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scifi_rewatchI love this episode on principle because it sets up some great plot for Gabrielle and it introduces some neat, recurring characters and storylines. Phantes and Ephiny! Centaurs and Amazons! (the PC terms :P) Gabrielle becoming an Amazon Princess! How does that rank against a Warrior Princess? Of course, Gab asks this very thing at the end of the ep. :P
From Xena’s perspective I appreciate how dogged she is about getting the truth. She starts the eppy by saying she doesn’t trust the Centaurs (a truth that will prove more complicated in later backstory,) but when she senses something’s off she doesn’t let them take the blame. She’s also very respectful and knowledgeable about Amazon culture, which helps pave the way for them with the warrior women. Ah, female-centric cultures…have I mentioned that I love this show? Hee.
Gabrielle is mysteriously back in her farmgirl outfit again (actually, they aired the episodes out of order. :P) She’s showing off her new walking stick, which Xena takes and swings around as a staff. Foreshadowing much? They notice some twine wreaths hanging from trees, and Xeen explains they’re meant as “no trespassing” signs in Amazon territory. They don’t stop walking, however, and in response lots of green arrows fall at their feet! Xena puts her sword down and tells Gabby to mimic her hands up and clasped above her head. Amazon warriors, in colorful, feathered masks, swing down from vines in the trees. One commends Xena for knowing “the Amazon symbol of peace.” Xena asks for safe passage. The woman, Terreis, takes off her mask, confused as to how the warrior princess knows so much about them. Another Amazon, Ephiny, is slightly more cynical and wants to take them to Queen Melosa, so that’s what they do.
The babbling bard is walking with Terreis and explaining how even though she’s a woman she wants to learn about philosophy and history. “The Amazon world is based on truth, on a woman’s individual strength,” Terreis intones. “I’m all for that!” Gabs responds. It’s like a whole culture of Xenas. :P
Speaking of Xena, she and Ephiny are not having such a fun time walking side by side, but suddenly they’re ambushed by new arrows, this time with blue tips. The Amazons swing back into the trees while Xena fights the arrows off with her sword. Terreis falls when an arrow pierces her and Gabby shields her body from further attack. “What you did only an Amazon would do for another Amazon,” Terreis rasps. She gives Gabby her rite of cast, despite Ephiny’s protests, and dies as Gabs says yes. Uh oh, what did our girl get into this time??
Drums beat and Amazons dance to feminine undulations. “Hail Melosa!” some cry as others fight with crafted sticks. Xena and Gabby watch all this. The Amazons carry out Terreis, covered with a sheet. One masked woman uncovers herself and breaks an arrow over the body, then puts it on top of the sheet. Xena explains that they are preparing to send Terreis to the Amazon patron goddess, Artemis. The woman who unmasked herself approaches our heroes and says she’s Queen Melosa. She offers her thanks for their attempt to help Terreis, and she offers them free passage. But they should go soon, because war is likely coming.
The Amazons are dragging in a half-horse/half-man…a centaur! :P Xena sneers and tells Gabby “let’s just say they’re no friends of mine.” Yikes. Ephiny presents the blue arrow that hit Terreis as his. Melosa knows this centaur—she names him Phantes then slaps him hard! “You will have until the end of our mourning period to make peace with your gods.” Phantes is very threatening for a dude with a rope around his neck—do they think the centaurs will let them get away with this? He’s the son of Tyldus! Oh, always so many names with “Xena.” :P Once Phantes is taken away, Melosa explains that a village of centaurs and men want to lay claim to their hunting grounds. But Gabby is more interested in getting Xena alone and asking about her beef with the centaurs. “I fought them—I never defeated them,” she answers. So much for leaving the past behind you. :P
As Xena goes off for some solitary exploration Ephiny approaches Gabrielle. Gab confirms that she hasn’t told Xena yet about the rite of cast. And you don’t really want it, do you? Ephiny presses. Terreis’s funeral pyre is lit and the two women watch her body burn. Gabs doesn’t answer.
