Episode 45, season 2 #21 "The Lost Mariner".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecrops_I
Okay, after the marathon review of the last ep... lets try to make this one shorter.
First... I thought Gabrielle "seasick" was brilliant the first time around in "Ulysses"... but Gabrielle with numb tastebuds beats it HANDS DOWN!
Xena: “Athena wouldn’t have given him immortality if there wasn’t an answer. Any way, we’ve got a lot of time to figure it out.”
Gabrielle: “Hah-hah. No, we don’t! Because I will not live through a lifetime of this!”
Xena: “Here-- see that small bump?”
Gabrielle: “Mm-hmm. Ouch! My seasickness!”
Xena: “Every time you feel your stomach getting queasy, jab your wrist like I showed ya.”
Gabrielle: [Screams and starts jabbing the wrist repeatedly as a crewman brings her raw fish to eat.]
Altrech: “I brought you some squid.”
One of the striking things about this ep, was how long TPTB kept the two main characters apart. We heard them but never saw them together in the teaser, as the ship they were sailing on was driven upon the rocks and sank.
Gabs is rescued by Cecrops during the teaser, the mariner cursed for the last 300 years to never set foot upon land again. She quickly learns she's not condemned to be on board for eternity too... just until she dies. Xena, however, doesn't show up on board until the beginning of act 2.
There are some great scenes where she's warning Cecrops how she and boats don't mix. (Makes one wonder why she got onboard the merchant ship in the first place, doesn't it?) And again in bonding over appreciation of beauty.
Even better, are the scenes where she's trying to get Cecrops to let her off at shore (before she realized who he is) and where Cecrops pronounces Xena the lucky one, for NOT ending up on his ship even IF she drowned.
What I like about those initial scenes on board, is Gabrielle's utter faith that Xena survived the sinking of their vessel, and that she would rescue her from Cecrops' curse.
(In Cecrops's cabin)
Cecrops: “Poseidon’s curse was that I could never return to land until 'love redeems me'.”
Gabrielle: “But, that was so long ago.”
Cecrops: “300 years ago. Athena decided to give me immortality. I can’t die, and I can’t return to land. It’s a toss-up between who I hate more-- Poseidon or Athena.”
Gabrielle: “But Athena gave you hope. Don’t you see that? She knew how powerful love was, she gave you enough time to defeat the curse-- until love redeems you. That has to be the key.”
Cecrops: “Oh, please. Who’s going to love me? I mean, I’m hardly the catch of the day-- tall, dark, and-- cursed for eternity. Yeah-- quite a draw. With the exception of you, there hasn’t been a woman onboard this ship for-- 200 years-- and she had an attitude because I sank her ship.”
Altrech: “You got something out here you gotta see.” (He bows Gabrielle's way out of the cabin.)
Gabrielle: “Thank you.”
---
Hidsim: (On the deck of Cecrops' ship, he notices a crew member getting too friendly with Gabrielle, and warns him off) “Altrech! (Then points out the entertainment going on the beach) Over there.”
[Sees Xena flipping and fighting the pirates on the beach.]
Gabrielle: “Xena. Xena! I’m here!”
---
Basculis the pirate: (Chasing Xena on shore) “Come on!”
---
Cecrops: “Think about what you’re doing, girl. If you care about your friend, you don’t want her aboard my ship.”
---
Xena: (On shore, racing after the ship of Cecrops) “Gabrielle!”
An interesting epsiode, when you remember the one that came before. In "The Price" they were "together" in one place for the entire ep, and yet never so separated as they were when at odds over Xena's transformation over the "Horde".
Interesting, when you realize, at the end of "The Price"... Xena still hasn't told Gabrielle she is loved, but has told Gabrielle what she does love...
Xena: ...You understand hatred, but you have never given into it. You don’t know how much I love... that.
Again, I have come to embrace the highly improbable things Xena does, whether its catching a battle axe with her whip, and flicking it back into the chest of its owner (THe Price) or using her Chakram to cut the rope holding up Cecrops' sail, or whether its leaping from a (springboard")branch of a very tall tree to flip end over end until she lands against the rigging of Cecrops' ship.
