Episode 11
Maternal Instincts
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Written by: Chris Manheim
Directed by: Mark Beesley
Edited by: Robert Field

Regular Cast
Lucy Lawless as Xena
Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle

Guest Cast:
Danielle Cormack as Ephiny
Hudson Leick as Callisto
Amy Morrison as Hope/Fayla
David Taylor as Solan
Jeff Boyd as Kaleipus
Reece Rodewyk as Xenan
Chad Bennett as Sentry
Phil Adams as Centaur

Xena and Gabrielle are walking towards Kaleipus' village, talking about the peace treaty to be signed. Suddenly, Xena hears something and looks up as Solan jumps from a tree above her. She tousles his hair playfully. Kaleipus appears and Xena and Gabrielle greet him. They talk about the treaty and then Gabrielle, sensing that Xena and Kaleipus need to talk alone, races Solan to the village. Xena tells Kaleipus that nothing has changed. She is not there to take Solan from him.

A young girl is seen playing with a ball. She throws it and it enters a crevice in the rocks below. The girl rolls her eyes and faints as Callisto appears and stretches. She spots the young girl and says she always wanted a child.

Solan goes into a hut and is grabbed. Gabrielle enters to find Ephiny and Xenan there. Gabrielle hugs Ephiny and they talk about Xenan and his importance to the future. Gabrielle looks upset so Ephiny sends Solan and Xenan outside so she can talk to Gabrielle alone.

Callisto appears at the entrance to the village and uses firebolts to blast the symbols of peace that have been placed there. She kills the guards who try to stop her. Meanwhile, Gabrielle tells Ephiny about Brittania and says that something bad happened there. She does not tell Ephiny the whole story and lets her believe that Hope died of natural causes. Gabrielle notices Xenan's toy and mentions the wooden lamb she gave to Hope.

Xena and Kaleipus arrive at the entrance of the village to find Callisto's handiwork. Xena knows it must be Callisto who did this but cannot understand how.
Back in the hut, Ephiny leaves and Gabrielle pours herself some water. Someone enters and hides but Gabrielle challenges them to come out. The young girl with the ball appears, saying she needs to talk to Xena and give her a message from "the monster lady". Gabrielle takes her to Xena and Kaleipus and the girl, Fayla tells Xena that Callisto knows her secret. Xena realises that Callisto knows about Solan and a discussion ensues about hiding him in the caves.

Callisto revels in Xena's anguish, whilst brushing Fayla's hair with menacing strokes until Fayla throws the brush across the room using her mental powers. Fayla talks about the coming of her father's kingdom and how Xena must be destroyed.

Kaleipus talks to Solan about hiding in the caves and Solan is angry that he is being treated like a child. Xena talks to him and convinces him to do as Kaleipus says. In the meantime, Gabrielle bumps into Fayla who drops a wooden lamb. Gabrielle recognises it as Hope's toy and asks where she got it. She says it has always been hers and that it was in the basket she was found in. Gabrielle realises the child is Hope and tells her to stay in the hut. After she has left, Fayla's face changes and she sneers at her mother.

Xena hurries through the forest with a cloaked figure. Callisto appears and sets fire to the trees. She taunts Xena about her escape and about Solan. She moves towards the cowering figure but finds it is Gabrielle, not Solan. She congratulates Xena but virtually tells her that she is receiving help from someone else anyway.

Kaleipus enters his hut and finds Hope there. She throws a sword at him using her powers. Xena and Gabrielle find him dying in the woods as they are making their way back to the village. Xena cannot make out what Kaleipus is trying to say about who attacked him and he dies.

Callisto is impatient to kill Solan but Hope is weak after what she has done and tells her to wait. She threatens Callisto, saying that she will die along with the other gods if she does not bide her time. Callisto agrees and Hope tells her that the best way to crush these people is to destroy their future by killing their children.

Xena comforts Solan as he mourns the death of Kaleipus. He asks Xena why everyone he loves dies. He asks to go with Xena and she finally agrees. She leaves him, saying she will come back for him later.

Gabrielle frantically looks for Hope in the hut. Then, she appears and Gabrielle scolds her. Hope cries and tells Gabrielle that she has special powers and that Callisto believes she is evil. Gabrielle tells her this is not true and she reveals to Hope that she is her mother. Hope tells her about Callisto's plan to target the children and Gabrielle says she will take her to safety.

Solan is packing his things. Hope enters the door. She smiles unpleasantly, saying "safest place".

Gabrielle tells Ephiny and Xena what Hope has told her. Ephiny agrees to hide the children in the caves whilst Xena asks why this child can be trusted. Gabrielle reveals that the child is Hope and immediately Xena starts to plan ways of killing her. Gabrielle argues with her, revealing that she sent Hope to Kaleipus' hut. Xena bolts out of the door.

Xena finds Solan dead. She tries to revive him but to no avail. Gabrielle enters and Xena screams at her to go away. Xena wails and cries out in anguish whilst Callisto hears her and languishes in her pain.

Ephiny tries to talk to Xena about Callisto's arrival but Xena sends her away. Xenan enters and Xena yells at him but, seeing who it is, realises that there are other children to protect. She covers Solan's body and then leaves.

