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scifi_rewatchThis eppy, despite the serious cut of its name, is largely just for fun. “Xena” marches itself into yet another piece of mythology—this time having to do with Pandora’s Box (and, one might argue, the story of baby Moses being cast down the Nile.) Xena spits fire, grabs a sword blade coming at her with two hands, and engages in some martial arts while holding a baby. :P A woman’s work is never done.
I may also have to re-evaluate my perception of the creators in season one; I always assumed that they built up Xena’s full backstory over time and didn’t have a master plan from the beginning. But in this episode, a character reminds her that she’s known for traveling the world with her army, making people cower. Is it possible that Tapert et al knew from the start that Xena would be a world conqueror? Or am I reading too much into things? One could also do that with this eppy’s title, linking it to a topically similar storyline from season three.
But enough of all this pondering! Xena and Gabs have a baby—and the hope of all mankind—to save. :P
We open in a many-candled room, where two men wait impatiently for an oracle to make a prophecy. She pours stones out of her cup, praying for Zeus’s guidance in this endeavor. Finally, after picking some up, she tells the man with long, curly hair, King Gregor, that his dreams have been correct. A child has been born to occupy his throne. The king is confused, as he just lost his wife and son. The woman assures him that the baby isn’t his, but lowborn. In the back of the scene, a female servant looks on worriedly.
Gregor’s advisor, Nemos, tells the king that one of his servants just died in childbirth. He swears to do that he can to save the realm from a usurper. We can’t let the child grow up to become a warrior! …In fact, I think this storyline mirrors many myths, probably worldwide.
The serving girl, Ophelia, goes to an old woman to whom the dying mother entrusted the baby’s care. She tells her that she has to get him out of dodge. Nemos is one scary man. Over rich, mournful music in the middle of the night, Ophelia places the baby in a basket and sets him adrift upon the river. In the morning, Xena and Gabrielle awake at their campsite, where Gabby complains that she slept on a rock. They find the baby in the reeds…there’s probably more than one myth about this, too. :P
Still no Renee in the titles! Methinks I’ll stay mum on the subject until that changes. :P
Gabrielle coos baby talk to the baby, wondering if they can name it Gabriel. “I always wanted a little brother!” Xena is a little more awkward about the infant intrusion. When he babbles discontentedly, Xena demands of her sidekick: “Why is he crying; are you holding him wrong or something?” They go on a quest to the nearby village to try and find the baby’s mother.
King Gregor talks longingly to a fresco of his dead wife. He wants to give the baby-search up, as the idea makes him uncomfortable, but Nemos is adamant. Gossip has reaches the provinces. What if some enemy of the king’s raised him up to cause another civil war? They barely got through the last one. Gregor thinks it over in frustration; his orders are to snatch the kid, and then decide what will be done with him. Later, while hunting with his trusted men, Nemos smirks that dead is ok, too. :-/ Sounds like we met our traitor.
Xena leads Gabrielle and baby on the horse, where they come across a bunch of thugs in the process of lynching a woman. The Warrior Princess addresses the leader, naming the situation as “a cowardly mob led by a weasel.” She whips out her chakram to cut the rope, then snaps it around the thug’s neck and lifts him into the air. How does he like that?? The mob runs, and the weasel-leader follows once Xena releases him.
Gabrielle approaches the woman who seems distracted after her rescue. She remembers, in hindsight, to thank them, but she shows the most interest in Gabrielle lifting her bag. “I can handle it,” Gabrielle promises, and the three women make for a cave as a storm is starting. Once inside, of course, Gabs sets down the bag roughly, and a box comes flying out. The lady grabs it quickly, but Gabs has recognized it. This is Pandora’s Box! (Kind of a cheap, wooden thing with minimal engravings and a big hand-indentation on the top to act as a lock…maybe it’s better hidden that way. :P) This lady is Pandora, the original’s granddaughter. Her family is cursed to wander throughout their lifetimes with this box, making sure that hope does not escape. Gabrielle, the babbling bard, is entranced. But Pandora is just resigned: “This box is the only thing in my life.”
