When Fates Collide Part 2
It's dark in the room as Caesar enters his bed chamber to see Alti seductively curled up on his bed. He seems a little startled but she tells him "Your wife freed me." Caesar isn't that surpised, knowing Alti showed Xena visions of her former life. Alti tells him Xena will never "play the good empress now." She has someone more loyal in mind. Hmmm...wonder who that would be? Caesar tells Alti he doesn't trust her, but Alti says she loves Rome as much as he does. The visions make her much more strong. Julius wants her to prove it by finding Gabrielle and killing her.
Gabrielle is riding away on the horse Xena supplied her with, and is startled by a figure in the distance. Alti does one of her quick slide moves and is suddenly in front of Gabs. She nods her head and Gabrielle goes flying backward off the horse. Gabs has procurred herself a new dress, a blue and gray combo, but is still wearing the cloak Xena gave her. It falls off as she tries to scramble away, only to have Alti appear before her and grab her by the throat. It's time for Gabrielle to see her own visions. "Such a pretty girl," Alti purrs. "You know what a fate worse than death is? It's dying before you get a chance to know who you really were." Gabrielle sees herself and Xena in Sins of the Past, telling Xena she's not cut out for this life. Then there's Xena lifting her behind her on Argo, then Gabs's defense of Xena in The Greater Good. There's the hug at the end of A Tale of Two Muses, the embrace at the end of the fight scene in Between the Lines, then clips of the actual fight with Gabs taking a beating from Alti. Gabrielle's nose is bleeding now as she relives the toilet paper tube being shoved in her mouth in
The Abyss, then her strangling at Alti's hands in Them Bones, Them Bones, then her own cross being raised in Ides of March.
The last shot she sees is reaffirming though, as from One Against an Army, Xena's fingers intertwining with her own as Xena tells her, "Even in death, Gabrielle, I will never leave you."
As Gabrielle twitches, her eyes looking disturbingly lifeless, Xena rides up onto a hill and sees what's going on before her. She's dressed again in the black gladiator outfit from the beginning of the episode. She cries out Alti's name, and begins to gallop down the hill. Alti lets go of Gabs, but as Xena shoots an arrow from horseback, does the quick slide away from the field of attack. Xena somersalts off her horse,and lands near Gabs. Xena pulls the blonde to her knees, placing her hands to her face, but Gabs can't respond, her eyes vacant and her body still twitching unnervingly. "What has she done to you?" Xena whispers, then she stands bellowing, "Alti!" As the camera circles dizzyingly around Xena, we hear Alti's voice, telling Xena her powers are even stronger. Her glimpse into Xena's soul showed Alti the other world. Thanks to Xena, she's just hitting her stride. You know, I learned a long time ago not to try to make sense of Alti's logic, so I didn't even bother with it here. It makes for a better episode for me. Xena is trying to pinpoint Alti, and calls out, "This isn't about you, Alti." But Alti disagrees as she stops moving to end up on a hilltop. She tells Xena, "Your story will end with your playwright unable to save her Fallen Angel." Her voice is almost childlike in its giddiness.
Alti flies, Superman style, toward Xena who launches into her own Superman leap to kick Alti in midair. Alti hits the dirt, and Xena is on top of her. One hands grasps the high priestess's throat, and Xena gives her a solid punch. Gabrielle jerks and falls backward, as if the spell is being broken. Xena has both hands around Alti's throat, growling at Alti, "This is where your memories end, Alti...Get up!" Xena hauls her to her feet, but
as Roman soldiers begin to rush her, Xena gives Alti another sound punch, knocking Alti back to the ground.
Xena easily takes on the soldiers, grabbing one of their swords early, and killing most of them before leaving the sword
plunged into the body of one of them. A fresh group of soldiers arrive and Xena grabs a spear from midair, and dispenses
of most of them too with one of those "grab hold of the spear and run around in midair circle" moves. It's brief, thankfully
, but as she lands, Xena sees that two guards have a hold of a more aware Gabrielle. Caesar is approaching on a chariot, flanked by several men with crossbows, and as Xena screams out "Noooo!" she is shot in the upper right shoulder and the upper left thigh by arrows. I cringed at the realism, but could let out a slight breath of relief as I realized Joxer was one of the guards who had a hand on Gabrielle. He pushed the other guard aside, to take care of Gabs himself.
