The Bitter Suite
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| “The Bitter Suite” | |||||||
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| Xena Warrior Princess episode | |||||||
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| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 12 |
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| Written by | Chris Manheim Steven L. Sears |
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| Directed by | Oley Sassone | ||||||
| Guest stars | Hudson Leick (Callisto) Kevin Smith (Ares) Danielle Cormack (Ephiny) Willa O'Neill (Lila) |
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| Production no. | V0409 | ||||||
| Original airdate | February 02, 1998 | ||||||
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The Bitter Suite is the twelfth episode of the third season of the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess. In the episode Xena (Lucy Lawless) and Gabrielle (Renée O'Connor) are brought to the "Land of Illusia", where they have to work together again, letting their past problems go, in order to escape alive. Xena and Gabrielle's enemy Callisto (Hudson Leick) is their guide through the land claiming "... we'll show you the way, but all consequences are your own creation... and there's the price you must pay..." Callisto is aided by Ares (Kevin Smith) and Joxer (Ted Raimi). Throughout the episode Xena and Gabrielle deal with the problems that had recently torn them apart and learn to focus on the stronger bond that brought them together in the first place.
This episode is noted for being a rare musical episode of the series, combining both humor and drama. The Bitter Suite was nominated for two Emmy Awards. Composer Joseph LoDuca was nominated for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for the song "The Love of Your Love" and LoDuca and lyricist Dennis Spiegel were nominated in the same category for the song "Hearts Are Hurting".[1] It was LoDuca's second and third nominations for the series out of a total of seven nominations, and one award, through the six-year run of the series.
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[edit] Plot
Gabrielle is shattered after the death of Solan and Hope[2]. In the village of the Amazon, undergoes a ritual purification. Ephiny, reunidad with Joxer, is very concerned about it. Joxe cree to be out of the hut where the ritual is performed, where it takes three days. Meanwhile, in the mountains, Xena, which is also shattered by the death of his son, receives a visit from Ares, which is heightening their hatred towards Gabrielle and convinces to kill her. Inside the hut, Gabrielle has a vision of Callisto, who manages to recognize that hate Xena. Alerted by the cries of Gabrielle, Joxer enters the cabin and removed from there. At that moment arrives Xena, Gabrielle prepared to kill. The Amazon trying to defend it, but Xena combating all, including Ephiny. Joxer faces Xena to try to achieve Gabrielle flee, but the warrior princess also pulled to the ground. Xena and Gabrielle takes to fasten their feet by a horse. Later, the drag on the fields, causing several injuries, until you reach a cliff. The hike, ready to throw, but Gabrielle defends itself with its feet and manages to escape. After ensuring that hates, pushes Xena and the two fall in the cliff, plunge into the water.
Xena is naked collection of water by Callisto, but quickly warned that it is in a different world. Callisto, dressed in rare form sent to you you're singing in Ilusia and who should sing to express themselves. Then Xena dressed in clothes with Egyptian priestess, and sits on a throne. Callisto, a white dog, an eagle, a bull, a lion, a snake, a sphinx and a being with head of jackal sing a song about Ilusia and how you can change scenario, turning the wheel of fate. Xena looking at all times to Gabrielle, as they discover that it is in Ilusia. For its part, Gabrielle is also collecting naked in a river by Joxer. While Gabrielle hides and cree be dead on the Elisyan Fields, Joxer informing him sing a song that will be your guide in Ilusia. In addition, gives a dress. Callisto takes Xena to a palace full of warriors that acclaim, led by Ares. Singing, praise the virtues of Xena and war. At the same time, Gabrielle is carried by Joxe to a place that is very similar to his people, Potedaia. There are reunion with many of its neighbours and with her sister, Lila. Villagers praise peace and quiet life, always singing, and convinced that Xena has ruined their lives. Each of the sides, the warriors and villagers, Xena and Gabrielle convince that they should kill the other. The two reach a door, each one opens the one hand and begin to fight, armed with a sword Xena and Gabrielle with a scythe. They begin to fight until he nailed his sword Xena to Gabrielle.
Joxer comes with a candle and placed near the nose of Gabrielle, to see if breathing. Seeing that the flame does not move, confirming that Gabrielle has died. Ares begins to sing a song while dancing a dance very sensual with Xena. While requests it melts it, Ares says that he was right to kill his ex-girlfriend and now the two can unite and conquer the world. When finished, Callisto appears that, with a new song, makes you see that having killed Gabrielle has not removed the pain he feels over the death of Solan. All except Xena go away, leaning over the corpse of Gabrielle, which disappears when Gabrielle enters a door on the back of the room. Gabrielle was surprised that Xena has killed, although Xena tries excused. Suddenly, leaving a ray of the wheel of fate, and the two appear in a strange room full of columns, but homeless. After talking a little while, they begin to fight, and the echo of their cries not let them hear. Then begin to sing a song in which talk about his feelings at that moment, but then begin to go to blame for the misfortunes that have happened. While they are fighting, it appears the wheel of fate wrapped in flames, and fire of Dahak traps Gabrielle. This calls on Xena shouting to help. Xena seeks release, but eventually the two are absorbed by the wheel.
