What started out as a plan to review all of the episodes of Xena, from the beginning, during my most recent re-watch of the show (having seen it all the way through probably 5 or 6 times at least), has turned into the creation of this journal where I not only want to display my reviews of XWP but to also extend to other shows I like.

So this is my journal to record any tv show reviews that I make. (I may choose to dive into movie reviews as well in the future). I've been interested in reviewing my favorite shows lately (though I've really only been doing Xena Warrior Princess extensively at the moment due to time and motivation--ha) but I hope to do more shows, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Legend of the Seeker, Beastmaster, Robin Hood, Hercules the Legendary Journeys and Ocean Girl...and any other shows I might get hooked on.

Quite an undertaking, I know! But it should be a fun ride.

This journal is an offshoot from my main journal on LJ: auroragoddess1 where I write about my life, post creative icons and walls and anything else that I feel like posting about. So if you like any of these reviews and enjoy this journal, please friend me over at auroragoddess1 (you're free to friend me here as well but I spend most of my time over at that journal.)

I don't claim to be a great writer and I can be a bit wordy but it's fun to go through shows that I love and try to comment on the things that I like and don't like. My reviews may end up as both reviews and summaries of the episodes, depending on what I feel like writing about. Either way, I hope they're informative and enjoyable!

So please feel free to read the reviews and comments are always appreciated!

Template for this journal provided by thefulcrum

Here you will be able to take a quick jump to any review in this journal. I will probably be reviewing several shows simultaneously so this list should help you to easily navigate to the show and review you're looking for.

Choose from the links below and if you read and enjoy, please comment!

Due to a lovely LJ feature called Date Out of Order I'm able to set these reviews to the dates that I originally did them! I think that's awesome. So even though I started this journal on August 22, 2009 I'm able to make posts as far back as November 2008. How cool is that?

Airdates from: epguides.com

Shows to Review

Xena Warrior Princess - 6 seasons, 134 episodes, 1995-2001
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 7 seasons, 144 episodes, 1997-2003
Robin Hood - 3 seasons, 39 episodes, 2006-2009
Beastmaster - 3 seasons, 66 episodes, 1999-2002
Legend of the Seeker - (still in production) 1 season, 22 episodes, 2008 - present
Cleopatra2525 - 3 seasons, 28 episodes, 2000-2001
Ocean Girl - 4 seasons, 78 episodes, 1994-1997
Gilmore Girls - 7 seasons, 153 episodes, 2000-2007
Hercules the Legendary Journeys - 6 seasons, 111 episodes, 5 tv movies, 1994-2000
Angel - 5 seasons, 110 episodes, 1999-2004

Reviews list updated: November 13, 2009


( View Episode Guides... )

Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season: Two Episode: 16 Title: Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered Airdate: February 10, 1998 Screencaps: Buffyworld Date Reviewed: November 13, 2009

*.*.*

It's a so-so episode, I guess. I don't know--it's not one of my favorites. I do like the wackyness of it all and love spells gone wrong always brings out the wacky in people. Interesting to see this concept on a show all about the creatures of the night.

And it's particularly interesting to watch vampires, of all people, participating in the ritual of "gift giving" to their loved ones. Those are two things I wouldn't have thought would mix.

Strange to think of vamps having loved ones but where Spike and Drusilla are concerned, Spike has a real fondness for her (maybe moreso than she for him?) that brings out something of a sensitive side to him. And he has a possessiveness about her, too, which just brings out that jealous streak.

She loves the necklace that he gives her; a token of his affection. But where vampires are concerned, that tradition has to be turned on its head and what does Angelus end up presenting her with? The warm, still beating heart of some lady he just killed. The way Dru fawns over it, and loves it more than the necklace shows she's got a taste for nasty things (not surprising). And Spike is rather jealous of this attention that Angelus is giving her. He does not like Angelus taking his woman--and takes the gesture quit personally.

I think Angelus has had a lot of privileges in his time, been a lot more high and mighty than Spike and Spike's always harbored that feeling of resentment. Perhaps Angelus has taken more things from Spike in his day that we know. There is a definite animosity between them--and Angelus just loves pushing his buttons, especially about his current wheelchair state. He likes to mock and to tease. At first I think Spike found it fun--when Angelus first returned, it was a great day; he was no longer "Buffy's soul-having whipped puppy". Now that he's back and taking over Spike's world--Spike has wanted better days without his "higher up" always in his face. Yet Spike is very passive about this resentment--and doesn't seem to challenge Angelus at all. He doesn't try to take action, not even with words. Something's brewing...

