XMR #20 Part 3 of 4

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[270] 05-04-96
   THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. Page F04. 1461 words.
"We're Outta Here; Commentary: '70s-style sketch comedy
a la 'Saturday Night Live'? That's old news to jaded
viewers, who long for a real weekend update." By Kinney
Littlefield
   COMMENTARY: After savagely dismissing Saturday Night
Live, the author stated that XWP was one of the only
shows worth watching Saturday night.
   EXCERPT:
   Live from your living room, it's Why Can't Hollywood
Get Saturday Late Night TV Right?
  Try: because Saturday late-night TV has gone all
wrong.
  With NBC's 20-year-old sketch show "Saturday Night
Live" getting frailer and unfunnier by the minute,
you'd think no one else would try a similarly outmoded
Saturday-night sortie....
  ...So for now anyway, Saturday-night sketch comedy
seems passe. 
  And live from the home of this SoCal TV critic, you
won't find me watching Saturday-night TV  except, that
is, for the
tongue-in-cheek vampire-cop show "Forever Knight" or
the sly action hits "Hercules" and "Xena."...


[271]  05-05-96 
   NOTE: Bruce Campbell appeared in the Fox TV Movie
"Tornado". Bruce Campbell was a co-founder of
Renaissance Pictures and a co-hort of Sam Raimi and
Robert Tapert who seems to just pop up in many of their
projects including playing Autolycus in HTLJ and XWP.


[271a] 05-05-96
   PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. Page F-8. 940 words.
"'Tornado' Bowls over 'Brisco's' Campbell"
By Robert Bianco
   COMMENTARY:  Brief mention of XWP.
   EXTRACT:
   When Bruce Campbell says he's an actor, he's saying
what he's not as much as what he is.
   He's not a star, though many people (myself
included) thought Fox's "Brisco County Jr." would make
him one. He's not some horror-obsessed auteur, though
he can see how his "Evil Dead" trilogy might give you
that impression. He's not any of his characters, and
he's not happy when people think he is.   
   "It just gets frustrating, because you want to slap
these people and say 'Look, it's called make believe.'
I'm not like that. I'm not like any of these characters
I play, not in real life. What kills me is that
producers and directors get fooled too, and they are
the people who make this stuff. You think they'd
realize it's all baloney."
   Whatever his frustrations, an actor can't go around
slapping producers and directors - and Campbell doesn't
really strike you as the type who would. He may not be
Brisco County Jr., but the actor and the character do
seem to share a certain down-to-earth affability that
mellows their equally shared disdain for pretense.
   So the only thing left to do is take a wide variety
of roles, and hope producers and directors catch on.
   "That's what I've always wanted, not to be
pigeonholed. I'm an actor, that's it, period. Not a
cowboy actor, not a comedy actor, not a horror actor,
just an actor. So I think doing something like
'Tornado' is good, because they say, 'OK, it's pretty
straightforward. You say your lines, you do your thing,
and you get hit by a tornado.' "
   What could be more straightforward than that?
   Airing Tuesday at 8 on Fox, "Tornado" casts Campbell
as Jake Thorne, a cowboy turned tornado chaser. Though
the movie sounds suspiciously similar to this week's
big-screen blockbuster "Twister" ("Gee, can you
imagine?," Campbell says, laughing. "I don't think it
takes a rocket scientist to figure that one out."),
Campbell does think the TV version can stand on its
own...
   ...Being promoted as the "next big TV star" was a
surreal experience, Campbell says, and he's happy it's
behind him. "Frankly, there's a lot of elements that I
don't find that attractive to being the quote-unquote
star. I can go to the grocery store, I can go to the
library. I can take my kids to the movies. I can do
whatever the hell I want, and occasionally, I'll see a
busboy give me a weird look, and that's as bad as it
gets."
   Unless he goes to a horror convention, that is.
There, he's a star, thanks to "Evil Dead," the
gruesomely witty horror trilogy he starred in and
co-produced with Detroit friends Sam Raimi and Rob
Tapert. "Dead" fans are everywhere, and they all want
more.
   An Internet junkie who logs on every day, Campbell
says the question he's most asked on the net is whether
there'll be an "Evil Dead 4." "None of us have said
no," Campbell answers, "but no one's put the money on
the table." 
   Even without a movie, Campbell has reunited with his
"Evil" friends. He's been a guest star on Raimi's
syndicated hits, "Hercules" and "Xena," and just got
his directing start on "Hercules."
