From: davideml@bellsouth.net   
      
   3-14 Forgiven   
      
      
      
             First air date Feb. 16, 1998.   
             The episode starts out with a close up of the sun. Then we see   
   people with hooded robes.   
   They morph into a painting. This happens a second time, then the paintings   
   appear on a large urn.   
   It is the Urn of Apollo and a priest is using oil from the urn to dab on   
   people's foreheads to   
   forgive them of their misdeeds. Two rough looking young men approach and they   
   steal the urn.   
      
             The scene changes to Xena and Gabrielle sitting at a tavern table   
   with the priest, who   
   explains that the urn helps those people who need a little help to forgive   
   themselves. Gabrielle   
   says she understands. Xena agrees to get the urn back and leaves to fetch Argo.   
      
             Gabrielle starts to write in a scroll when a young tough-looking   
   girl throws water on her   
   scroll, saying she has a problem with Gabrielle's face. Gabrielle ignores her   
   but then she throws   
   gruel in Gabrielle's face. Once again Gabrielle refuses to fight, but when she   
   turns her back, the   
   girl breaks a chair over her then jumps on her back and they struggle.   
   Gabrielle can't get her off   
   and gets her head smashed into the table a couple of times. Gabrielle finally   
   hits back but is once   
   again beat up on. The girl scratches Gabrielle's cheek and is biting on her   
   ear when Xena returns   
   and breaks up the fight.   
      
             The girl wants to take Gabrielle's place but Xena tells her no,   
   Gabrielle is her partner.   
   She says she knows who took the urn but Xena is way ahead of her.   
      
             The girl follows them and Gabrielle wants to know what Xena is going   
   to do about it. Xena   
   goes back to talk to her. The girl (Tara) just wants to do good but Xena said   
   she made a bad start   
   with Gabrielle. Tara says everyone else thinks she is a lost cause, as does   
   Xena. Xena lets her   
   come with them.   
      
             Gabrielle wants to know why and Xena says Tara reminds her of   
   herself when she was that   
   age. And maybe she needs someone to believe in her. Gabrielle goes along with   
   it, reluctantly.   
      
             Later, they spot one of the men who took the urn and Xena tells   
   Gabrielle and Tara to   
   stay behind while she sneaks up on him to find out about it. Tara wants to see   
   the Pinch. Xena   
   leaves and Tara follows.   
      
             Xena makes Tara go back, but instead she walks up to the guy. She   
   knows him and tells him   
   someone is sneaking up on him. They walk toward Xena then Tara makes him go to   
   one side. Xena   
   rushes out and puts the Pinch on him and finds out the urn is being sold to   
   Silesian traders.   
      
             Gabrielle can't understand why Xena isn't more upset that Tara   
   didn't do as she was told.   
   Xena says she did all right. Xena says she is trying to help Tara turn her   
   life around. Gabrielle   
   says she's learned that you can't save everyone. Xena tells her that is   
   something she and Tara have   
   in common - they both think Tara is a lost cause.   
      
             Gabrielle has a change of heart and agrees not to be so hard on Tara.   
      
             As they are making camp Tara puts Gabrielle's staff in the fire,   
   then puts her blanket   
   down next to Xena's and makes Gabrielle sleep on the other side of the   
   campfire.   
      
             The next day they see campfire smoke in the distance and Xena   
   surmises it's the men they   
   are chasing. Then they see the Silesian traders. Xena says she is going to   
   harass the traders and   
   for Gabrielle and Tara to wait until they see her riding toward a hill, then   
   to run for the crest.   
   Instead, Tara runs off toward the men. Gabrielle has no choice but to follow.   
   Tara sees the urn and   
   crawls for it. Gabrielle follows and grabs her foot. When Tara kicks her in   
   the face, a twig snaps   
   and they are captured.   
      
             When Xena comes back, she sees Gabrielle and Tara buried up to their   
   necks and a trap   
   with twin axes is set to kill them when a rope holding the trap is burned.   
   Xena  catches it just in   
   time. Gabrielle blames Tara and Tara blames Gabrielle.   
      
             Xena says she is going to ride on ahead and leaves Tara and   
   Gabrielle alone. Tara gets   
   belligerent and picks up a stick to counter Gabrielle's staff. Gabrielle   
   proceeds to beat the hell   
   out of her, bloodying her nose among another lacerations. Xena returns just in   
   time to keep a badly   
   beaten Tara from trying once again to go after Gabrielle.   
      
             Tara breaks down crying in Xena's arms, saying how bad she is.   
      
             As Xena and Gabrielle tend to Tara's wounds, Tara tells them about   
   the death of her   
   mother and the beatings she got from her father, so she began hanging with the   
   bad boys.   
      
             Gabrielle tells Xena she knows Xena left them alone so they could   
   "air out" their   
   differences, and because she had so much anger for Tara she never gave her a   
   chance.   
      
             That night they are playing a Charades-like game that Gabrielle   
   invented. Everyone is   
   getting along. After Xena and Gabrielle fall asleep, Tara sneaks off and meets   
   Micah, one of the   
   young men who stole the urn. They kiss.   
      
             They come to an old castle where everyone is to meet to make the   
   trade. Xena leaves to   
   open a door for them. Tara wonders if the urn really has the power to  help   
   people to forgive   
   themselves. Gabrielle says the urn can be meaningful. Xena opens the door and   
   they go inside.   
      
             In one room they see the traders and men haggling over the urn. In   
   another room two men   
   are guarding something. They burst in and knock them out. They start looking   
   for the urn. Tara sees   
   it under a table or something but says it's not there. When Xena isn't   
   looking, Tara grabs the urn   
   and runs off with it. Xena sees this and tells Gabrielle she might be right -   
   not everyone can be   
   saved.   
      
             Xena follows and hears Tara and Micah talking. Tara want to return   
   the urn to the temple   
   . Micah is going to kill her but Xena interferes.   
      
             The urn is back in the temple and the priest dabs oil on Tara's then   
   Gabrielle's forehead   
   and says they are forgiven for past deeds.   
      
             Xena is standing at the temple door but won't come in to be   
   forgiven. Instead, she walks   
   away.   
      
   ...........   
      
             Yet another good episode. Not a good as the past two or three, but   
   good enough.   
      
             When this episode aired in 1998, "Roswell" was still over a year   
   away, so I had no idea   
   who Shiri Appleby was. It wasn't until the episode  reran after "Roswell" was   
   on that I recognized   
   her.   
      
   (And just as an aside, someone was reviewing an episode of "Roswell" and   
   described Shiri as   
   "impossibly sweet looking." I have to agree with him when talking about Liz   
   Parker, but Tara is   
   another matter.)   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)