Well, after such a smash-up episode last week, the big question was whether those responsible could top themselves with the big conclusion of the three-part Ring Trilogy (anyone else looking for Hobbits?). "The Return of the Valkyrie" was just so, well--impossible to discuss without spoiler space....

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OK, right off the bat, it's "one year later." We have no idea what's transpired with Xena in that year, although it's a pretty safe bet Gabrielle is still under the sleep spell. I've noticed a few postings from people wondering why Eve hadn't bothered to look up Mom in that year and come to the rescue. Perhaps, since Xena and Aunt Gabrielle were so far up north, word hadn't had time to work its way back to Eve yet. Remember, they didn't have telephones, TV news, and e-mail back then ("This just in: Xena's sidekick is trapped in an eternal flame! Details at ten."). I don't think anyone from parts one or two probably knew about Eve, and wouldn't have cared to take the effort to contact her if they did. But still, the series' mysterious non-Eve-ness continues unabated and unexplained.

It was pretty wild to see Dean O'Gorman show up as Beowulf's sidekick. I thought perhaps Hercules had been frozen as a child and was found here moonlighting as a sidekick. No, it was just the studio reusing another actor for a different role. Imagine how different things would be if the producers, when casting XWP, said, "Nah, we've used this Lawless chick already in the Hercules movie. Get somebody new."

Well, even though Gabrielle's been asleep for a year, she seems to have been building quite a reputation as "The Lady of the Ring," as Lord Erik calls her. Her beauty has become so legendary that otherwise intelligent men occasionally throw themselves into the flames with the slight hope that they are Gabrielle's soul mate. We, of course, know otherwise. And so does Beowulf. His love for Gabrielle apparently proved so great that he risked his life trying to save her by reaching into the flame himself. He singed his hand quite nicely as a reminder to not be so stupid in the future, and now he's trying to share his knowledge with Erik. Erik, being infatuated with Gabrielle's beauty (and who isn't?), won't listen to reason. Will he listen to Grinhilda?

Yes, Grinhilda has been lurking around Gabrielle all this time. I'm guessing she wasn't trying to protect the bard, but rather waiting for an opportunity to grab the ring from her. So Gabrielle's potential suitors have the flames and a monster to get through before claiming the prize.

Grinhilda's patience is wearing thin after a year, so she's pissed. I love the gory shot where she grabs Erik's warrior and rips both his arms off! Nobody can say XWP has gone soft. Then Erik, against Beowulf's advice, throws himself into the fire. Needless to say, he'll be meeting the Valkyrie soon. I loved the special effects that showed his skin being burned off by the fire.

I'm curious about Beowulf's motives for going to get the help of King Hrothgar. He says of all mortals, only Hrothgar has a chance of defeating the "demons in this accursed bog." I assume he means Grinhilda. But if that's so, why didn't he recruit Hrothgar a year ago when Grindl was first set loose? Or, if he thought Xena could handle it originally, why wait a whole year after her defeat to get Hrothgar? I guess he was too busy toasting his hand in Brunhilda's fire to think about that. That being said, suppose he conquers Grinhilda? He still can't get to Gabrielle without her "soul mate." And as far as he knows, Xena is dead, and there's no other key to the jail. I guess he'll just clear one obstacle at a time, and worry about the next one when he gets there.

At this point, Beowulf leaves to go to Denmark and get Hrothgar. He turns to bid Gabrielle farewell for now, and we get our first good glimpse of her from inside the flames. Seems her hair has been growing with her reputation. After a year, she has a long mane of hair in the back of her head (similar to the "classic" Gabrielle look), yet her bangs are still neatly trimmed. And the vines which have grown protectively around her somehow know not to cover her face. I guess Brunhilda's flame just casts a whole little magical bubble inside itself during this spell. More on Gabrielle's hair later. She's still clothed in her magical princess garb (and looking simply magical, dahling!), and she manages to look both beautiful and vulnerable. But we can feel the protective love of Brunhilda all around in the form of the eternal flame, so we don't worry about her vulnerability. Gabrielle has spent a lifetime giving love, and now love is giving back to her in the form of protection.

C'mon, did anyone not know the "bride" would be Xena? The question is, how? The cow she was riding in on was decorated up so nicely, I thought it was the bride for a moment! Then the camera panned up. How many times have Xena and/or Gabrielle appeared before someone who thought them dead? I never tire of the reactions! "What!? She's still alive?!" This time it's Beowulf's turn.

