Xena Warrior Princess: 2x02: Remember Nothing Reaction
Added 2021-08-08 23:25:47 +0000 UTC
Comments
Agreed. Do good. Do evil. But don’t ever do nothing.
Girl4Music
2023-11-06 16:17:15 +0000 UTCXena realizes that the life she lives with Gabrielle is the life she’s meant to live when she gets a second chance. The season 2 episode, ‘Remember Nothing’, is a very interesting episode to me. We have the first of what we’d call “AU” or “Uber” episodes. The Fates intervene when Xena wishes that she never followed the sword in the first place, as she had just killed a boy that was helping a group of bandits destroy the temple where she was honouring her late younger brother, Lyceus. The Fates offer her a second chance at a life where she never killed in cold blood, her brother was still alive, she was still engaged to her town beau, Maphias, and she was just a simple villager who never killed and only knew a basic level of combat so she could defend her village when raiders would attack her homeland. All that aside, Xena lives a relatively peaceful life in this Universe. However… the life of Gabrielle is not so peaceful. As fate would have it, Xena bumps into her once again despite not having ever turned evil and reformed back to good. Because Xena never rescued her in the events of ‘Sins Of The Past’, where they first met each other in the former Universe, Gabrielle was sold into slavery. Therefore, because of the harsh reality she lives in, her heart has turned hard and cold. Not the Gabrielle Xena is used to knowing. Long story short: Xena saves and frees Gabrielle from being a slave to Mezentius, but Gabrielle wants vengeance and she angrily kills him in cold blood. Xena willingly gives up her second chance at a peaceful life to stop Gabrielle from going down the same dark path Xena went down when she first killed. The Virillus token, which protected Lyceus from dying in the alternative Universe, is what the boy, that was killed by Xena before her fate was changed, is wearing when she returns to the former Universe. Representing a second chance. Personally, I think the episode should have been called that instead of ‘Remember Nothing’, as it makes more sense. She remembers everything that happened so I don’t get why they called it that. I’ll have to look it up at some point. Here Xena learned that her fate was always right from very the beginning, as Cortese still invaded ‘Amphipolis’, Xena’s hometown, and Gabrielle was still taken as a slave, and she couldn’t do anything about it because she had never experienced her period of darkness, and then reformation because of her own men turning against her. Most importantly, that her and Gabrielle were destined to cross paths with each other regardless what alternative Universe they were in. And as Xena learns later on in their adventures, her and Gabrielle would still meet in all realities, reincarnations and denominations of the afterlife they would experience together, because they were bound not just by fate, but by their very soul. As they are, as I explain in my character study thesis, one soul in two bodies, whether they be lovers in all or not. So, this is why this episode is very interesting. It depicts the lives of Xena and Gabrielle had they not met each other when and where they did in ‘Sins Of The Past’. This was the life they were meant to live without anyone or anything intervening in their fate. Including The Fates themselves. There’s always that one path that even fate cannot control, as fate represents what cannot be controlled by the self. And if you ever took any important message away from this show, it’s that destiny is not created and predetermined by some god or omnipresent being or deity of any kind. It is created and determined by the self! That’s the path fate cannot control. The chosen one of the soul. The created and determined destiny!
Girl4Music
2023-11-06 16:15:57 +0000 UTCXena’s the only shipper of Lyceus and Gabrielle. Because we’re all shippers of Xena and Gabrielle.
Girl4Music
2023-11-06 16:13:06 +0000 UTC“Xena chose Gabrielle over Lyceus”. Well, it’s not necessarily that, although you could put it that way. She was all set for living the do-over of her life without Gabrielle following her heel. But the thing was that it wasn’t happening that way. Gabrielle would always be there somewhere regardless the life she lived or whatever experience she had. They were inexplicably bound together. There was nothing either could do about it. They’re one soul in two bodies. Wherever Xena went, Gabrielle went.
Girl4Music
2023-11-06 16:05:20 +0000 UTCSome continuity errors with these shots. They use them sometimes for Season 2 but Gabrielle doesn’t wear her Season 1 outfit anymore. It’s clearly because they were saving money on film so just used what they filmed for Season 1 but they forget about the outfit. Xena’s fine because she always wears the same costume anyway so you’d never notice the continuity errors with her. But Gabrielle didn’t wear that outfit anymore. She had moved on to her signature outfit - the BGSB and the shorter rusty coloured skirt. As far as we know, she only ever has the one outfit with her and some form of nightwear/under shift when travelling so this is a pretty big continuity error. And I know Xena always offered but Gabrielle always refused because she felt that Argo didn’t like her, but it always kind of bothered me the way Gabrielle would just trail after Xena and her horse. I always emphatically agreed with Gabrielle when she brings it up in Season 6 that she always seemed to be doing that until the point when she got her own horse and it made her feel like she was just the sidekick and not somebody worthy of being beside Xena when in travel. It really is no wonder she develops the muscles and the abs that she does. I can’t imagine how much energy and strength it took to walk instead of ride.
Girl4Music
2023-11-06 15:49:41 +0000 UTCThis is one of my favorite episodes! I loved your reaction. THANKS :D
Grace
2022-07-16 19:02:35 +0000 UTCA very good episode and really a nice reaction. The issue of “would Hercules be dead?” never occurred to me before, but your wondering about the events of “Prometheus” without Xena were a good point. Gabby as a girl toughened by abuse in a harsher world in which she never met Xena is very affecting. Xena’s feelings for her brother also stands out. And the returning villains! Sweet continuity! 😁
Koz
2021-08-09 17:35:40 +0000 UTCI'm not usually a fan of what if/alternate universe stories myself but this is an exception because of how well crafted it is and what a powerful and emotional episode it turns out to be and the fact that Xena has such an interesting dilemma and also remembers the alternate experience afterwards making her value her present life with Gabrielle even more despite having to re-lose a life with Lyceus. Also extremely special mention for just how great Renee is in this episode conveying a Gabrielle devoid of hope and filled with anger and bitterness leading to her shocking stabbing of Mezentius. It's a great and very haunting performance.
Tony Tenser
2021-08-09 04:50:42 +0000 UTCCompletely on the same page with you with regard to having a soft spot for these alternate universe episodes. They actually bothered bringing back past baddies for continuity too. I know it was unintended... But I always thought it kind of came off that, although Maphias clearly wanted to marry Xena, he sort of also had a thing for Lyceus. Just from the way he kept worrying about Lyceus' safety separate from Xena's and how he kept going back to confide in him. Loved 3 scenes in particular: Xena telling Gabrielle what she admired and loved in her "best friend", Lyceus' speech about being willing to fight and die for causes (revealing that he likely didn't regret dying fighting alongside Xena in the prime timeline), and especially Xena's moment with her mother's tomb.
Judson
2021-08-09 04:06:43 +0000 UTC