Xena has gone to see Phantes; she demands to know if he killed Terreis. “Amazon had a name, did she?” Phantes asks snidely. Xena repeats herself, and says she’d find it odd if a son of Tyldus committed a murder. A-whaa?? I thought you hated the centaurs, Xeen! Sounds nice and complicated. :P Maybe he’s just starting the war, Phantes says. Xena calls that stupid—he certainly got captured easily enough. Phantes asserts that he’d happily kill all the Amazons…and maybe he’ll get his chance “if my father can muster the courage for battle.” Yeah, this guy sounds rather guilty. Or rather amped up, at least. :P
Melosa is meeting with the local warlord, Krykus, who is both wearing more colorful clothing and faker facial hair than most “Xena” warlords. :P He says he also sent an emissary to the centaurs and has no personal interest in their war. Uh huh. Before leaving he sneers “I would offer condolences at the murder of your sister—“ “But I wouldn’t believe them anyway,” Melosa snaps. Charming guy. As he leaves Xena enters. She wants Melosa to stop the war, but Melosa counters that her intent in all this isn’t war at all. “That’s up to the centaurs. I intend to execute a murderer.” Xena counters that either way, her actions will lead to mass death. Melosa is a little taken aback by this attitude. She heard about “the battle at Corinth” aka Xena’s army vs the centaurs. Many Amazons revere Xena for taking them on, Melosa says. Tyldus fought her army to a standstill, Xena reminds the Amazon queen. And kidnapping his son is certain to bring war. Beyond this, she thinks Phantes is innocent. Melosa turns away from Xena and sticks Terreis’s sword into the fire. It has to burn through the mourning period, she explains, and then it will be used to execute her murderer. Xena has until noon tomorrow to fix this mess!
Gabrielle still thinks the centaurs are gunning for war, but Xena disagrees; “only fools and profiteers ask for war. The centaurs are neither.” Quite a nice way to talk about a group you don’t like! Xena climbs aboard Argo and tells Gabs to stay here…thanks to her actions with Terreis, the Amazons surely won’t treat her like a stranger. :P Quite the opposite, in fact. As Xena gallops off Ephiny comes in with Melosa. This rite of cast business is a pretty big deal; Gabs will be taking Terreis’s place in the Amazon tribe. And, as Melosa’s birth sister, Gabs is now an Amazon princess! :-O
Xena, meanwhile, is approaching tombstones shaped like crescent moons on the top. She uses one as a shield when a centaur fires an arrow at her. Another charges with his spear, which Xena grabs and knocks him chest-first into a huge log. Ouch. She knocks a man to the ground and is then surrounded by centaurs with arrows. “Hold your fire!” Says the silver-haired leader. It’s Tyldus, and he recognizes Xena! Perhaps in deference to that (or cos she’s a good person now) Xena applies pressure points to the centaur she shoved to help him breathe better… and then stabs him in the side to reach into his body and rearrange some organs that went out of alignment. :-O Damn. Something tells me we won’t be seeing this in an ER room. At least not without anesthesia, I hope!
The Amazons have dressed Gabby in her outfit from last eppy. Gabs says she feels strange but her new sisters insist that it’s an honor. Ephiny tells her that Terreis didn’t think all centaurs were evil; “just misguided.” Gab is made thoughtful by this revelation about her predecessor. But Ephiny, none too happy about this, has to interrupt in order to take Gabby to her first weapons training class. Gabs has a hard time picking what she wants to start with. “No, I don’t like swords, can’t hit the side of a Cyclops with a bow and arrow…” She decides upon a fighting staff. Surprise surprise! Ephiny displays some Xena-like martial moves, impressing her pupil.
Xena is imploring Tyldus to give her time to try and help Phantes before he marches off to war. Tyldus asks why he should trust an old enemy, and Xena challenges if he’s still the same centaur he was at Corinth. Touche. Tyldus doesn’t want war, he admits. But his son is innocent and he will get him back. Xena agrees about Phantes’s innocence, but whoever wants this war? “You’re playing into his hands.” Tyldus responds, well sorry to disappoint you, but my people are attacking sometime before noon tomorrow. Then he tells Xena she has to go. “You and I are still enemies and I’ll still kill you if I have to.” Damn. Xena can sure make an impression on people.
Gabrielle keeps whacking herself with her stick as she trains. :P Ah, well-timed humor. Ephiny comes by to check on the progress, and Gab’s latest trainer says she’s “not bad…” Hee. Gabrielle says it’s fun, which makes Ephiny arch her eyebrow. The staff can be a deadly weapon. She brings a horse forward and explains with bone-crunching detail how it can be used to kill a centaur. Yikes. “Still fun?” she asks a sobered Gab.
Phantes is in the process of struggling out of his ropes when Ephiny appears and puts a sword to his neck. The centaur is unnerved that he didn’t hear her enter, and the two bat some trash talk back and forth for a little bit. Terreis was wrong to think that centaurs were good, Ephiny declares. Phantes claims he’s innocent. Ephiny asks if he’ll swear on Tyldus’s name, which he does. That sobers our cynical little Amazon a little.
Pretty moon over river shot, then Xena climbs up the Amazon ropes, coming face to face with Ephiny! Damn, is that girl everywhere? The two of them fight a bit before Xena throws Ephiny to the ground, where she is immediately surrounded by centaurs. Xena plays both sides; climbing on a centaur’s back to stop him, then catching Ephiny’s arrow before it pierces his heart. Damn, it’s hard to be a peacemaker in Xenaverse. :P Xena and Ephiny climb into the tree in order to escape this centaur. Ephiny demands to know why Xena saved her, to which Xena replies she wants to prevent a war. Once a centaur or Amazon is killed, then all bets are off.
