What can we say?
Callisto just had a je ne sais quoi about her
[1] Why does it appear that Xena was a "bad girl"
turned "good", while Callisto was completely "evil"?
Why did the audience feel compelled to side with Xena?
And, why would anyone pity or pray for Callisto's soul?
[2] These questions occurred to me after watching
"Callisto", episode no. 22, of "Xena" Warrior
Princess". I would like to share with you my thoughts
about possible answers.
[3] Before discussing these questions, however,
let's first examine what we know about Xena and
Callisto.
Callisto wanted Xena
[4] Xena became known as a "warrior princess" while
leading her army with a goal of conquering the world.
This was what we picked up from the Hercules: The
Legendary Journey's episodes, "Warrior Princess", "The
Gauntlet", and "Unchained Heart". In these shows, Xena
saw Hercules as an obstacle to overcome if she were to
succeed in her plans.
[5] In "Death Mask" and "The Reckoning", we picked
up a few more pieces of information. For example, we
learned from Xena and Toris that Xena formed her army
to initially fight off the warlord Cortese and later
felt she had to extend her area of "protection" to
beyond her village for a buffer. It was sometime during
this period that she began to think she needed to
conquer the world. However, from Ares we were told
that Xena's purpose was to "make it a better world".
Do not forget the decrees Ares tried to bribe her with:
taxation only on the profits, teaching, healing, and
protection for the elderly. Thus, what we find in Xena
was a person who had good intentions. Although we all
know what the road to Hades was paved with, was it any
wonder that Xena lost track of "right/wrong" and was
easily misled by Ares?
Ares wanted Xena too.
Duh! Like who did not?
[6] We know that Ares never showed himself to Xena
before she left her "wayward ways" due to her comments
in "The Reckoning". However, it is not inconceivable
that Ares made his way known to her through other
agents. For example, where did Xena get the idea that
she needed to conquer the nearby villages? Someone,
probably one of her soldiers, could have put the idea
into her head. Ares could have easily had agents in
Xena's army and he was capable of giving each of them
different and specific plans to propose to Xena.
At the very least, Ares could have indirectly
encouraged Xena in the actions he liked and discouraged
her when she started to stray from his point of view.
[7] What else do we know about Xena? She started out
as a good person trying to do a good thing and got
lost along the way. How does that compare to Callisto?
Callisto had an unbridled need to mete to Xena the punishment she felt Xena deserved
[8] Little is known about Callisto except that her
mother and sister(s?) were killed during a raid by
Xena's army. Xena did not know whether someone from her
army started the fire or if one of the villagers
knocked over a lamp in the confusion. Xena nonetheless
accepted the responsibility for the deaths because she
knew that the people were so afraid of her army that
they stayed in their huts and burned to death rather
than face her army!
[9] There are two key things we do not know about
Callisto. Unfortunately, these things are critical to
determining why Callisto was the way she was. First,
where was Callisto during the village's destruction?
Second, how old was Callisto when Xena's army attacked?
In order to determine reasonable and probable answers
to these questions, we must use circumstantial evidence
and conjecture.
[10] Callisto was probably at least a teenager,
perhaps not quite as old as Xena, when the warrior
princess' army attacked. I estimate that she was not
more than 5 years younger and yet, I would assume that
she was older than Gabrielle. Moreover, it's reasonable
to assume that Callisto was at least a "warrior in
training". It is doubtful a young girl who just
"wanted" to be a skilled warrior could have become
proficient enough to lead her own army and take on Xena
in what may have been about 6 years. (NOTE: I base this
time frame on the idea that Xena was a warlord for
about 10 - 12 years. The first years, I presume, was
spent building her army and stretching her muscles. The
raid on Callisto's village probably happened sometime
in the middle of Xena's "reign". If it had happened too
early, Xena might have been so shocked at the
accidental deaths, that she might have been stopped at
that time. If it happened near the end, it would have
been fresher on her mind and Xena would not have had to
ask Callisto's soldier about it.)
[11] Callisto, then, probably had at least six years
to hone her skills, recruit an army and start off in
her pursuit of Xena. And what happened? By the time
Callisto found Xena, Xena was no longer an evil
warlord, but had started doing good!
[12] Imagine Callisto's frustration. The person she
saw as "evil incarnate" had become a "goody two
sandals", possibly even a heroine! So, Callisto
concocted Plan B: Work on destroying Xena's "good"
image and maybe even get Xena mad enough to come after
Callisto.
[13] Let's reflect for a moment on what we have
discussed this far. We have two women, each of whom
lost loved ones during raids by warlords, but each
having a different way of reacting. Xena, roused her
fellow villagers to fight off the warlord and when her
brother was killed, vowed to prevent anyone from
harming anyone else in her village and off she went
with her army to make a better world.
[14] Callisto, as far as we know, did nothing to try
to stop Xena's army from attacking her village. In
fact, we do not know what she was doing at all. There
are a couple of possible scenarios which might explain
why she became so angry.
Chakram catching is a rare skill
[15] First scenario. Being a young "blond" teenager,
Callisto was out in the nearby forest hunting "snipes"
with a local "hunk". This scenario would most likely
create a very high level of "guilt" for Callisto. Just
imagine, you are out in the woods having a great time
and come back in time to hear your family burning to
death! That would be a major guilt trip, and there were
not many psychiatrists' couches around to work it out
on.
[16] Second scenario. Callisto was in the village,
and although she had warrior skills, she froze. She hid
and could only listen as others in her village died.
This scenario would also produce "guilt" which could
have motivated Callisto's behavior.
