Reviewed Monday, 21 February 2000
Break time on the barricade, as a group of guards hang around looking extremely bored. One hears something and demands that the maker of the noise step forward. A woman clad in silver armour appears to the leering delight of the men. They inform her that this is Prince Damron's road, and a toll is required. She's without money, but the guards are confident that they can get payment somehow or another. The woman agrees, and a platoon of similarly armoured archers start picking off the guards. Until a familiar breaking of arrows, followed by warcry interrupts the scene. Xena leaps in, silence reigns, and then we launch into familiar ass-kicking territory.
Gabrielle watches from behind a nearby tree, cautioning Eve to be quiet.
The battle is reduced to the pauper woman and Xena. They appear to be almost equals until Xena delivers a nasty cut to her cheek. The woman is stunned, and she and the archers pull back. Xena watches them go and then attends to a wounded guard with pressure points to ease the pain. Gabby runs in and wonders who they were. The guard wonders who would want the road to Amphipolis. Xena knows though, and speaks his name.
Ares appears, wasting no time in letting Xena know that his offer from last episode stands - he'll protect her and the baby, all she has to do is stay with him and bear him a child of his own. And if she doesn't, he's going to ransack her home town and hold her mother hostage until she agrees? Nope, this is nothing to do with Ares. It's the other Olympian with battle knowledge - Athena.
The silver woman rides past a huge, mismatched army (armour is different, as are the banners they're carrying) and approaches the leader, a woman wearing gold. Silver repots that everything was done according to Gold's plans. Gold's arrow was used, and they left the border guards alive to tell Xena that they're going towards Amphipolis. Gold notices Silver's cut and incredulously asks its source and then heals the wound completely with a wave of her hand and shower of golden light. Silver's name is Elanus, and she holds Gold's (this would be Athena, if you've not yet put two and two together) favour. Athena hastens to note, however, that this doesn't make her less mortal than anybody else. Elanus shows she's pretty hot to destroy Eve, but Athena cautions that there's nothing more dangerous than a mother protecting her young, and swears in her father's name to kill the child herself.
Gabby and Xena ride into Amphipolis, which seems to have become very well fortified since the last time I remember seeing it. Xena's mother comes running out and snatches the baby like any good grandmother would. Of course, Xena's more interested in defense at the moment, and she and Gabrielle pull cooing Grandma away.
The Potpourri army are gathering. Elanus informs Athena that they waited for Xena to enter the village and then blocked off the road behind her. Athena is pleased. So is Ares, actually, and he plays the exposition game a bit for us, identifying Roman Centurions, Knights from Britannia, Cleopatra's Royal Guard and Athena's own elite. Ares is all a-tingle. He tries to help out with battle strategy against Xena, but Elanus isn't impressed with him and Athena doesn't need his help. Ares doubts that Athena needs any man's help. Athena doubts Ares wants to kill the child anyway, since rumour has it that he tried to make Xena an offer. So why not attack Amphilpolis now? The people there are loyal to Athena, and she doesn't want to wipe them off the map as repayment. She's confident that they'll give up Xena and the baby without spilling blood. "Perhaps," Ares says, "but where's the fun in that?"
Xena's preaching to the town again, apologizing for endangering them AGAIN, and making sure to stress that she won't give up her child. A random villager says that they heard stories about Xena's death and resurrection, not to mention Eli's love-in. They pledge to do their best to protect her, even though they're not warriors. Just as well they said that, since Athena pops in. She tries to reason with Xena, saying that the life of one child isn't worth depriving everyone of their gods and their faith. Xena's mom thinks they've sacrificed enough kids, though, and holds Eve close, refusing to give up this one as well. Okay, how about everyone else? Athena asks. Grandma response by breaking into song, the same one that Xena heard being sung by the women in the fields of Amphipolis in Sins of the Past. Before long, the whole town joins in. Athena speaks over the top of them. She doesn't want them to suffer, and if they give Eve to her, they will receive her blessing. They keep singing. I've got armies! Lots of armies! La la la la .... I protected you, dammit! The village keeps rocking. Okay, fine, all of you are goin' down, so there.