Xena goes further to explain her theory—Krykus killed Terreis! He framed it to look like the centaurs. “He gains everything from this war,” Xena theorizes. The ladies reach the scene of the crime and find some evidence to back this claim. I’ll get into that later. :P Now, they need to figure out how Krykus knew Phantes would be there to take the fall.
The Amazons are doing another dance number as Gabrielle looks around awkwardly. But this behavior isn’t becoming for an Amazon princess, so some of her new sisters pull her to her feet. She gets into the spirit…or a spirit, anyway…quickly, jumping around enthusiastically and shouting “woo-hoo!” When Melosa appears the revelry stops and everyone bows, though it takes awhile for hyped-up Gab to get the message. Some sisters bring her up to Melosa for some official tribe-induction stuff. For example, as Terreis’s successor, she gets the former princess’s sword and the duty of killing Phantes. :-O Gab protests; she’s not capable of killing! This excuse doesn’t fly for an Amazon princess, though. “To refuse would be your own death,” Melosa tells her. Yikes. Shoulda read the fine print, Gabby.
Xena visits Krykus’s camp and posits an alliance while Ephiny stealthily looks for centaur-colored weapons. “Not really,” he scoffs, since that’s all he’s capable of. “A battle between the hooves and the harlots…I wonder who would win.” Hello, non-PC title! Xena decides to share her theory on who would “win” this war. How about a warlord who gets more territory when both sides are weakened? She finds a crude map on Krykus’s map to illustrate her point; there’s little reference made to either Amazon or centaur territory. “Did you have it drawn before the murder or after?” she asks silkily. Krykus makes a weak excuse but Xena isn’t biting. The warlord stabs the map and accuses her of accusing him of murder. Detective Xena takes an interest in the dagger he used—it has a ruby hilt and is identical to the one she used when playing doctor on that centaur…she took it off of one of the men traveling with them. “Do you give them out as gifts?” Oh Krykus; you are way out of your league with this warrior princess! The warlord is saved from answering when Ephiny tears a hole in his tent when she throws a goon through it. Xena takes down the support beam, briefly trapping Krykus inside the falling structure as she and the Amazon escape. Ephiny is telling her friend of the blue-tipped arrows she found but Krykus lets them go; “there’s no way this war will be stopped now.” Sounds like a challenge, man.
Pretty sunrise! Gabs, carrying Terreis’s sword, follows Melosa as she addresses the Amazons. Phantes is pulled in…hey, wait a minute, don’t we still have, like six hours before noon??? “I’m sorry your sister died,” an awkward centaur tells the Amazon queen. Melosa considers this, then tells Gabs to stab him in the heart and “don’t let him suffer.” I love the complexity of these relationships. Gabby protests and stalls, though off camera her sisters are calling for justice. “Kill the beast!” Gabrielle presses the sword to his heart and Phantes pleads for his life. It’s touching, but a little drawn out…
…enough time for Xena and Ephiny to get back, of course! Xena says she can clear his name, and no one sounds more relieved about that than Gabby. “Thank the gods!” she breathes as she drops the sword. They have proof, the warrior princess says…but then she’s distracted by Gabrielle’s outfit. :P “I’m an Amazon princess?” Gabs says tentatively, to which Xena groans, “Great.” LOL. Anywho, the proof from before is dung from the crime scene! But since there’s hay in it, it belongs to a horse (presumably ridden by a man) rather than a centaur.
Melosa still isn’t convinced, and wants the execution to go on as planned. So Xena, displaying more knowledge of Amazon custom, demands a royal challenge! Nice try, Xeen…but that’s only valid when made by a member of royal, Amazon blood. Xena makes eyes at Gabby until she gets it. :P See, Xeen, this Amazon princess thing might work out for you after all! Gabs challenges Melosa but the queen easily deflects her. “Gabrielle, do you want to fight to the death?” Uh…not really! Gabrielle reneges. It’s too late; the challenge has already been made! Ephiny says. Choose a weapon…or a champion. More eyeball hints here, hee. Then Gabs picks Xena, surprise surprise! Melosa’s a bit pissed off by the whole thing and says they’ll all die—including Ephiny—if Xena loses. Eesh, she has a nasty side! But to be fair, Ephiny is giving Xena tips on Melosa’s weaknesses; not exactly inspiring loyalty here! Then again she is standing up for the truth. Gabrielle scoffs that Xena knows how to fight, to which Ephiny asks the warrior princess the quintessential question: “she’s annoying; how do you put up with her?” :P In response Xena tells Ephiny to get Gabs out if she loses, aaw.
