Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (xenawp7706) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 04:33:01 GMT

All the opinions are good, but let me express mine.
This is one of my favourite season 6 episodes and I really love Xena's dark side here. All this lust, this behaviour she has is due to the fact that darkness is in her heart coming from hell. This is not the Xena we know, this is the Xena that is supposed to take Mephistofelis place. Someone maybe thinks: she is out of charachter. Well of course she is: that is not Xena. The darkness is speaking through her. When at the end the...

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (TheEpTalk) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:16:33 GMT

Very good insight LadyRowanD,

Xena holds onto her current stellar morality by a very thin thread, and I don't find it at all unreasonable that any slight intervention (like an open mouth to hell), could push her a bit toward a questionable side of the line.

An excellent point well expressed ! I'm horrible expressing my reasoning sometimes and it hit right at why I'm most often understanding of Xena swinging into seeming evil to accomplish...

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (CasualFan) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:16:44 GMT

Glad to see you're willing to speak up for your PoV, LadyRowanD - every fan watches the show with a slightly different take, which is why we participate on these threads in the first place. The best Ep-of-the-Week threads are the ones that spark lively debates, and pretty much everyone on this board is careful to separate opinions from the person expressing them, and to respect the individual's right to enjoy different aspects of the series.

In retrospect, perhaps I...

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (meaurel) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:15:30 GMT

I actually like this episode, because we get to see Xena hit eve, and boy had she had it comming!
(Sorry, im not gonna write a long review)

I liked it, exept for the beggining. Buuut, this episode was the one that made me wake up and feel the arrogant side of xena.

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (MoyCullen) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:28:04 GMT

LadyRowanD: I want to echo what LadyKate said her post. Actually one of the biggest appeals for me participating in XOC is the great diversity of opinion. I don't want to expose myself and my opinions only to people who would say "me too". That's not interesting at all. Although we have very different opinions on HOD, I enjoyed reading your thoughts and you made some interesting observations that I hadn't thought of before, especially the one about Gabrielle have a...

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (Pandora10) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:47:58 GMT

hi LadyRowanD I like HOD too, though perhaps for some different reasons. But I agree with you that the mixing of different mythologies/religions didn't bother me at all. I liked the idea of the Xena version of the seven deadly sins.
Also, I didn't mind Xena's actions in HOD - the fact that she basically corrupted another because she didn't want to go to Hell. Maybe part of the reason I don't mind is the assumption...

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (LadyRowanD) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:17:17 GMT

Just wanted to quickly reassure you about wading into the discussion threads. No one around here gets "lynched" for anything. We go by the hallowed principle of Voltaire -- "I may disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." ...

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (LadyKate63) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:53:29 GMT

Hi LadyRowanD,

Just wanted to quickly reassure you about wading into the discussion threads. No one around here gets "lynched" for anything. We go by the hallowed principle of Voltaire -- "I may disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." (Actually,

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (LadyRowanD) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:42:47 GMT

Okay, I'm going to briefly and carefully step in here. I have thus far not joined in the ep discussions, and I'm starting to think maybe I won't, since I'm discovering that large portions of the fandom seem to have negative views toward some of my favorite episodes, and I would prefer to stay in my "happy place" and not have my joy in these eps darkened at all. But that's not to say I don't feel...

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (xenawp7706) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:07:00 GMT

I rewatched the episode recently and I have to say that Xena makes a good and sexy devil

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (gravitystar) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 04:45:20 GMT

Wasn't the "Greed" sin to do with when she offered him 'everything' and he considers it?

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (LadyKate63) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:58:19 GMT

Just a few quick comments -- hopefully I'll add more after rewatching the ep.

I have to say I don't blame Xena so much as the writers who came up with the "Whoever kills Mephistopheles must inherit his throne" idea. (Did they borrow that from The Santa Clause, btw?) However, I like Casual Fan's suggestion that it would have been great to turn Fallen Angel on its head in this episode so that Xena's self-sacrifice was rewarded with...

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (TheEpTalk) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:21:07 GMT

Thanks LK --I like the avatar too and a friend sent this banner so I'm using it for a bit as soon I'll likely make one more similar to what I had if not return to using the former.

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (LadyKate63) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:26:22 GMT

I'll weigh in on this a bit later but for now just wanted to say that of course your viewpoint is welcome, Ep -- the more different opinions the merrier, that's how it works.

I love your avatar! (though to be entirely honest I liked your old banner more.)

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (TheEpTalk) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:50:55 GMT

Its possible I've entered this topic at a bad time cuz I liked this episode and compliment the creative usage of the seven deadlies.

First, Xena did not wrongly use Lucifer to take her place instead she proceeded on a course to peel off Lucifer's layers like you'd peel an onion unveiling his disguise, revealing the real monster beneath who btw was the rightful ruler of hell, not her. I did not accept...

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (CasualFan) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:25:44 GMT

Instead of tricking Lucifer and sending him to Hell, how would you have liked to see Xena get out of the situation? It's not as if Xena killed Mephistopheles for the fun of it; she did have a valid reason for getting rid of him.

Here's an idea - instead of a plot device that makes use of the most repellent aspects of the human character, how about one that turns FA on its head and makes self-sacrifice the key to redemption rather than...

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (MoyCullen) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:21:34 GMT

I had to wipe a few layers of dust off the DVD to watch Heart of Darkness. Definitely not one of my favorites. I think I've only watched it twice and that was enough. I'm afraid I won't have many good things to say.

So Xena doesn't want to take her place as the rightful ruler of hell so she finds a patsy to take her throne for her. This episode has already lost me. What a trashing of Xena's character. Are we to...

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (Drawing Blood) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:27:02 GMT

However, she did trick someone else into going in her place as the ruler of Hell. Not exactly the good warrior thing to do. Even Michael says as much.

I don't think there was anything good that Xena could have done. If she went to Hell she would have given up her life when she didn't deserve to. What would she have accomplished there anyway? Yes, manipulating Lucifer was a shady gesture but at least she was tricking someone who wasn't exactly a kind soul.

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (xwpweb) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:44:56 GMT

Yes, Xena did have a valid reason for getting rid of Mephi. However, she did trick someone else into going in her place as the ruler of Hell. Not exactly the good warrior thing to do. Even Michael says as much. (Not that we can trust him anyways.) But alas, this episode is just one of many of those that was just plain bad...

Re: Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (Drawing Blood) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:33:42 GMT

Naturally, the writers stack the deck against Lucifer, starting with his name, but the fact remains that Xena decides that he gets to go to Hell in her place, not for the Greater Good or to protect her friends and family, but simply because she doesn't wanna go.

Instead of tricking Lucifer and sending him to Hell, how would you have liked to see Xena get out of the situation? It's not as if Xena killed Mephistopheles for the fun of it; she did have a...

Episode of the Week 120: Heart of Darkness

feeds@yuku.com (Drawing Blood) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 13:49:13 GMT

Now we know how Lucifer really got sent to Hell!

What did you think about this ep as far as character development, drama, action, plot, and dialogue?

What were your favorite/least favorite lines or scenes?

What would you rate the ep on a scale of 1-10 chakrams?