Amphipolis gets itself ready for the siege eluded to in the show's title. Catapults, burning oil barrels, and Colonel Gabby, who gives the command to fire. The armies deflect some fire, other soldiers are toasted, and then Amphipolis charges under Gabby's command, who's wielding a double-bladed bayonet.
Elanus and Athena are playing Risk. The peasants initiated a frontal assault on one of Athena's best units, which doesn't seem like a very Xena-esque thing to do. They consider diversion, but since Gabby's leading the attack, Athena can't imagine that it would be a suicidal mission. Elanus says that if Xena commanded even half the loyalty that Athena does, Gabrielle would lay down her life gladly if Xena could get away. "I don't doubt Gabrielle's willingness to die," replies Athena, "only Xena's willingness to lose her." A good commander looks for a deeper strategy, so that's what Athena does. Quite literally, as her eyes go all golden and funny-looking, and we see the scale model of Amphipolis seems to have an interesting sub-terranean structure ....
Sure enough, Xena is below ground with a group of the villagers. The tunnels lead underneath the battlefield, and she plans to reemerge behind Athena's army, sandwiching them. It's not a bad idea, but difficult to pull off when Elanus and her troops are blocking the way.
Above ground, Gabby and the make-shift soldiers are beginning to be overrun. The troops are beginning to panic at Xena's lack of appearance, but Gabrielle's faith never waivers and she orders them to hold the line.
Elanus congratulates Xena on the battle plan and says that Xena's too late to save her little bardly friend, so they have plenty of time to chat.
The soldier next to Gabby falls, and she grabs his weapon, which is, pretty much, a small sledgehammer. She bludgeons the enemy into unconsciousness and then calls out worriedly for Xena.
Post commercial, Gabby's whacking heads quite nicely.
Xena identifies Elanus as Athena's new champion, and notes that she heals very well when a god's involved. The animosity between the two grows, but Elanus puts duty before pleasure. A little bit of greek fire should wreck both the tunnel and Xena's plan quite nicely, and Xena hastily commands a retreat. "You don't want to do that," Xena cautions as Elanus grabs a torch. Apparently, though, she does, and Xena instantly becomes James Bond (or any other action hero you'd care to name), trying to outrace a gigantic fireball. By collapsing a section of the tunnel, she's able to keep those important top layers of flesh. Even more impressively, the fire bursts out of the ground onto the battlefield, between Gabrielle and an advancing line of troops. "Some people just don't listen," Xena gripes. Gabby does as well, picking herself off the ground with "That's not what I expected," but at least they're still alive, and she orders the men back to safety.
Things look bleak. The wounded can help keep watch, but they're still down to half strength. Half or full, though, they couldn't break the siege, since Athena could just keep Amphipolis surrounded until the people starved to death. Gabby's got another idea, though - get Eve out. Xena can put enemy armour on and sneak out after dark, then Athena would have no reason to keep attacking. Xena knows better, however, realizing that Athena picked Amphipolis on purpose, since Xena couldn't leave her townsmen to die. An onslaught of arrows cuts off any further contemplation, and everyone dives for cover. Elanus appears and takes slow, deliberate aim at a young girl, trapped behind a barrel. Xena sees what's going on and barely catches the arrow in time. Xena glares, Elanus laughs, and the archers leave.
Xena goes to visit her mother, who's helping the wounded. One of the men dies, and both look pretty upset about it. "Sad, isn't it?" a voice asks. "To be mortal." It's Athena, but only Xena can see her. She wants to talk, which suits Xena just fine. Xena asks why Athena is doing all of this, especially as Athena seemed to be the only Olympian worthy of Xena's respect. Athena says she has no choice, but Xena believes that warriors make their own choices and challenges Athena to a fair fight to end it all. The goddess is tempted, but says that people need their gods, and thinks that Eli's followers with all their love nonsense are, essentially, nuts. "I've poisoned your water supply," she tells Xena. "What will you give them when they're dying of thirst? Love?"