Xena gets to choose weapons; she goes for chobos, little fighting sticks. They swing them around for show a little before the fight begins! The women all hoot and holler except for Ephiny. Xena and Melosa parry back and forth and occasionally have to jump when the other swings below the knees. They end up flipping onto some scaffolding for a little bit before Xena throws Melosa down. The fight continues until Melosa’s on her back and Xena towers over her with all four chobos. Some nice martial arts moves, but certainly not the best “Xena” can do. She lets Melosa up, however, saying she doesn’t want to kill her. Ephiny calls off the execution of Phantes “by order of our new queen.” …that would be Gabby, right?? Xena was just her champion! Drums play and the Amazons kneel, but it looks like they’re kneeling to Xena. Guess she was the one who proved herself. “The strength of an individual woman,” Terreis told Gab.
But let’s not get too caught up in this; the centaurs are here! A little late, guys! The Amazons rise and everyone goes for their swords. “We’ll talk with your queen!” Tyldus says and sure enough it’s Xena who strides up. I should have known, the centaur growls. But Xena drops her sword and says he’s won! The rest of the Amazons—including Melosa—follow suit. They also cut dear Phantes free. “You taught me that greatness doesn’t depend on fighting,” Xena reminds the father of their Corinth days. “It’s the battles you choose and the people you protect.” Phantes comes forward and repeats a bunch of this to his dad; Xena saved his life and the Amazons aren’t enemies. Krykus is, Xena pipes up. He used his emissary over there to frame you guys! “Then there’s this!” Xena brandishes the dagger she took off of Krykus…and sure enough, the emissary clutches at his belt, looking for his matching one. “He gave you yours, didn’t he?” Xena asks. In response, the man runs away. :P We’ll take that for a yes.
The centaurs make to go after him but Xena stops them. “Krykus must be brought to justice; I demand it in the name of my sister!” says Melosa. “Our forces together can take them by surprise,” Tyldus adds. Ah, camaraderie at last. Even a little bit of flirtation! “Hey Amazon, wanna go for a ride?” Phantes asks Ephiny. :P This is actually some nice set up for future episodes. Meanwhile Krykus’s man has made it back to him…the warlord has picked a bad time to start gorging on a meal. “The hooves and harlots are together!” the man says. And they’re headed this way! The warlord and his goons prepare for battle…and there’s a nice wide shot of centaurs and Amazons “working together;” the centaurs pull chariots that the Amazons are riding in. Ephiny and Gabby are riding together, same for Xena and Melosa.
We cut from person to person during the fight scenes—Gab fights with her new staff! Not only that but she saves Ephiny as well. Girl’s got skills. Melosa, of course, goes straight for Krykus. “You killed my sister!Prepare to die.” Xena climbs up the trees, taking out goons with one punch. When she flips back down, there’s an overly elaborate shot of the emissary running towards her and her skewering him in the belly. Ouch. Melosa, meanwhile, has Krykus down on the ground and is strangling him with her staff. Those things are dangerous! Xena comes up behind her…and Melosa concedes that she can’t kill the warlord, he must stand trial. “For your crimes against the Amazons AND the centaurs!” Rub that in his face as well, hee.
Melosa, Tyldus and Xena later discuss the path from here. “Making war is simple, making peace is never easy,” is the warrior princess’s take. Tyldus gives it a try, shaking her hand and calling her an “old enemy, new friend.” Aaw. Rifts healing! Gab, meanwhile, has been gabbing ad nauseum to Ephiny and Phantes, telling them of all her adventures with Xena. Perhaps partially as a way to get Gabs to shut up, Ephiny presents her with her personal staff. :-O Gabs tries to refuse, but Ephiny will have no part of that. “An Amazon doesn’t refuse a gift from another Amazon.” So Ephiny’s staff becomes Gabrielle’s first, official long-term weapon.
Xena, Gabrielle and Argo leave the Amazons as the sun sets. Gabs asks if Xena is mad that she took the rite of cast, but Xena says no. Gabby has learned her lesson; “I thought it would be great to be an Amazon. I didn’t realize what it meant.” Yes, Gabs, it’s not just dancing around to drum music. :P It’s also about a code of sisterhood. Finally, Gabs promises to no longer keep any secrets from Xena, to which the warrior princess responds “we’ll see how long that lasts.” :P
The disclaimer for this episode is No males, centaurs or Amazons were harmed during the production of this motion picture. A personal caveat: RIP, Gab’s farm dress!
