PAST IMPERFECT

GUEST STARS, CAST & CREDITS
PROMO TRANSCRIPTION
TV GUIDE PROMO
AIRING AND RATING INFORMATION
SYNOPSIS by Bluesong
COMMENTARY AREA
COMMENTARY 1 by Beth Gaynor
COMMENTARY 2 by Deb E McGhee
COMMENTARY 3 by Xorys
COMMENTARY 4 by Videntur
COMMENTARY 5 by Stryper
COMMENTARY 6 by Bethany Faison
BORIAS: A REVERSAL OF A CLASSIC STEREOTYPE
HERBS
WHIMPERS, MURMURS, AND A LOVE GONE TOO FAR
HIGHLIGHTS
PERTINENT DIALOGE
WHERE HAVE I SEEN YOU BEFORE?
THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR
TRANSCRIPT
DISCLAIMER
WHOOSH! ARTICLES
LINKS

PROMO TRANSCRIPTION
DISCOVER THE TRUTH BEHIND XENA'S DEEPEST SECRET.
(Xena throws a dagger and Borias deflects it with his sword.)
Xena: You killed the father of my child!
THE DEATH OF HER LOVER--
(Xena screams during childbirth.)
THE BIRTH OF HER SON.
(Baby Solan cries.)
Xena: You!
(Flaming cannonballs hit Corinth's walls.)
AN ALL NEW XENA!

A GHOST FROM XENA'S PAST--
(Flaming cannonballs hit Astus.)
IS TERRORIZING A CITY.
Xena (to Gabrielle): I just got outsmarted by my own tactics.
BUT WHO?
Xena (to Gabrielle): He thinks like me, fights like me.
AND WHY?
Xena: He knows me.
(Xena throws a dagger and Borias deflects it with his sword.)
THE ANSWER LIES WITHIN XENA'S DEEPEST SECRETS.
Xena: You killed the father of my child!
THE DEATH OF HER LOVER--
(Xena screams during childbirth.)
THE BIRTH OF HER SON.
(Baby Solan cries.)
Xena: You!
(Soldiers charge Xena and she draws her sword.)
AN ALL NEW XENA!

TV GUIDE PROMO
A copycat conqueror mimics Xena's past evil deeds.

Xena has a series of flashbacks in which she recalls military exploits from her evil past---which echo the strategies attackers are using on a town she's defending.

Xena must find a copycat who is mirroring her evil deeds of the past.

AIRING AND RATING INFORMATION
1st RELEASE: 01/04/99
An AA average of 3.7
Competition from Syndicated Action Dramas:
(1) X-FILES 12th with 5.3
(2) ER 13th with 4.8
(3) STAR TREK DS9 15th with 4.3
(4) HERCULES 19th with 4.1
(5) STARGATE SG-1 3.8
(6) XENA ??? but below 3.9
(7) Mortal Kombat 3.0
(8) Earth: FC 2.8
(9) Outer Limits 2.7
(10) The Crow 2.5
(11) Honey, I Shrunk The Kids 2.2

SYNOPSIS:

This synopsis is by Bluesong.

Xena rehashes the vision of Gabrielle's crucifixion, and this time she tells Gabrielle about it. Gabrielle doesn't want to dwell on it, however, much less discuss it! They break camp and head off to warn a small city that an attack is imminent. They tell the city leader, who says his troops are all inside with the scourge. As they talk, a flaming boulder flies into the city as catapults do their damage all around. Xena and Gabrielle run, and Gabrielle is knocked down. Xena helps her up and leads her to safety.

A young girl needs rescuing, and Xena grabs her and runs. She is knocked into the wall by a blow from the catapults. The blow seems to make her remember her past. She remembers when she attacked Corinth, when she was with Borias. Dagnine is with her, too, and they hold a couple of centaurs prisoner. She and Borias argue over obtaining the Ixion Stone.

Back in the present, Xena tells Gabrielle that she is remembering her past. Xena remembers talking to her serving girl, Satrina, who tells Xena about poisoning grain and digging tunnels under fortress walls. In the present again, Xena realizes the grain in the city has been poisoned, and that is why the soldiers are all sick. Now the city has no food. The general has been killed in the first assault, and Xena assumes command. She takes Gabrielle and a few men and goes to check the water supply, which has a dam access. Xena wants to destroy the dam so the water will flow freely. At the dam, she remembers killing soldiers from Corinth and floating their bodies downstream as a message to Corinth. Back in the present, she and her men are attacked as the enemy emerges from the lake. Xena can hardly fight, though, because she sees, in the distance, an icy, snowy mountain, which reminds her of the crucifixion vision. Xena and Gabrielle retreat back into the city.

