3-12 The Bitter Suite

First air date Feb 2, 1998.

This episode starts out with Gabrielle lying naked inside an Amazon sweat hut being flayed by one
of them. Outside the hut Ephiny tells Joxer Gabrielle has been inside for three days. Joxer thinks
she needs to get out of there but Ephiny tells him she needs to work through the pain.

Cut to Xena on a mountain top in a snow storm singing her pain. Ares appears and says she needs to
take revenge on the one who betrayed her - Gabrielle. And she knows who she needs to kill.

Back inside the hut Callisto appears to Gabrielle, who knows she isn't real. Callisto says Xena's
hatred of Caesar took them to Britannia where Xena abandoned her to Dahak. She asks if Gabrielle
hates her and Gabrielle screams out YES! but outside they hear Gabrielle scream NO! and Joxer runs
inside the hut to get her.

Xena comes into the Amazon village riding hard, then flips off the front of the horse. She is
looking for Gabrielle. Ephiny tries to stop her but Xena breaks her arm. Joxer carrying Gabrielle
from the hut sees Xena. Gabrielle starts to run away but Xena gets her whip and lassos Gabrielle's
ankles. Joxer tries to help but get punched in the face. Xena gets on her horse and drags Gabrielle
away from the village and across the countryside (did I have to mention the Gab-Drag?) until she
comes to a cliff overlooking a large sea.

Xena lifts Gabrielle over her head intending to throw her over the cliff. Gabrielle wakes up,
realizes what is happening and kicks Xena in the head. Xena drops Gabrielle. They face off.
Gabrielle screams she hates Xena and rushes her. They fall over the cliff into the sea.

Xena is pulled from a river by Callisto wearing a strange green outfit. Callisto revives Xena with
a peck on the lips. Xena is naked but Callisto covers her eyes and then she is dressed.

Callisto tells her she is in the Land of Illusia.

Xena wants to know what is going on. Callisto tells her she is only Xena's guide in Illusia.
Callisto throws the Chakram and it turns into a Wheel of Fate on a blue rectangular background.
Callisto and several animals sing to Xena about how Xena has to pay a price for her past actions.
Xena says she doesn't trust Callisto. Callisto says she isn't the one who betrayed her. Xena asks
if Gabrielle is there.

Gabrielle is floating down a river and au upside down Joxer pulls her from the river. He sings
about being the master of geography then gives her a dress to wear.

Callisto leads Xena to a large gray castle with soldiers singing about her being back with her
friends. Ares is sitting on a throne. The soldiers surround Xena and next she is wearing some kind
of battle dress. Ares throws her a helmet.

Joxer had led Gabrielle to Poteidaia. All the villagers sing about her lost blood innocence because
of Xena, and welcome her back.

The scenes switch back and forth between Xena and Gabrielle. The soldiers singing about war and the
villagers singing about peace.

Xena takes a sword as she walks toward a set of stairs. Gabrielle gets a two-handed scythe from a
villager then walks to another set of stairs. Both Xena and Gabrielle climb the stairs and go
through doors to a common area. Gabrielle attacks Xena with the scythe but Xena is more experienced
and easily disarms Gabrielle as she falls to the floor.

Xena plunges her sword into Gabrielle, killing her.

Ares appears and sings to Xena about now being her rock and support as they dance. Callisto appears
and asks Xena if killing Gabrielle eased her suffering. A black and gray dressed Joxer pronounces
her dead.

Ares, Callisto and Joxer fade away as Xena cradles the dead Gabrielle.

A door opens and Gabrielle walks in as the Gabrielle in Xena's arms fades. Gabrielle accuses Xena
of killing her.

The Wheel of Fate appears and Xena says everything in Illusia is about her and Gabrielle. Lightning
strikes from the Wheel and Xena and Gabrielle find themselves in a dark hall with pillars. As they
begin to argue about who is at fault, echoes become so loud neither can hear the other. Xena
figures this out and asks Gabrielle how she feel right now. Gabrielle says she hurts inside and
asks Xena doesn't she.

Xena sings about the pain tearing up her soul. Gabrielle sings a similar song. But when they begin
accusing each other in song the echoes return. Suddenly the Wheel burst into flames and two tongues
of fire wrap around Gabrielle's ankles and starts dragging her into it. Gabrielle screams it's
Dahak and begs Xena to save her. Both Gabrielle and Xena are dragged through the center of the
Wheel.

They are now in the temple of Dahak, and Gabrielle is on the bloody altar near where she killed
Miranda. Blood covers her hands.

There is a stone coffin and several upright Egyptian-like sarcophaguses. A ghost flies out of the
stone coffin and hooded figures come out of the sarcophaguses. They are Ares, Callisto, Khrafstar,
and Caesar. They begin singing about hatred.

Gabrielle (now in her BSBG outfit) is on the altar with her hands and feet chained. Xena is tied to
a cross. An evil Gabrielle with a sledge is ready to break Xena's legs. And evil Xena has a knife
ready to sacrifice Gabrielle.

Gabrielle and Xena begin singing about how they never believed that hate could have come between
them and their love for each other. The evil Xena and Gabrielle explode and Xena and Gabrielle are
free.