I liked this episode a lot; a full and complicated story with the Amazons and centaurs, some new and complicated characters (forgot how antagonistic Ephiny was in the beginning), and some great character arc stuff for Gabs! One thing I gotta add is, it was a bit jarring to see them leave! Wasn’t Xena a queen and Gabrielle a princess of the Amazons now? Obviously, for story purposes they had to move on, but maybe they could have explained why this all worked out. One would presume that Melosa would continue ruling her tribe in some capacity, but we’ll check up on them in future episodes! Speaking of things that are more complicated than they appear…Xena’s relationship with the centaurs will also get more play in the future. Looking forward to recapping all of that. :D
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From Xena’s perspective I appreciate how dogged she is about getting the truth. She starts the eppy by saying she doesn’t trust the Centaurs (a truth that will prove more complicated in later backstory,) but when she senses something’s off she doesn’t let them take the blame. She’s also very respectful and knowledgeable about Amazon culture, which helps pave the way for them with the warrior women. Ah, female-centric cultures…have I mentioned that I love this show? Hee.
Gabrielle is mysteriously back in her farmgirl outfit again (actually, they aired the episodes out of order. :P) She’s showing off her new walking stick, which Xena takes and swings around as a staff. Foreshadowing much? They notice some twine wreaths hanging from trees, and Xeen explains they’re meant as “no trespassing” signs in Amazon territory. They don’t stop walking, however, and in response lots of green arrows fall at their feet! Xena puts her sword down and tells Gabby to mimic her hands up and clasped above her head. Amazon warriors, in colorful, feathered masks, swing down from vines in the trees. One commends Xena for knowing “the Amazon symbol of peace.” Xena asks for safe passage. The woman, Terreis, takes off her mask, confused as to how the warrior princess knows so much about them. Another Amazon, Ephiny, is slightly more cynical and wants to take them to Queen Melosa, so that’s what they do.
The babbling bard is walking with Terreis and explaining how even though she’s a woman she wants to learn about philosophy and history. “The Amazon world is based on truth, on a woman’s individual strength,” Terreis intones. “I’m all for that!” Gabs responds. It’s like a whole culture of Xenas. :P
Speaking of Xena, she and Ephiny are not having such a fun time walking side by side, but suddenly they’re ambushed by new arrows, this time with blue tips. The Amazons swing back into the trees while Xena fights the arrows off with her sword. Terreis falls when an arrow pierces her and Gabby shields her body from further attack. “What you did only an Amazon would do for another Amazon,” Terreis rasps. She gives Gabby her rite of cast, despite Ephiny’s protests, and dies as Gabs says yes. Uh oh, what did our girl get into this time??
Drums beat and Amazons dance to feminine undulations. “Hail Melosa!” some cry as others fight with crafted sticks. Xena and Gabby watch all this. The Amazons carry out Terreis, covered with a sheet. One masked woman uncovers herself and breaks an arrow over the body, then puts it on top of the sheet. Xena explains that they are preparing to send Terreis to the Amazon patron goddess, Artemis. The woman who unmasked herself approaches our heroes and says she’s Queen Melosa. She offers her thanks for their attempt to help Terreis, and she offers them free passage. But they should go soon, because war is likely coming.
The Amazons are dragging in a half-horse/half-man…a centaur! :P Xena sneers and tells Gabby “let’s just say they’re no friends of mine.” Yikes. Ephiny presents the blue arrow that hit Terreis as his. Melosa knows this centaur—she names him Phantes then slaps him hard! “You will have until the end of our mourning period to make peace with your gods.” Phantes is very threatening for a dude with a rope around his neck—do they think the centaurs will let them get away with this? He’s the son of Tyldus! Oh, always so many names with “Xena.” :P Once Phantes is taken away, Melosa explains that a village of centaurs and men want to lay claim to their hunting grounds. But Gabby is more interested in getting Xena alone and asking about her beef with the centaurs. “I fought them—I never defeated them,” she answers. So much for leaving the past behind you. :P
As Xena goes off for some solitary exploration Ephiny approaches Gabrielle. Gab confirms that she hasn’t told Xena yet about the rite of cast. And you don’t really want it, do you? Ephiny presses. Terreis’s funeral pyre is lit and the two women watch her body burn. Gabs doesn’t answer.