Athena vanishes and Eve starts to cry, sending Xena running. Her diaper only needs to be changed, grandma says, and thanks Xena for the chance to see Eve. Xena says that standing up to Athena was impressive, but a god is nothing compared to Xena's developmental years. Xena's mom says that a child is worth all the heartache in the world to get to see them grow up, and Xena swears she'll experience that too.
Apparently the best way Xena can think of to do this is to visit everyone's favourite leather-clad scumbag, Ares. She wants Ares to help her against Athena, but Ares is reluctant to blatantly fight the other gods, since they'll like him even less for doing so. He's interested, of course, but wants to know what's in it for him. What's in it for Ares? Why, Xena, of course! Cue commercial.
"I'm offering you my sword and the body that wields it." Xena turns the tables on Ares from last episode and comes on mightily strong. But no. Ares won't be tricked. Xena doesn't go back on her promises, true, but she somehow manages to find some kind of loophole, and he won't be played by her this time.
Dissension in the ranks as the soldiers wonder if they should be defying the will of the gods. Athena's always been good to them, and she, being a goddess of wisdom and all, would surely know what's best for them. They spoke a bit too loudly, though, and Colonel Gabrielle shoves him around a bit. Turn over Eve now, and next, the gods will demand your child, she argues. "We're not fighting for Xena, we're fighting for ourselves. For our right to be treated as human beings, not game pieces." She asks for anybody to give up their own child to the gods, since she likes to have her low-life scum in plain sight. All eyes are averted, and she commands everyone back to their posts.
In a secluded area, Gabby calls for Ares. He looks ticked, but appears. Gabby says that she knows Xena spoke to Ares and almost threatens him if he touches her, but tries to reason with him instead. "If you accept, you will destroy Xena. You will turn her into exactly what she used to be, a vicious killer." Ares used to like that Xena, but Gabby wonders why he's so fascinated with Xena Light if that's the case. So you think she's serious, huh? Did she ever say something she didn't mean? Ares sincerely thanks Gabby. "Don't do it," pleads Gabrielle as he vanishes.
You've got to hand it to Ares, he doesn't waste time when he takes a job. Appearing in Athena's camp, he tries to convince her to let him transport Xena and Eve to another realm where they'll do no harm. She accuses him of letting another organ do his thinking, and dismisses both that idea and the one that they're fulfilling the prophecy themselves by fighting over a harmless infant. "There will be no compromise."
Inanimate objects bear the brunt of Ares' fury as the war god appears ... somewhere. Wherever it is, Xena expected him, and prepared well ahead of time. Ares looks around the room and spots the casual tossing of bits of recognizable armour about the room, as well as a goblet of what I presume to be wine. What with these clues already given to us, the low lighting and the seductive sitar or whatever it is playing, I think we can figure out what's going on here. Yup, there's Xena, draped across a love seat, wrapped in a fur, and oozing "Come and get me, you luscious hunk of god." Something Ares has every intention of doing, but Xena wants to make sure they're straight on his end of the deal. "I side with you against the gods, save Eve, gotcha." It's enough to send a warrior princess feral, and things are really looking up for Ares, if you'll forgive a girl a semi-pun in poor taste. Xena hears fighting, though, and a blast knocks down one of the walls. Grandma and Eve run in to make sure that everyone's okay, and is surprised to see that they are, in fact, better than that, some embarrassment aside.
Grandma's shocked, Xena's rushing to save face, and Ares looks pretty pleased with himself, despite the interruption. Gran would've preferred Apollo or Hermes, though, something Ares gets pretty offended at. But anyway, Gabby's attacking Athena's army and Xena wants to help. Ares stops her, though, saying that Gabby is providing the perfect cover for him to spirit Xena and Eve away. But not if Gabrielle's the price, and Xena runs off.
