From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
   2-16 For Him The Bell Tolls   
      
   First air date Feb 24, 1997.   
      
       The episode starts out with Gabrielle riding behind Xena on Argo.   
   Gabrielle gets down and Xena rides off to see King Lias on some emergency   
   and Gabrielle would only slow her down. Gabrielle says maybe she can take   
   care of any local trouble.   
      
   Cut to Joxer practicing fighting an imaginary foe. He tries a Xena flip and   
   lands flat on his face. Gabrielle walks up to him and he says he's listening   
   to the ground for any giants that may have followed him. He asks where Xena   
   is and Gabrielle says she's off on some mission. Joxer suggests Gabrielle   
   can be his sidekick.   
      
       Gabrielle says Xena would be guarding the rear and Joxer runs back to   
   follow at a distance.   
      
   Cut to Aphrodite and Cupid arguing. Cupid made two people fall in love -   
   Princess Ileandra and Prince Sarpedon. Aphrodite doesn't want them to marry   
   because some of her temples on the border of the two kingdoms will be torn   
   down.   
      
   Aphrodite says she will get someone to cause a jealousy rage. Cupid accuses   
   her of always finding some hero. Aphrodite says she can use anyone Cupid can   
   find.   
      
   Back to Joxer. Aphrodite gives him a bell to take to Ileandra as a wedding   
   gift. She rings the bell and he becomes a hero and goes to find the   
   princess.   
      
   Cut to a village where soldiers are trying to kidnap young women. Gabrielle   
   joins the fight, but soon is overpowered. Hero Joxer (HR) shows up and   
   fights off the soldiers. All the women fall for him. One of them are   
   Ileandra. He gives her the bell, it rings and her turns back into Goofy   
   Joxer (GJ).   
      
   Gabrielle and GJ go with the princess to meet Sarpedon. He shows up, takes   
   her to a spot where a priest is so they can marry. He says he loves her, but   
   the bell has rung and Ileandra is back in love with HJ. Sarpedon challenges   
   HJ but as they fight the bell rings a few times and HJ and GJ appear and   
   reappear. Finally the prince leaves, defeated in battle by HJ.   
      
   The two fathers/kings are talking about the upcoming wedding but when told   
   of Ileandra's love for HJ they both call a halt to the wedding.   
      
   Gabrielle, HJ and Ileandra are in a cave and Gabrielle has to stay between   
   them to keep them from going too far with their passion. She figures out   
   that when a bell rings, Joxer changes.   
      
   Gabrielle, HJ and Ileandra are captured by Sarpedon's father and his men. As   
   HJ is fighting, Gabrielle and the princess run up to watch, the bell is   
   ringing and HJ becomes GJ. Gabrielle  and GJ are locked up. Gabrielle   
   escapes after GJ tells her he talked to Aphrodite.   
      
   Ileandra's father finds out she is a captive so he leaves to go get her.   
      
   Gabrielle goes into one of Aphrodite's temples, and asks her to take the   
   spell off Joxer. She refuses because she can't let anyone know she was   
   pressured into it by a mere mortal, and she leaves.   
      
   Gabrielle asks Cupid if he can make things right if she can get Aphrodite to   
   take off the spell. He says he can. Gabrielle leaves with a plan.   
      
   GJ is sentenced to death by beheading for being found guilty of threatening   
   the peace. As the executioner is about to behead GJ, Gabrielle throws a rock   
   which ricochets off several things until it rings a bell. HJ reappears and   
   fights off  soldiers of Sarpedon's father. Joxer sword fights Sarpedon's   
   father – the most skilled swordsman in the kingdom. They end up in one of   
   Aphrodite's temples and begin smashing things. Gabrielle tells her she needs   
   to take the spell off GJ or she will take Joxer to all of the temples.   
      
   Eventually Aphrodite takes the spell off, and everything is okay again   
   between Ileandra and Sarpedon.   
      
   Joxer knows that Gabrielle was the real hero not him.   
      
   Xena goes to where Joxer is sitting by himself, feeling sorry for himself.   
   She tells him the gods can't gave mortals anything that wasn't already in   
   their hearts. He may not be the best swordsman but has the heart of a lion.   
      
   This makes him feel better and he goes with them singing the Joxer Song.   
      
   …………………………   
      
   Another "Xena Lite" episode. I guess she was still recovering from her fall.   
      
   And a "Joxer Heavy" episode. But I guess it was inevitable it would happen.   
      
   AND -- two "comedies"  in a row. Very unusual. I can't remember if I liked   
   this one the first time I saw it, but it wasn't so bad.   
      
   There are a lot of things to like ---   
      
   Aphrodite.  I can't be remember, but was the first time she showed up? It   
   WAS the first time she and Gabrielle meet.   
   Hero Joxer.  It was nice to see Joxer as something other than a goofball.  I   
   never much cared for Joxer the first time around, but knowing now that he   
   and Gabrielle never hooked up (something I really really did NOT want to   
   happen), I can appreciate his role as the comic relief.   
      
   Gabrielle. Always happy when she's in a scene.   
      
   Gabrielle shaking off Hero Joxer's kiss by slapping herself several times in   
   the face. "That was scary."   
      
   Aphrodite's reaction to Hero Joxer fighting in her temple – "Ex-squeeze me!   
   There will be no fighting in my temple!"   
      
   The Joxer song –  See below   
      
   …………….   
      
   Not too much I didn't like.   
      
   When Gabrielle figured out the bell thing, why didn't she ring it in the   
   cave to keep them apart?   
      
   It was odd seeing "Caesar" playing Cupid. I would have thought a   
   smaller/younger/more child-like Cupid would be more appropriate.   
      
   They brought out what I've always heard – that Cupid was more into romantic   
   love and Aphrodite was more about the lustful side of love. (Her temples   
   were often sites of prostitution.)   
      
   Kind of missed Xena, but in this story Gabrielle was more than up to the   
   task.   
      
   Despite all the fun parts, for some reason I can't give this one more than a   
   7 out of 10.   
      
      
   Okay, the Joxer song. Actually, there were three (or four) versions. The   
   first one (we only heard one verse was in this episode) --   
      
   Joxer the Mighty   
   Roams through the countryside   
   He never needs a place to hide   
   With Gabby as his sidekick   
   Fighting with her little stick   
   Righting wrongs and singing songs   
   Being mighty all day long   
   He's Joxer—he's Joxer the Mighty!   
   Oohhhhhh—   
   He's Joxer the Mighty   
   He's really tidy   
   Everybody likes him   
   'Cause he has a funny grin   
   Joxer—   
   Joxer the Mighty!   
      
   Joxer the Mighty   
   He's very tidy   
   Everyone admires him   
   He's so handsome it's a sin   
   When you're in jeopardy   
   Don't call the cavalry   
   There's a better remedy   
   (Although he doesn't work for free)   
   He's every man's trusty,   
   He's every woman's fantasy,   
   Plus he's goo-oood company   
   He's Joxer—   
   I'm Joxer the Mighty!   
      
   Blood—valor—and victory! Ha-HA!   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)