   Though he enjoyed directing, he'll keep acting as
long as people keep hiring him. This month, he's headed
to Mexico to film "McHale's Navy," a big-screen
transfer starring Tom Arnold. (For those who remember
the series, Campbell plays the nurse-magnet, Virgil.)
And he now has a series development deal with Disney -
though as he points out, that doesn't mean he'll have a
series. "It's all baloney at this stage. We're just
talking."...


[271b] 05-05-96
   THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Page 11C. 708 words.
"Tornado!' star breezes along; Campbell tries to
counter prevailing winds in acting career" By Robert
Bianco
   COMMENTARY: Edited down version of XMR271a.


[271c] 05-05-96
   CHICAGO TRIBUNE. TV Week. Page 5. 1019 words. "Actor
Takes Tornado-tracker Film by Storm" By Kate O'Hare
   COMMENTARY: Brief mention of XWP.
   EXCERPT:
   ...Campbell has made several TV guest appearances
since the one-season run of "Brisco County," including
a dramatic turn in a two-part "Homicide: Life on the
Street." For old Detroit pal Sam Raimi-with whom he did
the "Evil Dead" horror-film trilogy-he's appeared on
"Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" (he has also
directed episodes), "Xena: Warrior Princess" and
"American Gothic." And he may appear in a new series of
his own, having signed a development deal with
Disney....
   ...A dedicated cyber-surfer, Campbell also uses
computers as a way to keep his fans abreast of what
he's doing. "It's weird. I log on every day on the
Internet, and when people don't see what you've done,
they think you're not working.
   "So I had a post where someone was very concerned
that by now I'd be working the drive-through window at
Taco Bell. I sent them a message back and said, 'It's
not true at all. I got fired from the night window at
Taco Bell, and now I do the night window at Burger
King.'
   "It's important to torment those people; torment
them in their ignorance."...


[272] 05-05-96
   THE ORLANDO SENTINEL. TV Time. Page 3. 454 Words.
"Grapes and Gold Occupied Lawless" 
   COMMENTARY: Local Q&A asked about Lucy Lawless'
previous jobs. The author may have used Ken Beck's "Ask
Showcase" from around 03/10/96 as reference for writing
this (XMR191), which was an uncharacteristically
lengthy Q&A for THE TENNESSEAN.
   Furthermore, this article gave the wrong address for
the Lucy Lawless Fan Club. It should be Lucy Lawless
Fan Club, P.O. Box 279, Pendleton, IN 46064.
   EXCERPT:
   QUESTION: You did an item on Hercules, how about
equal time for the ladies? I never miss Xena: Warrior
Princess (9 p.m. Fridays on WKCF-Channel 18) and want
to know more about Lucy Lawless (Xena). Did she really
once work on a sheep farm? And what's her fan club
address? L.P., Orlando.
   ANSWER: You got some baaaad information - no sheep
farm for our plucky heroine, although she did work as a
grape picker in Europe and a gold miner in Australia
after graduating from Catholic convent schools in her
native New Zealand. The fifth of seven children whose
father is a politician, Lawless appeared in commercials
and several TV shows in New Zealand before moving to
Canada to study acting. She was cast as Xena after
playing her in one of the Hercules TV movies. She loves
jazz, has studied opera, speaks English, German, French
and some Italian, and has a 7-year-old daughter named
Daisy. Write to Lucy Lawless Fan Club, P.O. Box 49859,
Brentwood, Calif. 90049....


[273]  05-06-96 
   NOTE: Nielsen syndicated ratings for BEWARE OF
GREEKS BEARING GIFTS (#12), 2nd release, 04/08/96.
Ranked 3rd action hour with 4.5 rating. Comparison with
other action hours: (1) ST: DEEP SPACE 9 ranked 6th
with 5.8; (2) HTLJ ranked 9th with 5.2; (3) XWP ranked
14th with 4.5; (4) BAYWATCH ranked 16th with 4.4. 
   FIRST RUN STATS: 1st release, 01/22/96. Ranked 2nd
action hour with 6.1 ranking. Highest rating point
until the 2nd season's INTIMATE STRANGER (#31) and TEN
LITTLE WARLORDS (#32), which both earned 6.3 two weeks
in a row! HTLJ also hit it's highest rating to date the
same week. Both HTLJ and XWP were directed by T. J.
