#the debt

[pwaise-hestia]

[xenagabrielleforever]

www.whenheartscollide.net

[girl4music]

The really clever thing about 'The Debt' that I always paid attention to is that none of the characters surrounding Xena in her backstory are actually evil no matter what Xena goes through. They all seem to hold a "weakness" or a place of compassion in their heart somewhere and it's mainly more so the circumstances that cause them to act or behave one way or another to each other. In fact the only character that seems to be really so far gone in terms of emotional connection is Xena. That's really why the juxtaposition from Borias to Lao Ma works as well as it does because she goes from a relationship that's completely about taking and having power - using and abusing each other in order to just get what they want out of their environment regardless of the way they treat each other within it to a relationship filled with care and compassion and tolerance and love in all kinds of ways. Lao Ma always puts Xena first despite how Xena's treated her and even though Xena doesn't understand why she would help her or how she could be nice to her after what she's done to her, Lao Ma is consistent in trying to get Xena to understand that a self-serving desire does not benefit either the giver or the taker in the longterm. That she's merely just poisoning her soul all the more the more she lives for herself in this very hateful, vengeful, wilful, destructive way against humanity. Xena says it's about survival why she behaves like this. That she's only dealing out the brutality that she's been dealt back. But Lao Ma rightly points out... she's already dead spiritually, emotionally, mentally. She's really lost the will to live in the sense of allowing the world to show her that it can be kind and beautiful too. That she's not even giving it the chance to be good to her back. To treat her better because she's already resigned herself to its pains.

'The Debt' story arc is so cleverly, carefully and intentionally crafted to show you that that path Xena's carved out for herself because of Julius Caesar's betrayal in the breaking of both her legs and her spirit simultaneously is only one that will forever destroy Xena even more and in order to become the person that Lao Ma knows she's capable of being, Xena had to let go of all of that anger within so she could correct and heal not just her body but her entire soul and it's karma because if she could do that - if she allowed that to happen - then she'd finally come to the person that would provide her it all back without asking for anything in return. At the time - Xena thinks this person is Lao Ma. But no, Lao Ma is only preparing her for Gabrielle.

Then for the creators to bookend all of this with the present day betrayal of Gabrielle just makes this story arc all the more powerful because then Xena proves she's truly put aside her past and a life of death and destruction by forgiving her, by understanding her, by loving her even though Gabrielle has done an awful thing to her. She's realized that even though hurt people hurt people - there is still a choice that the individual can make if their ego can allow them to see and get passed the anguish. To choose to comfort instead. That's what 'The Debt' is about. That's what Xena and Lao Ma is about. Watch it again and notice how every character is human and shows their humanity somewhere. Even if it's not to Xena. But they show you that every character in Xena's backstory is not a monster besides one. Ming Tien - who is too young to learn any such lesson and had to be put down because his influence of power would cause far more chaos and pain than his own life was worth and Xena makes the choice to kill him - without telling Gabrielle - because she knows that she created that monster so she knows that he is beyond the pale. He cannot be saved and he cannot be left to his own devices. She makes that judgement call not out of vengeance, but mercy because at the end of the day her cause was for the greater good and the person that originally instilled that conviction into her - that even named her 'the warrior princess' - is not a man, but a woman and the only person that can keep her in that conviction and on that right path that is truly destined for Xena, is also a woman. Gabrielle. Gabrielle is her destiny. Her cornerstone to living. Her future. Her way forward in life and love.

That's the story there. That's what they're really saying in 'The Debt'.

As I've said before... this is not a TV show about heroes vs villains. It's about actions vs consequences. It's about the human conditions and circumstances. It's about doing what we can when and where we believe we should. There is no inherent good or evil, right or wrong..., it all just depends on who we are and how we react in the moment and all the people surrounding us are there to bring that out in us whether we know it at the time or not. That's how life even works. To provide that much reality and truth in an action fantasy show... wow.

I love these episodes so fucking much. I love the characters, the themes, the arcs, the sets. I love the contrasting tones of edginess and grittiness with gentleness and smoothness. I love the LIFE in it when it's otherwise showing you the lead character at her deadest because the point is for her to realize and understand it's not the end for her but she has to make those choices and take those actions and ultimately allow LIFE in again. To allow her spirit to take flight and stop corrupting and sabotaging her own goodness and beauty by constantly choosing hate and revenge and rage and destruction because there's just as much power and control in the opposite.

Lao Ma is known to be hard and soft at the same time like water because she's mastered the ability to silence her ego and will. She's so powerful and influential and disciplined in the way of her being because she's learned how to conquer herself rather than others and we all should honestly learn from her example, not just Xena because humans do get in their own way. We're made that way because we have free will. But then that means that we can choose the opposite. We can freely choose whether to perpetuate our own self-serving goals or look in the mirror and change our life by changing ourselves.

