When Fates Collide

Written by Katherine Fugate
Directed by John Fawcett

The previous three weeks on Xena have been a kind of old home week. In Send in the Clones we had visits from Claire Stansfield, Alison Wall, and Polly Baigent. In Last of the Centaurs we had Danielle Cormack and Marton Csokas. In this week's episode we have Karl Urban, Claire Stansfield (again), Ted Raimi, and David Franklin. It is wonderful seeing these talents return to the series. They have all been missed.

This was an excellent episode. It plays like a dark mirror to season two's Remember Nothing. In that episode, the Fates showed Xena how things would have been different if she had never picked up the sword. This time, we see what might have happened if Caesar hadn't betrayed Xena (as shown in the episode Destiny).

This "what if" scenario allows the cast and crew to tell a very engaging story -- one that deals with themes played out in countless examples of fan fiction. (Most notably, the idea of Xena and Gabrielle as soul mates.) Ultimately, the message of this episode is that you can't avoid your fate -- you can only put it off for a short period of time. Despite his machinations, Caesar still dies at the hands of an ally. Alti may hold the blade instead of Brutus, but Caesar's just as dead.

This episode shows a wonderful awareness of Xenaversian history. If Caesar doesn't betray Xena (as he did in Destiny), she never travels to Chin and corrupts the Green Dragon (as seen in The Debt). As a result, Lao Ma is still alive and offering a treaty to Rome. This is only one of many changes to the world that flows naturally from the question that supports the whole plot.

This historical awareness does raise some interesting questions. First and foremost, how did Alti become high priestess of Rome? If Xena never traveled east to Chin, she never would have met the evil shaman; when did the relationship between Alti and Rome develop? This seems to be the only questionable feature of the new world, as everything else makes sense.

A common idea that accompanies the theme of fate is that certain things are meant to happen. Another idea is that certain people (let us, for the sake of discussion, call them heroes) shape the warp and weft of destiny by their very presence. Robert Jordan uses the term ta'veren in his series The Wheel of Time. Stephen King uses ka and ka'tet in The Dark Tower. Other fantasy and science fiction writers have played with similar ideas.

With this idea in mind, Alti and Xena were destined to meet. Since the "proper" meeting (as depicted in Adventures in the Sin Trade) failed to occur, Alti was drawn to Xena and became High Priestess of Rome. It seems a little bit strange, I'll admit, but since Alti's power is the key to the whole plot, I'm willing to accept it (besides, I've always enjoyed Alti's presence. She is evil and loves it).

Of course, Fate draws other characters to Xena as well; Joxer is present as a Roman guard. And the famous Greek playwright Gabrielle finds herself curiously drawn to the Empress of Rome.

I was initially unsure that Caesar knew about the changes he had made in history. When Gabrielle showed up, however, it became clear. Caesar clearly knows that Gabrielle will change Xena, and he does everything in his power to prevent that from happening; he accuses her of being an assassin and sentences her to death.

By the way, is there any doubt at the acting ability of either Lucy or Renee? There are several moments where neither speaks a word, but their communication is clear.

Only one real question remains in my mind, and it deals with the climactic moments. Gabrielle throws a torch on Fate's loom, destroying the tapestry of life. How does this restore the world to normal again? I would have thought it much more effective to simply release the fates and have them repair the damage done (based on Remember Nothing they have power along those lines). I guess they had some old pyrotechnics in the warehouse they wanted to use up.

Come to think of it, why didn't Xena just die when Caesar cut the thread? Isn't that what happens when a life thread is cut? And just how did Caesar capture the Fates in the first place?

In the end, these are really minor quibbles. The power and drama of this episode, as well as the performances turned in by Lucy, Renee, and the rest of the cast are among the best ever. These are the same characters we've known all along... and yet they aren't.

This is one of the finest episodes this series has ever produced (questions about the Fates notwithstanding). It is made even more enjoyable by myriad references to previous events that hard-core fans will pick up on. It earns a solid A in my book.

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