From: davideml@bellsouth.net   
      
   4-14    Devi   
      
      
      
   First air date was Feb 8, 1999   
      
   The story starts out with music and scenes of India. Gabrielle is telling Xena   
   how different things   
   are while they are looking at snake charmers, a man walking on hot coals,   
   etc., and a guy with his   
   ankles behind his neck. Gabrielle says that's why she is doing yoga every day.   
   They go to see a   
   magician who throws a rope skyward and it stays there. Xena cuts the bottom of   
   the rope but it   
   remains stiff. His assistant climbs the rope, then disappears. When he calls   
   for her to return, she   
   does, in parts - head, trunk, arms and legs. He puts her parts into a basket   
   and she is restored,   
   but possessed.   
      
             The possessed woman gets two swords and starts to attack the   
   magician. Xena interferes   
   and fights the woman. She lands on her back and begins violent convulsions.   
   Gabrielle runs over to   
   her and pins her down. A spirit/ghost leaves the woman, flies around then   
   disappears when it's over   
   Gabrielle.   
      
             The people of the village claims Gabrielle is a Devi, a healing   
   deity, because she healed   
   the woman. A priest comes up and accuses the magician of being evil because   
   people have died since   
   he came to town. Xena and the man go through a pair of doors. When the priest   
   opens the doors it is   
   a closet and they are gone.   
      
             The crowd leads Gabrielle away, chanting Devi.   
      
             Xena and the magician are in a temple. He says his name is Eli. He   
   wants to know if   
   Gabrielle can really heal. Xena says no.   
      
             The crowd lead Gabrielle to some steps (to a temple?), still   
   chanting Devi. She claims   
   she is no Devi. A man with one eye holds her hand and bows to her. His eye is   
   restored. He and two   
   other men pledge their sword to her.   
      
             Eli tries to hypnotize Xena into telling him if Gabrielle really can   
   heal, but it doesn't   
   work on her. He tells a story about maybe healing his father's friend of   
   convulsions when he was  a   
   child. And if Gabrielle has the power he wants her to share it with  him. The   
   priest comes in and   
   wants to know why Xena is there since she helps the dark ones. Xena tells  him   
   to watch his back   
   since he probably has enemies.   
      
             Later, Gabrielle is massaging Xena's shoulders and Xena jokes that   
   maybe she IS a Devi.   
   Gabrielle tells her about healing the man's eye, and she believes she now can   
   heal. It's all she's   
   wanted to do. She says she understands the power to control life, and death.   
      
             The next morning Xena tells Gabrielle they should eat and hit the   
   road. Gabrielle accuses   
   Xena of being afraid of her powers. Xena says you can't be too careful.   
   Gabrielle says she bets it   
   was just a fluke. They go out onto the second floor balcony and a crowd below   
   starts chanting Devi.   
      
             Xena goes to the temple and sees the priest hanging by his neck. Eli   
   says he hung   
   himself, but realizes the altar he was supposed to jump from is too low. Xean   
   tells Eli he is going   
   nowhere until they get to the bottom of it.   
      
             They see Gabrielle in a crowd with bodyguards. When the bodyguards   
   disappear, Eli runs   
   off. A pack of wild dogs start chasing him. Xena comes along and they are both   
   chased. Eventually,   
   Eli runs into Gabrielle and she drops many pearls she was given. The dogs run   
   away.   
      
             Eli drops to his knees and pretends to be possessed and begs   
   Gabrielle to save him. He   
   rises from the ground unsupported, then drops back down. He cries to the crowd   
   that Gabrielle saved   
   him and as the crowd chants again, he loses himself in them. Gabrielle tells   
   Xena she didn't heal   
   anything.   
      
             Eli is in the temple filling a vial with sacred water from the   
   Ganges River. Xena asks   
   why he ran. He says because of the bodyguards and the dogs. And there is evil   
   there. Xena looks a   
   the paintings on the walls and sees a blond woman similar to Gabrielle wearing   
   pearls. Eli says she   
   is Tataka. And she is evil. She healed the sick and deformed then sent them to   
   slaughter against   
   the god Rama. Xena makes a connection with the pearls.   
      
             When she finds Gabrielle she is outside on a throne wearing new   
   clothes and draped with   
   strings of pearls looking much like the painting in the temple. Later in their   
   room Gabrielle says   
   they were gifts from the people she healed. But she is still Gabrielle inside.   
   Xena drops the vial   
   of sacred water. Gabrielle, angry, asks if it's a test because Xena thinks she   
   is evil. Gabrielle   
   sprinkles the water on herself proving she isn't evil incarnate. Xena tells   
   her it only burns in   
   the hands of a priest.   
      
             Gabrielle can't understand why Xena isn't happy for her but thinks   
   she is evil. She   
   begins to cry.   
      
             One of Gabrielle's guards tries to kill Eli; Xena fights him. She   
   tells Eli to throw the   
   sacred water on him and it burns him. Xena says Gabrielle isn't the Devi, but   
   Eli is.  And when he   
   cast the demon out of his assistant it went into Gabrielle. And Tataka already   
   figured it out.   
      
             Xena wakes up Gabrielle and tells her Eli is hurt and she has to   
   heal him. Xena tells   
   Gabrielle she knows she is Tataka.   
      
             Eli is running through the woods and Xena catches him. She says if   
   he won't save   
   Gabrielle then she will have to do an exorcism. He says she has to have an   
   icon from Gabrielle.   
   Xena  goes through Gabrielle's pouch with her scrolls and finds her quill to   
   use as an icon.   
      
             Outside she tries to use it, but Tataka kicks them out of her hand   
   and the sacred water   
   spills into the sand.   
      
             Xena and Tataka fight, with Xena taking most of the punishment.   
   Finally Tataka is on her   
   back with Xena holding her sword at her throat, telling Tataka to leave   
   Gabrielle's body. She kicks   
   the sword away. Eli runs up and Xena puts the pinch on Tataka. Xena tells Eli   
   to save her. He prays   
   to Abbah and the sprit leaves Gabrielle.   
      
             They are about to part ways but Gabrielle asks Eli to join them. He   
   says he has thinking   
   to do. Xena says some things need to be taken on faith. Gabrielle says the   
   power she had was evil   
   but that means there must be another stronger power for good.  When Gabrielle   
   suggests they travel   
   with him so he won't be alone, he says  he doesn't think he is. Gabrielle asks   
   Xena what he meant   
   and Xena says she doesn't think even Eli knows.   
      
   ........   
      
             I didn't remember too much about this episode. And I really didn't   
   remember the fight   
   between Xena and Tataka -- it wasn't too bad. A different and exotic locale,   
   and another new look   
   for Gabrielle.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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