This is an excellent episode. I remember the first time I saw it, I was late for work because I couldn't quit watching it.
I like Xena's teasing, "Sometimes you have to have patience with things that annoy you." It's good to see the Warrior Princess has a sense of humor. I'm not really sure why Xena wanted to run ahead of Gabrielle and Argo. Was it so the two would have a chance to bond, or was Xena just really, really thirsty? Callisto (or Callisto's double) has a heck of an aim, considering she had to hit a fast moving target from a considerable distance. Why didn't Xena sense the dart coming? It's not often she's caught so unaware. What makes Xena smell the dart? How come EVERY time she bothers to smell a dart or an arrow, it ends up poisoned? She stuck the dart under her gauntlet...wouldn't that be an easy place to scratch her skin? What's up with the white arrows all over the place outside Tamadeus' camp? Is he part-Amazon? Okay, let me get this out of my system...Rock me, Tamadeus! I feel so much better now! Gabs just grins as she watches Xena go to work on Tamadeus and his goons...it's like she's watching a TV show. I can't help it...I just love it when Xena does stuff like join the group of men without their knowledge. Love the little wave! How can the bad guy see when he charges Xena? His helmet falls down over his eyes! How dumb do you have to be to just stand there while Xena whirls in ballerina mode with outstretched arms? I would be the only smart one who actually steps back. Of course, I would immediately be fired... Tamadeus is a pretty vicious guy...either that or he just wants revenge on Xena's more brutal attacks. He kicks Xena in the crotch. I know this can be disabling on a guy, but it ain't pleasant for a girl either! I dunno why, but I thought it was a nice touch to have Xena break out into a sudden sweat during the fight. Nice staff throw, Gabs! You just saved Xena's life! And Argo proves once again how smart she is by responding to Xena's very weak whistle. Ptolmaine made Xena downright crosseyed. Is it related to ptomaine poisoning I wonder? Tamadeus isn't real bright...couldn't he tell that Xena was very sick? How did he confuse terror with sickness? Love Xena's "Yell at me later" to Gabs... I'll bet Gabs did! I think it was wrong of Xena not to clue Gabs in on what had happened to her. I know she doesn't like to admit she has frailities, but she nearly got herself killed! Is it even remotely possible that Xena's outfit would fit Gabrielle? Methinks not! Nice job by Renee acting out the opening credits! I'll bet that was fun! Is Salmoneous implying Xena's battlecry is a result of her underwear being too tight? Gabs says "Tepany"...Xena hears "Tympany". Does Gabs picture Xena as a pony? She gets a real sad look at her face when telling Xena about her pet horse. I'm sorry, but the bad guys, even though they were really stupid, should have known Gabs wasn't Xena. Couldn't they have come up with something a bit closer to the chakram for Gabbers? That tambourine she threw wasn't even close! Whatever she threw wasn't the same as what Gabs was holding in the closeup. Lucy probably showed a little more skin than she realized when they were moving Xena on the stretcher. Xena looked mortified...was it because she hates to feel helpless or because she felt a draft? I have never heard Xena call out as many battlecries as Gabs did...I think it was a slight case of overkill. This is totally unrelated to this episode, but shouldn't Xena have tan lines? And Gabrielle too for that matter? I mean, I know they like to bathe in streams, but they spend a lot more time in their clothes than out of them. Okay, how does the chicken alert Xena to the bad guys? I have never been able to figure that one out! Xena hates "uninvited guests". But the bad guy sure had a smile on his face as he dies! Xena uses pressure points to get reflex responses...does she ever do that again in the course of the show? Argo came to Gabrielle's rescue...Gabs should never doubt her again! Great job by Robert Trebor on mourning Xena. Lucy does an amazing job playing dead, but she blinks when Renee touches her eyes. Gabs tenderly strokes Xena's hair, and I lose it every time! It was a nice touch that Xena, when she was dead, appeared much paler than Gabs. Why does Gabrielle take out her grief on a poor, defenseless tree? Xena lays a good guilt trip, even from beyond the grave. Did they have factories back then? I should look up the origin of the word "factory", but am too lazy to go get the dictionary right now. I noticed when Xena's fingers twitched, her nails were very short. Lucy keeps her nails short for the whole run of the series, which is another nice touch. Xena definitely WOULDN'T have Freddie Krueger claws. Why does dead Xena have a half-smile on her face the whole time? She's an awfully contented corpse! Man, Gabs was sending the bad guys flying right and left in the end fight...That was quite a job she did! Kind of foreshadows Ides of March. But why have her fight so well, then fall for the oldest trick in the book? Would bad guys really draw and quarter Xena? Wouldn't it be better to keep her in one piece as proof she was dead? I love Argo's conversation with the other horse. And Argo's response when Tamadeus orders she be killed is excellent! She gives a whinny of shock and indignation. It was kind of cool how Xena did that whole last fight scene barefooted. I've said it before and I'll say it