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Intimate Stranger

Director: Gary Jones
Writer: Steven L. Sears

Starring:
Lucy Lawless
Renee O'Connor

Guest Stars:
Ted Raimi (Joxer)
Kevin Smith (Ares)
Hudson Leick (Callisto)
Darien Takle (Cyrene)
Erik Thomson (Hades)
David Te Rare(Theodorus)


Xena and Gabrielle are on the trail of Callisto`s henchmen. Xena is suffering nightmares about killing Callisto in the episode Return of Callisto. With the help of Ares and Xena`s guilt, Callisto switches bodies with Xena...leaving Xena in the underworld in her body while Callisto - as played by Lucy Lawless and looking just like Xena of course - gets to torture and kill again. Callisto heads towards Amphipolis to kill her whole town the way Callisto`s family died - by burning them all to death!

Meanwhile Xena (in Callisto`s body) persuades Hades of the trick. He gives her one day back in the real world to fix things. Her first task is to save Argo as Callisto has severely injured Xena`s horse who perseptively knew she wasn`t Xena. A fight convinces Gabrielle, and they must try and stop Callisto and return her to the underworld.

Wonderful acting sees Lucy as Callisto and Hudson as Xena. In the end, Xena triumphs but their bodies are still switched! This was the beginning of the episodes that were shuffled around as a result of Lucy Lawless` riding accident for the Jay Leno show that resulted in a broken pelvis for Lucy! The original ending has Xena back in her own body.

Notes: Look carefully at Argo in the last scene. You can see numbers on her shoulder. These are also visible in the episode One Against an Army.

Disclaimer :-
Argo was not harmed during the production of this motion picture. However, she is undergoing intensive psycho-therapy to help her work through her resentment and feelings of distrust towards Xena.

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