From: davideml@bellsouth.net   
      
   5-16    Lifeblood   
      
      
      
   First airing was March 13, 2000.   
      
   The story starts out with Xena, Gabrielle and Eve heading toward an Amazon   
   camp. Gabrielle is   
   saying (to us) that this is the story of Eve's initiation into the Amazon   
   nation and the Amazons'   
   rebirth.   
      
   Gabrielle intends to give Eve her Rite of Caste to make her an Amazon   
   princess. At first Xena is a   
   bit hesitant, but seems to change her mind. When they arrive at the camp -NOT   
   the Greek Amazons,   
   there are funeral pyres for many of them because they have been in a battle   
   with Samite nomads.   
   Among the dead is Yakut. Yakut's spirit rises from her body, but only Xena can   
   see her. She throws   
   a fireball at Xena and she flashes back to men and women dressed in animal   
   skins battling against   
   each other.   
      
   The new leader of the Amazons, calling herself Cyane, gives Gabrielle a   
   necklace that belonged to   
   Amarice, who also died. It has a new bead for Eve. Xena tells Gabrielle she   
   saw Yakut's spirit.   
   Xena can't be a part of the initiation because she's not an Amazon.   
      
   Yakut talks to Xena again and tells her to dress as a shamaness, and that her   
   mission in life   
   wasn't fulfilled so she can't crossover to the Land of the Dead. The Amazons   
   are in danger and   
   their rescue is in the past.   
      
   Gabrielle dances in the moonlight, performing an Amazon ritual. There are   
   visions of another   
   (pre)Amazon, Samsara, beating up a lot of men. She goes to a shaman and asks   
   him to bring the Utma,   
   a savior from the future. A woman in present day garb appears. The men they   
   were fighting attack   
   again. The woman screams a lot during the fighting.   
      
   Later, the women (not called Amazons at this time)  catch some horses. The   
   woman, also called   
   Cyane, jumps on one of them but is thrown off. Everyone bows to her because no   
   one has ridden a   
   horse before. She tells them you don't eat horses.   
      
   Gabrielle continues dancing. There is another flashback to Cyane dancing with   
   the Amazons. She is   
   initiated with blood, as is Gabrielle.   
      
   The present-day Cyane says now it's time to go kill off the rest of the nomads   
   in order to avenge   
   Yakut's death. Gabrielle says the battle is over -- the Amazons won. She says   
   there is no need for   
   vengeance. She says the Rite of Caste ceremony will proceed.   
      
   Xena talks to Yakut's spirit. Yakut retrieves the sacred utma dagger from the   
   spirit world and Xena   
   brings it into the mortal world.   
      
   Flashback to Samara and she challenges Cyane to a foot race for some kind of   
   challenge. While   
   racing, Cyane falls into a river. She is pulled from the water by a cannibal.   
   He kisses her. Samara   
   comes in and attacks the man and they fight. When Samara starts to kill the   
   man, Cyane stops her,   
   and Samara accuses her of taking the side of the man.   
      
   Yakut tells Xena that information had been lost to her tribe. Xena says Samara   
   was blinded by   
   hatred and blood lust and this the blood lust is ingrained in their culture,   
   and even new sisters   
   are bathed in it. Xena realizes Eve will get the same blood initiation.   
      
   Gabrielle watches as the initiation for Eve begins. The Amazons start to slit   
   the throat of a   
   horse, and Gabrielle says "No!" Xena's Chakram flies in and knocks the knife   
   from an Amazon's hand.   
   Gabrielle apologies to Xena, saying she did not know the tribe initiated women   
   with blood. Her   
   tribe did not do that to her, she tells everyone. Xena says the women must   
   listen to their   
   ancestors. She lifts the dagger.   
      
   Flashback to Cyane and another  pre-Amazon woman captured by men. The man who   
   rescued Cyane from   
   the river is told to kill her but he can't do it. Samara and other pre-Amazons   
   attack and save   
   Cyane and the other one.   
      
   Gabrielle says she will not let the tribe go to war. The present-day Cyane   
   says they're going to   
   war anyway. Yakut tells Xena to stop them. Xena says she understands the   
   desire for vengeance, but   
   killing won't bring back the dead. She says if the Amazons spill blood in   
   Yakut's name, they doom   
   her for eternity. Cyane says Yakut took an arrow meant for her. Xena raises   
   the utma dagger.   
      
   There is another flashback -- the cannibals have tied up the guy who wouldn't   
   kill Cyane. They see   
   Amazons walking and attack. Other Amazons on horses, led by Cyane, attack the   
   cannibals. There is a   
   lot of fighting. One cannibal goes to kill the good guy but Cyane knocks him   
   down and unties the   
   good guy. The mean guy gets up and starts to kill her, but Samara kills him   
   first. The fighting   
   ends as the cannibals run off. Samara wants to go after them and kill them,   
   but the tribe's leader,   
   Karina, says it's over. Samara rides off mad. Cyane she tells the good guy to   
   go to his people and   
   show them a better way.   
      
   The present-day Amazons wonder how they strayed so far from the good   
   intentions of their ancestors.   
   Xena says they are supposed to fight to save lives. Gabrielle says it is time   
   for new traditions.   
   There is lots of dancing with flashbacks between the present Amazons and the   
   pre-Amazons. Karina   
   tells her people they will live without men, and they will forever be called   
   Amazons, which is what   
   Cyane first called them.   
      
   Eve receives Gabrielle's Rite of Caste by being baptized with water. Yakut's   
   spirit returns and   
   thanks Xena for saving her and her people.   
      
   The episode ends with Gabrielle's voice saying the Amazons learned to temper   
   might with mercy,   
   thanks to the innocence of a child and the wisdom of Xena.   
      
   ........   
      
   Another clip show. But with clips from the never-aired 'Amazon High.' (Every   
   time I see that, I   
   keep thinking it's short for 'Amazon High School.' I never have found out what   
   exactly the title   
   refers to).   
      
   Another episode I'm having trouble rating. Some of it wasn't too bad, some of   
   it wasn't terrible,   
   and some was kind of good.   
      
   The things I had trouble with -   
      
   Selma Blair who played the Utma/Cyane. I like her, and she's pretty enough,   
   but when she's on, I   
   can't help but see her swapping spit with 'Buffy' in the movie "Cruel   
   Intentions."   
      
   Why was Gabrielle going to give Eve her Rite of Caste with the tribe of   
   Siberian Amazons and not   
   her Greek tribe? Was that even legal?   
      
   Even though they are scantily clad, I have never been a fan of the Amazon   
   dancing. It always   
   looks ---- silly.   
      
   It sure didn't seem to take very long for the pre-Amazons to learn to ride   
   horses, and for the   
   horses to be broken.   
      
   Samara accused Cyane of siding with the guy who saved her life and said the   
   penalty was death. But   
   the next thing we saw was Cyrene and her friend being captured by the   
   cannibals - what happened??   
      
   Things I liked -   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)