Xena is on her knees, gasping in pain, but puts up a struggle when two of the guards try to grab her. Gabrielle screams
out Xena's name, but Joxer is one of the guards holding her.. He whispers that Gabrielle can't help Xena, but he can help Gabrielle. Gabrielle watches as Xena is brought to her feet, a sword pressed firmly against her chest and Caesar, Brutus, and Alti approaching her. Caesar is just too smug as he delivers, "You just couldn't let it go, could you?" Despite her pain, Xena assesses the situation, noting Gabrielle and Joxer's location and then sneers at Caesar, "You betrayed me again, Caesar. No matter what life you'll live, you'll always be scum. Not even the Fates can change that." Her hands are being bound as Caesar tells her words that aren't identical to the words he told her in Destiny, but close enough to instill shivers out of me again, "Your death will not be in vain, Xena...because you'll always hold a special place in Rome's heart...amongst Caesar's conquered." Xena spat at him in unison with me...Gods, I despise this man!
The arrow is ripped from her shoulder and the horror continues as Xena's hands are released, her feet are bound and a rope is tied around a saddlehorn. Yes, she is going to be dragged, and Alti laughs merrily as Xena is dragged away across the countryside. It's a horrifying sight, needless to say, and Gabs opens her mouth to call out, but Joxer pulls her away. Thankfully, we don't see the drag in detail, but Caesar turns to smile at Alti, pleased with what he has done.
It's dark in the office, as Brutus enters to stand before Caesar. Caesar wants to know how the legions look, and Brutus assures him they're looking excellent. Brutus tells Caesar there is some concern about the empress, but Caesar says she defied his orders and attacked Roman troops...which are acts of treason punishable by death. Brutus reminds the snake that Xena is very popular..."the troops look up to her." The way this episode is moving, I knew the next bit of dialogue before it was spoken. Caesar wants to know how Brutus feels about Xena. "Do you also look up to Xena?" Brutus doesn't vocally answer, but his eyes do. Caesar continues, telling him Alti will be joining them as they head east as his new empress. Does Brutus have a problem with that? Brutus, ever the tactician tells Caesar, "If I speak out, it's from concern...it doesn't mean I'm any less loyal to you." Caesar's response is once again very familiar, "Don't misunderstand, it's not that I love you less...it's that I love Rome...more." There's the sound of a blade as he speaks the last word, and he stabs Brutus in the gut. As Brutus drops dead at his feet, Caesar finishes, "And I am...Rome."
Oh gods, get out the kleenex now. Xena is in a prison cell, laying down, but she turns her head to see a familiar blonde
and a familiar guard approaching. She is dressed in the crucifixion gray wrap. Joxer tells Gabs, "I can't believe they were
going to kill you for writing that bad play." Gabs looks at him, and Joxer nods. "I saw it..." He opens the cell door and lets
Gabs in while adding, "It could have used a few more fight scenes." Gabs smiles softly and answers "I'll keep that in mind."
Another nice homage to Rob and Lucy, as Lucy has said that's a common complaint with them at the movies...the films can
always use more fight scenes. It seemed odd that Joxer would say it, but oh well...heh heh.
One question that remains in my mind in this scene...why wasn't Xena given a haircut as Gabrielle was? She was dressed in the same
manner, for the same kind of death...
Joxer gives an odd little look, but walks away as Gabs approaches the bruised and very battered Xena. Xena tells Gabrielle
she shouldn't have come, as Gabs kneels beside her. Gabs tells her that Alti showed her another world, another time. I
thought it was fascinating that Gabrielle recognized her love for Xena when she was about to be crucified, without really
being able to remember their other life. Xena says that doesn't matter now, and places her left hand on Gabs's shoulder,
sitting up with an extended grunt of pain. "I'm sorry," Gabs tells her, and Xena smiles, "It's okay." Here we go...
Gabrielle: Xena, when I'm with you...this emptiness that I have felt my entire life is gone.
Gabs moves to sit beside Xena who has tears rolling off her cheeks, by now.
G: You have to tell me what's going on.
X: Caesar changed our fate...giving us this god-forsaken world.
G: There must be something I can do.
X: No, what you can do is get out of her alive. I have to go through this alone.
G: I can't let you die.
