Amphipolis Under Siege

What does Gary think?:

 

This could have been called “Our Intelligence Under Siege.”

 

We see a silver-clad warrior-woman at a turnpike gate guarded by a few guys.

The guys are leering at this beautiful woman, and she says she can’t pay the

toll. They hint they will “find a way.” The woman, Elena, is Athena’s

lieutenant, and she whistles. A bunch of silver-clad women archers, looking

beautiful, start shooting arrows at the guards. One is hit, and when another

volley of arrows fly, Xena’s Chakram cuts the barbs off the arrows. The

archers shoot at Xena, and she deflects the arrows with the Chakram. The

women charge Xena, who is alone. Gabby is holding Eve under cover.

The women are inept around Xena, who slashes and punches easily. Two women

look as if they were trying to time it just right in the rehearsal, and one

looks at the other at the time when Xena knocks both down without even

looking behind herself. The only saving grace was a nice archer-ette

panty-shot as one hit the dirt, heh-heh.

 

Xena now attacks the leader who is a good fighter, and Elena gets a cut on

her cheek.

Elena is stunned at this, and she tells the others to run away.

NOTE: PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! A message to attackers….when your opponent,

Xena, has her back to you, you ATTACK IN FORCE WHEN SHE IS NOT LOOKING AND

KILL HER. You’re welcome. GAWD!

 

The guy with the big mouth was hit with an arrow, so instead of Xena pushing

it thru as we have seen for over four years, she PULLS IT OUT FROM THE

FRONT. She sees Athena’s arrow design, so now Xena suspects Ares…how? He

then appears and still offers to protect Eve in exchange for a child with

Xena.

Note: the road leads to Amphipolis, and Athena thinks Xena has to go that

way. Why was Xena NOT on the road, but on the side somewhere? If she

suspected anything, she would not have allowed the guy to get hit by the

arrow.

 

Athena leads her troops. They are from everywhere, so it has to be a huge

army for the Goddess of Warfare to be involved. Elena followed Athena’s

orders and spared the guards’ lives so that Xena would know they will attack

Amphipolis. Athena heals the wound on Elena’s face. She tells her to take

care…her love for her does not make her any less mortal.

 

OKAY…hold on here….Athena can raise the dead and cure anyone. Even Ares,

without Athena’s permission, is able to bring back the dead farmers he

murdered in Reckoning…in Motherhood, he brings back the dead Eve and cures

the wounded Gabby WITHOUT ATHENA’S PERMISSION. Get it? SHE can do it, and

anyone else can, but only with her permission. In both episodes, Ares just

does it WITHOUT her permission.

 

Athena says in the name of Zeus, she will kill the child herself. Hercules

killed her father (and his) and she wants revenge, plus wants to protect the

rest of the Greek gods from death. I didn’t think this was bad of her. It

was self-defense against the child of the Destroyer of Nations.

 

Athena is a BABE! Petite, but really put together well. I liked her outfit,

and even her spiked helmet…sort of like a crown.

 

Amphipolis: Xena, Gabby , and Eve are there and see Grandma Cyrene, who

coos over the kid.

We see the huge army approaching.

Ares talks to his sister Athena. He says she needs “no man’s help.” We’ll

see what he means later. Athena says the people of Amphipolis are loyal to

her, so they should give up the kid to save the village. She does not want

to kill anyone but Eve, for self-defense. That is why she spared the guards

at the gate.

 

Xena snarls to the villagers she will not give up Eve. The people now say

they know the Greek gods are on their way out and mention Eli.

One guy says “we’re not warriors” but will abide by Eli’s word. At that

point, Athena appears and Xena is mad at her. Athena asks if they all want

to die for one kid, and Cyrene starts singing, with everyone else joining

in. Athena says she always gave them her blessing (it must have come after

Cortese razed the village) and she is astounded they would turn against her.

She says she protected them for years and now she’s really ticked off. War

it is.

 

Fortifications: There are earthworks and sharpened stakes for protection.

There are some armed and armored men. The first attacks come and Gabby, of

all people, gives the order to fire, meaning “fire” barrels that are like

Greek Fire. She now leads the charge, using a spear, of all things.

Meanwhile, Athena and Elena plan the attack. They don’t think Xena will

sacrifice Gabby. Elena is in the tunnel to meet Xena and her troops who

attempted to flank the attackers.

Elena lights some firebomb, and Xena and the others run off. This is like

the tunnels under the battle in A Good Day. Xena also slices an enormous

beam with the sword as she runs under it, blocking the fire. A sword could

not do that.