Xena has gone to see Phantes; she demands to know if he killed Terreis. “Amazon had a name, did she?” Phantes asks snidely. Xena repeats herself, and says she’d find it odd if a son of Tyldus committed a murder. A-whaa?? I thought you hated the centaurs, Xeen! Sounds nice and complicated. :P Maybe he’s just starting the war, Phantes says. Xena calls that stupid—he certainly got captured easily enough. Phantes asserts that he’d happily kill all the Amazons…and maybe he’ll get his chance “if my father can muster the courage for battle.” Yeah, this guy sounds rather guilty. Or rather amped up, at least. :P
Melosa is meeting with the local warlord, Krykus, who is both wearing more colorful clothing and faker facial hair than most “Xena” warlords. :P He says he also sent an emissary to the centaurs and has no personal interest in their war. Uh huh. Before leaving he sneers “I would offer condolences at the murder of your sister—“ “But I wouldn’t believe them anyway,” Melosa snaps. Charming guy. As he leaves Xena enters. She wants Melosa to stop the war, but Melosa counters that her intent in all this isn’t war at all. “That’s up to the centaurs. I intend to execute a murderer.” Xena counters that either way, her actions will lead to mass death. Melosa is a little taken aback by this attitude. She heard about “the battle at Corinth” aka Xena’s army vs the centaurs. Many Amazons revere Xena for taking them on, Melosa says. Tyldus fought her army to a standstill, Xena reminds the Amazon queen. And kidnapping his son is certain to bring war. Beyond this, she thinks Phantes is innocent. Melosa turns away from Xena and sticks Terreis’s sword into the fire. It has to burn through the mourning period, she explains, and then it will be used to execute her murderer. Xena has until noon tomorrow to fix this mess!
Gabrielle still thinks the centaurs are gunning for war, but Xena disagrees; “only fools and profiteers ask for war. The centaurs are neither.” Quite a nice way to talk about a group you don’t like! Xena climbs aboard Argo and tells Gabs to stay here…thanks to her actions with Terreis, the Amazons surely won’t treat her like a stranger. :P Quite the opposite, in fact. As Xena gallops off Ephiny comes in with Melosa. This rite of cast business is a pretty big deal; Gabs will be taking Terreis’s place in the Amazon tribe. And, as Melosa’s birth sister, Gabs is now an Amazon princess! :-O
Xena, meanwhile, is approaching tombstones shaped like crescent moons on the top. She uses one as a shield when a centaur fires an arrow at her. Another charges with his spear, which Xena grabs and knocks him chest-first into a huge log. Ouch. She knocks a man to the ground and is then surrounded by centaurs with arrows. “Hold your fire!” Says the silver-haired leader. It’s Tyldus, and he recognizes Xena! Perhaps in deference to that (or cos she’s a good person now) Xena applies pressure points to the centaur she shoved to help him breathe better… and then stabs him in the side to reach into his body and rearrange some organs that went out of alignment. :-O Damn. Something tells me we won’t be seeing this in an ER room. At least not without anesthesia, I hope!
The Amazons have dressed Gabby in her outfit from last eppy. Gabs says she feels strange but her new sisters insist that it’s an honor. Ephiny tells her that Terreis didn’t think all centaurs were evil; “just misguided.” Gab is made thoughtful by this revelation about her predecessor. But Ephiny, none too happy about this, has to interrupt in order to take Gabby to her first weapons training class. Gabs has a hard time picking what she wants to start with. “No, I don’t like swords, can’t hit the side of a Cyclops with a bow and arrow…” She decides upon a fighting staff. Surprise surprise! Ephiny displays some Xena-like martial moves, impressing her pupil.
Xena is imploring Tyldus to give her time to try and help Phantes before he marches off to war. Tyldus asks why he should trust an old enemy, and Xena challenges if he’s still the same centaur he was at Corinth. Touche. Tyldus doesn’t want war, he admits. But his son is innocent and he will get him back. Xena agrees about Phantes’s innocence, but whoever wants this war? “You’re playing into his hands.” Tyldus responds, well sorry to disappoint you, but my people are attacking sometime before noon tomorrow. Then he tells Xena she has to go. “You and I are still enemies and I’ll still kill you if I have to.” Damn. Xena can sure make an impression on people.
Gabrielle keeps whacking herself with her stick as she trains. :P Ah, well-timed humor. Ephiny comes by to check on the progress, and Gab’s latest trainer says she’s “not bad…” Hee. Gabrielle says it’s fun, which makes Ephiny arch her eyebrow. The staff can be a deadly weapon. She brings a horse forward and explains with bone-crunching detail how it can be used to kill a centaur. Yikes. “Still fun?” she asks a sobered Gab.
Phantes is in the process of struggling out of his ropes when Ephiny appears and puts a sword to his neck. The centaur is unnerved that he didn’t hear her enter, and the two bat some trash talk back and forth for a little bit. Terreis was wrong to think that centaurs were good, Ephiny declares. Phantes claims he’s innocent. Ephiny asks if he’ll swear on Tyldus’s name, which he does. That sobers our cynical little Amazon a little.
Pretty moon over river shot, then Xena climbs up the Amazon ropes, coming face to face with Ephiny! Damn, is that girl everywhere? The two of them fight a bit before Xena throws Ephiny to the ground, where she is immediately surrounded by centaurs. Xena plays both sides; climbing on a centaur’s back to stop him, then catching Ephiny’s arrow before it pierces his heart. Damn, it’s hard to be a peacemaker in Xenaverse. :P Xena and Ephiny climb into the tree in order to escape this centaur. Ephiny demands to know why Xena saved her, to which Xena replies she wants to prevent a war. Once a centaur or Amazon is killed, then all bets are off.
