ALTERNATIVE TITLE:
“The Poltergeist/Exorcist Episode”
THOA feels like a classic Xena episode, like those from Season 1 or 2. It was a horrific sendoff for Cyrene. You can’t say Xena writers are soft. And can we talk about Xena showing Gabrielle how to do the pinch on her and what hardcore subtext that is? Of course it was my favorite part.
Is it just me or are others as annoyed as I am that Eve is suddenly the messiah. I mean, I like the twist on the christian tale of Eve, but come on, man. Eve killed so many people in cold blood. She’s not like Gabrielle. She’s like Xena.
Some extra LOVEDs:
- How happy our trio looks as the angels watch them ride into Amphipolis.
- It isn't pronounced, but Gabrielle is bleeding in the shower from stigmata.
- Xena hogtying a naked Gabrielle.
- Cyrene killed her husband.
- Xena bleeding in real life and in hell.
- Gabrielle undoing the pinch and holding Xena.
- Xena watching herself and how intense it is. I love the mutual acknowledgement between them, as if to say, "You *know*."
This ep is clearly a nod to horror movies, but particularly to Poltergeist (1982) and The Exorcist (1973). In October, I watched a horror movie every single day of the month, and Poltergeist was one of them. I frickin love that movie, and it still holds up, it's so beautiful. I was too wussy to watch The Exorcist, but it is on the menu for next October.
There are several movies referenced here, even The Matrix, but I am not "on top of it" enough to know them all. Here are a few I noticed:
- 8:31 Gabrielle eating bugged fruit is directly from Poltergeist (1982).
- 9:35 This, too, is Poltergeisterian and actually happened sequentially the way it did in Poltergeist: Gabrielle eats bug-riddled food, runs to the bathroom, throws water on her face, then peels the flesh off her hands to the bone. In Poltergeist, of course, the victim famously peeled his face off.
- The hands pulling Gabrielle into the ground is typical horror movie fare, most popularly noted in Carrie (1976).
- Gabrielle struggling in the water with skeletons is like Poltergeist again.
- Eve’s Eli shit is obviously from The Exorcist (1973).
- Gabrielle possessed, looking gross, talking weird, saying vile things, and spinning her head is also clearly The Exorcist, as is Eve shouting god commandments to get that devil out!
- Xena talking to Eve about the choice being hers and the moments before they walk outside to spill Eve’s blood are very, “Now let’s go get your daughter,” from Poltergeist.
- The blood dripping up from the ground...is that Hellraiser?? It's something...
- Xena's bleeding and dying in real life leaking over to her health in the spiritual realm with Mephistopheles is, I think, a hat-tip to The Matrix (1999). Especially knowing that Mephistopheles is played by Anthony Ray Parker who played Dozer in The Matrix. (And yes, The Matrix came out in 1999 before this episode, which aired in October 2000).
I recently watched The Matrix and reflected upon Dozer, as I often do when watching it. He barely spoke, but I was so invested in his character. One of the rare times I was mad that a character I barely knew died in a movie.
SPOILERS: My reviews are full of them! I'll try to note when I'm about to spoil the series by posting [SERIES SPOILER] before said item and [END SPOILER] after. Please don't read the review, unless you've seen the episode under discussion or don't care if I spoil it.
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1) Eve: "Grandmother?" X: "Did you see her, Eve? Eve!" Eve: "I felt her. I could feel her spirit. She's dead, Mother." G: "Eve you've never seen Cyrene, before. How do you know it's her?" Eve: "I could feel her. I could feel her spirit. I know it was her!" X: "I believe you, Eve. I saw her, too." – I like Xena admitting she saw a ghost. And that Gabrielle is a little doubtful, until Xena says she saw her, too. I just love that this is a ghost episode.
2) X: "If my mother's not at peace, I'm going to find out why." G: Xena, where are you going?" X: "The mausoleum." G: "Do you want us to come with you?" X: "Thanks, but I feel I need to do this alone." – "Thanks, but you just stay here and roast inside this house I just said was haunted."
3) Eve: "In the name of Eli!!” – FUCK OFF NOW PLEASE.
4) Beggar: "Please! I didn't mean to spy. I come in here when there's a storm." X: "What happened to my mother?" – Love how Xena says this, love that she gets right to the point no matter whom she's addressing.
5) Beggar: "Over the years she she went mad." X: "Why are her bones charred black?" – One day I hope someone asks the same about me.
6) Beggar: "Cyrene was a good person. She was always kind to me, even near the end. Those evil spirits, they were never in her. They were in the house, and they're in there still." – I *like* this dialogue and this actor. These words touched my heart and chilled my bones.
7) Mephistopheles: "You will live all the horrors of Hell, until the blood of the messenger is spilled!" – I said, after losing Words with Friends.
8) Eve: "In the name of Eli and all the powers of Heaven, I command this evil presence to be cast out!" – Every time Eve said this was with much difficulty. It was like driving through a succession of traffic lights that keep turning red.
9) X: "Gabrielle, Mephistopheles has my mother. I've gotta find a way to release her soul, but cleansed or not, I want you out of here." G: "Where do you want me to go?" – Love this line and the way Gabrielle says it.
10) X: "I'm gonna put the pinch on myself." G: "No." X: "Yes." G: "No!" X: "I should be dead just long enough to meet Mephistopheles there. Then I need you to release the pinch and bring me back." G: "Xena, I can't. I don't know how." X: "Yes, you can. I'll show you." [Xena and Gabrielle kneel down. Xena sheaths her sword and touches her neck.] X: "Here." [Xena takes Gabrielle's fingers and presses them to her neck.] G: "Right there?" X: "No, that will stop my heart. There." G: "I can't believe you're showing me this now." X: "We don't have any choice." G: "Xena, if I can't do this, that means that you're down there forever." X: "You can do it. I believe in you. Bring me back, Gabrielle." G: "OK." – I find it incredibly sexy that Xena said she was going to put the pinch on herself, but she actually presses her hand down on Gabrielle’s fingers so that technically Gabrielle puts the pinch on her. This is very sexual, the whole conversation is. a) "I don't know how," is a common thing lesbians have said in bed with each other at least once in their lives. b) And, like, covering your lover’s hand with your own when they’re getting you off? Always sexy. c) "Death" is a metaphorical word in bed, but it is literally what Gabrielle made happen to Xena. I also love when Gabrielle says, "I can’t believe you’re showing me this now." Really wish they’d saved this conversation for a better episode, but I loved it nonetheless.
11) Mephistopheles: "I thought you were the godkiller, Xena. How were the mighty Olympians so easily taken?!" X: "I'm just a little distracted by your good looks." – Here's another wondrous warrior princess nicking the godkiller from Themyscira.
12) Eve: "I'm not you. I'm not Livia!" Livia: "Really. Then why do you get a tingle when I do this?" – Nice choice of words. Seriously, I like that.
13) G: "Xena you cannot spill your daughter's blood." X: "It's better than the beating she was taking in there." G: "You will bring Hell onto Earth. After all the evil we've seen, you want to unleash that onto the world?" X: "My mother's soul is trapped, my daughter is half dead, and the portal to Hell opened up in my backyard. I am going to face Mephistopheles, Gabrielle. It is the only way." – Where is this from? It's a reference to a movie, that Google says is The Gate (1987), a film of horror I've never seen. Xena kinda stumbles over this line, too.
14) G: "You cannot kill every demon from Hell!" X: "I only need to kill one.” – Such a great Xena line; she's forever the gamer.
I can't believe I coincidentally listened to this song the day I watched this ep, but I did. It's a cover of The Horrors by We Have Band, called "Still Life:"
