From: davideml@bellsouth.net   
      
   4-20 End Game   
      
      
      
             First airing was May, 3, 1999.   
      
             The story starts out in a foggy forest.  Amazon queen Ephiny finds   
   the body of Solari.   
   Another Amazon, Amarice, wants to attack. Ephiny says they will scout ahead.   
   They come upon Roman   
   soldiers fighting Amazons and they attack. During the fight Brutus stabs   
   Ephiny. They stare into   
   each other's eyes until Ephiny dies. More Amazons attack and Brutus calls for   
   a retreat.   
      
             Cut to Gabrielle fishing with a net, so it won't hurt the fish. Xena   
   jokes about it and   
   Gabrielle throws the net over her. Xena implies she is going to throw   
   Gabrielle into the water when   
   Amarice appears and gets between them to protect Gabrielle. Gabrielle tells   
   her it is Xena. Amarice   
   calls Gabrielle 'my queen,' and Gabrielle realizes Ephiny is dead.   
      
             They go with Amarice to the Amazon village. It has been attacked and   
   prisoners have been   
   taken.  Chilapa tells Gabrielle about Ephiny's death and the attack. Amarice   
   wants to go after the   
   Romans. After Chilapa describes the man who killed Ephiny, Xena guesses it was   
   Brutus.   
      
             Gabrielle is taken to see Ephiny's body. She can't understand the   
   fighting. Xena tells   
   Gabrielle  it was Pompey who took the Amazon prisoners.   
      
             Xena takes three Amazons with her, including Amarice. They attack   
   the small party Brutus   
   is with. Xena uses her whip to tie Brutus' ankles and Gab-Drags him back to   
   the Amazon village. She   
   said Amarice took off mad because they didn't kill Brutus. Gabrielle tells   
   Brutus he killed Ephiny.   
   An arrow is shot at Brutus. Xena deflects  it with her whip then uses her   
   Chakram to cut off the   
   branch where Amarice is. Gabrielle says to take her away.   
      
             Xena wants Brutus to tell them where Pompey's army is. She uses the   
   Pinch and he tells.   
   When she starts  to walk away, Gabrielle yells at her to take the Pinch off.   
   Chilapa doesn't want   
   her to, but because of Gabrielle, she does. Gabrielle tells Chilapa Brutus'   
   punishment is her   
   decision.   
      
             Locked up, Amarice describes an Amazon execution to Brutus. He isn't   
   impressed. Xena   
   comes and tells Amarice Gabrielle pardoned her and is to come with her.   
      
             Xena is laying a trap. She tells Amarice that Gabrielle isn't the   
   weakling she thinks she   
   is.   
      
             Cut to Pompey looking over the prisoners. He says pirates will buy   
   them so he can get   
   money to buy weapons and mercenaries to make war against Caesar. He tells   
   Carminus to take them to   
   the river.   
      
             Cut to Carminus. He hears bird calls and knows an ambush is   
   imminent. He sends two men   
   away. Amarice jumps down on them and is captured. Xena faces them  and tells   
   Pompey he's not going   
   to make money off her friends. He threatens to kill Amarice unless Xena and   
   the other Amazons   
   surrender. They throw down their swords.   
      
             Xena flips her Chakram up from under the straw on the road and   
   starts to fight. The   
   Amazons retrieve swords also hidden there and everyone fights. Xena uses her   
   Chakram as a sword.   
   Carminus rides away and Xena says  to let him go so Pompey will know she is   
   there.   
      
             Pompey is angry Xena spoiled everything. He tells them to break camp   
   and when they attack   
   the Amazons not to leave anyone behind.   
      
             Brutus is taken to Gabrielle. She wants a peace treaty between the   
   Amazons and Caesar. He   
   agrees, if it's okay with Caesar. Amarice tells them Pompey's army is on the   
   way.   
      
             Xena is having the Romans tied to X crosses in the way of Pompey's   
   advance. Gabrielle   
   brings Brutus and wants to know why they are tied to crosses. Amarice says the   
   pits are filled with   
   oil to be lit when the soldiers are trying to untie their own men. Gabrielle   
   is horrified. Xena   
   tells her they are outnumbered and need every advantage.   
      
             Brutus says to trade him to Pompey. He needs money and can get more   
   for him than the   
   Amazons. Chilapa tells Xena to come to the top of a hill. They see the legion   
   Brutus was to command   
   coming from the south. They see Pompey's army coming from the north. Xena   
   decides to free Brutus   
   and let him return to his army.   
      
             Brutus joins the legion and tells the men to attack Pompey from the   
   side, and to bring up   
   the artillery.   
      
             The Amazons attack Pompey. Xena tells Amarice to hold the line and   
   protect Gabrielle.   
   Then Xena, on horseback, charges Pompey's men. As the artillery explodes on   
   Pompey's men, Xena   
   rides ahead. She and Pompey fight. Just as she is about to kill him he yells   
   for her to wait. He   
   says if she kills him, the balance between him and Caesar will be in Caesars'   
   favor. She walks   
   away. He tries to stab her in the back and she beheads him.   
      
             After the battle, Xena rides up to Brutus and tells him not to   
   mention her name to   
   Caesar. She tells him Caesar can't be trusted. He says he wouldn't betray a   
   friend. She reminds him   
   that Pompey was a friend, as well as Crassus and her. But maybe Brutus is   
   special.  She drops   
   Pompey's head in a sack in front of Brutus and reminds him again it was his   
   doing.   
      
             Brutus takes the head of Pompey to Caesar. And he has a peace treaty   
   from the Amazon   
   queen. Caesar sets it on fire saying if they're not under his control then   
   they're a threat. He   
   asks about rumors of Xena. Brutus says he's not aware of her. Caesar thanks   
   him, and says he is a   
   loyal friend. Brutus looks uncomfortable.   
      
             Gabrielle makes Chilapa the new queen. There is a T&A Amazon funeral   
   dance. Gabrielle   
   can't understand why she can't cry over Ephiny. Xena tells her that Ephiny   
   didn't die in vain and   
   her death became a symbol.   
      
             Amarice decides to leave with Xena and Gabrielle. Xena smells   
   trouble.   
      
             As they approach the funeral pyre, Gabrielle begins to cry on Xena's   
   shoulder as the   
   Amazon T&A Dancers dance around them.   
      
   .....   
      
             A very good episode. Xena is doing what needs to be done - tying the   
   soldiers to crosses   
   to slow down the army.   
      
             I was wondering how Gabrielle was going to reconcile her new   
   non-violence philosophy with   
   being the new queen and having to defend the tribe. By doing what has to be   
   done without actually   
   resorting to violence herself. (Good or bad? Hard to say.)   
      
             Sad to see Ephiny die. From the look on Brutus' face you'd think he   
   never killed a woman   
   before.   
      
             I half way expected Brutus to call Xena's bluff and tell her   
   nothing, but I guess the   
   pain of the Pinch was too much to endure.   
      
             I was surprised that Gabrielle actually thought she could make a   
   peace treaty with   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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