XENA MEDIA REVIEW (XMR) #22 (07-14-97) Part 2 of 5 ================ CUT HERE ========================== 13. ATHENS CITY ACADEMY OF THE PERFORMING BARDS The mythology notes combined with the history notes to celebrate ATHEN's wacky approach to time. Almost everyone at the Academy was of a different era, not to mention Homer reciting a story of a slave revolt possibly a thousand years into his future. The reviewer also noted that different Hercules were talked about (Steve Reeves, Kevin Sorbo) and that Euripides was mercilessly skewered. Also, the reviewer was quite taken by the character, Stallonas. The end credits acknowledging Stanley Kubrick, Kirk Douglas, and Steve Reeves was reprinted at the end of the annotation. 14. A FISTFUL OF DINARS The reviewer called the Sumerian treasure the "Cimmerian" treasure. Well, what do you think? Was it the Sumerians or the Cimmerians who had the treasure? Are we talking ancient history or Conan the Barbarian? It could easily go either way! Looking at the script, it is spelled the Sumerian Treasure. But then, Janice Covington's name was spelled "Janis" in the script, but is now officially "Janice". So, what is Truth? The mythology notes discussed Thersites. Making the Eastwood connection, the reviewer argued that FISTFUL was more an homage to THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY than A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS. As a true tangent, I found FISTFUL the first XWP episode to capture the big budget adventure feel of an Indiana Jones film, which, of course, would be given its own direct homage in THE XENA SCROLLS (#34) and ROYAL COUPLE OF THIEVES (#17). The reviewer made an interesting comment, "By the fourth season, though, we wonder how many former fiances and former lovers Xena is going to have encountered?" This is a thought which no doubt will be pondered by all viewers as long as the show is in existence. 15. WARRIOR ... PRINCESS The synopsis was straightforward and the mythology notes "noted" that "Although Diana, Philemon, and Bromius are names from ancient myths, none of those characters relate (as far as we could tell) to the characters in this episode." Which should not be a surprise. Remember, even in ATHENS CITY ACADEMY, Homer suggested "Draco" as his new name. This implies that XWP accepts that not everyone who shares a name with a well-known mythological or historic name represents the same. The commentary (excerpted in whole below, with all the others as is customary in XMR) dwelt upon the reviewer's esteem of Lucy Lawless as an actress, comparing her to David Duchovny, of all people, calling her performance "a joy to watch" [Actually, it is not that surprising that the name Duchovny would rear its head in SPECTRUM. SPECTRUM is very entrenched in covering the X-FILES.] Then, the reviewer jumped on the writers for such a "contrived scenario". And this is news? The entire show IS a contrived scenario. We all know by now that the History Channel or PBS will most likely not be bidding on XWP syndication rights any time soon. The main point of the reviewer's annoyance is that Xena sends Diana OUT of the castle knowing that Diana is helpless and that there are many young gunslingers out there wanting to make their reputation by being the one who takes down Xena. The reviewer is so miffed by this plot device, that he even suggests an alternative one!!! This shows how extended XWP watching can even make innocent bystanders become obsessed with making the show "better". 16. MORTAL BELOVED After a perfunctory synopsis with some fun quotes, the mythology notes dwell upon the concept of "The Underworld" in ancient times. In the comments section, the reviewer discussed the enjoyment of having several earlier episodes alluded to in the episode, mainly Marcus from THE PATH NOT TAKEN (#05) and Toxeus from DEATH IN CHAINS (#09). This will become a hallmark of XWP, the way which the writers are able to create a sense of a long continuous story arc without surrendering the self-containment of each episode. STAR TREK never was able to master it and BABYLON 5 could not pull it off gracefully, but XWP seems to have found the perfect balance between the stand-alone episode and the sweeping character and plot developments that are only possible over many episodes and seasons. 