Xena commands Gabby to give Pandora the baby and come help her with something. Pandora at first is hesitant to take up the child but in moments, she’s cuddling the thing for dear life, a trend that does not stop throughout the rest of the eppy. Gabrielle tries to touch Pandora’s Box when the other two aren’t looking, but of course Xena is aware of her intentions. “Don’t even think about it,” she commands idly as she’s checking through her weapons. :P
When the storm passes Xena’s entourage enters an inn, but the innkeep demands that she take off her weapons and leave them at the door. As she settles in with the others, she overhears the man whispering to a boy to go get Nemos. When the innkeep comes over with drinks she asks him if he knows who the baby’s mother is, but he says he does not. Pandora reaches down to lock the box in her bag. Xena asks why the innkeep looks so nervous, but he denies it and struts off. Perfect timing for Nemos and his men! “By the order of King Gregor, that child is under arrest,” the advisor demands. He shoves his sword in Xena’s face while our hero looks at the long distance between her and her weapons.
Pandora is not so keen to give the little tyke up. As the tension mounts, Xena takes a swig or two of her port. She reaches behind, presumably to take the baby, but instead she grabs a torch from the wall and spits fire in the men’s faces! I mean dude. Is there anything that Xena does not do? :P
The girls huddle with the baby as Xena fights off the douches. She makes her way to her weapons, chakraming a guy in the stomach when he reaches for the baby. Xena and Nemos go at it one-on-one. “Surrender now and I’ll spare your life,” Nemos threatens. “I was about to say the same to you,” Xena retorts. Then she knocks him into a shelf on the wall. WIN.
Unfortunately, while sprawling on the ground, Nemos sees (and recognizes) Pandora’s box! So much for my theory. He grabs it amidst the fighting and runs out the door once Xena’s finished whooping their asses. When the inn is cleared, Xena slams into the owner and puts the pinch on him. The man explains that the baby is part of a prophecy to take the throne, and rumor has it King Gregor wants him killed. Meanwhile Pandora is searching desperately for her box…it’s gone!
Back at the castle, Nemos tells Gregor that Xena and Pandora are now involved in this little chase. He hands the box over to the king. Gregor recognizes Xena’s name, remembering her reputation as a ruthless warlord. He can’t let his kingdom fall to such a monster! Still, he ascertains that “no man in his right mind” would open the box. Nemos says that Xena might’ve. Uh…why? Does she have to drain hope from everyone in order to grasp a measly kingdom? :P Anywho. The advisor goes to a pretty, parchment map and pinpoints the Warrior Princess as hiding out in “the peasant area.” Talk about lame dialogue! However, I gotta give props to this actor and his amusing performance of an obviously corrupt guy pretending to be good. He draws out, painfully, that maybe killing the baby is the only way to ensure “the prosperity of the people.” Ick.
The evil advisor is laying down his plan…we could use monetary incentive to make the peasants turn on Xena and her friends OR we could propose a trade…the box for the baby. Both would probably be ideal. :P Turns out the Warrior Princess is two steps ahead of them—parchment arrives, demanding a meeting with Gregor.
The gals have taken over a small hovel where Xena sharpens her sword and Pandora looks blankly off into space while still cradling the baby. The door sounds and Xena opens it…a hooded figure hurries inside, and we learn that it’s Gabrielle. Gregor took the bait and is willing to meet. The bad news is that there’s a price on their heads—a thousand dinars. “I’m tempted to turn myself in,” Gabby says before going over to try and cheer up Pandora. She’s regretting that she grabbed the baby instead of the box. “You made the only choice,” Xena assures her. But things are more complicated than that. Turns out that because the box is separated from its owner it’ll open automatically at midnight…and hope will escape! Sure enough, alone in the castle, the lock begins to turn.
Gregor, wearing a resplendent robe and crown, comes into the inn with Nemos. No one is there except for the innkeep, and the two men confirm that they’re alone. Xena pops up behind the man, saying she had to be sure. :P Hee. The three of them grab a table, but Xena sets the condition immediately that the baby is non-negotiable. She just wanted to look into the eyes of a man who’d order the death of an infant. “I could order your death,” Gregor warns her. “Under a flag of truce?” Xena counters. “Then I’d know what kind of man you are.”
The king is unmoved by Xena’s assessment. “You swept across countless nations and saw the world tremble at your feet.” He’s willing to sacrifice a life—be it his or this baby’s—to save his people from that fate. Xena looks perturbed—not so much because he hasn’t gotten the memo that she’s changed, but because his intentions are honorable. Nemos steps in again to demand a trade. Xena stands, claiming the king isn’t mad enough to open the box. But Gregor gives her 24 hours, and leaves with his crony. Time’s a tickin’!
