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Adventures in The Sin Trade Part Two. Guest Stars Borias - Marton Csokas. Alti - Claire Stansfield. Cyane - Vicky Pratt. Yakut - Kate Elliott. Anokin - Charlotte Sounders. Otere - Sheeri Rappaport. Credits Story By: Robert Tapert and R. J. Stewart. Teleplay - R. J. Stewart. Edited By - Robert Field. Directed By - T. J. Scott. Review by Donna. Teaser Opening shot of the women working in the forest building a sweat hut. When they are finished we have a touching scene between Xena and Otere. Xena tells Otere that in order to beat Alti they need not only to find a new Amazon holy word but also have to have spiritual powers of their own. Otere asks Xena if she spent time with the Amazons in the past, Xena tells her of her time with Cyane. (Past, Flash Back) Cyane is in the sweat lodge naked, with Xena watching through the roof. Suddenly Xena falls through the roof. Thinking she has caught Cyane by surprise and with Cyane being naked Xena thinks Cyane will be easily defeated - but to Xenas shock Cyane dresses herself in Xenas own clothes with a speed that amazes Xena. Xena then escapes from Cyane - running through the woods. Cyane chases Xena but she takes a route through the trees, with skill and speed Cyane easily catches up to Xena.... CREDITS - See Note 1 Borias approaches Cyane, seeing Xena on the ground after being beaten by Cyane, he tells Cyane that Xena is with him and that if she wants the alliance she can't kill Xena. Cyane than ask why then did Xena try to kill her? Borias asks Xena if this is true? He apologies to Cyane for Xenas weakness and tells Cyane that Xena will be punished for her act. Cyane thanks Borias and releases Xena. Borias promises Cyane that their alliance will not be broken. After Cyane leaves Borias demands to know what Xena was doing - he wants to keep peace with the Amazons. Xena still wants to kill them but only after learning the many skills she witnessed during her clash with Cyane. (Present Day, Living Realm.) In the sweat hut Otere tells Xena that she watched Xena kill her father. Xena remembers and tells her she can never ask her forgiveness, but wants Otere to let her help rebuild a new life for the Amazons, telling her that was what Gabrielle did for her. We leave this scene with a beautiful head shot of Xena shedding a single tear. Xena makes another woman a new Shamaness and they then, all together, start a new ritual to enable them to all leave the prisons of their own bodies. Alti is also in the middle of her preparations, drawing on the enslaved souls of the condemned Amazons from the Land of the Dead. She promises these souls freedom to pass through the Gates of Eternity. If they succeed, eternal confinement in the Land of the Dead if they fail. They are ordered to drive Xena and the others insane by travelling into the depth of their minds. Xena, meanwhile, has crossed into the spiritual place and calls upon the women's spirits to join her but as they slowly do so Alti's evil spirit warriors attack and enter the minds of the women. Xena battles with the evil spirits with the women's bodies. Slowly each of the women win over the evil spirits. Eventually sprits and bodies merge together..... succeeding in this battle. The next day, whilst searching for Alti, Xena suddenly realises they are heading in the wrong direction. They change their path and head towards the Gateway to the Amazon Land of the Dead. They set up a charm around the camp in an attempt to protect them from Alti during the night. (Very gory and bloody .... Lots of skulls) (Past, Flashback) Cyane walking with Xena and asks her again to join the Amazons; again Xena refuses. Cyane tells her that Borias is trying to change and if they remain together Xena will end up killing Borias. Cyane asks Xena is she wants her child to grow up with a murderer as a mother. Xena still refuses to join the Amazons. Cyane clearly leaves the invitation open. We then discover this is when Borias left Otere in the cave of the Amazons. Next we see Alti further seducing Xena. Ensuring Xenas decline into darkness she temps Xena with the power of spiritual force, promising Xena the power to control many many lands, including Rome and Caesar. Xena states that as yet Alti has been "all mouth and little action". Alti and Cyane then have a mental battle, Alti wanting to destroy the Amazons and Cyane wanting to destroy Alti's dark powers. Alti is eventually defeated and is laying in the ground. Cyane again offers Xena a place in the Amazons and a chance to fight for life or she could stay with Alti and fight for death. (Present Day, Living Realm) Xena warns the women that Alti's spirit can take the form of any living being. She tells them sleep in a circle, within the charm circle, as Alti is close. Later that night, through the darkness, we see Xena dreaming as a spider lands