Rick's Studio

Well, I'd say this episode really stirred up some stuff out there, considering the amount and length of the e-mails you guys have been writing! That's why I love this list so much. I think this episode, with its "To Be Continued" teaser at the end, will begin yet another season ending/beginning epic which will rank alongside Gabrielle's death in the pit with Hope and X&G's crucifixion from last year. Actually, I think it started with "Looking Death In the Eye" from last week. I just hope someone's left alive for next season. It'd get really dull with just an hour of unpeopled shots of New Zealand scenery for season 6. So, on with it...

OK, she's introduced as Livia, but you knew it was Eve. You know it's the future from last week's episode, and the girl just looks the warrior part, chopping up people with abandon in the opening scene. The Xenafied music in the background also carries the message loud and clear. I've heard a lot of people say they didn't think Adrienne Wilkinson looked enough like Xena, or acted enough like her. Personally, I think she looks a lot like her Callisto half with dark hair. She certainly has Callisto's rage thing down pat. (Personally, I think Eliza Dushku, Faith on Buffy, would've been perfect for this part!) And as for acting more like Xena, I just rewatched "Armageddon Now Part 2" on USA this morning, and in it, Xena is portrayed at about the same time in her life as Livia is now: a young woman on the verge of taking over the known world. Xena the Conqueror also had rather ratty hair in need of a good conditioner. And the unrepentant Xena was every bit the psycho, unfeeling bitch that Livia is. Whereas Xena had Hercules and Gabrielle to lead her to the light and help keep her there, Livia undoubtedly grew up thinking she was abandoned by her mother. Octavius/Augustus certainly didn't seem to mind letting her live up to her darker side since it was in the interest of Rome (I told you Xena couldn't trust a Roman emperor, no matter who he was before!). And we find out later that Ares has had a very active hand in her upbringing, and we can only guess the damage he's done. Livia is very much living up to her heritage from both sides of the gene pool, and now perhaps it is time for Xena and Gabrielle to help her come around. Perhaps Xena missed seeing Eve/Livia grow up, but due to her being frozen, she's still young and can have many years together with her daughter (if they don't kill each other first--and how many mother/daughter relationships can we say that about?). I'd say Xena's lucky to have this chance.

I absolutely loved Joxer's Xena-themed restaurant. All the chakrams hanging about, Gabrielle's scrolls framed on the walls, the Xena dolls and paintings, and Bard Burgers! Meg was a hoot ("...only Gabrielle wasn't so butch!" and her resignation when Joxer dropped the Bard Burger), and I could've used a bit more of her, but Lucy probably had too much to do to spend the week getting age makeup put on.

I see this week Joxer has a grown son named Virgil. Last week, he had a young son and daughter. Does this mean he has three children, or was there a continuity error? You'd think Joxer would've wanted X&G to meet his other children as well. There seemed to be a certain spark between Virgil and Gabrielle, but they didn't really do much with it. He's certainly handsome enough for her, and he seems to have inherited Joxer's mighty heart, so we'll see....

I find it interesting that Ares is revealed to have not known about the trick played last week, so he really thought they were dead. How come he didn't attempt to bring Eve's body back to the ice cave with X&G? He brought everything/one else, but that, again, would've caused the plot to collapse. So, I choose to overlook this, since it leaves us in a much more interesting place this week, with Ares unaware of who's going to come a-knockin'.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Octavius falls with the best of them. I can understand how he let his promise to Xena to take care of Eve twist into making her the champion of Rome. After Xena "died," he probably put her through the same regimen any rich Roman male would've gotten, learning the ways of battle. This training led her to display her brutal side, and since that helps Rome, Octavius was fine with letting it unfold that way. It also made her better able to defend herself from any possible attacks by the gods. What I can't understand is how this spoiled, bitchy, ruthless brat appeals to Octavius? I would think a man of his probable refinement would find her useful in battle, but absolutely repugnant romantically. It could be a wedding of convenience, to solidify the power of Rome, but Octavius pitifully claims to love her. C'mon, Oct, get a backbone! Seems like she's got a tighter hand on running things than he does. Of course, from what I read of Roman history, I think the person controlling the troops, Livia in this case, probably had a large say in how things go down. What's the emperor if his own troops won't back him up?

The talk between Xena and Gabrielle at the window was well done. Xena finally finds the strength to confide her weakness to Gabrielle. "I feel like there's no way out," Xena says, shedding a tear or two. Unusual for the warrior princess to admit this, even if it were true. Of course, Gabrielle knows just the right thing to say in response, pointing out that while Livia's still alive, there's hope. "Like mother, like daughter?" Sounds like a job for Hercules then!

I see Joxer's still got his trash can lid chest shield, but he thankfully left the doofus hat at home! But Gabrielle needs to pick and choose her battles more carefully. You don't pick a fight with a Roman tax collector when you're trying to sneak about the city on clandestine activities! If you're "not looking for trouble," just give the guy a couple of dinars and get on with it! Just the cost of being a hero, you know. And after twenty five years, Eli's followers are called the "Eli Believers?" Surely someone would've come up with a catchier title for his "cult" than that by now? But, as someone else pointed out, for a couple of bards, Gabster and Virgil do fight pretty well! And once again, Joxer proves the weak link in the chain, due to his age, and his capture assures the capture of the lot of them.

It's a good thing we can't read Xena's thoughts when she finally tracks down Livia, only to find her lip-locked with Ares! That'd give 'em something to bleep out when the show repeats on USA! Of course, Xena lets her chakram do the talking, splitting the space between the two, er, lovers. And now, it's Ares' turn to gape in astonishment at the return of the dead! You can just see the gears in his head shift: Livia--out; Xena--in! Then, I had to laugh when Ares walked right up to Xena, and let himself be skewered on her sword. Talk about Freudian symbolism! So if the sword doesn't hurt him, how come Xena's following head butt does? The gods work in mysterious, not logical, ways! Kind of interesting also how Ares doesn't seem to know Livia is Eve. What a tangled web they weave! Let's see if I have any more cliches to toss out for this scene. Nah.

