5-20 Livia

First airing was May 1, 2000.

The story starts out with Roman soldiers fighting, and killing, local villagers. A metal hooded
woman warrior rides in and starts killing. Ares appears and tells her she's doing a good job. He
also says she's been named the official successor to the emperor of Rome. She kisses Ares. She says
now no one can stop her from ruling all of Rome and killing all the followers of Eli.

Up on the mountain, an avalanche causes a hole in the ice cave. The sunlight shines
through on Xena's ice coffin. The ice begins to melt. Xena slowly wakes up. Then her fist breaks
through the ice and she sits up. She sees Gabrielle in a coffin next to hers. She goes to the
coffin but it is solid ice. Xena sees her sword and Chakram. She grabs the sword and breaks through
the icy top and pulls a very stiff Gabrielle to her. Then Xena asks where's Eve? She looks around.
She tells Gabrielle something must have went wrong, because Octavius didn't bring the Eve to her.
They have to go find her.

Xena and Gabrielle are in a village they don't recognize. A woman asks them if they are
lost. Then she tells them they are at the foot of Mount Etna. Xena says Ares must have done
something. She yells for Ares. The woman says Ares hasn't been seen in the area for about 25 years,
ever since the Xena died. Xena asks if the woman has ever heard of Octavius. The woman says the
only Roman anyone ever talks about is Livia, the Roman commander named Livia - the emperor's bitch.
Xena and Gabrielle leave to find Eve.

They find the Sword and Chakram Tavern. They enter it and see it is a shrine to Xena and Gabrielle,
with dolls and paintings of them and Gabrielle's scrolls in frames.

They see an old woman who is Meg. Meg tells Gabrielle she'd almost look like Gabrielle if
she wasn't so butch. Old Joxer enters the room and he and Meg argue. Gabrielle says his name. Joxer
drops the tray of food in his hands then goes to Xena and Gabrielle and hugs them. They sit and
talk. He says he looked for them for years, but quit after Argo died. Joxer takes them out back. He
has Argo's daughter, that he let no one ride. Xena throws a saddle on her and there's the new Argo.
Joxer introduces his son Virgil. Xena and Gabrielle say they are going to Rome to find Eve. Joxer
and Virgil say they want go along. Virgil makes some comments about Joxer's heroic deeds and Joxer
tells him to be quiet.

They arrive in Rome. Xena asks Gabrielle to take the horses to a stable (Gabrielle has a
horse, too) while Xena takes in a Roman "victory march". She sees that Octavius is Augustus Caesar.
She sneaks up on him. He looks really surprised. Xena asks where her daughter is. Octavius looks
down as Livia rides in, victorious, with her prisoners of war. "Livia. Champion of Rome," he says.
"That's Eve?" Xena cries out. Xena remains in the background. Livia presents herself to Augustus.
Xena tells him to wave and close the curtain so they can talk.

Octavius tells Xena that Livia was raised with the best of everything, and she became the
champion of Rome. He says Xena wasn't there, what did she expect? Xena says she expected to raise
her herself. Octavius says he loves Livia and wants to marry her. Livia does not know that she is
really Xena's daughter. Octavius says if Xena tells the truth to anyone, Eve will be in mortal
danger from the gods again. But as his my wife, the gods will only know her as Livia.

Later, that night Xena stares out of a window and Gabrielle comes to her. They talk. Xena
says she gave away one child, and lost another, and she just wanted to do right. Xena says Livia
has Xena's darkness inside of her and Callisto's spirit -- not a good combination of things.
Gabrielle says the two of them can change her, because Xena changed, so this daughter of Xena's
will too. Xena says they have to turn her back.

The next morning Xena leaves to go find Livia. Gabrielle stays with Virgil and Joxer.
Roman soldiers appear and want money from everyone for a new temple that Livia is erecting to Ares.
Gabrielle says she isn't giving any money, the soldiers declare her an Eli worshipper, Gabrielle
and Virgil fight the Romans until one of them puts a knife to Joxer's throat. The three are thrown
into prison with the other Eli-ites.

Livia and Ares practice fighting, training for Livia. Then they kiss just as Xena opens a
door. She throws her Chakram, separating them. Ares is stunned and Xena pulls out her sword. Livia
looks disgusted and jealous. Xena tells Ares if he was mortal, she'd cut out his heart. Ares walks
to her, and through her sword, and tries to kiss her. She gives him a head butt. Livia pulls a
sword on Xena. Ares introduces them and pushes Livia's sword away. Then he says if Xena is alive,
Eve is too, and that means his immortality is in jeopardy.

Livia goes to the prisoners and tells them to find a champion to fight her. She picks
Virgil to fight her.

Xena goes to Octavius. She tells him that Livia does not love him, she loves Ares. He has
seduced her with promises of absolute power. She tells Octavius she will prove it to him at a party
that night.

