This is one of those episodes that I didn't care for very much the first time I saw it, but have grown to enjoy it very much. I have a lot of unanswered questions regarding it, but I can ignore them, and still enjoy the episode as a romp into the horror genre. In the very first scene, and in scenes scattered throughout the episode, it's easy to tell Lucy has a cold. I would have thought Xena would have a cure for the common cold in those amazing saddlebags of hers! When Xena says "there's one way to find out" in regards to Bacchus taking the girls, check out Gabs' eye roll! Watch the earth move when Joxer scares Gabbers and she falls backwards. "Stay behand(sic) me." On top of her cold, Xena's accent has slipped! One wolf runs from behind Gabrielle...it could have easily bitten her in an inconvenient place. Xena doesn't react at all when she pulls Orpheus's severed head out of the bag. Now THAT's cool! Why does Orpheus scream when he's pulled out of the bag? 'Cause she's holding him by his hair? I'll bet it was fun for Ted to sit there on that rock with another man's head between his legs. I just had to say that! I got sick of the crazy camera angles real fast. They didn't serve to make the episode anymore frightening for me. The episode wasn't scary anyway. Weird camera work, like the angles in this episode, quickly annoyed me. Bacchus is one ugly guy! Reminds me of Tim Curry's character in Legend. I dig the festival music...it would have gotten me out on the street too, but I don't think I would have chosen the same dancing partners as Gabrielle. The erratic jerky movements all the Bacchae make just plain disturb me. The Bacchae and the cameras could all make use of a good sedative. I laugh when Xena gave the one Bacchae an airplane ride. I've been doing that with my nephews for years! Of course, I never let any of them go so they'd dash into some rocks and explode... Did Xena get bitten by that one Bacchae? It looks as if it were possible, and there WAS blood on her neck, but she didn't turn into a Bacchae until Gabs sunk her teeth in. Gabrielle borrowed Xena's long vertical hair restraint. Can't you see the two of them swapping clothes? Gabs tells Joxer she'd know a Bacchae if she saw one...then check out the double take she gives the freaky chicks! Gabrielle's hair not only changes colors from scene to scene, but from angle to angle as well! Joxer plays the lyre? Why didn't that surprise me? It's was very considerate of Xena to turn her head for no reason at all so Gabrielle and Joxer could get a good look at the blood on her jugular. I don't know why, but I always love it when Joxer grabs the end of Gabs' staff and starts sharpening it! Xena, Gabrielle, and Joxer all look so cozy at the campfire. They are sitting so close to each other their shoulders are touching. Xena cuts things with her teeth...my kind of girl. I always got in trouble when I used my teeth as scissors though! Someone needs to show Gabrielle the proper way to hold a knife. "I'll tell you one thing...no one sleeps soundly tonight." Gee, writers, do we have to be THAT obvious? Xena lets her anger get the best of her when she launches the knife. That's kind of unusual for her. I've read a lot about "spidah...sand spidah". I hear the accent slip, but it is much more pronounced in other episodes. Speaking of which, that is one ugly spidah! I hope Xena washed her hands when it was over! Blech! I can see why Bacchus would want Xena so badly...wouldn't she make an awesome Bacchae? "Well, they're not gonna jump out at us." Okay, writers, that's twice now...you can quit any time! Xena is barely trying to get Joxer out of the grave. Gabs is doing 3/4 of the work. Whoever patches Joxer's socks need to be fired. Dryads look an awful lot like Harpies. What kind of container was Xena putting the bones in? It didn't hold very many bones! When, during the course of this episode, was Gabrielle bitten? This is a question I would really like answered! Gabrielle makes a great looking vampire...errr Bacchae! I love the way her hair instantly slicks back when she's bitten. Where did Joxer get another pair of boots? I know, I know, Xena's saddlebags! The shots of Gabrielle crawling upside down on the cave walls are cool! When Gabs is checking out Bacchus's lair, even though she's a Bacchae, she looks very young. I especially love her long fingernails! Very cool! Great lighting cast onto Bacchus's throne! Do Bacchae really just explode if they're thrown against a wall? What kind of phyisics or biology are involved with that? Xena has quite a tussle on her hands with the attacking Bacchae. And rarely does she literally scream. She does in this one..."GABRIELLE! NO! JOXER, PLAY THE LYRE!" That's what Orpheus calls singing? I could have done that! It is truly chilling when Joxer looks over to the side, and there stands Bacchus beside him! Is it coincidence that Bacchus looks so much like Mephistopholes? Bacchus isn't very bright. He tells Xena how to kill him! He even read the end of the script..."You're not one of them...yet." Dare I say this? Okay, I will...Xena looks positively orgasmic when Gabrielle finally bites her. Her expression held as much pleasure as pain. And she becomes a Bacchae immediately. Which makes me ask...who bit Gabrielle and when? How long did it take her for her to turn