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| Return of Callisto | |
| Series: | Xena: Warrior Princess (1995) |
| Season: | Two |
| Story Number: | 029 |
| Writer: | R.J. Stewart |
| Director: | T.J. Scott |
| Producer: | |
| Broadcast: | October 28, 1996 |
| Previous Story: | Girls Just Wanna Have Fun |
| Following Story: | Warrior...Princess...Tramp |
Synopsis[]
Callisto, the fierce woman warrior who has vowed revenge on Xena for the death of her family, manages to escape a brutal Mycenaean prison through her awesome strength and cunning, leaving a string of murdered guards in her wake.
Meanwhile, Xena and Gabrielle are awakened in the middle of the night by Perdicas, a warrior once engaged to marry Gabrielle. Determined to be done with killing, Perdicas declares his undying love for Gabrielle and proposes to her once again. Overwhelmed by emotion, she's unable to give him an immediate answer and Xena suggests that he accompany them to Athens. Along the way, they are joined by Joxer, who brings news of Callisto's escape.
Soon they come upon Callisto sacking a village. Xena draws her sword and starts to advance on her enemy, but Callisto distracts her by hurling a dagger at an innocent young girl, whom Xena rescues at the last minute. As Callisto makes her escape, she promises to destroy Xena's soul before ultimately taking her life. In the aftermath of the brutal raid, Perdicas renounces fighting forever and Gabrielle decides to accept his proposal and return home with him.
Gabrielle marries Perdicas in the village temple and bids Xena a tearful goodbye. Though deeply grieved by the departure of her dear friend, Xena stoically continues on in her pursuit of Callisto, who cannot suppress her delight when she learns that Gabrielle is no longer with the warrior princess. Callisto is gone by the time Xena and Joxer reach her mountain stronghold. By putting her special "touch" on Callisto's lieutenant Theodorus, Xena realizes that her enemy has gone after Gabrielle.
Racing to intercept Gabrielle and Perdicas on their journey home, she arrives just as Callisto is about to slay her friend. The two woman warriors face each other once more in battle. When Callisto charges Gabrielle and Xena jumps to block the attack, Callisto suddenly changes course and plunges her sword into Perdicas before galloping off on her horse. In a state of shock, Gabrielle falls on the body of her beloved.
As Xena sings a sad funeral dirge over Perdicas' blazing funeral pyre, a grief-stricken Gabrielle vows to kill Callisto. Xena urges her friend not to allow Callisto to turn her heart into a cauldron of hate, but her words have no effect. Finally, at Gabrielle's insistence, Xena agrees to teach her some basic sword techniques. That night, they sneak up on the stronghold, where the evil one and her men are in the midst of a party.
Xena tells Gabrielle she has found an unguarded passage into Callisto's lair and plans to wait until dawn and go in alone. Telling Xena she has decided to go home to mourn Perdicas' death, Gabrielle sneaks into the stronghold wielding Perdicas' sword, but cannot bring herself to kill the sleeping Callisto.
After taking Gabrielle prisoner, Callisto captures Xena and forces her to watch as she prepares to burn Gabrielle at the stake. At the last moment, however, Joxer appears and distracts Callisto long enough for Xena to retrieve her chakram and escape her bonds. The two women resume their epic battle in a blur of flashing swords. Finally driven outside the cavern by Xena, Callisto leaps onto her chariot and thunders off. Xena jumps onto Theodorus' chariot and sets off in hot pursuit. Continuing to fight each other from the chariots, they are finally thrown off into a pit of quicksand. Xena is able to save herself with the help of a tree branch as Callisto sinks beneath the surface and perishes.
Before sunset, Xena tends to Joxer's wounds and thanks him for helping distract Callisto to allow Xena to escape. Xena and Gabrielle watch the sunset, as Gabrielle thinks of Perdicas.
Memorable quotes[]
- Callisto: I say before I kill you I'm going to make you squel like a pig, You fat pathetic piece of dung.
- Callisto : Here piggie piggie piggie
- Callisto: "Love is a trick that nature plays to get us to reproduce."
- Xena : If anyone's listening, You know i'm not much for praying but I don't know what else to do, I was ready to give up once then Gabrielle came into my life Please don't let that light that shines off her face go out I couldnt stand the darkness that would follow.
Cast[]
- Lucy Lawless as Xena
- Renée O'Connor as Gabrielle
- Hudson Leick as Callisto
- Ted Raimi as Joxer
- Scott Garrison as Perdicus
- David Te Rare as Theodorus
Background information and notes[]
- In the DVD version, the episode is dedicated the memory of Michelle Calvert "...We're thinking of you."
Continuity and mistakes[]
- During the chariot race in some of the shots you can see tyre marks in the sand from cars. There are also inconsistency with wheel tracks on the sand between shots, either from previous takes or from where Callisto and her army came through previously, in one shot the sand is untouched yet in the next there will be track marks all over the sand.
- The long shot directly after Xena's right wheel of her chariot has come off clearly shows the wheel in tact.
Disclaimer[]
- Although Xena finally conquered her dark nemesis Callisto, it took her weeks to get the sand out of her leather unmentionables.