Episode 8: Prometheus

Xena gets attacked in the morning and Gabrielle sleeps all through it...heavy sleeper, that girl! Lol. Meanwhile, Xena kicks the butts of all the attackers, but then proceeds to administer her healing techniques(I LOVE her healing gift, btw, always have) to one who got the knife in his throat. Intriguing, and it's obvious she knows he is no real threat--or does she? Is she just healing him so he can give her more info as to who's behind the attack? Lol, well, it ends up not even being important, because the guy dies anyway thanks to the gods chaining up Prometheus. As soon as they do that, everyone loses their gifts, mainly the gift to heal themselves and others!

So, Xena goes out searching for a way to free Prometheus, and along comes Hercules, to stop her. Why is he doing that? Because the one who uses the special sword that will break the chains binding Prometheus turns to ashes when it's all said and done. Damn! Even Hercules, half-god that he is, would have that same problem.

So it's Xena and Hercules battling it out over who gets to die so that the gifts of humankind can be brought back. And this is where Kate gets all starry-eyed again, lol, even after all the romance discussions. As I originally suspected, Hercules did inspire Xena to want to atone. As mentioned before, I did not see the eps where she was on his show, so I can't form an opinion about how believable it all was back then. It did seem believable here though. They seemed to really care about each other--a lot.

Of course, keeping one foot in the other perspective--DID Hercules know how evil Xena really got when she was at her worst? Who knows? As xc pointed out, none of US knew the extent of her horrible deeds and ruthlessness, until the whole Xena series played out.

The one thing is, Xena and Hercules never fully solidify this love, and I don't think it's cuz they work in different places. I think deep inside, both of them know that Xena must put atonement first above everything else. So, no constant working together, let alone living together, marrying or having kids...nope! Regardless of what Hercules said about his wife, I can't see him proposing marriage to Xena anytime soon, and of course we know it never happens anyway. Nah, they are better off not going farther than chance meetings, maybe a night or two together--then going their separate ways.

Gabrielle's story to Iolaus about the other halves of our souls though? And how we're always searching and longing for them...priceless. Some may scoff at this, but that story is actually being explored today as a possible reality.(not the literal four-legged, four-armed people thing--just the general idea that people can be two halves of one solid energy, not a literal "soul," necessarily but a soul connection of sorts. ) I mentioned this in the story we were writing, when I talked about "Twin Flames." People are talking about finding their other halves, and uniting with them not only for their own romantic purposes, but to make a world a better place with their own unique gifts. There's a lot being written about it on and off the internet. It does fascinate me, I must admit.

Back to the ep, tho, we get to meet Hera, which is cool, even tho we don't see her face yet, just those piercing eyes. Loved the trading of barbs between her and Prometheus.

The best part, though? Xena being snatched up by that bird and flown all over the place, only to stab the bird with the sword meant to free Prometheus, then throw it down to Hercules! And what does he do...he lifts a rock and the sword bounces off of it, and lands, sharp point down, on one of Prometheus's chains, breaking it. Prometheus is able to break the rest of the chains using his free hand...and humankind is saved, just when Iolaus is about to die in Gabrielle's arms. And neither Xena nor Hercules had to die to have that happen. Classic!

I enjoyed this ep very much, thought everything worked for what it was. I thought Xena went a li'l over the top while saying goodbye to Hercules("You taught me what to look for in life. Thank you!") Um, didn't you just say words to that effect in the cave, Xena? lol. But I did love Iolaus asking Hercules if he thinks people really do share a part of their soul with another. Hercules's answer? "I know it."

Yeah, I know, I'm hopeless! But I think the overall point of the story and the suspense came through very well. Prometheus needed to be freed, or the whole world would just die of minor things like scratches and bruises, whatnot. The fact that he got freed without anyone having to commit suicide to free him was really epic.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Free Madness,

well, the only parts of "Prometheus" i liked are the ones with Xena, Gabrielle and anyone except Hercules & Iolaus. i would rather have seen Xena go on her own trying to free Prometheus while Gabrielle tries from her point of view. No Herc, no his buddy ha ha! Xena's chakram could have freed Prometheus but i'd like to have seen Hera in physical form and have Gabrielle try to convince her to free him.

The lovey-dovey stuff with the boys turned my stomach. i never bought that Herc changed Xena, i never saw how he had that kind of effect on her. Of course, the Herc-Xena trilogy was written before the show was conceived so it shouldn't count as canon.

quote:

Xena's chakram could have freed Prometheus but i'd like to have seen Hera in physical form and have Gabrielle try to convince her to free him.