Xena goes further to explain her theory—Krykus killed Terreis! He framed it to look like the centaurs. “He gains everything from this war,” Xena theorizes. The ladies reach the scene of the crime and find some evidence to back this claim. I’ll get into that later. :P Now, they need to figure out how Krykus knew Phantes would be there to take the fall.
The Amazons are doing another dance number as Gabrielle looks around awkwardly. But this behavior isn’t becoming for an Amazon princess, so some of her new sisters pull her to her feet. She gets into the spirit…or a spirit, anyway…quickly, jumping around enthusiastically and shouting “woo-hoo!” When Melosa appears the revelry stops and everyone bows, though it takes awhile for hyped-up Gab to get the message. Some sisters bring her up to Melosa for some official tribe-induction stuff. For example, as Terreis’s successor, she gets the former princess’s sword and the duty of killing Phantes. :-O Gab protests; she’s not capable of killing! This excuse doesn’t fly for an Amazon princess, though. “To refuse would be your own death,” Melosa tells her. Yikes. Shoulda read the fine print, Gabby.
Xena visits Krykus’s camp and posits an alliance while Ephiny stealthily looks for centaur-colored weapons. “Not really,” he scoffs, since that’s all he’s capable of. “A battle between the hooves and the harlots…I wonder who would win.” Hello, non-PC title! Xena decides to share her theory on who would “win” this war. How about a warlord who gets more territory when both sides are weakened? She finds a crude map on Krykus’s map to illustrate her point; there’s little reference made to either Amazon or centaur territory. “Did you have it drawn before the murder or after?” she asks silkily. Krykus makes a weak excuse but Xena isn’t biting. The warlord stabs the map and accuses her of accusing him of murder. Detective Xena takes an interest in the dagger he used—it has a ruby hilt and is identical to the one she used when playing doctor on that centaur…she took it off of one of the men traveling with them. “Do you give them out as gifts?” Oh Krykus; you are way out of your league with this warrior princess! The warlord is saved from answering when Ephiny tears a hole in his tent when she throws a goon through it. Xena takes down the support beam, briefly trapping Krykus inside the falling structure as she and the Amazon escape. Ephiny is telling her friend of the blue-tipped arrows she found but Krykus lets them go; “there’s no way this war will be stopped now.” Sounds like a challenge, man.
Pretty sunrise! Gabs, carrying Terreis’s sword, follows Melosa as she addresses the Amazons. Phantes is pulled in…hey, wait a minute, don’t we still have, like six hours before noon??? “I’m sorry your sister died,” an awkward centaur tells the Amazon queen. Melosa considers this, then tells Gabs to stab him in the heart and “don’t let him suffer.” I love the complexity of these relationships. Gabby protests and stalls, though off camera her sisters are calling for justice. “Kill the beast!” Gabrielle presses the sword to his heart and Phantes pleads for his life. It’s touching, but a little drawn out…
…enough time for Xena and Ephiny to get back, of course! Xena says she can clear his name, and no one sounds more relieved about that than Gabby. “Thank the gods!” she breathes as she drops the sword. They have proof, the warrior princess says…but then she’s distracted by Gabrielle’s outfit. :P “I’m an Amazon princess?” Gabs says tentatively, to which Xena groans, “Great.” LOL. Anywho, the proof from before is dung from the crime scene! But since there’s hay in it, it belongs to a horse (presumably ridden by a man) rather than a centaur.
Melosa still isn’t convinced, and wants the execution to go on as planned. So Xena, displaying more knowledge of Amazon custom, demands a royal challenge! Nice try, Xeen…but that’s only valid when made by a member of royal, Amazon blood. Xena makes eyes at Gabby until she gets it. :P See, Xeen, this Amazon princess thing might work out for you after all! Gabs challenges Melosa but the queen easily deflects her. “Gabrielle, do you want to fight to the death?” Uh…not really! Gabrielle reneges. It’s too late; the challenge has already been made! Ephiny says. Choose a weapon…or a champion. More eyeball hints here, hee. Then Gabs picks Xena, surprise surprise! Melosa’s a bit pissed off by the whole thing and says they’ll all die—including Ephiny—if Xena loses. Eesh, she has a nasty side! But to be fair, Ephiny is giving Xena tips on Melosa’s weaknesses; not exactly inspiring loyalty here! Then again she is standing up for the truth. Gabrielle scoffs that Xena knows how to fight, to which Ephiny asks the warrior princess the quintessential question: “she’s annoying; how do you put up with her?” :P In response Xena tells Ephiny to get Gabs out if she loses, aaw.
