NattyN1855

Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting! But I finally got around to reading the new ep. In the subway. On my way home, after work. And - wow!
God-toys come back. Swords, tridents... Ring of power! Cool thing! Ares is really whipped, Athene was right. (
Now, with Artemis on their tail, with all that Michael's Eli's successors... I don't believe additional power ever hurt anyone. After all, Hercules restored his power at the first opportunity. Without regrets. =) So why??? Why he burnt that ring? (
Though, Ah. There's always a bright side. Xena is ringed now. Of course, there were wedding bracelets, no rings at that time in Greece... but what shipper cares about it?
It's so pity that he is henpecked husband again. =)

I don't mean that ep is not good or something like. It is awesome. As always. It's just about my vision of heroes. And bugs in my head. =)

DantesDesire

Thank you thank you thank you for that!!!! I was having one of the single worst days of my life today and reading this right before I went to bed made my day a lot brighter! Had a serious squee attack at the end, was hyperventilating for a good 5 minutes Besides the ending, which I of course adored, this was a brilliant story. Thrilling!

I wonder if i'll ever say something not completely positive about the Shipper Seasons......nah not likely!

Keep up the amazing work. Already can't wait for the next installment

xenares

Wow, that was amazing. Great job, Aurora. I've been distracted by other fandoms for a while, but I'm really feeling the Xena and X/A love after reading these two eps.

Some great character development for Ares here. He's back in his former role, sort of, but very conflicted about it. The backstory with Brygus was well done -- very interesting to see Ares facing someone from his past who wants revenge on him, as Xena did so often (loved his line, "A fan who wants to kill me? I thought this kind of thing only happened to Xena."). Brygus' grudge against Ares was definitely legitimate, but my shipper heart melted when it was revealed that the reason he didn't come to Brygus' aid was because he was mourning Xena. At first, I was surprised when Ares burned the ring, as I thought the ep was building toward the realization that, immortal or not, his nature would always be that of the GoW. It seemed like he killed Zarek more out of anger at being mocked than out of necessity, and his conversation with Xena about the differences between them rang very true to me. But his flashbacks did a great job showing that although war will always be a part of him, he no longer takes the same pleasure in it. Him giving the ring to Xena was a beautiful gesture and, in a way, reminiscent of his sacrifice in Motherhood.

melskim

Got to read it, got to loved it, but I didnt review it... shame on me XD

Amazing episode I practically melt over the last scene <3 <3 <3 Seriously that's a way to give a ring to a girl... though I think they were suposse to be bracelets in that time. Anyway I loved it.

From ep 5 and this one, I only can say that I love that Ares is not a sidekick, he is the former god of war an like it has been stated before, he did had something more that godly powers, we was a skill warrior, and showing that he had a merit of this own and that people didnt discard him in a whimper just because he wasnt anymore the GOW is a great idea to put in an episode. What I like about this episodes is that they had finally came to the point when Ares is no longer a guest star but one of the protagonist as Gabrielle and Xena are.

I understand and love the idea of him wanting to be mortal this time, going back and forward again with the god thing would had been tiring for the SS, so his decision now, is more than welcome for me. Not only because he already knows his place on earth again, but this means that he again is choosing Xena, not to save her life, but to be with her.

Cant wait to see how it would be develop in the next episodes.

CasualFan

Meant to write a review of 10.5 and 10.6 a long time ago, but the press of business (and another fan forum) kept me too occupied to get around to it. Fortunately, at LK’s urging I’ve reread the stories and can now post a few thoughts –

I liked the idea of Ares retaining some followers who remained loyal to him even after his loss of godhood and who instinctively looked to him for leadership in times of peril. It highlights the essential conflict Ares has to face within himself – he wasn’t just a being who enjoyed war, he was War, or at least the anthropomorphic representation of it. As a mortal, he has no real identity, at least in his eyes; his feelings for Xena are the only rationale he has for continuing to exist. Now, he faces the possibility of resuming something of his old role – only to find that he now understands only too well what that role can cost, both to himself and to his warriors.

Using Brygus to serve as a living metaphor for the damage that Ares’ activities wrought in the past and for the havoc they continue to spread in the present was very much in keeping with how the series dealt with the ramifications of violence, from Callisto on. I don’t know if I quite buy into the idea that Ares would simply abandon a promising protégé like Brygus that offhandedly, even if he was deep in mourning for Xena – granted, Ares is often a creep, but he did give Brygus his favor, and that has to mean something to the GOW. The way I look at late S5, Ares had two options – surrender himself to morbid grief, or decide to be more GOW-like than ever to convince himself that he could operate without Xena. I lean towards the latter option, but one can certainly make a case for the former in light of what Ares tells Xena in Livia.

The Xena/Gab counterpoint story was well-done, and the ploy used by Artemis to gain followers is a time-honored one, both in X:WP and in real life. Gab didn’t play a terribly critical role in this ep, but she was a good soldier in S5 mode, and the conflict with the villagers felt true to character. I was initially worried that the two plots would meander off into their own orbits, but Aurora kept them bound together.

I night have expected Xena to be more perturbed by the idea of Ares taking off to lead armies again, but the scene where Ares tells Xena that he’s not her sidekick was quietly effective. I thought that Ares would be more tempted than he was to retain his godhood; he really does regard it as a sacred trust, and it was what he was literally born for. I would have relished a scene where Ares unconsciously breaks out into a familiar, cold laugh as he demolishes Brygus, while Xena feels a cold chill creep up her spine . . .

Anyway, good eps – glad you’re keeping the season going, and I look forward to the next installment!