I think it had to be that particular sword the oracle tested Xena into getting, that would free Prometheus, but the idea of Gabrielle talking Hera into freeing him sounds epic. Gabrielle really didn't do much in this ep except bond with Iolaus lol...they got to be the "romantic hero and heroine" , and Xena and Hercules got to be the warriors(and lovers on the side... ). But yeah, it would have been great to have Gabrielle use her skills to work with the gods, particularly Hera! Xena could have figured out how to throw the sword a certain way so that she doesn't have to use it herself. Yeah, it could have worked just as well in that way.

One thing about Iolaus tho, when he told Gabrielle that he always fights beside Hercules, he gives Gabrielle the idea to do that too. This probably inspired her to at least want to help Xena when she's fighting hoards of attackers. We see Gabrielle holding the stick or shovel, whatever that is, in the tavern, and watching Iolaus fighting with Xena and Herc. Gabrielle seems to be learning some tricks from Iolaus. This is probably what inspires her to use that stick she used for awhile, but of course I'll find that out as I continue watching. A good balance is needed tho, cuz Gabs needs to keep her talking skills handy, as well as other gifts, if she's gonna fight. However, we know where her learning to fight eventually led her. So it's a double edged sword, no pun intended.

quote:

Originally posted by The Rise and Fall of the Brass Razoo:

quote:

Xena's chakram could have freed Prometheus but i'd like to have seen Hera in physical form and have Gabrielle try to convince her to free him.

I think it had to be that particular sword the oracle tested Xena into getting, that would free Prometheus,

Yeah i forgot about that. Maybe the chakram tied to the sword could do the job. Ricochet the chakram/sword off some stones and have the sword break the chain. i'd rather see Xena come up with an idea on how to do it than Have Herc there.

i'd prefer Gabrielle to use her wits amd writing to fight rather than the staff & sais. Maybe she could have come up with the saying "the pen is mightier than the sword"! Tho i guess it's easier for lazy writers to have her use her physical weapons. Using the sais just makes her Xena Jr.

"Forget Me Not"

What was the point of this ep? oh yeah, Gabrielle needs a shrink! But it was also a clip ep- tho a specialized clip ep as the clips all had to do with the Riff things that were giving Gabrielle feelings of guilt and anxiety.

It was also a lite ep as stoopid Joxer tried to give empty-shell Gabrielle her memories back with fake memories that made Joxer look like her lover and a warrior. *yawn*

The most interesting thing in the ep was the temple of Mnemosyne the titan where Gabrielle could either deal with her memories or lose them completely. She had some rivers to cross (yeah, cliche metaphor) and met up with the manifestation of her subconscious in the form of Ares.

Did she really learn anything she didn't already know? She remembered Ares was the one who got her to Chin ahead of Xena back in The Debt eps. But how could she not know this? She blurted out that she betrayed Xena over jealousy from Xena's affection for Lao Ma. Now- in the Debt eps- i don't recall Xena telling her the whole story of her time in Chin. Maybe she did but it was off-screen. But big deal. i also think Gabrielle was upset because Lao Ma was no longer around for her to get influenced by Lao Ma as well. When person A talks up someone else(person B) that really had an impact on their life, then it's normal for you to want to meet that person B, especially if you're good friends with person A.

But still they could have done more with the temple of Mnemosyne. Or why not have Gabrielle go back to Poteidaia and get advice from her sister Lila and her friends there. Did she ever go home and comfort the family of Perdicus? No, this would be a good time for that. i'm surprised Xena would hope she would seek help in a temple to the gods/titans, knowing how Xena hates to ask the deities for any help.

What would be also cool if while in Poteidaia, Gabrielle ran into Seraphin, her friend, who she eventually meets up with again in the Scarifice eps. i mention that as we learn in this ep that Gabrielle owes Ares a favor for the trip to Chin- a favor he calls in when the Sacrifice eps come along. But Gabrielle could recall this in Poteidaia just as well as she could in that temple.

The clips and Joxer just gets in the way of a more fleshed-out ep. Having Joxer care as much as he does for Gabrielle is just an unwanted & unrequited mess. i mean, big deal so what who cares?! 95% of his time on-screen is just to take up time as comedy relief. THEY DON'T NEED COMEDY RELIEF! NERRRRR! ha ha that's my rant.

