Xena and Gabrielle return to where Xena's son, Solan, lives with the centaurs. He's still hopeless, but Xena/Gabrielle humour him. The new actor playing Kaleipus the centaur is definitely an improvement over who came before, bringing dignity to the character. Elsewhere, a girl-who's-totally-Hope is playing with her ball that she 'accidentally' drops down into the lava pit where Callisto was trapped with Velasca, thereby 'unintentionally' freeing the former...but not the latter (apparently Velasca was originally intended to return, but Melinda Clarke wasn't available, so things got rewritten. Just as well, as I think her inclusion would've made the episode cluttered). Callisto appears in spectacular fashion, goddess that she is, and the girl-who's-totally-Hope's eyes roll back in her head as she seemingly faints (twice).
After Ephiny's lame 'surprise' for Gabrielle (it's just Ephiny, her centaur son and Solan), she senses Gabrielle's troubled and sends the kids outside to play, but not before taking her son's pretty awesome-looking wooden wolf named Lucas from him so he doesn't lose it (smart!). Gabrielle mentions the wooden lamb she gave her own child...which, oh btw, she had and then 'lost', but doesn't elaborate. Meanwhile, Callisto thinks the peace totems for the treaty that's going on with the centaurs are 'pathetic', roasts them, then does the same to some sentries after giving them a deliciously evil look/grin. After her talk with Ephiny, Gabrielle's smart enough to realise the-girl-who's-totally-Hope is hiding in the room...but *not* smart enough to keep her defenses up and immediately buys into this intruder's 'innocent' act, as she says a 'monster-lady' gave her a message for Xena (who's WAY ahead of everyone else, knowing Callisto's behind the dead sentries).
The girl-who's-totally-Hope delivers Callisto's message to Xena (which is basically that Callisto knows about/is going to off Xena's son). Xena plans to hide Solan in some caves, Gabrielle wants to send the totally suspicious child messenger there too...but she's disappeared. Cut to her reporting back to Callisto (who's pretty funny with how intense/rough she gets brushing the kid's hair whilst relishing the pain she plans to cause Xena by offing her son). It's soon revealed the girl is Hope (*GASP*), as she flings the brush away using her powers, going on about her father, Dahak. Solan claims he's not a baby...yet acts like one, as those who care about him want him safe in the caves. Gabrielle's bumps into Hope again, causing her to 'accidentally' drop her wooden lamb, FINALLY clueing Gabrielle in on who she really is...though, of course, doesn't bother to TELL anyone. Keeping secrets never ends well, Gabrielle.
Xena's leading someone-in-a-cloak-who's-totally-not-Solan through the woods when she smells burning, Callisto appears/flirts with Xena, making various fire-related puns/remarks and there's this morbidly amusing dialogue from her where she sounds flippant about her own murdered family, saying Xena 'barbequed' them, then she's all "Now it's MY turn to host the cookout!" and Solan's 'the guest of honour'. Hudson Leick's delivery is great. Once she discovers it *isn't* Solan in the cloak, Callisto's disappointed reaction/Hudson's delivery of "...Gabrielle." is hilarious. She then gives away that she isn't working alone. Speaking of, Hope's currently offing poor Kaleipus in the caves (it's a testament to the actor's performance that I actually *care* about his character dying after spending so little time with him, though he's annoyingly vague with his dying description of his killer to Xena). The kid playing Hope is decent. The one playing Solan? Not so much. Though he gets a good scene with Xena (Lucy Lawless does all the heavy-lifting in their scenes together), talking about how everyone he cares for dies. She still doesn't inform him she's his mum, but nevertheless he wants to travel with her and Gabrielle, which she eventually agrees to (thus spelling his doom).
Hope's in the caves, weakened after using her powers to kill the 'half-a$$ed old man' (which explains her earlier 'fainting'), and Callisto wants to kill Solan herself, but Hope threatens to take away all she promised her if she does...so then Callisto amusingly plops down beside Hope, doing these funny shifting-in-place movements whilst sitting, and Hope says their target is the children. When Hope next talks to Gabrielle, she plays her mum like a fiddle and this ends with Gabrielle foolishly sending her to 'the safest place there is'...which ain't so safe for Solan, who probably thought he'd found himself a girlfriend (that's until she looks at him murderously). Gabrielle informs the others of Callisto's kill-the-children plan, Xena's suspicious and they get into an argument that results in Gabrielle revealing Hope's still alive. LL does some excellent acting here after the reveal of Hope/learning that Gabrielle sent her to where Solan was. She finds him quite dead, yells at Gabrielle to get out, then screams.
Hudson Leick gives a nuanced performance as Callisto soaks up Xena's grief...but her reaction changes and it's clear that she's NOT fulfilled like she'd hoped. Even though earlier Solan's name was mentioned in front of Hope SEVERAL times, her slipping up that she knows it is apparently enough evidence to motivate Gabrielle to FINALLY do what she should've done to begin with: ie. Off the demon-spawn (with poison she tips into a wineskin). Callisto now seems so over everything, not even mustering up much reaction to Xena shooting her with an arrow/icy glare. Others join in, Callisto becomes a pincushion, but then she screams and her eyes/face light up, shooting the arrows out of her back at the archers. She follows Ephiny and the children into the caves, then gives a great speech to Xena about how nothing's changed even after getting her vengeance against her. She hardly even puts up a fight as Xena releases all her rage, tricking Callisto into blasting lightning everywhere and collapsing the cave onto herself, trapping her as Xena backflips/flies out. She sees Hope's covered body (though did she see Gabrielle consider drinking the poison/offing herself too?). Both mothers watch their kids burn on funeral pyres. LL and ROC totally sell their characters' grief/rift.