Gabrielle is such a fan girl, laughing along with me as we watch this amazing feat of derring do!
Loved it when she swung on the rope to capture her chakram embedded in the mast, and then landed on the deck next to Gabrielle. Although Gabrielle is no longer frightened of Cecrops, and can only think of hugging her rescuer, Xena is trying desperately to keep her eyes on the tall brooding man who has cursed them both.
Xena: “Hah! Got’cha.”(Pulls chakram from the mast and drops to deck)
Men: [Cheer]
Gabrielle: “Xena-- oh Xena.”
Cecrops: “Are you out of your mind?!”
Xena: “Gabrielle, are you all right?”
Gabrielle: “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m...seasick. I’m cursed. Actually, I’m really seasick.”
Cecrops: “Excuse me. Do you know who I am?”
Xena: (Of COURSE she does!) “You’re Cecrops. I wasn’t gonna let you take off with my best friend.”
(A much LESS serious version... )
And in case no-one has said it in at least two episodes... Xena has MANY skills. Being able to decipher curses about love and the Olympian Gods just happens to be one of them.
Xena: “Seems to me like you’ve given everything to Poseidon-- including hope. When did you give that up?”
Cecrops: “Oh-- we have a Warrior Philosopher on board-- a regular Sinteres. It was three days before the summer solstice-- 27 years after Poseidon had cursed me. That’s when I gave up hope. That’s when.”
Xena: “What was her name?”
Cecrops: “Terai. I loved her as no man has ever loved a woman. Whenever she looked at me, her face lit up with the faith that she had in me. She had hair the color of the midnight sun-- skin as soft as silk-- and eyes so green and deep, you could fall into them. And I did.”
Xena: “I’m sorry.”
Cecrops: “I was on my way to see Terai when-- Poseidon arose from the waters. He cursed me at that moment. Terai was watching from the shores. Then Poseidon created Charybdis, the mighty whirlpool, as a reminder. For many years, I stayed in the area, sailing the coastline. And every evening-- Terai would come to the cliffs, and we would-- look at each other. Even as she grew older-- she grew more beautiful. And then, one evening-- she didn’t come and-- and I knew-- I knew I would never see her again.”
Xena: “Turn east. Let’s go back to Terai’s village.”
Cecrops: “That was 300 years ago. Terai is dead-- dead. The village couldn’t exist with Charybdis just outside the shore. It’s gone-- all gone.”
Xena: “The whirlpool is still there. Poseidon created it. It might just be part of the answer. Athena knew what she was doing. You just have to have faith.”
Cecrops: “Faith?! Faith has killed more people than war!”
Xena: “You said that Terai had faith in you. So either you were lying to her then, or you’re lying to yourself now.
Poseidon, who makes such a big splash in the credits every week, appears for the second time in this season/series.
Xena: “What do you want, Poseidon?! Haven’t you done your damage here, already?!”
Poseidon: “Xena! This is between Cecrops and me!”
Gabrielle: “Excuse me! But we don’t have a choice!”
Cecrops: “You made the rules, Poseidon!”
Poseidon: “Very well. Xena, I grant you safe passsage from the ship of Cecrops. Go.”
Xena: “Not without Gabrielle.”
Poseidon: “Take her. Love can’t redeem Cecrops. He doesn’t even know where to look.”
Xena: (Xena looks suspiciously at Cecrops before making a fateful decision.) “Thanks for the offer, Poseidon, but, we like the smell of the ocean!”
Cecrops: “Don’t be a fool!”
Man’s Voice: “Is she crazy?”
Xena: “I think we’ll stay on a little while longer!”
Poseidon: “You won’t get a second chance! (Sinister God laughter)
I guess when the original show aired, there was a slight controversy that Xena turned down Posiedon's offer without consulting Gabrielle first.
Well, I don't think their relationship suffered because of it.
First, she was no longer seasick.
Second, Xena was the one who jumped aboard the cursed ship, and she should be the one to decide when she jumps off.