Anyhoo, this ep could have been edited back to say, 20 minutes, and got it's point across more than adequately. Other ways to make it better? Carry over plots from "When In Rome" as it was a perfect ep.

quote:

Originally posted by xenacrazed:

Maybe the chakram tied to the sword could do the job. Ricochet the chakram/sword off some stones and have the sword break the chain. i'd rather see Xena come up with an idea on how to do it than Have Herc there.

i'd prefer Gabrielle to use her wits amd writing to fight rather than the staff & sais. Maybe she could have come up with the saying "the pen is mightier than the sword"! Tho i guess it's easier for lazy writers to have her use her physical weapons. Using the sais just makes her Xena Jr.

True that...Gabrielle really shone as a writer. And a communicator. In the end it was like...the Xena jr.--what could they really do with Gabrielle after they made her a mere clone of Xena? It was really a shame. Even upon reflection, her "way of love" time was better than her fighting, altho nothing could touch the bard. Nothing.

She could have just remained the negotiator who talked to those whom Xena got in trouble with, the higher-ups, Caesar or whoever, while Xena did the fighting...she really didn't have to do any of that. At the most, some light fighting with the staff for when there's a lot of attackers, just to help Xena out a bit. But, not sais or a sword, and certainly not a chakram, like the very end of the finale. (sigh)

Yep, Xena would have kicked butt with that sword in Prometheus, with or without the chakram. Her aim is impeccable. Never seen her miss once!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Free Madness,

Just a note on the "Forget-me-not" comments--even though I haven't seen that ep yet. I always HATED it when Gabrielle would lose her confidence and get totally depressed and self-deprecating. She is such a cool person with so much spirit and passion, as I'm learning as I watch these early eps. She really was a little too codependent where Xena was concerned...I mean, sheesh, she didn't want Xena to kill someone out of mere vengeful blood-lust in Chin, how is that truly betraying her? She was always crying to Xena that Xena hates her, and Xena always had to reassure her. Xena's great on compassion but only when she can focus on it when she's not focused on something like...saving their lives? Jeez. Yeah, Gabrielle was wise to seek council from others besides Xena, although Joxer wasn't it lol. His character really just...didn't work after a few eps, God love him. They could have done more with Joxer, got him over his fixation with Gabrielle, maybe given him a trade of sorts, not fighting or writing, but maybe, oh, I dunno. Construction, architecture so maybe he could figure out the layout of whatever castles or buildings they all travel to so they can figure out how to sneak in there, or out of there. Something along those lines. Just thinking off the top of my head.

But yeah, poor Gabrielle and her grief and horrible guilt and self-loathing...get her past that self-loathing and she's fine. Eli...never really connected with him and that whole Christian thing being brought into a Greek story for crying out loud. Oh well. I remember that several people on the scrolls really hated Gabrielle. I think she's awesome so long as they keep her strong enough to hold her own. Grief is one thing, but completely falling apart and hating herself...in a way, that was very out-of-character and way too extreme. One minute Gabs is confident and knows what she's doing, then she loses her way completely. Unless they were trying to play her as someone with bipolar disorder? Lol. That does NOT work in this story, or Gabrielle's character.

My li'l rant for the day.

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Gabrielle is still a sensitive soul circa "Forget Me Not" and i suppose still affected by events that should have been cleared up when she & Xena were in Illusia. That was the point of the "Bitter Suite" to make what was bitter sweet again! But i'll always believe that if she still had lingering problems, the girl should have went home & got her mind cleared by visiting family & friends.

They should have had Joxer marry Meg early in and start a chain of pubs or inns or something. He could over-hear info that might interest Xena and send word to her of that. It'd make him useful in a way he wouldn't have to be on-screen so often. Joxer the informant...hmmm...

"Oh Joxer the nosy
He listens closely
sends a message to Xena he does
he's not a warrior he's the fuzz
He's Joxer- Joxer the nosy!"

Hahaha! Joxer the Nosy--love it! Yeah, Meg was perfect for him--too bad he couldn't get past his Gab-obsession to see what kindred spirits they were. Being innkeepers and informants to Xena--yep, that would have worked better than him traveling with Xena and Gabrielle all the time. Joxer never was good at travel--too clumsy. He's much more of a down-home boy. And he's a people person so he would totally fit with the pub/inn scene. Ah, but poor Jox had delusions of grandeur. Gabrielle was searching for who she truly was, Joxer was going out of his way to be what he's truly NOT. The fact that they left him in that state throughout the show just for comic relief, made it more of comic pain instead. Ah well!