Gabrielle is in the hut pouring poison into a flask. Hope enters and Gabrielle hides the poison. Hope pretends that Solan was dead when she arrived in the hut but then slips up by mentioning his name. Gabrielle realises the truth but says nothing.

Callisto enters the village square which is deserted. She is hit by an arrow and turns to see Xena. Callisto throws a bolt of fire at her but Xena rolls out of the way and then archers from all around fire at Callisto. She is hit numerous times but then braces herself and sends the arrows back at the archers. Xena stops Callisto from hurting the children as they make their way to the caves but Callisto knocks her backwards and then follows Ephiny and the children to the caves. She searches for the children but is intercepted by Xena. Xena tries to provoke her into a fight. Callisto responds by throwing lightning bolts at her but Xena somersaults out of the way. Instead, Callisto hits the pillars that are supporting the roof of the cave. Ephiny gets the children outside whilst Xena prevents Callisto from leaving. Xena manages to get away whilst the roof collapses on top of Callisto, trapping her in the cave.

Ephiny stands outside and is relieved to see Xena alive. Meanwhile, Gabrielle is kneeling in a glade with the body of Hope next to her. She puts the flask of poison to her lips, intending to kill herself too but then changes her mind. Xena sees this but she does not acknowledge Gabrielle.

Xena and Gabrielle stand in front of two funeral fires, mourning the deaths of their children. Gabrielle turns to Xena for comfort but she is snubbed. Xena tells her she is to blame for Solan's death. Gabrielle tells Xena she loves her but Xena does not respond. Gabrielle walks away. Xena, with tears in her eyes walks off in the opposite direction.

Review
A heart-wrenching episode in which we see the start of the Xena-Gabrielle rift. There is plenty of action which is always the case when Callisto is on the scene, plus we have the delightfully evil Hope as well. It is a shame though that Ephiny seemed to be wasted in this episode as she suddenly seemed to have been relegated to ferrying children to safety instead of fighting in her own right. Still, this ep is one of the best, with unforgettable scenes such as Xena's grief at the death of her child, Gabrielle's pain when she realises Xena is not going to forgive her and, as always, Hudson shines as the menacing maniac, Callisto.

Episode 12
The Bitter Suite
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Written by: Steven L. Sears and Chris Manheim
Directed by: Oley Sassone
Edited by: Robert Field

Regular Cast
Lucy Lawless as Xena
Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle

Guest Cast:
Hudson Leick as Callisto/Xena's Guide
Ted Raimi as Joxer/Gabrielle's Guide
Kevin Smith as Ares
Danielle Cormack as Ephiny
David Taylor as Solan
Daniel Sing as Ming T'ien
Marton Csokas as Khrafstar
Karl Urban as Julius Caesar
Willa O'Neill as Lila

The scene centres on an Amazon village. Gabrielle lies naked whilst being 'whipped' by an Amazon with some rushes. She sheds a tear.

Joxer is agitated and is talking to Ephiny about Gabrielle being in the sweat hut for three days whilst undergoing the purification ritual. He is worried and tells Ephiny he is going to get Gabrielle out. Ephiny tells him Gabrielle must work through the pain. Meanwhile, Xena is grieving for Solan up in the mountains. Ares appears and manipulates Xena whilst she is vulnerable. He tells her that this is all Gabrielle's fault and that she must take her revenge.

Whilst Gabrielle is lying in the hut, someone strokes her face and then slaps her. She opens her eyes and sees Callisto who tells her that Xena is responsible for their loved ones' deaths and that it is because Xena wished to take her revenge against Caesar that this happened in the first place. She says to Gabrielle "you hate her, don't you?". She persists until Gabrielle replies "yes".

Xena rides into the village asking where Gabrielle is. Ephiny orders her warriors to attack and tries to prevent Xena from getting to the hut but Xena strikes her, knocking her down. Joxer races to the hut to get Gabrielle and carries her out. Xena sees this and tries to throw her chakram at Gabrielle, but Ephiny knocks Xena's arm and it misses. Joxer tells Gabrielle to run. She does but Xena uses her whip and wraps it round Gabrielle's legs and pulls her to the ground. She then gets on Argo and rides at full speed, dragging Gabrielle behind her. She does this until they reach the edge of a cliff. Gabrielle is unconscious but when Xena lifts her, intending to throw her over the cliff face, Gabrielle opens her eyes and kicks Xena in the head, knocking them both to the floor. Getting up, Gabrielle shouts "I hate you" at Xena and runs at her. They both fall over the edge into a waterfall and begin to sink.

As Xena and Gabrielle float through the water, Callisto's voice is heard reciting a rhyme and then she reaches into the water and pulls Xena's body out. She leans over her and kisses her, whereupon Xena awakes.

Callisto sings to Xena, informing her she is in the land of Illusia where "lies may be truth and truth may be lies". As Xena looks up at Callisto she sees a staff with a pouch on the end. In the pouch is an eye which blinks. Xena asks Callisto "what's going on?". Callisto starts to spin a large red wheel and informs Xena that she is her guide. Xena is suddenly sitting on a throne wearing different clothes. Callisto capers around her and then a window appears with the wheel in the centre. As Callisto sings a lion, bull, eagle and snake appear in the window. Callisto somersaults through the wheel as the animals start to sing. Callisto reappears in the centre and joins in the chorus.

Xena tells Callisto she is acting strangely but she still doesn't trust her and she pushes Callisto away so she falls to the ground. Callisto slyly reminds her that it is Gabrielle who betrayed her and, as she does so Gabrielle's face appears in the window. Xena asks if Gabrielle is here but Callisto tells her that if she wants to know she must spin the wheel.
Xena spins the wheel and Callisto takes her hand and leads her away.

The scene switches again to the water. Gabrielle floats through the water and Callisto's voice is heard again, reciting a rhyme. A man, hanging above the water, pulls Gabrielle from the river and she somersaults into some bushes. Gabrielle thinks she's in the Elysian fields but then hears Joxer singing his "Joxer the Mighty" song but with different words. He appears next to her and she tells him to go away, as she's naked. He picks up a grass turf which turns into a dress.

Callisto's dog leads the way into a castle whilst Callisto and Xena follow. There is an army waiting and they shout Xena's name. At the far side of the room is a throne and Ares is seated there. He sings seductively to Xena, tempting her to his side. He slices at the dress she is wearing and gives her armour to wear instead. The army sing about the glory of war.

Gabrielle is being led by Joxer into a town and Gabrielle realises she is in Potidaea. The villagers sing and Gabrielle sees Lila, her sister. Everyone is singing about peace. In the meantime, Ares and Xena are riding a chariot and leading their army forward.

Lila hands Gabrielle a scythe, goading her to kill Xena. Whilst Xena is approaching a door from one side, Gabrielle approaches from the other. Each opens the door and Gabrielle attacks Xena with her scythe. Xena parries the attack and knocks Gabrielle to the ground. She twirls her blade and stabs Gabrielle who sighs and then lies still. Joxer arrives, holds a candle near Gabrielle's face to check if she is breathing and then sadly shakes his head.

Ares pulls Xena away and starts to tango with her. However, when she looks over at Gabrielle she lowers herself to the ground, looking confused. Callisto asks her if she enjoyed killing her friend. Xena lifts the body, holding it close and, as she does so, the army, villagers, Ares and Callisto disappear. Gabrielle's body also disappears.

There is the sound of a door opening and Gabrielle walks through, unable to believe that Xena had killed her. Xena denies this, saying she killed an illusion. Just then, the wheel appears. A bolt of lightning strikes the temple of Dahak and suddenly Xena and Gabrielle find themselves in a hall of pillars. They start to argue and, as they do so, their voices echo loudly around them. Xena asks Gabrielle how she feels and she replies that she hurts inside. Xena and Gabrielle sing about their pain and, as they do so they start to argue again, blaming each other. The wheel appears and fire bursts out from the centre and takes hold of Gabrielle. She realises it is Dahak. She screams and Xena tries to help but loses her grip. The fire embraces Xena and pulls her through the centre of the wheel after Gabrielle.

All is silent. Xena and Gabrielle are in the Temple of Dahak. Gabrielle is on the altar and has blood on her hands. She tries to leave saying she cannot go through this again. Suddenly a noise is heard. There are coffins lining the room and dark figures start to emerge from them. They reveal themselves as Ares, Callisto, Khrafstar and Caesar. Gabrielle is suddenly chained to the altar whilst Xena hangs from a cross behind her. A black-eyed double of Gabrielle appears with a hammer ready to break Xena's legs whilst a black-eyed Xena holds a knife over Gabrielle. Xena and Gabrielle sing to each other and the dark figures explode, except for one. Gabrielle's chains break and they are both released.

A shimmering curtain of rain appears before them, beyond which is a beautiful glade. In the glade stands Solan. Gabrielle urges Xena to follow her through the curtain. Gabrielle reaches the other side but cannot see Solan. Xena does not follow. As she tries to go through, she is burned and the dark figure from before starts to laugh. Xena tells Gabrielle that she killed Ming Tien. She looks over at the figure who reveals himself to be Ming Tien. Xena sings to Gabrielle asking for her forgiveness. She sings to Solan too, telling him she is his mother. Ming Tien explodes and Xena crosses through the rain curtain to Solan and embraces him. As she tells him she loves him, she opens her eyes and she and Gabrielle are back in the real world. They hug each other and laugh together in the water as the sun goes down.

Review
What a brilliantly inspired piece of work! The songs are great, the acting is flawless and the story nicely concludes the Xena-Gabrielle rift. This is one of my favourite episodes (if you haven't already guessed!). The last song 'The Love of Your Love' has me blubbering like an idiot every time whilst Ares' seductive crooning makes me wonder how Xena has managed to resist him for so long. Full marks to Ted Raimi and Hudson Leick too for their performances. If you are interested in the Tarot and understand its symbolism, you will probably get twice the enjoyment from this episode. I know I did.

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