X: Some things are worth dying for. (Xena gets that little girl sweet expression)
X: Isn't that what your play was about? Being prepared to sacrifice all for love?
Gabrielle is crying with her now, and nods slightly.
G: For love.
X: In that other world my destiny was linked to Caesar...that cross...I hated them both. But now I realize...everything happens precisely as it should.
They stare into each other's teary eyes.
X: Precisely...
Gabrielle has a comforting hand on Xena's back as guards move down the stairs. Gabrielle stands and turns to lean toward Xena. Xena moans from the pain, and lifts hazy eyes toward Gabs, telling her to go now...get out. Gabs tells her no and puts her hands to either side of Xena's face. The expression on Xena's face is identical to the shot of her in Ides of March when she is being cradled in Gabrielle's lap. Gabs whispers "no", but Xena is insistent. Joxer tells the empress it's time, but Gabs doesn't want to let go. She continues to stroke Xena's head. Xena smiles sweetly, and tells Gabs confidently, "I'll love you forever." The guards grab Gabrielle, pulling her away even as the bard is telling them not to take Xena. Xena is pulled out of the cell, not protesting, but she turns a quick head to Joxer on the way out, "Get her out alive."
Gabrielle stares in sorrow, as Joxer looks to her...and the scene fades. And I have to wipe my eyes.
While the commercials roll, let me say that there is no way I could ever do the depth and emotion of this scene justice. Obviously, it hearkens to mind the prison cell scene from Ides of March, but this is a different Xena and Gabrielle in the sense that they have been together so much longer. One will have to see it to understand what I mean...but this scene will go down as one of the more beautifully haunting scenes in the entire series.
The last time it was snowing...this time it's raining, as Xena is led outside to her crucifixion. Caesar stands under a blue canopy, watching as she is led past him, her face stoic. Alti stands beside Caesar, dressed in a skimpy outfit, not bothering to hide her smile. There is a shot of Gabrielle, on horseback, galloping away from the scene. Xena is slowly led to lay the cross, and Alti leans in to whisper something in Caesar's ear. Xena turns to catch a glimpse of Alti moving in to kiss Caesar, then Xena is forced to lay on the cross. Her skin is mottled with bruises and bloody welts. Joxer stands and watches as one of the soldiers steps on Xena's forearm to keep her from moving. Caesar gives Alti a return kiss, then with one last glance at Xena, goes back inside with his new empress.
The scene is in slow motion...Joxer's sorrow filled face, Gabrielle's retreat out of Rome, and, most of all, Xena's grimaces
and gasps as she is bound to the cross. Caesar and Alti have retreated to the bed chamber, and Alti is riding Caesar
erotically as he groans his pleasure. The spike is held into place on Xena's hand, and we see Alti pull a knife from
somewhere. The hammer falls, Xena screams out in pain, and the knife plunges into Caesar. Their screams are in
unison, and the brutality of this scene is too horrific for me to describe. Every time the hammer strikes, Alti stabs, and
the injustice as one undeserving death as opposed to the other ties me up in knots. Once again, Caesar is murdered
at the same time Xena is, but this time...Xena is going through it alone. She clenches her teeth, then cries out again
, but Caesar is already dead. Alti climbs off him, leaving his bloody chest and lifeless eyes behind.
I must confess I was confused and disappointed about Gabrielle's seeming desertion of Xena during this scene. But I should give the bard more credit, for now we see she wasn't riding away from Rome, but toward the location of the Fates. Don't ask me how she was able to get there...that doesn't really matter....the point is she DID get there. She opens the doors with purpose, and soaked to the bone, stares at the loom, which is a chaotic mess. We are forced to see Xena's battered legs again, and her mouth wide open in pain expression as the cross is slowly lifted. Gabrielle looks extremely pissed as she stalks to the loom, and the cross is almost in place.
"It's horrible," Gabs manages, and the Fates, who she hadn't noticed till now speak. They tell her that since Caesar chained them, they couldn't tend the loom and the world is now in chaos and confusion. "We're stuck in this world...because of you?" Gabrielle demands accusingly. In a sense, I guess they were, but it was really Caesar's fault. In the courtyard, the cross is finally dropped into its hole and Xena screams out again in torment. Meanwhile, Gabrielle deliberately reaches above the Fates and takes a torch from the wall. This is the angriest I can ever recall seeing Gabrielle. Xena gasps on the cross, as Alti walks out, to stand under the canopy, and laugh tauntingly at Xena.
