From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
   2-02 Remember Nothing   
      
   First air date – Oct 7, 1996   
      
   The episode starts out with Gabrielle walking along behind a mounted Xena,   
   (and for some strange reason, Gabrielle was wearing her long skirt and blue   
   blouse from the beginning of Season One!!).   
      
   They arrive at the Temple of the Fates where Xena goes every year to honor   
   the death of Lyceus, her brother who was killed fighting Cortese (and   
   Gabrielle changed into her green top and short skirt).   
      
   Afterward, they go outside where a bunch of warriors are attacking the   
   Temple. Xena and Gabrielle fight them off. One runs at Xena and she stabs   
   him, he falls dead and his helmet comes off – he's a young boy in his early   
   teens.   
      
   Xena goes back into he temple and the Three Fates appear and grant her one   
   wish as a reward for protecting their temple. She wishes he had never killed   
   the boy and had never taken up the sword.   
      
   When she goes back outside, she is plain old Xena, Gabrielle is gone, the   
   temple is gone, and Lyceus walks up, no longer dead.   
      
   There is a cut to two of  the warlords the old Xena killed – Mezentius and   
   Krykus, who are joining their armies.   
      
   Xena goes home and her fiancé, Maphius, shows up. Xena finds out her mother   
   died ten years ago, so she goes to the mausoleum to visit her casket.   
      
   She tells her mother that she never wanted her to die, but at least Lyceus   
   didn't, and Gabrielle was still with her family. (I guess Xena forgot that   
   when she first met Gabrielle, she was being led off by slaver traders!)   
      
   Xena goes into a store where a Slave Boss is about to beat Gabrielle, who is   
   a slave. Xena stops him just as Maphius comes in to keep Xena from fighting   
   the Slave Boss.   
      
   Xena sneaks into the castle in a wagon load of food to rescue Gabrielle. But   
   Gabrielle can't understand why a stranger would want to help her. Gabrielle   
   shows her whip marks on her shoulder – what happens to runaway slaves.   
      
   Xena still talks Gabrielle into escaping with her – they are catapulted up   
   the chimney, over the castle wall and into the slowest form of escape   
   vehicle known to man.   
      
   Back at Xena and Lyceus' home, Xena gives Gabrielle a dress belonging to   
   Xena's mother.   
      
        Gabrielle thinks Xena needs another house slave. But Xena tells   
   Gabrielle she reminds her of  her best friend who is "the purest, the   
   kindest person I’ve ever known.  Someone who’s full of wonder, and—and   
   stories, and would never give up on anything-- or anyone.”   
      
       Gabrielle answers,   “Then you better look again.  It’s not me.”   
   (WOW!   
   She sure toughened up!)   
      
       While Gabrielle is changing clothes, Lyceus is trying to plan strategy   
   to stop Mezentius, Krykus and Caputius (another warlord) when they attack   
   Amphipolis. They think Maphius is fetching some of the citizens of   
   Amphipolis.   
      
       Gabrielle comes out, now beautiful, and she and Lyceus exchange   
   "meaningful" glances – which isn't lost on the approving Xena.   
      
       Maphius comes, with soldiers, saying all they want is the slave girl and   
   they will go away. He is betrayed, and Xena, Gabrielle and Lyceus are taken   
   captive and hung in individual cages.   
      
       Lyceus is mad at Xena for not fighting back.   
      
       Xena apologizes to Gabrielle who doesn't know whether to thank Xena or   
   hate her for her few moments of freedom and hope.   
      
       A soldier comes in to get Lyceus. It is Maphius, who has seen the error   
   of his ways. After they are free, Lyceus runs away to the banquet hall to   
   challenge the warlords. Xena follows and a big fight ensues.   
      
       Lyceus can't understand why Xena won't use a sword. But he throws one to   
   her anyway, and she catches it.   
      
       Mezentius runs at Gabrielle, who has picked up a sword and   
   unhesitatingly kills him, much to  Xena's anguish.   
      
   Xena then kills her attacker, and she is back outside the Temple of The   
   Fates, with the same young boy running at her. But instead of stabbing him,   
   she knocks him down, makes him swear to stop killing, and lets him go.   
      
       Gabrielle comes up to her and Xena puts her arm around her, saying the   
   hug is just for Gabrielle being herself.   
      
       They walk off together, with things back to 'normal'.   
      
   ………………………   
      
       Okay, I have to say that I  LOVE   alternative-universe stories where   
   the main characters meet under different circumstances. And I thought   
   "Remember Nothing" did a great job of it!   
      
       I liked this one even better than "Orphan of War" and is one of my   
   favorites so far, including S1.   
      
       It was a real pleasure seeing a different Gabrielle. How hard her life   
   must have been –  her spirit and love for life  brutally beaten out of her.   
      
       And how different the slave Gabrielle and the newly-freed Gabrielle   
   looked.   
      
       The scene with Xena talking to her mother's casket (Cyrene – I wonder   
   why her name was never mentioned) was very moving and touching.   
      
       Three times we saw people getting stabbed (the young boy by Xena,   
   Mezentius by Gabrielle, and the guy Xena killed), and all three times the   
   swords were VERY bloody! Definitely to make a point (a terrible pun, I   
   know!).   
      
       No mention of Toris. Maybe he ran away like he did in 'Death Mask' and   
   no one talked about him.   
      
       Fun fighting scene at the beginning with Xena swinging around one pole   
   and the  other.   
      
       The pacifist Xena certainly has that 'sway' when walking away from the   
   camera, wearing the long dress.   
      
      
       A couple of the inevitable nit picks –   
      
       Gabrielle's clothing change between the teaser and the first act.   
      
       After Xena and Gabrielle's escape via the chimney into the wagon – why   
   was there no pursuit, and why choose the wagon? Wouldn't a horse make more   
   sense?   
      
       Really liked this one. An 8 out of 10.   
      
      
      
   David   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)