After Ephiny's lame 'surprise' for Gabrielle (it's just Ephiny, her centaur son and Solan), she senses Gabrielle's troubled and sends the kids outside to play, but not before taking her son's pretty awesome-looking wooden wolf named Lucas from him so he doesn't lose it (smart!). Gabrielle mentions the wooden lamb she gave her own child...which, oh btw, she had and then 'lost', but doesn't elaborate. Meanwhile, Callisto thinks the peace totems for the treaty that's going on with the centaurs are 'pathetic', roasts them, then does the same to some sentries after giving them a deliciously evil look/grin. After her talk with Ephiny, Gabrielle's smart enough to realise the-girl-who's-totally-Hope is hiding in the room...but *not* smart enough to keep her defenses up and immediately buys into this intruder's 'innocent' act, as she says a 'monster-lady' gave her a message for Xena (who's WAY ahead of everyone else, knowing Callisto's behind the dead sentries).
The girl-who's-totally-Hope delivers Callisto's message to Xena (which is basically that Callisto knows about/is going to off Xena's son). Xena plans to hide Solan in some caves, Gabrielle wants to send the totally suspicious child messenger there too...but she's disappeared. Cut to her reporting back to Callisto (who's pretty funny with how intense/rough she gets brushing the kid's hair whilst relishing the pain she plans to cause Xena by offing her son). It's soon revealed the girl is Hope (*GASP*), as she flings the brush away using her powers, going on about her father, Dahak. Solan claims he's not a baby...yet acts like one, as those who care about him want him safe in the caves. Gabrielle's bumps into Hope again, causing her to 'accidentally' drop her wooden lamb, FINALLY clueing Gabrielle in on who she really is...though, of course, doesn't bother to TELL anyone. Keeping secrets never ends well, Gabrielle.
Xena's leading someone-in-a-cloak-who's-totally-not-Solan through the woods when she smells burning, Callisto appears/flirts with Xena, making various fire-related puns/remarks and there's this morbidly amusing dialogue from her where she sounds flippant about her own murdered family, saying Xena 'barbequed' them, then she's all "Now it's MY turn to host the cookout!" and Solan's 'the guest of honour'. Hudson Leick's delivery is great. Once she discovers it *isn't* Solan in the cloak, Callisto's disappointed reaction/Hudson's delivery of "...Gabrielle." is hilarious. She then gives away that she isn't working alone. Speaking of, Hope's currently offing poor Kaleipus in the caves (it's a testament to the actor's performance that I actually *care* about his character dying after spending so little time with him, though he's annoyingly vague with his dying description of his killer to Xena). The kid playing Hope is decent. The one playing Solan? Not so much. Though he gets a good scene with Xena (Lucy Lawless does all the heavy-lifting in their scenes together), talking about how everyone he cares for dies. She still doesn't inform him she's his mum, but nevertheless he wants to travel with her and Gabrielle, which she eventually agrees to (thus spelling his doom).
Hope's in the caves, weakened after using her powers to kill the 'half-a$$ed old man' (which explains her earlier 'fainting'), and Callisto wants to kill Solan herself, but Hope threatens to take away all she promised her if she does...so then Callisto amusingly plops down beside Hope, doing these funny shifting-in-place movements whilst sitting, and Hope says their target is the children. When Hope next talks to Gabrielle, she plays her mum like a fiddle and this ends with Gabrielle foolishly sending her to 'the safest place there is'...which ain't so safe for Solan, who probably thought he'd found himself a girlfriend (that's until she looks at him murderously). Gabrielle informs the others of Callisto's kill-the-children plan, Xena's suspicious and they get into an argument that results in Gabrielle revealing Hope's still alive. LL does some excellent acting here after the reveal of Hope/learning that Gabrielle sent her to where Solan was. She finds him quite dead, yells at Gabrielle to get out, then screams.
Hudson Leick gives a nuanced performance as Callisto soaks up Xena's grief...but her reaction changes and it's clear that she's NOT fulfilled like she'd hoped. Even though earlier Solan's name was mentioned in front of Hope SEVERAL times, her slipping up that she knows it is apparently enough evidence to motivate Gabrielle to FINALLY do what she should've done to begin with: ie. Off the demon-spawn (with poison she tips into a wineskin). Callisto now seems so over everything, not even mustering up much reaction to Xena shooting her with an arrow/icy glare. Others join in, Callisto becomes a pincushion, but then she screams and her eyes/face light up, shooting the arrows out of her back at the archers. She follows Ephiny and the children into the caves, then gives a great speech to Xena about how nothing's changed even after getting her vengeance against her. She hardly even puts up a fight as Xena releases all her rage, tricking Callisto into blasting lightning everywhere and collapsing the cave onto herself, trapping her as Xena backflips/flies out. She sees Hope's covered body (though did she see Gabrielle consider drinking the poison/offing herself too?). Both mothers watch their kids burn on funeral pyres. LL and ROC totally sell their characters' grief/rift.
