I am not overly fond of this one, although it's not because I have any problems with the more fantastic elements involved. It just didn't seem to have much going on during It.
It starts out innocently enough…
Xena is carring a sharpened stick, and she wheels around with a mean look
and spears a fish from the river. The fish turns into a man, who wears a
scary mask. ow does she know he was there and since he did nothing, why attack him?
He answers everything, even without the Pinch. He says he works for Indrajit
(Indy) who is a wizard, and is there to stop the girls from reaching "The
Avatar" who is now Eli, who was just The Devi. You need a scorecard.
The guy tosses a few bugs on the ground, and they become guys with tridents.
They attack the girls, who fight them off. As Xena goes to make a kill, she
looks at Gabby being attacked, and the guy cuts Xena a bit. She then kills
him. The guy stuck on her stick disappears and Xena now wonders why she
hesitated.
Gabby seems to know that the Avatar is a deity in human form. Eli strikes
again.
Campfire: Xena says she lost focus, and maybe being reborn is a sentence.
Maybe she should change in this life so she can be the mother of peace in
the next. She says she cannot follow the way of the warrior anymore.
Later, as the girls are walking, they follow a crowd yelling for the Avatar.
Sure enough, it is Eli, curing people. He wakes a girl from sleeping
sickness and sees Xena and Gabby. He hurries away and does not acknowledge
the thank-you from the girl's father. Note: They do not call him the Devi, the healing spirit anymore. Why not?
He tells the girls he hates suffering and is scared of his power. He never
says how he can do all this. Xena feels as if someone is watching them.
Gabby says Indy is coming after Eli. He wants to go home by himself but the
girls insist they go with him. He cannot stop them.
At night at the campfire, a big white being walks into the camp and stares
at Eli, who wakes with a yell. Xena is in the bushes and attacks the guy.
She pounds him a lot but he is not hurt. He holds Xena's arms until she says
"let me go!" and he does. This is the first time I can remember this said by
Xena. He is peaceful, and is about seven feet tall with white fur...plus he wears
a weird small hat and has a vest and harem pants on. Just your everyday
cross between a Yeti and a Wookie. His name is Haneman (Han) and he wants to
help Eli get to the temple in the next town for safety. Indy is after him because Eli once helped kill Indy's dad, and Indy is a bit ticked off about that.
Daylight: Han tells Xena about himself. He can live forever unless Indy
kills him...the magician is the only one who can. He senses Indy's flying
carpet and jumps into a tree. Xena follows suit and he is amazed at this.
Xena says she learned this from the Amazons. They cannot jump like that,
Xena--- They use ropes.
Note: Eli and Gabby are on the ground and are unprotected. A slip by Xena.
Han says Indy attacks from the sky.
Gabby learns that The Truth is life...respect it everywhere. Eli says no
matter what, he will not fight. What a comfort in a battle.
Xena asks Han what is the right way. He says she must choose because she
cannot have more than one way.
At the town we see the temple with a crowd around it. They want to see the
Avatar. They waste five minutes yakking outside before going in. Xena orders
all the people home. Note: Another town, another Xena telling everyone what to do.
Inside, there is a statue of Krishna...he is the ultimate deity. I guess
Dahak lost first place. Nobody in the crowd was surprised at Han's appearance...just another day with a seven foot tall being.
There is a commotion outside, so Xena goes out. Indy's men are disguised as
villagers and attack them. Xena and Gabby fight as Eli STANDS OUTSIDE!
Indy swoops down and grabs Eli, rolling him into the fabric of the carpet.
He flattens out. Now he goes after Gabby in a stupid scene. Why is he after her? She is right near the temple door, so she runs to the middle of the road and tries to run barefoot in a tight sari...she used to dig her elbows in and run the real way, but she looks as if she is running thru broken glass, and is easy prey for Indy, who does the same to her as
Eli. Xena just misses catching her by the foot. Gabby runs like a girl, heh-heh.
NOTE: Why doesn't Xena kill this idiot with her Chakram? She uses it on him
later.
Han knows where the hideout of The Bad Guy is...it is in Lanka. Xena wants
to rush off, but Han tells her she should get help from Krishna first. He
says Krishna will be interested in someone who does not like gods, who does
not need or trust them. Xena reluctantly agrees and meditates. Krishna
appears and tells Xena that her doubts about being a warrior are unfounded.