Later she opens the hovel door for Gabrielle…and a friend! Turns out Gabs has located Ophelia, who has come with some blankets and food for the baby. As she and Pandora coo, Xena tells her sidekick she did a good job. Ophelia can provide a way into the castle…tonight is the Quarter Moon Festival and she’s expected to join the other servant girls in dancing for Nemos. Guess who gets to take her spot? :P
Gabs, Pandora and baby, all hooded, walk through the streets where the peasants are all searching for the baby. They wait underneath the castle as part of The Plan. As Pandora calms the baby, Gabs notes the bond between them. Foreshadowing! Inside, the box continues to open but a drunken Nemos, sitting at a pretty nice feast with his men, doesn’t notice it. The dancers come in to entertain…one of them is obviously Xena. Pretty questionable that Nemos wouldn’t recognize her, since she’s just wearing a translucent veil over the bottom part of her face, but eh, he’s not the brightest crayon in the box. :P As the dancing starts the Warrior Princess makes sure to get noticed, shimmying around the table, on a ledge, and finally pulling up one of the goons to dance with her. This is the other side of “Xena”…kicking ass, but also winning with sexual wiles. :D
Xena’s quite obviously going for the box; the scene gets tense, but then Gregor comes in and pulls it away. He thinks he can keep it safe, so he takes it to his quarters. As he leaves, Nemos mutters to one of his men that the king’s “moral convictions” might get in the way. Nemos is a skuzzball. Earlier, Xena told Gabrielle that she didn’t tell him about the box’s true nature because “Knowledge is power and I didn’t want to give him any.” Well spoken. Next, the advisor tells his goon to bring Xena to his bedchamber. Eeew.
We get a very nice shot of the bed—from the outside, so everything is obscured by the colorful silk draperies. Nemos comes in, and goes behind her of course, saying “My desire is pleasure, not pain.” *gags* Xena uses the moments where he’s kissing her back and nuzzling her hair to ask where the royal chamber is located…turns out it’s just down the hall. Intel received, Xena knocks him out with a swift, backward punch. :P Awesome. Then she makes her way to Gregor’s.
The king is kneeling by an empty cradle with cobwebs when Xena comes in. A dog on the bed notices her and growls, but Xena shushes him with a flick of her hand. Gregor as angsting to the spirit of his dead son about this mess he’s embroiled with, going after an infant. Xena easily bops him upside the head and he falls. She takes the box. Unfortunately Nemos is waking up and catching on to events. He and his men storm down the door as Xena prepares to bungee jump out the window. Nemos threatens her again—hand over the box now, and you may live. Xena answers with, “I bet my life this will surprise you.” She grabs the box and swan dives out the window, the bungee cord shorting out when her face is just inches from the ground. The Warrior Princess sure knows how to make an exit!
She searches the street desperately for the girls before time runs out. Cue slo-mo scene…box be unlockin’, but Pandora reaches out her hand and saves the day! We all get to keep our hope. :D Mission accomplished, Gabs suggests they get out of here, but Xena’s figured out the prophecy, and she knows who to give the baby to.
Pretty sunrise over the CGI castle…Gregor awakens to the sounds of a baby in the crib. As he looks down on the child, the camera finds Xena standing behind him. She tells the king that he’s a good man and leader. The kid will rule…but as his heir, not his conqueror. “He’s a child who needs a father and you’re a father who needs a child,” Xena concludes. Gregor lovingly picks up the baby and says he was blind for not seeing this before.
Know what else he’s blind about? Nemos. The advisor storms in and says the whole thing is a trick. He lays down a vague threat—what he does is “for the betterment of the kingdom.” Oh hell no. Xena grabs the baby and pushes her way out of the castle. Outside, the peasants and guards recognize who she’s holding. Cue tossing the kid to Gabby! Xena fights the guards, and the peasants decide to do the same. Guess Nemos is running a pretty corrupt regime here. Things go ok until a guard comes for Gabby, and she throws the parcel back to the Warrior Princess…bad throw, Gabs! Xena has to dive to the ground, but she catches him, and the baby just giggles. :P Now Xena’s in a bind. With one hand she holds the baby, with the other, she fights the guards. Seems almost like a metaphor for the modern woman. ;) We have so many commitments to juggle! At one point Xena throws the baby high up, kicks some ass, and then catches him. Luckily the kid seems to be a team player.