I think it's sad the pressure that Cordelia is put into by her "friends" because she's dating Xander. I personally love their relationship. It is nice to watch, to see how they can enjoy each others company now more than just the kissing in the hallway closet. And this episode is very much about the two of them and the affect of peer pressure on that relationship.

Cordelia's always been one to stand out in the a crowd. Even back in the day when she was right there with her friends, teasing other people and acting all high and mighty because she's compensating for her own insecurities. She's done a lot of growing up and I guess, well, I didn't expect for her to bend to the pressure of her so-called friends telling her that it's wrong to date Xander that makes her look like a loser. I know that Cordelia has always wanted to fit in but I guess I expected her to stand above that. She has, after all, been very much a "leader" when it comes to her posse.

Xander's broken when she breaks up with him, and on Valentines day. There's a whirlwind of emotions there--and I know she doesn't mean what she says to him because she doesn't want to break up; she's been more or less forced into it by her friends. But I think what she does to Xander is perhaps something that Xander might have always feared in the back of his mind: that he's never had a long term chance with the popular girl. The fact that he is crushed, though, (and that he brought her a nice gift and was worried about what she'd think of it) means he does very much care about her. Their speech before the breakup about how they both see special things in each other, I really like.

Interesting to find Amy is using magic now and a witch herself even after all that her mother had put her through before because of magic. I wouldn't have thought that she'd follow in that same path, and she's using magic simply for personal gain.

It's sad to watch Cordelia being forced to stand up to Xander when he asking for his gift returned. And she fakes it that she got rid of it and it turns out she's been wearing it without anyone knowing. She really didn't want to break up with him and is regretting it.

Xander's love spell gone wrong... totally hilarious! Xander gets hardly what he wanted, and the spell affects every single female in the school except for Cordelia, the one person whom the spell was meant for! At first, you'd think that's a good thing--and Buffy coming onto Xander is quite a surprise (and a dream come true for him). She's good at the seduction, really good. Reminds me of When She Was Bad.

Very nice of him not to take advantage of her in that state. He's noble when he wants to be even though he can be a horny teenager often times, he doesn't take advantage of his friends (even though we know he probably really wants to).

Xander's lone walk down the hallway with that music in the background and all the girls looking at him with obsession is perfect. What have you gotten yourself into, Xander?

Willow's obsession is the hardest since her passion for him is derived from something very real, and so it crushes her that she now can't have the man that she wants.

And I think the main lesson to be learned here is how deadly the force of love can be. The women go from harmless crushes to full-blown obsession leading them to want to kill Xander if they can't be with him. Quite surprising to find that this magic is so powerful that it can even work on the undead, and Dru wants to make him one of the vamps.

I'm glad that Cordelia and Xander make up in the end--and that Cordelia stands up to her friends finally and walks away with Xander. She's totally unsure about what she has done after she's done it but Xander comforts her. I think she'll be in a happier place by making her own decisions rather than having others make them for her.

Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season: Two Episode: 15 Title: Phases Airdate: January 27, 1998 Screencaps: Buffyworld Date Reviewed: November 13, 2009

*.*.*

In a show about creatures of the night, it was only a matter of time before bringing in werewolves. I really like the twists in this episode, how Xander and Willow and Buffy are led on a chase to find the real werewolf and ending up discovering that it's Oz.

Oz's relationship with Willow has finally begun to blossom but I like that Willow wants "more". She's okay with their couple of dates but feels that she wants more of a closeness with him. Little shy Willow now has a boyfriend and she wants to be all coupley like everyone else. It's like there's a part of her she's been missing and now that she's in on it, she doesn't just want to be with someone who gives her mixed signals. I get the feeling that his understated attitude (just the way he is) probably doesn't help much in their relationship.

I love how she's wanting to take charge but isn't ready to just yet.

Her conversations with Cordelia over boy troubles is quite possibly the most interesting scene here because I'd never expect her and Cordelia to get buddy buddy over guy issues. They bond over Oz not sending any signals to move forward in his relationship with Willow and Xander's constant thoughts of Buffy on the mind even when they're making out. I can see how Cordelia could be jealous of that and has a right to be upset about it. Xander means more to her than just their hot little make-out sessions, and I think it just takes Xander a while to realize this--or think that him worrying about Buffy isn't in any way meaning he cares less about Cordy.