Scott. Comparison with other action hours: (1) HTLJ
ranked 5th with 7.5 (HTLJ's still current personal
best); (2) XWP ranked 12th with 6.1; (3) ST:DS9 ranked
16th with 5.2; (4) BAYWATCH ranked 19th with 4.8.
   BEWARE OF GREEKS BEARING GIFTS is scheduled for a
third release on 12/23/96.


[273a] 05-06-96
   VARIETY. Page 223. 183 words. "Nielsen Syndication
Ratings" 
   COMMENTARY: Ratings table for BEWARE OF GREEKS
BEARING GIFTS, 2nd release.
   REPRINT:
   For week ended April 21, 1996  
                                   Stations/
Rank  Program                     % coverage   AA%  
GAA %     
1 Wheel of Fortune                 226/99  11.6      -- 
2 Jeopardy!                        219/99   9.8      -- 
3 Home Improvement                 224/98   8.0     8.6 
4 Oprah Winprey Show               235/99   7.1     7.2 
5 Seinfeld                         221/97   7.0      -- 
6 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine       236/99   5.8     6.2 
6 Entertainment Tonight            178/94   5.8     5.9 
8 WCW Wrestling                    180/92   5.3     7.7 
9 Journey of Hercules              230/98   5.2     5.4 
9 Simpsons                         191/96   5.2     5.3 
11 Inside Edition                  164/89   5.0     5.1 
11 Wheel of Fortune-Wknd.          179/81   5.0      -- 
13 Hard Copy                       176/91   4.7     4.8 
14 Fresh Prince of Bel-Air         161/89   4.5     5.0 
14 Xena                            204/97   4.5     4.7 
16 Baywatch                        222/97   4.4     4.5 
16 Home Improvement-Wknd.          211/95   4.4      -- 
16 World Wrestling Fed. PR         155/90   4.4     5.4 
19 Roseanne                        171/90   4.3     4.6 
20 Live w/Regis & Kathie Lee       233/99   4.2      -- 
   AA average refers to nonduplicated viewing for
multiple airings of the same show. GAA average
encompasses duplicated viewing. GAA average does not
apply when there is only one run of a show.


[274] 05-06-96
   THE GREATER GOOD. Episode no. 21. First release.
GUEST STARS: 
Robert Trebor (Salmoneus) and Peter McCauley
(Talmadeus). CAST: Jonathon Hendry (Ness), Natalya
Humphrey (Photis), James Adam Timothy (Kalus), David
Mitchell (Gorney), Kenneth Prebble (Old Man).  CREDITS:
Written by Steven L. Sears; Directed by Gary Jones.
   AIRING AND RATING INFORMATION: 1st release
(05/06/96): (1) ST: DS9 with 6.5; (2) XWP with 5.0; (3)
HTLJ with 4.9. 2nd release (09/02/96): Information
pending.
   TV GUIDE DESCRIPTION: When Xena is incapacitated and
left near death after being struck by a poisoned dart,
Gabrielle is forced to impersonate the Warrior Princess
in order to protect a group of innocent villagers.
Salmoneus: Robert Trebor.
   SYNOPSIS: This synopsis is brought to you by guest
synopser, Anita Firebaugh.  
   Xena and Gabrielle are approached by a young woman,
pleading for help for Lord Seltzer.  Xena goes and
saves Lord Seltzer (aka Salmoneus), but during the
fight she's shot mysteriously by a poison dart. Xena
continues to fight and acts as if nothing's wrong.  She
doesn't tell Gabrielle  she has been hurt, and during a
fight with the warlord who is after Lord Seltzer, Xena
is almost killed. Fortunately, Gabrielle comes to the
rescue, and the bard and Argo haul the wounded Warrior
Princess off to the village.  
   Xena hatches a plan to convince the warlord that she
is really not sick, and in order for this plan to
happen, Gabrielle dresses up as Xena.  She rides Argo
and attacks the warlord's camp.  But the warlord still
intends to attack, and follows Gabrielle back to the
village.  Gabrielle has a fake chakram; Xena convinces
them that Gabrielle is the "real" Xena by throwing the
real chakram from where she lays ill.  Gabrielle then
goes back for another attack on the warlord, where she
is captured.  Argo saves Gabrielle.
   Meanwhile, though, two men come in and attack Xena. 
She fights them off.  But Salmoneus finds Xena prone on
the ground ... dead.  When Gabrielle returns, she finds
her friend covered up. 
Gabrielle convinces Salmoneus that they must stay and
fight, for that is what Xena would have wanted. 