again...I love it when Xena flashes the full grin! So Xena can make herself die in order to fight the effects of poison. Anyone care to explain how that works? It was a very nice, tender moment at the end of this one...Xena has to make a real effort to admit her real feelings toward Gabrielle...very very nice. And a nice lighthearted moment to end all...Xena wouldn't want Gabs to get all mushy would she? The little shudder Xena gives is great! The Greater Good is a wonderful study of the changing relationship between Xena and Gabrielle...Xena isn't the one saving the day all over the place in this one... both Gabs and Argo get in on the action too. And if that wasn't enough, we have Salmoneus too! This is what Gary had to say: This episode was great in so many ways. It begins with Gabby practicing with her staff with Argo as the intended "victim". Xena chides Gabby a little and gives her some good-natured ribbing about putting up with things that annoy you...she was referring to Argo putting up with Gabby. Xena goes on ahead and meets a girl who asks for her help. Lord Seltzer is in trouble...he has brought such joy to the village and the villagers want him saved from the evil warlord,Talmadeus. Xena agrees,and whistles for Argo,who dumps Gabby off just as she gets on. At the village,Tal's men are trying to capture Lord S.,who is really Salmoneus. They also want the people as slaves. Argo,as well as Gabby and Xena beat the thugs. As Xena runs across the square,an unknown woman in a tree shoots her with a poison dart. There is the spooky music that always accompanies Callisto,who we see in the next ep. as the dart-shooter. Xena pulls out the dart and knows what the poison is,but does not tell Gabby she was hurt. Sal says he invented seltzer to make the townsfolk have some pep,and they love him for it. Gabby calls it "fizzy water". Xena follows the thugs as Gabby watches from a hill. The thugs attack her and she does her flying-fist twirl and knocks all the thugs out except Tal.This method of fighting is duplicated in The Furies. She fights him with her sword,but due to the poison,he is beating her. As he goes in for the kill,Gabby throws her staff at him,knocking him down. The girls escape by each hanging onto one side of the saddlehorn. Back at the factory,Xena tells Gabby the truth,and wants Gabby to pretend she is Xena to fool the warlord,maybe making him call off his attacks. It is an amusing scene where Gabby gets dressed in Xena's outfit with the typical Xena music we hear every show,with her dressing in the same way Xena does. The outfit is too big,and her breastplate droops...a funny sight. Sal tightens the fastenings and Gabby looks like the real thing...she even dyed her hair black,and can do a pretty good Xena-yell. Her mission is to draw the thugs into town so Xena can use the Chakram on them. Gabby,who is convinced that Argo hates her,gets aboard,and is confused with the correct whistles to make Argo gallop. She gets going anyway,and meets the thugs. She taunts them and they give chase. At the town,the people shake seltzer bottles and the corks shoot out,with nails attached. The thugs flee. Xena sends Gabby out to attack the camp with firebombs. She does this well,and she yells,scaring Argo...a nice touch,and the scene would not have been as good if that were missing. She rides to the thugs with her staff,and Tal trips Argo a bit,and Gabby falls into the water trough. Her hair dye comes out and he knows that she is not Xena. Again,Argo comes to the rescue by kicking the thugs,and Gabby grabs her staff again,which she does a lot in this ep.,and beats up some thugs and escapes on Argo. At the factory,Xena manages to knock out two thugs who tried to kill her,and appears dead herself. Sal finds her and thinks she is dead,too. Gabby arrives and he shows her Xena's body. Gabby has a tender moment seeing the "dead" Xena and tells Sal they are going to fight for the Greater Good,as Xena had told Gabby before. Gabby goes outside by herself and takes the staff and hits a tree with it to express her grief,which she hid so that the townsfolk would not panic.She cries and says she has to keep it together as Xena would have wanted. This was a great scene,and really showed ROC's talents. Tal and his gang arrive at the village with the captive Sal.He had promised that he would leave the village alone if Sal came with him and he could have Xena's body. Sal had swindled him in a deal before,and that is why Tal hates Sal. Xena's body is brought out and she will then be torn to pieces by two horses pulling her apart.Tal really holds a grudge. Gabby,seeing this,fights her way thru all the thugs,really making mincemeat of them,and gets a sword and holds it at Tal's throat. She wants to take Xena's body home as she promised,and the warlord says she will not keep him at bay for long. She turns her eyes a bit and he grabs her,and another thug holds a dagger at her throat while Xena is lashed to the horses,one of which is Argo. Argo "tells" the other horse not to pull,so the whips do no good on the horses. Tal says to kill Argo and use another horse. At that moment,Xena comes back to life...she had only gone under the poison's effects enough to get better. She and Gabby stomp the bad guys and Tal is knocked into a water trough,the same as Gabby was. The people are saved and hold the thugs at swordpoint. Gabby is thanked by Xena for trying to save her body,and Gabby says it is how friends do things.They still