ForevaXena's special note about this review:  Let me just say that Cruise and I (with many of our friends!) watched this ep together and I have NEVER heard so much enthusiastic whooping, cheering and laughing in my life!!  This was an episode to remember for sure...we had to rewind the tape SEVERAL times in certain places just to "see that again"!!  And for the record let me just add that Cruise DID indeed fall out of her chair somewhere along the way...ROFLMFAO!!!

The episode begins with Gabrielle, Bruny and Beo searching for Xena in Grendil territory. Bruny tells them their chances of finding Xena are growing less and less. Gabrielle defiantly tells her, "Then we pick up the pace!" Beo finds Xena’s blood on a tree (I’m still wondering how he did such a quick DNA test of the blood and figured that one out! I guess we can ASSUME he knew it was Xena’s...that’s the ticket!) And Gabrielle finds one of her grieves. Gabrielle refuses to believe all hope is lost with Xena even though Bruny tells her not to get her hopes up that she’s alive. Gabrielle deduces that the blood on the tree is from where Xena got away and not long ago. She has become a very proficient tracker! Xena would be very pleased with her warrior bard! Bruny and Beo are trying to get Gabrielle to snap into reality, but Gabrielle was having none of it. She is confidant that Xena’s alive and Bruny is pissed that she’s so hell bent on finding her. She’s so jealous she can barely stand it!

They all split up and are searching for Xena. Gabrielle stops and is looking through the trees, but doesn’t see anything. It seems as though she feels something there...or someone like Xena. She says, "Xena?" and is grabbed from behind by Xena who covers her mouth and drags her behind a tree. Xena looks half crazed, she’s bloodied, tired and looks scared. She is standing just behind Gabrielle and points off into the distance whispering, "There." Gabrielle looks up and sees Grendil, the monster, walking past. They both look terrified and Gabrielle leans closer to Xena who has her hand on her opposite shoulder. Loved the shot and how close they were to one another. Beo shouts out Gabrielle’s name and Grendil stops, looks around and finally leaves. Gabrielle turns and looks at Xena who does the same as they embrace, relieved to see one another. Gabrielle tells Xena, "Don’t you ever leave me again." Xena is near tears and closes her eyes as she pats Gabrielle on the back through the hug; glad she’s got her lover in her arms again. They break the hug and Gabrielle checks her baby doll over to see she’s injured her leg pretty bad. She helps Xena to the ground as Beo and Bruny run up frantically shouting Gabrielle’s name. They are worried about her!

Beo teases Xena about how she looks as she pretty beat up. She grins and sarcastically says, "Thanks." Grendil groans and Beo goes off to check on it. Bruny is in awe of meeting Xena and shows it as Gabrielle is tending to her injured lover. Bruny tells her she’s waited her entire life to meet her. Xena is putting on her armor and says, "If I would have known I had a fan coming I would have combed my hair," with a smile and glances at Gabrielle who has a smirk on her face from the comment. Bruny explains that she has the utmost respect for her, for her philosophy and that she’s modeled her life after being like her. Bruny tells her, "From the very first story I ever heard I knew that I wanted to be a warrior like you, to live for battle, die with valor," as Xena is watching and feeling uneasy about what Bruny is telling her. Gabrielle continues to tend to her wounds and occasionally glances up at Bruny, as she is awestruck sitting before her idol Xena. Xena replies, "Well, I’ve gotten a lot smarter since then. I’ve learned to respect life, love and peace." Bruny asks, "What happened?" with a disillusioned look on her face as Gabrielle looks at Xena who matches her stare with a smile. She looks at Bruny briefly then returns her gaze to her beloved Gabrielle and says, "Lot’s of reasons," as she stares at Gabrielle smiling. Gabrielle looks at her with a small appreciative smile as she’s wrapping a bandage around Xena’s leg. The look between the two of them was fabulous. It shows so much love, respect and caring for one another...it was beautiful.

