From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
                                                   A Friend in Need – The   
   Director's Cut   
      
       The director being Rob Tapert.   
      
       As I have said a couple times before, these critiques are from the DVDs   
   (hence the Director's Cut), not when the episodes originally aired.   
      
       This was shown as one complete episode, and not broken up into two   
   parts.   
      
       When I started watching it I wasn't sure if I'd recognize any of the   
   added scenes, and since I was watching more closely, some things I saw I   
   wasn't sure about. But then I did start noticing new things. And some scenes   
   were pretty long. So, here they are, and I'm pretty sure they're in   
   chronological order.   
      
       The first thing I was sure about was the fight evil Xena had with the   
   guards of the Akemi's kidnapper. There were at least a half dozen more than   
   in the Aired Version.   
      
       There was more walking in the snow to Akemi's grandfather.   
      
       Right after X&G dove into the water to swim to Higuchi, there was a long   
   scene between Yodoshi and Akemi. He swirled in and wanted to know where the   
   kutana was. He told her he knew Xena was coming and he thanked her – one   
   more soul for him to eat. Then he swirled out.   
      
           X&G got out of the water and there were more scenes of the soldiers   
   and the burning village. After the water tower put the fire out, the samurai   
   general told Xena they would meet again.   
      
       Right after Xena showed Gabrielle how to put on the Pinch, the ghost   
   killer came in and asked Xena if she was ready.   
      
       After burying her armor, there was a short scene of Xena running through   
   the foggy forest before she stopped to listen for the soldiers and wagon.   
      
       Before the volleys of arrows started, Xena was fighting soldiers with   
   iron pikes. She kicked one toward the samurai general but he caught it.   
      
       More fighting before Xena was beheaded.   
      
       Gabrielle tells the monk for them to split up then goes after Xena. More   
   of her walking on the battlefield before she found the Chakram.   
      
       When Gabrielle went after Xena's body, there was more of her and the   
   general staring and circling each other in the rain.   
      
       Yodoshi swirled away as fire when his arm was cut off. He landed then   
   took over the body of a hawk to fly to Mt Fuji. Xena and Akemi saw the hawk   
   and were going to take the bodies of an owl for Xena and some other bird for   
   Akemi.   
      
       But before they did, Akemi took Xena aside to tell her something about   
   saving their souls. A brief cutaway to see Gabrielle riding towards Mt Fuji.   
   Then back to Xena and Akemi, and Xena is agreeing to whatever Akemi told   
   her. (Obviously this is the crucial scene we should have seen to know why   
   Xena told Gabrielle she could not came back to life.) They take the bodies   
   of the birds and fly to Mt Fuji. (I wondered how Akemi got there.)   
      
   The hawk lands and becomes Yodoshi and he runs to the fountain to open the   
   valve. The owl lands, turns into Xena and she goes after him. When he is   
   thrown away by Xena, the bird turns into Akemi and she grabs the sword to go   
   after him.   
      
   After Yodoshi freezes the falling water and Xena is knocked away, she gets   
   up and runs back to the fountain and is knocked back again, this time with a   
   fireball.   
      
   The final scene of the camera pulling away from Gabrielle on the deck of the   
   ship  was completely gone, not even the distant view of her that was barely   
   seen in the Aired Version.   
      
   A few final thoughts --   
      
   After seeing Xena in that bright red robe and the lipstick, once she was   
   back in her warrior leathers, she looked so DRAB!!  It was like going from   
   color to black and white (or sepia).   
      
   Unfortunately, there was no extended scene of Gabrielle kissing Xena.   
      
   Why did Akemi wait so long before sending for Xena?   
      
       I doubt if knowing ahead of time that Xena might not be able to come   
   back would have made the ending any less distressing, or left (some of) us   
   any less angry (probably not), but the missing scene should have been left   
   in and three or four minutes taken out somewhere else.   
      
           [ It's too bad they couldn't have made arrangements with the   
   networks to show an extended version of, at least, Part Two, as they did   
   with the 'Buffy' musical episode, which ran about 12 - 15 minutes long.]   
      
       Thanks for everyone who's stuck with it, and for the comments.   
      
                               Battle On!   
      
      
      
   David   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)