The Ides of March

Summary
Images of Xena and Gabrielle torture Callisto, who is trapped in a place filled with fire and brimstone. The lord of this place has a two part task for Callisto: corrupt Xena and aid Julius Caesar's rise to power. Callisto sees the job as a way out of her torment and eagerly accepts. However, she can't hurt Xena physically herself, she must corrupt her spiritually by taking her away from The Way of the Warrior. Caesar is in bed, having a nightmare about Xena, who pulls a knife on him. Caesar awakens to find Callisto in his room and she has a proposition for him. At Callisto's request, Caesar places a huge price on Xena's head.

Xena, Gabrielle and Amarice are near the docks, seeking passage to Athens so Gabrielle can find Eli. Amarice isn't very happy about this, but Xena tells her that whatever Gabrielle wants, Gabrielle gets. Suddenly a spear hurls at Xena. She catches it, and she and Amarice fight off the warriors. Amarice is saved by Gabrielle who throws a rope around the warrior's legs, throwing him down and saving Amarice. Xena learns, that Caesar has put 6 million dinars on her head. Hearing this, Xena decides to go to Rome and settle her feud with Caesar by killing him. She leaves Gabrielle and Amarice behind in fear of the visions she has had of her and Gabrielle being crucified in Rome. Callisto tells Caesar that Xena will come to him. As Xena pursues her destiny, Gabrielle and Amarice visit Eli, who is teaching his peaceful ways in Greece. However, all three are captured by Brutus and taken to Rome. Brutus expresses his dislike for arresting Gabrielle, but promises her that no harm will come to her. He tells her that Caesar needs her to insure that Xena will not kill him.

When Xena arrives in Rome, dressed as a Roman solider and sees Caesar at his desk and makes an attempt on Caesar's life by throwing her charkram at Caesar's throat, Callisto catches the charkram, Xena is surprised to find Callisto. Xena fights the guards and jumps out the window. Callisto appears to Xena and tells Xena about going to oblibion, which she says is Hell, according to her lord. Callisto also tells Xena that Caesar is about to declare himself emperor, and that Gabrielle is in Roman hands. At the roman prisons, Gabrielle, Eli, Amarice are forced into a prison where crosses are being constructed. Amarice tries to fight her way out of the prison, but she gets knocked in the head. Gabrielle jumps onto Amarice's body to protect her, and Brutus stops the soldiers from killing Gabrielle and Amarice, when she mentions Ephiny's death to him.

Xena tracks down Brutus and warns him that on the Ides of March, Caesar will drop any pretence of wanting to establish a democracy and will "remove" anyone that stands in his way. She tells him that Caesar will transfer him to Gaul, and then arrange for his death. Brutus does not believe her, but he tells Xena where she can find Gabrielle. At the prison Gabrielle and Eli meditate. Gabrielle achieves a preferred state of mental nothingness. Xena arrives at the prison Callisto appears, and tries to offer Xena serenity and peace in exchange for Gabrielle's life. Callisto knows of Xena's fateful visions and offers her the chance to ensure that they do not come true. In order to avoid her death, Xena must stop her warrior ways and become a messenger of peace. Xena refuses her offer and rides on. Meanwhile, Brutus is troubled by Caesar's plan to execute Gabrielle, in spite of his former promise that she would be safe. When Caesar offers him command of Gaul, Brutus realizes that Xena's predictions about Caesar appear to be coming true.



Callisto tries to talk to Xena again one last time while Xena sneaks into the prison. Xena pretty much ignores her, and Callisto lets out a Xena yell, alerting the soldiers. Xena helps Gabrielle and their friends break out of prison, but as they escape, Callisto throws the chakram into Xena's back, shattering her spine and breaking the weapon in two. Xena falls and Gabrielle turns back to help her. To protect her friend, Gabrielle strays from the path of nonviolence and fights valiantly. She grabs a spear and throws it through the soldier, killing him. She grabs a sword and starts whacking away, and she kills a lot of soldiers defending Xena. Callisto is watching this, and is very surprised by Gabrielle's actions, finding them interesting. She keeps calling for Xena to go, but Xena is paralyzed from where the chakram apparently broke her spine or something. She cries out for Gabrielle to stop. Gabrielle puts a dagger in somebody and pauses when she sees the knife in her own hand, and drops it, but both are captured by the romans.

