It wasn't the best episode I ever saw ~ it wasn't the worst episode I ever saw but IMO it just didn't cut it as a grabbing season premiere.
What I liked:
Ares He was so....human. :) I always liked the mortal Ares anyway. It was good to see him able to be driven insane by The Furies and I laughed at his frustration about not having his godly powers anymore. But I think above all he has truly shown that he really DOES love Xena in this particular episode. Maybe its a bit mixed up with his need for power and bloodshed but still deep down...he loves her. :)
Eve's new hairdo THANK YOU TPTB!!!! Ok it isn't a great hairdo but it is certainly a vast improvement over the one she had as Livia! I also liked the way she jumped in there and fought with the Amazons against Ares' army. I was really beginning to be nauseated by the frightened, confused, 180 degree turnabout she did when she was saved from herself by her mother. In fact, I almost enjoyed seeing Eve in this episode...almost....
The Amazons They are a dying breed so we better look fast because EVERYBODY is trying to do them in anymore! Now where the heck was all this taking place? They were dressed yet ANOTHER way! They looked like a cross between Ephiny's tribe and Yakut's tribe ~ beaded headdress & thongs. LOL!
Gabrielle She seems to at least be back to sidekick status. She still has short hair so I guess its gonna stay ~ I do like her look though.
Well thats about it for the "likes"...now for...
What I didn't like:
The plot What plot? Was there a point to this story? Oh yeah Ares wanted Ambrosia to get his godhood back and some Amazon tribe just HAPPENED to have some. What the heck are Amazons doing with Ambrosia anyway? Were they planning to use it themselves?
Xena mugging Ugh I hate that! It was bad enough when we had Xena Fury making faces but when the REAL deal started that duck~duck weave with Ares...geez.....
Xena dying yet AGAIN Okay already we KNOW nobody ever dies forever in the Xenaverse. We KNOW people are resurrected all the time even after being dead for days and having gone to their Heavenly rewards or Hellish damnation so why? Why kill Xena again? IMO this is an extremely over used plot device employed by Xenastaff and I am getting weary of it.
Xena...period In addition to the above she served no purpose other than to run back and forth between Ares and the Amazons and creating a rock slide. Oh yeah she apologized to Gab for hitting her in the head with her Chakram and Gabrielle says she's already forgiven her. Imagine that! She forgave her BEFORE Xena even apologized...what a gal! I guess everything is hunky dory between Gabrielle and Xena now...no need to write a story where they sit down and have a heart to heart talk...nope no need at all! *Rolling my eyes a lil here...*
Well despite all that...there were some good lines in this episode...mostly by Ares. Lines such as:
One of his men asks him why he doesn't just use his powers and Ares replies...
"Where's the fun in that?"
Oh and I loved how he couldn't even kill that fly!
And of course there was the totally driven insane by The Furies Ares...
"Are you ready to die, Xena?"
And Xena's reply...
"Been there done that!"
And more from Ares to Xena...
"You're mean! I will open you up. I will show people the mean inside you!"
And Xena's retort...
"You might be mortal Ares but you will NEVER be a man!"
And the end scene when Ares was sitting on that rock looking so sad and pathetic...
"Mortality stinks, not to mention it hurts."
And his final frustration in straining to disappear...
"I gotta stop trying that or I'm gonna rupture something."
One more thing about the "death" of Xena. We learned that she planned that, Gabrielle knew because she had a bunch of animal skins all ready to warm Xena up while she was giving her mouth to mouth. Boy that Xena is something isn't she? She plans everything SO perfectly! She even knows that her own death will definitely be reversed. I wonder how she knows all these things? Oh yeah...I forgot...Xena's perfect herself....
My rating? I'd say out of 10 I would give it a 6...no make that a 7 but only because of the very mortal Ares. ;)
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Hmmmm...wellll.....
(No kidding, Xena! *Snort*)
(no need to open her up Ares, we can see it for ourselves...)
(Ouch you really ARE mean Xena....)
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