Gabrielle vents her
frustration on a tree, and Salmoneus goes to the
warlord to make a trade.  But the warlord is not an
honorable man.  He rounds up the villagers, and intends
to sell them off, not simply take Salmoneus and Xena's
body, as he said he would.  He tries to have Xena's
"carcass" torn in two, but Argo will not move.  When a
soldier goes to beat the horse, Xena rises from the
dead.  She then proceeds to win the battle, having
recovered from the toxin in the dart.
   COMMENTARY: 
   1. SALMONEUS. Easily the most beloved guest
character in XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS, Salmoneus appeared
for his second time in THE GREATER GOOD. Salmoneus had
the honor of appearing in the last two parts of the
infamous HTLJ Xena trilogy where the despicable
character of Xena was introduced and then reformed
before our eyes. Salmoneus was pivotal in Xena's
turnabout. The fact that Salmoneus made Xena laugh
saved not only his life, but created a very lucrative
future for the warrior princess. It was Salmoneus who
first saw what Gabrielle would later magnify in the
subsequent series: the potential of Xena to locate the
proper path, take a walk on it, and to find it again
after slight deviations here and there. True, Salmoneus
was a grand trickster and always out for a buck, but
his pure heart and fundamental respect for all people,
especially hardened warrior princesses, allowed him to
see things that would otherwise go unnoticed or
unappreciated. Again, it was Salmoneus who defended
Xena against Hercules; who determined that Hercules and
Xena should work together; and finally that Hercules
and Xena would make a "cute" couple. Salmoneus also had
his own inner battles and faults. In UNCHAINED HEART
(HTLJ #13) he felt emasculated in the cave. In THE
BLACK WOLF (#11), he was reminded of his powerlessness
when thrown into the pit. Finally, in THE GREATER GOOD,
he was enervated by Xena's death. Yet, despite his
faults, Salmoneus always came through in the end. In
THE GAUNTLET (HTLJ #12), he helped the unappreciative
Xena take care of the baby; in THE BLACK WOLF, he
helped Xena organize the prisoners; and in THE GREATER
GOOD he tried to save the villagers by cutting a deal
with Talmadeus. 
   As it was Salmoneus who first saw the beginnings of
Xena's redemption, it was also Salmoneus who saw her
first in her death. "Proud warrioress, I will miss
you."
   2. ROBERT TREBOR. Robert Trebor is the wonderful
actor who brought Salmoneus to life. Salmoneus appeared
in XWP two times. Even counting the two Xena episodes
in HTLJ, the total comes to only four episodes. Very
few episodes for such a strong impression. His
character has been aided by his many more appearances
in HTLJ, but his influence on the Xenaverse has been
unprecedented. Robert Trebor first appeared in the
HERCULES telemovie HERCULES AND THE LOST KINGDOM, which
surprisingly enough also co-starred Renee O'Connor.
Although Trebor and O'Connor played characters who were
not direct antecedents to their future XWP roles, an
astute eye can see some of the characters' quirks in
early form. 
   In the first season, Salmoneus only appeared in the
episodes THE BLACK WOLF and THE GREATER GOOD. During
the early part of 1996, it was released from members of
the Xenastaff that Robert Trebor, the actor who played
Salmoneus, was finding it too exhausting to play a
recurring character in both HTLJ and XWP. Therefore
they were going to create a new character called Joxer
to fill the Salmoneus void. This announcement was made
before Ms. Lawless' accident on October 8, 1996. At the
post-taping party that same night, Robert Tapert did
mention that the producers would look into whether
Robert Trebor would be available to help fill the Xena-
void which everyone was anticipating at that time. We
must remember, however, that these comments were made
off the cuff and in the moment of great confusion and
emotional turmoil. Since then I have heard no rumors of
a Salmoneus episode forthcoming. One would be greatly
appreciated, but it looks like the people who valiantly
arose to combat the Xena-void were Hudson Leick
(Callisto, Xena), Ted Raimi (Joxer), Bruce Campbell
(Autolycus), and Kevin Smith (Ares).
   LATE BREAKING NEWS: Fresh from the Texas con where
Robert Trebor was a speaker, Mr. Palindrome himself
told fans to expect Salmoneus to appear in the 2nd
season of XWP. Can things get any better???? Not much!