[17] Third scenario. Callisto tried to fight, but
was knocked out and when she came to she found her
loved ones dead. This scenario is by far the weakest of
the bunch. Although it would produce some guilt, it
would not be of the magnitude of the personal anguish
that the other scenarios would generate.
[18] So, after all was said and done, what were
Xena's and Callisto's motivation? Xena was trying to
do something that would save and protect her village.
This started from Xena's first efforts to organize the
villagers and then later in leading her army. Callisto
was trying to alleviate the pain that her guilt had
given her. In this way, she was similar to Malus who
stated that he could only ease the pain he felt over
his son's death by spilling the blood of the one
responsible. If we examine why Malus felt that way, we
would understand that he was also feeling guilty that
he was NOT in the village when his son was killed! This
was similar to the guilt that Callisto would have felt
had she not been in the village when the attack began!
[19] Another factor that probably played a role in
Callisto's actions was Ares. Although it was never
stated, Callisto's actions would have drawn Ares's
attention early in her attempts to get to Xena. When
Callisto first started her campaign to destroy Xena's
reputation, Ares might have seen that as a way to draw
Xena back into his fold. At the very least, Xena might
have been taught a lesson for leaving him!
[20] Therefore, Xena appeared to be the "good girl"
who went astray and had returned to the "right path",
while Callisto was a "tortured" girl who was her own
worst enemy!
[21] The editor made the following comments, and then
author of the paper offered a response.
Editor:
[23] Ares tempted the "new" Xena with good works in
order to get the "new" Xena's attention. That scene
really had nothing to do with the OLD Xena. The most
telling scene about the old Xena, other than those
found in "Warrior Princess" was in "Dreamwalker" where
the "new" Xena had to beat up the "old" Xena. The "old"
Xena was very chilling and could care less about what
the new Xena now prized. Also, remember, the old Xena
lamed a horse in "Warrior Princess". It wasn't until
"The Gauntlet" that she started saving babies.
[24] I understand your argument that Xena was good
to begin with and that she was just momentarily driven
by evil by accident, and that because of her hidden
"goodness", Hercules was able to draw her out into good
again. However, I found the Ares argument irrelevant to
that line of thought.
[25] By using that scene from Reckoning as an
example all you are really saying is that the "good"
Xena wanted to change the world for the better, and I
don't think anyone would argue with that (not to
mention having any relevance in whether the "old" Xena
was really evil or just misguided). I personally do not
think the "old" Xena would care about Ares' offers, so
clarifying the paragraph in mind of convincing an old
skeptic like me, might make your arguments stronger and
purpose clearer.
cwiatt@indiana.edu:
[26] I disagree since Ares said "you were always
working to make it a better world", which I felt meant
he knew Xena's motivation for conquering and played on
it even when she was the old "evil" Xena. I will admit
that I did not make copies of the first three HTLJ
episodes and my memories of just "how evil" Xena was
may be colored by all the reruns of her episodes that I
have watched! Still, I stand by my theory that she did
start out good and that was why Hercules was able to
turn her. I think Hercules would NOT be able to be as
successful with Callisto, but Gabrielle, with her
perceptions might, and yet even she told Xena that
Callisto's heart was eaten away with hatred!
[27] Re: "It wasn't until "The Gauntlet" that she
started saving babies."
[28] I am not sure about that last statement. Xena
seemed pretty certain that her army did NOT kill women
and children (remember comments to Callisto and to
Gabrielle at the campfire, that Callisto's village was
ONE time that women and children were killed.)
[28] [Editor's comment: Women and children were killed
in the attack during "The Gauntlet" - true not under
Xena's direct commands, but it was her army; and when
Xena gave the order "Take the village" in "Ties That
Bind", she did not offer the caveat "No women and
children"; it was implied she was going to destroy the
village with everyone in it, and that included lots of
women if not children. I would suspect the "old" Xena's
concept of not killing women and children was, first,
more a general concept that she would not go out of her
way to kill them. Second, it was more of an attempt at
some semblance of a code. Most sociopaths have little
quirks or eccentricities. I would place her "no kids
and women" rule as an eccentricity than as some moral
imperative. The rule, in my opinion, was added in "The
Gauntlet" in order to soften her; she was pretty amoral
in "Warrior Princess". When that did not work, they
then frizzed out her hair in "Unchained Heart". THAT
worked. It's scary how well THAT worked.
[30] I took Xena's interest in the baby as merely a
reaction to the horror that her army would follow
Darphus. Her taking the baby was a power play against
Darphus. Darphus ordered the baby killed. Xena said no.
The order was still going to be carried out, so Xena
had to add the additional risk that whoever killed the
baby would be killed by Xena. Although Xena had lost a
previous political battle, she still had (barely)
enough power to save the baby's life.]
[31] Re: Ares' offers in "The Reckoning"
[32] I disagree. I think the old Xena WOULD have
been interested in Ares' offer, BUT I don't think Ares
would have made them. I think he made them JUST to try
and get Xena back into his camp. I also think he would
have tried to dissuade her from declaring them once he
got he back under his influence. I felt his answer that
she could enact them "if that was what she REALLY
WANTED to do".
[33] Having said that, I think I realize what our
differences of opinions stem from, and that is what is
meant by the "old" Xena: Xena BEFORE Ares or Xena under
Ares influence. Everytime we have seen Xena come close
to coming under Ares spell, it appears to be just
that--a SPELL. I do NOT think Callisto is under the
same spell...I think Ares had to use special measures
with Xena, which I think is one of the things that so
attracts him to her.
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