r/legendaryjourneys

I have a lot of problems with Season 5, and I think that is pretty clear from my reviews so far. But if there is one episode in this unfortunate season that I could call a masterpiece, then in my opinion it is definitely this one. Xena's world is set within Greek mythology, but only "Maternal Instincts" and this episode have truly shown the full depth and beauty of Greek epic tragedy.

First of all, Hercules. I am glad that Xena fans also got the chance to say goodbye to this character, without whom our show would never have existed in the first place. I do not have a particularly high opinion of Sorbo (as, I assume, does no sane person), but I always try to separate the actor from the person. If I did not, there are very few public figures I could watch lol. Sorbo really does an excellent job portraying Hercules and, in my opinion, he is the best live-action Hercules. The acting energy and chemistry between him and Lucy are always on point. I have not watched much of HTLJ apart from those few episodes that are part of the Xenaverse (I plan to correct that once I finish Xena), but I am of course familiar with the story of Hercules and Hera, and it is interesting to see them working as a team. Meg is also quite fascinating as Hera. I think she does an excellent job portraying a Goddess who is tired of hatred and simply wants to make peace with the world and redeem herself for her actions. Her ending here is truly epic, although I remember being confused about what had happened to her when I first watched it.

This is one of the very few episodes where I actually felt sorry for Ares. He finally gets the chance to free himself from the half-brother he hated so much (the scene with Zeus makes it pretty clear why. The classic story of the rejected and unloved older child. Ares probably would have turned out better if he had received parental love. Or at least a therapist lol), only for his own mother to turn against him. The scene with Xena in the corridors of Tartarus is also excellent. For the first time, Ares does not use threats or manipulation, but actually opens up to Xena about his feelings. Personally, I believe he is being sincere, but that does not erase all the evil he has done to Xena. If he expected her to suddenly throw herself into his arms, he was very much mistaken.

Charles Keating is the revelation of this episode for me. I know that when it comes to Zeus in the Xenaverse, everyone's first association is Anthony Quinn. I have not watched Quinn (yet), so I will not get into comparisons. But Keating is the perfect Zeus to me. He has exactly the right divine aura, and when I watch him, I genuinely feel like I am looking at Zeus. His ending is epic and, as I said at the beginning of this review, worthy of a Greek tragedy. It is incredibly moving when he dies at the hands and in the arms of the son he protected and loved so much. I also felt terrible for Hercules here. In order to protect his friend and her innocent child, he kills his own father. Righteous to the very end. Zeus's ending demonstrates the arrogance of all the Gods. Their belief that they are above life and death, their pointless fear of some stupid prophecy. In the end, neither Xena nor Eve nor even the Christian God destroyed the Olympian Gods. They destroyed themselves through their own arrogance. More on that in my review of the season finale.

This episode is definitely the end of an era. It represents the final farewell to Hercules, the character from which everything began, and I think his ending is epic and exactly what he deserved. To make the ultimate sacrifice for a righteous and selfless cause. The episode also delivers plenty of emotional moments. The scenes between Xena and Solan (by the way, I preferred the first Solan, but I understand that he is too old to play him again) are wonderful, and Lucy plays their reunion with so much genuine emotion. You can see the influence of motherhood on her. The moment Eve is born, Zeus's death as I already mentioned, and the final scenes between Xena and Eve are also incredibly powerful. These are the moments that make me love this show so much.