"No... burning the loom... will destroy everything," the Fates warn. Gabrielle doesn't hesitate. With a feral smile and a hissing voice very reminescent of Xena, she responds, "So be it." She walks forward, and with another shot of Xena's tortured face, Gabrielle concludes, her eyes bright..."Your loom...destroyed...what was meant to be." She chucks the torch into the loom, and it goes up in flames. Gabrielle watches, taking a step back and dropping to her knees. Alti, still outside with Xena, cries out, then we see swirls of flame sweeping out from the loom to whisp around Gabrielle. Above Xena's bent head, the sky is suddenly blue. even as the rain continues to fall. Xena raises her head to see Alti writhing as her body is vaporized into nothingness. Gabrielle is watching the flames continue to engulf the loom, but Xena seems to have regained some of her strength, as if she knows what's happened. Her head turns and she whispers into the air, "I love you, Gabrielle". Gabrielle has fallen to her knees as the flames overwhelm her, and we see Xena on the cross, a joyful expression on her face. There's a shot of the planet Earth seemingly speeding away from us and exploding, then...
It's a sunlit forest...And there's a fog all around Gabrielle as she walks forward, her eyes searching. This is OUR Gabs, dressed in her regular clothing. The music is mysterious, yet beautiful, as Gabs slowly walks, apparently looking for something...anything. There is the sound of a quickly approaching horse, and Gabrielle turns in time to see Xena approach, also dressed in her usual garb. She's on Argo II. She stops behind Gabrielle, who is staring, mouth agape. Xena tosses her head back with my favorite Xena greeting, "Hey." "Hi," Gabrielle returns, her face still expressionless. Xena glances at their surroundings. "You brought the world back to us," she says. "I'm glad," Gabrielle answers, "I like this one better." Xena smiles slightly. "Even though you're not a famous playwright?" she asks. Gabs smiles a bit now..."Fame? Who needs it?" She walks toward Xena. Xena reaches down with a hand pulls Gabs up behind her. As Gabs settles in, she asks, "Did you really like my play?" Xena, her face stern, replies, "It was all right." As they ride off, Xena's voice is heard..."Maybe it could have done with a few more fight scenes." It DID sound so much better coming from Lucy! "Everyone's a critic," Gabrielle says happily as the episode ends. They aren't riding off into the sunset, sorry to say...it's more of a mist, which they ride through to travel across the same wildgrass field from last weeks's Last of the Centaurs. Despite a lack of mushy emotions, I found this ending very, very satisfying. I'm sure the two will have a lot more to talk about concerning this episode, probably not for our ears, but it's obvious they've slipped right back into their present-world roles...very much together.
The disclaimer was "As the Fates would have it, Caesar was once again harmed during the making of this motion picture."
With four episodes to go, and thankfully, that proclamation absent from the previews, this episode will be one of the more memorable ones for me. It was angst-filled, draining, and in the end, very reaffirming. I've got a lot more thinking to do about this one...remember...this is all first impressions, but as always, all comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome!
So that's my take on the episode...let's see what Gary has to say:
The title alone is a play on the old science-fiction thriller,When Worlds
Collide,about a planet moving towards the earth,assuring its destruction.
In this episode,Xena's world is changed by the fact that Caesar manages to
escape Tartarus and chain up the Fates. He then finds Xena's
life-thread,which now looks like a flat ribbon instead of the yarn-like
stuff as in Sacrifice 2.
He then changes the world to the point where he does not betray Xena,who
becomes his wife,the Empress of Rome.Together they will rule the world.
He mentions Xena's girlfriend,Gabby,riding off into the sunset,while he got
murdered by Brutus in the "other" life.
In Rome,Xena rides in on a horse,shooting two arrows at once at Caesar and
Brutus,missing them on purpose...one of her dramatic entrances.
It was a lot like when she entered Rome in Caligula,The God You Know.
Alti is back,as a high priestess of Rome,with the power to see the past and
future.She murders two envoys from Chin,who Lao Ma wanted to ask Caesar to
make an alliance with.We do not know how Lao ma is alive,because C's
changing Roman history should not have stopped Ming T'ien from murdering his
own mother.
