From: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org (chakram-refugees-digest) To: chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Subject: chakram-refugees-digest V8 #63 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 Wednesday, December 16 2009 Volume 08 : Number 063 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [chakram-refugees] God Fearing Child to Amphipolis Under Siege [cr Subject: [chakram-refugees] God Fearing Child to Amphipolis Under Siege This is, I think, one of the better episodes from mid-season 5. It featured more Xena than immediately previous eps, since Lucy had had her child by then. And the guest stars, Zeus, Hera, Ares and yes, people, even Herc, were good. For me the highlight was Hera, no longer the vindictive evil queen of the gods, but a thoughtful and serious person. Still able to zap Ares, though, when occasion demanded. A difficult role to play, but Meg Foster carried it off well. In fact this episode could be regarded as the true finale to the Hercules saga (only Iolaus was missing), and a far more satisfying finale than Full Circle. In fact I wonder how much of the plot of this episode might have been prompted by ideas left over from Full Circle for lack of time or development. Having said that, ignoring the Hercules back-story completely and just regarding this as a Xena episode with some really interesting guest stars, it still works and makes complete sense. (In fact the only real background knowledge required is, who is Solan). This ep is also, of course, a key episode in the Xena story, since it sets up the twilight-of-the-gods theme that runs right through to Motherhood. Eternal Bonds is (IMO) not such a good episode as either GFC or Amphipolis Under Siege, which follows it. It has some good moments of comedy when Xena is trying not to daydream about Ares (the expressions on Lucy's face are a hoot); and a very neat special effect when Ares stops the battle in mid-charge and walks between the attackers (we've seen this before in The End of the Beginning and Them Bones, but it's at its best in this episode). Ares is obsessed with Xena. Who knew? Chris Manheim certainly did - 'nobody ever worked as well opposite Xena as Ares did'. Joxer and Gabrielle's relationship, on the other hand, just didn't interest me. Nor did the Biblical overtones of the Magi, though there was a very nice twist when they suddenly turned into the Magi Assassins. Amphipolis Under Siege was a more entertaining episode (though it got grievously short-changed on the DVD, not having any extra 'Interviews' like the first and third eps on the dis, that is to say Eternal Bonds and - Fishsticks. What in Tartarus...?) There were a few YAXIs in it - for example, the presence of Roman soldiers in the army laying siege to Amphipolis. Where did they come from - who sent them and what interest did the Romans have in Xena's child? And Amphipolis, notwithstanding that Athena seems to have been their patron god, still has a temple to Ares. Quite a big town, then. (IIRC, it was more like just a village in Sins of the Past. And who was the Lord Dameron who owned the road to Amphipolis (and who was never heard of after the intro?). But never mind all that, it was a highly entertaining episode. I did love to watch the bickering and one-upping between Ares and Athena. And I loved the moment when Xena was seducing Ares and the temple wall blew in and there was Cyrene looking shocked. And Xena embarrassed for once, 'This is not what it looks like'. 'Yeah it is' said Ares, quite unabashed. But I was very disappointed in Xena for deceiving Ares from start to finish about her intentions, seeing as how Ares kept his side of the bargain (and Xena knew he would) in quite spectacular fashion - confronting Athena in front of her entire army - while Xena resorted to a trick (the fake baby) and a technicality to welsh on the deal. I don't think that was worthy of Xena. Just rethinking that, and trying to be charitable as possible, one might consider that just maybe, Xena thought Athena might be fooled by the fake baby for a few minutes, and wasn't relying on Ares to step in and save the day. Seems highly unlikely though. Married with Fishsticks - I just watched the 'Interviews'. To quote Eric Gruendemann - 'What did I think when I opened up the script..? Somebody had been doing a lot of drugs....' That about sums it up, I think. Probably Gabrielle, since it was her dream, and she must have been guzzling every illegal substance known to woman. Okay, Alex Tydings and Meighan Desmond were very good in it as the evil sisters. But as for those rubber-monster 'kids' - Gabs really should know to avoid mixing the Angel Dust with magic mushrooms and model airplane glue... cr ========================================================= 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 V8 #63 *************************************