Sacrifice – Director: David Wharry-Smith/Writer: Steven L. Sears
This one starts with Callisto forcing herself out through a portal to another dimension (where she was trapped in a Hercules episode). Elsewhere, Xena and Gabi are looking for an old friend of Gabi’s from Poteidaia (Seraphin), who’s gotten involved with some kind of cult. Xena’s lip-reading talents tell them the cult is trying to bring back some goddess that they worship. When they realize Seraphin is meant to be a blood sacrifice for the cult, they jump in to help her, but she doesn’t seem all that eager to get away. Xena chases some fleeing cultists and is shocked to run into Callisto, who grabs one of the priests and vanishes.
Gabi wonders if the cult worships Callisto and if she might end up like the other gods, with temples and followers, but Xena doesn’t think that’s
Callisto’s style. Callisto takes the dead priest to a cave to feed him to … something. Ares shows up to ask Xena if Callisto had the Hind’s Blood with her (which she used to kill Strife in the Hercules episode). Ares suggests they team up to fight Callisto, but Xena’s not interested, knowing he’s motivated by self-preservation. The cultists prepare the sacrifice again, but Xena substitutes herself for Seraphin 
(apparently nobody notices Seraphin is almost a foot taller now) and pounds the cultists. Callisto shows up to grab Werfner, the head priest, and spars briefly with Xena and Ares before vanishing with Werfner. Gabi was holding Seraphin throughout the fight, since Seraphin is actually eager to be sacrificed. But when Gabi mentions Callisto, Seraphin doesn’t know who she’s talking about and Xena quickly figures out the goddess they’re trying to revive is Hope.
Xena’s pissed off that Seraphin is trying to bring back the person who killed her son, so Gabi takes Seraphin aside to talk. Ares offers to gather all his armies to fight Hope and Dahok, but Xena declines to lead them. She does
want to kill Hope and thinks she might be vulnerable since she hasn’t fully manifested yet. Callisto is ready to give Werfner’s blood to Hope, but he says Seraphin’s is the only blood that can bring Hope back, otherwise he and the other priests would’ve already sacrificed their own. He does say he can communicate with Hope, which intrigues Callisto. Ares gathers his armies, but gets a visit from a pillar of fire that I assume is Dahok. Gabi talks to Seraphin, who’s really brainwashed to believe Hope and Dahok represent a better future, and 
freaks her out when she mentions she’s Hope’s mother. She does get the location of Hope’s rebirth, though. Werfner talks to Hope and learns that Callisto is helping her because Hope has promised her complete oblivion—no afterlife, no memories, literal nothingness—if she protects her. Xena tells Gabi that Dahok is gathering followers and heads off to the cave to find Hope. Callisto fights her and Xena tricks her into burying herself under a rockslide. Xena’s ready to waste Hope, but Ares shows up and spirits her away.
Seraphin tries to play on Gabi’s guilt over Hope (and her logic, saying that any child of Gabi’s couldn’t be wholly evil), but Gabi’s not falling for it, even when Seraphin mentions the greater good. Xena tells them about Ares
helping Hope and figures he probably took her to the Halls of War to keep her safe. They’re attacked by brainwashed followers of Dahok and Xena fights them, but knows she can’t kill innocent people. Gabi and Seraphin get trapped in a cabin like Night of the Living Dead (or maybe Evil Dead), but Xena gets them out before the zombified cult followers can hurt them. Xena and Gabi argue about Hope and Gabi lets Seraphin go, but the whole thing’s a ruse so they 
can follow her to Hope. (The argument was staged, but the statements made by both of them were technically true, which is why it was so convincing.) Gabi points out how dangerous it is to let Seraphin go to Hope, since she’s the only one who can bring her back, but they don’t have much choice. Xena goes into the Halls of War to find Hope and Ares grabs Gabi, taking her to the Temple of the Fates. Ares calls in his debt to Gabi, saying that he’s made a deal with the Fates that if Xena kills Hope, Xena will die too.
As Callisto digs out of the rockslide, Seraphin makes her way to Hope and
prepares to be sacrificed. Xena comes in and starts wasting cultists, but Seraphin gets cut during the fight and smears her blood on Hope’s cocoon. Xena’s about to stab Hope when Gabi tackles her, not wanting Xena to die. Before she can explain things, Callisto arrives and Hope emerges from her cocoon … looking like an exact copy of Gabi.
This is a pretty good episode (it’s #80 on my all-time list), but for me it’s not as good as Part 2 because it’s mostly just set-up for that episode. Pretty much every plot thread is just setting up something: Ares joining Dahok’s side (partly because he figures it gives him the best chance of survival, but also because Dahok made him a better offer, which we’ll see next episode); Callisto craving oblivion; Xena getting a chance to avenge Solan, not knowing it might kill her; and Gabi
wrestling with her guilt over trying to kill Hope the first time, and with the knowledge that if she lets Xena kill Hope, she’ll lose Xena too. So this episode is mostly just setting things up for the next one, where all those threads will be resolved, one way or another. About the only pay-off we see here is Hope’s return, the big twist being that she looks just like Gabi (and I’m sure Renee just loved being covered in all that mucous crap).
The whole thing with Ares calling in his favour to Gabi (for helping her get 
to Chin ahead of Xena in The Debt, which we learned about in Forget Me Not) is a bit confusing. From what I can figure out, Ares made a deal with the Fates to cut Xena’s life-thread if Xena kills Hope, which doesn’t seem to have much to do with Gabi. But the Fates say that the burden is on Gabrielle, so maybe her having to make the choice (of losing Xena or letting Hope live) is how Ares chooses to fulfill the debt she owes. The Fates agree to it, so I guess it’s binding, whether Gabi likes it or not.
Noticeable Things:
- The whole thing with Hope reforming from the ashes of her pyre, Callisto killing Strife, and Callisto being banished to another dimension took place in the Hercules episodes Armageddon Now, Parts 1 and 2. That’s also where the Hind’s Blood Dagger was jammed into a stone by Hercules, which will come into play next episode.
- When Gabi’s in the Fates’ Temple, she recognizes Xena’s life-thread as soon as she touches it. More evidence of their growing connection.
- During the fight in the Halls of War, Werfner has a sword but doesn’t try to stab Seraphin with it.
Favourite Quotes:
- “That’s the funny thing about people. Just when you think you’ve got them figured out, they show a completely different side to their character.” Xena trying to help Gabi deal with how Seraphin has changed, but inadvertently making her feel guilty about Hope and Solan again.
- “And I am Ares, God of War! I will not end up some footnote in the annals of history!” Ares explaining why he’s ready to fight against Dahok and Hope (and why he changes his mind so easily when Dahok makes him a better offer).