They have no food, and little water. Xena remembers again. She has Dagnine betray Borias, who wanted a truce and peaceful discussion with the centaurs. Xena has the centaurs captured, however. Borias fights Xena and frees the captured centaurs, riding away with them. Xena declares war on Borias and his army, and tells Dagnine she will crucify everyone. Back in the present, Xena tells Gabrielle that the enemy outside the walls is like herself, and she thinks she is almost fighting herself because the person is using her own tactics.

Xena and Gabrielle argue again over Xena's vision. Xena goes to the enemy camp, a tunnel. She is shot with a poison dart. Xena remembers how she had her baby. Satrina, her servant, is with her in the memory, and then the woman shows up in the present. She is Xena's new enemy, the warlord attacking the city. Xena is captured.

Satrina and Xena remember together. Xena, ready to deliver her son, is semiconscious, having drank a broth Satrina prepared. Borias and his army attack Xena's camp. Satrina finds Borias as he tries to take Xena away, and she stabs him. She yells for Dagnine, who attacks Borias, and Satrina goes back and helps Xena deliver her baby. Dagnon throws a sword into Borias' back. The centaurs attack. Borias dies. Xena and Satrina run.

Back in the present, Xena tells Satrina she'd already figured out who her enemy was, and had taken the antidote for the poison before entering the cave. Xena's army and Gabrielle tunnel in from the other side. Satrina calls for her guards and escapes.

Xena and Gabrielle discuss the vision again. Xena remembers how she gave up her son, so he wouldn't be in danger from her enemies. Xena and Gabrielle sit by the fire, and Xena is very sad.

COMMENTARIES:

COMMENTARY AREA
COMMENTARY 1 by Beth Gaynor
COMMENTARY 2 by Deb E McGhee
COMMENTARY 3 by Xorys
COMMENTARY 4 by Videntur
COMMENTARY 5 by Stryper
COMMENTARY 6 by Bethany Faison

BORIAS: A REVERSAL OF A CLASSIC STEREOTYPE

01-17-99. By Diana Kunkel.

I've been reading the Whoosh commentaries on Past Imperfect. I always enjoy this section of the Episode Guides. They are always intriguing to me -- getting me in touch with different perspectives on the show and its characters. However, the almost uniform acceptance of Borias' love for Xena, as expressed in the analyses of Past Imperfect, was a bit disconcerting. The basic problem that I see with Borias' almost constant declarations of Love is: Who is it that Borias loves? Why are we not appalled by this supposedly heroic figure who declares his love for an evil, scheming, demonic Xena?

Borias is not saying he loves the reformed Xena struggling with her conscience. He has not met the Xena of Sins of the Past or Sacrifice, willing to lay her life down for the Greater Good. He is in love with a fiend that even her mother can't love. Are we, the audience, projecting our knowledge of the "good" Xena onto the Destroyer of Nations Borias knows?

Borias is declaring his love for a Xena who at her best (in The Debt flashbacks with Lao Ma) can't hold onto a loving thought for longer than a few minutes. Even that Xena has not shown herself to Borias (at least while the cameras are rolling):

in The Debt they were fighting (their enemies or each other) whenever they weren't doing-the-nasty;

in Sin Trade, Xena clings to Alti's promises of power, destroys the Amazons of the Steppes and wants to learn the magic that would allow her to devastate more nations and rule the world, while keeping Borias in line with sexual favors;

in Past Imperfect, Xena spurns him, avoids dealing with the birth of their child, and focuses on the destruction of Corinth -- and she would destroy Borias too if he dared to obstruct her plans;

in both Sin Trade and Past Imperfect, Xena is clear that she has no interest in forming any kind of family with Borias, and that she sees him as weak and beneath contempt for even suggesting it.

Lao Ma dealt with a Xena who respected her and for whom Xena thought she felt love; a Xena who deferred to her and recognized her as a power to be reckoned with; a Xena who was willing to attempt to change, if only for a moment. In the glimpses we see, Borias has never had this side of Xena aimed his way.

So I ask again: Who is it that Borias loves and what does it say about him? He claims he loves a woman who, for most of her "screen time", shows him no respect and rarely moves to any emotion other than anger. If Gabrielle did this, the fans would say she's a fool to stick around. At least the Xena of the Gab-Drag had a clear motivation for her wrath. Borias' Xena has no excuse whatever for her shabby treatment of him -- and he takes it and wants more. No wonder she is contemptuous.

