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Armageddon Now, Parts 1 & 2


Part 1
Written by Paul Robert Coyle
Directed by Mark Beesley

Part 2
Teleplay by Gene O'Neill & Noreen Tobin
Story by Paul Robert Coyle And Gene O'Neill & Noreen Tobin
Directed by Mark Beesley


Writers
Katrina
Kelly

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Katrina on Armageddon Now, Parts 1 & 2:

When she was bad, she was horrid. .

There was plenty of subtext Xenawise in this show.

1. Iolaus tries to convince Xena she's destined to be a hero.

She says, "Yeah, and I find my true love." (or something similar)

Yep. .she sure does. .but. .oh NO, she's bad Xena!!

2. When Bad Xena touches Gabrielle the spokeswoman (and wasn't Gab's hair nice. .I liked that look. .. .actually I liked both looks. .for once the headdress was cool!. .Liked the blending of costumy themes for the conquerer of the known world. .) She touches her face. .examines her teeth and asks, "are you guilty?" as if. .if Gab says she's not, she's gonna be Xena's next . uhm. ."dessert." Hah!

What's cool is to see how "in" character, my Xena of Warlord Daze is. . makes me feel better. .only the path she's taking is different. .

Because of Gabrielle.

Her saviors: Hercules (the pathmaker) and Gabrielle (true love). .what a combination. .hmm. .
Yeah. .I"m loving it. .

*I still can't believe the number of letters I got about being caught off guard by the Sovereign in WD. .I put out enough hints!!*

Armageddon 2.. .Two thumbs up.. .gotta at least watch for Xena and Gab, eh!. .

________

So I've been thinking some more. .don't know if I'll be able to articulate this, but. .
Armageddon 2. .

The scene:

I olaus looking out upon a field of crosses.

The cross = a key.

The keys to Xena's redemption.

The keys are out there, but they're not being used right? Naw. .more like Xena's searching (unconsciously) for the key. . .

Scene two:

Bit one: Hercules (the pathfinder, pathmaker) no longer in sight.
Bit two: Gabrielle (the lover, true love -- the key to Xena's redemption)
Bit three: Lao Ma (The changer, YinYang)

Xena has been influenced by Lao Ma (check out the costumes) but has taken the "wrong" path (check out the damage)

Gabrielle placed upon the cross (Xena has become that which she most hated)
Gabrielle's legs are broken (The key to Xena's salvation is broken) Xena has only the slightest sense she may be losing something ( In her mind it is pleasure) but because she's so far gone, she doesn't recognize her love or the path (to defend the poor, the wronged, to heal the people . . .which she could do as an empress, but she's too busy watching the game to see the truth. . .Too savage?) when she sees it.

This episode was wonderfully symbolic. . .wow. .

I thought the costuming was great. .for once the headdress made sense. .and that "bun" effect in back. .mmm yeah. .liked that. .

Herc (as a tv show and as pathfinder) is definitely bettered by Xena (His key to salvation was in her hands too. . .did you see? The chronos stone. . the key to time and change. . .Remember that other Soveriegn episode. .what if Xena had been GOOD in that world. . .She would have been *his* Pathfinder. Now that would be an alternate world that would be interesting to explore.)

(The champion, the changer. .she takes on Lao Ma's Role. . as someone pointed out on IRC, Xena *Is* Power. But to be good, or useful or what have you, she must be loved and directed power. I'd tell you what this means for WD, but that would spoil the story and I've already yammered about it on IRC. Plus I think you can figure it out if you've been reading. I'm much excited by this Storyline now. . .)

Xena is bettered by Herc

In X:WP "real" time, Xena's path is made clear by Herc's presence. He takes up where Lao Ma's Healing influence paused and starts her on the way. . .

Because Xena really is a "self" powered individual, all she needed was direction (Notice that Ares doesn't interfere with Xena in A2 because he doesn't have to. . .Xena is Power. Xena is a Goddess, she just hasn't received the acknowledgement of Divinity. . .yet. . hehehe. . .)

I could go on and on. .but you get my drift. .I hope. . .hehe

c. 1998 Katrina prosper4@ix.netcom.com
Katrina's Xena Fanfiction at: http://bearblue.simplenet.com/xenafic.html

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Kelly on Armageddon Now, Parts 1 & 2:

I haven't seen the actual episode either, but have read all the spoilers I've seen so far. From my understanding of a comment I read (please correct me if I've got this mixed up), the author felt that the Herc episode seems to point more towards the idea that X & G are together by chance (rather than fated for each other) because Xena orders Gab's crucifixion. Since I haven't seen the episode, I'm not sure if we're actually shown G dying in Armageddon 2. If we AREN'T shown that, it's possible that she could have survived (e.g. Xena orders her taken down from the cross at the last minute) and things progressed from there. But for now I'm going with the supposition that G dies in this alternate universe.

All this IMHO, of course.

This episode would seem to say that X & G aren't fated for each other, but ONLY if we assume that death is the absolute end of the road. And in ancient Greek mythology, it isn't -- there's the afterlife.

Just because G dies in this alternate universe doesn't mean that she and Xena aren't going to find one another and recognize each other as soulmates. A great instance of this I've seen in fan fic is Word Warrior's "Her Xena", where a long-dead Xena in an alternate universe comes back to life to save Lyceus and ends up with Gabrielle. It's very possible that G could come back to life (it wouldn't be the first), and would once again be Xena's redemption.

If G *doesn't* come to life in this universe, that still doesn't mean that she and Xena don't belong with each other. Being that in Greek mythology death is only a division between life on earth and the afterlife, this would only mean that it would take X & G longer to find one another. The time (say, 60, 70, 80 years) they might have had (had G not been crucified) to find one another on earth, when compared to the eternity they have in the afterlife, is almost inconsequential. It's very possible that Xena finds another path to redemption. Once she ends up in the Elysian Fields (where G would be), they'd be together again. With the way the Herc episode presented this whole thing, it'll just take X & G longer to discover each other as their true love, that's all.

On a different note, we also have to remember that this is a HERCULES episode. While both H:TLJ and X:WP have some of the same creative minds behind them, those working on H:TLJ still have the "Hercules formula" (as someone on the list once put it) in mind. This formula more or less stands on the ground that Herc is the hero above and beyond everyone else.

In Armageddon 2, I don't think that the writers would have had in mind the X/G dynamic. Instead, their focus would have likely been on portraying Herc's massive influence - that without him, the universe would be in utter chaos. We have a ruthless dictator (Xena) on the throne, who is so far beyond the redempted Xena we know that she would crucify an enemy that should have been her best friend. Not only that, but G's crucifixion and inability (at this point) to turn Xena towards the side of good adds to that formula in giving us the impression that HERC is the one who can (and has, in the real universe) fix everything, and without him, everyone's pretty much lost. Just another thing to consider.

c. 1998 Kelly
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