Rick's Studio

Well, before everyone gets into discussing this week's Xena, I figured I'd better find time to review Seeds from last week. Before I begin, let me give a quick thanks to Charles Polk for giving me some insight into how the Greek gods work their magic. Without that, Ares' actions in this show had seemed somewhat out of character to me.

First off, we all knew the baby's "father" would be revealed this episode. My expectations were high, and somehow I'd gotten the idea the baby would also be born this episode. I expected a lean mean Xena, high kicking some bad ass next week, but obviously I got ahead of myself. We get the father, but that's about it. Not really even much discussion of the consequences, once the father is revealed. But that's why we have story "arcs", right? But let's get to the story itself:

In another link to Jesus, it appears Eli not only has followers now who listen to him, but now has Apostles actively spreading his word. In the opening, we see an Apostle trying to convince the crowd they don't need the old gods any more. Seems like Charles could've rewritten the dialogue a bit to clarify for the viewers exactly why the peasants don't need to fear the gods. If they stop worshipping the gods, the gods lose their source of power and therefore their ability to retaliate. A vicious circle that can be broken. I don't think they make the connection clear between the peasants and the power source. But then Xena makes her patented entrance...

Whoa! Is Gabby a tightly-wound coil of destruction now or what?! She could've just said, "Hey, back off, Jack!" but instead beats the tar out of that poor defenseless peasant! Even Xena was suggesting she might be a little trigger-happy, and that's saying something! Have we totally lost the peace-loving bard of yore? I hope as the season goes on, she finds a more successful balance between Yoga Karma Stupid Girl and The Gabinator. But, I still say, "You go, girl!"

The best line in the show is when Ares arrives, and Xena pegs Gabrielle as the father. Much has already been written about this, but Ares says, "Well, somebody clearly got the job." Then Xena says, "Yeah, Gabrielle." I don't think they meant that Gabby is the biological father (as many fans might wish), but rather that she got the "job." This stems back to one of the earlier episodes this season when Gabrielle tells Xena that she considers the child to be hers as well (or something to that effect). They're a family now, in the distended 90's...er, 00's...sense of the word, and Gabrielle has the father's role as care-taker of the group, at least for now.

Seems kind of funny that when Eli sees Xena is pregnant, he doesn't ask who the father is. Is this because he already knows? He seems to have some understanding of the "plan", and if the baby is part of that.... I was sorry to see him killed in this episode, since the character just keeps getting more and more interesting. I feel sorry for the list member who is starting up the Eli Admiration Society club or whatever it's called. Of course, being dead and all, he'll probably be in more upcoming episodes than even Joxer! Just kidding!

I felt the scene when angel Callisto appears to a meditating Eli was quite well done. The acting, dialogue, music, all came together. Somehow, Callisto makes a more believable angel without the backlighting and wings. Here, she was a simple person from Heaven come to give Eli some confidence in his Way. When she kisses his cheek, and his head turns to reveal a tear, I really choked up. No, Eli, run away!!! A man of peace shouldn't have to endure his end through a brutal act of violence! Of course, that's just what Ares wants. Scare him off before he has to kill him. I guess even Ares knows how a martyr can fan the flames of rebellion. But even back in the early days (see The Way) Eli showed a martyr's complex. It was just a matter of time before somebody got him.

When Xena comes to defend the bridge to the village, why doesn't she just cut the ropes to disable the bridge? She had to do that anyway, and in the meantime, she has to slice-and-dice quite a few soldiers. And who was downbraiding Gabrielle for unnecessary violence earlier?

Meanwhile, Eli is getting skewered by Ares. On second viewing, I notice, with Gabrielle standing right behind Eli, she is nearly done in as well. If that sword had been a little longer.... But if Eli's gonna get it, at least Gabrielle was there for him as he died, and his last view was of her love for him, not Ares taunting face.

Suddenly, another superior scene comes up. Gabrielle, wracked with grief, working out her frustrations on some poor tree. First, the scenery was great! The vast sand dunes, empty. The tree, dead. The whole scene really fit with Gabrielle's mental state, and it was like something out of some 60's European avant-garde art film. Even gods popping in and out! Quick, check the credits to see if Fellini came back from the dead to direct! What starts out as another (well-done) scene of Gabby venting her frustrations (remember her reaction the first time Xena died and that poor bush she whacked half to death?) turns into a bizarre scene of high drama, with a smooth-talking Ares alternately flirting with, threatening, consoling, and even educating our dear Gabrielle. You can almost feel Gab quiver as Ares lets her feel the strength of a god for a few moments (is she gonna have some tales to tell in her later years or what?). Subtle, yet very, very powerful. It's stuff like this that makes me argue with anyone who claims Xena is not the best show on television. Yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! Sorry, I can't help it!

Xena burns Eli up. Aren't there any other ways of dealing with a dead body back in the old days? I guess the crew can all toast marshmallows after the shoot! But Callisto shows up, and I found Xena's reaction rather interesting. She accuses Callisto of playing a "game." Apparently, Xena views the "new"gods in the same way she does the "old" ones. They are a bunch of people with too much power playing games that hurt innocent people. And what's this about Eli's soul being reincarnated in a new body to continue the cycle of life? "I liked him just fine in his old body!" Lucy does get the best lines! Something tells me that information will reverberate in a later episode.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the Hind's blood was the only way to kill a god? I believe on Herc and Xena we've seen several other ways to do it recently. Now we have the Dagger of Helios! Maybe it, too, has Hind's blood on the blade? I must say, that twisty blade looks like it could kill just about anything!

Gabrielle talks to Eli's ashes while Xena talks to Callisto: well, we're finally getting an episode that reveals what's going on in the character's heads as these vast changes are occurring around them. This makes up for all the fast-paced action episodes we've been getting this season. Why talk when you can kick butt? Well, watch this episode to see a good balance.

And any Gabrielle fan had to love her standing up to Ares. "Peace is worth fighting for!" indeed. Takin' him down with just her sais and a lot of guts! "You'll always be a goody-two-shoes." "Yeah, but with a really big sword." How funny! Ya gotta love it! And just like in the good old days, Xena comes to Gabrielle's rescue, but it's not the cowering peasant girl, but the kick ass warrior. Sometimes you need a friend, and these two are the best.

Then, at the end (you were expecting it earlier?), we get the bombshell. It's Callisto! Well, somehow I expected more of a surprise, but in the Xenaverse, there is a certain poetic logic to it. Up until now, Xena's been pushing away the good Callisto, and what better way to finally get her over that rift than to bring Cal into the family. I wonder if Hudson's going to play the grown baby or if they'll get someone else?

Well, this show has to be my favorite of the season so far, end of discussion. It combined some of the best from the past (Callisto, Ares) with the best of the new (fighter Gab, Eli). The acting was up there with their best work, the writing was sharp, the music and photography superb as usual, the story was interesting and well-paced, and we were treated with good action scenes balanced with great dialogue-driven ones. I laughed, I cried. Three thumbs up!