Third, Gabrielle's moral compass would not have allowed her to desert those men if Xena thought she could do something to save them.
Hidsim: “Warrior Princess? The men...They... they talked about you. We... we wonder if you’re gonna defeat Poseidon’s curse again.”
Xena: “Well, that’s the plan. (To Gabrielle) How’re you doing?”
Gabrielle: “Good. This sailor stuff is kind of fun once you know about this, (Tapping the pressure point in her wrist) huh?”
Xena: “Let’s hope it doesn’t get any worse. Poseidon obviously doesn’t want us reaching Charybdis.”
Gabrielle: “That means you were right. The key must be there, and he doesn’t want you to figure it out.”
Xena: “And if I’m wrong?”
Gabrielle: “If you’re wrong? Xena, I have to spend the rest of my life dodging-- Altrech! A 60 year old adolescent, who hasn’t had a girlfriend since his voice was an octave higher.
One of the things I really like about this ep, is how many of the things in it have their corollary in Xena and Gabrielle's own story. Our Warrior Pyschoanalyst can see these patterns in Cecrops' life, and she draws certain "spot on" conclusions.
Cecrops: “You don’t think-- that I would end this curse in a second, if I could.”
Xena: “No-- because it’s gone on too long. Thousands of people have been cursed along with you. And you feel the guilt of dooming all those people.”
Cecrops: “Shouldn’t I? For the first hundred years, it was merchant vessels-- innocents. These people spent the rest of their lives, on this ship because of me! So I switched to pirates. No innocents there-- like the people I have on this ship, now-- all pirates!”
Xena: “And all become your friends. This isn’t a curse to you-- it’s justice. You’ve begun to believe that you deserve it!”
Cecrops: “How in the name of Zeus, did you ever come up with such a lame theory?”
Xena: “By watching you. I’ve known many types of fear in my life, Cecrops. But the fear of your own guilt is distinctive.”
Cecrops: “What do you know of fear?! Do you fear death?! Do you fear injury?! Do you fear losing your friend out there? Well, I fear life, because every day of life means another day someone can lose their freedom to me!”
Xena: “Then break the cycle, Cecrops. You didn’t start this Poseidon did...but you can end it!”
Cecrops: “How? Were you planning on falling in love with me? I mean-- that is the answer, isn’t it?” Wait! You and Gabrielle had your shot at freedom. Why did you stay?”
Xena: “Because I’m not leaving this ship without everyone else.”
Cecrops: “Oh, right-- it’s as simple as that, ay?”
Xena: “Yeah, it’s as simple as that.”
And here Xena is being totally honest. The Warrior Princess will do anything, right any wrong, in an attempt to atone for all the evil she's done in the past.
With Lao Ma's and Hercules' and ultimately Gabrielle's help, SHE broke the cycle for herself. Now she reaches out to another lost soul, and is trying to bring him home.
The ship is on the edge of the whirlpool, Xena is in the crow's nest trying to guide the pilot away from the deathpool. Poseidon thinks he's bribed Cecrops to give him Xena.
Xena: “My sword!” (Sword drops, and Xena gets entangled in the lines to the sail.)
Poseidon: “Now, Cecrops! Give me the Warrior Princess! Cut the rope! Do it! And you’ll go free!”
Cecrops: “Xena! No, Poseidon! Love redeems me! I finally figured it out, you bastard!”
Poseidon: [Yells]
Xena: [Laughs, then war yell as she jumps from the crows nest to land on the violently pitching deck]
Cecrops: “ It isn’t that-- someone loves me! It’s my love for others! The love you had for Gabrielle, Xena! When you risked your life for her! The love Hidsim had for me, when he died! You’re right! It really is... just that simple! Thank you! Thank you!” (He leaps from the ship into the whirlpool)
Xena: “Cecrops! No!”
Cecrops: [Screams]
Gabrielle: “Cecrops!”
Well, its the end of episode 45, and although Xena STILL hasn't "told" Gabrielle she loves her, its pretty darned obvious to the cursed man who never realized until Xena pointed it out how much he loved the men in his crew.