Bruny caught the look between them and wasn’t pleased by it. She’s hopelessly in love with Gabrielle and is so jealous of their relationship that it’s driving her crazy. Beo returns and informs them that the monster is gone and Xena tells them it’s still out there somewhere. Bruny explains that when it heard them looking for Gabrielle it doubled back behind them and that with the cliffs around them, it cut off their path of retreat. Gabrielle tells Xena, "Let’s get you out of here," and helps her up. Xena tells her, "No, Gabrielle I can’t do that. Grendil and I have a date with destiny." She looks at Gabrielle and puts her hand on her arm and continues, "Gabrielle, I know better than to try and talk you into leaving, but you two should go. Live to fight another day. This is my battle." Gabrielle quickly retorts turning to Xena, "Our battle." Bruny looks at Gabrielle then to Xena saying, "I won’t leave Gabrielle," as Gabby turns to her and smiles. Xena looks at Bruny surprised by her comment, as Beo says, "Neither will I," and gives Gabby a sideways glance as Xena looks at him. Xena and Gabrielle aren’t sure what to make of Bruny and Beo being so cooperative to help and their faces show it. Xena nods her head ‘yes’ and says, "Well, I guess we’re in this together then." As they hear Grendil groaning.

Xena leads them to Grendil’s lair and they all enter it. Beo asks what’s Xena’s plan and she explains that she’s going to lure Grendil in there and when she’s in position for them to bring the mountain down on her head. Gabrielle is confused and asks, "What is this Grendil?" Xena regretfully replies, "A mistake from a very long time ago." She explains that she defeated the Rhine maidens for their gold, not for the wealth it would have brought her, but for the power foretold by Oden’s rhune stones. The scene flashes back to Xena melting down the gold to make the ring as she explains that she melted it down to harness all of it’s power. She explained that it was a ring that could give a mortal the power of a god. The scene shows her distracted by making the ring and Grinhilda is standing in the background with a bow and arrow cocked and ready to fire. She shoots the arrow catching the ring on the end of it and the arrow bounces off the wall and comes back to her. She catches it and takes the ring off the arrow and grins at Xena as she holds the ring in her hand. Xena tells her to give her the ring and threatens to thrash her again if she doesn’t. Griny is having none of it and puts the ring towards her finger, threatening to put it on. She tells Xena that she won’t allow the power of the Rheingold fall into the hands of a monster like Xena. Xena tells her in her somewhat Meg voice, "it’s no use to you. You know what the rhunes say, unless you have forsaken love the power of the ring will destroy what you value the most." Griny reminds her, "The Rhunes also say that anyone who puts on the ring has a surge of godlike power before the destructive power kicks in." Xena tauntingly smiles at her and says, "You gamble that you can beat me before the ring destroys your essence." Griny tells her, "I’ll take that chance to destroy you. The Valkry had honor once, before they learned to prize the thirst for blood. You taught us that Xena." Xena answers, "Let’s see if you took notes," and hits the handle of her sword with her foot, flipping it up in the air and catches it. Griny dons the ring and you see the surge of godlike power course through her.

They fight each other and Griny has knocked Xena around a few too many times, but Griny turns into that nasty looking monster, Grindil! Xena watches the transformation and picks up the necklace that Griny used to wear tauntingly telling her, "It’s a whole new you Grinhilda. Now we see what you prize the most Grinhilda. You lost what you hold dearest in your heart, your humanity, your beauty," as she chops off the finger with the ring on it. Xena devilishly smiles and puts on the ring as Griny-monster kneels down in pain from the amputation. Xena gets the godlike powers and the scene changes back to the present day Xena. Beo asks, "You mean this monster that’s been killing my people is actually Grinhilda, the Valkry?" Xena looks at him as Bruny asks, "Why didn’t you just use the ring to kill her?" Xena is disgusted by what she did in the past and feels very guilty for what she once had planned for Griny. She tells them, "Killing her would have been kind for what I had planned for her. As fearsome as she was in her new form, she knew she was no match for me with the ring. She fled." Xena explained that she used chains from Griny’s own necklace and used it on her to make the mineshaft they were standing in her new prison. They are showing scenes of Xena capturing her and chaining her there. Xena explained, "I drove Grinhilda towards her fate. I knew being trapped in that hideous form would be the ultimate torture for Grinhilda. I wanted her to suffer with her own ugliness forever." We see the scene where Griny takes the ring off of Xena’s finger and she tells her she’ll never be able to use the ring. Xena continues to explain as she appears on screen, "I knew the power of the ring would be useless to her, unless..." Gabrielle finished the line for her, "She learned to forsake love," as Xena stares at her.