But for the Nemos fight, of course Xena has to toss the baby back to Gab. They duke it out for awhile until Xena is on the ground. “You should have killed me when you had the chance,” Nemos says. “What makes you think I’m not gonna?” Damn, Xena gets some nice retorts in against this guy. He brings down his sword, but she grabs the blade between her hands, and flips both it and him backwards! Nemos struggles to his knees, still intent on finishing Xena, so he has to go. :P Don’t think anyone will miss him as he falls dead from a stab wound; the fighting stops and the peasants cheer. Huzzah!
Later, Gregor and Pandora talk while cradling the baby. The king refers to the kid as “his son” and promises that the box will be safe so long as either of them rule. Pandora is relieved; she finally has a place to call home. Gregor offers her more than that: “The child needs a mother.” Well. Good enough reason as any to marry, I suppose. :P Xena wishes them both much happiness. When they ask her what she wants for a reward, she smirks “Name him Gabriel.” Aww. Gab’s fake brother lives on!
Gabrielle is still eying Pandora’s box. She marvels at the power of it—destroying the former Pandora’s life, but ultimately giving this Pandora a better one. Why did this all happen—fate or chance? “I think it happened because you slept on a rock,” Xena opines. Classic. They turn to leave, but Gabby knocks the box over! It’s open…and empty. Myth destruction! But the moral of the story is that either way, Pandora still carried around the hope.
Prophecies, mythology…guess it’s all more psychological than physical anyway. :P Was a pretty cute episode. Not much by way of development for our characters, but I admire the interplay between romantic Gabrielle and more skeptical Xena. They’re such a good match. But this week Xena stole some of Gab’s witticisms! I mean come on. That’s sort of her trademark right now. :P
One complaint I have is Nemos…such a two-dimensional villain. I mean what’s his deal? Why does he want this baby dead? Is he the father? Is he trying to destabilize the kingdom on his own? Or does he really care about protecting Gregor and his “moral convictions”? Ultimately, we don’t get an answer. The dude’s just cardboard.
___
I may also have to re-evaluate my perception of the creators in season one; I always assumed that they built up Xena’s full backstory over time and didn’t have a master plan from the beginning. But in this episode, a character reminds her that she’s known for traveling the world with her army, making people cower. Is it possible that Tapert et al knew from the start that Xena would be a world conqueror? Or am I reading too much into things? One could also do that with this eppy’s title, linking it to a topically similar storyline from season three.
But enough of all this pondering! Xena and Gabs have a baby—and the hope of all mankind—to save. :P
We open in a many-candled room, where two men wait impatiently for an oracle to make a prophecy. She pours stones out of her cup, praying for Zeus’s guidance in this endeavor. Finally, after picking some up, she tells the man with long, curly hair, King Gregor, that his dreams have been correct. A child has been born to occupy his throne. The king is confused, as he just lost his wife and son. The woman assures him that the baby isn’t his, but lowborn. In the back of the scene, a female servant looks on worriedly.
Gregor’s advisor, Nemos, tells the king that one of his servants just died in childbirth. He swears to do that he can to save the realm from a usurper. We can’t let the child grow up to become a warrior! …In fact, I think this storyline mirrors many myths, probably worldwide.
The serving girl, Ophelia, goes to an old woman to whom the dying mother entrusted the baby’s care. She tells her that she has to get him out of dodge. Nemos is one scary man. Over rich, mournful music in the middle of the night, Ophelia places the baby in a basket and sets him adrift upon the river. In the morning, Xena and Gabrielle awake at their campsite, where Gabby complains that she slept on a rock. They find the baby in the reeds…there’s probably more than one myth about this, too. :P
Still no Renee in the titles! Methinks I’ll stay mum on the subject until that changes. :P
Gabrielle coos baby talk to the baby, wondering if they can name it Gabriel. “I always wanted a little brother!” Xena is a little more awkward about the infant intrusion. When he babbles discontentedly, Xena demands of her sidekick: “Why is he crying; are you holding him wrong or something?” They go on a quest to the nearby village to try and find the baby’s mother.