This situation is a classic reversal of stereotypes: Evil Xena as the career-oriented "male" who uses others for the advancement of her goals; Borias as the "female" back-office type, who falls in-love after having sex and wants to create a stable family life. I don't like the "little woman" role when an actress plays the part. Why should I rejoice when a man does? It is a dysfunctional role based on inequality and power-games -- not love and mutual respect.

I hear others ask: What of Xena's lost chance to change her ways; what would Xena have been like if she had accepted Borias? In my opinion, it would be impossible for this Xena to have turned a future relationship with Borias into an "opportunity" to reform her ways...his character itself was not strong enough to stand up to her and make it happen. The best thing he did was leave her...the biggest mistake he made was coming back to try to "save" a person who did not want to be saved. He lost his life and his son in the process.

Xena had a few more years of lessons to learn before she was ready to reconsider the path she had taken. Borias was not a "lost opportunity". He was merely another lesson along the road.

HERBS

02-10-99. By Virginia Carper.

What are the two herbs mentioned in PAST IMPERFECT? Unfortunately, Satrina only gives the local names ? santra flower and kala root. The scientific name is unknown, so these herbs could be anything.

One possibility for santra flower is wood sanicle (_Sanicula Europaea_), a perennial common to woods and thickets. Wood sanicle was regarded as the proverbial cure for many illness such as blood disorders and diseases of the lungs. The herb is also effective in stopping internal bleeding. However, it is not a morphia inducing plant. But, the herb will stop any bleeding resulting from childbirth, and will act as an inoculation against childbed fever. A useful herb to use while having a child.

Kala root may be sweet sedge (_Calamus aromaticus_) referred to by Pliny, the Roman naturalist in his writings. The root of this plant is prized as an aromatic stimulant and mild tonic. Sweet sedge is also used to cure for flatulence and indigestion. (I am curious as to why Xena did not use this root in IN SICKNESS AND IN HELL.)

More information on herbs can be found on the web at Botanical.Com.

WHIMPERS, MURMURS, AND A LOVE GONE TOO FAR

03-19-00. In the June 1999 issue of WHOOSH, Marton Csokas stated that: "R.J. Stewart wrote the script for my first appearance and that was to take place in Mongolia or thereabouts. I was trying to do a combination Russian/Chinese kind of accent which didn't quite work out. He was at a wardrobe fitting and mentioned that the character was based on Attila the Hun, and should be sort of Hungarian. Well, that's no problem for me, to do a Hungarian accent, but it turned out a little more generic than that. I liked the character. "

02-05-99. Steven L. Sears. writer and co-executive producer of XWP, on DWO AoL Chat, 02-04-99, stated

Question: Why did you reshoot Xena giving away Solan for the Past Imperfect ep?

Tyldus: That was something that we discussed at length. Rob wanted to reshoot it so that we could give a better effect of war in the background. When it was done, it didn't so much succeed at that, but it did have more continuity within the particular episode. I wish we could have combined them, as I think the older one had some great moments. Costuming prevented us, though.

12-21-98. From R.J. Stewart's (the executive producer of XWP) RealHollywood 12-15-98 chat:

guest1421 asks "When are we gonna see the crucifixion scene!!? I need to know because its driving me crazy! Also, I just want to congratulate you and all the staff on what is at the moment a great season of Xena."

R.J.Stewart says "Thank you, great to hear that! I love it, too. You'll see it before the fourth season is over .. very late."

This information means that the resolution of the crucifixion cannot be in PAST IMPERFECT since PAST is scheduled to be played in the 2nd batch of first runs for 4th season. The crucifixion scene was filmed for ADVENTURES IN THE SIN TRADE II, as opposed to the other flash forwards which were actual clips from already filmed episodes (TALE OF TWO MUSES, CRUSADER, and WILD HORSES).

10-29-98. There have been reports that at least 15 minutes was cut from this episode to make it fir the 44 minute time constraint forced upon all XWP episodes. 15 minutes!!! That's a lot of story.

10-10-98. This is an action-packed dense episode. Not only do we get to see the events leading up to the Battle of Corinth, the birth of Solan, the death of Borias, and yet another extremely peeved woman from Xena's past, but we also get to see the events leading up to the vision of Xena and Gabrielle's death that Xena foresaw in ADVENTURES IN THE SIN TRADE II. See how Xena avoided death in the past and avoids it in the present. See Xena muck up even more personal relationships. Xena, what a gal!

