From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
   1.16 Mortal Beloved   
      
   First aid date – Feb 12, 1996   
      
   The ghost of Marcus (The Path Not taken) appears and tells Xena help is   
   needed in the underworld. She leaves Gabrielle sitting next to Lake   
   Alcyonian while she dives to the bottom to get to Tartarus and Marcus.  He   
   tells her that somehow the EVIL Atyminius has stolen Hades' Helmet of   
   Invisibility and has the innocents in Tartarus and the dead bad guys are   
   partying in the Elysian Fields.   
      
   Xena and Marcus go to Hades' castle, fight off two Harpies and go in to find   
   a moping Hades. She tells him that Atyminius is going topside to start   
   killing mortals again. Hades agrees to make Marcus alive again for 48 hours   
   so her can help Xena.   
      
   Atyminius comes up from the lake near Gabrielle, starts to cut her up, but   
   she fights him off, kind of, with her staff. But he beats her and just   
   before he can do her in, Xena and Marcus arrive on the scene.  They follow   
   Atyminius to a village where a wedding festival is going on. Atyminius likes   
   to kill brides just before they get married.   
      
   Xena tells the bride's dad she will take her place in the ritual bathing. Of   
   course the invisible Atyminius is listening in. But Xena pulls the old   
   switcheroo and the bride goes to her bathing while Xena stays in her bed   
   waiting for Atyminius. They fight, she kills him. Then she and Marcus go   
   back to Hades. But he had to re-evaluate Marcus' life to see if he really   
   deserves to be in Tartarus. Xena talks him into it and Marcus is to spend   
   eternity in the Elysian Fields. And Gabrielle is once again waiting by the   
   lake shore for Xena.   
      
   For some reason not a favorite episode. Not a fan of Marcus.   
      
   Things to nitpick – Xena's swimming suit didn't look like what she wears   
   under her leathers and armor.   
      
   How is it Xena didn't know what Harpies were?   
      
   Why was it she and Marcus came up  from the lake okay, but the last time   
   Xena came up she was in such bad shape?   
      
   Why is Hades such a wimp?  Okay, he's not a totally omnipotent god, but he   
   all he can do is sit and sulk in his castle without his helmet? He can give   
   life back to Marcus, but he can't fight Atyminius?   
      
   Again, more of a Xena episode, not so much of Gabrielle.   
      
   Charon looked so familiar, but I couldn't place him until I read the   
   credits. It was Michael Hurst.  I like him so much more as Charon than as   
   Iolaus !!   
      
   Out of ten, I had to give this a six.   
      
   David   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)