Xena explains that thirty-five years locked up alone is enough to drive the love out of anyone’s heart and once that happened the power of the ring was hers. She explained that now nothing will stop her murderous rampage. We hear Grendil’s scream and Xena turns around to face where the noise came from. She turns back to everyone and asks, "You ready for this?" as the scene changes to her in a different part of the mineshaft with a torch in her hand. She’s looking for one nasty looking monster to play hide and seek with! Well, low and behold, one-steps forward to be Xena’s new playmate in her fun little game! She lures the monster to follow her, which it all too readily obliges. Bruny, Beo and Gabby are all lurking up above behind some rocks waiting for them to show up. Beo says, "Here they come," when he hears them and Gabby advises them, "Wait for Xena’s signal." Everyone looks down and sees Xena step into the area that they want the monster to be in. The monster isn’t cooperating and Xena tries to get the butt fugly thing to move into place by waving the torch around. The monster isn’t as dumb as it looks and the jig is up! It looks up and sees the impending doom above them and scatters out of the mineshaft like a cockroach that it resembles! The more I look at the fugly thing; it looks like a cross between Spike, something from ‘Alien’, a crab and a cockroach! It is definitely butt fugly that’s for darn sure!

Xena shouts, "Stay here!" and runs off towards the retreating monster. Gabrielle shouts, "Xena no!" and begins to climb down from her position to chase Xena. She’s pissed that she went after the monster and follows her down the mineshaft. She catches up to her along with Bruny and Beo. Xena’s mad and says, "I thought I told you not to come in here!" Gabrielle stops next to her and retorts, "I never listen!" as the monster plays people bowling and plows through the four of them, knocking Gabby and Bruny to the ground next to each other. Great line by Gabby! Xena begins to battle the monster with the help of Beo. Bruny and Gabby finally get up to help, but the monster is tossing everyone around. Gabby bravely steps up and hits the monster in the back with her Sais and kicks it, before it knocks her on her butt. Bruny comes after the monster as it is hurting her baby doll Gabby, but she’s tossed away like a bad habit as Xena sees the beam above the monster cracking. She tells Beo to get to the other side and he’s worried about her making it. Xena determinedly replies, "Don’t worry about me, go!" and readies her chakram as everyone else runs off. She hits the beam with her chakram and attempts to run towards the rest of the group as the ceiling is collapsing, but the monster knocks her on the ground, on the same side that he is on.

A rockslide blocks Gabby, Beo and Bruny on one side of the shaft while Xena is stuck with fugly boy on the other. Beo asks Gabby if she’s hurt and Bruny rushes up asking if she’s all right and Gabby can’t be bothered with their concern as she’s more worried about Xena. She shouts for Xena and begins to remove the wood and rocks that keep them apart. Beo runs up and begins to help as well. Xena is still battling the monster on the other side. She can’t get to her chakram, which is too far away and tries to keep the monster back with her sword and torch. She’s getting tossed around a lot and Gabby finally gets enough of the rocks out of the way for a small enough hole for her to fit through. Bruny is desperately pleading for Gabrielle to wait, but as Gabby admits, she never listens and climbs through the rocks to the other side. What’s up with Bruny? Can’t Blondie take the hint? Gabby doesn’t want her. Her heart is set on a tall, dark and very sexy Warrior Princess! Gabby finds Xena’s chakram and heads off to find her lover as Beo and Bruny struggle to climb through the opening. The monster is lifting Xena up by her throat as Gabrielle comes running up and jumps on the monster’s back. She gouges the chakram into the monster’s neck over and over again as it finally releases Xena. Gabby is one tough cowgirl and rides that wriggling bull as she slices and dices him with the chakram. The bull was just too Wiley for her though and it finally tosses her off. Xena catches her chakram that flew out of Gabrielle’s hands and splits the monster straight down the middle of his belly and turns to face Gabrielle with a sadistic, satisfied look on her face as the monster fell back behind her...deader than a fumigated cockroach!

