Written by Steven L Sears
Directed by David Warry Smith
Xena reluctantly agrees to join forces with Callisto to kill Gabrielle's evil daughter Hope.
Tropes
- Armor-Piercing Response: As Gabrielle tries to talk some sense into Seraphin.Seraphin: Let the goddess Hope touch your soul.
Gabrielle: She already has. Hope is my daughter. - Berserk Button: Seraphin talking about the greatness of Hope is this to Xena for obvious reasons."Your goddess killed my child."
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Callisto was perfectly content to kill Werfner, until he said he can communicate with the cocooned Hope and relay messages.
- Continuity Nod: Callisto is seen emerging from the gateway—referencing her appearance in the Armageddon Now two-parter on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Xena remarks she heard about that story, including how Strife died.
- Crapsack World: Dahak's cult has many willing followers because they see the world as a troubled place plagued by war and suffering.
- Death Seeker: Callisto agrees to help Hope in exchange for her own death—no Tartarus, no afterlife, just oblivion.
- The Dreaded: When Ares demands every soldier be summoned for the coming fight, the warlord meekly says, "But this is Dahak and his daughter!"
- Fights Like a Normal: Callisto uses a sword and normal techniques when fighting Xena, remarking it's more fun this way.
- Foreshadowing: Seraphin explains that, following the rebirth, Hope will become "the bringer of the Destroyer" as part of remaking the world. The next part reveals this doesn't refer to Hope's father, but to her intended children.
- From Bad to Worse: After Seraphin demonstrates she has no idea who Callisto is.Xena: This isn't about Callisto. It's about something else. The goddess of Dahak... it's about Hope.
- High Priest: Werfner is described as such. All the other cultists defer to him, and he oversees the intended ritual.
- Human Sacrifice: Seraphin was meant to be a sacrifice. She is actually willing to go through with it.
- Innocently Insensitive: Seraphin goes on about how Hope is to be worshipped because she will usher in Dahak's vision to remake the world into a paradise. This goes over very poorly with Xena.Xena: Your goddess killed my child.
- It's Personal: Ares wants to settle the score with Callisto for what happened to Strife.
- Mouth of Sauron: With Hope in a cocoon, Werfner serves as a mouthpiece when Callisto negotiates her deal.
- Multi-Part Episode
- Negated Moment of Awesome: Ares tells one of his warlords to: "Summon every warlord, every soldier, all who ever professed allegiance to me. I am Ares God of War." Then Dahak promptly appears and Ares immediately surrenders.
- Oh, Crap!: Ares when he lays eyes on Dahak's flame.
- Old Friend: Seraphin was a friend of Gabrielle's when she was at Potedia.
- Replacement Flat Character: Seraphin is basically Gabrielle at the start of the series—doing what she thinks needs to be done and completely idealistic.
- Shrouded in Myth: Crossed with Demonization. According to Seraphin, Hope's mother is known in their religion as "the Betrayer.""We were never told her name because it was said that to speak it was obscene blasphemy."
- Taking You with Me: Due to gaining a favor from Gabrielle, Ares convinced the Fates to add a stipulation to make Gabrielle help him. If Xena kills Hope, then Xena dies as well.
- Undying Loyalty: Werfner says he and the others would gladly sacrifice themselves for Hope, but as Seraphin was explicitly chosen, that wouldn't complete the ritual.
- Villain Team-Up: Ares sides with Dahak, Hope, and (by extension) Callisto.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Hope's followers sincerely believe she would bring happiness and peace to the world.
- Wham Line:Clotho: The debt is binding.
Lachesis: The burden is...
Atropos: ...on Gabrielle.
Clotho: If Xena kills Hope,
Lachesis: Xena...
Atropos: ...will die. - Wrong Genre Savvy: Xena, Gabrielle, and Ares initially believe the cultists are worshiping Callisto, only to learn it's Hope.
- You Are Too Late: Xena actually managed to position herself to land the killing blow to Hope's cocoon, but Gabrielle tackled her before she could do so. Because of which, Hope was able to break free.