(FIN content)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecrops_I
Okay, after the marathon review of the last ep... lets try to make this one shorter.
First... I thought Gabrielle "seasick" was brilliant the first time around in "Ulysses"... but Gabrielle with numb tastebuds beats it HANDS DOWN!
Xena: “Athena wouldn’t have given him immortality if there wasn’t an answer. Any way, we’ve got a lot of time to figure it out.”
Gabrielle: “Hah-hah. No, we don’t! Because I will not live through a lifetime of this!”
Xena: “Here-- see that small bump?”
Gabrielle: “Mm-hmm. Ouch! My seasickness!”
Xena: “Every time you feel your stomach getting queasy, jab your wrist like I showed ya.”
Gabrielle: [Screams and starts jabbing the wrist repeatedly as a crewman brings her raw fish to eat.]
Altrech: “I brought you some squid.”
One of the striking things about this ep, was how long TPTB kept the two main characters apart. We heard them but never saw them together in the teaser, as the ship they were sailing on was driven upon the rocks and sank.
Gabs is rescued by Cecrops during the teaser, the mariner cursed for the last 300 years to never set foot upon land again. She quickly learns she's not condemned to be on board for eternity too... just until she dies. Xena, however, doesn't show up on board until the beginning of act 2.
There are some great scenes where she's warning Cecrops how she and boats don't mix. (Makes one wonder why she got onboard the merchant ship in the first place, doesn't it?) And again in bonding over appreciation of beauty.
Even better, are the scenes where she's trying to get Cecrops to let her off at shore (before she realized who he is) and where Cecrops pronounces Xena the lucky one, for NOT ending up on his ship even IF she drowned.
What I like about those initial scenes on board, is Gabrielle's utter faith that Xena survived the sinking of their vessel, and that she would rescue her from Cecrops' curse.
(In Cecrops's cabin)
Cecrops: “Poseidon’s curse was that I could never return to land until 'love redeems me'.”
Gabrielle: “But, that was so long ago.”
Cecrops: “300 years ago. Athena decided to give me immortality. I can’t die, and I can’t return to land. It’s a toss-up between who I hate more-- Poseidon or Athena.”
Gabrielle: “But Athena gave you hope. Don’t you see that? She knew how powerful love was, she gave you enough time to defeat the curse-- until love redeems you. That has to be the key.”
Cecrops: “Oh, please. Who’s going to love me? I mean, I’m hardly the catch of the day-- tall, dark, and-- cursed for eternity. Yeah-- quite a draw. With the exception of you, there hasn’t been a woman onboard this ship for-- 200 years-- and she had an attitude because I sank her ship.”
Altrech: “You got something out here you gotta see.” (He bows Gabrielle's way out of the cabin.)
Gabrielle: “Thank you.”
---
Hidsim: (On the deck of Cecrops' ship, he notices a crew member getting too friendly with Gabrielle, and warns him off) “Altrech! (Then points out the entertainment going on the beach) Over there.”
[Sees Xena flipping and fighting the pirates on the beach.]
Gabrielle: “Xena. Xena! I’m here!”
---
Basculis the pirate: (Chasing Xena on shore) “Come on!”
---
Cecrops: “Think about what you’re doing, girl. If you care about your friend, you don’t want her aboard my ship.”
---
Xena: (On shore, racing after the ship of Cecrops) “Gabrielle!”
An interesting epsiode, when you remember the one that came before. In "The Price" they were "together" in one place for the entire ep, and yet never so separated as they were when at odds over Xena's transformation over the "Horde".
Interesting, when you realize, at the end of "The Price"... Xena still hasn't told Gabrielle she is loved, but has told Gabrielle what she does love...
Xena: ...You understand hatred, but you have never given into it. You don’t know how much I love... that.
Again, I have come to embrace the highly improbable things Xena does, whether its catching a battle axe with her whip, and flicking it back into the chest of its owner (THe Price) or using her Chakram to cut the rope holding up Cecrops' sail, or whether its leaping from a (springboard")branch of a very tall tree to flip end over end until she lands against the rigging of Cecrops' ship.