Beo and Bruny run up as Xena and Gabrielle check out the corpse lying before them. Gabrielle puts her hand on the small of Xena’s back and Xena has her hand on Gabrielle’s shoulder as Gabby asks, "Are you alright?" Xena smiles and puts her hand on Gabby’s face replying, "Yeah. I’m all right." She looks up to see Beo and Bruny stop before them. She kneels down and takes the ring off of the monster’s finger. She thinks she has killed Griny or has she? She looks at the fingers of the monster, realizing it has all ten of them. Hmmm...makes you wonder if there is another monster or whether Griny regenerated the finger Xena lapped off a long time ago. Xena looks up as if she heard something and Gabby worriedly asks, "What is it?" Beo looks at Xena for her answer who says, "Let’s get out of here," as her eyes look around the room and she walks away followed by Gabrielle who has a scared look in her eyes.

They are all walking through the forest and Gabby is trying to convince Xena that she killed it, but Xena is not so sure. She tells Gabrielle that she cut off the other one’s finger and this one had all of them. Ooh, it does sound like there’s another one! Gabrielle asks, "What was it?" as they stop and hear the monster groan in the distance. They look around and Xena replies, "That’s Grinhilda and what ever that was that I killed, she’s not happy about it."  A Raven flies onto a tree branch above them and Xena tells everyone, "I’ve got to get to the Rhein maidens, I’ve got something that belongs to them," as she walks away followed by Gabby and Beo. Bruny hangs back and looks at the Raven staring at her. Something’s up with blondie that’s for sure!

Griny finds her ugly, nasty looking counterpart in a heap, deader than a bed bug and isn’t pleased about it. The scene changes to the Raven flying towards Odin’s castle in the sky. The Raven lands on his shoulder and is singing the blues, telling him everything that’s going on. Well, that’s what I figured the little stool pigeon was doing seeing as how it was just squawking in his ear and he had a disgusted look on his face. He was not pleased at all. The group continues to trudge through the forest and Bruny is in disbelief saying to Gabby, "She really is giving up the power of the ring. She is not the Xena of the legends." Gabrielle adds, "She fights for good now," as Bruny sidles up next to her and says, "I don’t know. In battle she’s everything I imagined, yes." Xena stops and kneels down to tighten the bandage on her leg. Gabrielle explains, "There’s more to being a warrior than skill. There’s fighting for what you believe in, for people that you love," as she stops and faces Bruny. Xena looks up at Gabrielle with that comment. Bruny lovingly looks at Gabrielle and says, "You know, before I met you I never thought of a warrior as having any love but the love of battle." Xena looks up at Bruny and looks down before flicking her eyes up, nauseated by her comments. Xena doesn’t like her moving in on her woman and it’s blatantly obvious by the look she’s got on her face. Sweet Gabrielle smiles and pats Bruny on her shoulder, as she’s happy she’s helped reform another bloodthirsty warrior, oblivious to the affection Bruny has towards her. Xena says, "I’m going to tend to this. Brunhilda can you scout up ahead, see what’s over that ridge? Thank you." as Bruny gives her beloved, Gabrielle one last look and a smile before walking up ahead. Gabrielle smiles briefly and looks down to Xena who watches Bruny walk away.

Xena gets this look on her face that she absolutely hates Bruny and let me add, it’s also one of jealousy. It is such a great look that I nearly fell out of my chair when she did it. She stands up next to Gabrielle as she’s watching Bruny walk away and turns to Gabby saying, "I don’t like her!" She is wicked jealous! Gabby asks, "Why do you say that?" And Xena answers, "I don’t know she’s just not who she says she is, that’s all." I know why Xena doesn’t like her; she’s trying to move in on her babe that’s why! Gabby kind of takes offense to her comment and replies, "Xena, she’s searching. She doesn’t know what she believes in." Xena answers, "No, she believes in exactly what I used to believe in. I don’t trust her." Xena is majorly skeptical and jealous of Bruny as she walks away. Gabrielle can be so clueless at times. She has no idea that Bruny is hopelessly in love with her and Xena isn’t happy about it.

