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Xena and Gabrielle visit a temple of the fates at the anniversary of Xena`s brother, Lyceus` death. After the temple is attacked, Xena instinctivly kills a soldier who turns out to be a young boy. Disgusted with herself, she is not comforted by the Fates themselves, who appear to her. When she wishes she had never taken up the sword, the Fates grant her wish, and Xena is now a village girl, and Lyceus is alive. However, there is a price for this, and Xena realizes that it is not all that simple to live without spilling blood, even in a just cause.
This is a wonderful story, that may sound a bit corny- a real take off of It`s A Wonderful Life, but it works very well indeed. Lucy Lawless gets out of the leather for a change, and is a village girl with her younger brother alive and well, and a slightly weedy fiance. She again handles the emotional scenes very well, as Xena talks to her dead mother in a beautiful scene. Renee O`Connor is the gloomy one in this story, as she is now a hopelessly resigned slave girl who Xena helps. This story gives Xena some justification for her actions. We all have regrets, but Xena is shown that life isn`t as simple as one or two choices. Her life as a warlord may have had terrible consequences, but life would not necessarily be better with her as a simple village girl. It also seemes to give Xena some peace of mind. In the early part of the episode she is very much down on herself and her part in her brother`s death. By the end, Xena is more at ease with her decisions it appears. This sort of episode can`t be done too often or it will become jaded and tired, but this one works really well.
DISCLAIMER:Xena`s memory was not damaged or...what was I saying?
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