Yeah, back to Gabrielle, sometimes there's no place like home, and just keeping it simple, hanging with old friends and family. Of course I haven't gotten to the part where she marries Perdicus yet. Gabs could have guilt around going home because it was Callisto that killed Perdicus...to hurt someone close to Xena, presumably. I'll be able to form a better viewpoint when I get to that part, tho.

Episode 9: Death in Chains

Epic! Xena is approached by Hades to save his sister Celesta, a.k.a. Death. Celesta is chained up by King Cicifus(sp?) so that he can live forever. Meanwhile, people are dying and then not dying, particularly an angry army that wants to kill Xena if she won't join them. Gabrielle meets a kindred spirit named Tallas(sp?) who is just like her in many ways. But unfortunately, he has a sickness that is killing him slowly. Xena is amazing in this ep, truly relying on communication skills rather than just fighting...only this time, the skills need to come from Tallas, as Gabrielle is still running from the army of zombies. Besides, Tallas grew up in the castle and Cicifus remembered him fondly. Great the way Cicifus's wife became an ally to Xena, awesome the way Cicifus realized how selfish he'd been and Xena saying he was a great ruler and he should be remembered that way. Amazing suspense during the fight with the zombies trying to interfere with the freeing of Celesta, and Xena's chakram breaking Celesta's chains. Classic! After all that, Celesta doesn't take Cicifus yet, but she takes Tallas so that he can be free from pain. Overall, an awesome lesson about death...sad and scary as it can be, it beats being a zombie! Lol. Did I just make a rhyme?

Brilliant ep. Thumbs up!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Free Madness,

"Death In Chains" was a good ep. i always thought Hades might have been Xena's real daddy if a god were her real papa. oh well.

Episode 10: Hooves and Harlots

Really excellent. Xena and Gabrielle go into Amazon territory and get attacked by Centaurs, and the Princess, Therese(sp) gets killed. But Gabrielle throws herself over her body, trying to save her, but it's too late. So Therese asks Gabrielle to take her "right of caste." Now Gabrielle is an Amazon Princess. Meanwhile, Xena becomes a really amazing diplomat between the centaurs and the Amazons, figuring out that Fantes, the centaur they assumed killed Therese, didn't do it. It turns out to be Krikus(sp), a war leader who has profit to gain from a war between the centaurs and the Amazons! The result? Xena goes to visit King Tildas(sp) of the centaurs whom she once fought with her army and was defeated by. They talk, and Tildas won't listen to her at first. Meanwhile, Gabrielle, now in Therese's place must kill Fantes, who refuses to defend himself. Gabrielle does not want to do that. Intense when it looks like she's going to kill him, and Fantes says, "I don't want to die. Please." Then Xena comes just in time, and announces that Fantes is not the murderer...Krikus was because Xena and Ephiny discovered droppings filled with hay in the spot where the murder took place...and centaurs don't eat hay. Loved Xena putting the droppings in Gabrielle's hand, and Gabrielle saying, "Ugh! Thank you!" indignantly. Amazing fight between Xena and Queen Melosa and her saying shs didn't want to fight to the death..she needs her help. So they made Xena Queen of the Amazons so that she could settle things with the centaurs. Tildas comes with his army about to fight, then Xena explains it to him, calling on one of Krikus's men, who panics and runs away. Then, Fantes comes over to his father, and Tildas, realizing his son was not executed, calls off the war. The centaurs and Amazons are now at peace! Way awesome. United, they go after Krikus and his men, and totally kick their butts. Xena stops Melosa from killing Krikus and Melosa decides he will have a trial and be brought to justice. Really amazing redemption stuff for Xena, because she is not into blindly killing anymore even if it's for just cause. She will only do that as a last resort. Works wonderfully.

Loved Ephiny calling Gabrielle annoying because of her awkward prattling while she was among the Amazons, being initiated and all that. LURVED Gabriellle's crazy dance moves and her still dancing when Melosa came out, and having to be prompted to bow. Way cool when Ephiny decided Gabrielle was cool enough to give her staff to, the gift from her mother, which at first Gabs refuses, then Ephiny tells her, "To refuse a gift from a fellow Amazon is an insult." Then she smiles and says, "I want you to have it."