Bruny is walking through the forest and is confronted by Odin and his Valkry. Seems Bruny is a spy for Odin. He is pissed that she didn’t follow the plan of taking the ring once Xena had it when she was in a weakened state and he wants to know what went wrong. Bruny tries to explain that there were some complications. He doesn’t believe her and says that his Ravens have told him that she has fallen in love with Xena’s partner. He wants to know if it’s possible that if she were to kill Xena if she thought it would kill any chance she had with getting Gabrielle. Did I hear that right? Yes, I did! I was floored! How blatantly obvious is the maintext here? Big time! Oh, TPTB are being so darn good to us this season! She shakes her head embarrassed and pissed that he knows what’s up and says, "Those stupid stool pigeons. Odin, I had to play up to Gabrielle so she wouldn’t suspect my true motives." I think Bruny is a double agent who’s working for both sides or is she? Hmmm...makes you wonder! He’s pissed that she failed to bring him the ring and tells her to be silent. He instructs his Valkry that Xena has the power to kill gods and that she’s able take out her share of Valkry. He explains that she has a weakness, her partner Gabrielle. He informs them that if they capture her, the ring is theirs. One of the Valkry asks, "What if she doesn’t trade?" and he confidently guarantees, "Oh, she’ll trade," as he turns to Bruny, all up in her face and says, "Or Gabrielle will be killed," before he disappears.

Bruny’s heart is racing and she’s about ready to cry at the thought of her beloved Gabrielle being harmed. Who does she think she is? She doesn’t stand a chance with Gabrielle! She watches the Valkry ride off and runs off in the opposite direction. Beo steps into the picture looking off in the distance and asks, "I wonder what’s keeping Brunnhilda?" as Xena walks up beside him, skeptically worrying and says, "Something’s going on." They look around as the Valkry jump out from behind a tree and Xena draws her sword and flashes her steely gaze. The lead chick for the Valkry gang instructs them, "That one, get the blonde," as she points to Gabrielle and her group attacks Xena. Everyone wants Gabrielle! How could they not? She’s so darn cute! Xena and Beo battle the chicks and the scene changes to Bruny who’s galloping towards them with Callisto’s music playing! She snatches Gabrielle up onto the horse and flies away with her as Xena can only watch them fly off. Xena and Beo scream Gabrielle’s name before continuing their fight, as she’s long gone with Bruny. She flew off into the sunset with her! Well, more like drug off into the sunset kicking and screaming!

Xena is kicking some serious Valkry butt when Odin appears and angrily shouts, "Enough! Let’s talk about this...alone," as his Valkry leave and he approaches Xena. He offers a trade, Gabrielle for the ring. Xena’s not going for it and tells him, "No, I saw your face when Brunnhilda carried Gabrielle off, she’s acting alone," and turned to walk away. He mockingly laughs and informs her that she killed Grinhilda’s son of which Xena is surprised to find out Griny was with child when she turned into the huge cockroach. He tauntingly tells her she’ll be pissed when she finds out Xena is the one who killed him. He informs Xena that if he enlists Griny’s help they would be in formidable. He tells Xena to give him the ring back and to go home to Greece where she belongs. Xena tries to convince him that she’s taking the ring back to the Rhein maidens, but he doesn’t want that to happen. He’s got a different agenda; he wants to keep the ring for himself to ensure his power against other gods. Xena sarcastically asks him, "Have you forsaken love?" and he disgustingly retorts, "After you, it wasn’t very hard." Xena tells him she’d be a fool to give it to him and he tells her that she leaves him no choice. He angrily reminds her that her ability to forsake love is long gone and he’ll give Grinhilda her regards as he disappears.

