Part II of Adventures in the Sin Trade.

(for the record, the line 'that's a toughie' didn't bother me at all.)

Okay... Amazons are building a sweat hut. (laughing) Sorry.. that wasn't meant to be funny. But now we get Xena giving the sweat treatment to the kid. (Oteri?) (merwolf's bad with names) Oteri gets the best line ("This is supposed to be good for me, right?") Xena cracks her neck (in a good way) then tells her a little more pressure and she could have killed her.

(sidebar - I can see a mutual cleansing sweathut scene coming up for Xena and the restored Gabs in numerous 4th season fanfics.)

Now we get a flashback to Cyane... and Xena falls headfirst into her sweathut... she thinks she has Cyane cornered cause she's naked, but Cyane steals her clothes and beats her silly. Cyane can run across branches like they were a path.. apparently this is the queen of all Amazon warriors. Xena gets her butt kicked.. it's fun to watch.

(another sidebard..er..bar - this is rated PG-V, and for those who are keeping track, they are still using the 1st season opener, where Renee is not credited)

Okay, so Borias comes and saves the day (note - Xena does a frustrated wild child quite well) XEna decides she wants to learn fighting techniques from Cyane.(she's not a dumb as she appears)

Back in the present - Oteri tells Xena her father died defending their village from Xena's army (Xena knew this) XEna tells her she can never ask her forgiveness, but Oteri should let her help the Amazons build a new life - that that is what Gabrielle did for her. Oteri agrees. This is a nice moment.

Xena makes another Amazon the new shamaness, and is teaching her how to enter the spirit world. In the meantime, the Wicked Witch of the West.. I mean.. Alti, is gathering evil spirits to her, in order to make her powerful. (her speech patterns, including the cackle, bothered me.. I kept expecting to hear 'My sweeties" coming out of her mouth)

CGI Clouds and sunsets happen. Dancing happens. I'm assuming this means time is passing. More danching, more CGI clouds, lots of chanting.

Alti calls evil spirits up, and sends them after Xena.. she promises the evil spirits she will release them into Eternity if they destroy Xena, otherwise they are destined to live forever in the land of the Dead. She tells the spirits to go and drive XEna and her friends insane.

Meanwhile, the dancing finally stops, and they all fall down. Xena talks them into releasing their spirits and helping her fight. The evil sprirts enter the Amazon's bodies, and they attack Xena. Xena defends herself, but not lethally. Xena convinces them to rid themselves of the spirits, and they do. They get a pat on the back from the Warrior Princess while they all recover from being beat up by her.

Xena is carrying her saddlebags. She realizes they are going the wrong way - and decides Alti's stronghold is where the Amazons go to the Land of the Dead. She tells the Amazons to make camp - and to create a charm circle to keep Alti out. They do, with lots of blood and gore. I think they're starting to really like it.

Another flashback - Cyane is asking Xena to join the Amazons... she tells Xena to let Borias change.. to have her stay with them and learn a new way.

Alti and Cyane face off - Cyane wins - Cyane tells Xena not to put her soul in Alti's hands - she tells Xena to side with them and chose life, or side with Alti and choose death.

In the present, Xena tells teh Amazons that Alti's close, and that they should watch out - she's keeping watch alone and gets attacked by the infamous spidah.

Folks - putting Gabrielle's head on a spidah about did me in. I had flashbacks to "The Fly" (The original version) Then Gabrielle becomes a full size wraith, and Xena reaches out to her. Teh wraith morphs into Alti, who attacks Xena, desperate to find out "who she is.. tell me who the blond one is!"

Xena tells her Gabrielle is good ness and innocence, and that she represents the power that will defeat Alti.(and that Gabrielle will live inside her forever) Alti takes her back and shows her that she cursed Solon, so that he would never know the love of either of his parents. (I'd say Solon defeated this one, there at the very, very end, but that's just IMHO)

Xena gets rid of the spidah.. and falls into a trance.. The Amazons think her powers are gone.. there is a very cute moment between Oteri and the shamaness here - I grinned a lot. the Amazons carry her down the path, and she wakes up and tells them about Alti's curse. Xena says it's because Alti knew Solon would turn her from the darkness and Alti coudn't afford that.

Xena leads the Amazons to Alti's stronghold, where the decor tends to dead bodies and lots of spikes. This is where Cyane died... XEna tells the Amazons the story of how she killed all the Amazons there - it was a leadership council to honor a slain Amazon. Xena tells them she killed the Amazon, then she goes about sprnging a trap that kllls all the Amazons except for Cyane. Then Xena throws Cyane into a spike, saying Alti offered her a better deal.

(sidebar - Xena is a fast learner. None of the Amazons here are a match for her, including Cyane, which aint bad for a young, pregnant girl with no morals) Also - Xena strikes me very much here as more very young, very ambitious, and very selfishly arrogant rather than deliberately evil - it's almost like it's a game for her. A very distinct contrast to the present day Xena.

Alti takes Cyane's blood - Xena tells the Amazons that she's responsible for all of the Amazon's deaths -she tells them Alti lives on the spirits of the dead... Xena then puts the pinch of all of them, including herself and they all start to die.

XEna's spirit takes off..and coaxes the other Amazons to join her (they don't have muchchoice here.) Now we havea flying battle... Xena's now reliving her future...she sees scenes yet to come.. it's not a pretty future.. .Xena gets beat up a lot... Alti's winning...then she shows Xena a scene.in the snow...

Roman centurians... they're nailing Xena to a cross... and next to her, also on a cross is a short haired Gabrielle. They look at each other...Xena says "Gabirelle, you are the best thing in my life." Gabrielle gets 'that look - you all know the one I mean) and says "I love you Xena." Just as the centurion goes to nail her hands to the cross. They smile at each other.

(sidebar - it was nice seeing Renee O'Connor again, let me tell you - even with short hair.)

Alti says "Your little friend is dying, Xena.. how does that make you feel?" Xena replies. "Good." Alti says.. "What??" Xena says.. "Because if she's dying in my future.. it means she's alive !!" And proceeds to pummel the heck out of Alti and impale her on a stake.

(subtext? What subtext? I don't see any stinking subtext here..)

Xena wakes up from her trance, and has stigmata from the nailing of the cross, which makes her realize it's true -that Gabrielle is alive (never saw someone so happy to see holes in their hands... she starts to say Gabirelle's name, then realizes she better take the pinch off the Amazons)

And, of course, the secret code word, as everyone already realized, is love. (subtext? Nah...not here) The Amazons in the land of the dead realize they can cross over now, and the'yre pretty happy about that, let me tell you.

A campfire... Xena tells Oteri her prophecy is fufilled, that she takes Xena's powers as leader of the Amazons. Oteri asks Xena where she is going - XEna answers "Home." Then she holds up her hands. "She's alive!" And she rides off across the plains, presumably back to Greece.

Okay - I liked this one a lot better. Maybe it was Gabrielle's presence. (laugh) Actually, I think an interesting point is starting to be made - a lot of people tried to turn Xena to the good side in her past. Lao Ma, Borias, Cyane.. countless others we haven't met yet...

Gabirelle was the one who suceeded - in not only showing Xena a new way, but keeping her on it - actually changing a fundimental part of who Xena is. This love that she's found is so profound, it changes everything. I think, if nothing else, this episode makes it very hard to not believe these two are soulmates... regardless of whether or not you think they're sleeping together (does it really matter?) (for the record, I think they are soulmates, and I don't much care if they're doing the wild thing or not)