12 Angry Zen

12 Angry Zen is the 170th episode of Charmed.

Summary
Paige begins to realize the difficulty in dating a mortal when Henry tries to immerse himself in her magical world. Meanwhile, the Sisters must help the Zodiacs fight off a demon attempting to steal Buddha's Staff.

Plot
A demon, Novak, and his henchmen attack several robed men, the Zodiacs, hurling fireballs; but they raise a protective sphere and the fireballs have no effect. Novak is after Buddha's Staff, which the Zodiacs are in charge of guarding.

Phoebe has moved into her own apartment. Billie visits, but Phoebe would rather be alone. No sooner does she leave than Paige orbs in, further bothering Phoebe. Paige has told Henry that she is a witch and he has more questions than Paige can't handle. As soon as Paige orbs away, a neighbor rings the doorbell.

Novak, at Magic School, plots his next attack with his henchmen; one proposes to go after a servant, Lo Pan, who alone knows how to find the sacred garden.

Piper is working magic, trying to find Leo, and Billie joins her. Their magic reveals a Chinese character. They find the character in the window of a laundry, where they meet Lo Pan. He tells them that he called for them and walks through a tapestry. Piper and Billie follow, and find the demons attacking again. Novak's henchman has killed one of the Zodiacs, Rooster, and Piper and Billie fight him off. Lo Pan tells the witches that they now must protect Buddha's staff. Lo Pan explains that the day has come to pass the staff to the next Zodiac, and they must now protect the staff from evil.

Lo Pan and Billie are in the sacred garden. He helps her control her power of projection. She is unwilling to use her power, having turned her parents into killers ("Mr. & Mrs. Witch"); but he shows her a dying tree, and helps her to use her power to revive it.

Several Zodiacs, not knowing what Lo Pan has done, attack Piper at the manor. She blasts, but the Zodiacs raise their protective bubble. Piper threatens to break the staff. One offers to talk.

Lo Pan instructs Billie in the use of her power. Billie concentrates and finds herself in a dark cell. She finds Christy, cowering.

The Zodiacs explain that Lo Pan is a servant, and only speaks when spoken to. They knew that Rooster was dead, and they had tracked the staff to Piper. They cannot take it back until the New Year. Novak and his henchmen attack, and the Zodiacs raise their bubble, protecting Piper. Dog, next in line for the staff, transports Piper and the staff out of the manor. Piper passes the staff to Phoebe, interrupting her housewarming party.

Billie talks with a much-younger Christy, who has heard whispering outside that she doesn't understand. Billie tells Christy that they are both witches. Christy is wearing an amulet bearing the symbol from her diary. The demons approach, and Billie calls for Lo Pan. She finds herself back in the garden. Lo Pan explains that Christy was still open to her at that point in her life.

Piper has a flat tire, and Novak finds her. He brings her to the manor, meeting Phoebe and Paige there. Having found the staff there, he uses it to control the sisters. He wants them to kill Lo Pan, as only he protects the garden and can pass the staff on. In the garden, they find Lo Pan and Billie. Billie projects, and the sisters are free of Novak's influence. The four witches orb into Magic School. Paige orbs the staff into her hands, and the four raise it and destroy all the demons by Billie using her projection power.

Piper enters the garden and finds that Lo Pan has been promoted: he is the new Rooster. She hands the staff to him.

Henry at last accepts Paige's magical nature, and the two admit that they are in love.

Billie finds Christy's cell.

Glitches

 * The length of Henry's hair changes throughout the episode.

International Titles

 * French: Le Sceptre du Zodiaque
 * Czech: 12 rozhněvaných mnichů (12 Angry Monks)
 * Spanish (Spain): Doce zen coléricos
 * Spanish (Latin America): El zodíaco chino