Episode 119 season 6 # 7
"The Rheingold"
ACT II:
Gabrielle is being charged by
Brunhilda!
Go to 0:40
Her sword is drawn and she brings it down on Gabrielle who easily deflects it with her sais. They battle back and forth with Brunhilda becoming
"enraged" when Gabby twists her sword in such a way she cuts Brunhilda's thigh with it.
POW! BAM! SOCK! and
DOWN goes Gabby on her back as Brunhilda smiles and places her sword back in its scabbard.
Brunhilda: (Towering over Gabrielle who's on her back, on the ground and NOT happy about either!)"You're pretty good. You cut me with my own sword. That's impressive. I can't tell whether you're better than me or not, though, and to prove it, I think one of us would have to die, and I don't want that."
(She stretches out her hand to help Gabrielle up, and Gabby SLAPS it away and stays where she is.)
Gabrielle: (She's not ready to forgive and forget YET!) "Why did you attack me?"
Brunhilda:
(Her hand still outstretched to the bard) "To
prove to you that I am
worthy to fight alongside Xena."
(The hand still hovers over Gabrielle's face and it finally beckons Gabby with 2 quick "come on" motions before Gabby gives up her distrust and grabs it.)
The
fangirl in Brunhilda is going into some
serious overdrive as she sits next to Gabrielle's campfire and dishes even more on Xena.
Brunhilda: "If what you're telling me is true and
Xena's still alive, I am on the verge of realizing a lifelong dream. I'll be able to meet
the great Xena. Let me help you find her. I know these woods like the back of my hand."
Gabrielle: "If you can tell me everything that you know about Xena and these Valkyries, I bet I could figure it out."
Brunhilda: "All right,
where did I leave off?"
Gabrielle: "Xena
won Odin from Grinhilda."
Brunhilda: "Right."
Have I mentioned yet how much I like the costumes the Valkyries are wearing?
http://images.wikia.com/hercxena/images/0/02/Xena_Valkyrie.jpg
The PTB's have put this actress/character in a lot of costumes that have not done her justice, not to mention
helmets that should best be forgotten (can you sing "The Bitter Suite"? ), but in these eps the costume, EVEN the helmet looks freaking awesome!
Even Grinhilda looks amazing in the get up.
http://images.wikia.com/warriorprincess/images/0/01/Ring_mq_078sd.jpg
[Flashback]
Brunhilda's Voice: [Narrates as we see Odin and Xena in Valhalla as he's teaching her some magic] "And, of course, that wasn't enough for Xena."
Odin:
http://images.wikia.com/hercxena/images/2/27/Odin_2.jpg
Odin: (The vase of lilies before them have just burst into flames with Xena's spell) "You learn quickly."
Xena: (Xena's not impressed with the vase of fire) "That's the power you're going to give me? But couldn't I do that by just rubbing together a couple 'a sticks?
[They chuckle as she continues to flirt.] Well,
couldn't I?"
Odin: "No, you've only just begun exploring it. You can go much further. If you keep practicing, one day you'll be able to harness all your energy into a flame that will burn for as long as you wish."
(Foreshadowing alert!)
Xena: "Turn all of my bodily energy into a bonfire. Sounds like
self-sacrifice. I'm
not into
that, Odin."
The flirting continues until Xena gets to the point, she wants to know about the Rheingold. When Odin hesitates, we see Xena pull out all the stops as she professes she can't "give" her love to someone who doesn't trust her and tries to walk away. Odin is SHOCKED that Xena could love anyone, given her previous statements re: living without it.
"I lied." claims the newly polished barbarian as Odin takes her in his arms to "comfort" her. (Just LOOK at Xena's face in the embrace! You KNOW what she's thinking.. "Norse gods are soooo easy!)
Odin: "Xena, I had
no idea you felt this way. The first thing you should know, the Rheingold is
very dangerous to someone who
hasn't forsaken their love."
Norse gods may be easy, but the former head of the Valkyries is
NOT!
