Thursday 7 June 2007

Sins of the Past




I saw Sins of the Past the other day, and I was as delighted as the first time! Wow, what a stunning beginning for a show. The photography, writing, acting, music... everything is so well done! And at the same time, that episode being more than 10 years old, the whole thing has a slight retro flavour that only adds more beauty and charm to it!

I really liked the melancholic tone of the beginning... Xena riding her horse, through beautiful but deserted landscapes, all lonely and regretful... wanting to end it all, but actually being at the beginning of her new life. Sad and uplifting at the same time.

One of my favourite things about this episode is, of course, when Xena and Gabrielle meet for the first time. I think that the story is told in a very classical way: it's love at first sight!! There is attraction and interest when they first lay eyes on each other... you can feel it! I really liked one little detail: when Xena is fighting Hector's men, trying to help that bunch of villagers that she just bumped into, there is a moment in which she looks at Gabrielle, who is trying her best to liberate herself from one of the baddies... and Xena just gets hooked! You can totally see it: she is staring at her, and for a minute she can't move. And then, she gets hit by one of the men, and then she reacts and jumps and fights and does the usual things. But that minute... was so intense!

The episode is full of little details like this. Xena is quite serious and focused and sad for most of the episode, but there are a few moments when Gabrielle actually makes her smile. I particularly adore the conversation at night, by the campfire (the first campfire of so many!): Gabrielle is trying to explain to Xena that she does not belong to her village, that she is different... and that hits home with Xena. She says, understandingly: 'it's hard to prove you are different'. And she smiles! A beautiful, sweet, optimistic smile... which sets the tone for all that is forthcoming...
And of course, the last word spoken in this episode is 'friend', as Gabrielle explains to Xena, under a morning sunshine that promises a new life and a new future, that friends stand by each other in trouble. Xena is not so sure about what to do with all that, so she just says 'all right... friend'. We can see that she is a bit sceptic... but also, secretly, very glad! And we know she is not mistaken at all...

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