On the field, Gabby's still kicking butt with her mallet. Elanus and Athena observe the battle, and Athena asks for it to end before Amphipolis is completely destroyed. "Put an arrow in the young bard. We'll see how long Xena will resist while her companion slowly bleeds to death." It looks bleak for Gabrielle, but Athena sees Xena coming out of the town with her bundle of joy and orders the attack halted. Every soldier stops fighting as Xena walks forward. Gabrielle tries to stop Xena, who says "I'm going to save these people and you." Athena appears, saying Xena's made a wise choice, and pulls the army back at Xena's command. The baby is laid at Athena's feet, and the goddess tries to make things better by saying that it's the right thing to do and recommending that Xena look away. "If my daughter's to be sacrificed to save these people, the least I can do to honour her is to remember every detail." Athena draws her sword and prepares to strike. Elanus looks very pleased. The music swells dramatically ... and Ares appears. "They say blood is thicker than water, but blood runs hottest when love is involved." Now it's time for our main event: War God vs War Goddess.
"Gabrielle, now!" and the Colonel commands all the villagers who've been in hiding rush out and press their advantage on Athena's stunned army. Elanus and Xena clash, Xena wondering how well the avatar will do without her patron goddess to heal her.
Copious fighting. The upper hand changes many times, excepting Gabrielle who is easily better than any Centurion or Knight. Athena taunts Ares when Elanus is winning, but he knows his girl only too well, and Athena turns around in time to see Xena strike the killing blow. Athena immediately forgets Ares and runs to Elanus while her armies retreat. Athena can't heal the wound, but Elanus is more worried about retaining her goddess' favour. She dies, knowing that she will always have it. "Take a good look, Ares," Athena says. "We're next." and she vanishes with the body.
The villagers celebrate their victory and Gabby runs to check on Xena. "Did you and Ares, uhm..?" "No!" "Not YET. Care to pick up where we left off?" Xena appreciates the kind offer, but doesn't think she'll bother. But Ares saved-- A DOLL? Yup, Eve is safe and sound, and since Ares technically didn't help the child at all, the deal's no good. Ares challenges Xena to say she didn't feel anything in the temple (so THAT'S where they were), and she says she didn't. "This isn't finished. As long as your child lives, they'll keep coming. Then you're going to HAVE to come to me for help." He disappears with that, and Xena quietly admits that she DID feel something, causing Gabby's head to snap around sharply. Xena's mom comes out with Eve, and Xena chastises Gabby for waiting so long to attack. "I almost ran out of foreplay," she says. Xena and Gabby walk off after clarifying the plan for grandma and the home audience, and Gabby interrogates her friend about what she heard Xena say when Ares left.
"Did you say you felt something?"
Wow, what an episode! What a kick-ass, knock-down, incredibly awesomely breath-takingly stunning episode! I-- Wait, hold the phone. I think I'm just ecstatic that this week didn't completely suck like the pervious episode, Eternal Brain-Dama-- er, Bonds. Each episode's impression should, by rights, stand alone from its brethern, and as such, I begin again.
Amphipolis is an episode which manages to somehow return to the show's roots amid the utter insanity that is this Twilight of the Gods storyline. You've got Xena and Gabrielle, united against a daunting enemy, eventually emerging victorious by using their brains, tactical knowledge, trust in each other and pure strength of will. This is Xena at it's finest ... Until you toss in those pesky details, anyway. See the rants section for more on this.
Still, though, basic flaws in the entire storyline aside, I enjoyed this episode. I saw great potential in Athena/Elanus and enjoyed finally getting to see my favourite goddess in action. The episode also held a measure of suspense, as I wasn't entirely sure how Xena was going to get out of this one.
All in all, taking the expected problems and reality suspension in stride, I enjoyed this ep, particularly in light of how disappointing I've found things of late.