Beo tells Xena where Bruny has taken Gabrielle and she wants him to take her there as they run off. Bruny stops the horse and Gabrielle asks her, "What are you doing?" Bruny dismounts and stands before Gabrielle telling her, "Odin and the others were going to kill you for the ring." Gabby’s pissed and tells her, "We left Xena to fight them all!" Bruny angrily snaps, "Is Xena all that you think about?" Gabby says, "Well, yeah and sex with Xena!" Oh, geez...I did it again! A little Cruise embellishment there...this is what Gabrielle really said. "She’s..." as she raised her hands up frustrated by the blonde before her and continued, "Xena is my lover...oops sorry...did it again...Xena is my family, she’s the most important thing in my life." Gabrielle is desperately trying to explain this to the clueless Bruny who looks like a scorned lover on prom night. She is very upset and replies, "Gabrielle listen to me, I bring to Valhalla the bravest warriors slain in battle...hero’s, but your heart has more truth and courage than any I’ve seen. The beauty inside you burns like a star Gabrielle. I was supposed to betray you and Xena, but I couldn’t, not now, you’ve changed me. You’ve opened my eyes the way you’ve changed Xena." Gabrielle is shocked and in disbelief and says, "I don’t know what to say," as Bruny smiles relieved and thinks she has a chance with Gabrielle who tells her, "I’m sorry," and walks away to find her lover Xena. Bruny gets pissed and stops her angrily telling her, "I defied my god for you Gabrielle!"

The scene changes to the mineshaft where Griny is mourning her dead child as Odin appears and tells her Xena killed her child. They make a pact to work together and they disappear. Gabrielle is back trying to explain to Bruny about her and Xena. She tells her, "Xena and I have a connection, it’s stronger than either one of us. We’re soul mates." Gabrielle looks like she’s tired of trying to tell this clueless woman about their undying love for one another and is just exasperated by her ineptitude to comprehend that they are soul mates and to back off! Bruny pleads her case to Gabrielle, "My love is strong, I can feel it." Gabrielle tells her, "I’m trying to tell you. Xena and I are meant to be together. We didn’t...we didn’t make it that way, it just is." I thought Gabrielle was going to have to hit poor love struck Bruny over the head with one of her Sais’ to give her a clue that she is not interested in her. She wants her tall, dark and devastatingly gorgeous Warrior Princess. Gabby hears Xena shouting her name off in the distance and turns towards it shouting, "Xena," as Bruny pulls her sword on Gabrielle saying, "If I can’t have you no one’s going to have you!" Oh, wait...that’s Xena’s line and from a different episode! No, she says, "I can see your heart lies with Xena, but I’ll prove to you which one of us deserves your love," as they walk away, searching for Xena.

Xena and Beo are walking in the same area as Bruny and Gabrielle, but can’t see them. Xena asks Beo if he knows his way around this place. He tells her, "I never had a reason to enter this fowl pit, but for Gabrielle I will go through the fires of hell," as they stop and hear Gabrielle shout Xena’s name, but they can’t see her. It seems like everyone is in love with Gabrielle. I’m not sure why Beo is so hooked on Gabrielle, he’s barely said two words to her throughout the episode, but he’d go through the fires of hell for her though! We must have missed a clip of the two them that would explain their connection better. Bruny’s I can understand, they’ve been attached at the hip for the majority of the episode, but Beo is a different matter. Odin appears and sends a fireball straight into Beo’s chest sending him on his backside. Odin, with his Valkry standing behind him, demands that Xena give him the ring. Ooops, wrong statement to say to Xena fella! Xena tells him, "Step aside or join the Olympians!" He sarcastically says, "Very well...I like the odds," and Xena defiantly answers, "So do I." He throws a fireball her way and she rolls out of harms way only to be captured by the ugly Griny. Gabrielle calls out Xena’s name and Odin turns to his Valkry telling them, "Find her and on my order," as he turns to Xena and smiles, "Kill her," as he tauntingly laughs in Xena’s face as she’s struggling to get out of Griny’s grasp.

