{{Since I'll be on vacation starting tomorrow (Sep 6) I decided to do this one a few days early
(plus I didn't want to have to wait a full week to watch it.) }}

6-13 You Are there

First airing was Feb 5, 2001.
The story starts out with Xena and Gabrielle on horses, riding hard, then on a (?) Roman ship, then
a Norse ship. When they land, a raven flies back to Valhalla and we hear Odin yell out, "What?
Here?"

Beowulf is in a Norse tavern drinking at the bar. Gabrielle goes up to him and says hello. He says
to Xena that she's a long way from home. Xena can't understand why Beowulf is so indifferent to
Gabrielle. He says it was love-struck foolishness. Xena says she needs to see Odin. Behind her,
three Valkyries say they have orders to keep her away from Odin. Xena draws her sword and attacks
with Gabrielle behind her.

Outside a man in modern dress with a microphone is talking to a camera. He is there to get an
interview with Xena. After the three Valkyries are thrown out into the snow he runs up to Xena and
asks why she has returned to the Norselands. And will she comment on the fact that Odin has sworn
to kill her? Xena looks into the camera with a sour look on her face.

Nigel, the photo journalist, is talking to the camera saying some see Xena as a savior. Others see
her as a butcher of thousands of innocent people. And tonight he will put that question to her.

X&G are in a studio getting ready to be interviewed - makeup and microphones. Nigel welcomes Xena
and calls Gabrielle the Battling Bard of Poteidaia, making her smile with the pride of recognition.
He tells Xena that as a Valkyrie she used Odin's runes to cause a reign of terror. And he wants to
know why she's come back now, since there's no love lost between her and Odin. She answers that's
why she and Gabrielle have come back. He interrupts saying she betrayed Odin and turned Grinhilda
into a monster. There is a "file photo" of Grindl. Gabrielle reminds him Xena turned her back
again.

Next he asks if her intention is to kill Odin and have herself proclaimed a god in his place. When
she denies it, he mentions she stole the Rheingold and forged it into a ring to give her a god's
powers. She says she gave it back. When he asks about her killing the Olympians, Gabrielle tells
him they were trying to kill her daughter. The daughter, he says, followed in Xena's bloody
footsteps. When he asks if she still has the power to kill gods, she gets angry and says he can
kill much lower forms of life. Gabrielle says the interview is over and they leave.

Next Nigel is at the River Styx interviewing Charon. He says Xena hasn't sent him that many, but
some of the bigger names - Marc Antony, Velasca and Callisto. Caligula is impatiently waiting and
Nigel asks him a few questions. He says she is evil and not to let anyone tell him otherwise. He
says he was a living god and that bitch took him out.

Next Nigel is back in the studio and is interviewing someone anonymously by being invisible. He
tells Nigel that Xena is after the golden apples protected by Frigga because she wants to be a god.
Nigel knows that only Odin can become invisible. Odin appears and yells at the monitor that Xena
will never become a god, and uses a fireball to destroy it.

Nigel finds Gabrielle next to a stream washing up. He wants to know if there is a sexual
relationship between Xena and Ares. She gets angry and pushes him face first into the mud.

Nigel is at Ares' farm and knocks on the door. Ares yells for him to go away. But he keeps
knocking. Ares opens the door and Nigel asks if he is the former god of war. He asks why Xena wants
to steal the golden apples. Ares doesn't answer. Nigel says Odin believes it's because she wants to
restore Ares to Olympus and she will be his queen. Ares says she's had plenty of opportunities,
but she isn't interested.

Suddenly they hear Xena's voice and Nigel pushes his way into the farm house. Xena comes out from a
back room and he accuses them of plotting together. Xena tells him to stay out of her business.
Ares violently throws Nigel and the cameraman out.

Next Nigel is in heaven interviewing Archangel Michael. He says Xena always puts her self-interest
ahead of the greater good. Then he tells Nigel about her casting Archangel Lucifer into hell to
take her place after she killed Mephistopheles.

