Amphipolis Under Seige

Amphipolis Under Siege

Written by Chris Black
Directed by Mark Beesley

Episode synopsis:
Segment one: Toll guards on the road to Amphipolis are attacked by a group of warrior women, who are turned back when Xena suddenly appears and attacks them. Ares arrives and tells Xena that the women were under the command of Athena. Athena marches an army towards Amphipolis vowing to kill Xena's child.
Segment two: Xena and Gabrielle arrive in Amphipolis and meet Xena's mom. Ares arrives in Athena's camp. Athena reveals that she is not attacking because she believes that the village is loyal to her and will deliver up the child. However, Eli's message has arrived in the village and the villagers are willing to help Xena. Athena arrives and tries to sway them, but they all start singing as a means of showing their unity. The villagers, lead by Gabrielle, launch a strike against Athena's best warriors. Meanwhile, Xena brings troops under the battle via the ubiquitous tunnels, but is stopped by Ilainus.
Segment three: Ilainus, Athena's second in command, blows up the tunnels. Gabrielle and her army retreat. Xena turns down a plan to sneak away. Athena's warriors carry out an arrow attack. Athena visits Xena. Xena offers to fight it out, one on one, but Athena turns her down because she is not interested in the possibility of losing. Xena calls on Ares and offers herself if he will fight beside her.
Segment four: Xena launches herself at Ares' face, but he smells a trap and won't fall for it. Gabrielle rallies the villagers when their spirits are down, then calls for Ares. She warns him not to accept Xena's proposal for it will destroy the good person that Xena is. This is all the prodding he needs. He asks Athena to call of the attack but she will not. At his temple, he accepts Xena's plan, but as they are about to do the nasty, an explosion knocks a wall down and Cyrene catches them at it.
Segment five: Gabrielle has launched an attack against Athena's army. Xena leaves Ares and marches out with her baby in her arms. The armies stop fighting and Athena's pulls back. Xena gives the child to Athena, but Ares prevents her from killing the baby. Ares and Athena fight as the villagers launch a surprise attack. Xena kills Ilainus. Athena and her army retreat. Ares discovers that he saved a doll; Eve was never in danger.

Disclaimer: Post Production was under siege during the production of this motion picture.

Moments Of Subtext:
When Ilainus returns to Athena wounded after her first meeting with Xena, Athena heals her, and then caresses her face while saying "You have my favor Ilainus. Always." Whoa! Athena, the goddess of Wisdom is the most aggressive lesbian we've seen this season!
When Ares originally tries to council Athena, Ilainus stops him. "Athena doesn't need your help."
"Nor any man's it would seem," comments Ares.
Ilainus comments to Athena: "If Xena commands half the loyalty you do, my goddess, Gabrielle would surely lay down her life to ensure Xena's escape."
"I don't doubt Gabrielle's willingness to die, only Xena's willingness to lose her," returns Athena.
As Ares and Athena battle, Athena asks "What's the matter, bro? Worried about your girlfriend?"
"Me? No. Worried about yours?"
As Ilainus lies dying, she asks, "Do I still have your favor, Athena?"
"Always," responds Athena. It is the death of this woman so important to Athena which ends the entire battle. Athena bends over and kisses the body as they both vanish.
At the end, Gabrielle asks "Did you and Ares...?"
"No."
When Ares finds out he doesn't get to sleep with Xena because of the doll trick, Gabrielle gives him what I will call a Super-Smug look.
As Cyrene figures out the ploy they used on Ares, she says, maternally, "What am I going to do with you two?"
The final dialogue gets more playful as they go on: "Xena, did you say that you felt something?"
"No."
"No, I think I heard you, you said you felt something."
"Gabrielle, I said no such thing."
"Oh, really."
"Maybe a little something."
"What?!"

Commentary:
I have to say how excited I was to find out that Athena is a dyke! Good for them for FINALLY having some subtext/maintext in an episode. Chris Black is my new hero.
At the begining, Xena has beaten and knocked out all of the warriors attacking the toll guards. When Ilainus decides they should withdraw, she whistles and everybody jumps up and they all run away. What, were they just pretending to be beaten and unconscious?
Xena uses her nerve pinch to help the toll guard with the pain of having an arrow sticking out of his chest. But then she violently rips it out THE WRONG WAY to see what the design on its head is. How rude!
What is with the singing to piss off Athena? Man, that looked stupid.
Does EVERY village in Greece have a network of tunnels underneath it? Greece must be the most topographically unstable land ever.
When a villager is complaining about risking his life to save Xena's child he points out "Athena's always protected us." This line made me laugh out loud. Since when has Athena spared the people of Amphilpolis? How many times has this town been threatened in the five years this show has been on? How many of the villagers died to serve Xena's bloodlust when she was Evil Xena? How many people have used Amphipolis against Xena? And they consider themselves lucky and spared? What a bunch of nutters.
Apparently to summon a god like Ares, all you need to do is just shout his name like Gabrielle does. Man, he's easy to get in touch with.
This army is even more lousy than the ones in the previous episode. They give up here not when their leader is killed, but when the second in command is!