17. THE ROYAL COUPLE OF THIEVES The mythology note concerned itself briefly with Autolycus. The reviewer was completely taken by Bruce Campbell's performance and character of Autolycus. He also noted that it is a Gabrielle-lite episode. Commenting upon the obvious RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK homage, the reviewer gave a quick historical review of the Ark of the Covenant. An interesting thing about this commentary, was that the reviewer made a realization that he liked the music better on XENA than HERCULES even though it was written by the same composer, Joseph LoDuca. Again, the reviewer is falling into the depths of Xenafan-itis where slowly the fan starts seeing that XWP is superior to HTLJ even though made by essentially the same producers and crew, written by many of the same people, and uses the same pool of actors and actresses. 18. THE PRODIGAL The mythology notes discussed Meleager who was one of the Argonauts. The reviewer exalted in Renee O'Connor's range in this episode, from her broad send-up of Claudette Colbert in IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT to Gabrielle's reaction to Meleager's irresponsibility, yet bemoaned the "unimaginative script" because of its lack of "an inventive twist". He also was confused about the use of the word prodigal in the title. 19. ALTARED STATES The mythology note briefly identified Hestia as the goddess of the hearth and symbol of the home. The reviewer raved about the content of this episode. Writing a rather lengthy explication of why he felt the show presented a credible debate on the topic of "Is faith...essentially guided by rationalism? Or is it essentially driven by ' arationalism '", the reviewer found the time to compare the episode favorably with X-FILES, which the reviewer obviously held in high esteem. 20. TIES THAT BIND The mythology notes mentioned Ares and Atreus (although it is Atrius in the show). The reviewer called TIES a "major shaggy dog story". Who am I to challenge that? 21. THE GREATER GOOD No mythology notes. The reviewer called THE GREATER GOOD, Robert Trebor's best episode and exclaimed that after this episode, Gabrielle's sister would not be able to beat her up! 22. CALLISTO The mythology note covered the oracle at Delphi and the myth of Callisto. The reviewer at the time of the review's writing believed the season to be over with CALLISTO. He was wrong, and the season was concluded with reviews of the last two shows (DEATH MASK and IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE) in SPECTRUM #8 (August 1996). The reviewer was taken with the concept of the episode but disappointed by the execution of it. Turns out that he found the character Callisto to be too crazy and too insane to be an effective villain, and found the elaborate ladder trap to be too 1960's Batman-esque. He also had difficulty in the casting of Callisto. Interesting enough the review only mentioned Joxer in the cast listing. The text of the article ended with the words, "In its first year, Xena has proved to be an immensely entertaining series. Recent publicity should create an even larger audience. (In January, Xena and Hercules made the cover of TV Guide, and Lucy Lawless was David Letterman's guest on the April 9 episode of the Late Show.) We look forward to the second season." The article contained the following bibliography: "Edith Hamilton, Mythology (Mentor, 1969); W.L. Reese, Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion (Humanities Press, 1980); W.H.D. Rouse, Gods, Heroes and Men of Ancient Greece (Signet, 1957); J.E. Zimmerman, Dictionary of Classical Mythology (Bantam, 1964)". [KT] EXCERPT: ...GRAPHIC: Full page picture of Xena carrying a torch on Argo's back... ...11. THE BLACK WOLF... ...COMMENTS: "The Black Wolf" is not one of the better episodes. It's completely predictable, except maybe the identity of the Black Wolf-a boring mystery in any event. (Why should it matter to the viewer which prisoner it is? We don't know any of them anyway.) However, there are fun moments scattered throughout, most of them provided by Salmoneus. His attempt to sell Gabrielle a "wolfpack" (a Black Wolf bag) and other "souvenirs," and her attempt to get arrested, is amusing. Her hiding Xena's chakram in her headgear is a clever bit. But probably our favorite scene has this dialogue in the dungeon: Flora: "Xena taught me to swing a sword-and embroider a linen for my wedding chest." Other prisoner(to Xena): "You embroider?" Xena: "I have many skills." Once again we see Xena's hands of steel. At one point she gets thrown into a pit and grabs hold of a lunging sword by the blade in order to extricate herself. Ouch! 12. BEWARE GREEKS BEARING GIFTS... ...COMMENTS: It helps viewers to know the Trojan War backstory -- which, one would think, most should, but these days, that's probably not a safe assumption. Perhaps the most amusing mythology switch is having Xena and Gabrielle hiding inside the giant horse as it's pulled back out of the city! Deiphobus's end fight with Xena is fairly violent. She gets viciously kicked and hit -- and Lawless's effective acting makes the punches seem even more forceful. Xena wins the battle, of course, but the scene is still a little unsettling. This Perdicas is different from one in the first episode -- not just a different actor, but a different identity and personality. He hardly fits the "dull, stupid" description Gabrielle offered in "Sins of the Past.'