Xena comes face-to-face with Athena, when she returns home to Amphipolis to show Eve to Cyrene. When the citizens of Amphipolis stand up to Athena and attempt to defend Eve against her, Ares intervenes and makes Xena an offer that is hard to refuse, given the circumstances.
Summary
Attack on the Amphipolis border.
A well-dressed gleaming woman appears from the foliage on the Amphipolis' border guards. A short banter is exchanged between the border guard and the woman, just before she signals the rest of her entourage to appear and they proceed to attack the guards. Xena's war cry sounds through the air and the Warrior Princess flips over head and lands between the beleaguered guards and the warrior women. She deflects the oncoming arrows with her chakram, saving the men.
"Mommy's working"
Gabrielle, off to the side, cuddles Eve. Xena and the lead warrior woman cross swords with Xena managing a cut to the woman's face. The woman calls her warriors back and they retreat.
Ares warns Xena about Athena's attack on Amphipolis
Xena wonders who would want to seize the road to Amphipolis, Ares appear and she instantly blames him, but he tells her that Athena, who is also afraid of the gods' demise, is the perpetrator. The head warrior
Baby Eve being held by her grandmother Cyrene
woman, whose name is Ilainus, goes to Athena. She is Athena's chosen & champion. She heals Ilainus' wound. Athena swears to kill Xena's child herself.
Cyrene stands up to Athena.
Concerned for Amphipolis' safety, Xena and Gabrielle ride into town, unaware they are being surrounded by Athena's army. While Xena reunites with her mother Cyrene, Ares offers to assist Athena, but she declines his help. Later, Xena and Gabrielle rally the villagers to help protect Eve. Athena arrives and demands that Xena hand over the baby. Xena refuses and the battle begins. While Gabrielle and some villagers lead a frontal attack, Xena leads another group through underground tunnels. Realizing Xena is underground, Athena sends her head warrior Ilainus to seal off the tunnels with Greek Fire. As the deathly fire races towards her, Xena uses her sword to collapse the tunnel and divert the Greek Fire out into he battlefield.
Gabrielle and Xena talk, and Gabrielle says they're down to half strength. Gabrielle suggests Xena slip away with Eve. Xena says Athena will keep attacking Amphipolis even if she is gone, because she is holding Amphipolis ransom in exchange for the baby. Athena's archers attack, sending arrows all around. Xena races to catch an arrow that Ilainus sends at a small girl. She catches the arrow. Ilainus laughs.
Gabrielle during the first battle to protect Amphpolis
The archers leave. Xena visits the infirmary, looking at the wounded. Her Mom is helping nurse the men. Athena appears to Xena, no one else can see her. She says she came to talk. Xena tells Athena that of all the Olympians, Athena most deserved Xena's respect and Xena doesn't understand why Athena is doing this. Xena proposes a fair fight between the goddess and Xena. If Xena wins, Eve and Amphipolis is spared. But Athena won't do that. She says the people need their gods. She says she has poisoned the water and disappears.
Xena makes a deal with Ares
Realizing they're losing the battle, Xena calls on Ares to help her defeat Athena. Ares, who had previously offered to fight with Xena if she gave him a son, is skeptical of Xena's sudden change of heart and disappears.
"Do you think, she'd really give herself to me to save Eve?"
Meanwhile, Gabrielle gives a pep talk to disgruntled villagers and explains they aren't just fighting for Xena, they're fighting for their freedom from the gods. Ares appears and Gabrielle offers herself in place of Xena, which leads him to believe Xena's offer is genuine. Gabrielle tells Ares she knows Xena made a deal with him. She says Xena will revert to her old killing ways if Ares does this to her. She says Xena will never love him. "Do you think she'll give herself to save Eve?" Ares disappears.
Xena makes good in the deal with Ares
Ares tries to reason with Athena and offers to take Xena and Eve away. He says the gods are creating their own twilight, that Hercules would never have killed Zeus if he'd just left well enough alone. But Athena says there will be no compromises. Athena rejects his offer and Ares returns to his temple to find Xena seductively waiting for him. The two begin to kiss and Xena asks for Ares' word in keeping his half of the bargain. Ares agrees, but their brief passionate interlude is interrupted when the wall of the temple explodes. Cyrene emerges from the rubble to inform Xena that Gabrielle has launched another attack on Athena's army.
Xena's plan to fool Athena and Ares works.
Ares offers to take Xena away but she declines. Xena rushes to stop the battle and surrenders her daughter. Just as Athena is about to kill Eve, Ares intercedes and begins to fight Athena. Xena takes on Ilainus and kills her while Gabrielle and the villagers force Athena's army to retreat. Athena disappears with Ilainus' body.
Ares learns Xena used him
With the battle over, Ares wishes to pick up where he left off with Xena. But Xena quickly replies that she never technically asked for his help, so owes him nothing in return. Xena shows Ares that he only saved a doll. Ares says, when we were fighting side by side, it was like we were one. Tell me you didn't feel it. Xena says she felt nothing. Ares tells her it isn't over: that Eve will always be in danger. He leaves. Xena says she felt something.
Cyrene learns about Xena and Gabrielle planning the whole thing.
Frustrated, Ares vanishes and Xena and Gabrielle admit to Cyrene they had set him up from the beginning. Xena and Gabrielle tell her they planned everything, the bombing and the fighting and the trick on Ares so Xena wouldn't have to have sex with Ares. Gabrielle and Xena walk away discussing what Xena felt with Ares.
Disclaimer
Post Production was under siege during the production of this motion picture.
Background Information
Behind the Scenes
- This episode was one of seventeen that fans selected to be featured on the Xena: Warrior Princess: 10th Anniversary Collection, and is subsequently considered one of the greatest episodes in Xena: Warrior Princess history.
- A lot of the clips for the new opening sequence, that begins at the start of series six, come from this episode.
- This episode marks the first appearance of Paris Jefferson as Athena: she was previously played by Amanda Lister on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
Key Events
- This episode marks the first appearance of Athena in Xena: Warrior Princess. She previously appeared in the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys episode "The Apple," and the Young Hercules episode "Ares on Trial."
- This episode marks the re-introduction of Xena's default armor, not seen since "The Ides of March." It seems to have been re-made, as the leather seems to be stronger and more fine, as well the hook for her chakram which looks smaller than the one before.
- The Amphipolis Anthem sung in this episode has been heard on several occasions through out the series, but has never been identified as such until this episode.
- This episode marks the final time we see Cyrene alive (excluding flashbacks). She appears in spirit in "The Haunting of Amphipolis."
- She also appeared in "Antony & Cleopatra," but her scenes were cut from the episode.
Trivia
- Gabrielle postulates the idea of the wrist-watch at the end of this episode.
Links and References
Guest Stars
Lucy Lawless as Xena
Kevin Smith as Ares
References
People
Gods
Places
Other
| << Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6 >> | ||||||
| #01 | Fallen Angel | #09 | Seeds of Faith | #17 | Kindred Spirits | |||
| #02 | Chakram | #10 | Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire | #18 | Antony & Cleopatra | |||
| #03 | Succession | #11 | Punchlines | #19 | Looking Death in the Eye | |||
| #04 | Animal Attraction | #12 | God Fearing Child | #20 | Livia | |||
| #05 | Them Bones, Them Bones | #13 | Eternal Bonds | #21 | Eve | |||
| #06 | Purity | #14 | Amphipolis Under Siege | #22 | Motherhood | |||
| #07 | Back in the Bottle | #15 | Married with Fishsticks | |||||
| #08 | Little Problems | #16 | Lifeblood | |||||