09-29-98. Ach meine Gott! Not only does Xena meet up with an old flame this season, but she also pays heavily and oftenly for her past when she meets up with people whom she had screwed over while in her Destroyer of Nations phase (let me see, was that ten winters ago?). In ADVENTURES I & II, while in the afterlife she deals with an Amazon she had previously placed there (and let's say that the Amazon ain't too happy about it); she runs into another "old friend" who is still working out their issues in PAST IMPERFECT; and in SHARK ISLAND PRISON, Xena visits yet another woman from her past who would love to read Xena a few riot acts.

09-15-98. In early July 1998, Steven L. Sears, a co-executive producer for XWP, joined a chat session at Digital Worlds on AoL. Apparently, Sears had just finished the script for PAST IMPERFECT. He also stated that XWP will introduce a new god character and that one of the characters will have a "patron" god. He also stated that they wanted to use Velasca again, but the actress, Melinda Clarke, was too busy with SOLDIER OF FORTUNE to take time off and film it. They considered having Boudiccea return in the 4th season, but it did not pan out. They also discussed having Alexander the Great show up too, but that didn't work either. Finally, Sears stated that the Sappho episode was still on the back burner.

07-29-98. Marton Csokas, the actor who played Khrafstar and Borias, has been signed for three episodes in the XENA fourth season. Rumor has it he will play Borias in all three and all in scripts written by Steven L. Sears. Borias will be in ADVENTURES IN THE SIN TRADE I. It is unclear whether he will be in the second part. It seems, if he is, that appeareance will not comprise the second appearence of Csonkas (meaning he still appears in two more episodes). Rumor has it that these episodes will be throughout the season and that they will be a critical part of an overall arc for the 4th season. More rumors about that one of the other two episodes will be PAST IMPERFECT (a Sears script).

HIGHLIGHTS:

Highlights by Beth Gaynor.

What a scene for Solan's entrance: Xena's screams mixed with Borias's, and Borias's death mixed with Solan's birth. Now THAT'S a warrior's last battle.

Chalk up another campfire scene for the history books. Gabrielle's tender comforting of Xena gave enough warm fuzzies to last a week.

PERTINENT DIALOGE

From HOOVES AND HARLOTS (Sears script)

G: "Now, what did you mean by, `I'm not a friend of the Centaurs.'?"

X: "A long time ago, my army fought the Centaurs."

G: "Yeah, well, I guess they wouldn't be your friends if you defeated them in battle."

X: "I fought them-- I never defeated them. Stay here."

Ephiny: "Gabrielle? You didn't tell your friend about the right of caste, did you?"



X: "I find it hard to believe that the son of Tyldus is a murderer."

Phantes: "Maybe it wasn't murder. Maybe it was the opening of a war that should have happened a long time ago."

X: "Well, if it was, it was a pretty stupid way to begin it. Only one death? And to get captured so easily. Centaurs aren't known for their stupidity."



X: "You're going to get your people killed. I fought the Centaurs; I know what they can do."

Melosa: "The famous battle of Corinth-- yes, we've heard of it. And we've heard of you, Xena. To some of us, you're a hero. A true Amazon at the head of the mightiest army the world has known."

X: "And yet, the Centaurs fought my army to a standstill. Tyldus was their leader. Executing his son is certain to bring about a war. I don't believe Phantes killed your sister."



X: "No. I'm asking you to give me time. He has until noon tomorrow. Give me that."

Tyldus: "Why am I to trust you? At one time we would have rejoiced in each other's blood."

X: "Look inside yourself for that answer. Are you still the same Centaur I met at Corinth?"

Tyldus: "You killed a half of my Centaur army. My friends. My son will not die for something he didn't do. He's not a murderer. I desperately want to avoid war, but I'm gonna get him back. And I swear, if he dies, every Amazon will suffer at my hand."

From ORPHAN OF WAR (Sears script)

G: "Xena, these totems don't look too friendly. These are Centaur totems."

X: "Dagnine's already been here. Looks like the Centaurs drove him off, but he won't give up."

G: "The big question is, what kind of welcome you're going to get from the Centaurs."

X: "I don't know. I fought the Centaurs a long time ago. I can only hope they believe I'm here to help."

G: "Wasn't Dagnine in your army back then?"

X: "Yes. He was a very capable warrior-- but even I wouldn't turn my back on him. We had the Centaurs surrounded. They fought bravely, but it was only a matter of time."

G: "If they were surrounded, why didn't you kill them?"