[imogens-temult]

JESSICA CHASTAIN AS RACHEL SINGER The Debt (2010) dir. John Madden

[thefugitivesaint]

Tim Seibles, 'The Debt', ''Hurdy-Gurdy'', 1992  Source

[rifelman]

micah torrance self deprecation

[dailynarilamb]

The Debt 2 (day 60)

[livesinyesterday]

"This is really that easy for you, isn't it?"

The Debt (2017)

[beautyarchive]

Jessica Chastain in The Debt (2010).

[finemaleactors]

Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas and Sam Worthington in The Debt

[ophelie-redgrave]

Ophéile & Elaina - The Debt

@elainahalevyx

Ophéile had had enough, it had been three weeks since her client made his last payment. He had made a deal with her and Elaina that the could have £5k worth of cocaine, with a 1k deposit and further 1k per week after that. He had been a regular customer for them prior, paying as and when he should. By far this had been his biggest to date, or would have been if the fucker had paid. She had been owed money before, but not this amount and certainly for not this length of time.

Though she was not in charge of how those debts where 'received' she certainly wasn't one to be kept waiting. Elaina however, had all the power and resources she need to ensure the debt plus interest was recovered.

Ophélie wasn't go to be involved in the more violent side of her work for the French. This time she wanted to be there, she fucked off at being taken advantage for, for being made to look like the fool for asking for such a debt to be taken out. Lesson fucking learnt and she wanted a god damn apology.

It was only a short distant to Elaina's home. She texted her as per instructions when she had arrived, awaiting with she had been told.

It wasn't long before the two women where together, the fury of what was happening was clear upon Ophélie's face.

She handed over a slip of paper, containing his address, load amount, deposit and payments made. So far all he had paid was the 1k deposit, and £500 that he gave a few days later. Promising another £500 was on the way by the end of the first week. A payment that didn't happen.

Ophélie looked at Elaina, "My apologies for bringing you out tonight, I've tried all I can for the last three weeks to get these payments. Even turning up at his work. Unfortunately, I think he just see's with a some weak blonde, who can't do fuck all about it. Technically the last part is true, I can't do much about it. He just doesn't know that you can. "

[girl4music]

'The Debt 1&2' was an interesting turn of events for the show. I think with the introduction of the character Lao Ma you suddenly could interpret Xena's backstory very differently to how you did before because with the establishment of Xena turning evil due to Caesar's betrayal - a past lover in Xena's life - there was also the other side of the coin where - if you want - another past lover in Xena's life had the opportunity of trying to save her from going even further down the evil route and potentially turn her to good again. Interpreting Lao Ma as Xena's first girlfriend, as well as obviously a mentor, provided some context to who Xena really was and that she was struggling with her nature. She wasn't fully evil. she wasn't fully good. She was a mix of dark and light, good and evil, peace and war, violence and pacifism - all these polar opposite contradictions could be seen in her nature so you had to have the characters surrounding her bringing that out.

Lao Ma was one of them. And she was so close... yet so far away...

Ultimately, Xena turned good on her own but keeping her on the right path was the true challenge... and that's why Gabrielle was so instrumental to Xena's character and her cause for the greater good. It was entirely believable to me that Gabrielle was jealous of Lao Ma because - if you'll allow me to use the 'Dreamworker' water scene analogy, Lao Ma was really the first stone in the ocean after Caesar and if she had the power to pull Xena back into her world and arms enough that Xena would actually kill for her... yeah... it's believable. All of that extra insight only comes into the story of 'The Debt' if you choose to interpret the show as a WLW love story though. If you choose to perceive and understand the characters as queer characters because the show writing leaves it ambiguous enough that you can go either way with it. There's enough room for either way. I just think it's more valuable to interpret all of what goes on in the show as a love story and I specifically think 'The Debt' works for that because it does somewhat validate Xena as a bisexual character.

[lobbycards]

The Debt, German lobby card. German theatrical release 2011

[imkeepinit]

[dailynarilamb]

The Debt 1 (Day 59)

[elliesbelle]

emily gwen, the creator of the sunset lesbian flag that we’ve come to commonly use, still continues to live in poverty.

multi-billion dollar companies have used their design and made profit from it, and yet they have not seen a cent for their creation.

i’ve been friends with emily for years, and i have not once seen them be financially stable the entire time. i’ve seen them homeless, unemployed, starving. right now, they need our help more than ever.

please consider donating to emily’s ko-fi, especially if you’ve used their design to create something and profited from it.