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 "Children of the Forest" (XWPVS 8.2)
by: David J. Duncan

Moving into Episode 8.2 of the XWPWS, "Children of the Forest", the themes present in earlier episodes are evident. For this installment, I enjoyed the writer's emphases on communication and prejudice. These aspects are extremely important to the story.

The teaser provides a good opening to the story. After hearing about how Xena and Gabrielle's interactions with the local tribes, we see them at the campsite, talking about the latter's scrolls. (Xena's dig about her friend possible writing in blood was funny.) Upon hearing a baby's cry, they jump into another adventure. (Shades of "Cradle of Hope" perhaps? ) Miscommunication occurs on two levels here. First, the two companions misjudge the hairy creature's intentions. Then after reviving the child, the natives misjudge their motivations as well, surrounding the two warrioresses with spears leaving the audience to wonder what will happen next.

Part 1 develops the story for the reader. Even in the face of danger, the two companions do manage a few asides to each other mixed into their observations. I liked the paradoxes here with Gabrielle's ability to sign with the natives while the shaman, Striking Eagle, dismisses Xena and Gabrielle out of hand due to his own prejudices. This dismissal extends to his accusation and attack against Gabrielle. Striking Eagle's position opposed to that of his nephew, Hunting Elk, will be important too. While the former is intolerant, the latter is open to his surroundings and to his new friends.

The link between Xena and Gabrielle here was well done. While they look out for each other, they trust each other to hold up their end of the fight. Xena's participation in the ritual intrigued me too. It makes sense that she would do that. However, afterwards, she seemed not to understand what was going on. Given her knowledge of the shamanistic ways, I would think she would at least have a basic understanding of the herbs/ritual. (see "Sins of the Past" and "Them Bones, Them Bones") Also, the reader might benefit from seeing the ritual and the accompanying vision/dreamscape. The part ends with Hunting Elk firmly set as Xena and Gabrielle's ally in the quest to save the Sasquatch, creating a split in the village warriors.

Part 2's emphasis on communication plays out on several levels too. First, Hunting Elk relays the Sasquatch legend to his companions. Then they run into a baby Sasquatch but the latter runs off before they can communicate with it. Xena and Gabrielle follow Striking Eagle to the cave but cannot figure out his reasoning for being there or for the cave paintings. Finally, they encounter the adult Sasquatch at the part's end as well. In between, the fight between Xena, Gabrielle and Striking Eagle's party was done well, bringing out the protectiveness from previous TV and virtual episodes. (Gabrielle has that streak in her and it shows.)

The strands come together in Part 3. After failing to communicate with the adult Sasquatch, Xena and Gabrielle begin to understand and even facilitate positive communications around themselves. Again, Hunting Elk explains the local folklore here. Then realizing that the baby Sasquatch is in danger, they rush back to the village. There, they find the chief ill and the baby Sasquatch in a cage and work to overcome prejudice, sending clear messages not to oppose them while they're doing so. (The writer's depiction of Xena's healing process, her developing contempt for Striking Eagle and Gabrielle's protectiveness of the prisoner showed this.) Once the chief listened to Xena, he called the council and the truth came out, leading to the inevitable confrontation in the final part.

Part 4 resolves everything for the reader. To the writer's credit, while the battle could have used a bit more blow by blow coverage, he wrote an effective transition after it. The Sasquatchs are reunited. Hunting Elk, due to his communion with nature, is proclaimed the new shaman. (I wonder when Xena proclaims Striking Eagle as unfit for the shaman's role if she's thinking of Alti and maybe even Varia. In other words, abuse of the role means losing it.) The communication between the tribe and the Sasquatch family was a nice touch as well. And bringing the whole matter full circle at the end with Xena's noting that Gabrielle has her paint again was well done too.

"Children of the Forest" reads well. It has a definite plot, the characters interact in a believable manner and it ties into the virtual and TV seasons through its themes. Once again, Xena and Gabrielle's partnership proves important but it doesn't overshadow their efforts to deal with the larger situation. I also enjoyed the use of centralized themes in this text. In places, the story would be well served with an extra scene (such as in the tent during the elders' ritual). Overall though, this story was very enjoyable.

Review: Episode 8.2 - Children of the Forest
by: 41 Cyg

Is the VS writing getting better or am I just getting softer in my ratings? This is the second episode in a row that I think is worth an 8 (1-10 scale) and maybe a bit more, 8.4-8.5. Of course, I do have some comments (If I didn't I'd know my mind was turning to mush.

Teaser: In an actual filmed episode, the initial stage directions (During their travels....) would not, of course, be seen by the viewers. Using a narrator to bring us up to date would work, though ( with maybe a map onscreen to mark their path).

Interesting idea - using paint for ink. It might be hard to make fine lines, but at least Gabrielle could keep a record of their travels. When Xena and Gabrielle reach the river, the script says they are a half mile away from where Little Feather fell in. That seems a bit far to see the details in the scene description.

I originally thought the sign language dialogue was a bit too complex, but when I tried to picture how it `should' be, I realized that the person being spoken to would almost automatically expand the few signs (if they understood them) into the complete sentences shown.

Xena's CPR technique seems backward. The currently taught method uses five chest compressions, then a breath, which is then repeated, not five breaths, then chest compression. It also works better with a team (Xena could press the chest and Gabrielle give mouth-to-mouth.)

By the way, it's too bad the writer didn't mention which direction the river was flowing. With a little clue like that I might have been able to figure out roughly where, within Bigfoot's generally proposed territory (northern California to southern British Columbia, in the Cascade Mountains and west, maybe somewhat farther east in British Columbia) the story is set (Bigfoot is the name used for the creature in the U.S., while Sasquatch is more common in British Columbia (I believe it comes from a Native American language in the B.C. area.), but both are recognized in both places.)

Act 1: Hunting Elk's creation story is an interesting parallel to Genesis 1.

Act II: I think all the warriors would be wearing moccasins (hunt scenes) and `well made' would be a more accurate description of them than ` roughly tanned'. After all, they've been using them for centuries, at least.

Act III: I don't think Gabrielle would refer to giants as `commonplace' in her land. She might say `We have giants in our land, too, though not as hairy.'

Gabrielle's line `You won't like me when I'm angry.' Isn't that what David (or ruse) Banner says just before he becomes The Incredible Hulk?

Act IV: I've never heard of any creature that has a flower scent - no matter what its emotional state.

Disclaimer: There is no need for the apologetic tone toward Native Americans here. They are depicted as real people, some good, some bad, but altogether, completely human, which is the best any of us can hope for.

Here's an alternative: No Sasquatches were harmed in the making of this motion picture.

The XWPVS team would like to thank Harry of Harry and the Hendersons for his cameo appearance in this episode.