From: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org (chakram-refugees-digest) To: chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Subject: chakram-refugees-digest V2 #127 Reply-To: chakram-refugees@smoe.org Sender: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk chakram-refugees-digest Monday, May 13 2002 Volume 02 : Number 127 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [chakram-refugees] <> ["Cheryl Ande" > [IfeRae@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 19:11:16 -0400 From: "Cheryl Ande" Subject: [chakram-refugees] <> % % % % %% The rift finally comes to fruition in this very good but flawed episode. First off let's commend the actors in this one. LL is excellent especially in Xena's grief over Solan's death. There's a lovely little bit she does as she holds Solan's body and examines his fingers just as I suppose Xena did when Solan was a newborn - it's heartbreaking. LL does a wonderful job then dealing with Xena's rage as she loses her son just as she was about to have custody of him - Xena is controlled and deadly in her fight with Callisto but beneath you see the cracks beginning to emerge as she confronts Gabrielle at the funeral pyre. Anger and bitterness emerge as she confronts Gabrielle and you know no simple "I love You" is going to solve this problem. Xena can tolerate a lot when it comes to herself but a betrayal of a loved one by some one she trusts absolutely is beyond tolerable and you know you are headed for trouble when Xena walks away. It's a scene that echoes that one in Orphan of War when Xena gives up Solan - Xena then walked away into violence and hate and now she is doing the same. ROC also give a wonderful performance with a very difficult role. ROC is able to capture Gabby's confusion as events begin to spiral out of control. She is touching as she recounts her lost of a child to Ephiny and you realize that the lost of Hope has had profound impact on Gabrielle. Then suddenly there is the surprised reunion with Hope and Callisto. Gabrielle hardly has time to consider all the ramifications of the nearly grown Hope appearing in Greece when she must help Xena protect Solan from Callisto. Hope masterfully plays on Gabrielle's guilt and maternal instincts - portraying herself as abandoned waif and victim of Callisto. Soon Gabrielle will doing anything to protect Hope and foolishly delivers Solan into Hope's hands. ROC eyes tell the story when she knows for sure that Hope is guilty - there is a lost and cold look that comes over her and you know now that Gabrielle has made a terrible decision. Hudson Leick is outstanding as Callisto. There are some great moments - Callisto playing a painful hairdresser to Hope, Callsito pouting over not being able to kill Solan. However the moment that she hears Xena scream in torment over Solan's death, Callisto transform from simple villain to tragic villain. Callisto now has everything she has ever wanted. Xena's family is dead. Her son lies dead at her feet and her soulmate's deception has caused it and Gabrielle is figuratively dead to Xena. Callisto has triumphant and it is meaningless. Xena's pain doesn't give Callisto any satisfaction and now she knows there is no escape for her except the grave which is impossible for a goddess. Callisto at this point is no longer Xena's enemy - Xena has no meaning for her any longer and now Callisto starts on a new quest - one which will bring her oblivion. When we see her after this Callisto will only use Xena as a tool for her new goal. Amy Morrison is good as the conniving Hope - maybe a little too good. I wanted to smack her across her smirking little face most of the time. She is very good in her scenes with Callisto - nasty and strong. I like her little remark that Koliapus was an "half-ass old man" which pretty describes a centaur. Also she does a good job in tying to explain in some fashion exactly why Hope wants - Solan dead and Xena's friendship with Gabrielle destroyed. Dahak wants love to die - maternal love is killed (first by Xena losing her son and then by Gabrielle's terrible realization that she must kill her own daughter) and then the love between partners killed by lies that lead to betrayal and death. My only quibble with Morrison are her scenes with Gabrielle. I wish she could have been more believable as the poor waif so her manipulation could have been seen as more believable to the audience. If Morrison would have been more sympathetic, Gabrielle wouldn't have looked like such a fool to have believed her. Also this is perhaps an unfair criticism but I wish there could have been just a spark of longing in Hope for Gabby as a mother. ROC did such a good job demonstrating that longing in Sacrifice - it would have been nice to see that portrayed here. Now my biggest criticism with the episode is the writing. There are really big gaffes here. First when Falia is revealed to Gabrielle as Hope, Gabrielle wants to tell Xena but Hope says Xena hates her. Why doesn't Gabrielle wonder about this? Xena hasn't shown any animosity to Hope aka Falia up to this point. So obviously Hope is referring Britannia - why doesn't Gabrielle wonder how Hope could remember this and wouldn't this set off alarm bells for her. Second why send Hope to hid with Solan? Gabrielle thinks Callisto is out to kill Solan - the last place I would put my daughter is next to the kid with the big bull's-eye on his chest (also why is Kolipus's hut the safest place - if I was