do not know who shot Xena in the first place,but we find out in the next episode. Argo shows herself to be a good fighter in many scenes,and Gabby excelled with her staff-work. She has come a long way since Hooves and Harlots. She was very brave going against Tal's army alone three times,and could have killed him at the end if she wanted. Xena's role was limited,naturally,but I liked Xena's big-sister talk with Gabby at the factory as to why they had to stay and fight for the people. Xena's line near the end about knowing she was going home again someday(dead or alive) was good,but I cannot help thinking of Gabby holding her ashes at the end of Friend in Need.Did she ever bring them back to Amphipolis? Here's how Andrew felt about this one; Gabrielle struts her stuff in leather(!) in one of her great character development episodes, and a mysterious new adversary makes her first appearance. ************************************************************ XENA AND GABRIELLE Gabrielle is getting very handy with her staff, as she demonstrates in the cute opening scene. She's also gone from blonde through strawberry blonde to out-and-out redhead - henna hair dye was commonly used in ancient times, so no problems there. Stop me if I'm wrong, but this is the only episode in which we see a collapsible "Gabwhacker". Xena really shouldn't keep secrets from Gabby the way she does, but continues to do so right up until Season 6 (THE RHEINGOLD). I love Gabrielle's line to Salmoneus about why Talmadeus has it in for him - "One big, naked defeat?" Some fun moments when Xena goes after Talmadeus' troops. When she gave his lieutenant that cheeky grin and wave I had to run the tape back and watch it again! Gabby's enjoying the show, with a little "Yip!" as Xena unhorses her attacker. She quickly realises that something's wrong in the fight with Talmadeus, however, and saves Xena with a great throw. Just goes to prove - Xena wouldn't have survived the first season without Gabrielle. The parody of the opening credits is great, with Gabby twitching her (hastily taken-in) armour into place. Her cuteness factor goes off the scale in this scene - she looks SOOOOO young with with the dark dye job. Renee O'Connor had just turned 25 when this episode was filmed, but she looks closer to 15! Once more Gabrielle makes an oblique reference to the "L" word regarding her relationship with Xena. The scenes where she tries to control Argo with whistles are hilarious - the horses who play Argo are obviously very talented. Gabby covers well for her little problems - "I always bow to my enemies before I destroy them!" Her concern for Xena is obvious when she returns, and the Warrior Princess has a nicely delivered line - "I'll be here when you get back." She doesn't actually say whether she'll still be alive or not. Gabrielle's incendiary attack on Talmadeus' camp is impressive. She's really burying herself in the part with those war yodels! Even when captured, she tries to bluff Talmadeus and takes the first available opportunity to escape. Great performance from Renee O'Connor when Gabby returns to find Xena apparently dead. She goes from denial, to quiet grieving (a real contrast to Xena's behaviour in IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?), and it isn't until she's matter-of-factly outlined a plan of defence to Salmoneus that she gives in to rage, before remembering Xena's advice and regaining her focus. Even Talmadeus is impressed by her attempt to recover Xena's body, saying "I like her spirit." She promised to take Xena home to be with her brother, and she'll gladly risk her life to keep it. In the final scene Xena's happy to know that she'll be going home some day, one way or another. GENERAL OBSERVATIONSSalmoneus is back, and calling himself Lord Seltzer! Not only that, he speaks Pig Latin and has an apparently successful business running. So who is the mysterious blonde with the leather bikini and the spine-chilling vocal accompaniment? (We know really, don't we?) Love Talmadeus' "dartboard"! Salmoneus, usually a comic relief character, has some good serious moments in this episode. His "Proud warrioress - I will miss you" is touching, and his attempt to save the villagers by giving himself up shows real courage. Argo has many skills! She kicks, she lies down, she bows, she rescues Gabrielle, she even talks another horse into not tearing Xena limb from limb. Basically, she make Champion the Wonder Horse look like a complete wimp! LITTLE PROBLEMSOkay, for the hundredth time - crossbows did not exist outside China at this time! Even if they did, a pistol crossbow couldn't have hit a standing target at that range, much less a running one. Talgamite? Great, now they're inventing new elements! Why do Talmadeus' men stand in two columns and let Xena scythe them down like that? I know the lieutenant just told them to stay in formation, but you can take discipline too far! The fake chakram's pretty unconvincing, but I suppose they had to make do - I think it's actually the top off a small water cask. ************************************************************ This episode makes my all-time favourite top 10, and with 134 episodes to choose from that's saying something. Gabrielle takes centre stage, with Renee O'Connor showing just how much the "little girl from Poteidaia" has changed since meeting the Warrior Princess. The identity of Xena's mystery assailant will be revealed in the next episode - CALLISTO!