X: "We reached an agreement. I pulled my army out and promised never to return. Gabrielle, get your staff ready."

G: "Centaurs?"

X: "No."



Kaleipus [Kal]: "Xena-- destroyer of nations. You promised you'd never return."

X: "That Xena never will. I'm sure you figured it out-- Dagnine's here for the Ixion stone."

Kal: "And what are you here for, or shouldn't I have to guess?"

X: "I came to stop Dagnine. I'm not here for anything, or-- or anybody."



Kal: "Stop right there! You won't get the Ixion stone. All of us are willing to die to keep you from that power. And Borias, the man who betrayed Xena, to become the greatest friend of the Centaurs, told us everything. He may have died at your command, but he will live forever in our legends."

X: "I'm willing to withdraw my army."

Kal: "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-- Xena, destroyer of nations, isn't known to bargain."

X: "Take this child. He's my son, and the son of Borias. If he stays with me, he'll become a target for all those who hate me-- and he'll learn things a child should never know. He'll become like me."

Kal: "The son of Borias-- will be raised as my own."



G: "I can see why the Centaurs tried to stop you, and why Borias turned against you."

X: "Borias was a very wise man. He found his way a lot sooner than I did. But I didn't kill him. I ordered him captured unharmed. And I don't know what happened."



Dag/Ix: "You wanna know a secret? This is Borias' sword. The last time I saw Borias' sword was when I _stuck_ it in his back!"

X: "You killed him."

Dag/Ix: "Uh-huh. I killed him. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha."

Crowd [Cheering]: "Xena! Xena! Xena! Xena!"

From PAST IMPERFECT (Sears script)

Kal. Stop there, Xena!

X. You got my message. I just wanna talk to you.

Kal. As you did before when you tried to kill me? It doesn't matter - you won't get the Ixion Stone. Borias, the friend of the Centaurs, has told us everything. We found his body in your camp. But his legend will live forever with our people.

X. (reveals baby from under heavy fur cape) Take this child. He's my son.... the son of Borias. If he stays with me, he'll become a target for all those who hate me... he'll learn things that a child shouldn't know. He'll become like me. Please....

Kal. (takes baby, lifts it up and looks at it) The son of Borias shall be raised as my own...

X leaves... groans and sobs as she is out of K's earshot...

WHERE HAVE I SEEN YOU BEFORE?

By Xorys.

Did Satrina look familiar to you...? She certainly should have, since she was played by Catherine Boniface who played she who we all love to hate, Meridian, in The Deliverer and Gabrielle's Hope. Actually Catherine's first appearance in the Xenaverse was as a priestess in Comedy Of Errors! Apart from XWP, she can be seen in the 1998 New Zealand film Flatmates, which also stars Kevin Smith (haven't seen it, so I can't say how good it is - but it certainly sounds worth a look... but I think it was made for TV, so I don't know if it is or will be available outside NZ).

Kaleipus was played by Paul Gittins... Now this is getting a little confusing - Paul Gittins was the actor who originally played Kaleipus in Orphan Of War, but last time we saw the big K, in Maternal Instincts, he was played by Jeff Boyd - I guess he changed a lot over the years.

Dagnine was played, as before in Orphan Of War, by Mark Ferguson (albeit in a slightly more subdued manner this time). Mark is quite a familiar figure in the Xenaverse - beside Dagnine, he also played the warlord Krykus in Hooves And Harlots and in Remember Nothing, and of course he gave us the villainous John Smythe in The Xena Scrolls. But he gets around with Hercules as well... he was in two of the pre-series Hercules TV movies, playing Hades in Hercules in the Underworld (yep, he originated the role, before Erik Thomson made it his own), and Prometheus in Hercules and the Circle of Fire; he also played Craesus in the HTLJ ep As Darkness Falls, which should be known to all Xena fans, even those not really into HTLJ, since it featured Lucy Lawless in the role of Lyla, wife of the Centaur Deric. Mark also appeared along with Lucy in the 1992 film Sinking Of The Rainbow Warrior (as Detective Neil Morris). He was also on the NZ soap Shortland Street as Darryl/Damien Neilson.

Marton Csokas once more reprised the role of Borias, which he has previously made his own in both parts of The Debt and of Adventures In The Sin Trade. But of course, we first saw him as the slimy Khrafstar (which I'm told in the original Iranian mythos actually referred to nasty, creep-crawly things) in The Deliverer, and reappeared in that role as part of the hate team in The Bitter Suite. Marton also did a stint on Shortland Street, as Dr. Leonard Rossi-Dodds. He also can be seen in the NZ film Broken English, as Darko, and did an ep of the Ray Bradbury Theatre (as did Lucy), playing Sid in the episode By The Numbers. He also appeared in the third season HTLJ ep The Promise, as Tarlus!

