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Okay, stay with me here!

It’s very late at night while I’m writing this and I haven’t finished editing the reaction video to post for the episode yet because it’s taking way longer than I thought. Not to mention, I’m fighting to get them on YouTube.

Anyway.

Let’s discuss the first episode of season two of Xena!

I’m so excited to be back in this series because I love the vibe of this series so much!

The series opener chooses to pull no punches as it shows up with a heavy fist and slams a nine-year-old down on the table, telling us that Xena had a son oh so many years ago. But she carefully tucked him away with a former enemy but ally of Solan’s father to keep him safe from not only her enemies, but from her as well.

There’s a debate doing on about who killed Solan’s father, the Great Borias as he is remembered by his son and the centaurs.

They think it’s Xena.

But Xena claims it wasn’t her.

She ordered him captured but unharmed. Unfortunately, harm found him. As revealed by the villain of the episode, a former soldier of Xena. He killed Borias with his own sword.

Something I mention in my reaction while I was watching was that Borias’ sword goes through an adventure of its own.

It travels with Borias, sees him do evil things with it, he finds the stone, tucks it inside the sword, somehow loses the sword to the man who kills him, but it’s retrieved, and his son grows up to carry it with him.

Something that Xena does not like.

Oh, the stories that sword could tell though.

Throughout the episode, Xena is insistant that Solan not be a warrior. Which is funny, because both of his parents are. Not that Solan knows this by the end of the episode when he himself, declares he doesn’t want to be a warrior. Which prompts Xena to tell him in a roundabout way that she’s proud of him.

There’s so much going on here and in this very simple episode, my mind is scattered.

It’s a simple episode since the villain isn’t overly complicated, nor is the plot. It’s straightforward, focusing on the characters rather than plot. Which I always enjoy.

Plot heavy narratives can lose focus on the main characters.

But with this plot – we see Gabrielle’s relationship to Xena. Xena to her son. To the centaurs. To her former soldier. Her son to her. To the person he believes is his mother. His father. Xena’s relationship to Borias.

There are a lot of layers to the episode.

One thing I wanted to touch on was Gabrielle and Xena’s arc throughout the episode. Though they don’t spend time together, they discuss important issues. Not to mention, we see influences when the other isn’t around.

Gabrielle jumps at Xena for her choices.

Xena shuts Gabrielle out.

Do I think they’re both right or wrong? I honestly don’t really care.

There’s nothing right or wrong about this situation. It’s people making the best choices with what they have to work with. Are they going to work out well? We don’t know and neither do they.

As Xena herself points out. We sometimes don’t know if things are right until later.

I think Xena made one of the hardest decisions she’ll ever have to, by giving up Solan. By looking at herself and knowing that she would be his downfall. She couldn’t do that to him.

And since Gabrielle points out that all she knows in the Xena in front of her, it’s easy for her to jump to conclusions about Xena’s choice. Because the Xena in front of her could handle a child. Would be a good mother.

Except the one before Gabrielle wouldn’t be.

Which begs the question? Why not tell him now?

He’s clearly okay with gray area parents given that his father also mended his ways. Should be an easy thing to slip into as well. Right?

Probably not.

But back to Gabrielle.

I love that she respected Xena’s choice enough not to spill the beans to Solan. Because if he finds out, Xena should tell him. Or his uncle. Either way.

I also adored the scene between her and Solan out in the woods.

That kid cannot hide very well. Every time he was trying to sneak up on people or hide in a tree everyone knew he was there. Gotta work on those skills kid.

The scene in the woods was very much like 1×03 as Gabrielle tried her best to honor her friend’s wishes that he not be warrior by showing her staff off. She tried to teach him the same lesson that Xena taught her in 1×03.

I loved how far Gabrielle has come that she wants to impart this knowledge onto someone else.

Especially Xena’s son.

I love that she tried her damnedest to protect him too.

She fought with everything she had and if he had run, it might have helped instead of trying to protect both of them.

I love that Xena knew from looking at Gabrielle that something was wrong.

I love that Xena and even the adopted father wanted Gabrielle to protect Solan. Even if I thought it was a little weird from the standpoint of they just met that day. But all things considered, she risked her neck several times to keep Solan safe.

And Xena trusted her with her son’s safety.

Something I imagine he would understand she doesn’t take lightly.

I love how seriously Gabrielle took it as well. She fought in the village to keep him safe.

And somehow, in one of my favorite moments, Xena split her focus from her current fight to keep one eye on Gabrielle and Solan.

Like damn, Xena.

She managed to throw her Chakram to protect Gabrielle. Who was far enough away from Solan, with enough people between him, and the bad guys that Solan’s life wasn’t threatened at that moment. That saving was all for Gabrielle.

Which could be taken as she doesn’t trust Gabrielle.

But I honestly took it more as Xena’s desperate need to keep her safe and that guy was inching too close for her liking. So she just finished him off in a way Gabrielle wouldn’t, simply because she could.

Just as I took everyone weirdness about Xena making a choice about Solan weird.

I never got the vibe that she was looking to take him with her or anything. To me it felt like she was being genuine in her quest to help them. While also knowing Solan was there. She could check in and see him. Make sure he was alright. But at no point did I get the idea that she wanted to take him away from the only home he’s ever known.

Which is why is weird that his adopted uncle/father wanted Xena to take him.

I get it was supposed to be a touching moment and all that in case he died, but wouldn’t it make more sense for Solan to stay in the village he was raised? Surrounded by people who have known him since he was little? Not a woman he met that day and hated a few hours ago?

Not that Xena being his mom is something to be dismissed. I’m just saying not to dismiss his adopted family either.

They helped raise him too. They were willing to risk their lives for him. I’m sure any of them would be there if his ‘father’ died.

Overall, I liked this episode.

I love a character driven plot rather than a plot driven character so this was a fun one for me.

It had a lot of crazy moments. Silliness that is always fitting of this show.

And I’d be more coherent if it wasn’t nearly two in the morning and I’ve been working for hours on end now.

So goodnight! Thanks for reading!

Please hit some buttons and make my late night working worth it for me!

Spread the love and read on!