Last of the Centaurs

Written by Joel Metzger
Directed by Garth Maxwell

There are some advantages to not reading spoilers -- the biggest one, of course, being the details that surprise you during that wonderful first viewing.

This episode is no exception. I knew that Borias was featured in another flashback sequence, but I was thrilled to see Danielle Cormack return as Ephiny. I was also pleased to learn the fate of Xenan, who hadn't been seen since Maternal Instincts -- many fans were wondering what became of him after his mother died.

I enjoyed this episode a great deal. I've always been partial to the darker, more dramatic episodes and this one is no exception. As the series wrapped up, there seemed to be a trend to eliminate the more "mythological" aspects of the Xenaverse. The Amazons are in dire straits after To Helicon and Back, the Olympians were pretty much wiped out during the fifth season Twilight of the Gods, and now the centaurs get their own bloody massacre.

The personal stakes are what make this episode so involving. The threat to Xenan and the centaurs is made more complicated by the identity of the aggressor -- Borias's first child. Gabrielle wants to protect Xenan (and his family) at all costs, but Xena feels an older obligation to Belach -- one of the first people she wronged after Caesar's betrayal. As a result, the loyalties of our warrior duo are somewhat strained, but never flare into outright conflict.

Excellent performances are turned in from the cast. Especially notable is Hamish Hector-Taylor, who plays Xenan. He strikes the right balance of outrage and grief. In fact, when he led the soldiers away from the old farmhouse, I feared that he would sacrifice his life to save his wife and unborn son.

Marton Csokas turns in a solid double performance as Borias and Belach. It is remarkable how different the two characters are. I was also impressed by how similar the flashbacks of Borias are to earlier scenes months (or even years) later. It almost feels like the flashback sequences in this episode were filmed at the same time as The Debt. Major kudos go to Marton, Lucy, and the production staff for reproducing those earlier scenes so accurately.

My only complaint about Marton's performance comes towards the end of the episode. He does a wonderful job until he is leading his men in the attack; his command presence left a lot to be desired. It was far too over-the-top, given the attitude Belach had conveyed through the rest of the episode. He acted like a fool and a lunatic, and that just didn't fit.

My other big complaint about the episode revolves around Gabrielle. She seemed to be in this episode for the sole purpose of communicating with Ephiny. Now I'm certainly not a rabid Gabfan, but I sincerely feel she was wasted in this episode.

The most blatant waste came when Gabrielle was comforting Nika in the farmhouse. The two bounty hunters enter and Gabrielle draws one of her weapons to fight them off. Just as the thugs discover the pair, Xena comes in and saves the day with no help from Gabrielle.

Excuse me? Since when has Gabrielle backed down from a fight? She could easily have taken out those two warriors. I think that having Xena show up to save the day was just bad writing.

The other complaint I have regarding Gabrielle is the bloodthirsty "Xena, you have to kill him" attitude she sported throughout. I don't have any trouble with her reminding Xena of what might need to be done, but she seemed awfully narrow-minded when it came to a solution. Gabrielle would certainly recognize when Xena is torn over a course of action, but why would she so stubbornly stick to the murderous solution? Especially when that sort of conflict between the two is so heavily downplayed? It just didn't wash for me.

On the positive side, the pacing of this episode was excellent. The first half developed slowly, introducing the new characters and setting up the conflicts. Events kicked into high gear in the second half, after the discovery of the slaughter at the centaur camp.

In many ways, this episode had a retro feel to it. Certainly there were many scenes that were reminiscent of earlier episodes. Xena's fighting style, especially against a large number of opponents, returned to a more acrobatic (and physics-defying) style. (Check out the moves she uses against a circle of spear-wielding thugs in two different sequences.)

Other references include the birth of Borias -- recalling Xenan's birth in Is There a Doctor in the House. The shots of Xenan after Belach's men take him captive hearkens back to Hooves and Harlots (where the Amazons are keeping rein on Phantes). The relationship between Xenan and Nika recalls the romance between Ephiny and Phantes.

Overall, this was a solid episode, though the retro style shows just how far the show has come in six years. I like the introduction of Belach, and like the fact that the storyline is brought to a conclusion. The near-genocide of the centaurs is a sad moment, but it is never pushed into high melodrama. The surprise return of Ephiny makes this episode even more enjoyable.

In the end, however, the treatment of Gabrielle knocks this out of the top tier of episodes. She is little more than a glorified medium in this episode. I feel it is the result of bad writing. Why couldn't Gabrielle have fought the thugs in the farmhouse? Why did she stick to the idea of killing Belach? These actions just seemed out of character for the battling bard. Marton's lunatic raving during the final battle also knocks it down a notch. I expect more from him (his brief scenes as Borias in this episode show what he is capable of).

I give this episode a solid B.

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