Nigel falls through a cloud and lands in Hell. He interviews Lucifer, who is still angry at Xena
and says she can't be trusted and wishes he could get her down there.

Next Nigel finds Eve and other Elijans praying. But when he starts asking her about Xena and Ares,
and if she was jealous that Ares was still obsessed with Xena awhile sleeping with Eve. She starts
cussing him out and punches him in the nose.

Back in the studio, Nigel is interviewing Gabrielle. She tells him he is wrong about Xena. She and
Ares aren't conspiring to rule the world. She wants to save it, so she needs the golden apples. He
suggests Xena has a lust for Ares. Then the monitor shows clips of Xena and Ares kissing. Gabrielle
admits they have a history. He wonders if her feelings for Xena has confused her. Then he asks her
directly if she's in love with Xena. And with a confused look on her face, she says she doesn't
love Xena.

Xena breaks into he studio and puts the Pinch on Nigel and asks him if he loves anybody at all.
Then looking into the monitor she yells to Odin that she's coming for him.

Xena and Gabrielle are walking outside the studio and Gabrielle asks what Xena's plan is. Xena is
angry because by this time she ought to be able to figure it out. Gabrielle complains about being
just the side kick. They argue some more then Xena stops them. Gabrielle tells her people who love
each other wouldn't says the things they've been saying. Xena says they have to get love back into
the world. And Gabrielle, with a smart-aleck grin, asks again what the plan is.

In a bordello, Nigel is trying to interview the Madam who is making sure the customers all have
numbers. She tells him she always has business since it's not about love. She calls out number 27
for a "Thor's Hammer" and Ares appears. He then runs away with Nigel chasing him.

Nigel is now in a cave talking to a mysterious woman with a long hooded robe, her face hidden. She
tells him Xena is trying to put a god back on Olympus but not the one he thinks. She doesn't want
to rule the world, she wants to save it. She tells him to follow the love.

Nigel comes upon a crowd of people trying to get close to Aphrodite. She beams when she sees the
camera. She tells him Xena saved her sanity, but starts crying about getting old and wrinkled and
sagging. She tells him the world is without love since she doesn't have the power to replenish it.

Next Aphrodite and Nigel are back in the Norseland. They run up to Beowulf and Gabrielle, who are
watching Valhalla. Gabrielle and Aphrodite hug. Gabrielle says Xena went in to face Odin. She tells
Nigel Xena can't kill gods anymore, but Odin can kill her. After sounds of fighting and Xena's
Chakram, Xena and Odin come down the mountain. Xena is carrying a golden branch with four golden
apples, a sword, and is kicking Odin in the butt to hurry him along.

Xena acts as if she's going to eat one of the apples but Ares comes up dressed in his black
leathers outfit. Nigel can't believe Xena is going to let Ares become a god again. She lets him
take a bite and his powers are restored and he throws a few fireballs. Xena is tempted to take a
bite. Gabrielle tells her don't. Xena says she doesn't want Ares to be alone on Mt Olympus, then
throws the apple to Aphrodite, who takes a bite, and then love (golden shimmers and small pink
hearts) surround everyone. Aphrodite and Ares go back home.

Odin wants to know how Xena got past his defenses. She says she had help. The look up toward
Valhalla and the mysterious woman takes down the hood and it is Grinhilda.

Nigel is interviewing Grinhilda. She says the old evil Xena was the one who turned her into Grindl,
but the real Xena restored her back to human form.

Xena is saying you can't have love without hate, peace without violence, and forgiveness without
anger. So she just couldn't send Aphrodite back to Mt Olympus without Ares.

Grinhilda says she sent Nigel after Aphrodite while she went after Ares.

Eve and the Elijans are kneeling before Nigel and are apologizing for their sins against him. She
hands him a bundle of switches and tells him to flagellate them. When he refuses. Eve get the anger
in her voice and tells him to do it!

