I know the previous episode already delved a little into the India arc of season 4, but I really think this one is a top-of-the-line representation of the best aspects of the story-arc as well as the series. First of all, great job by the writers in superbly portraying the exotic Indian culture and characters, this episode just oozed vibrancy! From little informative scenes about the widow-burning custom and the mehndi, to the way they played up Naima's unique beauty and awareness of her culture. We are convinced that this new locale isn't just a gimmick.

As with all effective episodes of XENA, the two main themes of redemption and love rings through strongly in this episode. A new culture allows Xena and Gabby to explore their bond from a new angle; and, as expected, no matter how you play it, their bond is genuine, powerful and timeless.

Alti is a great villian here, she comes accross as genuinely threatening and malicious. One thing though, is it realistic for villians to know that they are evil and wrong ("I'm real, formed from the evil of the earth")? I think Callisto is a great example of a multi-dimensional villian, not so much Alti though. The fight scene is one of the most brutal I've seen on television, it lacked any semblence of contrivance and each blow was significant and damaging. Viewers even get a chance to see what Xena and Gabrielle have been through via Alti's unique power, very compelling!

Of course the main plot point for the episode is Gabrielle finally learning of their tragic future. Her finding out despite Xena's best efforts to protect her from it as well as her hair getting cut to the form it was in the vision gives the arc a sense of foreboding and inevitable doom; which is one of the best things about season 4's arc in my opinion. All in all, powerful episode. Loved the lines in a mehndi analogy for the Gabby/Xena partnership. This is the only show I've seen that continuously finds new ways to explore a relationship between two set characters and remain compelling; and they aren't even in an explictly romantic relationship no less!

I think everyone's more or less looking for any chance to get on its case and spot signs that it's going downhill now that the show has changed hands. However, I really felt that last week's episode was up to par, both in terms of writing and plot progression; so I don't know what happened with this one. Its not entirely the scriptwriter's fault, the episode had too little substance to begin with; and they were too ambitious in trying to create something funny or emotional out of so little plot. Oh my gosh, the episodes without Emily and Richard were off even when Amy and Daniel were around; but this episode takes the cake, not only are all the strong supporting characters absent, but two of the most annoying minor characters are given way too much screentime. There were a few funny moments in there though, along with some witty pop culture references; but the overkill really ruined it. Even when something was funny at first, they just went on and on with the same punchline that it got worn out. Two examples: the whole tour of Asia thing as well as the commentary about celebrity baby names. By the time they got to the Keanu and Sandra movies, I was cringing from how contrived it was. These pop culture references used to be little gems within the episode, the script never relied on them, they were more like a bonus for people who got them. In trying to replicate that, the writer really did too much too many times in this episode, entire scenes suddenly revolved around these attempts of humor; it became too much of "look at me, I'm trying to be witty and cute!" The writers shouldn't try so hard to replicate what the show was about before, it can still be good in a different way. They have to trust their actors to pull it off without a script that's overkill and trust that their fanbase will have the patience for them to cool down for a while beofere finding their footing again; I fear that trying too hard may just veer the show off in the wrong direction.

What were the writers thinking when they wrote this one? This episode embodies the misconceptions ALIAS haters have about the show. It is unrealistic, one-dimensional and the action is mindless and lame.

By having an innocent civillian put in danger by Sydney's mission than having him become awed by her, new viewers will get the wrong impression that Sydney's character is nothing more than a sexy action figure.

The lowest point of the entire series has to be the so-called climax scene of this episode. After the audience is constantly reminded of the looming presence of a "next-gen superweapon" throughout the episode, when the weapon is actually unveiled after a villian unleashes it on Sydney, what we see isn't fearsome but instead completely laughable! Even though the episode seemed one-dimensional, it could still have been redeemed by a top-notch action scene, making the episode at least seem like a slick and cool mindless action movie. Sadly, the action sequence here not only fails to achieve this, but it is also the worst part of the entire episode!

All in all, worst episode of the series thus far. However, as bad as it is, it makes no fatal continuity or character errors, so we can all just skip this one and be thankful that the rest of the series isn't anything like it.

Aptly titled "SPIRAL", this episode accentuates what is to become a major theme for the season 6, Buffy's journey into the torments of adulthood.

The downwards spiral is apparent here, over the past several episodes, Buffy had barely had time to deal with Riley's exit from her life when her mother dies. Then, she doesn't even have space to mourn before Dawn's behaviour forces her to assume the role of a parent. She finds even more bad news when she turns to the mystical forces for guidance only to misinterpret the message and believe that all her work as the slayer was only mindless killing. With the huge pressure raising Dawn still weighing on her, Buffy receives a huge jolt on the slayer front when Glory resurfaces and takes Tara's sanity.

However, the damage comes fastest and quickest in this episode itself. After half a season of Buffy and gang trying to prevent it, Glory finds out that Dawn is the key and goes in for the kill. Buffy is once again bested by Glory in terms of physical capabilities and only gets away due to a stroke of luck. After convincing her somewhat unsupportive friends that their only option is to run, the humiliated slayer is suddenly thrust into battle with an army of knights who launch a misguided effort to stop Glory by killing Dawn. Buffy has obviously reached an all time low when she has to deal with a severely injured Giles, continue their scramble from Glory and face off with the attacking knights all at once.

This episode brilliantly symbolises the journey of a young woman with the full weight of life's responsibilities suddenly thrust onto her. Glory represents the unbeatable enemy of the everyday struggles which keep coming back.

Another gem in this episode is the chilling and heartwrenching scene where the general explains the true nature of the key. You can almost feel Dawn's pain when she learns that she was created solely for the purpose of total annihilation.

On the whole, this episode is far from "filler" as it brings together everything that has been brewing this season. Its only downside is the huge writing error of having Buffy kill humans, something that she has repeatedly acknowledged that she has no right to do. This error is never brought up again after this episode and is instead swept under the rug.

Other than that, this is a must-see episode for any Buffy fans especially those who like the dark side of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. You won't regret tuning in to this one!

This episode does indeed seem out of character from the show's usual pace. No social commentary about beauty, also lacking is the usual use of a patient's condition as metaphor for a problem in one of the doctor's life. Don't get me wrong, the show is usually awesome, but the breath of fresh air provded in this episode is one of the finests hours of television I've ever seen.

The estrangement from previous episode works well here because we are now seeing things from Julia's viewpoint, not Sean's or Christian's. Anyone who has had a parental relationship anything like Julia and Erica's will know how well done and realistic this episode is!

The progressing of events aptly reflects what Julia is feeling onto the audience. Going from the obligatory period of concern/worry to the shock of seeing so many devastated bodies to seeing the mother she had always wanted in someone else's mom. All these gave her the strength to finally awe everyone, especially Sean, with her surprising medical skills; as well as to free herself from the inadquecy she felt from Erica's disapproval.

The scene where Julia speaks to what she thinks is her mother's body is fabulously done. Julia is portrayed very realistically when she doesn't completely dismiss nor honor her mother's memory. She knows that Erica wasn't a bad person, it was just that there was a huge problem in their relationship that could and would never be worked out. A great human moment right there!

This episode is just so visual and emotional, viewers will definitely experience the same whirwind of confusion and loss as the doctors, everything just flows so smoothly. By the end of the episode, you will understand exactly how enpowered and liberated Julia is because you have lived it too yourself!

Great great episode, that shocker in the final scene is just the perfect ending to a brilliant hour of television.