The party scene was well done, although neither Augustus nor Ares (since when has he started hanging out with the mortal party crowd) seem to be having a good time. I love the white face/black eye makeup the women wore. Very primitive yet elegant, to say nothing of the costumes. And another nod to Joseph LoDuca for coming up with more excellent music; can't wait for the CD with this stuff on it. Xena masterminds yet another great plot, getting Ares to hang himself in front of Livia and Augustus with his unadulterated outpouring of love for her. By this point, I think he doesn't give a damn about anything except Xena; it's like an unscratchable itch for the poor guy.

Xena actually looks surprised and taken aback that Ares guesses Livia's true identity. The guy's smart and a bit close to the issue at hand. It seems she would've taken that into consideration when she got into this. Did motherhood make Xena go soft, or is this just a random glitch in strategy? She also didn't figure on Ares carrying off her body last week. I can't remember when I've seen Xena control so much rage: you can see it boiling right under her face as Ares toys with her, trying to get her to come to him to save Livia. Then comes the best exchange of the show: Xena says, "You'd condemn to death a woman you love?" and Ares replies dryly, "No, but I'd condemn her daughter." Chalk one up for the God 'o' War! At this point, Xena's fear is palpable.

I like the way Gabrielle turns her head away to hide her laughter when she realizes Joxer has been playing Xena's role in his stories to his kids. Then just when Joxer has to drop the guise and humiliate himself in front of his son, Gabrielle touches his arm and confirms the stories. What a sweetheart! And when they look into each others' eyes for a brief moment, there is a spark of love there as bright as any Joxer could hope for. Maybe he can never have a physical relationship with her, but surely he knows at this point, if not before, that he has earned her love and respect.

To think this little tramp who is trying to kill off Xena with cowardly tricks like hidden knives is the same wonderful baby we saw only a few episodes ago! I guess nurture does control over nature, so to speak, at least in the Xenaverse. "Rome is my mother," Livia says, sending what is probably a major knife through Xena's heart, even if the physical knife missed its mark. Considering Xena's relationship with all things Roman, she probably couldn't imagine a worse foster mother for her daughter, with the possible exception of the gods themselves.

After five years, the creators of the show are beginning to capture the spirit of the Coliseum's crowds. Using computer imagery to evoke a large spectacle really helped set the mood for the upcoming battle (can anyone say "Gladiator, the movie, in theaters now?"). Still not many folks in the close-up shots, but the effect was generally pretty good. Someone wrote they were surprised the Romans cheered the bad Livia and booed the good Xena before the battle. I think it's been twenty five years since anyone saw Xena. Livia is still their champion, as far as they know, and Xena is but a fading memory for a few old timers. They're rooting for the home team.

Again in response to another e-mail, I too was surprised that Livia fought on horse back. For such a self-proclaimed kick ass warrior, she certainly seems to need quite a crutch to fight Xena. Certainly the crowd would be more appreciative of her talents with a fair fight. Xena's been here before, though, and she's got the look of, "Yeah, here we have another gladiator match, let's get down to business and show 'em who's boss."

Do you ever notice how in gladiator battles, the two guys can go at it for a long time, and then one eventually gets one of those hand-tossed net thingies. The other guy always gets snagged, and that's what happens here, with Livia bagging Xena for the traditional horse-drag around the Coliseum. Why don't they just start with the net and get done early, take a shower? I guess they have to give the people some show first, or they catch hell back at training Monday. But seeing Xena cut her way out and flip up onto Livia's horse was pretty darned amazing.

I did find it hard to believe the Roman crowd got behind Gabrielle and Virgil's cry of "Life for us all!" Seems to me, I recall they liked a bit of blood and gore with their entertainment. They'd probably be upset that their champion was defeated so easily (she didn't really seem that tough out there, did she?), and they'd be clamoring for her blood. And when Xena wouldn't give it to them, one of the soldiers probably would walk out and take them both down. But, fortunately, the writers gave them an agreeable crowd for that day, and all ends well, for now. I was also surprised that Augustus waited so long for his thumbs up. Didn't he want Xena and Livia to both live? He almost looked reluctant to grant them their lives. I chalk it up to bad acting. The guy playing Augustus was certainly nothing special. Not nearly the charisma of his younger self from the earlier episodes. And Xena's looking at him with anticipation, as if she'll do whatever he judges. Yeah, right! Mother Xena's not that soft!

Another five chakram effort by the Xena team. The writing was again sharp, the directing on the mark, the acting, with the exception of Augustus, superb. Another special mention goes out to Lucy Lawless for a stellar effort. She certainly had to run through a whole gamut of moods for this episode, and she often had to let the audience see her reaction while hiding it from the other characters on screen. That's gotta take skill. The guy playing Virgil also shows promise as a returning character. And, while there are things I don't like about Livia, I think she's not supposed to be very likable. She seems bent on reenacting Callisto's psychotic ravaging of the countryside, killing everything she can't use or abuse. Hudson Leick may be more or less gone, but her spirit certainly is carried in Livia now. Before this is over, we'll see how much of Xena is in there as well. Lucy thinks the show's played itself out after five or six seasons? I say to her, Bah! This show is riding a peak that began in season one and, with a minor ruffle here and there, continues to be the best show on television year in and year out. Hold out for more money, do a season seven, and rest well knowing you've done right!