   3. WRITER. THE GREATER GOOD was written by Steven L.
Sears. Mr. Sears is also the Supervising Producer of
the show. He has received 9 writing credits thus far
for XWP. Known for his strong writing regarding the
subtheme of the friendship between Xena and Gabrielle,
THE GREATER GOOD is perhaps one of the most critical
friendship episodes. Of the two "death of major
character" storylines (the other one being IS THERE A
DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE (#24), which was written by
Patricia Manney -- eek, a woman! -- and directed by
T.J. Scott -- eek, a man!), I find this one the most
satisfying, especially in terms of setting and
execution. 
   4. DIRECTOR. THE GREATER GOOD was directed by Gary
Jones. Mr. Jones worked most of the first season of XWP
as the 2nd Unit Director. The 2nd Unit is the team
which does the stunt shooting, mainly with stunt
doubles and have to be especially mindful of the
special effects to be added in later by the lab people.
The only first season shows Mr. Jones did not do the
2nd Unit direction were THE GREATER GOOD (because he
was THE director), ALTARED STATES (#19), and IS THERE A
DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE (in these three the 2nd Unit
Director was David Pollison). 
   Thus far in the history of XWP, Mr. Jones has
directed three episodes: THE GREATER GOOD, GIANT KILLER
(#27), and INTIMATE STRANGER (#31). These three
episodes are very different from each other and knowing
about the tendency of the producers divvying up
direction assignments according to themes, Mr. Jones'
oeuvre is very puzzling. GIANT KILLER is understandable
because of its strong use of special effects; which is
very common in HTLJ, but somewhat rare in XWP other
than in the fight scenes and chakram tosses. Mr. Jones'
expertise greatly aided the episode. THE GREATER GOOD,
however, was an example of the "comedy-drama" type of
episode which XWP excels at, while INTIMATE STRANGER
was much more dark and driven than any of the other two
episodes. However, both episodes did pivot around how
Gabrielle perceived the friendship between her and
Xena. In THE GREATER GOOD, Gabrielle dealt with Xena's
death and moved on; in INTIMATE STRANGER, Gabrielle
dealt with Xena's body change and moved on.  GIANT
KILLER also dealt with friendship, but between Xena and
Goliath. However, there was a nice scene in GIANT
KILLER between Xena and Gabrielle sharing a private
moment.
   5. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY. Allen Guilford directed
the Photography for only two episodes in the first
season, THE GREATER GOOD and DEATH MASK (#23). I found
neither of them outstanding. THE GREATER GOOD focused
mainly on interiors, Lord Selzer's (Salmoneus) village,
and Talmadeus' camp. DEATH MASK, again, centered on a
camp and interiors with some woodland scenes thrown in
(the "drumstick" scene comes to mind).
   6. EDITOR. Robert Field edited THE GREATER GOOD. The
comic chakram fight of the 2nd act was not as clever as
some comic fights found in other Field's work (the best
and the first was the infamous baby toss scene from
CRADLE OF HOPE, #04). Robert Field usually gets mixed
results when he edits slapstick and overt humor (e.g.
THE PRODIGAL #18, GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN #28, and A
SOLSTICE CAROL #33) but he more than makes up for it
with his uncanny grasp of drama and the poignant
moments. Who can forget the chariot chases in CHARIOTS
OF WAR (#2) and RETURN OF CALLISTO (#29)? Or the last
scene of MORTAL BELOVED (#16) where Xena returns from
Tartarus to Gabrielle? Or, also, the campfire scene in
CALLISTO (#22) where the depth of Xena and Gabrielle's
friendship is expressed where words could not. In THE
GREATER GOOD, the standout emotional scene is Gabrielle
whacking a tree with her staff after leaving the dead
Xena. The pacing, the placement, and the rhythm
captures the intensity of the first signs of the
berserker Gabrielle which we would meet later in THE
GREATER GOOD when she single-handedly attacks
Talmadeus' camp in the 4th act, and in another Robert
Field's edited episode, RETURN OF CALLISTO (#29).
   7. HAVEN'T I SEEN YOU BEFORE? David Mitchell played
the part of Gorney (he drops the barrel of seltzer
water in Act 1 and causes the cork to hit Salmoneus in
the head; he is also told to do the cork inventory
later on in the episode) in THE GREATER GOOD and the
Innkeeper in PROMETHEUS (#08). 
   8. TALMADEUS. Finally, a worthy opponent for Xena!
He's not wimpy like Cortese and not obsessed with her
like Draco. He had enough ego to actually believe he
was the cause of Xena's demise. As found out the next
week, the real cause was Callisto, Xena's worst
nightmare.