Grinhilda's Voice: "Xena is moving up the Rhine searching for the Rhine maidens. How does she know about the maidens? You told her. She knew you wouldn't tell her if you thought she had forsaken love so
she acted as if she was in love with you,
didn't she?"
Odin:
(Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, baby!) "That's ridiculous! How would she know that the power of the Rheingold is only available to those who have forsaken their love?"
Grinhilda: "Everybody knows what the gold does to a loving heart. The local bards sing songs about it."
Odin: "The local bards know this?"
Grinhilda: "Oh, you ought to mix with the people more, Odin. What they don't know is how to find the Rheingold. Now, however,
Xena does. Give me back command of the Valkyrie.
I can stop her."
Brunhilda's Voice: [Narration continues] "So Xena headed for the Rhine river in
hope she could get the Rhine maidens to lead her to the gold. "
Xena: "Yah!" (Flying over the coutnryside.)
Brunhilda's Voice: "-- but Grinhilda and the other Valkyrie
weren't far behind."
Gabrielle's Voice:
(Interrupts the storyteller yet again) "They couldn't stop her, though, could they?"
We see a great fight between Xena and 5 other Valkyries on horseback.
http://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/a...ior-princess-season-six-20050404024036715.jpg
What impressed me the most, however, wasn't Xena's skill/tenacity, killer instinct. What impressed me was Grinhilda's passion. She said she would stop Xena, and when she was disarmed in mid flight, she did the only thing left to her. She JUMPED from her horse to Xena's, knocking them both off so that they fell several hundred feet to their apparent deaths.
ACT II ENDS
Apparent, because this IS afterall only the first ep in the trilogy.
ACT III BEGINS:
They each hit several branches on pine trees as they fall into the forest, which slows their descent and merely knocks the wind out of them as they hit the ground. Well, knocks the wind out of Xena, Grinhilda is a little more the worse for wear.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9irvoXZzmc/TVbQruRjU7I/AAAAAAAAA58/i_NYnM2sKyU/s1600/xena+Valkyrie+Gauntlets.jpg
I loved the interview with
RJ Stewart (writer/producer) on the DVDs. He's frequently asked "WHY" Xena doesn't just kill Grinhilda here. Its obvious she planned to, she even raised her sword to deliver the killing blow, but she just stops, punches out "her lights" and walks away. RJ reminded us what Xena said when she first met Odin. She lived for conflict, she lived for battle and the thrill of winning. Well, she'd won. By letting Grinhilda live, it gave her the "opportunity" of meeting her again in the future, which meant
more conflict which to Xena meant
more fun.
Remember guys, this was
"before the age of video games", and Xena had to find her fun where-ever she could.
Brunhilda's Voice [Narration continues] "So now, only the Rhine maidens stood between Xena and
ultimate power."
Xena is playing sea sprite with the Rhine maidens.
http://images.wikia.com/hercxena/images/b/bb/Rhein_Maidens.jpg
I won't say she seduces the silliest one, but yeah, basically she does. It appears they are no more keen on the wiles of a Warrior Princess than the god Odin, and soon one is leading Xena underwater to a cavern that houses the treasure.
Xena: "Where is it? (
She opens the small chest housing her heart's desire) All right.
The Rheingold."
Rhinemaiden: "You
mustn't touch it."
Xena: (She reaches out her hand to pick up the large nugget) "Yes,
I must."
Rhinemaiden: "Are you mad? The Rheingold will only bring about your destruction."
Xena: (Eyes only for the gold in her hand) "Only if I haven't forsaken love."
Rhinemaiden: (The blonde beauty is starting to catch on!) "Have you?"
Xena: (Viciously elbows the blonde in the nose, knocking her down as blood spews EVERYWHERE) "Yah! Yep."
Brunhilda's Voice: (We watch as Xena the Valkyrie works the forge to melt the nugget into liquid and pours it into a mold to create the ONE ring!) "A ring forged from the Rheingold would give Xena ultimate power. And once she put it on, she became
invincible."
