Helen of Troy doesn't look the way I envisioned her, but I liked her in this one.
Xena has reverted back to calling Gabs "Gabriel". How did Otaides find Xena so easily? Did Helen know she'd be travelling near Troy? Xena does some new moves in this first fight. One is a great imitation of a tree frog. Then she jumps down on a bad guy, his head between her thighs and gvies a little twist of her body, breaking his neck. As she picks up her sword, which she had dropped earlier, one of the bad guy says, "Now, we've got her!" Uh, yeah, sure...keep telling yourself that and someday, you may believe it. I could really, REALLY do without seeing spiders crawl thrugh skulls. Xena asks Gabbers, "Are your boots laced?" then orders her to "Run!" What's up with that? To distract Gabrielle? Gabs never seemed the type to panic in a situaion like that. Later, Xena says, "Run, Gabrielle, I'll cover you!" Then she takes off running in front of the bard. How does that consitute covering her? When Perdicus opens the gate, Xena and Gabs are outside defending themselves. When her back is to the camera, check out the fancy staff moves Gabs is doing! The guard that calls Perdicus "crazy" is played by the same actor who was the leader of the bad guys at the beginning of Dreamworker. I like the new, improved Perdicus much better than the old one, although he is still rather dull and stupid. Xena's hair gets braided and unbraided more than once during their fight to get inside Troy. Why was Xena so willing to fight against her own countrymen? Did I miss something? Why did Xena assume Diphibias (sp?) was a woman? It doesn't really sound like a woman's name to me. And if you'll notice, almost every name in the Xenaverse that ends with an "s" refers to a man. Xena warmly embraces Helen, and later takes her hand. She is far more affectionate with her than any other woman we've met thusfar, with the exception of Gabs. Diphibias is, just for the record, played by the same guy who was Rafe's partner in King Con. Isn't Gabbers from Greece as well as Xena? Wouldn't that make Perdicus Greek too? Why is HE fighting for Troy? I really missed something! Xena says, "I never lifted a sword for Greece." I guess I should assume she's referring to how they got into Troy. Why do those fort walls look so familiar? Oh yeah, The Price! And a few other episodes in between! Perdicus looks an awful lot like Donny Osmond. I kept expecting him to break into "Puppy Love"! It's kind of frightening when, after Xena asks Helen what she wants to do, Helen responds with, "I've never been asked that before." "Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts, Paris." Xena herself delivers the episode title. Does that mean I should refuse if Xena ever tries to offer me a present? The horse was kind of cool! I didn't realize the Trojan Horse was made of wicker! Xena's eyes are SO blue when she's in the prison cell. Once again, I just HAD to mention that. I'm glad Xena understands physics. If she hadn't, she would have never gotten out of that cell! "Thanks, Fellas," she calls, looking down into her escape passage. Heh heh. You can always recognize one of the Greek leaders in the foray by the cut on their right cheek. At least three of them had one, including Meneleas and Diphibius. Why is there a menacing looking ram's head on Aprhodite's temple? I thought the ram was Ares' thing! I undertand when Helen tells Xena they keep spare food in the temple storeroom in case they should have to hole up there. But why was it fresh fruit and lots of open containers? Wouldn't it have made more sense to have food that would last longer? Why exactly did the Greeks drag the horse back out of Troy? Did they really expect to use it again, against someone who hadn't heard about it? Xena is apparently a human toaster, as she pops out of the top of the horse. Why didn't she just jump out of her prison cell the same way? Paris uses the terms "give birth" and "Trojans" in the same sentence. Hmmm...those two just don't go together in this day and age! Diphibias kicks Xena up against a large rock, and the rock shudders. It must be made of the same kind of rock as the one in Prometheus. Then Diphibias kicks Xena in the crotch...this guy is NOT nice. I noticed Helen has pierced ears. Good ending...Gabs wants the horse as a souvenir, but Xena says only if she's going to pull