   9. GABRIELLE. The set up for Gabrielle's reaction to
Xena's death was subtly began in the teaser and
developed in Act 1 where Gabrielle eavesdropped on Xena
taking on Talmadeus. Gabrielle watched with glee until
she started to notice that Xena was not up to par.
Gabrielle eventually had to intervene by throwing her
staff at Talmadeus while he was about to puncture Xena.
Gabrielle also helped orchestrate the getaway. In the
subsequent scene Gabrielle commenced her heavy denial
that Xena was mortal. By the 2nd act, the writer was
laying it on pretty thick with the story of Gabrielle's
pony Tympany. 
    The climax was reached in the third act when
Gabrielle, fresh from Argo's rescue of her, returned to
tell Xena about her run-in with Talmadeus. Gabrielle
could tell by Salmoneus' reaction that something was
amiss. The next three minutes were played out in
silence. Gabrielle was allowed a moment with Xena.
Later, when alone, Gabrielle expressed her grief by
beating a tree with her staff. She then gave herself up
into an emotional heap, whispering to herself, "Xena
said to focus".
   10. GABRIELLE, WARRIOR PRINCESS. The dress-up scene
of the new warrior princess mimicked the opening titles
even down to the theme music. 
   11. FAKE CHAKRAM. This episode marked the first
appearance of a fake chakram. The next time a fake
chakram appeared was in  WARRIOR...PRINCESS...TRAMP.
When Gabrielle was forced to use the fake chakram, Xena
crawled over to use the real chakram which caused havoc
among the soldiers chasing the Xenized Gabrielle. The
scene used the goofy music theme first used during the
baby toss scene in CRADLE OF HOPE. 
   12. TITLE. In the middle of the second act a dying
Xena lectured Gabrielle about "the greater good". Xena
explained to Gabrielle that whatever happens to Xena is
meaningless; what is important were the well-being and
safety of the villagers, for they represented the
greater good that Xena was atoning towards. In the 3rd
act, after Gabrielle found out about Xena's death,
Gabrielle lectured to Salmoneus that they were staying
and fighting for "the greater good".
   13. XENA: TOUGH CHICK. Even when near death, Xena
can still beat the stuffing out of a couple of guys. 
Interestingly enough, the music used as she beats them
up while slowly passing out is the same music used in
THE GAUNTLET during Xena's walk though the gauntlet. By
the middle of the third act Xena is dead, but by the
end of the third act, Xena's twitching again! 
Salmoneus delivers the dead body of Xena to Talmadeus;
and, Gabrielle, in an early berserker mode, gangbusts
into the camp seeking the body of Xena so that she may
take Xena back to Xena's mother for a proper funeral.
And even Argo is there in order to tear apart Xena's
body. Everyone is on their block for Xena's
resurrection and the big ending fight scene which shows
that things are back to normal with Xena and Gabrielle
fighting side by side like GOD INTENDED THEM TO BE!!! 
   14. ARGO. Argo tolerates Gabrielle just barely
(mainly because Xena told her to "Be nice."). But when
push comes to shove, Argo delivers. This is truly
Gabrielle and Argo's episode. Their relationship is
fleshed out and explored. Argo even gets to rough up
Talmadeus during Argo's rescue of Gabrielle. Argo, of
course, saves the day when she convinces the other
horse not to pull the body of Xena apart. When
Talmadeus finally orders Argo to be killed, which was
apparently the last straw, Xena is resurrected
(reminiscent of the resurrection scene in THE GAUNTLET
when Xena arises after being left for dead after
walking the gauntlet).
   15. WHOOSH. The most memorable whoosh of the episode
is in the 4th act where Gabrielle is holding Talmadeus
at sword point and he tells her she doesn't even know
how to hold a sword. Gabrielle glances down to her
sword grip and it is accompanied by a sound effect
whoosh. 
   16. GREAT DART SHOT. The path that Callisto's dart
takes to get to its target is quite an extended shot. 
   17. TEASER. The teaser is rather complex. It brings
in the Lord Selzer storyline, introduces Callisto to
the unsuspecting audience, shows Xena's recognition of
the poison, and sets up Argo and Gabrielle's later
roles in the story. It is truly a dense teaser.
   HIGHLIGHTS: Every scene with Argo. Argo showed her
range in this one!
   DISCLAIMER: Excessive belching can cause brain
damage and social ostracism. Kids, please don't give in
to peer pressure. Play it Safe.


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Continued in part 4