Nothing bad about this ep at all! I couldn't find one hole. Gabs did get a li'l annoying sometimes, but it was funny, not over the top. Overall, everyone understood how naive she was, and just appreciated her trying to save Therese, as well as becoming an Amazon and diligently learning from them while Xena solved the war problems..

Epic! Two thumbs up.

*Edited because of a typo--Gabs didn't save Therese, she tried to save her, even though Therese did die. lol. It was early in the morning when i wrote this. *

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Free Madness,

"Hooves and Harlots" was a very good ep. Best thing about it might be the introduction of Ephiny who was the best Amazon, or my favorite. She was smart and level headed.

i was looking at my scores for seasons 1-3 and it looks like season 1 has the highest scores with 2 & 3 fighting it out for 2nd place.

i used to think season 1 was the weaker of the first 3 seasons but not anymores.

Yeah we're gonna watch Ep 11 tonight. Got a li'l sidetracked last night but lookin' forward to seeing what happens next.

The one thing that stuck out about Hooves and Harlots, at first, was when Melosa told Xena that some of the Amazons considered her a hero. Then I realized she said SOME of them, as in not all of them. When the ep first started, I expected the Amazons to recognize Xena as the one who killed Cyan back in the day but obviously that was a different tribe. Not sure if "some of us," meant that not all Amazon tribes see eye to eye and therefore the other part of "some" hate Xena on behalf of Cyan, or...that maybe they don't keep in touch with each other much. Amazons seem pretty bonded, and it would seem that an Amazon is an Amazon regardless of tribe. But then--who knows. I'll find out later. I remember the first Amarice episode when she kept saying, "Well in MY tribe, they so things DIFFERENTLY!" or words to that effect--and either Ephiny, Gabrielle or both snapping at her, "This is NOT your tribe!" Maybe not all tribes see eye to eye on everything. Again, I'll see.

Regarding Ephiny...I always liked her too, the eps I saw her in. She is cool, and very smart.

I seem to remember she had a son by one of the centaurs--don't remember his name. Something tells me Fantes may end up being the father cuz of the slight "chemistry" I sensed between him and Ephiny when she went to confront him in his cell and he told her he didn't kill Therese. Who knows--more will be revealed!

Interesting, a human pairing with a centaur, all things considered. I think I remember someone else commenting about that a long time ago. But oh well, I guess whatever floats the boat, right?

I remember Ephiny's death episode--very sad. Come to think of it, I don't remember if she died before or after Amarice came on. Oh well.

quote:

Originally posted by The Rise and Fall of the Brass Razoo:
Regarding Ephiny...I always liked her too, the eps I saw her in. She is cool, and very smart.

I seem to remember she had a son by one of the centaurs--don't remember his name. Something tells me Fantes may end up being the father cuz of the slight "chemistry" I sensed between him and Ephiny when she went to confront him in his cell and he told her he didn't kill Therese. Who knows--more will be revealed!

Interesting, a human pairing with a centaur, all things considered. I think I remember someone else commenting about that a long time ago. But oh well, I guess whatever floats the boat, right?

I remember Ephiny's death episode--very sad. Come to think of it, I don't remember if she died before or after Amarice came on. Oh well.

Yeah Ephiny got pregggers by Phantes, and their son is Xenan.

Amarice came on the same ep ("Endgame") that Ephiny was killed in. Too bad they didn't kill Amarice instead. That's how they would do it in MY tribe.

i don't know if Ephiny's Amazons or any Amazons would know that Xena killed Cyan as Xena- from what i recall- pretty much killed the entire tribe. Only Alti would know what Xena did, and Xena pretty much killed 'em all for Alti.

Yeah I remember she killed a bunch of other Amazons as well as Cyan. Didn't know she killed the whole tribe. And yeah, that was all in the name of Alti's seductive "darkness," lol. Alti was such an amazing villain, so hateable! Oooooh! Just wanted to see her melt like the Wicked Witch of the West lmao....

"HOW COULD YOU DESTROY MY BEAUTIFUL WICKEDNESS?"

Muahahaha!

i recall Xena killed all the leaders of the Amazons but it was never clear whether that was Cyan's tribe or not. No-one came after Xena, and Alti seemed pleased, so i assumed it was the whole tribe. Plus, neither Otere or Yatuk, who were in the Amazon tribe in the same region at a different time knew that Xena had killed those Amazons til she told them. So if they didn't know, then i can't see Ephiny or others knowing.