on her face. Suddenly Xena see a spirit of Gabrielle calling to her. The spider morphs into Alti who is attacking Xena. She demands to know "Who the blond one is...." Alti suddenly takes Xena back to a time before she had Solan. (Past, Flashback) Xena and Borias sleep. Alti's spirit is above them, cursing them - their child would never know the love of either parent (see note 2) (Present Day, Living Realm.) Xena throws the spider but not before it has drawn a drop of blood. Xena remains in a deep trance, even in the daylight hours the woman can not wake her. They take Xenas body with them and continue their journey. Later Xena wakes, telling the women that Alti cursed her child many years ago, as she knew the love of her child would turn Xena from the path of darkness forever, never to help Alti again. Xena guides them to Alti's stronghold. Cyane's bones hang limp from a tree. They all pay tribute to the long dead Amazon Queen and her tribe. The women believe they are ready to avenge the death of Cyane and her tribe. They want to pay Xena a tribute as a friend of the Amazons. Xena stops them telling them they have to hear what happened before the battle with the evil Alti.. She finally tells them the final bloody chapter from her past:- (Past, Flashback) Xena arrives in the middle of a leadership council meeting of the Amazons, to honour a slain Amazon. Cyane tells Xena she can't enter at this time as it is a sacred ceremony. Xena fuels the anger of the leaders by callously telling them that not only was she the killer of this Amazon - but that the killing of the Amazons was just sport. Furious with Xena, a battle takes place in the trees where the Amazons believe they held the technical advantage. Unknown to them Xena has set many traps and quickly kills many of the leaders using both their skills and greatest defences against them. This leaves just her and Cyane. Xena quickly acts against her and impales her on the tree branch. Cyanes last words.. "Why?" Xena replies with an evil sneer... "Alti offered me a better deal". Xena then brings Alti to Cyane's corpse, blood pours from the Amazon Queens fatal wound. Alti collects the blood claiming it will give her great powers and promises Xena that her future will come true as she foretold. (Present Day, Living Realm) Xena has confessed to the Amazons that she was the one who killed all the Amazon leaders except those from their part of the Amazon nation-leaving the Amazons weak and that she had unknowingly allowed Alti to condemn the Amazon spirits to wander the Land of the Dead for eternity as Alti feeds from their souls. Xena then, quickly before anyone can react, puts the pinch on all the Amazons and eventually herself and they all start to slip in unconscious. Xenas spirit is the first to rise. She persuades the other to join her telling them they can achieve great things and still return to their bodies before they die. They all join her. Alti appears in spirit form, using all her powers against Xena, torturing Xena with visions, forcing Xena to reveal her future. She sees a time that is yet to come. Alti starts to win. Xena weakens. She realises she is seeing her own death from the future. This gives Xena the inspiration she needs to fight back. Xena sees a vision of snow, crosses and crucifixions and finally Gabrielle (with short hair) being crucified alongside her. Alti believes this will stop Xena. She does not realise what she has done. Xena believes that as she has seen Gabrielle dying in the future she must still be alive! (Xena's mortal body starts to show signs of blood on her palms) Xena with renewed energy attacks Alti's spirit and mortal body and kills her as she did with Cyane, by impaling her on a tree branch. Xena wakens from her battle and see the stigmata from the nails on the cross. She realises that Gabrielle is still alive. She quickly takes the pinch off the Amazons and they also come around. She tells them that the new Amazon holy word is "Love" (Present Day, Land of the Dead) Cyane realises that Xena has released her trapped tribe by discovering the new holy word. They finally start to cross through the Gates of Eternity. (Present Day, Living Realm) Darkness has fallen again. This time celebrations are aplenty. Xena passed Otere her power as Leader of the Amazons. Fulfilling Alti's prophecy. Xena starts to leave the camp. Otere asks where she is going. Xena shows her the scars on her palms and answers "Home, she is alive". Xena rides off across the land. Disclaimer Xenas search for Gabrielle was not harmed during the production of this motion picture. Notes 1. Renee O'Connor again is not in the opening credits. 2. Solan -Alti's curse fulfilled? The curse was that Solan would never know that love of is mother or father, but at the end on Bitter Suite he discovers Xena is his mother and he tells her that he loves and forgives her. |