Lastly, Nigel is interviewing Xena and Gabrielle. And the one question he wants answered is if they
are really lovers. When Xena starts to explain, the camera's battery dies.

......

Certainly a different kind of story. But a fun one.

(In case some of you don't know it, back in the late 50s or early 60s there was a show called "You
Are There" hosted by Walter Cronkite (before he did the CBS news). They reenacted scenes from
history, and he interview the participants.)

It's hard to nit pick episodes like this since (in this case) there is so much that isn't "right."
The main thing I found was that at the end when Nigel was interviewing Grinhilda, he seemed
surprised that she was the woman in the cave, yet he was looking up at her when she took the hood
off to let Odin know she was the one working with Xena.

So, why didn't Xena find a way to get to Odin and explain the situation to him about why she needed
one of the golden apples? (she always know how to sneak into any place) but I guess there wouldn't
be much of a story.

I guess all of the Ambrosia was lost or used up, and the golden apples was Xena's only option.

I guess Xena was able to defeat Odin because he still believed she could kill gods and he was
overly cautious.

The banter between Xena and Gabrielle outside the studio was the best scene in the episode. In it's
entirety -

Gabrielle: "So, what's the plan?"

Xena: "I'm goin' after Odin."

Gabrielle: "Well, there's gotta be more to it than that."

Xena: "Why do you do that?"

Gabrielle: "Do what?"

Xena: "Ask me to spell out the plan?! You'd think after all these years, you could maybe join
the dots yourself."

Gabrielle: "Well, why do I have to drag it out of you?! You know, I wish I knew the Pinch. I
would force you to share your `little plan' with me."

Xena: "No, no, no. You can take the pinch off, but you're not allowed to put the pinch on."

Gabrielle: "Oh, I'm not allowed? Oh, that's right-- I'm the sidekick. You go ahead, Xena. I'll
walk 10 paces behind you and your horse!"

Xena: "You could walk beside my horse!"

Gabrielle: "That's really big of you, Xena!"

Xena: "Gabrielle, stop. What's going on? This isn't us."

Gabrielle: "We're saying things that-- people who love each other wouldn't ever say."

Xena: "Yeah. We've gotta get love back into the world, Gabrielle, and fast."

Gabrielle: "Right. So what's the plan?"

Also when Nigel was running after Ares in the bordello, Ares was yelling, "I'm just trying to get
laid. I'm not a criminal!"

And on a kind of sad note - although at the time of the original airing we didn't know it, but this
is the last episode that Aphrodite appears in.

.......

The interview was with Rob and Michael Hurst; and Adrienne Wilkinson. Rob seemed to remember more
about the episode than Michael did even though Michael was Nigel (another instance where I really
like MH - when he's NOT Iolaus). Mostly they were talking about how much fun the episode was.
Michael didn't know how he was selected to play Nigel. Rob said he had him in mind from the
beginning.

Adrienne said that when Eve started cussing out Nigel, much of the crew was shocked since not many
of them had read the script. And even the ones who had read it were surprised. But she said what
did they think she was going to say? The script just had "blank" where the cursing was. She
said that she loved, loved, loved that episode just for that scene. She said the episode was
filmed pretty quickly since there were very few scenes that had to be set up. Mostly they just
followed the camera man.

.......

I really liked this episode. A solid 9 out of 10.

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6-13 You Are There ..... 9

6-12 The God You Know .. 8

6-11 Dangerous Prey .... 7.5

6-10 Old Ares Had a Farm . 8.5

6-09 Return of the Valkyrie .. 8

6-08 The Ring ....... 8

6-07 The Rheingold .... 8.5

6-06 The Abyss ..... 8

6-05 Legacy ....... 9

6-04 Who's Gurkhan? .... 9.5

6-03 Heart of Darkness .... 9

6-02 Haunting/Amphipolis . 8

6-01 Coming Home ..... 8

Average .......... 8.4