The Haunting of Amphipolis

Story by Edithe Swenson and Joel Metzger
Teleplay by Joel Metzger
Directed by Garth Maxwell

A friend of mine has an expression, "Two great tastes that go great separately." I think it is an appropriate description for this episode. It honestly felt to me like there were two similar, but almost totally unrelated storylines grafted together -- and the seams were pretty obvious.

That's a shame too, because I don't think either plotline was bad in and of itself. The "haunted house" story surrounding the death of Cyrene had quite a bit of potential, and the "exorcist" plot with Eve plays very nicely into the story arc Rob Tapert seems to be working towards.

The trouble is, when the two stories merged something got lost in each. The suspense and horror required for Cyrene's tale didn't get built up properly, and the plot revolving around Eve and Mephistopheles seemed almost to come out of left field, rehashing the same (tired) Xena-versus-deity story that we witnessed several times during season five (and in season six's premiere).

Here's my theory on what happened. You may notice in the credits for this show there are separate entries for the story and the teleplay. In addition, the people credited for them are (so far as I have been able to determine) first-time scribes for the series. I believe they submitted the story idea revolving around Cyrene and the haunted ruins of Amphipolis. It was a good story - certainly good enough to merit an episode.

However, Rob Tapert had some seasonal story arc concerns. In order to play into his overall plan for Eve -- and this season -- certain plot elements had to be introduced and developed. Most notable of these was Eve's role as the "messenger" of Eli. (This is not a bad idea in itself, and I'll address it in a moment or two.)

So when the teleplay (that is, the actual script) was written, these story arc concerns were grafted onto a story that seemed like it could have supported them. It even did, up to a point. Unfortunately the original story of Cyrene's tormented spirit accidentally got amputated. It ended up serving as atmospheric set dressing and all sense of horror and tension got dropped from the episode.

Whose fault is it? I don't know for certain. I'm not even sure blame can be laid at any one person's feet. Tapert's focus on the overall story arc is certainly a factor, but I wonder if the inexperience of the writing team played a part. There are some wonderful moments, but they lack cohesion overall. Without a solid script everything else generally falls flat.

Now I'd like to address the issue of this as a "horror" episode. It fails for the reason that I mention above. Some tension exists early on, but is very rapidly defused and shoved aside by what is probably the biggest deus ex machina in the history of the Xenaverse. A villager shows up in the family crypt and explains exactly what is going on - and this before the first act is even up!

This is a major gaffe in the horror genre. There are some wonderful moments (like the scene with the maggot-ridden food) that did a great job of increasing the tension. However, with the Scooby-Doo revelation provided by Anonymous Villager #3 (who shows up, says his thing, and leaves), all of the dramatic potential is flushed away. I have to give major negative points there.

Another event that served to ruin the tension was Eve's discovery of her ability to cast out the evil spirits. It happened much too early in the story. You can't rush horror. The handling of the story at moments like that is simply unforgivable.

As far as an homage to horror films goes, it isn't that bad. The exterior shots of the house brought to mind the decrepit mansion overlooking the Bates Motel (from Hitchcock's classic Psycho). The moments when Gabrielle is trapped under the floor with the dead bodies recalls the conclusion of the original Poltergeist. And then of course there is the beautifully over-the-top performance of Renee O'Connor when Mephistopheles possesses her - recalling Linda Blair in The Exorcist.

One film that didn't come to mind while watching this episode, interestingly enough, was Raimi and Tapert's Evil Dead series. I suppose we were meant to have them in the back of our mind while watching, but I could detect no direct homage to those films.

(As a side note, the first film in the series, The Evil Dead, is truly creepy. The second, Evil Dead II, is basically a comedy remake of the first. The third, Army of Darkness is a spiritual predecessor to Xena and Hercules.)

The second storyline -- Eve's conflict with Mephistopheles -- has some elements in it that are important later on this season. She is referred to as the "messenger," and it is fairly obvious that she has some sort of greater purpose in the developing battle between Heaven and Hell.

In terms of the hero cycle (a favorite subject of mine) Eve's role as messenger actually makes a great deal of sense. She is the individual that is carrying the life-granting boon (in this case, Eli's message of Love and Peace) back to the people of the world. In fact, an interesting parallel here can be seen with the Biblical accounts of Paul (which I first touched on during my commentary on Eve).

Paul was a Roman official known as Saul who persecuted the early Christians. One day, while on the road to Damascus, he was paid a visit by Jesus and blinded. He was later healed, changed his name, and dedicated his life to evangelical work. Change Saul/Paul to Livia/Eve, and have Eli fill in the role of Jesus. Uncanny, isn't it?

I'm not suggesting that this is a deliberate allegory on Rob Tapert's part. Rather I believe it is a simple case of a basic, fundamental story being reinterpreted. I am certain that similar parallels can be drawn with stories in other mythological and religious traditions.

Clearly, the entire Mephistopheles plot is intended to set up a conflict in later episodes. It is a shame that what could have been a solid ghost story had to get castrated in order to develop the overall story arc.

As a quick side note, I find it interesting that Xena is now in charge of Hell - much like she was as a demon in season five's premiere, Fallen Angel. It's a nice bit of irony, even if it wasn't intentional.

I'm not totally down on this episode - there were some wonderful moments. Lucy and Renee turned in wonderful performances, and even Adrienne did a good job with what she was given (which, admittedly, wasn't much). It was nice to see Darien Takle (Cyrene) again, even if her story got pushed into the background. The effects were (for the most part) solid, and the musical underscore was appropriate. Considering the train wreck of a script they had to deal with, it was an admirable effort.

In the end, I can't really recommend this one. Some important plot elements come into play later on during the season, but much of the story here is either forced or ignored. As horror it just doesn't work, and the Mephistopheles plot is rife with cliches and rehashed plot elements. Despite solid performances from the cast, there was little that could exorcise the demons from this script. I give it a D-plus.

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