Xena looks a little vacant, as though she's still in the throes of her amnesia. If we had any doubts, when Hrothgar, the groom, unmasks himself, we immediately know she's crazy if she's going to marry this ruddy and crude king. Definitely not her type, even if he wasn't such a jerk.

When Beowulf sees Xena, he says he no longer needs Hrothgar since Xena is the key to the flames. Hello, I thought you still had to get rid of Grinhilda, and that's what Hrothgar was for. Once Gabrielle is saved, there'll be no more reason for Grinhilda to hang out there, so she'll probably be off pillaging the country side in no time.

We come to the point where Hrothgar puts his wedding ring on Xena's finger. This triggers off a short burst of ring-related memories for Xena. While this appears to daze her somewhat, her casual dismissal of Hrothgar's concerns seems to say that she's had these visions before, that this is not the first time. Can we assume she's been having visions, and now she finds herself thinking of herself as a lonely orphan with no family or friends to turn to, about to marry the King of Denmark. To most women of the time, this was probably a really cool thing to have happen to you. To Xena, these visions probably came off as signs of a growing madness or dementia, and she was scared to let anyone know about them. She probably didn't view them as visions of her past life so much as falsehoods created from her inner demons. If she ignores them, perhaps they'll go away. Unfortunately/fortunately for her, Beowulf's plan doesn't involve letting her forget her past. Imagine what went through her mind when some "stranger" suddenly appears at her wedding, appearing to share in her madness. Her whole world was about to be turned upside down. Is it any wonder she refuses to consider having known Beowulf previously? He probably scared the bejeezus out of her.

You know, I tried sacrificing a cow at a wedding once, and everyone made me leave. In Hrothgar's time, this was apparently the equivalent of cutting the cake.

I liked the little dialogue between the Valkyrie as they picked up the dead bodies around Gabrielle and prepared to cart them off to Valhalla. The straight-haired one, Waltraute, doesn't understand why an otherwise sane warrior would sacrifice himself for the love of an "ordinary woman" such as Gabrielle. The curly haired one seems to think that, if all these great people and gods are so interested in her, perhaps there's some attraction they're missing.

The Valkyrie make some vague references to Xena having died in some watery fashion. They never really go into what happened to her exactly, but seemingly she was somehow lost at sea and rescued by Hrothgar, to whom she now feels so much loyalty that she's willing to marry the guy, despite a noticeable lack of true love for him. How could anyone, even with amnesia, marry Hrothgar when the delectable Gabrielle is nearby?

There is a very uncomfortable scene where Hrothgar then proves himself even less worthy of Xena's affections. He begins to force himself on her during the wedding reception, and Xena uses every method she can think of to cool him down. What did she mean by "my priorities are different than other women's?" Does she mean she'll marry the guy, but she's looking for something cute and blond for her more intimate moments? Heh heh. Hrothgar pulls the old "I'm the king so you'll do what I say" gambit, and just as it appears Xena will lose this battle for her honor, along comes Beowulf to break the mood. Nothing like a good rape to really make a Viking wedding party!

I swear I've seen Hrothgar's sister before. All I can think of is that she looks like a young Meryl Streep with lots of makeup on. She has a refined kind of beauty that Hrothgar totally lacks. Are they sure they're related? Of course it's nice that she doesn't want a foreigner on Denmark's throne while Beowulf wants to run off with said foreigner. The two talk, and a plan is hatched (off screen) to suit both their aims.

Later, Xena appears to be giving in to her perceived madness. She's combing her hair, very roughly, obviously distraught at the slime ball she's married and the strange warrior who keeps reinforcing her crazy visions. It would almost be interesting to "hear" her thoughts on the soundtrack at this point. Must be some interesting ideas circulating around that noggin.

Beowulf comes in, disguised with a visored helmet. Xena assumes it is the king, and the kinky looking helmet is part of a sexual game he wants to play. Considering they ostensibly haven't had sex yet, I'm surprised she knows enough to immediately jump into the game, even calling him "Master" rather than "King" or "Husband." I guess she also has buried memories of her wild kinky times before Hercules came into the picture. As Beowulf demonstrates later with her combat skills, "you may not remember them, but they are inside you." Kind of makes you wonder exactly what it is that she and Gabrielle do on those long, cold nights on the road! Nah--better not go there! I don't believe in subtext, I don't believe in subtext, I don't believe in subtext, I don't....