... GRAPHIC: Picture of Xena with a staff in fighting pose. 13. ATHENS CITY ACADEMY OF THE PERFORMING BARDS... ...COMMENTS: Apparently Lucy Lawless got a week off -- outside of clips from other episodes, she's in only a few minutes of this episode. For this weird episode, the various tales of the storytellers are presented as film clips -- 1960s Hercules films, Spartacus, and of course earlier episodes of Xena. Here's a trivia question for the future -- what do acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick and Xena have in common? In-jokes can be found throughout this episode, such as having both Stallonas and Gabrielle tell Hercules stories -- but they are different Hercules! (One is from the films, while the other is from the current television series.) Another joke is in the name of Stallonas, who throws himself about as he acts out his adventure-filled tales. He omits the character analysis in his stories and has just action -- no doubt a reference to Sylvester Stallone's movies. The best material, however, is reserved for Euripides, whose oblique dialogue manages to obscure all of his communication amidst too many words and too ornate phrases. For instance, when Gabrielle criticizes a story by Stallonas for having no point or moral, and saying that she always tries to have one for her stories, Euripides responds, "Even if you twist the Muse's melodious song of truth into a deceptive siren's call?" Gabrielle: "Do you always talk like that?" Should viewers be annoyed at the anachronisms and lack of a consistent time frame for Xena? Of course not. If the show were presenting itself as a serious, dramatic work of art, some explanations should be in order. But Xena is a (more-or-less) light-hearted action/adventure series. Demanding a rationale for the time manipulation is like questioning Superman's ability to fly or, for that matter, Xena's own "superpowers" of gravity-defying leaps and hands able to grasp the blades of swords without injury.... ...14. A FISTFUL OF DINARS... ...COMMENTS: "A Fistful of Dinars" is an enjoyable episode. Although the title refers to the Clint Eastwood film Fistful of Dollars, the episode has more in common with another "spaghetti western," The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Both stories have several characters searching for treasure, each with only a piece of the total clue. And in this episode we have the good (Xena, Gabrielle), the "bad" (Petracles), and the ugly (Thersites). We also get more background information on Xena, which is always good. (By the fourth season, though, we wonder how many former fiancees and former lovers Xena is going to have encountered?) This story has an ironic twist. Xena has changed but can't believe that Petracles has (or perhaps is even capable of it). Gabrielle turns out to have a better insight into character than Xena, although the viewer isn't sure until the end.... GRAPHIC: Picture of Gabrielle sitting and holding a cup. 15. WARRIOR ... PRINCESS... ...GRAPHIC: Picture of Diana from Warrior Princess episode. Caption: Xena's "remarkably coincidental identical twin Diana"... ...COMMENTS: This episode presents a perfect showcase to establish just how good of an actress Lucy Lawless is, presenting her with two dramatically different characters and having her portray both. What sets Lawless's performance apart is the subtle personality quirks she gives to separate Xena from Xena-as-Diana. Obviously the script provides a foundation, but Lawless excels at the slightly raised eyebrow, the barely noticeable smirk, the expressive eyes -- all of which contribute to distinguishing the two characters. Lawless may have as expressive a face as any actor at conveying mood and personality -- not the annoying, cartoony expressions of Jim Carrey, but the more subtle expressions (reminiscent of, say, David Duchovny) that can project a depth of character much more effectively. When combined with overall body language Lawless gives the two characters, the performance is a joy to watch. To arrive at a place where such a performance was permitted, however, the writers had to create a completely contrived