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ORPHAN OF WAR SEASON 2 EPISODE 1 Story by Steven L Sears Directed by Charles Siebert. The opening episode of Season 2 presents us with two big surprises: Xena has a son and Gabrielle has a BGSB! The son is Solan and the BGSB is the Bilious Green Sports Bra. Xena and Gabrielle have travelled to Centaur country because Xena has heard that the warlord Dagnine is after the Ixion Stone. Now, Dagnine, it turns out, used to be in Xena’s army and she didn’t treat him too well. In fact, we find out a few more details of Xena’s past as this episode unfolds. She is a mother who gave her child away for his own protection and another surprise is that she hadn’t told Gabrielle about this before now. Gabby is understandably a bit miffed and the two exchange words – Gabrielle just cannot see why Xena would give her child away. We also realise that Xena is in agony over this decision. As she looks at Solan her face betrays her emotions (absolutely fantastic acting from Lucy). Anyway, on with the plot. Xena explains to Gabrielle that the Ixion stone holds all the potential for evil that Ixion chose not to give to the Centaurs. Dagnine wants the stone because he wants the power, and when he learns that Xena has a son he reckons he has power over her. Sure enough, Solan (who does not know that Xena is his mother) gets captured and of course Xena rescues him. Up to this point, Solan has declared himself Xena’s enemy because he blames her for the death of his father – Borias. Through flashbacks, we find out that Xena gave Solan to Kaleipus, the Centaur because "If he stays with me, he’ll become a target for all those who hate me: he’ll become like me." Whilst Xena and Solan are escaping from the underground tunnels where Dagnine had been hunting for the Stone, Solan’s treasured sword falls to the ground and out pops the very Stone. By now, Xena and Solan have shared a few tender moments and Xena has used considerable skills in rescuing her son and in fixing his broken arm. Dagnine gets his hands on the Stone and tells his Second in Command that he’s going to be so powerful he’ll have to make a list of all the things he has to do! He drops the Stone into a mug of vile, steamy liquid, drinks and turns into a Mega Centaur – a very nasty piece of work. Meanwhile, Xena is working with Kaleipus and the Centaurs to defeat Dagnine. She knows full well that he’ll be after her. Gabrielle has re-set Solan’s arm and tells him he’ll soon be doing back flips again. When he says he can’t do back flips she smiles "trust me – you’re ahead of the game!" Xena displays amazing bravery to tackle the monstrous Dagnine and she and Kaleipus now have a new respect for each other. Gabrielle has apologised for criticising Xena and all seems to end happily enough. But now for the last scene. Xena finds Solan sitting by the lake. He still doesn’t know that she is his mother. It appears that she’s tempted to tell him, but she pulls back. Solan has clearly developed a fondness for her…"we are friends aren’t we?" He decides he is not a warrior and throws the sword (which was his father’s and he now knows that Xena did not kill Borias) into the lake. Xena says his mother would be very proud of him. "Do you think so?" "I know so" Then he tells her that he thinks his mother would have liked her. "I think you two would have gotten along". Xena is fighting her emotions with far more difficulty than when she is fighting a bunch of warlords. This is a heartbreakingly moving moment, acted superbly. As Xena walks away and leaves her son for the second time, there is not a single dry eye in the house. (Review by Jan) |
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