Khrafstar, Callisto, Ares and Caesar explode. One wall of the temple disappears and water is
falling along it. Beyond is a forest with Solan standing there. Gabrielle surmises it was Solan who
created Illusia. Gabrielle runs though the falling water but Xena is hesitant. When she tries to
take Gabrielle's hand the water burns her hand.

The remaining ghost reveals himself to be Ming Tien. Xena confesses she killed Ming Tien and lied
to Gabrielle about it to protect her from the truth and to spare her innocence. She sings to
Gabrielle about forgiving her. She then sings to Solan about not telling him she was his mother and
to forgive her for not being there for him.

Ming Tien explodes.

Gabrielle reaches out her hand and pulls Xena through unscathed. Xena is back in her warrior
leathers. Xena goes to Solan and they embrace, and each say I love you. Suddenly Xena is holding
Gabrielle and they are sitting on the beach of the sea. Gabrielle says they're home.

............

So where to begin? Well, first of all, I realize the synopsis could never do justice to the
episode. But since I'm sure everyone knows the story, then my small reminders don't have to be
all-inclusive.

Until I read about it later, the first time I saw TBS, I had no idea it was tarot-based. Also, I
have trouble understanding words sung by a chorus, so I miss about 50%% of what is being sung.

Most of the CGI stuff was pretty well done. A few glitches here and there.

When "Maternal Instincts" ended it never occurred to me to wonder where Xena and Gabrielle would
go. But thinking about it now, I guess Gabrielle had three main choices. She could go to the Amazon
village for support (which she did). Or she could have gone home to Poteidaia. Although probably
only Lila would have been understanding about what Gabrielle went through. Or she could have just
gone off by herself (as Xena did). So I guess back to the Amazons was the most logical choice.

And in the frame of mind both were, both were easily manipulated (by Callisto and Ares) into
thinking they hated the other. And Xena's violent nature also included killing Gabrielle.

As Gabrielle was dragged from the village to the cliff, I am always amazed that the linen sheets
covering her weren't ripped apart and torn from her body. (But on TV that can't happen.)

I wonder just how Xena would do if she had to fight the entire Amazon village.

I really liked the songs. All of the music was just great. Some of the words were a bit sappy (from
a guy's POV) but mostly they were necessary to say what had to be said.

Susan Wood, who sang for Gabrielle sounded SO much like Renee's speaking voice. And ditto for
Michelle Nicastro who sang for Hudson. Very good vocal casting!

One question, and my own answer - At the end Xena and Gabrielle found themselves embracing, sitting
on the beach, so - did it REALLY happen? Or somehow did they save each other from drowning and
everything was an oxygen-depleted-soul mate hallucination? But since Gabrielle's wounds were
healed, then I guess not.

But I have trouble believing that Solan had the power to create something like Illusia. If he had
help from one of the gods (like maybe Aphrodite), then I could believe he could have orchestrated
the idea of it and [the god/goddess] could provide the magic to make it happen.

I have to say I really was NOT all that crazy about Gabrielle's green-alligator-skin dress. The
rest of the costumes were good. I especially liked Xena's red dress with the bones on them and the
dress Joxer gave Gabrielle.

After watching the episode I went back to watch the video commentary, where a camera was on Lucy
and Renee as they watched it. And either they hadn't seen it in a very long time, or not at all,
because they were taken by surprise by some of the scenes. For example when they watched the scene
where Xena stabs Gabrielle, both were kind of shocked. Neither remember it.

When Callisto kissed Xena, Lucy in a droll voice said 'more girl on girl stuff' (or something like
that).

They both were very complimentary of Kevin Smith's singing voice, but they kept referring to him in
the present so I'm thinking this was made before he was so tragically killed.

Renee said that when Xena lifted Gabrielle over her head, even though she was wired (for safety),
she had her eyes closed the whole time because they WERE at the edge of a cliff and she is afraid
of heights (maybe that's one reason she took up rock climbing).

In the Interview segment, everyone involved in the production, sound, lighting, costumes, etc said
what a nightmare it was, and how proud of it they were.

It's a shame that Rob could produce such an amazing episode like TBS, and then end the series with
something like FIN (dementia setting in?).

I could write a couple more pages of this critique, but I'm not the only one with opinions.

And one last thing - why misspell 'sweet' (bitter sweet) to 'suite'?

......

It's hard not to give this episode a 10 out of 10, but some of the little things dragged it down
for me (like not being able to understand all of the lyrics, and expecting us to believe everything
was created by Solan), so it rates a 9.5 out of 10.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

3-12 The Bitter Suite 9.5

3-11 Maternal Instincts 9.5

3-10 The Quill is Mightier. 8

3-09 Warrior-Priestess-Tramp 8

3-08 King of Assassins 6.5

3-07 The Debt II 9

3-06 The Debt 9.5

3-05 Gabrielle's Hope 9

3-04 The Deliverer 9

3-03 The Dirty Half Dozen 8

3-02 Been There, Done That 9

3-01 The Furies 6.5

Average score so far