"No."
"No, I think I heard you. You said you felt something."
"Gabrielle, I said no such thing."
"Oh, really."
"Maybe a little something."
"Whaaaat?"
Three Unflattering Faux Eve Dolls out of Five |
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Or, rather, how lamely they're falling. As I said in last episode's review, the enemy we're facing is too great. Xena's up against the entire, not unimpressive family of Mount Olympus. Every single last God and Goddess is at risk, and from what we're led to believe, they are all targeting Xena. She has managed, in the pats, to defeat them individually by way of trickery and even a little force when necessary, but throughout the series, we have been made to feel as though these victories were due in no small part to the gods' willingness to play along. They make deals, they gamble, and they honour the agreement when the dice roll is in the mortal's favour. This is understandable. Day-to-day life is probably a little dull when you're immortal. Hell, I've only been around 20-something years and I get bored. So why not play with the mortals a bit? And if they actually win? What an amusing challenge!
So yeah, they've been defeated before on a mental level. Xena's even managed to hold her own against Ares for short periods of time physically. But ultimately, the victory has always been won on a sort of mental/psychological level. But the time for talk, as they say, is over. It's no longer a game, it's become survival, and the Olympians have pulled out all the stops.
Somebody please then explain to me how the hell Xena and Gabrielle keep winning? What on earth is stopping the Olympians from actually accomplishing their goal? They can teleport at will, remain invisible to mortals, create alternate dimensions, disguise themselves perfectly, wield the elements, invade dreams, and FREEZE TIME, for cryin' out loud. Even assuming they AREN'T omnipotent (and they certainly seem to not be at the moment), they've exhibited more than enough skills to be able to take out an infant. Even if you assume (and this is a BROAD assumption, as there's been no mention of it) that the gods have been steadily losing their powers since the birth of Eve, enough stealthy tricks have been shown in use since then to render that theory null and void, at least at this stage of the game. So maybe there's some other-worldly force surrounding the child which prevents direct assault from the Olympians? Again, no mention, so if that reason is pulled out of thing air, I'll be prepared, but highly disappointed.
So I'm left thinking that the gods are nothing but incompetent fools who deserve to be overthrown and the writers bit off more than they could logistically chew this time. And more the later.
But enough of that or we'll be here all day. On to more specific problems.
Welcome back. So the Amphipolis townspeople heard about Xena and Gabby's death and resurrection by Eli's god, huh? Uhm, how? The Romans, perhaps, would've wanted the death of Xena well publicized, but with the assassination of Caesar and all, you'd think they'd have other things on their mind than worrying about demoralizing a country they presently have little interest in about a woman Julius was obsessed with. Not to mention how embarrassing I would find it if I'd killed somebody in my favourite execution method, lost the body, and then the person turned up again a day or two later like I'd done nothing. That's not good PR for your Crippling Fear and Abject Terror department.Xena and Gabrielle? They didn't seem at all inclined to want to talk about it with each other, let alone strangers to pass the news along. Amarice? Possibly, although dislike her as I do, she never struck me as a gossip. Hell, she held most everyone in contempt, so I can hardly imagine her initiating such a bizarre conversation. Joxer is more likely, but not only do I think he was too emotionally choked up by Gabby's death and rebirth, but who would even believe him if he DID talk about it? Joxer has an aire about him which naturally seems to inspire derision. So that leaves Eli. And while I could understand him talking about it to inspire faith in his god, I think he's too modest for that. It wasn't so much about volume of believers as quality of faith, I think, so I believe it would be going against his personality to have him not only tell about the "sensationalist" resurrection, but who it was performed on.
Who's left that knew? And could word have REALLY travelled that fast in the ancient world, to every single pissant village? I suppose it's possible for this info to have become public knowledge, but it seems kind of shaky, at best.