Xena appears to be having many visions, and even though she attacks Beowulf and claims not to know him, I wonder how much of that is true. Perhaps she knows him intuitively, and she is merely in denial, hoping he will go away and stop upsetting her.

At this point, Hrothgar's sister brings in the king and a few soldiers to find his new wife together with his friend. She claims the two are romantically involved, and this is obviously the plot. Get Hrothgar to want to get rid of Xena and Beowulf, and it will make it that much easier to spirit them away. I question the plan, however. In that day, the king would probably have considered his manhood challenged by Beowulf, and he would have killed them both, if not immediately, certainly very soon. But Hrothgar just pretty much says, hey, I'm disappointed, so just take them away and "do with them what you choose." All he gives Beowulf is a punch, and Xena gets a speech about how he could have loved her for his whole life. (I'm guessing his version of love is keeping Xena locked in a tower, only to be visited a couple times a week for the ol' in-out, in-out.) Pretty casual for a PO'ed king! Of course, it's his lackadaisical attitude that allows Beowulf, with the eventual help of Xena, to fight their way to freedom just outside in the hallway.

Despite the shaky way they lead us into it, the fight scene in the hall is pretty cool. Beowulf begins the fight, and Xena, in her amnesiatic state, huddles off to the side. Eventually, when she sees Beo in trouble, her warrior instincts kick in and she begins doing her Xena stuff. And in that fine white dress, she looks damn sexy doing it. Beowulf: "See? I told you I need you." And we see Xena's beginning to think perhaps this is something she needs to be involved in, although she's still skeptical about much of what she's heard. And it's so touching when Beo holds out his hand to help Xena up, and she looks up to see a vision of Gabrielle instead. She's obviously mystified by her, yet I think she feels some connection on some level. She must go with this Beowulf fellow and get to the bottom of it all.

Although it's amusing the way Beowulf's soldier's react to having the "legendary" Xena around, falling all over themselves to make a good impression, you'd think that Xena's reputation, at this point in history, would still be that of the evil Valkyrie who unleashed the monster on the land. Perhaps after twenty five frozen years, word of her good deeds have spread to Scandinavia, and among warriors, her other skills are now valued and her redemption acknowledged. Of course, by the end of the episode, Xena's place will have to be revised in the Norse history books.

I thought it was funny when Wiglaf (O'Gorman) and another Viking start fighting over who's going to serve Xena some water. Ah, those wacky Vikings! When Xena breaks it up and admonishes them for fighting, Wiglaf replies, "That's what Vikings do! Fighting gives your life meaning." Almost a Xena-like saying. Fighting certainly gave her life meaning. Xena replies, "Do you have any idea how stupid that is?" Beowulf steps up, saying that it was a good idea when Xena said it. She then says that she knows she's not Xena if that's the case. This scene to me points out how much Xena has let Gabrielle into her very existence, let the bard shape her very inner spirit. Everything she does here revolves around playing the peace-maker, and you can imagine Gabrielle in that position, making the same decisions and saying the exact same things. Before Gabrielle, I don't think Xena had it in her to be that way, even under the influence of an amnesia spell. Those thoughts came from somewhere, and I think Gabrielle probably felt her ears burning a bit as she slept. She would approve. A very touching scene, the more I think about it.

Of course Odin's been keeping his eye on everything. He dispatches Waltraute and some other Valkyrie to go nab Xena and kill her. Again, not being very smart, he hasn't yet figured out that killing Xena will only ruin any attempt he has at obtaining the ring. Zeus really had this guy beat in the brains department. But, as we will soon see, he eventually figures this out. But when Xena sees the approaching Valkyrie swooping down from the sky, it merely adds another bit of weight to the story that she is this dangerous warrior princess.

And so she chooses this time to step up and begin to assert control over the situation instead of letting Beowulf lead her around. She tells Beo he won't get any cooperation from her if he insists on fighting the Valkyrie. She won't help save "your friend Gabrielle." Right, "your" friend. She'll be singing a different tune before this is all over!

Suddenly, Odin shows up to stop the fight. The soldiers all kneel down in tribute to their god. I loved the way Beowulf pulls Wiglaf to his feet. He apparently shares Xena's disregard for the gods. I'm beginning to think this guy would make a good romantic match for the warrior princess, if she wanted to go that route. He seems to share many of her traits, including a devotion to Gabrielle.

