Okay, who gave Gabrielle the Pan's pipe and why? It's too childish for her, especially the way she played them. I'm not faulting Renee...I'm faulting the writers.
Here's a question that has bothered me forever...why does Xena pick Gabrielle up off the ground, then proceed to knock her right back to the ground? If it's because Gabrielle was in the way of the wagon wheels the first time, she hit the dirt in exactly the same spot the second time. I was really saddened by Gabrielle's belongings...she owned whatever was in that sack she carried and a few pieces of fruit. Where were her scrolls? The talk between Gabrielle and Xena when Gabs decides to leave is among my favorites. It is very sad, but I love the way Xena seems so big sisterish. Xena's armor is looking a little dull...she needs to buff it up. It takes a whle for it to sink in to Xena that Gabs is really leaving. I guess she knew how attached the bard had become to her. And I'm always crushed for Xena when she says, "But you can't talk to me?" in that vulnerable tone of voice. And then when she says, "But you're coming back, right?" I don't know how Gabs had the strength to leave after that!! What gets me is the way Gabbers so abruptly leaves...She doesn't even wave goodbye for goodness's sake! It wasn't like she was leaving because she was mad at Xena! And Xena..poor Xena looks crushed. That little wave she gives gets me every time. I like Gabs's line..."How is it that man can solve the Riddle of the Sphinx but he still can't make a decent road map?" I dunno, but 2000 years later, we're still asking the same question. Gabs would seem to be a lousy hitchiker, but those people had to be nuts not to pick up such a cute little transient! I really believe the old guy would have picked Gabs up even if she hadn't used the pregnancy scam. He seemed to enjoy her company before. Lila calls Xena, "The Woman Wonder"...something sounds odd about that. Meleager reminds me of a Shogun warrior. "Sun dried hard rodents"? Blech! I liked the way Meleager tries to intimidate Gabs, whom he mistakens for a farmgirl...she ain't buying, though! Gabs recognized the fact that Meleager had lost his nerve and turned back to drink. Had she seen that before? "What will I drink?" What a perfect cue for Lila to throw a bucket of water! Wow, did Xena just inhabit Gabs's body? Lila wanted to go with her sister, but Gabs easily talked her into going back. "Do you have a plan?"..."Any minute now..." Hee hee! That little act by Gabrielle in the tent with Meleager was pretty good. Did she learn that from Xena and Marcus or is she more experienced than she led us (and Perdicus) to believe? "The town has a warrior!" Whoo hoo...it's about time they figured that out! I love the communication between Gabs and her sister. Gabs says, "I could only imagine what Xena would say if she saw us." "There they are!' Lila responds. "No, I mean after she said that," Gabs quips. I could really do without the cartoon sound effects. The fight was kind of silly anyway, but the noises didn't help any. Gabrielle uses a frying pan as a weapon...why did she get so mad at Xena for doing the same thing in A Day in the Life? Where are Gabrielle and Lila's parents? Are they even mentioned? I want some of those spears that Meleager had! Those were awesome! Lila sure came around nicely...ah...if only real life sisters were as easy to convince as television sisters! "I guess you would call this a little rock and roll?" I would call it a big groaner!! I love Xena's gleeful little laugh before she jumps down to join Gabs. So Xena was going to check up on her? How did Gabrielle feel about that? Considering they haven't been friends for that long, she should have been very pleased! And read on to see what Gary had to say: This all-Gabby episode is one of the earliest and best by Renee O'Connor,in which she "carried" the show so ably without Xena's presence except for a short time at the beginning and ending,as we have seen more frequently thru the years. The story begins at a narrow canyon thru which Gabby and Xena are travelling with Argo. Gabby is as cute as a button playing a merry tune on her panpipes.I cringed a bit at the awful synchronization with the notes and Gabby's playing,but it was a good scene anyway. A gang of robbers have a cart loaded with logs which they will roll down the hill and kill the girls if they don't give them everything they want. Xena,as usual,stomps them,and Gabby knocks a bad guy out with a well-thrown rock,but he falls and releases the wagon brake,and the thing rolls at the girls. Gabby freezes for a second,and Xena trips her so that they both are under the wagon,just missing getting crushed. Gabby sees the robbers flee,and tells Xena that she is unaware of why she should freeze now,after coping with Titans and a Cyclops. Xena tries lamely to say that Gabby is burnt out. Our blonde friend thinks she could cause Xena's death by ever doing it again. Xena says "I can't help you with this.". Wait a minute! Why not? Xena has many skills,and couldn't she talk to her best friend and tell her that she did it herself or that it wasn't that bad? Gabby decides to see her own sister Lilla,and says that it depends whether she will ever come back to Xena.This is one of the many episodes in which the girls "break up"...the last one was Academy of Bards.They seem to part so easily. Gabby travels towards her village,hitch-hiking,and not getting much luck. It was amusing to see her trying every tact,even flirting with wagon-drivers.She finally fakes a pregnancy and gets a ride. She then leaves the road and goes thru the woods....a short-cut. I never noticed the signpost at the woods before,and I saw this ep. at least 7 times before. She comes to Potadiea,and it seems deserted. She had come across a man burying his family,and says the local warlord is heading to Pot. to loot and kill. Gabby is really worried,and goes into the town tavern,where she sees