scenario. The Xena/Diana look-alike is forgivable, and having Xena stand in for the princess makes a little sense. But why send Diana out of the castle? Isn't there anywhere she could be secured? Even granting that Diana must be removed, why have her go dressed as Xena, a woman well-known throughout the land? Moreover, Xena has numerous enemies from her previous adventures all too willing to take revenge. Dressing Diana as Xena should be expected to have dangerous consequences -- and almost does. Fortunately, Gabrielle's training by the Amazons allows her to ward off the one attacker. A wiser choice would have been to have a disguised Diana check into a local inn and wait out the two-day period. We're not informed enough about England's Princess Di to know whether there is supposed to be some sort of in-joke about the name of the princess in this episode. But we wouldn't rule it out... ...16. MORTAL BELOVED... ...COMMENTS: "Mortal Beloved" draws not only from numerous mythological elements, but from earlier episodes of Xena, too. Although this episode is self-contained, it adds to the viewer's enjoyment to have seen "The Path Not Taken," in which Marcus (Xena's former lover) is introduced -- and later killed shielding Princess Jana of Boeotia from an evil arms dealer, Mezentius . And in "Death in Chains" (ironically), Xena kills Toxeus but he later comes back to life when King Sisyphus entraps Death. Now in "Mortal Beloved," Xena encounters him once again! (Although here, Atyminius disposes of him.) All in all, this is a solid episode-enjoyable, though not particularly outstanding. One treat is a couple of brief cameos by Michael Hurst , who plays Iolaus on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Here, he plays the old ferryman Charon and has some amusing banter with Xena. At one point, as he's taking Xena and Marcus across the river, he notes, "Keep your hands inside the boat. Now looking to the left, you will see the Caves of Despair. And just coming up ahead on the right, you will see the Hanging Gardens of Disgusting Diseases."... GRAPHIC: Picture of Michael Hurst as Charon. Caption: Michael Hurst as Charon. 17. THE ROYAL COUPLE OF THIEVES... ...GRAPHIC: Picture of Xena and Autolycus. Caption: Xena and Autolycus (Bruce Campbell) from "The Royal Couple of Thieves"... ...COMMENTS: Bruce Campbell turns in a great performance as the arrogant, whimsical thief Autolycus. The character previously appeared in the second-season premiere of Hercules -- in fact, numerous references are made to Hercules throughout the episode. Campbell has many great lines -- to list them here would be to transcribe virtually the entire episode. Interestingly, Gabrielle -- who usually provides the humor -- is mostly absent from this episode. Perhaps the producers didn't want the two humorous characters competing for the audience's attention. By the time the real Sinteres arrives on the scene, the jokes diminish, and the plot becomes rather convoluted. And the Xena/Sinteres fight scene is a strange combination of humor and violence, as the two characters attack each other using their deadly "pressure points" technique. The finale is a rather obvious swipe from Raiders of the Lost Ark. There, like here, the Ark of the Covenant is given bizarre mystical powers. (The Ark, of course, was the golden chest containing the two Ten Commandment tablets, some manna, and the rod of Aaron. There were times -- see 1 Sam. 4:3 -- during military defeat that the Israelites would attempt to use the Ark as a kind of magical force in and of itself, thereby missing the whole point of the object.) Even taken within the context of the Xena episode, the Ark is a muddled affair. Apparently Malthus knew what was in the chest, yet he didn't fear it -- he must have believed he "faced" the truth. If that were the case, why didn't he return the stolen object to its owners? One might argue that Malthus did, indeed, "turn away from truth" and received the penalty of death. Yet if that were the case, why did he feel safe (whether he possessed the chest or not)? We can only guess that he disbelieved the warning and decided to make some money off the item. But this undercuts much of the impact of the story. In fact, the plot has numerous kinks. Better to ignore them and enjoy this episode as a string of amusing incidents punctuated by extremely clever dialogue. One final note. The music by Joseph LoDuca, always good, stood out even more in this episode as being extremely effective. For instance, as Xena, Gabrielle, and Autolycus approach the chest at the end, LoDuca introduces a Gospel choir element that complements the visuals perfectly. Several other scenes work just as well. LoDuca's work impresses us weekly but we haven't mentioned it until now. (He also scores the Hercules series, and although it's essentially the same type of music, for some reason we enjoy his compositions for Xena more.)