into a Bacchae after being bit? Very cool that Xena gets a double row of fangs! That was certainly a LONG bite that Gabs took, wasn't it? Prolonging something? I can't help but picture Lucy and Renee singing Deep in the Heart of Texas whenever I watch this episode! If you haven't seen the blooper reel, you won't have the first clue what I'm talking about! Why did Gabs tagteam with Xena all of a sudden? How did she suddenly gain control of her senses? Bacchus looks a lot like Freddy Kruger in the closeups. Maybe they go to the same dermatologist. What if Joxer had been holding Orpheus's head lower? Would Orpheus have been a hunchback? Or if Joxer had held it higher, would Orpheus's feet have been dangling in the air? Xena catches on quickly with her three "rights" in regards to Gabrielle's statements about fighting Medusa.The first one is just kind of going on along because she doesn't know what else to do...the second is more of a "oh, I get it" right, and the third one is a right of approval of Gabrielle's quick thinking. "Farewell, my warrior chums!" Makes me giggle everytime! Is Bacchus dead? Why the sinister laugh at the end? We never see his ugly mug again. It's interesting in an episode all about vampires, the word "vampire" isn't used once. Still, this is a fun episode with an erotic quality to it; it's definitely a good solid hour of entertainment. And what did Gary think? This is one of the first episodes I ever saw. I had no idea of whom these people were,and if the series was just going to be just another monster tale,like "BUFFY".There was not the usual developing characterization we saw in earlier and later eps,so I gave this show a chance. I saw some of Season two's shows,out of order,with Return of Callisto next,so I really didn't know what the heck was going on. Not knowing the back-stories made it difficult to follow the thread of the story. Anyway,the story opens up in a woods with Xena talking to a man who warns her of the Bacchae danger in the woods. Gabby is seen looking around,with the camera sort of blurring her features,almost a distortion,I guess,to add to the unreality of the scene. The girls go into the woods talking about if the danger of Bacchus is real. Meanwhile,a man is being chased by wolves,and he ends up meeting Xena and Gabby. He climbs a tree while Xena protects them all with her whip. The man is Joxer,and he has something for Xena. It is the talking head of Orpheus,the god of song and music. He needs Xena to help him regain his body as well as stopping Bacchus from kidnapping more village girls and making them his Bacchae slaves who drink his blood and become like him. Xena agrees to help him get to his Lyre,which should stop the Bacchae.He also needs to find someone who can play it while he sings. They all go to the village,with Orpheus disguised as a scarecrow.It is a festival to keep away evil spirits,and the costumes the people wear are supposed to drive away the bad spirits,just like our Hallowe'en. Orpheus' friend was killed by the Bacchae girls and they have stolen the Lyre. Gabby goes downstairs to see what she can find out while Xena goes outside to search for the Lyre. Two Bacchae girls meet and attack two men who harassed them. Xena appears and fights them,but they escape with the Lyre.Meanwhile,Gabby is on the dance floor with some really pounding music,a sort of rap-type stuff,but a bit different. There is a heavy bass run going on and the dancers are dressed in costumes. Gabby is there fOr a while,and is bitten by a Bac. girl she was dancing with...we don't see the actual bite,but we do see fangs on one of the girls. Joxer has Orpheus on a pole and Xena comes back in with a wound on her neck. Joxer is convinced that Xena is a Bac. and tells Gabby to sharpen her staff as a weapon. They argue and Xena gets them all out of there. Out camping overnight,we learn that Orp. is angry at Xena because his wife got killed in a battle years ago when Xena fought Bacchus. He blames Xena,tho she could do nothing to save her,and says the woman should not have been there anyway. They agree to a truce to stop Bac.,so they go to a graveyard to get Dryad bones,which are said to kill Bacchae.The scene is well-done.,and the place looks creepy. There is constant different camera angles and twirls that leave the viewer off-balance...a nice touch. Joxer is pulled underground,and the girls get him out. They are then attacked by three Dryads,and Xena "kills" two,and the third leaves. Then we see that Gabby has made the transformation into being a Bac.,and escapes into the catacombs where Bacchus is. Orpheus is convinced that Xena will ruin the chance to stop Bacchus while she looks for Gabby,and Joxer agrees to help him. Gabby attacks them,but escapes again. Bacchus cuts himself and drops his blood into a cup for her to drink,making her his slave. She is about to drink when Xena arrives and knocks the cup from her hands. Bacchus orders his Bacchae to attack,and Xena pounds them,even killing two---they explode when killed. Joxer climbs up to where the stolen Lyre is...he had told everyone that he can play it...all can't believe it,especially Orpheus. Joxer starts playing it and the Bacchae hold their ears,and Bacchus slams him to the ground. Xena then climbs up and Gabby bites her,but Xena wanted her to.After becoming