Motherhood

Story by Rob Tapert
Teleplay by R.J. Stewart
Directed by Rick Jacobson

The Twilight of the Gods story arc comes to its appropriately apocalyptic conclusion. I enjoyed this episode tremendously, and even after digesting it for a couple of days, couldn't find any plot holes to complain about. The story tugs at the heartstrings, and has twists and turns that surprised even this jaded Xenite. The visuals are compelling, and the emotional stakes are pushed through the roof. A wonderful effort all around.

You may recall from my last commentary that I had some concerns about the divine intervention from last week's episode -- especially as it related to the thematic threads I felt ran through the series. Well I've gone beyond that now. This is the story that Rob Tapert wants to tell right now, and after you push past the resistance of the Christian imagery and thematic inconsistencies, it is very compelling.

Eve, still reeling from the awakening experienced at the conclusion of the previous episode, is wandering in the desert. Xena and Gabrielle are watching over her from a distance. Meanwhile, Ares reveals to the rest of the Olympians Livia's true nature, and Athena decides to take action. She calls on the Furies to push Gabrielle into killing Eve.

This is the conflict that takes up the first half of the episode, but I'll get to that in a moment. I want to point out the continuing biblical parallels in this story. Before his ministry began, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist (this account can be found in all four of the gospels). After his baptism, Jesus spent some time in the wilderness fasting and praying (this account can be found in all of the gospels except the book of John). He then emerged and began his three year whirlwind tour (so to speak).

Eve goes through this same process, in the reverse order -- a period of wandering in the wilderness, followed by a baptism. This is an intentional Christ parallel. Eve is the herald of the new order, a monotheistic "Way of Love" that supplants the Olympians who have held sway up until that point. Jesus was a similar herald if much of the associated dogma is stripped away; he brought a new message as well that at its core is the same tenets presented by Eli.

Regardless, this wandering in the desert and baptism are both symbolic; it represents the wasteland the life has become and the rebirth required for the hero to fulfill their destiny. Similar symbols can be found in other traditions -- Christianity doesn't hold the copyright on this stuff. Getting past the limits of one specific mythological system allows you to simply enjoy the rousing tale.

In another difference from the biblical parallel, Xena receives a "divine charge" instead of the designated savior, Eve. As long as Eve lives Xena (as her defender) will have the power to kill gods.

Athena displays the first real sign that she is Goddess of Wisdom. She knows that the Olympians will never get past Xena's defenses, and so tries to use Gabrielle to sneak under Xena's radar. She nearly succeeds -- it is only Xena's heightened danger sense that prevents Gabrielle from killing Eve. The storyline was wonderful, and could very have easily been a full episode in its own right. But it only takes the first half hour, leaving the second half for the fallout.

That entire sequence, in fact, was designed to rip the emotions to tatters so that all intellectual thought processes were gone -- all that was left was gut reaction, and lord what a reaction! First Joxer returns -- and my heart leaped into my throat with joy at seeing him again. Then Hope appeared, and the tension began to mount as these two strong influences in Gabrielle's life made their case. Just as Gabrielle plunges her weapon into Eve's back, Xena enters and nails Gabby with the chakram.

When she caught the weapon on the rebound, with the blood on it, the breath was knocked out of me. I was literally in shock for several moments as I tried to regain my composure. It was a powerful scene, beautifully executed.

With Eve badly hurt and Gabrielle at death's door, Xena takes the battle to Olympus. Aphrodite sides with Xena out of a fondness for the bard (a relationship that was built over several episodes). She can't heal Gabrielle without Athena's blessing, but she can take them all to Olympus, where the final knock-down, drag-out battle takes place.

Just about every major deity still kicking around is in this episode. In round one Poseidon, not seen since Season 2, shows up and gets waxed by a deflected fireball. Discord gets her head cut off. Hephaestus gets clubbed with his own hammer. In round two, as Joxer's "temple" to Xena and Gabs gets leveled, Hades and Deimos are killed off. Then, in the climactic sequence, Artemis (who makes her first appearance on Xena) gets skewered by her own arrows, and Athena gets a sword through the gut.

The climax reinforces the power of love. Despite his previous attempts to get back at Xena, Ares can't bring himself to harm the woman he loves when it comes down to it. He gives up his immortality to bring Eve and Gabrielle back to life.

As is so often the case in Greek tragedy, the prophecy was self-fulfilling. The Olympians, driven by fear and their need for power do the very thing that ensures their destruction. Had they accepted the new order, they would still be alive -- reduced in power perhaps, but still alive. Aphrodite survived because she doesn't stand in Xena's way, and Ares survives because in the end he can't stand against the Warrior Princess. The Olympians' knowledge of the prophecy is the very thing that sealed their doom.

Alex Tydings does great work in this episode. Her concern for Gabrielle is evident, and it is clear that she is afraid of Eve. Renee O'Connor does a wonderful job dealing with Gabrielle's impending madness, and it is always a pleasure to see her play Hope -- even if the wig makes her hair look awful (it seems she's just not a wig person). Kevin Smith is wonderful as Ares, Lucy (as usual) does an incredible job portraying Xena's emotional roller coaster, and even Ted Raimi's brief cameo is enjoyable.

Adrienne Wilkinson plays Eve much better than she played Livia -- her vulnerability and confusion are evident, though I kept getting flashbacks of Jennifer Sky as Amarice every time she talked. The actress playing Athena likewise does a good job, clearly the one in charge now that Zeus is gone. the other Olympians present are little more than set dressing -- indeed, Artemis and Poseidon have no lines whatsoever -- though I really liked Artemis's expression after Xena caught the second arrow in the final battle. Trying to give all of the "lesser gods" significant roles would have caused no end of confusion. Each got their moment, and that is enough for me.

There is a degree of closure this season. We are in a time of peace and rest; there are no intently burning questions that need to be answered right away.

Rob Tapert wanted to start Season Six with a clean slate, and I think he did a good job of tying off threads from the "old days". We can't go back, and the possibilities for the last season of the show are almost limitless.

So in summary, this was a powerful episode with excellent performances, stunning visuals, and a compelling storyline. Nothing seemed especially contrived, and there were no glaring plot holes. The story could have been fleshed out to a two-parter without too much trouble, but I was glad to see that they ended the Twilight storyline, rather than leave us with a cliff-hanger season ending.

Indeed, after two days of digestion and a second viewing, I was tempted to give this episode the highest rating I've ever given, but I didn't enjoy this episode quite as much as I enjoyed Looking Death in the Eye. It is just as good an episode, but I didn't have the burning need to see what happened next. So I didn't hand out the coveted A-plus and gave this episode a solid (and well deserved) A.

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