Eve

Written by George Strayton & Tom O'Neill
Directed by Mark Beesly

The world-changing Twilight Arc continues, and the drama hits close to home as Xena and Gabrielle (accompanied by Joxer and his son Virgil) follow Livia's murderous rampage across the world. Despite a couple of questions that come up in the course of things, the overall story continues to enthrall, and a dear friend is given the send-off he so richly deserves.

Livia is royally pissed off in this episode, her plans to become Empress of Rome shattered by the intervention of her mother. She takes a cohort or two of loyal troops and starts carving her way from Rome to a temple sacred to Eli's followers, not really caring if a few innocents get caught up in the conflict. Ares urges her on, using her anger (as he once used her mother's) to further his own ends. Eli's followers represent a threat to the Olympian order, and Ares wants to make sure that they don't get in his way.

We are treated to yet another reminder that Livia is Callisto reborn, when a villager defies her, saying that they survived the murderous rampages of Callisto, and this was nothing new. "I'm not Callisto," snarls the Defender of Rome as she cuts his head off.

If you recall from my commentary on Livia I wondered why The Powers That Be brought up the Callisto connection when it didn't seem to play any part in the story being told at the time. With the connection being brought up again this week (and early in the episode to boot) I thought that perhaps the significance of this plot element would be dealt with. Sadly, I found myself disappointed yet again. Perhaps it was supposed to be a moment of dramatic irony when Livia uttered those words, and fan response would be, "But you are Callisto!" But in order for that kind of thing to work, there needs to be more than a token nod. This whole Callisto connection is really falling flat. Perhaps there was some connection with the "moment of revelation" at the end of the episode -- but I'll get into that later.

In my previous commentary I talked about how bothered I was with Joxer's portrayal in the battle. Well the situation improved. Joxer didn't act like a total buffoon, unaware of the limitations age has forced on him. He displayed some brains, and the heart of a lion that his devotees have known existed was shown. When the moment of truth came, he did the right thing, even though it cost him his life.

The moment by the campfire with Virgil, where Joxer admitted the truth of his relationship with Xena was touching. Even after admitting that he had exaggerated his role in the stories he told for years, Virgil reminded Joxer of how valuable and wonderful his adventures with the Warrior Princess had been. True, he wasn't the greatest fighter in the world, and would often cause as many problems as he solved, but he was a valued companion and trusted friend.

Joxer's death and Virgil's anger bring back the theme of the cycle of violence, echoing in some ways the first appearance of Callisto in season one. The consequences are handled differently, though. Perhaps the years of experience have taught Xena and Gabrielle that righteous anger can do good, provided it is tempered by mercy.

If there were ever any actual chance for Ares and Xena, it seems to have been sent straight to hell. Infuriated that Ares has corrupted her daughter, Xena makes her feelings for the God of War quite clear. Spurned and angry, Ares does what he does best -- manipulates people for his own selfish ends, trying to hurt Xena the way she hurt him. Hell hath no fury...

Xena and Gabrielle were willing to give Livia a chance to turn away from her destructive path, but when it became clear that their love wasn't going to be enough to stop her, they both agreed that she needed to be put down. I liked this decision, because it was true to the lessons learned by both women over the course of the series -- love is the best way to try and stop the cycle of anger, hatred and the violence that results. When innocent lives are put at risk, however, somebody must stand up and defend them. They did what they could, and then did what they had to. Kudos to the Xenastaff for not sugar coating the issue.

A couple of things come out of left field in this episode, however. After Joxer is killed and Virgil goes off (followed shortly by Gabrielle) he makes some comments about how his faith in Eli's philosophy is being tested. Excuse me? Virgil had never indicated he was a follower of Eli before that moment, why start now? In addition, this character detail seemed to vanish almost as quickly as it appeared. I was left a little bit confused. It played into the theme of forgiveness and love, but it seemed to be tacked on and then dropped. Is it important or isn't it? I'm left wondering.

The other minor question was when did Livia say her name was Eve? If I recall correctly, she said, "What have I done?" Now I understand the significance of her having said, "My name is Eve," but if it was really that important, why was it cut (which seems to be the only option that makes any sense)? Points deducted for bad editorial choices.

This brings me to my final -- and major -- gripe with this episode. "The miracle." Two big things here. First, what was the flashback sequence while Livia was in the beam of light supposed to signify? What kind of thought process was going on in her head? Did it have some kind of connection with the Callisto hook that we've been reminded of? Was it supposed to show Livia how much Xena really loved her, and how much she risked to protect her daughter?

This is where the limitations of film and television really start to become a problem. It seems fairly clear to me that there is some sort of significant thought process occurring here, but we aren't given any insight into it. In a novel we can get inside the character's head and understand what's going on. In visual media, it either needs to be shown or the character needs to verbalize the process in some fashion. The flashback series is (I believe) intended to show us this thought process, but what does it all mean? We know the end result, and that's it. It is especially frustrating because it is so significant.

My other problem is the concept of the divine intervention. Until this storyline, one of the show's major themes has been the concept that mankind doesn't need the gods -- indeed that seems to be the point of the Twilight; humanity has the right to choose their own destiny, rather than have it dictated to them. But now a divine being sitting up in Heaven changes Livia's heart? Am I the only one who has a problem with this concept?

Granted, TPTB have been shifting their focus from a humanist philosophy. And this isn't the first time Xena wasn't strong enough to do it on her own (think back to The Way and her appeal to Krishna). But what are we being told here? Do we need the divine or don't we? I wish for once they could settle on a message and stick with it. Big points lost for wishy-washy thematic continuity.

I did notice an interesting biblical parallel, though. Look at Livia as Saul, who became Paul. Paul is the apostle whose ministry is described in the Book of Acts, and many of the letters in the New Testament were written by him. Saul was a servant of Rome (whether he was actually Roman or not is a detail I don't recall) and one of the early Christian church's major persecutors. One day, as he was traveling the road to Damascus, God flashed a divine light into his eyes, striking Saul blind. He was healed a few days later and became Paul, one of the most significant figures in the early Christian church.

The parallel at this point is fairly obvious. Eli's followers are the early Christian church. Livia is Saul, and the "miracle moment" in the temple is the moment on the road to Damascus, where Saul's life was changed.

It is merely another example of the biblical parallels that have been running throughout this season -- the war in heaven from Fallen Angel, Eli's Garden of Gethsemane moment in Seeds of Faith, the divine origin of Xena's child. I don't really have a problem with TPTB borrowing from this myth-pool. In fact, I addressed this topic in my article Closer to God, so I won't go over it again here.

I do wish that they would choose a message and stick with it rather than flip-flopping back and forth from week to week. It's a great story, but when the thematic underpinnings aren't stable the story itself gets a little bit shaky.

In conclusion, the rich, character-driven drama continues beautifully. Difficult choices are made and the natural consequences of those choices take place.

However, the thematic confusion (demonstrated most appropriately with the divine intervention) raises some questions in my mind about what TPTB are really trying to say. Also, Virgil's character detail out of left-field and a confusing flashback sequence muddy the conclusion of this otherwise compelling tale.

Still, Joxer gets the hero's send-off he deserves, and the source of the true animosity between Xena and Ares is revealed. It's a shame that the underlying subtext and message of the show can't be as consistent as the surface narrative.

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