In modern day USA, Annie Day believes she is the reincarnation of Xena. Her boyfriend, Harry O'Casey reluctantly takes her to see Mattie Merrill, a psychologist who specializes in past life experiences.
Summary
In the present day, a woman, Annie, wakes up suddenly from a vision. She shakes her boyfriend, Harry, awake to tell him that she is convinced that she was Xena, the Warrior Princess, in a past life. Harry dismisses her dream as indigestion and believes that she is obsessed with the television show. Annie is undeterred and insists that, not only did she use to be Xena, but also that she has been going into a trance and appearing as the Xena vigilante that has been protecting members of their community. Concerned, Harry reluctantly goes with Annie to Dr. Mattie Merrill, an expert in past lives. Harry does not believe in this new age practice and is alarmed to find the waiting room filled with people dressed as famous historical people. Mattie hypnotizes Annie, who wakes up filled with horror. She realizes that she was not Xena - She was Joxer.
Hearing Annie's scream, Harry rushes past Marco, the receptionist. He tries to console Annie, who is distraught after learning she was the comic relief for her hero. Annie also realizes that Mattie's soul was in the past with her. Mattie agrees to hypnotize herself and is shocked to discover that her "treatment" is real. She admites that her practice was conceived by her and Marco as a scam. Harry remains skeptical and allows himself to be put into a trance to prove that it is a hoax. He is surprised to find that the visions seem real, but he is uncomfortable continuing the trance. As he starts to leave the office, Marco enters with a revolver and a bomb and stops him. He ties up Harry, Annie and Mattie, starts the bomb's timer and leaves.
Realizing that Xena escaped from similar situations, Harry has Mattie regress all of them back once again. Even more confused by the memories, Annie is convinced that she was actually Xena and unsuccessfully tries to help them escape. After one last past life regression, Harry realizes that he is the reincarnation of Xena and that he has been acting as the vigilante. After Harry releases everyone and defuses the bomb, Marco enters the room and congratulates them on their success. Laughing, he morphs into the God of War, Ares.
When confronted by Harry, Ares explains that he has a chance to rule the world in the coming millennium. He wants Xena to be by his side, regardless of the body her soul is inhabiting. With his past life memory restored, Harry refuses to join forces and they fight. Fortunately, since no one worships the Greek deities anymore, Ares has very limited powers. With the help of Annie, Harry is able to temporarily defeat the weakened god, who promises a rematch and flees. Realizing that Mattie must be Gabrielle and therefore Harry's soulmate, Annie decides to allow them to renew their relationship. As Harry and Mattie get reacquainted and kiss, Annie consoles herself with a rousing rendition of "Annie, the Mighty."
Disclaimer
No Sword-Wielding, Card-Playing, Therapy-Seeking French Freedom Fighters were deflowered during the production of this motion picture. However, rumors of Custer and Pocahontas remain unconfirmed.
Background Information
Behind the Scenes
- Clips used in this episode:
- "Callisto"
- "Sacrifice II"
- "Intimate Stranger"
- "In Sickness and in Hell" (x2)
- "A Family Affair"
- "The Quest"
- "Return of Callisto"
- "The Reckoning"
- "One Against an Army"
- "Sins of the Past"
- "Altared States"
- "Destiny"
- "The Price"
- "Between the Lines"
- "The Prodigal"
- "A Good Day"
- "The Lost Mariner"
- "Is There a Doctor in the House?"
- "A Day in the Life"
- "One Against an Army"
- "Vanishing Act"
- "Sins of the Past"
- "A Tale of Two Muses"
- This episode marks Robert Trebor's last appearance in the entire franchise.
- Lucy was supposed to sing "Annie the Mighty", but Lucy ad-libbed "Annie Bananie" in rehearsal and they all loved it, so they kept it.
- This was the last episode of costume designer Ngila Dickson. She left Xena: Warrior Princess to work on Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, also made in New Zealand.
- Unfortuately Renee's favorite scene was removed from the final cut of this episode. It was a very campy clip of Harry dressing up in the Xena outfit.
- This episode shares its name with an episode of Charmed (its first season finale, which also aired in May 1999). Coincidentally the story of that episode was edited by Edithe Swensen, the woman who wrote "The Haunting of Amphipolis".
- This Episode marks Renée O'Connor's directing debut. She is only the third woman to direct an episode of Xena: Warrior Princess.
Key Events
- This is the second episode to take place in modern times. The first was Season Two's "The Xena Scrolls."
- This episode marks the first appearance of Annie Day, Mattie Merrill and Harry O'Casey.
- Ares is still trying to get to Xena. He was unleashed unto the modern world in "The Xena Scrolls" and subsequently tried to get Hercules: The Legendary Journeys off the air in "Yes, Virginia, There is a Hercules".
Goofs
- When Ares reveals himself, it's clear that Annie (standing behind Harry) is being played by Lucy's stand-in for a brief shot.
Trivia
- This is the only episode of the season in which Ares appears.
- As in "The Quest", Xena and Gabrielle kiss romantically on the lips when Xena is in a man's body. This time, it is clearly intentional for both parties.
Links and References
Guest Stars
- Kevin Smith as Ares
- Robert Trebor as Marco
- Ted Raimi as Harry O'Casey
References
People
- Marco (Ares)
- Harry O'Casey
- Mattie Merrill
- Annie Day
- Joan of Arc's future being
- Joan of Arc (Mentioned)
- Xena: Warrior Princess (Mentioned)
- Xena (Mentioned, archive footage)
- Gabrielle (Mentioned, archive footage)
- Joxer (Mentioned, archive footage)
- Callisto (Mentioned, archive footage)
- Hope (Archive footage)
- The Destroyer (Archive footage)
- Marmax (Archive footage)
- Theodorus (Archive footage)
- Phlanagus (Archive footage)
- Temecula (Archive footage)
Deities
Places
- United States of America
- Potedia (Mentioned)
- Amphipolis (Mentioned)
- Greece (Mentioned, archive footage)
- India (Archive footage)
Other
| << Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 >> | ||||||
| #01 | Adventures in the Sin Trade | #09 | Past Imperfect | #17 | The Play's the Thing | |||
| #02 | Adventures in the Sin Trade II | #10 | The Key to the Kingdom | #18 | The Convert | |||
| #03 | A Family Affair | #11 | Daughter of Pomira | #19 | Takes One to Know One | |||
| #04 | In Sickness and in Hell | #12 | If the Shoe Fits... | #20 | Endgame | |||
| #05 | A Good Day | #13 | Paradise Found | #21 | The Ides of March | |||
| #06 | A Tale of Two Muses | #14 | Devi | #22 | Deja Vu All Over Again | |||
| #07 | Locked Up and Tied Down | #15 | Between the Lines | |||||
| #08 | Crusader | #16 | The Way | |||||