Beo struggles to a standing position and raises his weapon, as Odin looks his way; Xena kicks him in the face knocking him backwards. The Valkry chicks attack Beo and Xena uses her dagger to punch a hole in Griny’s knee. Odin throws a hatchet towards Xena and she launches her chakram at him slicing his weapon in two. He ducks as the chakram keeps coming after him, keeping him busy temporarily. Beo goes to attack one of the chicks and she stabs him in the side. Xena sees it and worriedly screams his name out as he falls to the ground wounded. Griny knocks Xena against a tree as Odin and her approach her cornering Xena.  Odin tells her to give him the ring and he won’t kill her friend as Xena glances over at the wounded Beo lying there. Xena pulls out the ring and puts it to her finger, threatening to put it on. Odin tells her, "You must forsake love to gain the rings power. Your feelings for Gabrielle guarantee that it won’t work for you." Xena partially slips it on her finger and tells him, "The ring works for everyone at first, ask her," as her eyes flick up to the ugly cockroach Griny." Odin says, "Yes, but eventually it kills the essence of one that has not forsaken love. What do you hold dearest in your heart Xena, are you ready to lose it?" She glaringly stares at him and says, "I’m out of options Odin," as he becomes pissed and yells, "Kill her and kill Gabrielle!" Xena pushes the ring all the way on her finger and has the surge of godlike power course through her.

Everyone steps back, afraid of her. She stands up angrily staring at them and you see her hand open up and her sword comes up from the ground by itself into her hand, followed by her chakram. Very cool! She smirks arrogantly and Odin sends some fireballs her way, which do nothing. Xena kills the Valkry easily. The scene changes to Gabrielle chasing Bruny and telling her, "You can’t win. Listen to me this is wrong," as she’s walking over logs and catches up to Bruny who is on a mission to prove her love to Gabrielle. I would really like to know if there is a blooper from this scene. Gabrielle trips over the log and nearly falls down. I’m not sure if that was suppose to be in there or what, but I’d be interested to see if they did that one a few times. Gabrielle tells her, "Can we, let’s just talk about this?" and hears the Valkry approach to attack them. Bruny heroically pushes Gabrielle aside to fight them and handedly beats fights two of them as Gabrielle is fighting the other one. Bruny flips one of them over on their back and coldly walks up and plunges her sword through their gut. Gabby whacks her assailant across the face with her Sais, easily defeating her. Bruny walks up to Gabrielle after pulling her sword out of the dead chick and says, "They’re going to kill Xena before I get a chance to prove my love to you." She’s really upset and disappointed by the look on her face and is quite eager to get in there to fight some more.

Gabrielle has had enough and grabs her by the shoulders to stop her. She shakes her to snap her out of what she’s saying and angrily asks, "What are you fighting for? You want to win my love? You’re going to shed blood for what? For me? You call that love? You’re sick!" Gabrielle is in disbelief and is disgusted by Bruny’s intentions and runs off. Bruny is devastated as she watches Gabrielle leave.  Xena continues to battle on against Odin and Griny. She hears Gabrielle call out her name and looks over her shoulder to look. She stops fighting and runs off. The lead Valkry chick tells Odin, "She’s got the ring." He tells her, "Let her go. Right now, it’s killing what she values the most."  Xena is walking through the trees and hears Bruny call out her name. She stops and turns to her. Bruny tells her, "Odin will bring all of his forces upon Gabrielle until you give up that ring." Xena is dazed and confused as she looks down at it. Bruny continues, "You have to trust me it’s the..." she notices the ring on Xena’s finger and says, "You’ve put the ring on your finger, take it off!" Xena looks at her scared and moves her hand away from Bruny saying, "I don’t know what you’re talking about." Bruny is confused and in disbelief saying, "The curse is already working." Xena is dazed and says, "I don’t know how I got here. I don’t know my name, what’s my name?" as she looks at Bruny.

Bruny says, "You’ve lost your memory, your sense of self. What about Gabrielle?" Xena sadly and softly answers, "I don’t know her." Bruny is worried and demands, "Xena give me the ring," as she reaches out for it. Xena asks, "Why does everybody want my ring?" as she pulls her hand away from Bruny. Bruny tells her, "Xena give me the ring and they will all leave you alone," as she reaches for it again. Xena has lost her memory big time and drops her sword. She looks at the ring on her finger and takes it off, handing it to Bruny. Bruny thanks her and runs off leaving Xena standing there bewildered and alone. Poor Xena! She takes off her chakram and holds it too tightly, making her hand bleed. She gets nervous and drops it. The scene changes to Gabrielle shouting for Xena and she runs into Bruny and tells her, "Brunnhilda, I’m going to find Xena." She tells Gabrielle, "Xena won’t know you." Gabrielle is stunned and says, "Won’t...won’t know me? What are you talking about?" with a nervous chuckle and smile, she’s in denial. Bruny sympathetically tells her, "She put on the ring." Gabrielle shakes her head and says, "No," softly as Bruny says, "And she lost what she values the most...you. The memories of you and the woman that you helped her to become." Gabrielle just can’t believe it and says, "No," again as she is in shock. Bruny picks up her hand and places the ring in it. Bruny says, "Here, this ring is too powerful to fall into undeserving hands," as she places the ring in the palm of her hand and closes it over the ring. She lovingly looks at Gabrielle and is near tears as she continues, "And so are you, but I can’t protect you in this form, not from Odin. He and Grinhilda will stop at nothing. They’ll kill everything associated with Xena."