the villagers gathered. Lilla is there,and explains that they hired a mercenary named Meleagher(M). He is a drunk,and behaves as a real rude slob. Gabby and Lilla try to revive him,and Gabby gets him to tell her that he has lost his nerve,despite being a great warrior. His list of kills grows as each person tells how great he is,but you'd never know it from looking at him. He is to be paid to take on the warlord and save the town. He and Gabby along with Lilla scout out the woods around the town for "coverage trees" to garrote(strangle) the bad guys. We hear this coverage tree phrase over and over without ever hearing about what it looks like or what it does. Why haven't the townspeople ever heard of it,and why doesn't Gabby or M explain anything about it? It seems as if a lot was made of how important these trees were,but the show leaves (sorry for the pun) us flat. Anyway,Lilla is talking with Gabby about how Gabby was really missed,etc. while M looks for these elusive trees. The girls discover he is missing,and by seeing signs of a struggle,know that M is captured. Gabby knows that if he were dead,he would be without a head,since he has a price on it. Gabby follows the tracks after Lilla goes back to warn the people. Meanwhile the warlord is trying to get M to join his gang.He wants this so that M's name will make towns give up without a fight. M says no,but when Gabby is brought in as a prisoner,he says if Gabby is tossed in as an incentive(for sex) he will go along with the warlord. The tent scene was funny.M and Gabby are inside,and Gabby tries to tell M she is thinking of an escape plan. Outside,two guards are at the tent door. Note: They could have escaped by just going out the back side of the tent.Jeeze! Anyway,we hear some moans(sexually) and crashing furniture and glass. Gabby moans"No wonder they call you 'The Mighty"",and the guards are amused. M knocks their heads together and he and Gabby escape,letting the gang's horses loose.They do not take any for themselves to ride back to town to warn the people...they walk.Why? Back in town,Gabby organizes the defense.She convinces the people(and Lilla does,too) that if they do not fight,they will all die.Don't give in to the evil,or they will die. Traps are laid,and even the old people help.Note: the town does not have a gate...not even a barricade. There is a good scene with Lilla and Gabby on the town wall.Lilla sleeps on guard duty after being up all night,and Gabby tells her that she was covering for her. These scenes between two sisters are great,and I miss Lilla thru subsequent eps,even tho we see her in limited scenes in later years. The thugs enter the town,and they are pounded by being hit with logs,a frying pan,a pit full of water,and by a swinging weighted bag. All this is going on without M,who left with the money. All thought him a coward for this.At the last minute,he shows up,with some really fancy spears.He went away to buy these spears with his pay,and had returned to save the town.He uses them in a weird way. Three men line up in a coulmn,and he skewers them with one spear.Three others line up the same way and a spear knocks a log over,knocking them out. These thugs have to learn to spread out a bit,right? The warlord grabs Gabby and Lilla threatening to kill them....M fights him after Gabby steps on a rake and distracts the warlord so M can approach him. They fight,and at the end,of course,M kills him by a sword coming down from the air after it was knocked out of the bad guy's hand. Neat ending. Gabby had told Lilla before that she needed her family---that is why she came back. We never saw Gabby's mom and dad,only Lilla. She says she is home for good(leaving Xena forever).But,Lilla realizes Gabby doesn't mean it,and just wants Gabby to visit once in a while.They part,and Gabby returns whistling her original tune,this time not having the panpipes.She must have lost them somewhere.I guess she knew she could climb the rocks in the rockslide area where she first met the wagon-bad-guys. Why go that way if the other way was safer,as Xena had said? Anyway,she is accosted again by the same thugs,and they roll the wagon towards her. The front had some sticks which prevent her from ducking under the wagon again,and she will be killed.She never speaks in the fight scene,and it is more effective that way.Her facial expressions tell it all. She looks a bit scared(who wouldn't be?)but stands her ground and has a determined look on her face.She uses her staff as a pole-vault stick,and goes over the wagon with her own war-cry. The thugs attack and Xena's Chakram breaks their swords. They run away,and Xena jumps down to talk to Gabby. Gabby's happy and exultant speech is so good in this scene,and she crows a little about how she didn't freeze. Xena and Gabby leave the canyon towards their next adventure. Notes: The Prodigal is a reference to the Bible story about The Prodigal Son. But "prodigal" means "wasteful" or a spendthrift. Gabby was neither. In the Bible story,the younger son wanted his inheritance early so he could go out and have a good time,while his brother stayed and helped dad on the farm. The prodigal(wasteful) son did just that,and finally came home in rags and starving. The son who stayed and worked,had to run and fetch for him per dad's orders. This comparison to Gabby and Lilla was wrong. Lilla stayed because she knew Gabby had to go with Xena. Gabby did not come back needing any money---she made a living being a bard. A better title would have been The Reunion,with her mom and dad in it. Also,a better pretext other than Gabby "freezing" would have been that since Gabby says in One Against an Army that she has the gift of prophecy,she could have told Xena that she had an overwhelming need to see her family because of some powerful feeling she had.Xena could have gone onto a more important mission,as she has done in the past,and the fear factor would not have been an issue.