Garth Maxwell Movies

Lord Belach (Marton Csokas), the son of warlord Borias (with whom Xena [Lucy Lawless] had far too many close encounters during her warrior-princess days) sets out to kill the Centaur Xenan (Hamish Hector-Taylor), himself the son of Amazon princess Ephiny (Danielle Cormack). Belach believes that his daughter, Nicha (Katrina Devine), has been kidnapped by Xenan, when in fact she has eloped with the boy of her own free will. When Xenan and the pregnant Nicha seek out help from Xena and Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), they set off a chain reaction of reciprocal adductions and wholesale slaughter -- but the episode ends on a hopeful note all the same. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Messianic shaman Eli (Tim Omundson, making his final series appearance) incurs the wrath of Ares (Kevin Smith) when he preaches against the warlike ways of the Olympian Gods. Though they do their best to protect Eli, Xena (Lucy Lawless) and Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) fail in their mission. But can it be that Eli's demise was all part of a divine master plan -- one which also involves Xena's unborn child? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

It is has been 25 years since Xena (Lucy Lawless), her daughter, Eve, and her companion, Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), disappeared from the face of the earth. Since that time, the ladies' friend Joxer (Ted Raimi) has regaled his children and grandchildren with stories of Xena's adventures -- and of his own courage in the thick of battle. Now, an aged Joxer has come across the last scroll left behind by Gabrielle, detailing the final confrontation between Xena and the Olympian Gods, who were forsworn to kill Eve lest she fulfill the prophecy of their destruction. As Joxer reads the document, he realizes with startling suddenness that Xena and Gabrielle may not be dead -- as everyone (including himself) has assumed all these many years. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

As indicated by its title, this episode is a partial homage to Casablanca, especially the scenes wherein Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) and Morrigan (Tamara Gorski) lose their chance for romance during a lengthy flashback. The substance of the story, however, involves the Oracle of Cyprus (Alison Quigan), who has gloomily predicted her own death. Setting the tale in motion is the sudden appearance of a young woman named Havisha (Simone Kessell), who has apparently been revived from the dead for the express purpose of committing murder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Still journeying through India, Xena (Lucy Lawless) and Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) find themselves in a city overflowing with street entertainers and mystics. Incredibly, Gabrielle suddenly takes on profound healing powers, and is promptly proclaimed a Devi -- but Xena thinks that Gabrielle's skills are all smoke and mirrors. And what of the ladies' new acquaintance, Eli (Timothy Omundson in his first series appearance), who may or may not be the magician he appears to be? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tara (Shiri Appleby), that bad-attitude teenager with warrior-princess aspirations, hopes to discredit Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) so that she can become the partner of Xena (Lucy Lawless). As part of this strategy, Tara offers to lead Xena and Gabrielle to the stolen urn of Apollo, picking fights with Gabby all along the way . But can terrible teen Tara be trusted when the inevitable bad guys inevitably show up? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tim Thomerson returns as over-the-hill warrior Meleagor the Mighty, who is about to be executed for murder. Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) is convinced that Meleagor is innocent, but Xena (Lucy Lawless) observes that the warrior has been given a scrupulously fair trial by Judge Arbus (Tony Blackett). When Gabrielle helps Meleagor escape, Xena strikes a bargain with Arbus: If she can return Meleagor within 24 hours, Gabrielle will not be punished. Unfortunately, Gabrielle will stop at nothing to prevent the warrior's recapture -- even if it means squaring off against her best friend. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The titular sword in this episode is well named: Anyone who holds the weapon is incapable of telling a lie. Hoping to prove that warrior-turned-pacifist Amphion (Brad Carpenter) is innocent of murder, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) and Iolaus (Michael Hurst) search for the sword in the grim Thalian caves. They are guided in this endeavor by Amphion's virginal sweetheart Leah (Kim Michalis) -- while the real murderer, not wishing to be forced into a confession by the sword, plots the demise of the three intrepid do-gooders. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Wrapping the greedy King Midas (Noel Trevarthen) around her little finger, the beautiful but treacherous Voluptua (Jennifer Ward-Leland) uses Midas' vast wealth to establish the Touch of Gold gambling palace. Upon realizing that the palace is actually a shrine to corruption and evil, Midas demands that it be destroyed, only to be locked up by Voluptua's minions. It is up to Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) to free the repentant Midas and foil Voluptua -- but first he is forced into a boxing match with the fearsome Segallus (Terry Batchelor) in order to rescue Midas' daughter Flaxen (Trac Lindsey), who has been strapped to an archaic booby trap. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Alternating between urban affluence and rural squalor in its New Zealand setting, this contemporary update of the Brothers Grimm tells the story of a boy and his sister whose placement into very different adoptive homes can't destroy the psychic bond that connects them. An impressionistic opening scene suggests that Jack and Dora's mother has gone off her rocker; soon, the children are packed off to an orphanage, where Dora is adopted by the kindly Mr. and Mrs. Birch (Brenda Simmons and Gilbert Goldie) and Jack falls into the hands of grim farmer Clarrie (Tony Barry) and his bottled-up wife Bernice (Elizabeth Hawthorne). Years later, the teen-aged Jack (Alexis Arquette) suffers through continuing abuse from his proud, sardonic parents and their quartet of vacant-eyed, black-clad daughters. Using an invention that helps focus his nascent hypnotic powers, the lad unleashes his revenge on the family and sets off to find his real sister. Dora Sarah Smuts-Kennedy, meanwhile, has grown up within the comforts of a middle-class home but can't escape her outsider status -- or her special powers, which allow her to sense not only Jack's presence, but also the voices of the dead. With the help of Teddy (Bruno Lawrence), an older telepathic man who wants to bed her, Dora finally finds her way to Jack. But his unhappy childhood has already inflicted too much damage, poisoning the siblings' hopes of a joyful reunion with their birth parents and setting the stage for the savage vengeance of Jack's stepsisters. Garth Maxwell, who previously directed the award-winning gay short Beyond Gravity, made his feature debut with Jack Be Nimble. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi