From: davideml@bellsouth.net   
      
   "Ahroo"  wrote in message   
   news:CWRQh.5042$u03.3791@newssvr21.news.prodigy.net...   
   > >   
   >> Gabrielle and Xena are walking along talking about how large things are   
   just made up of smaller   
   >> and smaller things. Xena doesn't get it. Then they see soldiers with   
   several prisoners. One of   
   >> them tells Xena they are rebels and he is talking them back to Gaul for   
   trial. Xena walks past   
   >> but one of the prisoners says his people will never give in to Caesar. This   
   stops Xena and she   
   >> tells the soldier he has to release them. He won't so Xena beats them up   
   and they run away.   
   >   
   > Once again, I expected Xena to just jump right into the fray without knowing   
   what was going on,   
   > but this time she waited until she heard the magic word "Caesar" before   
   doing so!   
   >   
   >   
   >>   
   >> In Boadicea's camp Xena realizes Gabrielle and Khrafstar are missing. She   
   goes to Boadicea who   
   >> says she knows they were captured but didn't tell Xena because they had to   
   get back to her camp.   
   >> Xena figures Caesar won't kill her because he knows she and Xena are   
   friends.   
   >   
   > Did anyone else notice that at the conclusion of that conversation, Xena   
   leaves Gabby's staff   
   > behind with Bodacia? Wouldn't you think that Xena would have taken it with   
   her either so she   
   > could give it back to Gabby, or as a remembrance if the worst had happened?   
   That seemed very   
   > strange to me.   
   >   
           I noticed that too, but after all the times it's been left behind and   
   ends up wth   
   Gabrielle, I didn't give it a second thought.   
      
   >   
   >> Ares appears again to Xena and asks why she didn't destroy the temple. Xena   
   is suspicious about   
   >> Ares' motives. He says the is no place for "one god" in their world. Xena   
   reminds him that   
   >> before the Olympians it was the world of the Titans, and maybe he's afraid   
   history will be   
   >> repeated. He says the Olympians aren't evil but this god is. Xena doesn't   
   believe him and leaves   
   >> to join the battle to come.   
   >   
   > OK - this was one of the biggest plot holes - why Ares didn't just destroy   
   the temple himself?   
   > Early on he tells Discord that it would be best if a mortal does it, but   
   why? And even if so, he   
   > allowed both Caesar and Xena the opportunity to do it, but by this point it   
   should be obvious to   
   > him that it ain't gonna happen, so why didn't he step in and take care of it   
   himself if it is so   
   > important to stop Dahok from entering the world and destroying everything?   
   >   
      
           As I said, there wouldn't have been a story if Ares had destroyed it.   
   But OTOH, maybe   
   Dahak's magic was too strong for the Olympian gods, and Ares, knowing Xena,   
   figured she was the   
   "best man" for the job.  And the only weakness in Dahak's plan was the   
   mortality of The Deliverer,   
   which Dahak, NOT knowing Xena, didn't think to make invulnerable/immortal.   
      
   >> Khrafstar tells Xena it was her hatred of Caesar that brought Gabrielle to   
   them, for which Dahak   
   >> thanks her.   
   >>   
   >   
   > This is something which will continue to haunt our two heroines for quite   
   some time to come - the   
   > notion that Gabby lost her blood innocence, allowed Dahok to impregnate her,   
   etc. all because   
   > Xena was so blinded by her hatred of Caesar and neglected Gabby. I just   
   don't see it that way and   
   > never have.   
      
           It seemed to me that Khrafstar deliberately mentioned Caesar's name in   
   front of Xena. So   
   how did he (through Dahak) know of Xena's hatred of Caesar? And apparently he   
   also knew she would   
   be bringing the blood-innocent Gabrielle with her. So, it appears that Dahak   
   was orchestrating and   
   manipulating Xena's actions all along.   
      Also, Dahak must have had some kind of influence on Ares to make him select   
   Xena to do his dirty   
   work.   
      
      
   > Yes, Xena wanted to go to Britannia to fight Caesar, but she didn't force   
   Gabby to go. She told   
   > Krafstar that SHE would go fight, not "WE." And Gabby has been around Xena   
   in enough battle   
   > situations to understand what Xena would need to do. To blame Xena for being   
   focused on her task,   
   > especially having no idea of what was happening elsewhere, is ludicrous and   
   strikes me as just   
   > trying to find a scapegoat. And why did Gabby go with Krafstar and the   
   others to the temple?   
      
           Dahak manipulating Gabrielle also?   
      
   > Did Xena tell her to go there for safety? If so, we never saw that. And if   
   so, it was done   
   > without any reason to question the motives of the group. And if Gabby went   
   along with them based   
   > on her own decision, you certainly cannot fault Xena for that. And, as soon   
   as Xena realizes that   
   > something is amiss at the temple, she immediately abandons the war with   
   Caesar to go to Gabby. I   
   > just think that blaming Xena in any way for what happened is not warranted.   
   >   
      
           I think if anyone is blaming Xena, it's Xena, herself. Especially   
   after The Deliverer   
   thanked her for bringing Gabrielle along in her vendetta against Caesar. Xena   
   has enough of a   
   guilty conscious as it is. And this just adds one more layer to it.   And   
   again, I say Xena and   
   Ares were being led around by the nose by Dahak.   
      
   >> ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''   
   >>   
   >> Man! After a couple of humorous episodes, what a change of pace!   
   >   
   > While not a perfect episode by any means (see all my comments above), it is   
   certainly a good one   
   > and is the first of a real arc for the series (not counting the Xena and   
   Callisto body-switch   
   > arc, necessitated by Lucy's accident). This episode sets into motion events   
   that will transcend   
   > the remainder of this season and beyond.   
   >   
   >>   
   >>>   
   >> Just trying to find the words about Renee's acting / Gabrielle's   
   realization of what she did -   
   >> just outstanding.   
   > From here on out, we will see outstanding performances by both of them   
   pretty much all the way   
   > through to the end of the series. Along with many of the supporting cast, I   
   might add.   
   >   
   >>   
   >   
   >   
   >> Ares was telling Discord about the sword with a new kind of metal he might   
   give to a chosen few.   
   >> Makes me wonder if he was talking about the swords and armor in the episode   
   'Dirty Half Dozen'.   
   >   
   > I always took it as such.   
   >   
   >>   
   >> We never got to see the battle between Caesar's and Boadicea's armies.   
   >   
   > And I don't think it is ever referenced again in any episode, is it? Strange   
   - this was such a   
   > major confrontation, you'd think we'd hear something about "who won"   
   somewhere along the line.   
   >   
   >>   
   >> Despite the inconsistencies, but because of the dramatic story line and the   
   wonderful   
   >> performances by everyone, and not just Reneé, I give this one a 9 out of 10.   
   >   
   > Agreed!   
   >>   
   >>   
   >>   
      
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