As Xena and Gabrielle make their peace with each other, Brutus plots with the other Senators to kill the power-hungry Caesar. Xena and Gabrielle talk about Gabrielle losing her way, Gabrielle tells her it was a choice she made and that the way of friendship is more important. Xena apologizes to Gabrielle for not treating her right. Gabrielle tells Xena that the warrior saved her a long time ago. Xena says she wishes she had read Gabrielle's scrolls. Both Xena and Gabrielle are taken out of the prison to be placed on the crosses, as Callisto watches. As Xena and Gabrielle are being tied to the crosses, Callisto talks to Xena telling her about her lords plans, and she tells her that Caesar will declare himself empire of Rome as she and Gabrielle are killed. Brutus and the senate succeed in assassinating Caeser, and Xena and Gabrielle are crucified. Callisto's mission is a failure and she is summoned back by her master. Xena and Gabrielle's spirits rise heavenward. She calls for Gabrielle, and her spirit comes out. They clutch hands and disappear to the afterlife.

Background Information

 * This episode was originally known as "Xena and Caesar".
 * This episode introduces the concept of the Christian version of Hell to the Xenaverse.
 * This episode was originally suppose to air as the season final, instead of Deja Vu All Over Again.
 * One scene was cut from the final episode - scene 46 from Act Four - occurring between Scene 45 where Xena and Gabrielle say goodbye to one another and Scene 47 where their spirits float above the crosses. In the cut scene, Callisto appears back in Hell, with Nailscot telling her their Lord is displeased because she failed both missions, and has a new punishment in store. Twenty Xenas surround her and Callisto screams.
 * Callisto makes her first appearence on the show since Sacrifice(II), almost a whole season ago.
 * This is the last we see of Gabrielle's India outfit. It certainly has the shortest run out of all her costumes, a mere 8 episodes.
 * It was Lucy's idea to have Xena accost Brutus while he was having a pee. David Franklin said of her idea, "We thought it was a great idea! After all, when are you more vulnerable?"
 * There was talk about including Ares in this episode, and he was going to witness the death of Xena on crosses, but Kevin Smith was busy filming Young Hercules and Hercules at the time, and it didn't work out. Deja Vu All Over Again therefore became the only episode featuring Ares. Ted Raimi aswell could not be worked into the script, because of Ted's other projects, so the writers were forced to write Joxer into the storyline for the season 5 opener Fallen Angel, where he travels to Rome because of nightmares about Xena and Gabrielle.
 * The writer RJ Stewart refused to start working on the script until he knew If Hudson Leick would be available to do this episode.
 * When asked to return for this episode, Hudson Leick said she would do it if Callisto got a different outfit. So she was given the angelic appearance to counter her new demonic position.
 * This is only the second time Gabrielle has killed in the series. Quite a feat considering she is a central character in an action series.
 * When Xena's chakram broke they strongly considered giving her a new weapon, but they decided to to have the best of both worlds by having her keep her chakram with its new and improved form.
 * When Gabrielle stabs the Roman soldier Renee actually cut her own ring finger because she was concentrating so much on not stabbing the stuntie. She didn't immediately know that she had done so- she realized it when she saw the blood on the blade!
 * There is a blooper reel clip of Karl Urban (Caesar) telling the Roman Senate that he has an important announcement- he has created a new salad!
 * Lucy Lawless was several months pregnant during the filming of this episode.
 * This episode marks the death of Julius Caesar.
 * This episode marks the second death of Xena and the first and only death of Gabrielle so far. Note: Gabrielle didn't actually die in Sacrifice, Part 2 she was just thought to be. Gabrielle did technically die for a few minutes in "Is There a Doctor in the House" and even went over to The Other Side, but was brought back to life by CPR.
 * The opening "sex" scene of Julius Caesar's dream of sharing Xena's charms was cut in part in some airings of the episode.
 * The character Alti (Claire Stansfield) was cut from this episode in favor of Callisto (Hudson Leick).

Guest Stars

 * Hudson Leick as Callisto
 * Karl Urban as Julius Caesar