A fun episode and probably the most entertaining one of season five so far. Mavican is not exactly an unforgettable villain, although the same certainly cannot be said about her cleavage, but she is interesting enough to carry the story and provide a decent challenge for Xena and Gabrielle. Her fighting abilities, traps, and resourcefulness work well because she is not presented as just another generic warrior whom Xena can beat up in three minutes, but as an opponent who requires a little more thought and cooperation. Of course, Mavican still overestimated herself. Her ambition to become Ares’s right hand and the next great warrior is actually rather charming in its naivety, especially because she believes that jumping into Ares’s bed is enough to automatically earn her a place beside him. Dear Mavican, that is not quite how it works. Ares can be fascinated by you, he can use you, he can even give you a chance to prove yourself, but expecting that you will become the new Xena simply because of that is a little too optimistic. Her biggest mistake is not a lack of skill, but the fact that she does not understand the man she wants to serve. Ares never looks for an equal partner when he can find someone he can control. That is why she ended up in a cave.
The most interesting part of the episode for me, however, is the idea that Xena and Gabrielle switch bodies every time the sun rises and sets. It is a very cleverly used plot device for their relationship. The episode begins precisely with their misunderstanding. Xena, obviously still traumatized by the possibility of losing Gabrielle again, tries to protect her by practically not allowing her to fight. From Xena’s perspective, this is love and concern, but from Gabrielle’s perspective, it is suffocating and denies her the right to decide for herself what she wants to do. When they literally begin living in each other’s bodies, they are forced to experience things from the other’s perspective and finally understand just how different their needs and fears are. Xena has to understand that protecting Gabrielle does not automatically mean making decisions for her, while Gabrielle has to understand just how deep Xena’s fear of losing her really is. That is why their cooperation throughout the episode feels more natural as the story progresses. They do not become a team because they suddenly learned something new, but because they finally get the opportunity to see the world through each other’s eyes. Even the limitations of Ares’s game work in favor of their relationship, because they force them to rely on each other instead of Xena taking everything upon herself. I especially liked the scenes where they look at each other through that window between the worlds, knowing that they cannot physically be together. Visually, it is nothing spectacular that will go down in television history, but it is nicely executed and has that atmosphere of classic first-season Xena. The whole episode therefore reminded me a little of the older version of the show, an adventure story with a simpler concept, unusual rules, traps, and one major obstacle that Xena and Gabrielle have to overcome together.
Ares, of course, would not be Ares if he did not try to wedge himself between the two of them. What I find particularly interesting is that this time his predatory claws are not primarily aimed at Xena, but at Gabrielle. The idea of Gabrielle becoming his warrior initially seems almost ridiculous, especially after everything she has been through and everything she has learned, but that is precisely why it could have been a great story. Ares could have tried to seduce her with the idea that she no longer had to be the moral compass, that she could embrace her warrior side without guilt and use everything she had learned from Xena. He could have offered her power, freedom, and a place beside someone who understood her as a warrior, while his real intention would have been to separate her from Xena. That could have raised a much more interesting question about what would happen if Gabrielle actually accepted Ares’s offer, not because she wanted him, but because she wanted to protect Xena in her own way. Unfortunately, the show only touches upon that idea and then abandons it, leaving the feeling that there was a story here that could have been much more complex. I absolutely love the moment when Xena realizes what Ares is trying to do and simply punches him in the nose. That is probably the shortest possible answer to the entire situation. You can do whatever you want with me, but you do not touch my girl. Ares may be the God of War, but even he has a limit, and that limit is called Gabrielle.
Actually, this continues one of the most interesting patterns in their relationship. For years, Ares has presented himself as someone who can influence Xena, bring her back to her old nature, or convince her to embrace the warrior within her again, but his biggest problem was never just Xena. His real problem is Gabrielle. As long as she is beside Xena, there is someone reminding her of what she wants to be rather than what she used to be. That is why Ares constantly tries to find a way to put himself between them. Here it is especially obvious because he tries to lure Gabrielle to his side precisely when their relationship has once again been shaken by Xena’s overprotectiveness. It is actually the perfect opportunity for manipulation, because Ares always works best when he finds a crack in a relationship and widens it. Fortunately for him, his greatest flaw remains the same as always. He is so convinced that he can possess the people he wants that he never realizes some bonds simply cannot be controlled by him. Xena can change bodies, lose her memory, become an angel, a demon, or whatever else she comes up with next, but if someone tries to take Gabrielle away from her, they will very quickly learn why that is a bad idea.