Alti. yeah Alti was cool but she was also too lazy. With her powers, she should have set her sights high which she never did.

Episode 11: The Black Wolf.

Sensational, perfect episode. Xena reunites with two old friends from her childhood, Flora and her mother. Flora is imprisoned for being part of the Black Wolf pack, which are trying to overthrow Xerxes, the ruler who overtaxes people and is highly unfair. His prison is absolutely nightmarish, and when Flora's mother is worried about her daughter, Xena promises her she will get Flora out. Flora's mother(I'm blanking on her name, Xena only said it once) tells Xena,
"No one gets out of Xerxes' prison, except by the grave." Xena reassures her she will free Flora. So, she goes to Xerxes and tricks him into thinking she will expose the Black Wolf(leader of the pack) for him if he stages an arrest and imprisons Xena. Of course, she's also asking for 10,000 dinars and new boots! Good touch, as she did need those boots and, well, Xerxes has plenty of money from all his taxing so it might as well go to a good cause. So...Xena, in the prison, reunites with Flora and tries to get her out, but Flora won't leave without the Wolf pack. Her boyfriend Dyoneses is very protective of her and won't trust Xena at first, until Xena tells him the truth. They plan an escape, only to be met with Xerxes' guards, the leader of which I forget his name. The wolf pack and the other prisoners turn on Xena at first, thinking she betrayed them. Xena gets herself back into the prison after telling Xerxes that had the Wolves escaped, they'd have made Xena one of them, and...naturally she would have found out who the Black Wolf was, and sent word to Xerxes! The result: Xena is sent back to the prison, and the leader of the guards is in deeeep doo doo!

Anyway, so Gabrielle comes in good time and uses HER skills to talk Dyoneses around as well as others. She cleverly made a hat with Xena's chakram hidden in it and tied Xena's whip around her waist! Go Gabs! Xena finds out who really betrayed the wolves, a spy who acted like a mental case carrying a rock. The rock was a mere container for messages he gave the guards.

Flora and Xena talk further, resolving an old issue that always bothered Flora. Flora learns that Xena always wanted her to have faith in herself, not depend on others. We learn that Flora is the Black Wolf, and Xena stages an act of exposing her to the guards and Xerxes. Flora is to be executed, but just as the axe is going to go down on her, Gabrielle throws Xena's chakram to her, and the battle begins! Xena breaks the axe in half with the chakram, which also breaks the chains of all the Wolves, including Gabrielle and Salmonius, (the vendor, who was hilarious btw lol.) Xena, Gabs, Flora and all the Wolves fight off the guards, and Xena kills Xerxes. The Wolves now run the village and will do so fairly. Flora says they know people in the government that will help them. Flora is reunited with her mother and Dyoneses thanks Xena. Epic pace, writing and fierce ending!

Best parts:

Gabrielle throwing the tomatoes at the guards, only to have Salmonius be mistaken for the tomato thrower and get thrown in prison. But Gabs doesn't give up, and gets thrown in prison for throwing porridge in a guard's face. Loved her saying, "Thank you for seeing me to the prison yourself!" or words to that effect, to one of the guards!

Flora's memory of Xena and her as children playing in an oak tree with other kids. Flora couldn't climb the tree, and Xena would always say, "Have faith!" then reach out her hand to Flora only to snatch it back. Flora realizing, after holding a grudge about that for years, that Xena was teaching her to have faith in herself, not depend on someone else.

Flora saying Xena was always good at reading people.

Salmonius saying to Gabrielle, "I'm not a warrior!" and Gabs saying, "See the pointy ends of all those swordy things? Stay away from them."

The spy. "See my rock? Like my rock?" Xena: "No."

Xena to the spy upon discovering him, "YOU'RE the traitor. The spy: "I'm a spy. There's a difference!"

Xena getting out of a near watery grave!

Salmonius. He cracked me up. He could have been Joxer's father lol but he was a lot wittier.

GABRIELLE. She was hilarious and absolutely flawless in helping the Wolves and Xena.

Flora being the Black Wolf, and Xena figuring out that everyone kept glancing at her at every given turn, as well as Dyoneses' protective nature with her.

All the fights, particularly the final battle with Salmonius crawling around trying to escape the swords and kicking one of the guards away in the process. Plus Xena's initial fight with the leader of the guards for her staged imprisonment. The leader: "You're making this harder than it has to be!" Xena: "It has to look believable, doesn't it?"

