From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
   1-18 The Prodigal   
      
   First Air date – Mar 4, 1996   
      
   This episode starts with Xena and Gabrielle walking with Gabrielle playing   
   the pan pipes. Then they are cornered by some bad guys with a cart full of   
   logs sharpened to points. They threaten to roll the cart into X&G unless   
   they are given what they want. A fight ensues, and Gabrielle doesn't do too   
   bad. But when the cart is accidentally released, Xena has to knock   
   Gabrielle's legs out from under he so the cart can roll over, and past them.   
      
   Gabrielle is concerned that she froze, and now considers herself a liability   
   to Xena, so she has to go home to talk it out with her sister, Lila.  She   
   tries thumbing a ride, but without success until she uses two blankets to   
   pretend to be pregnant. She comes across a burned out house and a man   
   burying his wife and son. He says Poteidaia is next to be attacked, and   
   Gabrielle runs the rest of the way home.   
      
   The townspeople know about Damon and his gang and have hired Meleager the   
   Mighty to protect them. It turns out that Meleager is a "worthless drunk"   
   who froze in battle and turned to drink to forget.   
      
       Lila is pissed at Gabrielle for choosing Xena over her, and not coming   
   home or sending word sooner. But they soon make amends when Lila realizes   
   Gabrielle is there for her, and to help the village against Damon and his   
   gang.   
      
   Meleager and Gabrielle are captured by Damon but they escape and return to   
   Poteidaia to prepare for Damon and his men. When it's obvious Meleager isn't   
   up to the task, Gabrielle starts the town setting traps and figuring   
   strategies to protect the village.   
      
   When Damon's men attack,  Meleager and the money have disappeared, and the   
   town wants to surrender, but a pep talk by Lila, and telling Gabrielle she   
   has to take over, goads Gabrielle into getting the townspeople to fight. The   
   first attack is thwarted but when the bandits begin to regroup, everyone   
   wants to surrender.   
      
   But Meleager has returned with special Spartan javelins and turns the tide.   
   Except somehow Damon has both Gabrielle and Lila by the neck, with a knife   
   at Gabrielle's throat. Gabrielle claims her foot is asleep, stomps it down   
   onto a rake, which catches Damon in the crotch.   
      
   Meleager and Damon fight with swords, and Damon loses the fight and his   
   life.   
      
   During the celebration Lila brings Gabrielle her pouch/suitcase and tells   
   her her place is out in the world with Xena, helping to change people's   
   lives for the better.   
      
   A happy, whistling Gabrielle is on the road back to Xena when she ends up at   
   the very same place with the very same bad guys threatening her with an even   
   bigger cart. But this time, Gabrielle fights back, then pole vaults over the   
   cart to face men with swords.   
      
   Xena happens to be on the cliff above them and uses her Chakram to cut the   
   tips off the swords and they run away.   
      
   Gabrielle is proud of her vault, saying this time she didn't freeze. Xena   
   says she was on her way to Poteidaia to see Gabrielle, which is why she was   
   in the right place at the right time.   
      
   Gabrielle offers to teach Xena the vault trick.   
      
   ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;   
      
   At last!  A Gabrielle-centric story.  A few things to mention –   
      
   When the first cart was coming at them, Gabrielle was face down in the dirt,   
   then Xena stood her up and had to knock her back down. Why not just leave   
   her down in the first place?   
      
       It seemed like it was pretty easy for Gabrielle to leave Xena   
   considering how much she's said in the past about them always being   
   together.   
      
       Gabrielle's attempts to thumbing a ride were kind of funny. I can't see   
   why anyone would have passed her by, unless there was a jealous wife riding   
   with her husband.   
      
       I never thought of Poteidaia as a walled city, but WHERE WERE THE GATES?   
      
       I liked Meleager.  (“I’m awake!  I’m awake.  I’m well aware of my   
   surroundings.  Where am I?  Poder, Pewter, Podoohickey?”)   
      
        I didn't like Pharis (the guy who seemed to be the town leader. I   
   thought for sure he was going to betray Gabrielle).   
      
       Where were Herodotus and Hecuba (Gabrielle and Lila's parents)? Surely   
   if there was an attacking gang they would have been off the farm and hiding   
   within the gateless city.   
      
       I REALLY   liked seeing Gabrielle taking over and showing the town,   
   Lila, and eventually herself, that she was a competent, knowledgeable,   
   capable woman.   
      
       Thought the townswomen luring some of the bad guys with their feminine   
   charms was funny. (“Yoo-hoo!  Boys!  Yoo-hoo!”)   
      
       And I liked the scene between Lila and Gabrielle near the end –   
      
   Lila:  “A dinar for your thoughts?”   
      
   G:  “Don’t waste your money.”   
      
   Lila:  “Then I’ll tell you.  You love this village.  Love your family, your   
   friends.  But you have to leave, and you don’t know how to tell us.”   
      
   G:  “It’s not just that.  Oh, Lila, I wanna be a part of your life.  A day   
   didn’t go by that I didn’t think of you, and, I—I missed you terribly.”   
      
   Lila:  “You’re dreams are elsewhere.  Gabrielle, you are destined for great   
   things.  Your heart belongs on the road—not here in this little village.  If   
   you stay here, your life will never be complete.  Live life, Gabrielle.    
   Don’t   
   let it pass you by.”   
      
   G:  “I thought I was the only oracle in the family.”   
      
   Lila:  “It doesn’t take an oracle to realize that you belong out there in   
   the world with Xena, helping to change people’s lives for the better-- like   
   you did here.”   
      
   G:  “You knew all along, didn’t you?”   
      
   Lila:  “Yep.  You’re my sister, and I love you more than anything.  Don’t   
   forget to visit us, OK?”   
      
   G:  “You can count on it.”   
      
      
       While maybe not the best, most dramatic episode, I liked it enough to   
   give it an 8 out of 10.   
      
      
      
   David   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)