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| 'Xena Warrior Princess'— Winds Down With Substance | ||
| by Bridget Petrella with additional writing by Sonia Satra | ||
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Actress 'Lucy Lawless'— The Enduring "Coolness" Of A Free Spirit |
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'Xena' Star Renee O'Connor— Deeply Soulful And Subtly Engaging |
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Actress Adrienne Wilkinson— Inimitable Beauty With Substance. |
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As the mighty warrior princess winds down... to the show's final episodes, I must say, for the most part, it's been profoundly delicious. I finally had an opportunity to watch 'When Fates Collide'... and as the credits rolled, I sat there mesmerized... in complete awe of what I had just witnessed. Wow. This was such a powerful tribute, an overwhelmingly eloquent homage to two characters who have successfully transcended any/all descriptions or labels, continually perpetuated by an all too often narrow-minded society in dire need of a concrete explanation. This particular episode was an unbridled sequence of perpetual moments... moments that injected such
amazing vision, such unconditional devotion into an equation meshed with, as the show’s opening narration suggests, the power, the passion the danger... But up until this very episode, I have to candidly
admit— I'd almost forgotten that this isn't exactly what the underlying relationship between Xena and Gabrielle is all about. Whereas in this parallel universe, Xena has ultimately become an unwilling virtual prisoner of sorts to the wishes of Ceasar, her husband, and Alti, the power-hungry high priestess, Gabrielle simply inspires Xena to remember and embrace the love... their love. That being said, as a love story, 'When Fates Collide' is exceptionally potent. Katherine Fugate, you are certainly one of the show's most innovative writers in season six thus far, unafraid to take the necessary risks, you dared to make a number of bold and captivating choices.
One sequence that probably stood out the most for me, came at the very beginning of the episode... The unspoken looks that Xena gave Gabrielle from across the balcony were a culmination of love, longing, yearning, desire and pure sensuality... all rolled into one stunningly smoldering gaze. It was, to quote the legendary Humphrey Bogart, "The stuff that dreams are made of..." Although terribly brief in retrospect, it was exquisite and detailed. And Gabrielle's initial reaction was absolutely
priceless— to say the least, it was almost as if she actually felt Xena unwrapping the mysteries of her soul layer by delicate layer... with one intensely driven stare... and then suddenly, Gabrielle locked eyes with Xena and felt it, just as we the viewers did, and was equally taken back, breathless, awkward, nervous and perhaps even a bit shaken by this implicit "desire" from someone whose very soul she was so magnetically drawn to... I must applaud both actresses for putting so much fervor into such a transitory but definitively meaningful (yet wordless) exchange from across a moonlit balcony no less... it was riveting.
The only thing I
was a bit taken back by was the fairly impassive sort of surreal ending. It was as if Xena and Gabrielle both became mere shells of who they really were, numb and lost, exhausted perchance from the intensity of the entire episode, which is exactly the way that I felt when all was said and done... and maybe that‘s as it should be, given the utter vastness of their ongoing journey, their almost incomprehensible quest for something more. However, I will say that this insignificant flaw is utterly overridden by the sheer magnitude of this episode’s profound message. Katherine Fugate, you are absolutely brilliant, your work indeed goes well beyond the scope of an Emmy!
UB
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