We see a play written by the playwrite,Gabrielle. Xena and Gab look at each
other from across the room,and feel a mutual attraction.Ironically,the play
is Fallen Angel,ep. one of Season 5.I liked the reference to it.
Xena questions Gab about true love,and is it worth dying for? Gab says she
has never known real love,and just writes about it.
In Xena's and Caesar's bedroom,C. wants to bed Xena,but she says she is too
tired. She goes to the balcony and sees Gab looking her way from across the
courtyard.It shows the unspoken beginnings of a love between them.
Alti appears and says that Caesar would love to have Xena look at HIM like
that.Alti then tries to strangle Xena,and is stopped by C. and the guards.
She is to be executed,and Alti implicates the innocent Gabby.
Joxer appears in this life as a guard.He is a lot more intelligent than what
we usually see.
Gabby is to be crucified,and Xena wants to save her. In prison,they cut off
Gab's long hair(again,this season has her finest beauty
destroyed).However,Alti's hair is NOT cut.
Gabby looked really miserable in a truly moving scene...she could never harm
Rome,and she can't understand why she is being sentenced to death.
Xena sees Alti,and wants to know what she knows about the future.Alti puts
her own version of the pinch on Xena and shows her Xena's past.Now Xena
knows the truth,and Xena knows about the thread being cut and spliced into a
different reality by C.
Gabby is to be crucified,and a sad scene emerges,with this scene done a
whole lot better than the one in Ides of March. She appeared really scared
and tearful...truly believable.
Xena stops the execution at the last minute,and confronts C. He says he did
it all because he wanted a second chance for both of them.Their destiny is
to rule the whole world together.Xena will go along with his plans if he
lets Gabby go. He says okay.
Gabby tells Xena that her own life has been empty...she has never felt real
love until now... until she met Xena,and they part.Gabby will go back to her
home.
Alti ambushes Gabby per C's orders,and is killing her until Xena stops
her.Gabby was shown her own past with Xena. Romans appear and wound Xena in
the right shoulder and in the left leg with arrows.
Xena spits at Caesar again,as in Destiny.She is then dragged almost to death
behind a horse.
C. kills Brutus because Brutus does not like the fact that Alti will be the
new Empress when Xena is killed.
Meanwhile,Alti figures she is strong enough to take over the world
herself,so she stabs Caesar to death while they are in bed,during sex.Talk
about UN-safe sex!
Gabby sees Xena at the prison,and does not want to leave her. Xena is really
in bad shape,and it is a truly believable scene.Better than the one in
Ides,I think.
Gabby says her emptiness is gone now that she knows Xena.C. had changed
their fate together.Xena says she will love Gabby forever later.Xena is led
to the cross,but she does not limp from the arrow wound in her leg.Though
battered,she holds her head high.
Gabby meanwhile goes to the cave of the Fates. How she knows where this is
is anybody's guess.We saw her there in Sac. 2,when Ares took her there. With
anybody,living or dead able to get to the loom and change things,there is a
serious lack of security.
The crucifixion scene of Xena in the rain is much better than the one in the
snow as in Ides. There is more real pain and anguish in this one,and
I felt that they got it right this time. The other time was too quickly
done,after a whole season buildup.
As mentioned before,Alti kills C. in bed as the nails are driven into Xena's
hands and feet.Gabby meanwhile sets fire to the loom,which is a mess and in
total chaos.Alti dematerializes,as we have seen many times before,and Xena
evaporates...the whole world is changed back again by Gabrielle.
Gabby meets Xena in the woods later and is hauled up upon the horse.Gab
likes her old world better.Xena asks about Gab's fame as a playwrite.Gab
says "Fame...who needs it?"
Gab asks if Xena liked the play.Xena said is was all right,but needed more
action scenes.Gab says that everyone is a critic.
Since the girls can remember what happened,does this mean that everyone else
in the world can remember the other reality,too?Also,what is to keep anyone
else from tampering with fate? Food for thought.
This episode was a bit like Remember Nothing,where the Fates reward Xena for
saving their temple. They let her go back to before she became the Warrior
Princess and when her brother Lyceus was alive. She would go back to the
present if she spilled blood in anger.I feel both versions of a "whatif"
scenario really worked,and When Fates Collide really was one of the best
this season.
Any comments?
When Fates Collide Part 1
Home