From: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org (chakram-refugees-digest) To: chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Subject: chakram-refugees-digest V9 #42 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, June 7 2010 Volume 09 : Number 042 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [chakram-refugees] Path of Vengeance [cr ] Re: [chakram-refugees] Path of Vengeance [KLOSSNER9@aol.com] Re: [chakram-refugees] Path of Vengeance [cr ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2010 20:39:41 +1300 From: cr Subject: [chakram-refugees] Path of Vengeance This ep starts off with a big "What the...?" moment. Eve is wandering around Amazon territory with her message of peace and the Emperor has sent a guard of Roman troops. We know that Eve's had her ... problems with the Amazons before now, and we know that her favourite method of dealing with problems is to bang her head against them, but a Roman guard? Like that'll really help. And - which Emperor? Last one we saw was Caligula, conned by Xena into committing suicide because he wanted to kill Eve. Why should his replacement want to get his fingers jammed in the mangle that is Eve's Message of Peace? But then, Eve claims to be a representative of Eli, and of Rome - what has been going on? Anyway, the Amazons don't care, they just want to kill Romans. And Eve. This is not going to end well. It seems the Amazons have been combining to make a supertribe, strength in numbers, that sort of thing. (Though Gabs fixed that subsequently in Helicon ;) Under the leadership of Varia; the principal thing she learnt from Xena in Dangerous Prey seems to have been "kill 'em all!". I never thought I'd feel sorry for Romans. So of course Xena has to go and rescue Eve. It used to be that I criticised Gabrielle for getting into situations from which Xena had to rescue her. These days, it seems Eve has taken over that role. And mightily does she fulfil it. So, the Amazons find Eve guilty. What a surprise. However, Xena figures out that Ares is 'helping' Varia, for reasons unknown. According to Eve, though, Ares persuaded her in the past (as Livia) to attack the Amazons. Working both sides of the street. But of course, as he points out to Xena, he's the god of war - it's what he does. So then, Eve is sentenced to death and Gabs challenges Varia. Xena offers to fight in Gabs' place but it seems it doesn't work that way. (Why not, it did in Hooves & Harlots? But then, like the laws of Amazon succession, these things seem to change randomly). Full credit for trying, but you're going to lose, Gabby. Badly. So then Xena has to save Eve in, as she puts it, the old-fashioned way. We know that no Amazon tribe is a match for Xena when she gets going. "I don't want to fight you, Xena" says Varia. "You got that right" says Xena - nice play on words. But of course they do fight, and one of the most spectacular of the series it is. Even Ares has to applaud. "It's what I do" says Xena. I do like the dialogue in this episode, it makes up for the rather improbable plot. I noticed that, when Xena was comforting Gabs after Varia beat her up, the score echoed the music from The Vision. And at the end of the ep, as they salute the Amazon queens, there is the five-note musical phrase on a horn(?) (with just one added note different) from near the end of Sin Trade 2, when Cyane's Amazons on the mountain are released. And right at the end, after Eve takes off for places East, there's the exact 7-note rising phrase that saw Xena ride off across the steppes at the very end of Sin Trade. (Come to think of it, The Vision and its theme were first heard late in Sin Trade 2, too). In fact, all through the last five minutes of this ep, the music is simple phrases but hauntingly beautiful - Lo Duca's a genius. Even though, IMO, the situation didn't quite justify the loftiness of the music (whereas Sin Trade did). 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. ========================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2010 09:27:30 EDT From: KLOSSNER9@aol.com Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Path of Vengeance The next emperor after Caligula was Claudius. He became famous in our time due to the novels I, Claudius and Claudius the God by Robert Graves and the BBC/Masterpiece Theatre miniseries I, Claudius, which dramatized both novels. He is considered a relatively nice guy as Roman emperors go, though he is known best for conquering Southern Britain, for killing his wife for plotting against him, and for being poisoned by his next wife to make her son Nero Emperor. (Nero subsequently killed his mother.) I would have preferred it if the show had mentioned Claudius by name, making a graceful acknowledgement of its illustrious BBC/PBS predecessor. Anyway it was reasonable to show Claudius cleaning up one of Caligula's messes. Boeotian In a message dated 6/6/2010 3:28:14 A.M. Central Daylight Time, cr@orcon.net.nz writes: And - which Emperor? Last one we saw was Caligula ========================================================= 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: Mon, 7 Jun 2010 11:24:44 +1200 From: cr Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Path of Vengeance That may well have been the case re Claudius cleaning up after Caligula. However, I really don't think this particular example, viz. assisting Eve (ex Livia) to go and preach peace to the Amazons, could be considered 'cleaning up' :) cr On Monday 07 June 2010 01:27:30 KLOSSNER9@aol.com wrote: > The next emperor after Caligula was Claudius. He became > famous in our time due to the novels I, Claudius and Claudius > the God by Robert Graves and the BBC/Masterpiece Theatre > miniseries I, Claudius, which dramatized both novels. He is > considered a relatively nice guy as Roman emperors go, though > he is known best for conquering Southern Britain, for killing > his wife for plotting against him, and for being poisoned by his > next wife to make her son Nero Emperor. (Nero subsequently > killed his mother.) I would have preferred it if the show had > mentioned Claudius by name, making a graceful acknowledgement > of its illustrious BBC/PBS predecessor. > > Anyway it was reasonable to show Claudius cleaning up one of > Caligula's messes. > > Boeotian > > > In a message dated 6/6/2010 3:28:14 A.M. Central Daylight Time, > cr@orcon.net.nz writes: > > And - which Emperor? Last one we saw was Caligula ========================================================= 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 V9 #42 *************************************