... ...GRAPHIC: Three pictures of Xena and Autolycus from "The Royal Couple of Thieves". Captions: #1 Autolycus (disguised as Sinteres) and his "concubine" (Xena); #3. Bruce Campbell as Autolycus. 18. THE PRODIGAL... ...GRAPHIC: Picture of Gabrielle from "The Prodigal". Caption: Gabrielle tries to attract attention while hitchhiking... COMMENTS: "The Prodigal" is a showcase for Renee O'Connor's abilities as an actress, able to portray equally well both dramatic and comedic scenes. Her attempts to attract attention to passing drivers during her hitchhiking home stands as one of her most memorable scenes of the series. Later, her disgust with the drunken, irresponsible Meleager -- and her upbraiding of him -- is moving and believable. It's too bad that such a performance is squandered on an unimaginative script. Her early doubts about her courage doesn't ring true for a moment, and the schmaltzy scenes with her sister are almost unwatchable because of the writing. Moreover, the whole plot is completely generic. Sure, Xena raids old stories every week, but usually it adds an inventive twist that makes them fun. No such cleverness occurs this time. Still, O'Connor shines, as does Tim Thomerson as the aging warrior. Speaking of which -- Meleager does present an amusing parody of the hard drinking, grizzled mercenary who can still fight with the best. Meleager, of course, can't hold his liquor and is constantly passing out drunk. The title of this episode, by the way, doesn't make much sense. Many people think that a "prodigal" means a person who returns home after a period of time (perhaps after some dramatic failure). This is incorrect. It refers to reckless, wasteful extravagance. Remember that in "The Prodigal Son" parable, the son took his inheritance and quickly spent it on indulgent luxuries. Gabrielle -- the presumed title reference -- reveled in no such vices. (The title makes slightly more sense applied to Meleager, but even there it's a stretch.)... ...19. ALTARED STATES... ...COMMENTS: Give the Xena producers credit -- they have taken one of the most complex and profound events of the Old Testament and turned it into a television episode that retains much of the story's power. Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son Isaac (see Gen. 22) -- a mere eighteen verses -- is well-known yet leads into numerous areas of debate that are far too complicated to address in the short space available here. "Altared States" plays into that debate -- perhaps even unknowingly. One central issue: Is faith (Abraham's faith specifically, though by extension Judaism and Christianity, and perhaps even all faith) essentially guided by rationalism? Or is it essentially driven by "arationalism"* informed by supernatural (and at times paradoxical) revelation? Xena -- consistent with current dominant thought -- seems to side with the former, yet with ambiguity worthy of the best X-Files, the episode concludes with a hint of the latter. FOOTNOTE: * The term "arationalism" is the best we can come up with to emphasize that this process may or may not arrive at rational choices but is not required to. We've rejected other terms as inaccurate: "irrationalism" would require the choices to be at odds with reason; "idealism" is too exclusionary; "empiricism" emphasizes the experience itself; "subjectivism" and "existentialism" are close but lack the objective moral obligation component; and "revelation" is used here to refer to the content instead of the process by which that content is interpreted. Xena alters some of the original ingredients. Abraham's wife Sarah did not turn to paganism, and Isaac's older half-brother Ishmael didn't get along but had no part in the near-sacrifice. Isaac did not know Abraham was planning to sacrifice him. Also, Abraham believed that, even if Isaac died, God would bring him back to life (Heb. 11:19). Antaeus doesn't have that confidence, making his struggle more excruciating, but also leaving out a crucial element. For "Altared States," the different characters present various aspects of the debate. Antaeus is the "arational" faithful believer. Maell is the non-believer using the faith for his own selfish goals. Xena and the wife are the rationalist heathens. Icus starts out as a rationalist believer, but then (for unexplained reasons) changes to an "arationalist" believer. In