Xena and Gabrielle are now in the temple of Dahak, which began producing their conflict. Gabrielle sees that blood appears in your hands and try to flee, and who can not bear the pain of memories of when killed for the first time, but Xena urged it to stay, because they must stay together. I see a hooded be flying, which begins to sing a song about hatred. Four coffins inside the temple leaving Callisto, Ares, Caesar and Khrafstar, making the choruses. Xena discovers that the enemy to which she and Gabrielle face is hatred. Gabrielle is aprisionada by some chains on the altar, while Xena is tied to a cross. Each has a hooded executioner: Gabrielle sees Xena, ready to sacrifice with a dagger, a perverse Xena and Gabrielle with a mallet with which they could break their legs. When the executioner Gabrielle stamp on the deck his legs, Xena begins to sing a new song. She and Gabrielle confess that never would have imagined that come to hate and to overcome adversity thanks to love. After their reconciliation, the executioners and the enemies who left the coffins explode. The chains and ropes that imprisons to Xena and Gabrielle are loosened and the two are directed to the exit.
The output consists of a thin cascade of water, which must pass through. On the other side of the waterfall see Solan, and realized that it was he who made it to be Ilusia to be reconciled. Gabrielle is the first to cross the exit, but when Xena touches the water of the chute with one hand, it burns. Then faces when they had sung before flying to over hatred, which turns out to be Ming Tien. Xena was she who recognizes that killed him, which puzzled to Gabrielle. Xena begins to sing a song first and then Gabrielle Solan, asking forgiveness for having lied, and telling them that they want. Ming Tien exploits, and Xena passes through the waterfall, where reunion with Solan. Gabrielle joins them, and suddenly she and Xena are again in the real world, on a beach, happy to be back.
[edit] Production
The Bitter Suite' was shot between September and October, 1997, in New Zealand[3]. Some actors of the previous episode return, as Hudson Leick, as Callisto, Danielle Cormack, as Ephiny, and David Taylor as Solan . Other old actors in the series return in that episode, as Ted Raimi, Kevin Smith, Willa O'Neill, Karl Urban and Marton Csokas[4]. Kevin Smith was unable to rehearse the tango sequence in the episode with Lucy Lawless because Lucy sprained her knee getting off Tilly. Kevin had to rehearse with a dance instructor a foot shorter than Lucy. All ended well as Lucy's knee healed in a week, and Lucy was much easier to dance with because of her height[5]. Hudson Leick's singing voice was dubbed in this episode by Broadway and film star Michelle Nicastro, although Leick did provide the narration from Paul Foster Case's The Book of Tokens to open the musical segment of the episode. Renee O'Connor's voice was dubbed by Broadway singer Susan Wood.[6] Lucy Lawless, Kevin Smith, Ted Raimi and Willa O'Neill did their own singing for the episode.
Willa O'Neill was at the Panathenaea Convention in London, England, at September 2, 2000. She mentioned that she did her own singing in The Bitter Suite. She explained that she had to audition to Joseph LoDuca in Detorit by telephone. Then when they recorded the songs, the singing was done in a sound studio in New Zealand, but the actual taping was done in Detroit. After taping it, they then played it back while filming the episode. She found it weird to hear her voice singing during the filming[7].
[edit] Reception
The Bitter recorded 5.8 in the first display, and 3.5 in the second[8]. The episode is called by fans as gradbag, and was recognized by producers as an error[9].
[edit] Soundtrack
| The Bitter Suite: A Musical Odissey | ||
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| Soundtrack by Various artists | ||
| Released | March 01, 1998 | |
| Genre | television series | |
| Length | 43:02 | |
| Label | Varese Sarabande | |
| Producer | Universal Music and Video Distribution | |
| Song | Lyrics by | Voice of | Characters | |
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| 1 | What's Still Unwritten | Pamela Phillips Oland | Michelle Nicastro | Callisto, Xena |
| 2 | Joxer the Mighty | Steven L. Sears and Chris Manheim | Ted Raimi | Joxer, Gabrielle |
| 3 | War & Piece | Pamela Phillips Oland | Kevin Tod Smith, Willa O'Neill | Ares, Lila |
| 4 | Hearts Are Hurting | Dennis Spiegel | Lucy Lawless, Susan Wood | Xena, Gabrielle |
| 5 | Hate is the Star | Pamela Phillips Oland | Daniel Sing, Michelle Nicastro, Kevin Tod Smith, Karl Urban, Marton Csokas, Lucy Lawless | Ming T'ien, Xena, Ares, Caesar, Khrafstar, Xena |
| 6 | The Love of Your Love' | Joseph LoDuca | Lucy Lawless | Xena, Solan, Gabrielle[10]. |
[edit] References
- ^ Variety Magazine, February 6, 1998
- ^ "Maternal Instincts". Xena: Warrior Princess. 1998-01-26.
- ^ The Bitter Suite page. Whoosh Webmaster. Retrieved on 2001-06-14.
- ^ The Bitter Suite guest stars. Whoosh Webmaster. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ Murmurs of The Bitter Suite. Whoosh Webmaster.
- ^ Green, Michelle Erica. "Susan Wood: Singing for the Bard," n.d., [1]
- ^ The Bitter Suite Ratings. Whoosh Webmaster. Retrieved on 2000-09-16.
- ^ Wimpers of The Bitter Suite. Whoosh Webmaster.
- ^ Xena Season 3.
- ^ Bitter Suite Main Songs. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
[edit] External links
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