Ahh...Death in Chains...not destined to be one of my favorite episodes, but I still found plenty to comment on!
So Celeste shows up with Sisyphus. There have been plenty of dead people on Xena...why didn't she show up before now? She'll make one more appearance in season 5's Looking Death in the Eye, but where was she all the other times Xena and Gabrielle died? What's up with Xena's big smile when Gabrielle asks "What does she have that I don't have?" I dunno, but Xena sure hides the smile when Gabs turns to look at her! One of my favorite things to watch for on XWP is accent slips, and Lucy's "take covah" is a prime example! I love Hades' entrance...very cool chariot! I gotta get one of those! Xena's healing kit looks like a giant Hostess cupcake! Gabrielle was the one with a big smile when Xena was killing Toxius for the second time. Wonder why? And with a name like Toxius, he just HAD to be a villain, didn't he? Uh...the chakram slices, dices...and functions as a buzzsaw? Come on! "So what do you think of Talus?" Gabrielle asks Xena. Considering the fact that he is two feet in front of them, I hope Xena doesn't hurt his feelings! Great matching sneers from both Xena and Gabrielle when Xena tells the bard to "stay out of trouble!" Synchronized sneering...at the next Olympics! Xena does an amazing split jump and knocks two bad guys off their horses. Either she's plastic woman, or those horses are attached at the hips! I adore Xena's single punch to the guard, with a "nice try"! There's a lovely shot of Xena's errr...warrior butt when she finally hits the ground at the bottom of a fall which SHOULD have killed her. Uh...why did Gabs have on her Amazon outfit, when she won't meet the Amazons until the following episode? The green glow coming from the trap door makes me think there's toxic waste down there. I kept expecting the Penguin to make a cameo appearance! I love XWP's homages to classic movies...Lucy gets in an Indiana Jones shot with this one when she utters the one word "Rats". By the way, this is one of my favorite bloopers from the first season reel...Renee seems to get the giggles around the furry little vermin while Lucy slightly freaks "They're nesting in me!" Gets me every time! Okay, I just have to say it...there's something very phallic in nature about Celesta's candle and the way the minute she touches it, it grows! The ending of this one is too sad. Gabrielle breaks my heart every time. Xena isn't too comfortable with being a shoulder to cry on yet, but it is a very touching scene. And here are Gary's thoughts on Death in Chains: This early episode is an easy one to watch. Essentially,King Sisyphus is slated to die---be taken by a personal visit by Death. She arrives,and when a guard touches her,he dies. The rules state that if you touch Death,or she touches you,you die. She enters the King's hall and is asked to sit down and accept his hospitality,which she does. He is a magician of sorts,and some handcuffs spring up around her hands,which were resting on the arms of a chair,and her eternal candle,which makes her powerful,is whisked away by a wire. Now she is helpless,and when the flame burns down(nobody can extinguish it),she will die herself,and mankind will not ever die after that. This way,the King and his wife,along with everyone else,will live forever. This episode is just the opposite from PROMETHEUS,where the Titan is chained,and mankind will die unless he is freed. Xena and Gabby now have to do a reverse to save the day. Toxius,a warlord,fights Xena early on,and is killed,we think,but he awakens,alive,of course,since he cannot really die. He sees his gang later and "kills" them,so that they know that they will be immortal. He tells them that they will capture Death,named Celesta,to ensure that they will live forever. Xena and Gabby are travelling,and come upon the victims of a rockslide. The people are in bad shape,and many need to die,but cannot be relieved of their agony because of Celesta's capture. Xena now knows what to do---go to the castle and free her,ironically giving humanity the ability to die versus the ability to heal.Quite a twist in this epodode. Gabby meets a young man who is taken with her at once,and he says he knows a way into the castle because he lived there with his mother years ago in the service of the King. Gabby and he learn from an old woman that if Xena touches Death or she touches Xena,Xena will die.How can this be,really,since if Xena touches a powerless goddess,Death does not exist...a small flaw in the story-line.We also see later in the fight scene that the King tries to release her,and touches her a few times,but does not die. Xena arrives and sneaks in,and the King has many traps in his castle. Xena falls thru a trapdoor,and lands in a dungeon-like room. Meanwhile,Gab and the young man are in the castle via a secret tunnel,and are followed by Toxius' men. They are chased by the men,and the kid falls thru another trapdoor,landing near Xena. The King's wife cannot dissuade him from chaining Death until near the end,and is mainly in the background thru this ep. While getting out of the dungeon,Xena finds out that the kid is dying and needs Death to spare him more pain. Xena understands,and they make their way to the hall where Death is kept. The King meets Xena and wants to fight her,but is convinced that he is wrong. He now wants to release Celesta,and the action takes place in the hall. Toxius and his gang arrive with a captured Gabby,who tried to warn Xena about toching Death---Xena already knew.The fight happens,and Xena kicks warlord butt,but cannot kill them until Death is free. Death is freed and starts touching the bad guys,and they really die this time. She does not take the King as planned,but takes Gab's new boyfriend. There is a truly moving scene where Gab and he part,and Celesta touches him,and he walks away into a mist into eternity. Gabby cries real tears here,and it was a well-done scene. Xena remanis silent,but looks at Gab with sympathy.The world is back on track,for better or worse. One question: Since Celesta can be captured by ordinary chains and handcuffs,presumably made from regular metal,why,in LOOKING DEATH IN THE EYE,does Xena need the chains of Hespestus to contain her?