[The Present and that pesky woman who keeps INTERRUPTING the storyteller!]
Gabrielle: (Still at her campfire, sitting with Brunhilda) "Xena wouldn't need a ring. She's a great fighter. She's
probably the
best."
Brunhilda: (She's intrigued!) "You
love her very much, don't you?"
Gabrielle: (Surprisingly circumspect for Gabrielle) "She's my
best friend. I know her like I know my own heart."
Brunhilda: "A friendship like that is something to be envied."
Gabrielle: (Sidelong glance at Brunhilda before venturing) "It has a
price,
like everything."
Brunihilda: (This woman should have her own Oprah style talkshow!) "A price you
love paying."
Gabrielle: (She ADMITS it!) "Yeah."
Brunhilda: (What answer do you fear the most, Brunhilda???) "She feels the same?"
Gabrielle: (Still being very sparse in her responses) "I
hope so."
Brunhilda: (Spoken like a true warrior) "She must. She must be on a very dangerous mission; otherwise, she probably wouldn't have left you behind."
Gabrielle: "That's what her note said."
I don't know about you, but I'm about to go into Xena withdrawl... I mean really, there IS a difference between OUR Xena and the evil chick we've watched all ep long. OUR Xena hasn't forsaken love, hell because she loved Gabrielle, she left her behind.
Right?
They are walking through the woods like two old warrior companions, comfortable with each other, and able to read each others thoughts.
Beowulf: "You miss your friend, don't you?"
Xena: "Sure."
Beowulf: "She is
very beautiful."
Xena: (Smiles) "Yes, she
is."
Beowulf: "I only saw her the one time, but she seems special. Who knows how I'd feel if I got to know her."
Xena: "Oh,
you'd like her."
Beowulf: [Snickers as the pragmatic side wins out] "Of course,
neither one of us will live long enough to-to see her again, anyway... We'll be there soon."
Xena: (Looks ahead, her face a mask of determination )"Good."
Beowulf: (Is this his idea of small talk, or is he trying to probe his companion's psyche?) "The people up here think of you as a
demon."
Xena: (Face set like stone) "So they
should."
The first 1:14 deals with the first ep.
Finally Brunhilda stops talking and asks some questions of her own... that's when she learns of Beowulf's interaction with Xena and the raven lock he carried.
Brunhilda: (Still sitting at the campfire, her face looking incredibly sad.) "Then I know why she came north, Gabrielle. She's on a
suicide mission."
Meanwhile, Beowulf and Xena have arrived at the last outpost his men manned before they were slaughtered.
Beowulf: "Well, this is it-- the end of the line."
http://images.wikia.com/hercxena/images/8/8c/Beowulf.jpg
My fav line of the ep comes next, as Beowulf walks towards the house and Xena turns back to the southern horizon and simply whispers a final prayer.
Xena: (Sad but nethertheless resolute) "Stay
strong, Gabrielle."
ACT III ENDS
Gabrielle tries to pull the knife free when she's picked up by the savage. He runs her back to the side of the river while she cries out for Xena before being unceremoniously tossed into the raging flood. 
Xena hears her cry, dispatches her last savage and then runs to the riverbank where she tosses the last savage aside before diving into the flood.
) AND more importantly still has her sais IN her boots! The chakram hits some spears, hits the rope binding Gabrielle to the spit then goes off to do other wonderous things before being caught by our WP.
that kept Virgil at bay while she was screaming for her life. Hey... it "looked" good. Virgil finally get to be a hero as he takes on several Cannibals with two hammers?axes? and fights their way towards the horse pen. WHile Xena keeps the cannibals occupied with her chakram and her sword, Virgil and Rubio mount up, and Gabrielle hangs onto a horse taller than Argo as she calls Xena to flee. Those poor horses... THEY were caked in the mud that covered Gabrielle!
:
)
]