looking a kid I'd look in his father's house). Third when Hope let's it slip that she knows Solan's name why doesn't she come up a better lie such as: Callisto told me or you and Xena were talking about him in front me three scenes ago (which they were by the way). Finally Xena, who can hear arrows flying at her and stealthy ninja assassins in the forest, suddenly can't hear the last words of a dying centaur three inches from her face when he is identifying his killer. Finally lets give a big hand to the SFX people for pin cushion Callisto and the fight people for the great fight in the cave between Xena and Callisto. Next post The Bitter Suit. CherylA ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 23:17:08 EDT From: IfeRae@aol.com Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] <> In a message dated 5/12/2002 6:11:19 PM Central Daylight Time, cande@sunlink.net writes: > % > % > % > % > %% [snips] >you see the cracks beginning to emerge as she confronts Gabrielle at > the funeral pyre. Anger and bitterness emerge as she confronts Gabrielle > and > you know no simple "I love You" is going to solve this problem. Xena can > tolerate a lot when it comes to herself but a betrayal of a loved one by > some > one she trusts absolutely is beyond tolerable and you know you are headed > for > trouble when Xena walks away. It's a scene that echoes that one in Orphan > of > War when Xena gives up Solan - Xena then walked away into violence and hate > and now she is doing the same.>> Yes, excellent parallel I hadn't noticed before. >ROC eyes tell the story > when she knows for sure that Hope is guilty - there is a lost and cold look > that comes over her and you know now that Gabrielle has made a terrible > decision.>> Lordy, her expression when she catches Hope in the lie and you know she's holding her daughter for the last time. > > Hudson Leick is outstanding as Callisto. >> Agreed. I can't think of another ep where she plays such a range of emotions. I almost felt sorry for her when she realized Xena's agony would never satisfy her own anger, hurt and need for "justice." > Amy Morrison is good as the conniving Hope - maybe a little too good. I > wanted to smack her across her smirking little face most of the time.>> LOL! Exactly! > Also this is perhaps an unfair criticism > but I wish there could have been just a spark of longing in Hope for Gabby > as > a mother.>> Actually, I did sense that -- even if it was expressed bitterness. She seemed to really be trying to understand why Gabrielle would want to send her floating down that river. Certainly her jealousy of Xena showed a twisted kind of caring. > > Now my biggest criticism with the episode is the writing. There are really > big gaffes here. First when Falia is revealed to Gabrielle as Hope, > Gabrielle > wants to tell Xena but Hope says Xena hates her. Why doesn't Gabrielle > wonder > about this? Xena hasn't shown any animosity to Hope aka Falia up to this > point. So obviously Hope is referring Britannia - why doesn't Gabrielle > wonder how Hope could remember this and wouldn't this set off alarm bells > for > her.>> Hmmm. Haven't seen this in awhile, but I also thought Hope was referring to being used by Xena's arch-enemy, Callisto. Second why send Hope to hid with Solan? Gabrielle thinks Callisto is > out to kill Solan - the last place I would put my daughter is next to the > kid > with the big bull's-eye on his chest (also why is Kolipus's hut the safest > place - if I was looking a kid I'd look in his father's house).>> Oh, this is where I thought Hope was particularly brilliant. She gets Gabby to say she'll protect Hope, sending her to a safe place. Hope repeats "the safest place?" like it's a test of some sort, to see if Gabrielle will go to the same lengths as Xena to protect her child. Knowing Xena, Gabrielle probably thought that wherever Solan was would be the best place for Hope -- regardless of who was gunning for Solan. Third when > Hope let's it slip that she knows Solan's name why doesn't she come up a > better lie such as: Callisto told me or you and Xena were talking about him > in front me three scenes ago (which they were by the way).>> Again, I'm not sure about this, but I think Hope isn't supposed to have seen Solan before. Sure, she could've guessed the boy was Solan, but it's the casual, knowing way she says his name that I think triggers Gabrielle. But, by then, Hope has gotten away with so many lies -- and, I think, is convinced she has Gabby in her pocket -- that she doesn't bother trying to come up with something better. Mind you, this may well have been a mistake, but it was even more chilling to me because of Hope's nonchallant certainty that her little plan was working and complete obliviousness to her impending death that the viewer could see in Gabrielle's eyes. Finally Xena, > who > can hear arrows flying at her and stealthy ninja assassins in the forest, > suddenly can't hear the last words of a dying centaur three inches from her > face when he is identifying his killer.>> Weren't his words kind of garbled and not particularly exact? Besides, the WP was experiencing quite a bit of emotional turmoil here, not to mention the need for some dramatic license to prolong the suspense. Overall, one of my favorite eps in terms of darkness, drama, acting, and presentation. - -- Ife ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ End of chakram-refugees-digest V2 #127 **************************************