Yet, if you go back a little further, you can remember the words spoken by Lao Ma in "The Debt." She said: "To conquer others is to have power; to conquer yourself is to know the way." Once again, the circle has been completed. Gabrielle and Xena have returned to their beginnings....the former to follow the "way of love," and the latter to follow "the way of the warrior." The path these two have walked together, to search for that inexplicable something was there all the time. The deconstruction process has ended, and we begin again.

Question: To what extent will the changes effect each character? Given the fact that each one has been through an emotional gauntlet in order to find their own truth, what obstacles will come into play that will test their ability to follow that truth?

Brette
Dean of Curriculum Emeritus

Please forward your replies to the CFXS Mailing List. We're looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Responses

Very thought provoking questions, as always from Brette :)

I think Xena now can put her past behind her and move on. She will not let it rule her present nor control her future any longer. Up until this point or at least this Season she has been driven by her past and trying to make amends for it. Xena realizes now that she can accept her past as a part her and that she can live in the present and look towards a future that is no longer dominated by it.

She took the only road that she knew, a Warrior's way, to deal with it. Xena knows now that yes, it is her destiny to be that Warrior and in that realization she will find acceptance of herself as she is. Xena will never forget her past but by this acceptance I think she will eventually forgive herself.

Gabrielle- To me, it will be harder for her to completely accept her way. We know that Xena never wanted to teach Gabrielle the way of the sword or the warrior, that was her own choice to take. Now she has to give it up entirely if she is to be true to her new way. Can she do that? We already saw her 'fail' when she came to the physical defense of what she thought was a tortured and very vulnerable Xena.

The reverse is also true of Xena. Will we still see a doubting, hesitant warrior who is afraid to put Gabrielle in harm's way? Even more so now because of Gabrielle's total non-violence stand. Will Xena be the true warrior who lets nothing stop her from reaching her goal, not even the life of her dear Friend? I think their love for each other will be the main barrier. They are each other's weakness.

How they will overcome that 'barrier' remains to be seen.