At the party, Xena, with a veil over her face and dressed as a servant, comes in.
Octavius sees her and goes and gets Livia. Xena goes to Ares, who realizes it is Xena. He says he
has to know what happened because he mourned her for years. He says Livia isn't Xena, and if he
thought for one minute he had a chance with Xena, Livia would be "dropped like a nasty habit." Xena
and Ares kiss passionately. Livia sees and hears all this, with Octavius seeing and hearing it all,
too. Octavius tells Livia that he'd sooner see his empire crumble than leave it to her.

Xena goes outside. She senses Ares' presence. He says he has figured out that Livia is
Eve. He says he didn't know it until Xena arrived. Xena says it is personal because he has
corrupted her daughter. Ares says you, me, a child, otherwise, I go to the gods. Xena says you
would do that to the woman you love, condemn her to death, and he says no, but I would condemn her
daughter.

Back in the prison, Gabrielle sees Virgil writing a poem. They are about Joxer's deeds.
Gabrielle smiles and says Joxer is inspiring. She doesn't tell Virgil the truth.

Livia tears up a room because she is mad. Xena comes in and Livia draws her sword. Xena
knocks it away with her Chakram. Livia throws a knife at Xena but she catches it. Xena tells Livia
that she knows her first laugh, her first tears, her first breath, because she is her mother. Livia
doesn't believe her. Xena says that Ares knows who she really is, and she is in danger now, or will
be when the other gods find out. Livia says that Rome is her mother, and she wants Xena in the
arena to fight to the death.

The next day, in the arena, Octavius watches. Livia comes out on horseback. The crowd
cheers. Gabrielle, Virgil and Joxer watch from behind a prison door. Livia demands that Octavius
announce the match. Xena comes out, in Roman outfit, with a sword and shield, on foot. She tells
Livia they don't have to do this. Livia says she knows, and attacks.

They fight some. Xena asks Livia to give her time. Livia says time ran out 25 years ago.
Livia finally gets a net around Xena and drags her around the arena. Xena cuts herself free with
her sword free and flips up on the horse behind Livia. They fight some more. Xena knocks Livia down
and puts the Pinch on her, paralyzing her. Xena tells her she isn't going to kill her, she loves
her. Livia says then let me die. Xena undoes the Pinch. Gabrielle yells out, "Life for us all."
Octavius stands up and gives a thumbs up sign. The guards free Gabrielle and the others and they
all run out into the arena. Livia tells Xena that she will make Xena wish she (Livia) had never
been born, then disappears into the crowd. Gabrielle goes to Xena. Xena says they have to go after
Eve, to keep her from doing something horrible. They have to save her from herself.

"To Be Continued"
...........

And the great eps just keep on acomin'.

I always thought Livia looked a lot like Xena with the blue eyes and dark hair, but
seeing past that, she is much more like Callisto - thinner than Xena, with a high-pitched Callisto
war cry.

Very good scene of Xena waking up and punching her way out of the ice coffin, and then
freeing Gabrielle.

Must be quite a shock for both of them - waking up after 25 years and realizing everyone
you ever knew was old, or dead.

Poor Meg - she sure let herself go. But I guess running a tavern with all the free food
you can eat will pack on the pounds. I guess she didn't mind Joxer devoting the tavern to X&G. I
wonder where he got Gabrielle's skirt and blouse he had hanging on the wall. Lucky they just
happened to go the right village, huh?

Ares was great again. (And how lucky could Kevin be - getting to swap spit with Adrienne
AND Lucy!!)

If you can't have Xena, find the next best thing. (I wonder why he never tried to
recruit Callisto.) Even though he can walk right through Xena's sword, I always wondered why he
would duck away when she was trying to decapitate him.

Even though Old Joxer had three kids, he only introduced Virgil. You would think he would
have at least mentioned he had two more.

Virgil didn't look very shocked nor surprised to see X&G were still young. I think I'd
be.

Very big-hearted of Gabrielle - not letting on to Virgil that Joxer's stories were gross
exaggerations. But that's Gabrielle for you, no surprise here.

And did I imagine it, or was there some sparkage between Gabrielle and Virgil?

Xena sure knew what she was saying - "She has my darkness inside of her. She has Callisto's spirit.
Those are tough odds to beat." The worst of both worlds!

I may have misunderstood, but didn't Virgil say he had his shop in Rome? Does that mean
he goes to Rome whenever he wants to sell ?? or do what ?? (BTW Mt. Etna (an active volcano) is on
the east coast of Sicily - a long walk to wherever the tavern is - Rome or Greece.)

So Ares is now the Roman god of war? And what of Mars?

Why was Xena wearing the Roman soldier's armor in the arena rather than her own
breastplate, sword and Chakram? (Roman "Rules of the Arena"?)

While perusing the Whoosh pages for this episode, I ran across a article by Jenny Owens
on just who Livia was (you Buffy fans take note), " I am currently taking a Roman Civilization
course and came across the name Livia in my readings. Livia was the wife of Augustus. The following
is from a Roman History site I frequently use for information: Livia Drusilla was originally
married to Tiberius Claudius Nero until the emperor Augustus forced him to divorce her and become
his own wife."

There was an interview with Adrienne. She said Lucy's acting is kind of instinctive, while Rene