Feeling hot, hot, hot. Yet Another Ignorance Alert, but what the heck is "greek fire"? From the damage I saw done from those two little barrels, I think it would've kicked the black powder's butt any day of the week. Talk about precision control on that stuff too. Unless they tunnel has been pre-coated/sabotaged by Elanus, I'm STILL wondering how she managed to get that huge fireball of death to home in on Xena and leave her barbeque-free.
Scream 4. How in the hell the girl Elanus targeted in Amphipolis managed to not only see the arrow, but see it and have enough time to let out a prolonged scream, but NOT to get out of the way, is beyond me. If her reflexes were that good, you'd at least think the flight instinct would've kicked in and made her take a half-step to the left or right to safety. Or, perhaps, to duck behind the protective barrel? Either don't see it coming, or see it and be dumbstruck, but either way, don't scream. Please.
The People's Army. So let's get this straight. An impromptu gathering of admitted pig farmers and other such peasantries not only lift their horrendously outnumbered arms against Roman Centurians, Egyptian Royal Guards, British Knights and Athena's Own, but they WIN. Repeatedly. I'm not going to dwell on this anymore, I'll get irritated, and I'm actually in a fairly mellow mood today.
Tricks on Pricks. Sure, he's a lying, manipulative SoB, but he's OUR lying, manipulative SoB, and I felt damned sorry for the big lug when Ares found out he'd been played like a lyre. To be honest, I expected more from Xena than to not only be so deliberately cruel, but to have the smarts and not damage her "get out of jail free" card. I'm still analyzing myself for all the whys, but I felt SO incredibly bad for Ares it wasn't even funny. Gods know I had no reason to do so. Just last episode, he was doing as much, if not MORE, to Xena, and I never batted an eye. And it's not like Ares hasn't had more than his share of humble pie coming to him for years now. To sacrifice so much for so little made me hurt for him. But still, as he himself said (and Xena acknowledged), he would've kept up his end of the deal. In fact, for all intents and purposes, he DID, and I'm sure that as far as the other Olympians go, it's the thought that counts.
Are you there, Ares? It's me, Margaret. At the end of the episode, Xena's mom reveals that she found her daughter and the war god in his temple. So ... Ares has a temple in Amphipolis. Which is loyal to Athena. Isn't that a bit too much warage in an agricultural town populated by pig farmers?
Do you hear the people sing? In a nice nod to the first episode, Xena's mom breaks into what must be the Amphipolis National Anthem. I enjoyed this scene, it succeeded perhaps better than any other could have to demonstrate humanity's rising voice, casting off and drowning out their gods, choosing to stand with each other. Athena's frustration is palpable, as was the feeling of togetherness and solidarity that was comforting to both Xena and the audience.
What price friendship? Athena knows, apparently, and it was nice to see some god besides Ares and Callisto (and Aphrodite, but in a different sense, natch) acknowledge just how important Gabrielle is to Xena. THIS is the kind of tactical information the gods should be using against their enemy, the kind I would expect from Athena. Besides the sense it makes within the context of the show, it was soothing to FINALLY see one of the gods not only recognize Gabby, but to place value on her, not only in terms of being Xena's best friend, but as a brave and competent fighter. Double kudos to Athena for knowing enough about Gabby to be able to call her a bard.
Have mallet, will travel. For the second episode in a row, Gabby's weapon of choice is something of the blunt persuasion, at least for a while. This time around, she must've really liked it, since there was ample opportunity between attacks to fine another sword if she'd so chose, or even to whip out those sais, which I don't believe made an appearance at all. Gabby's still fighting, she's still using blades if she has to, but it seems as though, slowly but surely, she's gravitating back to the less violently fatal side of battle. And quite frankly, I miss her being there.
Nobody's Fool. Ares finally have everything he's ever wanted in his grasp, and he turns it all down. He knows Xena alright, perhaps TOO well. It was unexpected, but still right for Ares to take his turn at smelling the proverbial rat and denying Xena with a "I know you're up to SOMEthing, I just don't know what" that Xena's certainly used on him time and time again. And, of course, both are always right. Perhaps when they fight side by side they're like one, but it's clear that the essential trust has fled, if it was ever there. This, perhaps more than anything else, serves as proof that the two could NEVER be the couple Ares wants them to be.