She must be one so that she can be a peacemaker in the next life.
Krishna is an effeminate guy wearing makeup and wearing flowers, but seems
to be on the level. Xena will call him if she needs him. She must embrace
the Way, tho, and stay a warrior.
At Lanka, Eli and Gabby are rolled from the carpet as Xena is in ANTONY.
Eli again says he won't try to escape as Gabby tries to break down the door.
He says they will be fine and that Indy is the incarnation of Evil
itself.....does Xena destroy Evil for good at the end? This is a spiritual
war...what a guy...the girls have to do all the fighting.
As Eli and Gabby meditate, Indy comes in saying he wants to be Eli's friend
and comes in love. He reminds Eli of Eli's help in killing Indy's dad. Indy
has a huge mustache and has scary white paint on his face.
Gabby later hears Xena's voice and Eli uses mental telepathy to tell Gabby
to ignore it. Gabby cannot and runs to see a bloody and gruesome Xena
chained to a chair, dying. She reaches to help, and Indy grabs her. He can
change shape and scoffs at Eli's follower failing on her first try at peace.
Now, Indy chokes Gabby, and holds her off the floor as Alti just did last
episode. How is this being "fine" as Eli said? The Chakram comes in and cuts
off his hand, and Gabby falls to the floor. The hand is obviously made of
rubber as he stumbles around and sprouts a new arm, plus four more. He grabs
six weapons and attacks Xena, who uses a shield at first, but is no match
for Indy later. He pins one of Xena's hands to the wall with a dagger, cuts
off her arm, and as she is transfixed staring at him, he cuts off the other
one. She is lying on the floor, with NO BLOOD gushing out, and she calls for
Krishna's help.
Indy is attacked NOW by Gabby with her staff. He takes it away from her and
lights the ends on fire, laughing. Why does Gabby wait until Xena is down
and out before she moves? It is like in LINES, where she waits for her turn
at bat.
Why not finish off Xena?
He senses something wrong and looks at a painting on the wall that JUST
HAPPENS TO LOOK LIKE XENA with four arms, with sickle-like weapons. He now
suspects Xena is the one in the painting.
There is a long fight scene, and when the four-armed Xena fights the
six-armed Indy, the extra arms are not doing anything. She is looking scary
now, with a nose-ring with a chain attached to her ear, a black/blue painted
face, and other weird stuff she wears. There is a good shot of the silent Xena looking thru the floorboards at Indy. She bursts forth and they fight a lot. He pins her down and is hacking at her. She looks as if she's had it.
Han arrives and knocks a few henchmen down.
Xena cuts off an arm from Indy and knocks him down from the ledge. She
snarls like an animal and jumps after him, and cuts off his head.
She looks instantly like her old self, with both arms and no wounds. Gabby
and Eli are free, as Xena looks at the blood and hair on the sickle blade.
Did Xena finally kill off Evil? No way.
At the end, Eli leaves again, and Gabby throws her staff into the river. Her
Way is of love now. Why not? The Amazons' new worship-word is love,
according to Xena in SIN TRADE.
Xena will remain a warrior. She tells Gabby that being a fighter is wrong
for Gabby, yet Gabby fights more than ever in the last two seasons.
Xena wants Gabby to go with Eli because the two friends are travelling in
opposite directions. Gabby says no, because all rivers go to the sea
no matter where they start from. She thanks Xena for not mentioning dams
this time.
I hate her hair.
Questions:
This episode relied on too many special effects, as we will see later. The
story-line is weak, and Gabby's self-doubts will kill both herself and Xena.
This improbable tale starts off with Gabby and Xena walking along a river.
Gabby loves rivers, but Xena squelches her fun by saying that crossing one
is hard and what if someone dams one? Then what? abby says since she met Xena, she has been on a spiritual quest. Again, what about being a bard, warrior and healer? Gawd!
Why does Gabby always wait until Xena is wrecked before helping her?
How come Han is not even noticed by everyone as a bit strange? Are there
more like him?
Was the fight with Indy an illusion as in Illusia and Paradise Found?
Why does Eli say the way of love may not be for Gabby? She always was loving
from Sins of the Past.
Why does Eli say he is going home to take the message to his own people, who
will be more receptive? The Indians seem to love him and his good works.
Where is his home?