Like I said, perfect and epic ep. If I had three thumbs, I'd put them all up.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Free Madness,

"The Black Wolf" is the quintessential X-WP season 1 ep.

i liked how Xena and Gabrielle are still apart long enough at the beginning as to where they have their own thing going on and not joined at the hip. i wish they had continues this throughout the series as neither Xena nor Gabrielle should be that dependent on each other.

A lot of great lines in this ep from the classic "i have many skills" to my favorite- “If you’ve got a problem with me-- take it up with me.”

If i have any issues with this ep it's that neither Hermia nor Flora mention Xena's reputation regarding Amphipolis or her "evil" days. Even just a mention of their opinion on whether Xena disgraced her home village and how they felt about it would have added some realism. Flora mentions that Xena grew legendary & Xena said she's different now but meh, that don't really count.

Anyhoo, it's a great ep. Fine comedy via Salmoneous who didn't ruin things with Joxer-like stoopidity and pratfalls.

quote:

Originally posted by xenacrazed:
"The Black Wolf" is the quintessential X-WP season 1 ep.

i liked how Xena and Gabrielle are still apart long enough at the beginning as to where they have their own thing going on and not joined at the hip. i wish they had continues this throughout the series as neither Xena nor Gabrielle should be that dependent on each other.

A lot of great lines in this ep from the classic "i have many skills" to my favorite- “If you’ve got a problem with me-- take it up with me.”

If i have any issues with this ep it's that neither Hermia nor Flora mention Xena's reputation regarding Amphipolis or her "evil" days. Even just a mention of their opinion on whether Xena disgraced her home village and how they felt about it would have added some realism. Flora mentions that Xena grew legendary & Xena said she's different now but meh, that don't really count.

Anyhoo, it's a great ep. Fine comedy via Salmoneous who didn't ruin things with Joxer-like stoopidity and pratfalls.

Yeah, agreed on Gabs and Xena being separated the first part of this ep. For a moment I thought it would be a Gabrielle-free ep until she showed up, and her timing was impeccable.

I thought about that too, with Xena's past not having had some effect on Hermia and Flora but my guess was that maybe they were kinda isolated and didn't hear all the worst parts of it. Either that or they heard of her good deeds so far--OR, maybe Xena's mother was in touch with Hermia beforehand and explained how Xena is atoning for her ways. Perhaps by then, Hermia and Flora decided to forgive and not mention it much. Just a thought. Of course if Xena's mother DID contact Hermia, that could have been mentioned for clarity's sake.

Yeah, Salmoneous is definitely no silly Joxer, he was just awesome comic relief which Gabrielle added to beautifully. I really liked Gabrielle when she was funny. She could be comic relief sometimes in her own way. When things got really dramatic with her, she seemed to lose her sense of humor after awhile. Oh well.

I loved the lines in this as well! "You'll make a great comeback--in the end!" Then Xena was fed that same line while in the water pit, hah. Xena really was a bit scared about that but, typical her, she finds a way out with the bone and grabbing the sword from the stoopid guard who keeps poking it into the water. HEHEHEHE!

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Another thing about Xena's past--Dyoneses seemed pretty up to snuff on that, when he first met her, which of course led to the classic "skills" line when he taunted her with, "You embroider? Xena, Warrior Princess?" Lol. Again, maybe Hermia and Flora chose to forgive and forget, having heard of Xena's newly famous good deeds and perhaps again, being contacted by Xena's mother.

i wish they would have brought up Xena's past more in the present. People watching the show for the first time in "Black Wolf" would have no idea about how she changed without some reference, no matter how small. Plus it adds to the redemption issue. i'd think it would add some necessary morality that Xena can't roam too far without someone reminding her of her evil days, whether in a positive or negative comment towards how she claims she's changed.

That's a good point, as very little is said about Xena's atonement in this ep except her telling Flora things are "different" now. You hear some things from her past mentioned by Dyoneses, but nothing of her good deeds. I can see how a person who saw the show for the first time with this ep might wonder if Xena really is on the level when she goes to Xerxes with her proposal. Perhaps, one might think, she really DID betray the Wolves! It's only at the end where one learns Xena is on the side of good, and even then, it's easy to be confused and wonder, "What's really going on here?" Yeah, at least a mention of the atonement would be helpful, more than just one vague sentence, as Xena travels from village to village, especially when she meets people from her past, childhood or otherwise.