Gabby’s extremely confused and asks, "In this form?" Bruny smiles and tells her, "I’ll become an eternal flame for you, only your true soul mate will be able to pass through the fire, you’ll be safe." Bruny reassuringly smiled and released Gabrielle’s hands as she backed away from her. She clasped her hands together, closed her eyes and began to chant something unintelligible as Gabrielle stood by watching her. She turned into a wall of fire and told Gabrielle, "You see Gabrielle, you have changed me," as the fire passes by Gabrielle and instantly changes her outfit to a khaki colored gown. Not sure why Gabrielle had to be changed into that dress, but she’s got a new costume. She has gone crazy with these outfits this season!

The scene changes to Beo who is wounded but not mortally. He stands up and finds Xena’s weapons. He looks around and shouts for her, but doesn’t find her. There is a ring of fire completely surrounding Gabrielle now who has become very tired and she lays down on a huge rock in the center of the ring of fire, still clutching the ring, waiting for her beloved soul mate to find her.  Her soul mate Xena is disoriented and is out of her mind. She doesn’t remember anything...not even her beloved Gabrielle. She’s hearing voices and is ready to snap. She’s mumbling, "I can hear you, laughing at me," as she falls to her knees, crying and says, "Who am I? Please tell me," in a whisper as we hear voices laughing. She puts her hands on her face and looks up, taking them away, shouting in a blood curdling scream, "Who am I?" as the Xena changes to the dark sky with the cloud cover and Xena still screaming, "Who am I?" as those three beloved words of bards appear on screen...TO BE CONTINUED!

The preview for next week is extremely short compared to all of the other one’s. I guess they didn’t want to give too much away. The announcer says, "A dangerous crisis of identity," as they show Xena looking at her chakram dumfounded and then the scene changes to the Valkry on their flying horses, then to Xena standing with Beo as she has on a cream colored dress and he tells her, "they know who you are and they want you dead," as they look at the Valkry dismounting their horses. The announcer says, "Is this really the Warrior Princess?" As the lead Valkry chick says, "Yeah right," and they show them choking Xena before they beat her up as the clip ends. Like I said, extremely short. I’ve heard that Xena is to be married in next week’s episode and I’m guessing that maybe she is going to marry Beo for some reason. It might be a way of him protecting her from Odin and the Valkry, but from the looks of their outfits in that clip, I would guess he’s the one she marries. We’ll have to see if my guess is correct! The best rumor yet is the one were Xena passes through the fire and kisses Gabrielle to regain her memory. Next week is supposed to be a ‘sleeping beauty’ type of an episode and I’m sure it will be great! I’m looking forward to that one! Let’s hope it’s a meaningful kiss that we can see and that they don’t clip away from it.

I really enjoyed this episode a great deal. TPTB have and are giving us what we want from Xena and Gabrielle. They are confirming every week that they girls are one hot item and that they are the only ones for each other. I loved the blatant ‘outing’ of them in this episode and the jealous between Xena and Bruny for Gabrielle. Fabulous! Just loved it and I can’t wait to see what happens next week! I think the dude playing Odin is perfect for that part and is doing a great job with it. I was worried about Bruny, but she came through for Xena and Gabrielle, big time! She could have used Xena’s amnesia to her advantage with Gabrielle, but she didn’t. What a heart stopper this one was with all of the maintext in there. Subtext is dead; maintext is the real deal now! Loved it!

Enjoy!