Adventures in the Sin Trade II

• Xena and Otere "bond."
  • Xena has her new amazon chums build her and Otere a sauna, where Xena whacks Otere with a branch, and rubs her down.
  • When Xena is done Otere sits up and asks "So, what do we do now?"
• Xena relates the tale where she meets Cyane, amazon queen, for the first time.
  • Xena is climbing around on the roof of Cyane's sauna, "peeping" at Cyane's nearly nude body.
  • Close-ups of Xena's eyes show not that she is there to assassinate Cyane as she later says, but that she is very...interested in what is going on below her. (Cyane is nude except for a g-string loin cloth and another amazon is whacking her with a branch.)
  • When Xena is discovered (by falling through the roof) she dispatches the amazon, but then just stands there, gazing at Cyane, who is naked and trying to cover herself.
  • Cyane starts removing Xena's clothing and putting it on herself. It could be argued that Xena is letting her do this, until the close up of Cyane's eyes, when she starts scowling at Xena, and THEN Xena knows she is in danger, and starts trying to defend herself (uselessly.)
  • Borias confronts Cyane as she is strangling Xena. "She tried to kill me" says Cyane. "Is that true, Xena?" asks Borias. Xena does not answer. (Hint that it may not be true? She WAS peeping!) After Cyane leaves, Xena tells Borias, "We should definitely hang with her for a while."
• Back in the sauna of love, Xena makes a proposal to Otere.
  • "...Otere, if you learned anything from that monster I used to be, it was how to stay dead; how to be numb to anything that is beautiful or meaningful. And I can never ask your forgiveness. But I do ask that you let me help you build a new life. That's what my friend Gabrielle did for me."
  • Otere and Xena look into each other's eyes for a long moment. Otere takes a deep breath as she makes a personal decision. "Alright." "Thank you" replies Xena.
• Xena rewards Yakut for battling the spirit that invaded her body with a hug.
• In the past, Cyane invites Xena to join the Amazon way.
  • "At heart you're an Amazon whether you believe it or not." "Not for me, Cyane." Cyane then says, disparagingly: "What is for you, then? Life with Borias?!"
  • "...Join us. We can teach you a new way, a new code to live by. We live for each other, not ourselves."
• Alti gets jealous of Cyane's advances on her grrl.
  • To Xena she says: "You and I love the same things."
  • Cyane comes along and soul-wrestles Alti to the ground. She says "Don't put your soul in her hands, Xena. She'll destroy it."
• In the present, Xena sees Gabrielle floating above her.
  • Gabrielle morphs into Alti. Hinting that there is a connection between the two? Both were lovers of Xena? (Gabrielle being dead for the present moment.)
  • Alti acts like a jealous lover, grappling with Xena while yelling "Tell me who she is! Tell me who the blonde one is! Tell me who she is!"
  • Xena responds: "She's goodness and innocence, Alti. And she'll live inside me forever. She frightens you 'cause she represents what can defeat you."
• Alti forces Xena to experience events from the future that are meant to cause her pain.
  • Xena and Gabrielle are being crucified by the Romans on a snowy plain. Xena turns and sees Gabrielle. Both look much battered and Gabrielle's hair is cut short. "Gabrielle--you're the best thing in my life." "I love you Xena."
• Knowing that Gabrielle will be with her in the future gives Xena the strength to defeat Alti.
  • "Yakut--the new holy word that the shamaness must give the Amazon dead: it's love."
• Xena leaves her newfound chums.
  • "Where are you going?" "Home. She's alive."

Notes:
Xena is definitely grooming this Otere woman to replace Gabrielle. Also, Cyane is putting the moves on Xena, trying to seduce her away from the darkside. But once she finds out that Gabrielle is alive, all is well with Xena. She no longer needs this new life she has built for herself. She has found her soulmate.
From where i'm sitting, enough cannot be said about Amazons. They know how to live: in large female-only communities dedicated to each other. Everybody, it just does not get any better than this.