a Bac. herself,Xena and Gabby jump down and Xena stabs Bacchus to death with the Dryad bone. She had to BE a Bacchae to kill Bacchus.He explodes,too,and the captive girls are saved. They change back to normal. They all leave after Orpheus gets his old body back. He disappears,as a god would and thanks Xena. Notes: We do not learn how Joxer gets Orpheus' head,and why such a bumbler would be trusted to get to Xena and get the rescue mission going. The monster outfit of Bacchus is the best in all six years,I think.It didn't look as rubbery as the Satan one,or The Destroyer.The camera angles were superb,and the haunting music in most scenes really worked. Why does Xena get to still keep her identity as herself and not become a slave as the others? She is a Bacchae without any restrictions? Gabby also went along with it,too. Anyway,I liked this ep. a lot,and if I look closely,esp. at the graveyard scene,I always see something I missed.This ep. made me committed to see what the show offered next,and when I saw the developing characterizations and the back-story,it began to make sense and I was hooked. What did Andrew think? The legendary musician Orpheus loses his head (literally!) and vampires make an appearance in the Xenaverse as the Warrior Princess settles an old score with the evil god Bacchus * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * XENA AND GABRIELLESeems Xena fought just about everyone in the old days, doesn't it? This time she's determined to settle her account with Bacchus once and for all. She trusts Gabrielle enough to leave her guarding Orpheus, but Gabby unaccountably leaves her post. I assume she was investigating suspecting Bacchae, but if that's the case why does she leave her staff behind? At any rate, she easily comes under the Bacchae's spell (vampires are known for their ability to hypnotise their victims) which incidentally cures her fear of dancing in public voiced in HOOVES AND HARLOTS. She also takes the bite on Xena's neck far too lightly - Joxer has every reason to be worried. Actually, Gabrielle comes out of this episode looking pretty useless. She takes no part in the fights with the wolves or the dryads, hiding behind Xena in both cases. Mind you, she makes a pretty sexy vamp - she could bite my neck any time! It's also the first time we've seen her wear earrings. Xena takes a real risk letting Bacchae Batgab bite her, gambling that she'll be enough of a Bacchae to kill Bacchus before losing her identity. Happily her gamble pays off, the girls are rescued (apart from the two Xena killed - how's she going to explain THAT to their parents?) and she and Orpheus settle their quarrel. Don't you just love happy endings? GENERAL OBSERVATIONSThe episode title is, of course, borrowed from a classic Cyndi Lauper track. The spooky opening sequence is reminiscent of that from IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE? Joxer comes out of this episode better than Gabrielle, which is really saying something. He takes Orpheus head, finds Xena, does what he can to help the mission along (including using Orpheus as a periscope!) and finally plays the lyre to overcome the Bacchae. Admittedly, his playing is straight out the kids' primer, but it does the job. Bacchae (more usually called Bacchantes or Maenads) were indeed wild women who would tear any man they caught limb from limb. This was the fate suffered by Orpheus. Although werewolves figure in Greek mythology, vampires do not. This aspect was clearly added for effect. Orpheus puts up with a lot in this episode - decapitation, Xena picking him up by his hair, being turned into a scarecrow and used as a periscope. He also has to contend with hayfever, being attacked by a dryad, having his "foot" munched by Argo and being bashed against a stalagmite by Joxer. Being a musician in ancient Greece was tough! That's a nice shot of Batgab backing up the cave wall. FAMILIAR FACESMatthew Chamberlain (Orpheus) played Xena's lieutenant Darphus in THE GAUNTLET and UNCHAINED HEART. MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTSThe incidental music for this episode is great, including one of my favourite pieces, "Xena Kicks Bacchae Butt". It's used in many later episodes, but I'll always associate the relentlessly chanting chorus with that terrible scene in Dahak's temple in THE DELIVERER. LITTLE PROBLEMS Bacchus actually had nothing to do with Eurydice's death - she died from a snakebite. I don't think they had rap music in ancient Greece! Why didn't Xena become a Bacchae from the first bite? If you look closely, there's no blood on her neck immediately her first fight with the Bacchae, and there's none on Gabrielle's neck at all. I can only assume Gabby's bite was at the back, hidden by her hair. Dryads were wood nymphs, beautiful and rather shy. The "dryads" seen here are more like skeletal harpies. When the Bacchae change back at the end, why are they all wearing their normal clothes again? As with Dagon in THE GIANT KILLER, there's an implication in the final fade-out that Bacchus will return. Again, he never does. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Another minor episode, but it gives the Xenaverse one of its most dramatic musical pieces. For that reason alone I'm glad they made it!
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