Xena Reviews: Season 5, Episode 21

Eve – Director: Mark Beesley/Writers: George Strayton, Tom O’Neill

This one starts with Xena, Gabi, Joxer, and Virgil following Livia’s trail. Gabi is sure they can bring out the innate goodness in Livia, but Xena worries her daughter is beyond redemption. She may be right, as we see Livia slaughtering people and crucifying them, not really caring anymore if they’re followers of Eli or not. Xena and the others find the carnage and realize how bad Livia really is.

Virgil is shaken because some of the dead were friends of his (and fellow Eli followers). Xena feels guilty, especially when a lone survivor says Livia blamed Xena for her own rampage. Ares shows up to repeat his offer of shielding Livia from the Greek gods if Xena will give him a child, but she says the very idea sickens her (and her words actually seems to hurt Ares). Ares goes to see Livia, urging her to kill Xena and finish off Eli’s followers. When Livia mentions the Twilight of the Gods, Ares scoffs, pointing out that Eve has been around for twenty-five years and nothing has happened to the gods yet. Xena and Gabi discuss Eve and Gabi insists that she can throw off her evil nature and change, just like Xena did. They interrupt another of Livia’s attacks and Livia threatens to kill Joxer. Xena fights her, but isn’t giving it everything she has. When a villager grabs Livia and tries to cut her throat, Xena saves her. Livia is confused and takes off while her men torch the village. The villager gives Xena shit for saving Livia, saying that any people she kills now are on Xena’s head.

Livia wonders why Xena saved her, but Ares insists she’s just trying to weaken Livia’s resolve. Xena tells Gabi she’ll kill Eve if she has to and heads to Ostia to warn Eli’s followers about an imminent attack. Joxer tells Virgil the truth about his heroics, but Virgil’s cool about it, pointing out that Joxer was at least present for all those adventures. Gabi tells Virgil she’s going to see Livia, to try to get through to her. But Livia won’t listen and plans to kill Gabi as a way to hurt Xena. When Joxer finds out where Gabi went, he sends Virgil to get Xena and heads to Livia’s camp. Joxer actually manages to steal a guard’s uniform and get into the camp, where he delays Gabi’s execution long enough for Xena and Virgil to show up and start kicking ass. Livia tries to kill Gabi and Joxer interferes, getting stabbed. Livia takes off and Joxer dies, leaving Xena, Gabi, and Virgil paralyzed with grief.

Virgil questions his belief in Eli because of his burning desire for revenge against Livia. Ares taunts Xena, pointing out that if she’d let the villager kill Livia, Joxer wouldn’t be dead (something Xena was already feeling guilty about). Gabi tells Xena about her attempt to reach Eve, but says Livia is beyond redemption and has to be stopped. Xena prays to Eli for guidance, wondering how to stop her daughter without killing her. When Livia and her men show up at the Temple of Eli, they’re surprised to find Xena waiting for them.

Xena hasn’t come alone: besides Gabi and Virgil, she has a bunch of Augustus’s soldiers to help fight Livia’s forces. As the battle rages, Xena and Livia fight (and we see Livia catch the chakram), swinging from banners and duelling with halves of the chakram. Xena gets the upper hand, but can’t bring herself to kill her daughter. When Livia turns the tables, Xena prays to Eli to save Eve and tells her she loves her. A heavenly ray of sunlight falls on Livia’s face and she starts seeing Xena’s memories of her as a baby. She must be experiencing Xena’s emotions too, because she tosses the chakram aside and tries to leave. She says something to Xena (who has to stop Virgil from killing her) and takes off. Xena tells Gabi what Livia said to her before leaving … that her name is Eve.

This is a really good episode (#20 on my all-time list) that shows the beginning of Eve’s redemption, paralleling Xena’s own. It’s interesting that Xena starts out believing Livia is beyond redemption while Gabi is sure they can reach her. But after Joxer’s death, Gabi changes her mind, saying that Eve is dead. Xena believes her, but in the end can’t bring herself to kill her own daughter. Maybe that’s what brought about Eve’s redemption, Xena’s refusal to hate her, even though she had reason. (One of Eli’s main tenets was to love your enemy.) Gabi’s change of mind may reflect her feelings about Hope, since she was sure Hope had good in her and turned out to be wrong, with terrible consequences. Gabi going to talk to Livia was probably motivated by not wanting Xena to bear the guilt of killing her own daughter, something Gabi’s never really gotten over. I wish the scene with Gabi talking to Eve had been a little longer; it would’ve been nice to see Gabi appeal to emotion a bit more, maybe mentioning how Eve was born and how Gabi was the one who delivered her and first handed her to Xena. That would’ve tied in well with the later memory of Eve being born that was part of the Eli-induced vision.

Of course, I have to mention Joxer’s death. After so many years of friendship, he’s gone … at the hands of Xena’s own daughter. That could be why Gabi changed her mind, since despite all of Xena’s terrible deeds, she never killed anyone close to Gabi like that. Virgil certainly isn’t in a forgiving mood, but all three of them will deal with what Eve did in their own time. Joxer’s death scene was really well done, very understated. Ted Raimi said he actually cut 90% of the dialogue in the scene, thinking that less was more. Turns out he was right.

Noticeable Things:

• In the teaser, one of Livia’s victim’s mentioned that they lived through Callisto’s raids, so I guess Callisto made it into the Italian peninsula at one time. It’s kind of ironic that Eve is Callisto’s daughter in a way, but Eve doesn’t seem too impressed by Callisto’s reputation.
• Virgil is a follower of Eli, but still fights (and kills). I’m not sure how he reconciles that, but maybe Eli’s philosophy has changed over the years. Could Gabi have influenced that change in attitude, since she’s a peaceful person who’s not afraid to fight when necessary?
• Livia has another tantrum where she destroys her room and Ares gives her shit for drinking in the morning. Is she an alcoholic, or is the drinking brought on by her mixed feelings toward Xena?

Favourite Quotes:

• “Sure, with a mother like you, how bad can she be?” Joxer trying to reassure Xena about Livia’s character, but Xena sees the opposite meaning.
• “So, the only power you have over us is our own fear.” Ares telling Livia that he’s not worried about the Twilight, and showing that he may be wiser than his sister, Athena.
• “You could never disappoint me.” Gabi’s last words to Joxer.