Willow, also is finally to a point where she can talk freely with Cordelia about her and Xander dating. She's gotten past that jealous/I hate you phase and that's a good thing. I think being in a relationship with Oz really helps keeping those feelings in check. For now, she's not hating Cordy's guts.

The guy that Buffy and Giles are up against, who hunts werewolves, is a nasty piece of work. I mean, he joyfully kills humans in their non-human state. Nice.

His comments about what Buffy and Giles are doing in "lovers lane" at night is really funny (especially their reactions--Buffy's "get your mind out of the gutter, pal" reaction).

How and when Oz becomes a werewolf is a mystery but it must happen in this episode at some point since when he wakes up that one morning, completely naked in the forest and he's surprised about it (the most under-stated amount of surprise I've ever seen but then it's totally in character for Oz) and doesn't know how he got there.

It would have made a lot of sense if Oz could just come to Giles and the others and tell them what he's found out, but instead he has to make things more difficult by find a way to keep himself from hurting anyone. It's quite a shock for him to find out about this news.

Simply hilarious side-story of Xander believing that Larry is the werewolf, cornering him saying that he knows the "truth" and finding out that Larry had been hiding something completely unrelated. Having him believe that Xander is gay just like he is, having the two of them on completely opposite wave-lengths is just too funny. Xander's shocked expression as Larry walks away is priceless.

Willow's "take charge" kind of action is cool, when she confronts Oz in his home, determined to talk about their relationship and what she wants from it right then and there. And apparently, Oz has a relative that is a werewolf? Could that be where he got his werewolf-ness from and this was the first full moon since then?

Willow would be scared witless when she finds out that her boyfriend is a werewolf, but at least they all come to know the truth in the end. And also that Oz wasn't the cause of that girls death; it had been Angelus all along.

Love the ending scene between Willow and Oz. They're just too darn sweet. Willow finally takes the lead and kisses him and his response "a werewolf in love" is so incredibly adorable.

Show: Cleopatra 2525 Season: One Episode: 1 Title: Quest For Firepower Airdate: January 17, 2000 Screencaps: myself Date Reviewed: November 11, 2009

*.*.*

I never gave this series a glance when it first aired in 2000. Not much into sci-fi shows, myself.

However, after hearing about a Cleopatra2525 cast reunion (Vicki Pratt, Jennifer Sky, Gina Torres) at the 2010 Xena convention in February (and realizing that it'll be the 10th anniversary of this short-lived show at that time, which I think is cool), I felt I had to give this show a shot. And thanks to hulu, I've been able to! (and decided to get the DVD, too) It's surprised me, to say the least. Though it's very cheesy in a lot of ways, the cast makes up for that, fully and completely. These three women make the show very enjoyable. They're very good at what they do.

The concept is intriguing--a girl who went in for surgery in 2001 didn't wake up and ended up being frozen until she finally wakes 500 years later to find that the world as she had known it is completely gone. Robots and Machines have taken over the planet and the human population, of which I gather isn't very large anymore, has been forced to live underground. The machine's mission, called The Bailies, are trying to exterminate the human's altogether.

The beginning of the series jumps right into the heart of the action. There's lots of explosions and laser beams and other futuristic gadgets and sound effects characteristic of a sci-fi series.

I like Sarge's determination and "take no bull" attitude, and Hel's confidence and bravery. Hel's also being guided by some mysterious person that only she can hear called The Voice. I think that's pretty cool.

As to be expected of a female action show, I figured as much that they'd be running around in skimpy outfits that are probably ineffective at offering any kind of real protection. But I don't mind. I'm drawn to Hel the most and I'm not sure why. I just find her the most charismatic.

The robots that have inherited the earth are an interesting bunch--and not much is revealed other than the fact that they are, well, evil.

I think it's cool at the start when Hel and Sarge are heading to the surface, then find the opening by standing inside of the now-underground and destroyed Vatican. Always cool when you recognize things from real life reflected in another time and another place (like Plant of the Apes and the Statue of Liberty lying on the beach in pieces).

They're trying to take a piece of the Bailies so that they can study it and find out the advancements in technology that it has.

It's funny to see Hel, who has never been on the surface before, reacting to the sun and the trees and the grass as "disgusting". What a difference it makes when you've been forced to be stuck underground in a home full of metal all your life that you think beautiful things by our standards are ugly by hers.

The robots that live among humans, as humans, are the most interesting part of this show because anywhere you turn, you could be running into an enemy and not even knowing it--one that shoots lasers out of its eyes and is able to transform its arms into mass weapons of destruction. Not to mention being fairly indestructible and hard to beat.

