From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
       2-18  Blind Faith   
      
   First air date was April 14, 1997   
      
   The episode starts with Xena and Gabrielle walking through a market place.   
   Xena is hungry and wants find a tavern to eat. Gabrielle wants to shop   
   shop – for frivolous things. Xena and Gabrielle separate. Gabrielle buys a   
   scarf then is accosted by two men. She fights them off with her staff then   
   runs away through an alley where she is caught by a third man who threatens   
   to break her neck.   
      
   Xena comes out of the tavern looking for Gabrielle. She sees her staff but   
   when she gets it the man who captured Gabrielle tells Xena it's his staff   
   since he killed Gabrielle.   
      
   They fight, and the man, Palaemon, says he wants to be the man who killed   
   Xena. While fighting, Xena gets oil splashed in her face and eyes. She takes   
   Palaemon down then wants to know where Gabrielle is, saying she knows he   
   didn't kill her because he doesn't have the killer instinct because he   
   didn't press the advantage when Xena got the oil in her eyes. He says he   
   sold her to (slavers?). Xena puts the Pinch on him to find out where   
   Gabrielle  is, but he calls her bluff and she takes the Pinch off.   
      
   Xena asks if the oil had sumac in it and the seller says yes.   
      
   Xena ties Palaemon's hands to a board behind him so his arms are   
   outstretched, and drags him along to find Gabrielle.   
      
   Gabrielle has been taken to a castle to be married to King Solus. There are   
   paintings of former queens, all who resemble Gabrielle. The king's Advisor   
   is Apex, and one of his men tells him that Xena and Palaemon are coming to   
   the castle. Apex tells him to take men to kill them.   
      
   Vidalis, a valet type is told to make Gabrielle suitable to the Royal Court   
   so she will be accepted as the new queen. Vidalis is very critical of   
   Gabrielle's looks, shape and manners. Vidalis tries to make her into a lady,   
   but without much success. But even so, the Royal Court toasts Lady Gabrielle   
   to become the new queen.   
      
   Xena and Palaemon fight Apex's men, and after they are driven off, Palaemon   
   realizes Xena has gone blind. She chains them together and says he's going   
   to be her eyes to find Gabrielle, rather than go to Athens to get Egyptian   
   senna to wash out her eyes and save her sight. They are chased again by the   
   men and Xena runs off a cliff but Palaemon falls onto a ledge and keep Xena   
   from falling to her death. She unlocks the manacles and falls, but grabs   
   onto a vine. Palaemon says he'll save her if she'll fight him to the death   
   when she regains she sight. She agrees and he pulls her up.   
      
   Gabrielle goes to talk to King Solus and finds he is dead. Apex finds her   
   and says that if the king dies with a wife, she must be cremated with him   
   and the Advisor (Apex) will be the one to rule the kingdom. After a sham   
   wedding with Gabrielle manacled and gagged and the king propped up with   
   sticks, they are put in caskets and taken to the crematorium. The king is   
   put in first to be burned.   
      
   Xena and Palaemon have gotten into the castle and find Vidalis' hands tied   
   together hanging from a peg. He tells them where Gabrielle and the king are.   
   They rush to the crematorium just as Gabrielle is being pulled into the   
   oven. Xena fights Apex's men while blind and defeats them. She manages to   
   pull Gabrielle out in time.   
      
   Gabrielle realizes Xena is blind. Xena tells her about the senna and Vidalis   
   says he grows it in his garden.   
      
   Gabrielle washes out Xena's eyes with it and her eyesight returns. Palaemon   
   draws his sword, and Xena agrees to fight him. But he says he learned that   
   you are who you pretend to be.  It's better pretend to be something you can   
   live with. So he's going pretend to be good for a while. And he leaves.   
   Vidalis wonders if he could use a sidekick and follows.   
      
       Gabrielle and Xena leave also, talking about how Gabrielle's self esteem   
   was damaged since there was nothing about her that Vidalis liked.   
      
   ````````````````````````````   
       A pretty good episode. A lot to like and only a few glitches.   
      
       Liked –   
      
       The sword fighting between Xena and Palaemon.   
      
       Gabrielle's reaction to the nude statue of King Solus – couldn't keep   
   her eyes off it!   
      
       The dress Gabrielle was wearing – talk about some amazing cleavage! And   
   her attempts to become a "lady."   
      
       Vidalis' descriptions of Gabrielle – husky voice, hands on hips like a   
   scrub woman, hand gestures of a wagon driver, abs of peasant muscle, and   
   hands of a dish washer.   
      
       Xena risking her eyesight to rescue Gabrielle.   
      
       Vidalis. More fun than Salmoneus, and not as irritating.   
      
       Gabrielle's haggling over the scarf. "I guess I could use to wipe the   
   sweat off my horse."   
      
       Xena catching her Chakram just before it beheaded Palaemon.   
      
       ……………..   
      
       Didn't like –   
      
       Gabrielle's hair when she was the "lady." The back was okay but the two   
   curls or buns or whatever on the front were bad.   
      
       Wasn't too crazy about Palaemon. Not that he was so unlikable, but he   
   was just too – something.   
      
       ……………..   
      
       A few more comments –   
      
       A good mixture of drama and comedy.   
      
       Lucy did an excellent job of portraying someone who is blind, even with   
   the fighting. The only thing I noticed was that after she and Palaemon   
   scaled the castle wall, she ducked down under a window she couldn't know was   
   there.   
      
       Renee again showed her delightful comedic side.   
      
       And as much as I found to like about this one, it wasn't a great   
   episode, so I can only give it a 6 out of 10.   
      
      
   David   
      
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