The Colonel's secret blend. Oh, what exquisite delight, to see Gabrielle confidently leading men into battle, keeping up morale, and squelching mutinous rumblings in their tracks. Though, again, I marvel at how far Gabby's come and how much she's changed.
"Well, aren't I Mr. Popular?" Ares, appearing at Gabrielle's summons soon after appearing at Xena's.
War of the Words. Gabby starts out with a threat. "You hurt Xena and I swear I'll--" But no, she changes her attack on Ares mid-stream and decides to use her greatest power against so formidable a foe - her tongue. Instead, she tries to appeal to a sense of decency Ares, sadly, doesn't possess, but the move was not lost on me. Now whether it was all just a part of Xena's trick, a deliberate step by TPTB to restore Gabby as I mentioned earlier, or a completely inconsequential bit of nothing I'm reading far, FAR too much into, I don't know, but I took note anyway.
"I'm about to start catapulting dead cows into the village." Athena's battle strategies have a number of merits, not the least of which a possible Monty Python and the Holy Grail reference and the hilarity of the line itself when taken out of context. And we can't forget, it sets Ares up beautifully for the twisted line "I love the smell of rotting cow carcass in the morning."
"You're thinking with your codpiece again, brother." Athena, goddess of wisdom, warfare, weaving, and wit.
Caught in the act. "This is not what it looks like!" "Yeah it is." Xena and Ares to Xena's mother.
Woman power. "You're really whipped, aren't you?" "Oh, no, that ain't nice." Athena and Ares on his attitude towards Xena.
Athena, goddess of the golden cool. As I mentioned earlier, Athena has always been my favourite goddess (and Ares, coincidentally, my favourite god ... we're talking over a decade ago when I was just getting into mythology), so I was really pleased she was going to finally make an appearance. What's more, she had DEPTH! Athena was all the things I had always thought she should be ... wise, natch, and compassionate, forceful but fair, ruthlessly reasoning, and all applicable alliteration. For the first time, we see an Olympian outside of Aphrodite actually give a damn about the people, especially those who pledge to her. She wants to avoid bloodshed, she doesn't even want to kill Xena just in case, unlike the other Olympians. No, Athena wants Eve and only Eve, and is actively pursuing the most blood-free path possible to her goal. Perhaps she came off cold-hearted and calculating to some, but don't assume the logic indicates a lack of caring. Sure, the goddess calmly ordered an arrow shot into Gabrielle in such a way that Gabby would likely die an agonizingly slow death, but what is that a single death compared to a possible hundred, especially when that one is the best chance at ending the entire conflict? No, that's just good math, and a move I would expect from Xena when she gets in her Battle Vision mode. Hell, even when Athena is certain of victory, she tries to be compassionate to Xena, offering words of comfort and advice. Sure, Xena wants nothing of them, but they were offered, which is a damned sight more than any other god would give.
In summation, I salute you, Athena. You have talent, you have style, you have class, and if you somehow manage to make it through the coming Twilight, I hope to see you again.
Quote of the Episode:
Just the one ponder, mainly, and that's regarding Athena and Elanus. Well, it's obvious what we were SUPPOSED to think. Ares' crack about Athena not needing any man, as well as the exchange "What's the matter, bro? Worried about your girlfriend?" "Me? No. Worried about yours?" Suffice it to say, call in the Subtext Police. So is it just the male instinct to assume/insinuate as Ares did that all close women are THAT close? Was there something there or not? And does it really matter? The jury's still out as far as I'm concerned, but I predict a rash of new fanfic stars ...
Questions, comments or information about who played Athena? It's killin' me, she's so familiar! Send them to JetWolf@jetwolf.com.