King Gregor talks longingly to a fresco of his dead wife. He wants to give the baby-search up, as the idea makes him uncomfortable, but Nemos is adamant. Gossip has reaches the provinces. What if some enemy of the king’s raised him up to cause another civil war? They barely got through the last one. Gregor thinks it over in frustration; his orders are to snatch the kid, and then decide what will be done with him. Later, while hunting with his trusted men, Nemos smirks that dead is ok, too. :-/ Sounds like we met our traitor.
Xena leads Gabrielle and baby on the horse, where they come across a bunch of thugs in the process of lynching a woman. The Warrior Princess addresses the leader, naming the situation as “a cowardly mob led by a weasel.” She whips out her chakram to cut the rope, then snaps it around the thug’s neck and lifts him into the air. How does he like that?? The mob runs, and the weasel-leader follows once Xena releases him.
Gabrielle approaches the woman who seems distracted after her rescue. She remembers, in hindsight, to thank them, but she shows the most interest in Gabrielle lifting her bag. “I can handle it,” Gabrielle promises, and the three women make for a cave as a storm is starting. Once inside, of course, Gabs sets down the bag roughly, and a box comes flying out. The lady grabs it quickly, but Gabs has recognized it. This is Pandora’s Box! (Kind of a cheap, wooden thing with minimal engravings and a big hand-indentation on the top to act as a lock…maybe it’s better hidden that way. :P) This lady is Pandora, the original’s granddaughter. Her family is cursed to wander throughout their lifetimes with this box, making sure that hope does not escape. Gabrielle, the babbling bard, is entranced. But Pandora is just resigned: “This box is the only thing in my life.”
Xena commands Gabby to give Pandora the baby and come help her with something. Pandora at first is hesitant to take up the child but in moments, she’s cuddling the thing for dear life, a trend that does not stop throughout the rest of the eppy. Gabrielle tries to touch Pandora’s Box when the other two aren’t looking, but of course Xena is aware of her intentions. “Don’t even think about it,” she commands idly as she’s checking through her weapons. :P
When the storm passes Xena’s entourage enters an inn, but the innkeep demands that she take off her weapons and leave them at the door. As she settles in with the others, she overhears the man whispering to a boy to go get Nemos. When the innkeep comes over with drinks she asks him if he knows who the baby’s mother is, but he says he does not. Pandora reaches down to lock the box in her bag. Xena asks why the innkeep looks so nervous, but he denies it and struts off. Perfect timing for Nemos and his men! “By the order of King Gregor, that child is under arrest,” the advisor demands. He shoves his sword in Xena’s face while our hero looks at the long distance between her and her weapons.
Pandora is not so keen to give the little tyke up. As the tension mounts, Xena takes a swig or two of her port. She reaches behind, presumably to take the baby, but instead she grabs a torch from the wall and spits fire in the men’s faces! I mean dude. Is there anything that Xena does not do? :P
The girls huddle with the baby as Xena fights off the douches. She makes her way to her weapons, chakraming a guy in the stomach when he reaches for the baby. Xena and Nemos go at it one-on-one. “Surrender now and I’ll spare your life,” Nemos threatens. “I was about to say the same to you,” Xena retorts. Then she knocks him into a shelf on the wall. WIN.
Unfortunately, while sprawling on the ground, Nemos sees (and recognizes) Pandora’s box! So much for my theory. He grabs it amidst the fighting and runs out the door once Xena’s finished whooping their asses. When the inn is cleared, Xena slams into the owner and puts the pinch on him. The man explains that the baby is part of a prophecy to take the throne, and rumor has it King Gregor wants him killed. Meanwhile Pandora is searching desperately for her box…it’s gone!
Back at the castle, Nemos tells Gregor that Xena and Pandora are now involved in this little chase. He hands the box over to the king. Gregor recognizes Xena’s name, remembering her reputation as a ruthless warlord. He can’t let his kingdom fall to such a monster! Still, he ascertains that “no man in his right mind” would open the box. Nemos says that Xena might’ve. Uh…why? Does she have to drain hope from everyone in order to grasp a measly kingdom? :P Anywho. The advisor goes to a pretty, parchment map and pinpoints the Warrior Princess as hiding out in “the peasant area.” Talk about lame dialogue! However, I gotta give props to this actor and his amusing performance of an obviously corrupt guy pretending to be good. He draws out, painfully, that maybe killing the baby is the only way to ensure “the prosperity of the people.” Ick.
