The reviews presented on this page do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the XWPVS xenastaff, but the opinions of the individual reviewers.

Review for "Child's Play" (XWPVS 8.1)
by: David J. Duncan

The episode "Child's Play" provides an excellent start for the eighth season. After the struggle Xena and Gabrielle had to get out of the Incas' region, a light hearted story with some suspense provided just the right mix as our two warriors continue their trek to Greece.

In the Teaser, I found the debate over their mode of transportation particularly amusing. I can see Xena steadfastly saying that the balloon is better than Ares' offer while poor Gabrielle is trying to hang on to her last meal. Of course, the balloon tearing and the descent into the sea give some drama too.

The drama continues and other themes are introduced into Act I. First, their struggle to get to land echoes the cooperation shown throughout the series. Gabrielle's reminder about Ares' offer was particularly well timed too. (I missed Xena's frown and telling her to cool it though.) The salve discussion offered yet another example of subtext. The armor vanishing provided some suspense. The gorillas and the "olive skinned natives" make me wonder where this scene takes place. (Africa? I thought that they were in the Western Hemisphere.)

Humor is the reigning theme of Act II. After a brief dose of suspense, the rest of this part reads like something out of "A Day in the Life" where we get a stream of hilarious moments. Poor Gabrielle, the monkeys test her patience here. For Xena, standing in the water waiting for her partner is an interesting turnabout (and I loved the aside she makes about her situation too). At this point, the reader is still wondering where this is. The monkeys and the rubber tree suggest a rain forest. However, the grassy plateau close to the sea would say something different. Xena's addiction to the mysterious water makes one wonder too. (Is this the Fountain of Youth?)

Drama dominates Act III. Xena's dream about her and Lyceus is very well done. Especially if one has seen "Forget Me Not" and "Death Mask", the reader can imagine her and her brother acting out the internal drama. Dream-Xena's reaction to the attack around her was well done too. At this point, the writers reveal Xena's age-reversal. The writers' portrayed the natives and their shaman, Tuiap wonderfully.

Gabrielle's struggle to hold things together defines Act IV. She has to oversee the repairs of the balloon, deal with the natives and keep an ever younger (and more mischievous) Xena in line. (By the way, I thought Little Xena attempting the Pinch was a great touch.) This scene shows more of Gabrielle's inner growth in that she can take the lead without thinking about it. The way she dealt with the natives reflects her myriad experiences throughout the series. Her efforts to gradually increase the aging Xena's involvement in the repairs were well-portrayed too. (I would like to know what that 'game' Little Xena taught the kids.) Kudos to the writers for giving Gabrielle a few choice jabs at Xena when the latter was regrown too.

"Child's Play" is more than it seems on the surface. It is more than just action, drama, humor, or subtext. In truth, it is a combination of all of these things. The episode presents a 'mini-problem' within a bigger issue: how to get off of the island and resume their journey home. It also draws well from the rest of the series. The references to Season 7 were good and not overdone. In addition, the dreamscape reminds the reader that Xena still deals with her own demons. The campiness reminds the reader of earlier episodes such as "A Day in the Life". Gabrielle shines throughout the episode in so many ways. In some cases, misplaced (or missing) details left the reader wondering about where this episode took place, distracting the focus ever so slightly. However, the central drama and the main characters' interaction definitely makes this one a good season opener.

Review: Episode 8.1 - Child's Play
by: 41 Cyg

Ah, another Virtual Season! I didn't realize how much I missed Xena and Gabrielle over the summer until I read this one. And strong, female action-adventure leads seem to be on the wane in both over-the-air and cable TV, so I'm glad my weekly Xena fix is back.

I believe rating the episodes is valuable feedback for the individual authors and artists and the VS team so I'll continue to put a rating in my comments. Of course, you'll know exactly who gave you this rating and why, but a critic should be just as much fair game for criticism as those he (or she) criticizes.

Neither author nor critic should be able to claim perfection unchallenged.

An undefendable good rating is just as bad as an undefendable bad one - it's just sneakier. So here goes.

I'm giving this episode an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. Though not without a few disagreements (see below), I think it's a fun, interesting and, within the XWP context, totally believable story. The artwork deserves a special compliment.

Good job, gina and Trish. I particularly liked your renderings of little Xena. I could easily see the mature-woman-to-be within the child. I also agree with Trish that the two styles of artwork blend together well.

Now to details.

Teaser: Good description of the balloon ride through the tropical storm (I assume that a full blown hurricane would be too much for even Xena's well made craft.) and eye.

The balloon is a neat idea, but it does look awfully modern and many of the present day details were developed the hard way - as in very hard landings! The kiln burner makes sense, but I don't know if the balloon could carry enough fuel to keep it aloft more than a few hours at a time (Modern hot-air balloons use natural gas tanks which can carry a lot more heating capacity per unit of weight than any natural material, and even then most flights are only a few hours long. Llama dung mixed with straw is right, though. I believe it was the common fuel in the high, treeless areas of central Peru.

When I first saw the `balloon rip' picture, I thought `Why is it ripping across the seams?", but then I realized it was one of Trish's split screen drawings. It did confuse me for a while, though. Xena's face looked bloated, too, in this drawing.

Act I: In the sea rescue picture the small waves make it look like just a breezy day, rather than the middle of a storm. What's the deal with the gorilla? They are strictly African. South America does have monkeys (not apes) but none are anywhere near a gorilla's size. It is a good drawing, though.

What are the yellow fruits Xena and Gabrielle found (Though maybe you didn't have anything specific in mind.)? At first I was thinking bananas, which fits in with what sounds very much like a banana cream pie Gabrielle says later she could make with them, but then they are described as orbs. Gabrielle's comment about their adventure at Ma'chu Pi'chu is interesting. I guess there are still some gaps in the Warrior Princess-Battling Bard story.

Or is it just that no one has written a good screenplay for this one yet? I wonder about Ma'chu Pi'chu, though. My impression is that is was of no great importance until the Spanish conquest when, due to it's inaccessibility and invisibility (It took the invention of the airplane for us to discover it.), it became an Incan point of resistance to the conquerors.

When I read the playing porpoise scene, my script revision neurons started firing. I imagined Xena spearing a fish and one of the porpoises grabbing it right off the spear. After Xena yells at him, he disappears. About a half hour later he returns and tosses a good-sized tuna onto her spear as payment (He gets a shallow water fish that is hard for him to catch, while Xena gets a good tasting deep water fish that she can't get to.)

Act II: Rubber tree - I know the rubber tree is native to the Amazon jungle, but I don't think it's found on Caribbean islands.

The hill Xena and Gabrielle climb sounds like one of those steep-sided plateaus found in central Venezuela (I forget the name.), which do have the right aura of mystery for containing a fountain of youth, but I'm sure you don't find those on the Caribbean islands.

Act IV: Very good `Xena growing' pictures - except on day four the balloon should be on the ground (which agrees with the screenplay), not floating, as they take it to the hilltop.

What game did Xena teach her young playmates that would get her in trouble with their parents? The kids probably loved it since they surround Xena before she leaves.

It's nice to know Gabrielle doesn't like to be called Gabby. I always had that impression, but I don't think they ever said it directly in the series and it could have been because it was usually Joxer using it.

The disclaimer is a bit too wordy (Short and tart is best.), but I couldn't come up with a better one.