The long awaited fourth season opens with Xena searching for her soulmate, Gabrielle, whom was last seen plummeting down Dahak's fiery pit along with her daughter, Hope.    Xena enlists Hades to aide in Gabrielle's search, but comes to the realization that Gabrielle must be in the Amazon Land of the Dead. At this point Xena realizes that she must face her dark past once more with more strength than ever to reclaim Gabrielle. Xena endures various intense and bizarre rituals in order to pass to the  land of the dead. In doing so she comes across a dead young Amazon impaled on a tree. Xena provides an appropriate funeral pyre for her - all the while symbolically and physically mourning the loss of Gabrielle.     (More of Xena's past is made known to us in this episode as flashbacks continue to surface throughout this moving journey. A particular villian of darkforce surfaces known as The Shamaness Alti, which Xena joins to become "The Destroyer of Nations.")      She finaly leaves her body and enter the land of the dead.The Amazon's tribe takes Xena's body to a safe place to await her return. The Amazon leader, Otere, recognizes Xena. In Xena's warlord days with Borias they destroyed Otere's village and Xena threatened to kill Otere.       Upon Xena's arrival to the Land of the Dead she meets the dead Amazon that she encountered and explains her quest for Gabrielle. The Amazon accompanies her  to the gate of Eternity only to discover that Cyane, Queen of the Amazons, among many others that Xena killed in her warlord days, are waiting to cross the gate to eternity.       In a turning point for Xena,  she realizes that Alti made it possible for the dead Amazons that Xena killed to remain trapped at the gate to wander  the Land of the Dead for eternity. Xena also realizes before she must save Gabrielle that she has a "light" of her own thanks to Gabrielle and must defeat Alti to set the Amazons free. In Xena's words, " I know this is what Gabrielle would want."       Xena returns to the present surrounded by Otere's Amazons and quickly takes leadership to fight Alti.       The climatic fight begins in the desert as Xena faces the Beserker, which has been known to have killed every warrior in battle. Alti appears in the form of the Beserker's warhorse and sets the pace for an intense battle between Xena and the Beserker. Even with Alti's intense moments of making Xena relive her past, she still proves to be no match for Xena's stubborn will and strength. Xena defeats the Beserker and Alti's spirit leaves the warhorse. Otere and the amazons regroup with Xena to plan a new strategy of defeat.

By Jennifer