan could be a perfect fit for Piper since she wants a normal life and Jack only seems like a rebound guy who doesn't take life so seriously.