First, just let me say "Wow!" When Tag Team YouGoGirls decides to pull one over on somebody, they truly kick butt. They even had me perplexed, flummoxed and on the edge of my seat. The opening Joxer bit aside, it all starts for me with Gabbrielle reminding Xena that the warrior doesn't let the gods rule her world, with Xena then responding in that Xena way, "I still believe we determine our own fates," while seemingly accepting that the Fates have some say over her death if she is to save Eve.

Slo-mo moment for me: Just after Xena knocks Hephy into that pit, I thought at first that Gabrielle initiated support of the almost collapsing Xena. But on replay, it was Xena who for once acknowledged her condition to Gabrielle, by putting her hand on the bard's shoulder. Gabrielle then turns to her in concern and braces her partner's walk. Afterwards, Xena is stooped over in exhaustion and pain to a degree that I can't remember before. Apparently, battling gods ain't easy. Still, when she walks out of the cave, she shrugs it off, straightens up, and projects to anybody watching that gods ain't so tough and she's still her indestructible self. Nice touch.

But my absolute favorite scene is the one with the captured Celesta. Had me scratching my head. Like Celesta, I'm thinking, "Xena, this isn't like you" to shuck off the common good so "me and my kid will live forever." The shot of Gabrielle's face supports this. But Xena's argument that death leaves as much misery behind as peace, and that it's often caused by murderers, makes sense. I'm starting to be convinced that Xena could talk herself into believing Celesta's death might be better for everyone in the long run.

Still, I'm surprised that Xena not only bares her personal sorrows to a god, but seems to think that Celesta will have compassion. Usually, it would be Gabrielle pleading the Stoic One's case. But, no, in a turnabout, it's the bard arguing that immortals couldn't possibly empathize with what Xena's saying. "Yes, she will," Xena responds with certainty. What gives? Is Xena actually taking a page from the bard's book -- believing that emotions matter and figuring them into her strategy? Ooookaaaay. But what's with this reaching out to touch Celesta's face and wipe away her tears? Considering the rather studied look on Xena's face, the gesture seems such a strange mixture of empathy and detachment. I'm puzzled, but think maybe Xena hopes she'll convince Celesta to stay out of things. It's not until the very end that I realize what a fantastic job LL did with that scene -- just enough realism by having Xena tap into very real losses, but enough holding back that I felt something else was going on.

I felt this again during the scene on the beach. True, Xena's anguish seems real enough, but how come she's making such a half-hearted search to find Eve? How come she's not frantically kicking the burning pieces aside or raging at the gods? And what's with the quickie determination that Gabs is dead, without even checking for a pulse, or doing that CPR thing again? I'm thinking maybe Xenastaff ran too long on time or somebody forgot again that Xena doesn't normally take the death of her partner or child in such graceful strides. Ooookaaaay. Maybe it was another dollie that got burned up, not Eve, and Gabs is just pretending to be dead. Whoa! Now Xena's about to do hari kari. Suicide by sword? Ares stops her, so maybe she sensed he was around, but won't he be able to tell if the poison thing is just play acting? Especially since he's spiriting her away? He doesn't seem in on some plan, but what the hell could be going on here?

I tell you, this one really had me going. Didn't matter that I knew X&G are like Teflon when it comes to death. When they played everything back at the end, all I could do was clap. Except for the unknown effects of the "essence" of Celesta's tears, we had a plan that relied almost solely on X&G's resources. (OK, so the gods are also dumb and can't shoot straight, but that's par for the course. For once we didn't need the Dagger of Helios and have to rewrite continuity, so TPTB get many kudos from me on that alone.)

Finally, Ares did himself proud in the end. He could've left Gabrielle to rot and mummified Xena in her Warlord gear. Instead he honors her love for Gabrielle by ensuring that they would be side by side forever. "She knew what you needed -- unselfish, unconditional love." He might have had Xena's kick-butt side, but even he finally acknowledged that the other half would always be Gabrielle's. Wow.

Now, for my one big question. Exactly who was telling this story? I got that Joxer added to the parts of the scroll that Gabrielle was so rudely prevented from finishing. But he couldn't have known what happened after Ares spirited our girls off. Somebody (and we know who that is) would've had to tell him, which means they're still alive. Oooo, now I know how Xena felt when Alti showed her that vision of the girls biting the dust in the future -- a little scared about what will happen next, but so glad I’ll have the chance to find out.