From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
   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 want sto 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 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 at 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 up 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.   
      
       They see the traders and men haggling over the urn. In another room are   
   two men 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 wants 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.)   
      
   I guess when Tara broke the chair over Gabrielle and then jumped on her   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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