From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
   4-12  If The Shoe Fits   
      
       First air date was Jan 25, 1998.   
      
       The story starts out with a naked Gabrielle taking a shower with water   
   coming out of the bottom of a copper pot with holes in it.   
      
       Xena wakes up late muttering about Gabrielle not waking her up when she   
   has a warlord named Zantar where she wants him.   
      
       We see Gabrielle from a distance still showering and her blouse is   
   stolen, leaving only her skirt.   
      
       Cut to Zantar and two henchmen. He says he's not going back to prison.   
   Suddenly Xena slides down a rope from a tree and captures him and up they   
   go.   
      
       Back to Gabrielle who is now wearing a long sack dress because her   
   blouse was taken. Then she sees Zantar is gagged with it. Xena says she had   
   no more rope.   
      
   Cut to Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer and Zantar waking past a temple and they hear   
   an explosion. Going inside they hear Aphrodite chewing out someone for   
   playing with a bottle marked Passion, which is explosive. When Xena asks   
   Aphrodite what is going on, a little girl comes out and goes to Xena, who   
   recognizes her as Princess Alesia. Xena knows her father. She begs for Xena   
   to save her from the evil  fairy godsmother –Aphrodite. Aphrodite says she   
   wandered in talking about an evil stepmother. Alesia said she ran away from   
   home because of her. Xena decides to take her home.   
      
       Cut to the king and queen. He's been looking for Alesia and goes back   
   out. The queen blames herself because Alesia hates her.   
      
       Gabrielle volunteers to scout ahead. Xena asks Alesia why she ran away.   
   Then starts to tell her about her own stepfather.   
   Gabrielle falls out of a tree and wants to know about Xena's stepfather. She   
   blows her off. Gabrielle says she saw Zantar's men following. Xena says she   
   will go back to stop them and for Gabrielle  to tell Alesia a story. Alesia   
   wants a happy ending.   
      
       Gabrielle starts with a Cinderella story with ugly Xena as the   
   stepmother and ugly Aphrodite as the stepsister. Gabrielle is Tyrella, the   
   sweet, over-cheerful stepdaughter.   
      
       Cut to Aphrodite in her temple. She finds Alesia's shoe and begins to   
   miss her. She looks in the mirror and her image talks her into making Alesia   
   her mascot – a demigoddess of puppy love.   
      
       Back to Gabrielle telling the story again, but Aphrodite interrupts, and   
   begins telling the story her way. She is the beautiful stepmother and Xena   
   is her almost attractive daughter. Gabrielle is the goofy looking   
   stepdaughter with a missing front tooth. Joxer is the king's messenger   
   announcing a royal ball for the king to pick a bride.   
      
       Xena stops the story and tells Aphrodite she thought she was out of it,   
   Aphrodite disappears.   
      
       Xena volunteers to cook supper so Gabrielle can finish the story. But   
   Xena can't find anything so Gabrielle tells Joxer to finish it so she can   
   cook.   
      
       In Joxer's story he is Tyrone, the handsome stepson/brother who wants to   
   go to the ball. His ugly stepfather and stepbrothers make fun of his   
   clothes. Tyrone's fairy godsmother (Xena) shows up and gives him social   
   skills and fine clothes to go to the ball. But the sands of the 'hourglass'   
   run out at sunup.   
      
       Tyrone goes to the ball but his stepfather and brothers don't recognize   
   him. He sees a beautiful woman (Gabrielle –the princess?) and dances with   
   her. They waltz and then he does a disco number by himself. They sing a   
   duet, then the sands run out and he runs away, taking her shoe with him by   
   mistake.   
      
       Xena comes back and Alesia is gone. She blames Gabrielle even though she   
   was cooking. Zantar says she ran away. Xena goes looking for her.   
      
       Aphrodite disguised as an old woman tells Gabrielle Zantar's men   
   attacked her and Gabrielle goes off to fight them. Aphrodite kisses Joxer,   
   he faints and she frees Zantar.   
      
       Xena finds Alesia hanging onto a vine on the side of a cliff. She saves   
   her.   
      
       At the camp they find Joxer tied up and Zantar is gone. Joxer says   
   Aphrodite said something about going to an old castle.   
      
       Xena starts telling the story. But Tyrella is a no-nonsense butt-kicker.   
   The prince (Joxer) comes to have the shoe tried on. She sees Tyrella and   
   passes by the others. But Tryella tells him she doesn't need a man to make   
   her happy. Just then her fairy godsister (Gabrielle) comes in and tells her   
   that her stepmother and stepsisters are going to rob the kingdom of the   
   crown jewels. She asks Tyrella if she needs help and she tells her to wash   
   the dishes.   
      
       Gabrielle interrupts the story, insulted that that is all Xena thinks of   
   her – as the fairy godsister of dishes. Xena says it’s because she thinks   
   of   
   her as family, but she stomps off saying she needs her space.   
      
       Xena, Joxer and Alesia go to the castle and the king and queen are tied   
   to their thrones. Zantar and his men have stolen the   
   crown jewels.   
      
       Xena locks Alesia and her stepmother in a room so they can talk out   
   their issues, then goes after Zantar and his men.   
      
       Gabrielle comes upon an outdoor shrine to Aphrodite and knocks a couple   
   urns over until she appears.  She berates Aphrodite about confusing Alesia   
   so she doesn't realize she misses the family who loves her.   
      
       Alesia and the queen come to an understanding.   
      
       Xena fights, Gabrielle helps, and they recover the jewels. Xena finishes   
   the story, telling Alesia Tyrella and the prince didn't get married but she   
   and her fairy godsister made a pact to help the other to be all they could   
   be.   
      
       Xena asks Gabrielle why she came back and she tells her they are family   
   and they have to stay together to work things out.   
      
   ……………..   
      
       Another comedy episode.   
      
       No nitpicks because it wouldn't make sense in a story like this. So I   
   will mention the things I liked and other comments –   
      
       Naked Gabrielle taking a shower with the never emptying water pot. The   
   close up on Renee's back and shoulders showed some real definition. She was   
   in SHAPE!   
      
       Gabrielle as the princess at the ball was as beautiful as I've ever   
   seen. I HAVE to find some screen caps of her.   
   [I don't think I ever did]   
      
       Gabrielle's sack dress kept getting smaller and smaller as she snipped   
   away at it.   
      
       Gabrielle telling Xena she didn't wake up  Joxer because she was   
   topless.   
      
       Alesia looked an awful like Aphrodite.   
      
       Xena's comment after Gabrielle asked what she wanted next from her –   
   skirt, boots, underwear? Xena answered, "Oh no, that would be too cruel." (I   
   was waiting for Gabrielle's comeback but there wasn't one.)   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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