the end, for which viewpoint does "Altared States" argue? It's difficult to say, because it poses more questions than it answers. For instance, does the father hear the initial command from God or from Maell imitating God (and aided by Antaeus's drugged condition)? Xena initially assumes the former and is horrified at the prospect, concluding that this must be an evil god. (Remember that a controversy over the killing of children is what got her thrown out of her own army.) A common anti-Christian argument is that God is cruel for allowing and/or requiring His son to die on the cross. Xena essentially states this view repeatedly (she's referring to Antaeus and Icus, yet -- as in the original Abraham/Isaac story the parallel to God/Jesus is obvious). Does the episode endorse her initial judgment? Probably not, because later Xena thinks that Antaeus is mishearing God. Then she assumes that the drug causes the "voices." Eventually she admits that she finds the one-God theory interesting and appears to have heard Him directly. The more profound question is whether God could even have issued the command and, if so, what is the appropriate response from a moral person. The rationalist and "arationalist" would answer differently. (For a fascinating analysis of the latter position, see Soren Kierkegaard's riveting Fear and Trembling.) "Altared States" seems to argue for the rationalist position, yet amidst that is a powerful presentation of the opposite: Xena: "You're still the leader here. You don't have to do this." Antaeus: "You're asking me to deny my God." Xena: "I am asking you to spare your son!" Antaeus: "And teach him what? That faith is just for those times when it's convenient to believe? That when it gets hard, and it hurts to keep faith, you let it go until it gets easy again? What's the good in sparing his life if I rob him of the very thing that makes it worth living?" Often in television writing today, vagueness, equivocation, and indecisiveness are a coward's way out, a way of not taking a stand on a complex or controversial issue. Even worse are scripts offering simplistic, politically correct solutions. And then (possibly because of the popularity of The X-Files) there are shows that leave stories unfinished as some kind of statement about something-or-other. Who could have guessed, then, that Xena would be the series to take that form of storytelling and apply it to a perfectly appropriate plot? After all, the battle between rationalist and "arationalist" faith goes on because the issues cannot be resolved simply. On a less complex note, we have to mention O'Connor's brief but (once again) wonderful performance as the drugged Gabrielle. She's great as she talks to her "stalagmite choir" and leads them in their rehearsal!... ...20. TIES THAT BIND... ...COMMENTS: "Ties That Bind" turns out to be a major shaggy dog story, but the ride is a lot of fun anyway. Kevin Smith is wonderful in his portrayal of the amusingly evil Ares. He seems to know just how far he can go without lapsing into overacting. (He was equally enjoyable in "The Reckoning" earlier in the season.) Tom Atkins contributes a fine Atreus, and the writers have created enough circumstances early on to keep Xena (and the viewer) wondering whether he's her father or an impostor. But -- so typical of televisionland -- substantial story movement forward is abandoned in favor of maintaining the status quo. Nevertheless, the viewer does get a few glimpses into Xena's past and a suggestion as to why, early on, she was so screwed up. Her father, whom she apparently loved, left the family when she was young. This broken trust continues to resonate -- obviously Xena has not come to terms with the situation. Ares recognizes this and attempts to use it to get Xena back on his side. Unfortunately, the details of his plan don't make much sense. Even after he explains his plan to her at the end, he seems to think she'll return to her warrior days (though why is anyone's guess). Beyond this, the episode cheats quite a bit. While Ares is pretending to be Atreus, he's simultaneously appearing to Kirilus elsewhere. The best scene in the episode is when Xena is ready to destroy the village, and Gabrielle attempts to stop her even if it means striking her down from behind! (Good thing Xena comes to her senses, or Gabrielle would have been a goner.)... ...GRAPHIC: Three pictures from "Ties That Bind". Captions: #1. Atreus (Tom Atkins) -- Xena's father?' #2. Gabrielle gets Xena's attention; #3. Kevin Smith as Ares. ================ CUT HERE ========================== XENA MEDIA REVIEW (XMR) #22 (07-14-97) Part 2 of 5