The evil advisor is laying down his plan…we could use monetary incentive to make the peasants turn on Xena and her friends OR we could propose a trade…the box for the baby. Both would probably be ideal. :P Turns out the Warrior Princess is two steps ahead of them—parchment arrives, demanding a meeting with Gregor.
The gals have taken over a small hovel where Xena sharpens her sword and Pandora looks blankly off into space while still cradling the baby. The door sounds and Xena opens it…a hooded figure hurries inside, and we learn that it’s Gabrielle. Gregor took the bait and is willing to meet. The bad news is that there’s a price on their heads—a thousand dinars. “I’m tempted to turn myself in,” Gabby says before going over to try and cheer up Pandora. She’s regretting that she grabbed the baby instead of the box. “You made the only choice,” Xena assures her. But things are more complicated than that. Turns out that because the box is separated from its owner it’ll open automatically at midnight…and hope will escape! Sure enough, alone in the castle, the lock begins to turn.
Gregor, wearing a resplendent robe and crown, comes into the inn with Nemos. No one is there except for the innkeep, and the two men confirm that they’re alone. Xena pops up behind the man, saying she had to be sure. :P Hee. The three of them grab a table, but Xena sets the condition immediately that the baby is non-negotiable. She just wanted to look into the eyes of a man who’d order the death of an infant. “I could order your death,” Gregor warns her. “Under a flag of truce?” Xena counters. “Then I’d know what kind of man you are.”
The king is unmoved by Xena’s assessment. “You swept across countless nations and saw the world tremble at your feet.” He’s willing to sacrifice a life—be it his or this baby’s—to save his people from that fate. Xena looks perturbed—not so much because he hasn’t gotten the memo that she’s changed, but because his intentions are honorable. Nemos steps in again to demand a trade. Xena stands, claiming the king isn’t mad enough to open the box. But Gregor gives her 24 hours, and leaves with his crony. Time’s a tickin’!
Later she opens the hovel door for Gabrielle…and a friend! Turns out Gabs has located Ophelia, who has come with some blankets and food for the baby. As she and Pandora coo, Xena tells her sidekick she did a good job. Ophelia can provide a way into the castle…tonight is the Quarter Moon Festival and she’s expected to join the other servant girls in dancing for Nemos. Guess who gets to take her spot? :P
Gabs, Pandora and baby, all hooded, walk through the streets where the peasants are all searching for the baby. They wait underneath the castle as part of The Plan. As Pandora calms the baby, Gabs notes the bond between them. Foreshadowing! Inside, the box continues to open but a drunken Nemos, sitting at a pretty nice feast with his men, doesn’t notice it. The dancers come in to entertain…one of them is obviously Xena. Pretty questionable that Nemos wouldn’t recognize her, since she’s just wearing a translucent veil over the bottom part of her face, but eh, he’s not the brightest crayon in the box. :P As the dancing starts the Warrior Princess makes sure to get noticed, shimmying around the table, on a ledge, and finally pulling up one of the goons to dance with her. This is the other side of “Xena”…kicking ass, but also winning with sexual wiles. :D
Xena’s quite obviously going for the box; the scene gets tense, but then Gregor comes in and pulls it away. He thinks he can keep it safe, so he takes it to his quarters. As he leaves, Nemos mutters to one of his men that the king’s “moral convictions” might get in the way. Nemos is a skuzzball. Earlier, Xena told Gabrielle that she didn’t tell him about the box’s true nature because “Knowledge is power and I didn’t want to give him any.” Well spoken. Next, the advisor tells his goon to bring Xena to his bedchamber. Eeew.
We get a very nice shot of the bed—from the outside, so everything is obscured by the colorful silk draperies. Nemos comes in, and goes behind her of course, saying “My desire is pleasure, not pain.” *gags* Xena uses the moments where he’s kissing her back and nuzzling her hair to ask where the royal chamber is located…turns out it’s just down the hall. Intel received, Xena knocks him out with a swift, backward punch. :P Awesome. Then she makes her way to Gregor’s.