Xena gets to choose weapons; she goes for chobos, little fighting sticks. They swing them around for show a little before the fight begins! The women all hoot and holler except for Ephiny. Xena and Melosa parry back and forth and occasionally have to jump when the other swings below the knees. They end up flipping onto some scaffolding for a little bit before Xena throws Melosa down. The fight continues until Melosa’s on her back and Xena towers over her with all four chobos. Some nice martial arts moves, but certainly not the best “Xena” can do. She lets Melosa up, however, saying she doesn’t want to kill her. Ephiny calls off the execution of Phantes “by order of our new queen.” …that would be Gabby, right?? Xena was just her champion! Drums play and the Amazons kneel, but it looks like they’re kneeling to Xena. Guess she was the one who proved herself. “The strength of an individual woman,” Terreis told Gab.
But let’s not get too caught up in this; the centaurs are here! A little late, guys! The Amazons rise and everyone goes for their swords. “We’ll talk with your queen!” Tyldus says and sure enough it’s Xena who strides up. I should have known, the centaur growls. But Xena drops her sword and says he’s won! The rest of the Amazons—including Melosa—follow suit. They also cut dear Phantes free. “You taught me that greatness doesn’t depend on fighting,” Xena reminds the father of their Corinth days. “It’s the battles you choose and the people you protect.” Phantes comes forward and repeats a bunch of this to his dad; Xena saved his life and the Amazons aren’t enemies. Krykus is, Xena pipes up. He used his emissary over there to frame you guys! “Then there’s this!” Xena brandishes the dagger she took off of Krykus…and sure enough, the emissary clutches at his belt, looking for his matching one. “He gave you yours, didn’t he?” Xena asks. In response, the man runs away. :P We’ll take that for a yes.
The centaurs make to go after him but Xena stops them. “Krykus must be brought to justice; I demand it in the name of my sister!” says Melosa. “Our forces together can take them by surprise,” Tyldus adds. Ah, camaraderie at last. Even a little bit of flirtation! “Hey Amazon, wanna go for a ride?” Phantes asks Ephiny. :P This is actually some nice set up for future episodes. Meanwhile Krykus’s man has made it back to him…the warlord has picked a bad time to start gorging on a meal. “The hooves and harlots are together!” the man says. And they’re headed this way! The warlord and his goons prepare for battle…and there’s a nice wide shot of centaurs and Amazons “working together;” the centaurs pull chariots that the Amazons are riding in. Ephiny and Gabby are riding together, same for Xena and Melosa.
We cut from person to person during the fight scenes—Gab fights with her new staff! Not only that but she saves Ephiny as well. Girl’s got skills. Melosa, of course, goes straight for Krykus. “You killed my sister!
Melosa, Tyldus and Xena later discuss the path from here. “Making war is simple, making peace is never easy,” is the warrior princess’s take. Tyldus gives it a try, shaking her hand and calling her an “old enemy, new friend.” Aaw. Rifts healing! Gab, meanwhile, has been gabbing ad nauseum to Ephiny and Phantes, telling them of all her adventures with Xena. Perhaps partially as a way to get Gabs to shut up, Ephiny presents her with her personal staff. :-O Gabs tries to refuse, but Ephiny will have no part of that. “An Amazon doesn’t refuse a gift from another Amazon.” So Ephiny’s staff becomes Gabrielle’s first, official long-term weapon.
Xena, Gabrielle and Argo leave the Amazons as the sun sets. Gabs asks if Xena is mad that she took the rite of cast, but Xena says no. Gabby has learned her lesson; “I thought it would be great to be an Amazon. I didn’t realize what it meant.” Yes, Gabs, it’s not just dancing around to drum music. :P It’s also about a code of sisterhood. Finally, Gabs promises to no longer keep any secrets from Xena, to which the warrior princess responds “we’ll see how long that lasts.” :P
The disclaimer for this episode is No males, centaurs or Amazons were harmed during the production of this motion picture. A personal caveat: RIP, Gab’s farm dress!
I liked this episode a lot; a full and complicated story with the Amazons and centaurs, some new and complicated characters (forgot how antagonistic Ephiny was in the beginning), and some great character arc stuff for Gabs! One thing I gotta add is, it was a bit jarring to see them leave! Wasn’t Xena a queen and Gabrielle a princess of the Amazons now? Obviously, for story purposes they had to move on, but maybe they could have explained why this all worked out. One would presume that Melosa would continue ruling her tribe in some capacity, but we’ll check up on them in future episodes! Speaking of things that are more complicated than they appear…Xena’s relationship with the centaurs will also get more play in the future. Looking forward to recapping all of that. :D
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