The ground explodes under Gabby and the others, stopping the battle for now.

 

Xena and Elena talk tough. Elena has a TAD too much makeup on. Gabby and her

troops now fight again. For simple farmers against battle-hardened and

armored troops, they do far too well. Gabby now fights with a wooden

sledgehammer. Why does the explosion kill ONLY the bad guys and not the good

guys, who were standing among them?

 

Gabby says they are down to half-strength. She suggests they sneak Eve out

but Xena says no. Athena would ransom the town for Eve then.

 

The silver-clad archers attack again, killing a few defenders. These women

move quickly and with a purpose, and are some of the best fighters in the

series as far as looking capable. Elena aims an arrow at a girl, and Xena

does her patented arrow-catch.

Instead of just looking at an arrow coming at you for a few seconds, why not

JUST DUCK or DODGE?

 

Funny how Cortese, with a small band, was able to attack and destroy

Amphipolis fifteen years earlier. Xena had to run after it was hopeless, and

Lyceus was killed. This same town, decimated, now can hold off a huge army

led by a goddess? HOW?

 

Sigh…Ares again appears to make the same old offer. Xena keeps asking why he

is doing this.

Xena proposes a fair fight with Athena…no god-powers, winner take all.

Athena says forget it. The people need their gods. She laughs at the cult of

Eli and says she poisoned the water supply.

 

Xena tells Cyrene that she is sorry she made it so tough for her.

Xena goes to Ares’ temple. She wants to make a deal now….fight with her

against Athena and he will get what he wants from her. She mentions ‘

“warrior queen” again, and will give him a child…EVE…so he can be a

step-father. She says,  take it” and they kiss. What did she mean by “it”?

Just last episode she would rather die than do that. Ares says “no” and that

she always messes up his head.

 

The farmers talk of Athena protecting them. (from Cortese, too?). They want

to give up Eve but Gabby yells at them and they crumble. What if the gods

want THEIR kids? We are fighting for ourselves. She orders them around.

 

Gabby calls for Ares. “Aren’t I Mr. Popular?” he says. She says Xena will

never love him. Athena fights Ares and kicks him thru the air a few times.

She is a good fighter. She says Ares is thinking with his codpiece

(snicker). She will not compromise because it is about their survival as

gods.

 

Back in town Ares sees Xena in a bed. She is ready to give herself to him

for his help. She wants his word, and he says okay and jumps into bed with

her. Xena “hears” something and then the wall blows in. Cyrene looks in to

see them and Xena appears flustered.  Cyrene says Athena is attacking again.

No kidding.

 

Elena has Gabby trapped. Athena wants the battle ended because she really

does not want to kill anybody else. Elena aims an arrow at Gabby but Xena

walks out with a bundle, looking as if it contained a baby. Athena stops the

attack. The army starts pulling back as Xena puts the “kid” on the ground.

Athena draws her sword and is about to kill the baby when Ares tries to stop

her. She says he is “really whipped” concerning Xena. They fight again and

Xena then orders another attack. Hidden villagers come out and fight.

 

Xena and Elena fight and Xena admits the woman is a good fighter. Athena

pounds Ares…quite a little sister.

Athena asks Ares, “worried about your girlfriend?”

Ares asks, “No…worried about YOURS?”

 

Ah-HA! Athena has a girlfriend, not a friend who is a girl! Hee-hee.

 

Xena stabs Elena and the woman is dying in Athena’s arms. Athena says she

cannot heal such a bad wound….WHAT? She can cure anything and bring the dead

back…even Ares can.

Elena dies getting Athena’s favor.

 

Now, everyone on Athena’s side runs away.

How can this town win against a goddess when they couldn’t win over a

small-time thug like Cortese? Xena shows Ares the bundle was a wooden doll.

There was no way she would have had sex with him…it was a diversion and her

people set off the explosion…probably the black powder, huh? Why divert Ares

anyway? He was not trying to kill anyone.

 

Xena tells Gabby she felt “nothing” with Ares a few times, each time saying

it a little less sure. As long as Eve lives, she will be a target.

 

End of the story.

As I said, this show was flawed, despite Athena being a good new character,

She didn’t want to kill except in self-defense, even tho it was a baby. The

Destroyer of Nations didn’t mind killing children for ten years.

Also, the  small town of Amphipolis could not repel Cortese but can beat a

huge army with the goddess of warfare there? How?