Gabrielle is such a fan girl, laughing along with me as we watch this amazing feat of derring do!
Loved it when she swung on the rope to capture her chakram embedded in the mast, and then landed on the deck next to Gabrielle. Although Gabrielle is no longer frightened of Cecrops, and can only think of hugging her rescuer, Xena is trying desperately to keep her eyes on the tall brooding man who has cursed them both.
Xena: “Hah! Got’cha.”(Pulls chakram from the mast and drops to deck)
Men: [Cheer]
Gabrielle: “Xena-- oh Xena.”
Cecrops: “Are you out of your mind?!”
Xena: “Gabrielle, are you all right?”
Gabrielle: “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m...seasick. I’m cursed. Actually, I’m really seasick.”
Cecrops: “Excuse me. Do you know who I am?”
Xena: (Of COURSE she does!) “You’re Cecrops. I wasn’t gonna let you take off with my best friend.”
(A much LESS serious version... )
And in case no-one has said it in at least two episodes... Xena has MANY skills. Being able to decipher curses about love and the Olympian Gods just happens to be one of them.
Xena: “Seems to me like you’ve given everything to Poseidon-- including hope. When did you give that up?”
Cecrops: “Oh-- we have a Warrior Philosopher on board-- a regular Sinteres. It was three days before the summer solstice-- 27 years after Poseidon had cursed me. That’s when I gave up hope. That’s when.”
Xena: “What was her name?”
Cecrops: “Terai. I loved her as no man has ever loved a woman. Whenever she looked at me, her face lit up with the faith that she had in me. She had hair the color of the midnight sun-- skin as soft as silk-- and eyes so green and deep, you could fall into them. And I did.”
Xena: “I’m sorry.”
Cecrops: “I was on my way to see Terai when-- Poseidon arose from the waters. He cursed me at that moment. Terai was watching from the shores. Then Poseidon created Charybdis, the mighty whirlpool, as a reminder. For many years, I stayed in the area, sailing the coastline. And every evening-- Terai would come to the cliffs, and we would-- look at each other. Even as she grew older-- she grew more beautiful. And then, one evening-- she didn’t come and-- and I knew-- I knew I would never see her again.”
Xena: “Turn east. Let’s go back to Terai’s village.”
Cecrops: “That was 300 years ago. Terai is dead-- dead. The village couldn’t exist with Charybdis just outside the shore. It’s gone-- all gone.”
Xena: “The whirlpool is still there. Poseidon created it. It might just be part of the answer. Athena knew what she was doing. You just have to have faith.”
Cecrops: “Faith?! Faith has killed more people than war!”
Xena: “You said that Terai had faith in you. So either you were lying to her then, or you’re lying to yourself now.
Poseidon, who makes such a big splash in the credits every week, appears for the second time in this season/series.
Xena: “What do you want, Poseidon?! Haven’t you done your damage here, already?!”
Poseidon: “Xena! This is between Cecrops and me!”
Gabrielle: “Excuse me! But we don’t have a choice!”
Cecrops: “You made the rules, Poseidon!”
Poseidon: “Very well. Xena, I grant you safe passsage from the ship of Cecrops. Go.”
Xena: “Not without Gabrielle.”
Poseidon: “Take her. Love can’t redeem Cecrops. He doesn’t even know where to look.”
Xena: (Xena looks suspiciously at Cecrops before making a fateful decision.) “Thanks for the offer, Poseidon, but, we like the smell of the ocean!”
Cecrops: “Don’t be a fool!”
Man’s Voice: “Is she crazy?”
Xena: “I think we’ll stay on a little while longer!”
Poseidon: “You won’t get a second chance! (Sinister God laughter)
I guess when the original show aired, there was a slight controversy that Xena turned down Posiedon's offer without consulting Gabrielle first.
Well, I don't think their relationship suffered because of it.
First, she was no longer seasick.
Second, Xena was the one who jumped aboard the cursed ship, and she should be the one to decide when she jumps off.
Third, Gabrielle's moral compass would not have allowed her to desert those men if Xena thought she could do something to save them.
