Return of Callisto

Gabrielle's consumed by hatred and a desire for vengeance after an escaped Callisto murders her beloved, Perdicas in an attempt to punish Xena.

Summary
Callisto, the fierce woman warrior who has vowed revenge on Xena for the death of her family, manages to escape a brutal Mycenaean prison through her awesome strength and cunning, leaving a string of murdered guards in her wake. Meanwhile, Xena and Gabrielle are awakened in the middle of the night by Perdicas, a warrior once engaged to marry Gabrielle. Determined to be done with killing, Perdicas declares his undying love for Gabrielle and proposes to her once again. Overwhelmed by emotion, she's unable to give him an immediate answer and Xena suggests that he accompany them to Athens. Along the way, they are joined by Joxer, who brings news of Callisto's escape. Soon they come upon Callisto sacking a village. Xena draws her sword and starts to advance on her enemy, but Callisto distracts her by hurling a dagger at an innocent young girl, whom Xena rescues at the last minute. As Callisto makes her escape, she promises to destroy Xena's soul before ultimately taking her life. In the aftermath of the brutal raid, Perdicas renounces fighting forever and Gabrielle decides to accept his proposal and return home with him.

Gabrielle marries Perdicas in the village temple and bids Xena a tearful goodbye. Though deeply grieved by the departure of her dear friend, Xena stoically continues on in her pursuit of Callisto, who cannot suppress her delight when she learns that Gabrielle is no longer with the warrior princess. Callisto is gone by the time Xena and Joxer reach her mountain stronghold. By putting her special "touch" on Callisto's lieutenant Theodorus, Xena realizes that her enemy has gone after Gabrielle. Racing to intercept Gabrielle and Perdicas on their journey home, she arrives just as Callisto is about to slay her friend. The two woman warriors face each other once more in battle. When Callisto charges Gabrielle and Xena jumps to block the attack, Callisto suddenly changes course and plunges her sword into Perdicas before galloping off on her horse. In a state of shock, Gabrielle falls on the body of her beloved.

As Xena sings a sad funeral dirge over Perdicas' blazing funeral pyre, a grief-stricken Gabrielle vows to kill Callisto. Xena urges her friend not to allow Callisto to turn her heart into a cauldron of hate, but her words have no effect. Finally, at Gabrielle's insistence, Xena agrees to teach her some basic sword techniques. That night, they sneak up on the stronghold, where the evil one and her men are in the midst of a party. Xena tells Gabrielle she has found an unguarded passage into Callisto's lair and plans to wait until dawn and go in alone. Telling Xena she has decided to go home to mourn Perdicas' death, Gabrielle sneaks into the stronghold wielding Perdicas' sword, but cannot bring herself to kill the sleeping Callisto. After taking Gabrielle prisoner, Callisto captures Xena and forces her to watch as she prepares to burn Gabrielle at the stake. At the last moment, however, Joxer appears and distracts Callisto long enough for Xena to retrieve her chakram and escape her bonds. The two women resume their epic battle in a blur of flashing swords. Finally driven outside the cavern by Xena, Callisto leaps onto her chariot and thunders off. Xena jumps onto Theodorus' chariot and sets off in hot pursuit. Continuing to fight each other from the chariots, they are finally thrown off into a pit of quicksand. Xena is able to save herself with the help of a tree branch as Callisto sinks beneath the surface and perishes.

Disclaimer
Although Xena finally conquered her dark nemesis Callisto, it took her weeks to get the sand out of her leather unmentionables.

Background Information
1) To stop Callisto from killing a villager. 2) To save Gabrielle from being burnt. 3) To get it stuck in a rock, so that her whip would have something to latch on to.
 * In the Starlog 2000 Magazine #271, R.J. Stewart stated that Callisto and Return of Callisto "was originally conceived as a three-parter when I first pitched it, but the wisdom was, why commit to a three-parter until we see what the girl was like? We decided to do one stand-alone and see who we cast and if it worked. I think virtually everybody on the Earth agrees we cast it pretty well with Hudson Leick." [1]
 * Chakram Count : 3
 * This is the first time we see Xena pray.
 * Director T.J. Scott added the chariot race to the end of the episode in order to give the script a "spectacular finish."
 * Originally Gabrielle was supposed to fall in love with someone new, but they decided it was too sudden for Gabrielle to get so emotionally involved, so they decided to bring back her old love Perdicus.
 * The writers originally intended to have Spaerus, the character from Chariots of War to be brought back in Return of Callisto and end up married to Gabrielle, but killed by Callisto. They ended up going with Perdicas instead.
 * Michelle Calvert who was Callisto's body double, died after this episode was shot.
 * The original ending had Xena saving Callisto.
 * Callisto dies for the first time on Xena.

Memorable Quotations
"That's the last one."

"What do you mean?"

"From here on out, all I want on my hands is Callisto's blood."

"Gabrielle, leave Callisto to me. You need time to mourn."

"I have the rest of my life to mourn. I want to see her dead."

"Gabrielle."

"In the morning, I'm going after her. Now, the question is, are you going to come with me or not?"
 * –Gabrielle and Xena

Guest Stars

 * Hudson Leick as Callisto
 * Ted Raimi as Joxer
 * Scott Garrison as Perdicus
 * David Te Rare as Theodorus