Xena: Warrior Princes "Fallen Angel" #5.1 (1999) (TV)

Heaven and Hell, 1 August 2007

Having just been crucified by Roman soldiers, Xena and Gabrielle find themselves surrounded by angels and headed to Heaven. But before they can arrive, they are attacked by demons from Hell lead by their nemesis Callisto. While Xena makes it safely to Heaven, Gabrielle is taken to the depths of Hell. For Xena, spending an eternity in Heaven without Gabrielle is just unacceptable. She rallies the archangels to her cause and sets out to save her friend. But what price is Xena willing to pay for Gabrielle's soul?

Talk about your epic battles of Good vs. Evil. It doesn't get much bigger than a band of archangels doing battle with demons from Hell. And even when you consider all the places and things that Xena and Gabrielle experienced through the entire run of Xena: Warrior Princess, a struggle between Heaven and Hell is still groundbreaking stuff. Given that Xena was made with a modest television budget, the special effects in this particular episode are quite good. Sure, there are a few moments when the CGI starts to resemble a video game, but again, we're talking about an episode of a television show. I really enjoyed the acting in "Fallen Angel". All three actresses (Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, and Hudson Leick) seemed to "get into" their chance to play a demon. And what about that ending? Callisto was always one of my favorite characters, but even I realized that it was time for her to go. Her redemption and salvation are a highpoint of the entire series. Overall, "Fallen Angel" is probably ten or so favorite episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess.

9/10