When Odin asks Xena if she recognizes him, she says she doesn't know him from his horse. Then she gives him the most defiant expression I've ever seen, with chin out-thrust and lips tight! No words are necessary, and she stares him down but good! Kind of reminded me of the time Ares tries to mess with Eli, and Eli just gave him this look like, "Don't you DARE mess with me, sucker!" Right on! Odin realizes that by letting Xena continue her mission, it will be easier to obtain the ring. Beowulf realizes this, too, and explains it to Xena.

I'm surprised, back in Valhalla, that Odin would put Waltraute on the mission to protect Xena so she can get to the flame. Obviously, Waltraute is incredibly jealous of Xena and her power, and she really wants Xena dead. Although she waits until Odin walks out of hearing before she voices it aloud, surely Odin realizes perhaps another Valkyrie would be best to head up this particular task force. It's so ironic that Waltraute says she won't let Xena singe an eyebrow when Xena's the only one who can't singe anything in the fire. Ooo, Waltraute, I'm scared--not!

Nice the way Gabrielle, in a vision, shows up just when Xena pulls off her wedding ring (finally) and drops it to the floor. "Are you a demon?" Ha ha! Gabrielle claims their souls are united, and when she tries to touch Xena, she jumps back in fright. I'm guessing she had a real emotional rush right then.

This segues into another fine scene in which Beowulf explains a bit to Xena about her relationship with Gabrielle, and the love and friendship the two share. Aww! Then Beo pulls out the chakram and returns it to Xena. He tells her she'll know when to use it. Like we don't know that already! But will she use it in the way we expect? Just watch that sharp edge! And already, her instincts tell her to grasp it by the middle handle. The warrior princess is nearly back.

Finally! Xena makes it to Gabrielle. Perhaps now we'll finally get to see more than a few seconds of Gabrielle at a time. I've loved the episode so far, but it has really been a pretty Gab-free zone.

I've also missed Brunhilda greatly. As I mentioned last week, I think they developed Brunhilda, over the course of "The Ring," into one of their best supporting characters. Here, reduced to a wall of flame, we really are removed from the character. As Xena stands, hesitating to leap into the flames (and who wouldn't hesitate?), Brunhilda recognizes her, and speaks to her. "The love in your heart burns stronger than any flame. You belong together, Xena." I have to admit, seeing our heroines together again, so close yet so far apart, I was really choked up by the compassion in Brunhilda's voice. And the visual of her as a wall of flame was quite impressive all by itself.

Xena is already close enough to the flames to have some eyebrow singing going on, and there's no sign of Waltraute. No, wait, Xena attempts to singe her hand, and yes, there comes Waltraute, a little late but full of spitfire! More Valkyrie attack Beo and Wiglaf, and I'm starting to wonder where Odin is. He seems to keep a close eye on things, so why isn't he popping in saying, "Waltraute! Stop at once! This isn't what I meant by protecting Xena."

Suddenly, while Xena's been trying to fend off Waltraute in battle without actually killing her, Waltraute stabs her arm (right arm, this time--a break from tradition). Suddenly, there's a warrior princess-like look in Xena's eyes, and you know she's had enough. If Waltraute knew the warrior princess they way we do, she'd take the hint and run away quickly! But Xena's ready to kill now, as it seems the last recourse. "Softness and weakness are two different things," Xena tells her. I think that's why I like Xena so much. She's soft and feminine, but she is never weak. And even more so with Gabrielle.

Xena still tries to talk Waltraute into backing off, claiming she has no beef with her; she only wants Gabrielle. During this delay, Wiglaf tosses Xena his sword to use. In his unprotected state, he is quickly skewered by a Valkyrie. Well, if Xena didn't know it was about life-and-death before, I think she knows now. She lays into Waltraute with her sword (the chakram dangling unused on her belt), and in short order, kicks her into the flames. Just before kicking her in, Waltraute thinks she's about to win, and says, "I've waited a long time for this." Xena replies, "Wait longer!" What a dry wit she has! And then, kick! For those of you wondering: no, Waltraute is not Gabrielle's soul mate, and the fire acts accordingly.

Just when you think it's over, Beowulf is suddenly run through by one of Grinhilda's horny appendages. Pretty grisly, and darn-right death-inducing, one would think. One would think wrong. With what should've been his last dying breaths, he tells Xena to hurry and jump through to Gabrielle. Xena wants to help Beowulf, but obviously there's not much that can be done at this point, so she jumps in. Couldn't she have simply stepped in? Why the leap? That must've been hard coming down on the ground at the end.

As Xena approaches the sleeping bard, she suddenly knows what to use the chakram for. She begins to cut the vines away to release Gabrielle. I thought this was a brilliant writing decision. When Beowulf gave her the chakram, you think she's going to use it in battle to defeat some enemy. Instead, she uses it for the peaceful purpose of releasing her friend. The chakram is the proverbial two-edged sword (which Xena also has one of!), able to inflict damage or provide help. What a nicely symbolic way to bring this fairy tale to a close. Xena's Way may be that of the Warrior, but it also contains much of the Way of Love, and this episode, above any others so far, really illustrates that.

And as a last sign of that love, Xena leans down over the sleeping Gabrielle and lightly kisses her lips. Certainly not a passionate kiss, but still exciting for what it represents. The writers gave the subtexters the kiss they want, yet still manage to keep it within the heterosexual overt framework of the show. Boy, do these guys like to tease, or what? And as they kiss, Xena sees a parade of memories involving Gabrielle in which the two shared close experiences and thoughts. The perfect quote comes at the end: Xena says, "It's hard to be alone," and Gabrielle replies, "You're not alone." Aww, geez, I'm chokin' up over here! And the beautiful Gabrielle opens her eyes and just smiles the most adorable smile. The two embrace, and Gabrielle says that she dreamed Xena would come back for her.

Speaking of Gabrielle's hair (we were, weren't we?), as she raises her head, we really see the longer tresses. In addition, whoever's been cutter her bangs for the last year has also been braiding her hair. Ah, the power of magic! You know, I really was upset when Gabrielle first cut her hair, but here, when she looks much like she did then, it doesn't seem right. The short hair seemed to give her a more powerful and mature look. Suddenly, she appears as a little girl again. While I'd not complain if they left her like this for the remainder of the season, I have to say I'd prefer she trim it back once she and Xena get back to the real world. At least the wig she had on didn't look as nasty as the one she wore playing Hope at the end of last season. This could've been her real hair just from looking at it.

Meanwhile, there's that little issue of the monster still outside the flames, still beating up the good guys. Xena decides she's going to use the ring one more time to try to set things right. It didn't work the first time, I don't know why she thinks she can do it here. Maybe she figures she's more mature now and will be able to hold off the onslaught of the ring's destructive powers long enough. But no, she doesn't put it on, but rather carries it in her palm as she takes on Grinhilda once more.

This time, Xena tries to talk Grinhilda into embracing the power of forgiveness. She claims it was her fault that Grinhilda ended up this way. True, but I thought it was Grinhilda (voluntarily) putting on the ring that actually was the trigger mechanism. I find it strange that merely thinking good thoughts is enough to undo such a supposedly enormous power. But this does tie in with the message they are trying to convey with the show, and it makes a nice wrap-up to the whole Grinhilda saga, so I'll go with it. And the ring is glowing, so she's obviously tapped into some sort of power here. As Xena, about to be crushed by Grinhilda, begs for forgiveness, the ring begins pulsing until it explodes. However, instead of causing destruction, it appears to have returned Xena and Grinhilda to their pre-ring states, and both emerge unscathed and back to normal. Xena holds up the ring, and it has been transformed back into a lumpen piece of Rheingold, just as it was when Xena stole it from the Rhein Maidens.

Beowulf, rather than being dead, is actually rather sprightly, and he saunters over to say goodbye to Xena. Man, this guy is unkillable! Been nibbling on that ambrosia, Beowulf? Of course Wiglaf, being a rather good guy also, emerges pretty well for having been stabbed in the gut not ten minutes before. I can see the spin-off series now: "Beo and Wig: Knights of the Norseland." An unstoppable combination. Look out, Hercules and Iolaus.

Xena hardly says "boo" to Gabrielle, but rather seems more concerned on getting Grinhilda back to Valhalla. Hey! You haven't seen Gabrielle in well over a year. Well, I guess they did have their little hugging session on the rock earlier.

At this point I'm thinking, every character has a happy ending, but what about Brunhilda? She goes through all that trouble to safeguard Gabrielle, then when she's no longer required, she just disappears! How come she doesn't return to her original state like the others? She was robbed! Robbed, I tell ya! At least Gabrielle thanks her before they leave.