it. "Naah", declares Gabs. I'd rank this one as another average episode...I wasn't interested enough in the supporting characters to get too actively involved. And here's how Gary felt: This episode had a lot of action,but realistically,not much of a plot. I believe it was mostly about Gabrielle,with the Trojan War as a backdrop. The story begins with Helen of Troy(formerly of Greece) having a dream of somebody killing some guards. She wakes up with Paris of Troy,her lover,and tells him of it. Then she sends a trusted warrior to deliver a tiara to Xena and tell her to come to Troy. Gabby and Xena are walking on a trail and come upon the man being attacked by some thugs who Xena fights,but they escape after they have wounded the man,who dies after telling Xena the message. The girls go to Troy,even tho it has been under siege for ten years by the Greeks. In the orginal epic poem by Homer,Helen was kidnapped by Paris...in this episode,she went willingly,leaving her husband Menaleaus. We are supposed to believe that M. is a bad guy. Xena and Gabby fight their way into Troy past the Greek soldiers,and Xena kills one with her Chakram.Remember,these are her countrymen,and Troy is the enemy. The gates open,and they run inside and are greeted by Perdicus,Gabby's former fiance.We saw him for a few seconds in Sins of the Past,when Gabby wanted to leave her village. Xena sees Helen and meets Paris,and his brother Diephobus(D.),who does not trust a Greek fighting for Troy. He suspects Xena,but Helen says she is okay. Meanwhile Xena killed a thug she saw who killed the man Helen sent. This bad guy worked for D.... Right away Xena suspects him. Gabby gets re-acquainted with Perdicus,and he seems to be in charge of Troy's defenses,after D. There is a skirmish and a guard is hit with an arrow. P. pulls out the arrow and fires it back and kills the Greek soldier,one of P's countrymen.Gabby looks on in admiration. Xena sees D. sneak out of Troy to talk to M. and she tells Paris. D. says he made a deal,and M. will end the war. He had left the famous Trojan Horse as a farewell-gift to Troy. There is the celebration,and of course,the Greeks have hidden in the horse,and wait until most guards are drunk and then attack and open the gates for M. and his army,which looked on film to be about 15 guys. The Trojans with Xena,Gabby,and P. go with Helen to a safe room. There are food and supplies there in case they ever had to retreat there.Great way of preserving the food for ten years without refrigeration. Does Troy have farms and fields within the walls? When Xena is out of the room,D. appears,and kills Paris. He wants Helen for himself,and says he and she will start a new race of Trojans...without an army of his own apparently. To escape,Xena makes her usual smoke-bombs,and she and the people escape the room. At one time,Gabby and Perdicus tell each other how they feel about each other....almost saying they are in love. Gabby says she can't be any more honest than this(she kisses him). Outside,Xena fights D. and rescues Helen. D. is knocked out and Xena places Helen's tiara on his head. They all are smuggled out in the horse,Xena stomps the guards,and Perdicus leaves Xena and Gabby and takes Helen with him to another city. That is the story. What bothered me was the fact that Perdicus was 'dull and stupid" at the beginning of the series,but he apparently learned to fight well with a sword,and learned archery fast,became a mercenary soldier,left his village in Greece,went to Troy,got a job fighting against his own countrymen,became a traitor,and got to be Captain of the Guards in only a few months. He was trusted to guard and open the gates,yet Xena,another Greek,was not to be trusted.Why? Xena and Gabby are really traitors to Greece by fighting their own kind,even though Helen was Xena's own friend,and Helen was no heroine by being against her own country and having a ten-tear war forght for her. Too many died for her happiness,she said,but it took her ten years to realize that. Paris was sort of dull,and D. was double-dealing his own brother,M.and Troy itself,so there are traitors all-around. The story was okay as something watchable,but the way that betrayal of one's country was treated as something lightly-taken was wrong. Xena should have had some feeling to save Greeks...she sure did in One Against an Army.