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Ummm…?

Where do I start with this episode?

I mean, there’s just so much to unpack here.

A woman birthed a centaur baby. A different character from earlier in the season dies off screen. Xena is basically a doctor who helps invent the Hippocratic Oath. Gabrielle nearly dies. Xena saves her with crude CPR. And Xena even manages to stop a war in it’s tracks.

That’s a whole lot of things.

Also, my mind still keeps getting stuck on Ephiny and how that relationship worked logistically to end up with a baby. Or how the newborn part holds up it’s head after being born. Like I get the horse side, but the baby part, I’m little fuzzy on details here.

I’m also not sure I want them.

So… I’m just going to move on and stop asking questions. Yep.

Xena and Gabrielle find themselves in a war zone in this episode, costing countless lives, as each side ruthlessly pursues the other, and anyone getting caught in the middle.

The entire message of the episode about the costs of war is amazing and so well done.

Everything takes place where some of the most awful things happen. A place for healing.

People lose their lives. The healers are forced to make tough decisions about who they can and cannot save. People lose limbs. There’s a question over healing the enemy and whether or not they tend to the other side.

It points the real problem with a war – no one wins.

Neither side can every truly claim victory when so much is lost on both sides.

A message that unfortunately remains relevant to this very day.

I loved the questions that are posed.

When Marmax suggests it’s not the fault of the soldier because he didn’t know who Gabrielle was. One of the healers said that because he couldn’t prove she wasn’t the enemy that was reason enough to attack her?

How dare they try to just Gabrielle’s attack or even Phantes death?

There is no justification. At some point the war went from values to enjoying the carnage they were leaving behind.

If it ever started with good intentions at all.

Marmax’s lesson was beautifully done.

Convinced by both Xena and Gabrielle in very different ways.

Gabrielle touched him with a story, discussing the importance of inner peace.

While Xena wonders how he could condone the violence happening around them. That women and children are being hurt. All living things slaughtered. Something that Xena never seems to stand for. She holds him accountable for the actions his army has taken, offering no kindness.

She knows the weight of those actions.

We saw how deeply those actions hurt her when she met Callisto and learned what became of the survivor of a village she completely destroyed.

And she hates Marmax refusing to accept his part in it.

While Gabrielle offers comfort and kindness. Everything that he wants to be fighting for in the world. And she ends up getting hurt. All because she tried to do the right thing.

And then he’s appalled when Gabrielle wouldn’t take the life of a man she doesn’t know because that’s the code she lives by.

I love how Xena informs everyone that Gabrielle struck him with intention. Not to kill, to disarm. She knew where to aim.

I guess someone has been practicing and given Xena’s understanding of pressure points, she must have taught her.

It’s so interesting to see how Gabrielle inverts what she learns from Xena.

Xena uses pressure points to hurt and possibly kill. Gabrielle defends herself. Never to kill.

She can protect herself and others because of Xena, but she never actively attempts to hurt or kill anyone.

Marmax’s lessons even come from Ephiny who reveals how her husband died. Appalling Marmax, who is a good man who has lost his way.

But he finds it and intends to share at the end. I loved his upbeat and cheery attitude at the end. Like the weight has been lifted.

Back to the best part of episode – Xena and Gabrielle.

Upon walking into this episode, it was nothing like I expected, but it is my favorite episode of the season thus far.

I’ll tell you, I’m excited to actually.

Xena is calm, cool, and collected throughout the episode.

She’s not shaken by Galen who wants nothing to do with her, even when confronted by guards, and no sword. She’s got two people following her around like puppies hanging off her every action. She doesn’t care who is bleeding, she helps everyone equally. She even forces both sides to work together to save their enemies lives.

She’s never ruffled by anything happening.

Even when people die. Even when she has to make the hard call. Even when they’ve worked so hard as Gabrielle points out.

Gabrielle is distraught by the death, destruction, and injuries around her. People falling apart and being forced to help as many as she can, but being unable to. Even going so far as to think it was her fault one of them died.

Except it wasn’t. There’s only so much any of them can do.

Xena says as much to Galen. He lost too much blood and she can’t heal that. She’s upset, but she’s not devastated. These things happen.

Galen, nor the death, stop her from carrying on to the right thing, and help heal people. Nor does it stop her from giving Galen a lecture or Marmax.

Not even Ephiny’s stalled birth bother her.

Nothing does.

Until Gabrielle is brought in. Injured and fighting for her life.

Then everything else falls to the wayside.

She passes off a patient to the other helper, ‘you know how to do this.’

She sits anxiously at Gabrielle’s side, talking to her. The minute Gabrielle wants something, she summons Ephiny to her side without hesitation. She admits that she should have taken another route.

Thinks her pride may have killed her best friend.

Then Gabrielle starts seizing, something Xena doesn’t understand, and can’t stop. With that, she stops breathing and her heart is beating.

And Xena freaks out.

All the composure she had is gone.

Tears form in her eyes, she refuses to listen to anyone tell her to let Gabrielle go, or that she’s gone. She snaps at everyone. Especially Marmax.

She resorts to senselessly beating on her chest and trying to get air into her lungs. Which is essentially CPR, but Xena wouldn’t know that. She just wants her friend.

In the process of this, she keeps repeating something “Don’t leave me, don’t you dare leave me!”

Over the entire season, Gabrielle has wormed her way into Xena’s affections. It’s clear, time and time again how important she is to her.

But she never really says it out loud. She lets her actions speak for her.

We’ve seen she’d be sad if Gabrielle left her side in the episode when Gabrielle returns home.

But this is different.

Xena begged Gabrielle to stay with her.

A complete flip from the pilot – Gabrielle begged to stay with Xena.

Now, we’ve come full circle.

We know Xena doesn’t mind anything to do with Gabrielle. Not her storytelling, not her naiveness, or that she needs rescuing sometimes. She doesn’t find her a burden at all. She deems this person her best friend and doesn’t want to face life without her anymore.

The thought of being without Gabrielle brings her to tears in that moment, as she pleads, and begs for her friend to come back.

Only to sigh with utter relief when she does.

I did enjoy the humor in Galen deciding Xena was a god returned to them and Xena denying it so hostile while clutching Gabrielle to her.

Because she did not let her go. Not for a moment. She held her. Assuring both of them that she was still there.

And at the end of the episode, we’re treated Gabrielle telling Xena about visiting the other side and asks if she wants to hear about it.

The look on Xena’s face and her words clearly show that she’s excited to hear anything Gabrielle has to say right now and for the rest of their lives. Given that not too long ago, she thought she’d have to face the world without her best friend.

My goodness, this episode was so good.

Because Xena’s screwed.

I think in that moment, clutching onto Gabrielle she knew she couldn’t deny it anymore. She’s screwed. She’s in this thing with her best friend now. She’s doomed. She snuck in and took up residence to the point that Xena doesn’t want to get her out of her heart anymore. She’s part of her life now.

I adore that.

Xena nearly losing her mind over the near loss of Gabrielle was not what I saw coming in this episode, but I freaking loved it. It was so good. So well down. Thank you Lucy Lawless for bringing this moment to life with so much emotion.

It was just so good.

I loved Gabrielle trying to pass her rite of caste. Loved that she became an aunt. And I loved that she was so gleeful with Xena at the end as they left together. Holding onto her so casually and thanking her for always being there.

Meanwhile, Xena gives Gabrielle all the credit for the miracle.

This is soooo good!

I’m going to watch this episode again!

Alright! Now, I have a little surprise for next week’s review! We’re going to check out the Xena Trilogy of her first appearance ever on Hercules! And I have a little something extra too, but you’ll have to tune in next week to see it! See you then!

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