XENA: THE WARRIOR PRINCESS: A FRIEND IN NEED {SERIES FINALE} {MOVIE VERSION} (TV)
Summary
The finale in this historical fantasy action series about a former warlord seeking redemption for her past sins by using her battle skills to help others. In this two-part episode, Gabrielle and Xena talk by a fire about traveling south before they are met by a traveling monk who says he has a message for Xena from a young woman named Akemi. He explains that he and another monk came across a teahouse occupied by several young women. Suddenly, they are set upon by a fearsome demon who kills the other monk and devours his soul. Akemi tells the monk to find Xena because she can help. As they travel to Japa, the monk reveals that Akemi was a ghost, forced to collect souls for the demon, and Xena confesses the whole story to Gabrielle: in her past, Akemi was kidnapped by warlords and she, Xena, along with Borias, headed off to reclaim her and collect the reward. When they find her, Akemi recognizes Xena and asks to be her student, but Xena merely offers the kidnapper money and dispatches him with “the Pinch,” a move that cuts off blood flow to the brain, when he refuses to take it. Xena then attempts to train Akemi as they travel, telling her to “trust no one.” When she tells her how to listen to the “power behind all nature” as a fighting tactic, Akemi counters that she may one day use it to know peace. She gives Xena a gift of verse and declares her love for her, but Xena tells Gabrielle that Akemi eventually “broke her heart.” Akemi takes Xena to her grandfather’s grave, where she prays and then informs Xena that she must acquire a more powerful sword, a katana. She takes Xena to her sensei, who has the katana, and Xena challenges him for it, quickly defeating him and his men, but she reiterates that she only bothered with Akemi for the ransom. Back on the ship, Gabrielle and Xena see that Akemi’s town is ablaze, and they use their acrobatic talents to release water from a nearby tower and extinguish the flames, saving the village. Gabrielle asks if Xena ever taught Akemi the Pinch, and she reveals that when she returned Akemi to her father’s fortress, she immediately performed it upon him as revenge for killing the rest of their family. Xena is furious at being denied payment, but is horrified when Akemi stabs herself to “restore her honor,” emotionally asking Xena to spread her ashes in her family plot. Xena agrees, and then deals Akemi a merciful death blow. In the town, she meets a man known as Ghost-Killer who angrily says that last time she was there, she accidentally set fire to the town and killed many people in her attempts to scatter Akemi’s ashes, and that when Akemi killed her father, he became the soul-eating demon Yodoshi, so none of the people who died in the fire can be at rest. Xena is disturbed at her actions and says she needs to “put things right.” As armies gather to fight Xena, Ghost-Killer tells her that he cannot get close to Yodoshi to kill him and release the souls while he is still mortal. Xena comes up with a plan and then teaches Gabrielle how to do the Pinch, professing her love for her as she does so. She buries her armor and then heads off into battle, where she is hit with many arrows before she is finally slain by a samurai. Xena enters Akemi’s teahouse as a ghost, and Yodoshi soon arrives and forces Xena to bow to him, saying she will now collect souls for him too, but she vows to destroy him. Gabrielle searches frantically for Xena, believing she is alive, but once they find each other she realizes that Xena has allowed herself to be killed. Gabrielle declares her intentions to revive her, as they have defeated death before. Ghost-Killer attempts to destroy Xena’s ghost before Yodoshi can take her soul, but Gabrielle forces him to stop. They acquire a special anklet that summons Yodoshi, and Xena introduces Gabrielle to Akemi as her “soulmate.” Gabrielle says she would risk her life to revive Xena, and Akemi tells her that she must spread Xena’s ashes in the Fountain of Strength before sunset on the second day. Akemi gives Gabrielle a protective tattoo, and Gabrielle goes off to claim Xena’s body from the samurai. She is shocked to find that Xena has been beheaded for a “trophy,” but Gabrielle quickly defeats the samurai, although she does not kill him, and leaves with Xena’s remains, cremating them. Akemi, Ghost-Killer and Xena summon Yodoshi and attempt to destroy him, stabbing him with the katana, but he escapes. They hurry to the Fountain of Strength, knowing Yodoshi will go there, and Gabrielle arrives too, confronted by the samurai who wants to prevent her from reviving Xena. Xena battles Yodoshi, who attempts to eat Akemi’s soul, and when Xena seems close to defeat, Gabrielle, protected by her tattoo, drinks from the fountain and transfers the water to Xena’s mouth in a loving kiss. Xena finally manages to defeat Yodoshi, and the souls, including Akemi’s, are freed. Gabrielle hurries to spread Xena’s ashes in the fountain to fully resurrect her, but Xena stops her, saying that she must remain dead to avenge the dead souls and allow them to remain free. Gabrielle, upset, say Xena is “all that matters” to her, and Xena tells her how much goodness she learned from her over the years as they profess their love for each other once again. Gabrielle sails off for the south with Xena’s spirit at her side. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: June 11, 2001
- RUNNING TIME: 1:27:08
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:66129
- GENRE: Drama, action/adventure
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, action/adventure; Fantasy/science fiction
- SERIES RUN: Syndication - TV series, 1995-2001
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Sam Raimi … Executive Producer
- R.J. Stewart … Executive Producer, Developed by, Writer
- Rob Tapert … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer, Director
- Bernadette Joyce … Supervising Producer
- Chloe Smith … Producer
- Michael McDonald … Producer
- John Schulian … Created by
- Joseph LoDuca … Music by
- Lucy Lawless … Cast, Xena
- Renee O'Connor … Cast, Gabrielle
- Michelle Ang … Cast, Akemi
- Mac Jeffrey Ong … Cast, Kenji
- Marton Csokas … Cast, Borias
- Adrian Brown … Cast, Yodoshi
- Kazuhiro Muroyama … Cast, Harukata
- Venant Tan … Cast, Morimoto
- Trevor Sai-Louie … Cast, Kao
- Ric Chan … Cast, Master Swordsman
- Gary Young … Cast, Saburo
- Yvonne Tan … Cast, Ayako
- Shiori Terada … Cast, Miyuki
- Gregor McLennan … Cast, Captain