One thing I'm not too keen on is that, in this future, there are other creatures that live there, too. The two guys in the hospital lab (if you can call it a hospital...): one of them looks like an ape man out of Star Wars or something and the other is a snake man (which is definitely the stupidest one of the bunch). I mean, I totally understand robots taking over and all but for some reason, bringing in these other creatures make the show even more cheesy than it already is.

I totally understand Cleo's reactions when she wakes up. I mean, what a shock it would be to find out that she's been asleep in a coma for 500 years? Really wow at the reality check.

Her screeching when she screams, though, is really deafening and quite annoying. Not that she screams but just the way that she does.

And what doctor would put you in clothes that make you look fashionable and show skin?

The way that Hel, Sarge and Cleo are able to travel down these metal shafts between platforms is cool, though it makes me wonder why is everything built around mile long tunnels that you have to fall through to go anywhere?

Their hideout is cool, and Mouser, yes, is rather dreamy. Love Sarge's comment, that he's not programed for sex...yet. Ah, I know just the kinds of things she's got in mind. But he's also a robot too so why isn't he evil like the other one that has been trying to kill them since they left the surface?

After the big fight and the robot Betrayer is destroyed, Cleo's finally accepted into the gang. I mean, really, it's not like they can leave her alone--it would be basically like a death sentence and I can tell that's not what they are about, especially Hel who was intent to rescue her in the first place.

I think, strangely, Cleo fits in with this gang, too. Two tough women out to save the human race need a little light spot in their lives and this girl from the past, way in the past, could give that to them.

Plus, her ending line is great: "All for one and one for all". Both Sarge and Hel, and Mouser, think it's very catchy and inspirational, and yet Cleo really is just reciting something old and overused from her time. A nice way to begin their time together.

Show: Xena Warrior Princess Season: Three Episode: 12 Title: The Bitter Suite Airdate: February 2, 1998 Screencaps: Angel Bacchae and Miroir dArc Date Reviewed: November 8, 2009

*.*.*

What is there to say about this episode other than freaking fantastic? Because really, it's an amazing episode that I don't even know where to begin.

I wouldn't have ever expected to see a musical fit in with the format of Xena but it works, and it works so well I'm surprised.

Just the raw emotion explored for both Gabrielle and Xena in the beginning is great. Gabrielle has taken comfort with the Amazons and is dealing with her grief in a steam room that she hopes will purge her of all of those nasty, evil feelings she's been surrounded in. She's completely alone and in despair and wallows in her grief.

While Xena deals with her grief in a very different way, high up on a mountain top, cold and alone, singing it away.

There's something very different about the two of them and how they deal with grief. While Gabrielle is very sad and hurting, as is Xena, Xena's grief manifests more as anger in this situation. Anger at Gabrielle because she blames her for her son's death.

I wonder about the appearances of Ares and Callisto though.

I think it's obvious that Callisto's appearance in Gabrielle's hut is a simple figment of her imagination, her anger, her guilt. (since at the time Callisto is trapped under a mountain of rock and besides, I don't think she'd be there acting as a voice inside Gabrielle's head) Callisto expresses some of the things I think are very interesting to see from Gabrielle, inside her head, like how Gabrielle feels betrayed by Xena all the way back in The Deliverer when she feels abandon and not protected because of Xena's obsession with Caesar. I suppose it makes sense for Gabrielle to feel this way but I also think she's looking for a way to blame Xena for some of the things she's gone through as well even if it's not really true. If Xena had been there to protect her then she probably wouldn't have been taken by Dahak. Perhaps she expects too much from Xena. Then again, Xena did have all her attention focused on Caesar at the time and Gabrielle was pretty much left on the sidelines. I can understand Gabrielle's resentment about that.

But what about Ares? Is he real? Or a figment of Xena's mind? There's a lot of metaphorical things going on in this episode. One of them seems to be the representation of the basic elements of light and dark depicted in the musical world they enter. Everything is stripped into its simplest form, good and evil. So if Callisto, here, is a metaphor for Gabrielle's conscience and inner feelings, what is Ares?

Somehow, I'm not sure I can see Ares coming in at this particular moment, goading Xena into believing that Gabrielle should be killed for what she has done, the betrayal. Ares wasn't a part of the episodes previously--so if he is real, would he have been watching that entire time before to know that Xena lost her son and everything else that went down between her and Gabrielle? I think it's very possible that Ares could be Xena's inner anger speaking out as well. So cold, so hard, she uses her conscience to make her feel that what she wants to do is what she has to do.

