Ummmmmmmmmmmmm….. what is happening?
Joxer is uhhh, something.
Aprodite did a thing.
Cupid is played by Karl Urban, who is also Caesar. Except, I actually like Cupid here.
Gabrielle and Xena barely spend any time together this episode.
To say it’s not a favorite of mine would be… Entirely accurate.
It’s not my favorite episode, but it’s not terrible. It’s actually really well done and Joxer isn’t the worst. Also, I love Ted Raimi.
Always have.
Which makes disliking Joxer extra weird for me, because the actor is hilarious.
And I need more moments of weirdly serious Joxer like we get here, because for the first time there’s more to him than meets the eye.
Joxer typically plays as annoying comic relief. Mostly annoying.
And absolutely delusional.
It’s nice to know that he’s not actually that delusional.
That he does have an understanding of how goofy he is. Making his moments with wild exaggerations, easier to swallow.
Maybe it’s because at least we all know he’s telling a tall tale now.
Or maybe it’s nice to know there’s a serious being under all the bluster.
Or that he’s not as dumb as he appears.
Maybe it’s all of it.
But this was Joxer’s finest outing yet.
Do I want more of him? Not really. Do I need another episode focusing on him? No.
Does he annoy as a much? No.
He’s slightly more tolerable than he was before. And I think it’s in part to the softening of both Gabrielle and Xena to him.
Neither of them had to do what they did at the end of the episode to make him feel better. But they did. Not only helping Joxer, but once again illustrating that they are both good people.
And sulky Joxer isn’t who he is. Good or bad at the end of the day, Joxer is a cheery, singing, nutball wannabe warrior who is really just a good guy without a place to fit in. And for the first time, that truly translated on the screen.
That Joxer doesn’t quite fit anywhere.
Leaving him lost and trying to carve something out for himself but not knowing how.
But ultimately, he is a good person.
A dense and bumbling good person. But good nonetheless.
I love that Xena sat down with him and explained that the gods could not give anyone anything they do not possess somewhere. Which is a lovely thought for not only Joxer but everyone.
However, I think this illuminates something interesting as well.
Xena’s god would be Ares. After all, as a warrior and a good one at that, he’s an obvious choice. Never mind the fact that he’s been interested in her for a while for multiple reasons. He appears every once and a while to wreak havoc on Xena.
But apparently, Xena believes that nothing Ares has done or given her hasn’t been anything not within her.
Like when she relapsed when she thought her father had been killed.
That blood lust is inside.
Ares didn’t give it to her.
He pushed it to the surface.
I appreciate this little detail. Because it assures us that there is more to Joxer. And well, there might be hope for him as a character yet.
Which I sincerely hope since I’ve been assured by my girlfriend, Joxer isn’t going anywhere.
Now, onto Gabrielle.
Throughout the episode, Gabrielle is left to her own devices. Which is something we see and don’t see often.
Yes, often they split up to achieve things but Xena is never far from Gabrielle when things go wrong. Never far enough to not be able to get there to protect her.
But alone, Gabrielle manages to figure out what’s going on, save a relationship, and force a god to do her bidding.
None of those are small tasks.
Yet she managed.
Without Xena.
Gabrielle’s growth is amazing.
Gabrielle even contended with a love spell, keeping Joxer separate from the princess to avoid issues.
She’s grown so much since the pilot episode. She’s able to hold her own. Xena doesn’t worry about leaving her alone as much.
Gabrielle is able to handle a goddess without needing Xena’s cunning mind. Proving not only her smarts but her capacity to learn from Xena as well. She’s not even particularly worried or searching for someone to help her.
She assesses the situation and handles it accordingly. Managing to force a goddess’ hand.
It’s impressive.
However, a moment I liked best was Gabrielle practically pouting that Xena had to go without her and they would be apart for a few days.
Girl’s got it bad.
Overall, not a bad episode. Needed more Xena and Gabrielle spending time together. I think I was spoiled last episode.
Thanks for reading!
Spread the love and read on!
Leave a Reply