As they watch the girls ride away on the flying horses, Wiglaf turns to speak to Beowulf, but Beo cuts him off. I've seen a couple of messages from people wondering what Wiglaf was going to say that Beowulf didn't want to hear. I think Wiglaf had just seen Beowulf kissing Gabrielle's hand, and knew that Beo had a crush on The Lady of the Ring. I'm guessing he was going to make some smart-ass comment about letting his lady love ride off with a warrior woman. Needless to say, Beowulf was a bit sore on this point.

As the ladies fly to Valhalla, it's hard to tell if Gabrielle is enjoying riding the flying horse more or holding onto Xena more. She seems to be having a good time, however, and is happy to see things wrapping up so nicely. Even Grinhilda looks at peace, and the three smile at each other.

Odin seems surprised when Xena shows up. Obviously his raven stopped off for a drink on the way to deliver him the news about Xena's victory. Perhaps he was expecting Waltraute with a ring? But it doesn't take long for Xena to convince him that the goodness of Grinhilda is what needs to be restored in Valhalla. As Xena and Gabrielle walk off, we see a softer light shine in Odin's eyes as he looks again on his long lost Grinhilda. They smile and embrace. OK, Xena, another wrong righted.

But what about those wimpy Rhein Maidens? Xena hasn't forgotten them. She swims through the underwater passage to their cove and receives a rather cold shoulder. I guess all those elbows to the face were not taken as love taps by the Maidens! Xena shows them the Rheingold while Gabrielle walks across land to the Rhein Maiden's pool. Why does Xena take the hard way? Odin needs to realize this is not a good way to keep the Rheingold safely guarded. I'll bet even Joxer, god rest his soul, could steal it if he wanted. You could make a whole series based on all the different people who steal the Rheingold, only to have it teach them a valuable lesson at episode's end before it is returned.

You want a perfect ending to a near-perfect trilogy? Rhein Maiden to Xena: "What magic has made Xena into such a noble creature that she would give up the power of the Rheingold?" Xena answers: "It wasn't magic." And without any further words being necessary, she turns to look at Gabrielle, her eyes brimming over with pure, unadulterated love. The music swells, I get a lump in my throat, and we are left with a fade out of long-haired Gabrielle smiling back. Stunning, simply stunning! I flick on my Bic lighter, hold it high in the air, and begin waving my arm back and forth. "More! More! More!" I chant, echoing the cry across the land.

What can I say after such an episode? After such a trilogy? After such a series? I laughed, I cried, I begged for more. The writers tossed out a fascinating story and shamelessly pulled at our heart strings, and I shamelessly let mine be pulled. I could've used a bit more of Gabrielle, but she was in virtually every scene in spirit, and as I noted, Xena was acting more like Gabrielle than Gabrielle has lately. I just rewatched "Maternal Instincts" on the Sci-Fi channel today, and it was similar to this episode in the way it pitched both women into an incredibly emotional state. I am again amazed at the jobs Lucy and Renee do to bring these characters to life. They make Xena and Gabrielle real, and you can't help but love and care about them. When they hurt, as in "Maternal," we hurt deeply. Here, when they finally get together, we feel their joy and love within our own hearts. When a TV show can have this kind of emotional impact on viewers, it has surely achieved its goal. How can this be the last season? What will the world do with Xena?

I was disappointed that Brunhilda didn't play a larger role here. After last episode, I hoped when Gabrielle was rescued, Brunhilda would revert to normal, but no dice. I guess we've seen the last of her. I'll miss Beowulf as well. He's a true and noble friend. But Grinhilda, who was only trying to do what's best, finally received her due, and that was very nice. I really thought she was the one who'd get screwed at the end. But what we have here is a story that deserves a five chakram rating. It was every bit as good as "The Ring," and these two episodes go a long way to redeem the faults I found in "The Rheingold." Who cares why Xena left Gabrielle when the story that this sets in motion proves to be such fertile ground? Surely these last two episodes were far and away the best of the season, and the Ring Trilogy certain ranks with the best of the series' many story arcs. If the remaining episodes of the series are this good, I may have to kill myself when it's over. There simply won't be any reason to go on! This episode kicked ass; this trilogy kicked ass; and this series has consistently kicked ass. Need I say more? If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go kick some ass now....
Rick(Gabriologist since the late 20th Century)
Visit my web site at ricks-studio.com for Episode Reviews,
Humorous Quotes, and other Xena-themed writing!

"Hey, Xena, how about a little tongue here?" --Gabrielle