But if it really is Ares' influence over her then she really is on the edge if he's able to sway her enough to drive her to thoughts of killing Gabrielle.

Xena has snapped. She's on the edge of being EvilXena again. I think it's because she deals with her grief in a much different way from Gabrielle. She lets her anger get the better of her rather than letting it go. She dwells on it, lets it grow inside her until she can't contain it anymore.

When she arrives at the Amazon village to take Gabrielle away, that grin she has isn't like what we've seen from her as "good" Xena. In The Price she came close but there she still had her sanity, her cool. Here, she's completely gone and all that's left is feral rage. And it's all directed at Gabrielle which is the most frightening part of all this.

I'm glad Joxer is there, and he's very valiant in his attempts to protect Gabrielle from harm and his total concern for her. He loves her very much.

I don't like Xena dragging Gabrielle over the mud and rocks and fire. The brutal way she's treating her friend is very hard to watch especially since Xena is supposed to be the "hero" of the show. She's not the hero right now; she's dark and very much evil at this point. You don't go dragging your best friend behind your horse because they accidentally caused the death of your son.

I do find it interesting that she chooses another horse besides Argo to drag Gabrielle--as if she knows that Argo is loyal enough that she wouldn't let Xena drag her (like when Argo stood fast and didn't let those men rip Xena apart in The Greater Good).

Her reaction here is just one painful reminder of how close that darkness within her is to the surface and how easily it can be unleashed under the right circumstances.

And if dragging isn't enough, she has to carry Gabrielle to the cliff to throw her over. I love the music in this scene, when Gabrielle stands and turns around in slow-motion after having kicked Xena in the head before she had the chance to throw her over the cliff. The look on Gabrielle's face as she turns around and the growling sound of a tiger coming from Xena is great. I understand that Gabrielle could hate Xena at this point. Such extreme emotion from both of them.

I'm surprised that Gabrielle survived that brutal dragging but then, this is fantasy so...

Illusia is a very interesting place. They're transported to a magical world where music is how people communicate. After falling into the ocean, it's confusing how they go from there into Illusia but I actually think it's more of some kind of magic, some kind of event that happens in their minds and not physically. Maybe Illusia is like a dream world of sorts, the two of their minds merging together in that intense moment of hate and anger.

I just love the costuming and the sets in Illusia. Such vibrant colors. The play on the Tarot cards is just awesome and so unique, I can totally see how this kind of world can be created inside of ones mind. It has a very dream-like quality about it.

Every one of the characters in Xena and Gabrielle's lives manifest themselves as separate entities in this Illusia world and it's very different to watch Callisto acting so chipper and singing and wearing an outfit with flowers on it.

I love Gabrielle's transformation into a simple peasant, and Xena's transformation into a warrior. Though, what is the reason for both of them to have abnormally long hair extensions?

There's a lot to go into about the songs, their meanings behind every word and so on but I'll just go over my favorites.

My favorite one has got to be War and Peace. It's just so magnificently done. Xena finding her way into darkness (again, a metaphor for the darkness inside her?) and Gabrielle is joined by her peace-loving village of people, including her sister. There's such a contrast there, the locations of light and dark, good and evil, peace and war really make you see, deep down to their cores, the true differences in Xena and Gabrielle's characters. I love it.

Ares is great here as well and he is definitely meant as a representation of Xena's darkside and the temptation she has toward that power, the love and the desire she can have for it. But I do get the feeling that it is much more than that, too--that he isn't merely a metaphor for darkness but that she has a real, true attraction to him and the power that he possess and it's an attraction that she has sense pretty much suppressed.

His singing voice is to die for and it really makes me swoon. It's different to see him in an outfit with a crown (and a skirt!) but I like it.

Of course, this metaphorical Ares is there to draw Xena into the darkness and awake that part of her that he's always wanted. And here Xena gives in which I think is just an extension of what had already happened on that cliff in real time. She still wants to kill Gabrielle and Ares is goading her again to do it.

The back and fourth between the war side and the peace side is great especially how the lyrics seem to flow together and work over top of each other. Gabrielle's village giving her the strength to fight Xena as well though really, she's not going to have much of a chance to stand up to Xena who's a trained and fierce warrior.

And Xena being seduced by the power side of Ares, willing to face Gabrielle in their final confrontation.

At this point, it really does not seem like much has changed and, if anything, this Illusia world has only made their hate and their pain stronger and more real and on the surface. Watching Xena actually kill Gabrielle with her sword is very hard. Is the death of her son so great that she wants to kill her best friend?

