From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
   4.14 Devi   
      
   First air date was Feb 8, 1999   
      
   The story starts out with music and scenes of India. Gabrielle is telling   
   Xena how different things are while they are looking at snake charmers, a   
   man walking on hot coals, etc., and a guy with his ankles behind his neck.   
   Gabrielle says that's why she is doing yoga every day. They go to see a   
   magician who throws a rope skyward and it stays there. Xena cuts the bottom   
   of the rope but it remains stiff. His assistant climbs the rope, then   
   disappears. When he calls for her to return, she does, in parts – head,   
   trunk, arms and legs. He puts her parts into a basket and she is restored,   
   but possessed.   
      
       The possessed woman gets two swords and starts to attack the magician.   
   Xena interferes and fights the woman. She lands on her back and begins   
   violent convulsions. Gabrielle runs over to her and pins her down. A   
   spirit/ghost leaves the woman, flies around then disappears when it's over   
   Gabrielle.   
      
       The people of the village claims Gabrielle is a Devi, a healing deity,   
   because she healed the woman. A priest comes up and accuses the magician of   
   being evil because people have died since he came to town. Xena and the man   
   go into  a pair of doors. When the priest opens the doors it is a closet and   
   they are gone.   
      
       The crowd leads Gabrielle away, chanting Devi.   
      
       Xena and the magician are in a temple. He says his name is Eli. He wants   
   to know if Gabrielle can really heal. Xena says no.   
      
       The crowd leads Gabrielle to some steps (to a temple?), still chanting   
   Devi. She claims she is no Devi. A man with one eye holds her hand and bows   
   to her. His eye is restored. He and two other men pledge their sword to her.   
      
       Eli tries to hypnotize Xena into telling him if Gabrielle really can   
   heal, but it doesn't work on her. He tells a story about maybe healing his   
   father's friend of convulsion when he was  a child. And if Gabrielle has the   
   power he wants her to share it with  him. The priest comes in and wants to   
   know why Xena is there since she helps the dark ones. Xena tells  him to   
   watch his back since he probably has enemies.   
      
       Later, Gabrielle is massaging Xena's shoulders and Xena jokes that maybe   
   she IS a Devi. Gabrielle tells her about healing the man's eye, and she   
   believes she now can heal. It's all she's wanted to do. She says she   
   understands the power to control life, and death.   
      
       The next morning Xena tells Gabrielle they should eat and hit the road.   
   Gabrielle accuses Xena of being afraid of her powers. Xena says you can't be   
   too careful. Gabrielle says she bets it was just a fluke. They go out onto   
   the second floor balcony and a crowd below starts chanting Devi.   
      
       Xena goes to the temple and sees the priest hanging by his neck. Eli   
   says he hung himself, but realizes the altar he was supposed to jump from is   
   too low. Xena tells Eli he is going nowhere until they get to the bottom of   
   it.   
      
       They see Gabrielle in a crowd with body guards. When the body guards   
   disappear, Eli runs off. A pack of wild dogs start chasing him. Xena comes   
   along and they are both chased. Eventually, Eli runs into Gabrielle and she   
   drops many pearls she was given. The dogs run away.   
      
       Eli drops to his knees and pretends to be possessed and begs Gabrielle   
   to save him. He rises from the ground unsupported, then drops back down. He   
   cries to the crowd that Gabrielle saved him and as the crowd chants again,   
   he loses himself in them. Gabrielle tells Xena she didn't heal anything.   
      
       Eli is in the temple filling a vial with sacred water from the Ganges   
   River. Xena asks why he ran. He says because of the body guards and the   
   dogs. And there is evil there. Xena looks at the paintings on the walls and   
   sees a blond woman similar to Gabrielle wearing pearls. Eli says she is   
   Tataka. And she is evil. She healed the sick and deformed then sent them to   
   slaughter against the god Rama. Xena makes a connection with the pearls.   
      
       When she finds Gabrielle she is outside on a throne wearing new clothes   
   and draped with strings of pearls looking much like the painting in the   
   temple. Later in their room Gabrielle says they were gifts from the people   
   she healed. But she is still Gabrielle inside. Xena drops the vial of sacred   
   water. Gabrielle asks if it's a test because Xena thinks she is evil.   
   Gabrielle sprinkles the water on herself proving she isn't evil incarnate.   
   Xena tells her it only burns in the hands of a priest.   
      
       Gabrielle can' t understand why Xena isn't happy for her but thinks she   
   is evil. She begins to cry.   
      
       One of Gabrielle's guards tries to kill Eli; Xena fights him. She tells   
   Eli to throws the sacred water on him and it burns him. Xena says Gabrielle   
   isn't the Devi, but Eli is. And Tataka already figured it out.  And when he   
   cast the demon out of his assistant it went into Gabrielle.   
      
       Xena wakes up Gabrielle and tells her Eli is hurt and she has to heal   
   him. Xena tells Gabrielle she knows she is Tataka.   
      
       Eli is running through the woods and Xena catches him. She says if he   
   won't save Gabrielle then she will have to do an exorcism. He says he had to   
   have an icon, from Gabrielle.   
      
       Xena  goes through Gabrielle's pouch with her scrolls and finds her   
   quill to use as an icon.   
      
       Outside she tries to use it, but Tataka kicks them out of her hand and   
   the sacred water spills into the sand.   
      
       Xena and Tataka fight, with Xena taking most of the punishment. Finally   
   Tataka is on her back with Xena holding her sword at her throat, telling   
   Tataka to leave Gabrielle's body. She kicks the sword away. Eli runs up and   
   Xena puts the pinch on Tataka. Xena tells Eli to save her. He prays to Abbah   
   and the sprit leaves Gabrielle.   
      
       They are about to part ways but Gabrielle asks Eli to join them. He says   
   he has thinking to do. Xena says some things need to be taken on faith.   
   Gabrielle says the power she had was evil but that means there must be   
   another stronger power for good.   
      
   When Gabrielle suggests they travel with him so he won't be alone, he says   
   he doesn't think he is. Gabrielle asks Xena what he meant and Xena says she   
   doesn't think even Eli knows.   
      
   ………………..   
      
       I didn't remember too much about this episode. And I really didn't   
   remember the fight between Xena and Tataka. It wasn't too bad. A different   
   and exotic locale, and another new look for Gabrielle.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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