Review: "The Abyss"

Even from a wonderful show like Xena: Warrior Princess, one cannot expect perfection all the time. In fact, half the fun of the show (especially in the earlier years) is looking for the little imperfections - some accidental, some intentional. These little quirks are part of the show's charm, and when they are part of an enjoyable story they can be forgiven.

One of those little quirks - well, it's really a big quirk - is part of this week's episode. I'll get to it a little later. Fortunately, the story itself is pretty solid and makes for an enjoyable hour.

I'm not completely sure why this episode is called The Abyss. Is it a reference to the deluge dumped on the barbarian cannibals at the end? Is it a reference to the spiritual depths Gabrielle climbs her way out of? I'm not certain.

Several references came to mind while watching this episode, however. Some of them were to previous Xena episodes, while others - in true RenPic fashion - are to other sources.

The barbarian cannibals and the terror they embodied brought to mind the Horde from The Price. But where the Horde turned into the "noble savage" presented in Daughter of Pomira, the men in this episode were barely more than beasts. There were no apparent redeeming features of these folk - they were rabid animals that needed to be put down, nothing more.

In fact, their costuming contributed to this notion. They wore boar pelts, with the head (and tusks) still attached. When fully garbed, they were barely recognizable as human. Only two of the barbarians were given faces - the tribe's shaman, and the war leader.

Another thing I noticed was the apparent lack of women in the tribe. How could a society develop to this point (with rituals and beliefs and so forth) without women to continue the family lines? It isn't a significant issue, since the tribe existed mostly as a force of nature, rather than as a distinct and unique culture. Still, it does reduce the credibility of the storyline.

Another reference that came to mind is the Michael Crichton novel Eaters of the Dead (made into the film The 13th Warrior with Antonio Banderas). That story also deals with a primitive, cannibalistic tribe in the wilderness. There weren't any other real similarities that I noticed, but the connection appears to be there.

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