As a Xena/Ares fan, I adore the Xena/Ares "tango" scene. It's just so representative of the feelings I see between them, that she's not only drawn to that power, that passion of all that the God of War is but that she's extremely affected by his touches and his body as well.

I know that here he's a metaphor for her darkside--and their seduction routine and dance shows how much that dark part of her fascinates her, pulls her. But her responses to him physically I believe go beyond a metaphor. The way she sighs and closes her eyes, leaning back into him and following his every movement. Swoon, that is some wonderful Xena/Ares action right there. Visually, they are a perfect match. And in a lot of other ways (war being one of them), they just "fit". I love her dress, too.

Did I mention how dreamy his voice is? I could listed to Melt Into Me over and over and over again.

There's something very telling about how she's dancing after Gabrielle's death. At first, she's very unsure about it, almost frightened about just what she has done to her friend. And Ares is there to offer that comfort as if killing Gabrielle opened up that final door that she had to walk through in order for her to finally be "his" again. She'd killed the goodness inside her by killing Gabrielle and that's what her darkness (in this case Ares) feeds on.

Her final realization that she's destroyed her best friend in the end I think really breaks her for a moment. How could she have let herself do this?

They continue to let their pain take hold of them but it's good that they are finally able to get it out by singing. Both of them have beautiful singing voices (and I know Renee's isn't really hers but to me it totally sounds like Gabrielle). Xena now knows Gabrielle felt abandon in Britannia and Gabrielle knows that Xena is hurting. I think getting it out in song is the best thing for them at this point--in any other situation, I don't think they'd be as honest with each other. So that's why this world was created, to let them work through their problems and find a solution. Another reason why Illusia feels like a dream--in dreams, people can often be way more honest with themselves and others than they can be in waking hours.

In a lot of ways, I do think it works. They're able to get their feelings out and they're able to break down barriers that would be there otherwise. And even when they are mad at each other, when Gabrielle's put in real danger (thinking Dahak is taking her again), Xena is there to her rescue. I don't think that will ever change, and Xena will always be there for her no matter how angry she can get (if she doesn't end up killing her first, that is).

The representation of "hate" is very powerful, and how Xena and Gabrielle are faced with their own darksides, both of which are intent on destroying each one of them. Watching Gabrielle attempt to break Xena's legs and Xena attempt to use a dagger to sacrifice Gabrielle on the altar brings to reality the two terrible and dark events that made them who they are at this moment: Gabrielle's lose of blood innocence, and Xena's loss of her soul and her descent into the darkness within. I love the contrast there and how every little detail just plays out perfectly, subconsciously helping them work out their problems.

The final song the two of them have together is so beautiful and powerful. They're finally no longer angry at each other and they have forgiven each other, can't believe they ever let their hate take them that far. It's a beautiful duet, so full of emotion. Gabrielle looks particularly radiant in this scene and I'm not sure why. (and besides, her outfit is a lot more vibrant in color than it would be normally in the real world).

I'm surprised to find that Solan had a hand in all of this. Gabrielle says it was Solan but how does she really know that for sure? I still think it's all a magical dream-type world but maybe the dream world and the underworld have been able to merge? And so Solan really is there as a spirit?

I think Xena finally realizes what a mistake it was to not tell Solan the truth about her being his mother. And Gabrielle finally finds out that she did kill Ming Tien--the lie she had been carrying finally revealed.

It's not often that you see Xena so openly asking for forgiveness but it's beautiful the way she begs for it, for her son to understand that she's his mother and that she's always loved him and for Gabrielle to believe that she never meant to hurt her.

Xena's being completely honest with her feelings and I think that says a lot--and that's what this world was all about.

The way they just return to the beach as if nothing had happened makes me believe that it really was all a dream. They had expressed their feelings and had worked through those problems and they're finally back together in each others arms, friends again, fully and completely. It's a beautiful reunion to see them together again.

I don't think their problems are completely gone, though. After everything that had happened and the extreme measures that had been taken--especially by Xena--it's not something that is going to be easily removed from their lives. But I think Illusia was meant as a doorway for them. They had fallen so deep and turned so dark that they needed something this extreme and magical to help them work through that pain and bring them back together. I'm sure it'll still take work for them to get over what happened but Illusia is the beginning of it all. I'm glad it happened this way for them, though it would have been interesting to see an episode or two where they are separated.

A wonderful episode, perfect in every single way. This is why I adore this show so incredibly much.