The ill-fated military commander Oaklin was played by John Manning... we've seen him several times before in minor roles - he was a Greek Scout in Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts, a "Ranch Hand" (?!) in Ties That Bind, and a "Captain" in The Deliverer.

Pasicus, the inexperienced second-in-command who had to take over after Oaklin's death (or at least, would have had to, if Xena hadn't been there!), was played by Craig Muller... he didn't look familiar to me, and I can't find anything about him....

On the other hand, you probably found the Centaur Jareyd very familiar! Does "the priestess will see you now" ring any bells? ... Yes, Jareyd was played by Mark Webley, who was one of the guards outside the temple of Mnemosyne in Forget Me Not! He was also a temple guard in A Necessary Evil ("a dinar donation for the goddess Artemsis...")

And Paul McLaren, who played the Miner (the one telling the other guy to be quiet so as not to alert the guards), has also been seen twice before - as Streptus in Death in Chains, and as the "POW Leader" in Is There a Doctor in the House.

I don't believe we've seen any of the other minor players before - well not those in speaking roles at least. However I do have a question for all of you out there - the lead Corinthian prisoner, the one who got knifed first by Dagnine, looked *very* familiar to me, but I just can't place him... since he didn't speak, he didn't get a credit - but can anybody tell me who he was??

The ep was written by Steven Sears, who comes second, after R. J. Stewart, in number of XWP writing credits (credited as "Writer" for Dreamworker, Hooves and Harlots, Athens Academy, A Fistful of Dinars, Royal Couple of Thieves, The Greater Good, Orphan of War (notable as being the ep that told parts of the story retold in Past Imperfect), Iintimate Stranger, The Price, Lost Mariner, The Dirty Half Dozen, The Deliverer, The Bitter Suite, When In Rome, Sacrifice 1, A Good Day... and also credited as "Story Writer" on Remember Nothing and The Quest, and "Teleplay Writer" on Destiny and The Quest. The ep's director was Garth Maxwell, who previously directed Mortal Beloved, The Execution, Lost Mariner and Forgiven.

THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR

These things are by Beth Gaynor.

Xena requests some engineers and "the fastest horse you can find" to head for the river. Umm, Xena, your horse's name is Argo. You left her in the town square when the greek fire started coming down.

HOW were those ambush guys hiding in the river? There was no signs of reeds, pigs' bladders, or scuba gear. Had they grown gills?

During the fight at the river, watch the hand shoot up when Xena bug-pins the downed enemy. Ew.

Listen to the first guy Gabrielle fights in the tunnel: Gab battles Homer Simpson!

"Ha ha!"

[Staff in the face - BONK!]

"D'OH!"

This episode rewrote some of what has gone before. Most importantly:

In Orphan of War, Xena said she gave the order to capture Borias unharmed. No such order here: she told everyone to saddle up for war and break out the crosses. (But Dagnine's boast that he killed Borias with his own sword through his back remains intact.)

In Hooves and Harlots, we hear that Xena and Tyldus fought to a standstill at Corinth. Here, the battle seems to be wrapping up and the armies are scattering, but Tyldus hasn't even shown up. Check out the next point, though:

The scene from Orphan when Xena handed over Solan was redone. (I kind of liked the just-shy-of-crumbling stoicism Xena had in Orphan better than the emotional shell-shock of this version.) The big difference: Xena doesn't offer to withdraw the army. Maybe Tyldus and Xena will meet in a later episode. Xena also says "please" this time - we never saw Xena say please in the first couple of seasons. However, one piece of dialogue remains the same, and turns out to from Borias's mouth: the reasons to give Solan up. "He'll become a target for those who hate me (your enemies), he'll learn (see) things a child should not know (see)... and he'll become like me."

One other small nit: the sword of Borias is a long curved blade, not the standard straight sword we see in Orphan.

TRANSCRIPT

Click here to read a transcript of PAST IMPERFECT.

DISCLAIMER:

Borias' goose was cooked during the production of this motion picture.

WHOOSH! ARTICLES:

"An Interview With Catherine Boniface" by Bret Ryan Rudnick, WHOOSH #24 (9809).

LINKS:

Graphics

Mary D's Previews

Actors

Nyx's Shrine to Marton Csokas