From: davideml@bellsouth.net   
      
   5-13    Eternal Bonds   
      
      
      
   First air date was Feb 7, 2000   
   The story starts out with Xena and Gabrielle riding hard across a desert   
   trying to avoid lighting   
   bolts from Zeus. Then they are chased by a tornado. A figure in a dark hooded   
   robe points in a   
   direction. They ride that way into some woods with the lighting bolts and   
   tornado chasing them. The   
   come to a cave, dismount and go inside.   
      
   Gabrielle says the gods are scared and are fighting for their lives. They hear   
   a noise from the   
   back of the cave. It is Joxer and he has brought three friends - Magi who have   
   come with gifts for   
   Eve. One gives a bowl of grain  the second gives fruit, and the third, a   
   woman, offers an urn of   
   laurel oil. Xena knows the laurel is sacred to Artemis and kicks the urn away.   
   The three Magi say   
   the child must die and they attack. Gabrielle knocks one of them out, Xena   
   kills two of them. Joxer   
   is cut on the arm.   
      
   Xena asks Gabrielle to take Joxer outside and clean his wound. Xena says she   
   smells a rat, and Ares   
   appears. He says he was the one who led them to the safety of the cave.  She   
   says right into the   
   hands of assassins. He says he knew she could take them. From their amulets   
   they agree the Magi   
   came from the temples of Artemis, Poseidon and Apollo. Xena is concerned that   
   Joxer may have been   
   cut by the poisoned sword of Apollo's priest. She runs out and tells Gabrielle   
   to take Joxer to the   
   mandrake tree at the north end of the valley where the antidote is, and she'll   
   meet them there.   
   Gabrielle and Joxer have been arguing about Joxer rushing to help Gabrielle,   
   but mostly he just   
   gets in her way.   
      
   In a temple, a priestess cuts out a man's heart and it is covered with worms.   
   She and the other   
   priests know their Magi failed and they will have to send their armies to kill   
   Xena and Eve.   
      
   Gabrielle and Joxer leave on Gabrielle's horse and Argo. Later, Gabrielle is   
   not sure which way to   
   go. Gabrielle sees a red line going up Joxer's arm -  the poison is going to   
   his heart.   
      
   Xena is alone in the woods nursing Eve, and singing to her. Then she hears   
   soldiers sneaking up on   
   her. She fights them off. Eve gets a spot of blood on her. Ares appears and   
   says it's baptism by   
   blood. He says he's there to help because he is dying and wants to fight along   
   side her, and he   
   admits he loves her. She says he's lying.   
      
   Gabrielle and Joxer are taking a rest break. She says the poison is not   
   spreading. She apologizes   
   to him for being so short tempered and admits she can be a real bitch   
   sometimes. Joxer agrees   
   without coming right out and saying so.   
      
   Xena and Eve are resting for the night. Ares appears and wants to make amends.   
   He wants her back   
   like before. And wants her to forgive him. A soldier tries to kill Eve. Xena   
   has a rope rigged to   
   pull Eve up out of harm's way, and Ares throws a fireball at the assassin.   
   Ares and Xena get closer   
   and closer to each other and they kiss.   
      
   Xena suddenly wakes up from a dream/nightmare.   
      
   Gabrielle has a hard time waking Joxer up the next morning. The poison's   
   worse. They are on   
   horseback again when they are stopped by the female warriors of Artemis.   
   Before they can be killed   
   by them Gabrielle says they are on the way to Artemis' temple to pray to her.   
   Joxer says she was   
   injured by Xena. The women split up, going east, and west, and a couple to   
   take Gabrielle and Joxer   
   to the temple.   
      
   Xena is hacking her way through some underbrush and talking to Eve about not   
   being able to trust   
   dreams or visions or prophesies. And she is having erotic flashbacks to her   
   dream.   
      
   Joxer falls off his horse. Gabrielle goes back to a pond to fill their water   
   skins. She has to hide   
   from more soldiers. Xena arrives at the mandrake tree but Gabrielle and Joxer   
   aren't there. She   
   climbs the tree to look around. She sees the armies approaching. Ares appears   
   and says he is   
   willing to fight beside her, to  be a father to Eve, and to a child of their   
   own. Xena realizes he   
   wants an heir since he is supposed to be dying. He says he will make all the   
   problems with the gods   
   disappear. She refuses. He asks even if it means Joxer's life, or Gabrielle's,   
   or Eve's. Xena   
   doesn't answer.   
      
   Joxer has hidden in a hollow log. He tells Gabrielle to go get the   
   resin/antidote to the poison,   
   but she refuses to leave and says Xena will find them. He reminds her they are   
   far off the trail.   
      
   Xena is looking for them and spots one of Gabrielle's scrolls in the air,   
   flying like a kite.   
      
   Joxer is worse and Gabrielle cradles him. He wants to know why she doesn't   
   love him. She say she   
   does, but not like he wants her to. Xena finds them, but all three armies   
   attack. The soldiers are   
   frozen and Ares appears and once again tells Xena he can make it stop if she   
   will give him a child.   
   She refuses and he lets the armies attack. Xena and Gabrielle fight them. Xena   
   is using a spear as   
   a battle staff. Xena ties Eve to a rope and throws it over a tree limb while   
   she fights. Gabrielle   
   is fighting with a sword and then with a shield. Ares gets Eve and brings her   
   down. Xena is facing   
   him waiting to see if he starts to kill her, or not. He doesn't and   
   disappears. The priestess of   
   Artemis shoots an arrow at Eve, but Xena throws her Chakram.  It splits the   
   arrow into two pieces,   
   killing two warriors, and continues onto kill the woman. Eventually enough of   
   the solders are   
   beaten and they run off.   
      
   Xean give the resin to Joxer and he gets better in a hurry.   
      
   They are walking away and Joxer tells Gabrielle he knows she only loves him as   
   a friend but he will   
   always love her more than that.   
      
   Xean wonders if it is wrong to expose Eve to all the violence and bloodshed.   
   Gabrielle say yes, but   
   sometimes it's their only resort. Xena says maybe the greater wrong is to   
   never  fight. And it   
   doesn't matter where they make a stand just as long as they make one.   
      
   ...........   
      
   Another pretty good episode.   
      
   Loved the erotic flashbacks and the looks on Xena's face as she was   
   remembering them. Maybe she   
   feels more for Ares than she wants to admit??  I also noticed in her dreams,   
   she is wearing her old   
   leathers and breastplate.   
      
   Some pretty good fight scenes. Gabrielle isn't just using her sais, but   
   whatever she can. Wicked   
   looking sword.  Xena fighting with a baby hanging from a rope has been done   
   before, but it slows   
   down the action.   
      
   Gabrielle finally admits she loves Joxer, but not like he loves her, which I   
   think we all knew.   
      
   I liked the scenes with the delirious Joxer and the concerned and caring   
   Gabrielle.   
      
   Xena nursing Eve, and singing to her was nice.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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