Hidsim: “Warrior Princess? The men...They... they talked about you. We... we wonder if you’re gonna defeat Poseidon’s curse again.”
Xena: “Well, that’s the plan. (To Gabrielle) How’re you doing?”
Gabrielle: “Good. This sailor stuff is kind of fun once you know about this, (Tapping the pressure point in her wrist) huh?”
Xena: “Let’s hope it doesn’t get any worse. Poseidon obviously doesn’t want us reaching Charybdis.”
Gabrielle: “That means you were right. The key must be there, and he doesn’t want you to figure it out.”
Xena: “And if I’m wrong?”
Gabrielle: “If you’re wrong? Xena, I have to spend the rest of my life dodging-- Altrech! A 60 year old adolescent, who hasn’t had a girlfriend since his voice was an octave higher.
One of the things I really like about this ep, is how many of the things in it have their corollary in Xena and Gabrielle's own story. Our Warrior Pyschoanalyst can see these patterns in Cecrops' life, and she draws certain "spot on" conclusions.
Cecrops: “You don’t think-- that I would end this curse in a second, if I could.”
Xena: “No-- because it’s gone on too long. Thousands of people have been cursed along with you. And you feel the guilt of dooming all those people.”
Cecrops: “Shouldn’t I? For the first hundred years, it was merchant vessels-- innocents. These people spent the rest of their lives, on this ship because of me! So I switched to pirates. No innocents there-- like the people I have on this ship, now-- all pirates!”
Xena: “And all become your friends. This isn’t a curse to you-- it’s justice. You’ve begun to believe that you deserve it!”
Cecrops: “How in the name of Zeus, did you ever come up with such a lame theory?”
Xena: “By watching you. I’ve known many types of fear in my life, Cecrops. But the fear of your own guilt is distinctive.”
Cecrops: “What do you know of fear?! Do you fear death?! Do you fear injury?! Do you fear losing your friend out there? Well, I fear life, because every day of life means another day someone can lose their freedom to me!”
Xena: “Then break the cycle, Cecrops. You didn’t start this Poseidon did...but you can end it!”
Cecrops: “How? Were you planning on falling in love with me? I mean-- that is the answer, isn’t it?” Wait! You and Gabrielle had your shot at freedom. Why did you stay?”
Xena: “Because I’m not leaving this ship without everyone else.”
Cecrops: “Oh, right-- it’s as simple as that, ay?”
Xena: “Yeah, it’s as simple as that.”
And here Xena is being totally honest. The Warrior Princess will do anything, right any wrong, in an attempt to atone for all the evil she's done in the past.
With Lao Ma's and Hercules' and ultimately Gabrielle's help, SHE broke the cycle for herself. Now she reaches out to another lost soul, and is trying to bring him home.
The ship is on the edge of the whirlpool, Xena is in the crow's nest trying to guide the pilot away from the deathpool. Poseidon thinks he's bribed Cecrops to give him Xena.
Xena: “My sword!” (Sword drops, and Xena gets entangled in the lines to the sail.)
Poseidon: “Now, Cecrops! Give me the Warrior Princess! Cut the rope! Do it! And you’ll go free!”
Cecrops: “Xena! No, Poseidon! Love redeems me! I finally figured it out, you bastard!”
Poseidon: [Yells]
Xena: [Laughs, then war yell as she jumps from the crows nest to land on the violently pitching deck]
Cecrops: “ It isn’t that-- someone loves me! It’s my love for others! The love you had for Gabrielle, Xena! When you risked your life for her! The love Hidsim had for me, when he died! You’re right! It really is... just that simple! Thank you! Thank you!” (He leaps from the ship into the whirlpool)
Xena: “Cecrops! No!”
Cecrops: [Screams]
Gabrielle: “Cecrops!”
Well, its the end of episode 45, and although Xena STILL hasn't "told" Gabrielle she loves her, its pretty darned obvious to the cursed man who never realized until Xena pointed it out how much he loved the men in his crew.
(FIN content)
Last edited:
) to put things to right. Had he only known the consequences, I doubt he would have found Cupid "sooo" quickly.
)