The king is kneeling by an empty cradle with cobwebs when Xena comes in. A dog on the bed notices her and growls, but Xena shushes him with a flick of her hand. Gregor as angsting to the spirit of his dead son about this mess he’s embroiled with, going after an infant. Xena easily bops him upside the head and he falls. She takes the box. Unfortunately Nemos is waking up and catching on to events. He and his men storm down the door as Xena prepares to bungee jump out the window. Nemos threatens her again—hand over the box now, and you may live. Xena answers with, “I bet my life this will surprise you.” She grabs the box and swan dives out the window, the bungee cord shorting out when her face is just inches from the ground. The Warrior Princess sure knows how to make an exit!
She searches the street desperately for the girls before time runs out. Cue slo-mo scene…box be unlockin’, but Pandora reaches out her hand and saves the day! We all get to keep our hope. :D Mission accomplished, Gabs suggests they get out of here, but Xena’s figured out the prophecy, and she knows who to give the baby to.
Pretty sunrise over the CGI castle…Gregor awakens to the sounds of a baby in the crib. As he looks down on the child, the camera finds Xena standing behind him. She tells the king that he’s a good man and leader. The kid will rule…but as his heir, not his conqueror. “He’s a child who needs a father and you’re a father who needs a child,” Xena concludes. Gregor lovingly picks up the baby and says he was blind for not seeing this before.
Know what else he’s blind about? Nemos. The advisor storms in and says the whole thing is a trick. He lays down a vague threat—what he does is “for the betterment of the kingdom.” Oh hell no. Xena grabs the baby and pushes her way out of the castle. Outside, the peasants and guards recognize who she’s holding. Cue tossing the kid to Gabby! Xena fights the guards, and the peasants decide to do the same. Guess Nemos is running a pretty corrupt regime here. Things go ok until a guard comes for Gabby, and she throws the parcel back to the Warrior Princess…bad throw, Gabs! Xena has to dive to the ground, but she catches him, and the baby just giggles. :P Now Xena’s in a bind. With one hand she holds the baby, with the other, she fights the guards. Seems almost like a metaphor for the modern woman. ;) We have so many commitments to juggle! At one point Xena throws the baby high up, kicks some ass, and then catches him. Luckily the kid seems to be a team player.
But for the Nemos fight, of course Xena has to toss the baby back to Gab. They duke it out for awhile until Xena is on the ground. “You should have killed me when you had the chance,” Nemos says. “What makes you think I’m not gonna?” Damn, Xena gets some nice retorts in against this guy. He brings down his sword, but she grabs the blade between her hands, and flips both it and him backwards! Nemos struggles to his knees, still intent on finishing Xena, so he has to go. :P Don’t think anyone will miss him as he falls dead from a stab wound; the fighting stops and the peasants cheer. Huzzah!
Later, Gregor and Pandora talk while cradling the baby. The king refers to the kid as “his son” and promises that the box will be safe so long as either of them rule. Pandora is relieved; she finally has a place to call home. Gregor offers her more than that: “The child needs a mother.” Well. Good enough reason as any to marry, I suppose. :P Xena wishes them both much happiness. When they ask her what she wants for a reward, she smirks “Name him Gabriel.” Aww. Gab’s fake brother lives on!
Gabrielle is still eying Pandora’s box. She marvels at the power of it—destroying the former Pandora’s life, but ultimately giving this Pandora a better one. Why did this all happen—fate or chance? “I think it happened because you slept on a rock,” Xena opines. Classic. They turn to leave, but Gabby knocks the box over! It’s open…and empty. Myth destruction! But the moral of the story is that either way, Pandora still carried around the hope.
Prophecies, mythology…guess it’s all more psychological than physical anyway. :P Was a pretty cute episode. Not much by way of development for our characters, but I admire the interplay between romantic Gabrielle and more skeptical Xena. They’re such a good match. But this week Xena stole some of Gab’s witticisms! I mean come on. That’s sort of her trademark right now. :P
One complaint I have is Nemos…such a two-dimensional villain. I mean what’s his deal? Why does he want this baby dead? Is he the father? Is he trying to destabilize the kingdom on his own? Or does he really care about protecting Gregor and his “moral convictions”? Ultimately, we don’t get an answer. The dude’s just cardboard.
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