A Day in the Life
This is one of the most celebrated episodes ever, and with good reason...this episode is just plain fun. It's one I've watched numerous
times, and it never fails to entertain me.
After saying that, I'll start out with a negative comment...when Xena is faux-sleeping at the beginning, she doesn't look very comfortable...
and dare I say...she almost looks...pregnant?
One lesson to be learned from this episode..Never sneak up on Xena in the morning!
Gabrielle also proves herself to be a very sound sleeper. But I guess when you think about it, knowing the Warrior Princess is always
on red alert, why SHOULDN'T Gabrielle sleep soundly?
I love Xena's verbal egging on of the bad guys, "Oh, you are SO good!"
And here's a bad guy who's heard of the pinch!
The following exchange continues to shock me to this very day...my mind is way too dirty!:
Xena-I like to be creative in a fight...it gets my juices going.
Gabrielle-Can we cook with your juices?
Oh my!
Why is Gabrielle suddenly leaving offerings to Demeter?
Y'know, if Xena would have put the pinch on good ol' Hower as Gabrielle suggested, this would have been a totally different
episode!
Xena grabs Gabrielle by the hair...OUCH!
It's so in-character for Gabrielle to be carefully analyzing the decision while Xena nonchalantly flips a coin. Great scene!
And, of course, the little kicking exchange between Xena and Gabrielle is a wonderfully silly moment. Rarely does the Warrior
Pirncess indulge in this kind of fun!
However, I always suspected Xena is more playful than she lets on. She has a wicked sense of humor when she allows it to show through.
In the first round of twenty questions, Lucy must have been eating peanuts, because Xena acts like she has husks between her teeth.
Take a look at the scene, and you'll see what I mean.
I love the banter...Antominius? Nnnno!
Xena and Gabs interact as if Hower isn't even there. He doesn't seem to mind though.
Xena continues to torment Gabs..."You were this close, cause I let you get this close."
In fan fiction, it's always Gabrielle that has the monstrous appetite, but it sounds like Xena has a lion roaring in her stomach.
Gabrielle was kind of getting on MY nerves with all the frying pan talk...no wonder Xena was getting so testy!
Gabrielle: I'll take salmon. (Evil Grin)
Xena: WRONG kind of creek, WRONG season, WRONG...
Gabrielle: Fine then, I'll take eel.
Uh, Gabbers? You're just asking for it!
I like the fact that even though she and Gabs are playing, Xena is still watching for signs.
That was one ugly eel! I heard Lucy had a hard time with it, and Xena's grimaces were very real. Since Gabs asked for eel, I wonder
why she freaked out so much? Of course, I wasn't the one with a mouthful of fish scales!
"No, she likes what I do..." Thwack!
The mischievous looks on Xena's face are priceless.
I'll bet those fish in the face hurt!
Xena's big grin when she settles down next to Gabs is great. It's even funny seeing her without shoes! And check out how close the two
of them are sitting.
Would Xena really think a wardrobe change is in order? Naaahhh...
Gabrielle: You could wear chainmail.
Xena; Yeah, but I think thata's just attract a kinkier group...Hey!
Hee hee! That's my girl! Gabrielle liked the thought too.
Xena has a sword, a boot dagger, and a breast dagger, and Gabrielle uses the chakram on the eel? How did Gabrielle get her hands
on it, anyway?
And Gabs tells Xena she used their only good cutting knife in a fight? Xena has proven on numerous occasions that her boot dagger
cuts just fine.
I liked the way Gabs rushes forward to hear what Xena's message for Zagrias was. That was the only way she was going to be able to
find out anything from Miss Keep-the-Plan-to-Myself.
The Call from Nature is one of the single funniest moments ever on this show or any other. I often don't fine bathroom humor funny, but
this scene is just too darn cute.
Gabrielle REALLY gets into her storytelling!
And Xena's appearance from the bush gets me every time!
And her feeble explanation, "I used a piece that didn't have much writing on it!"...isn't she the considerate one?
Gabs is speechless...but there's a sentence in there just dying to get out!
Another great touch is Xena's look of relief...saved by the giant! She probably feels like she's running for her life!
Giants can't spell? Can they even read?
Xena grabbed Gabs' hair earlier, and this time she grabs her by the halter top.
Was "buff" a word in Ancient Greece? I don't think so.
Minya...what a memorable first impression she makes!
I love the way Xena glances over her own shoulder as if she can't quite believe Minya is staring at her.
But Minya knew the "real deal" on sight.
Poor Marielle! Er...I mean Gabrielle!
Does Xena sleep in the...Weeelll...Hey! Hee hee!
Xena tries really hard to be patient, just as she had done with Hower.
The infamous hot tub scene is next...the girls act as though that water is REALLY hot...it even takes Xena's breath away!
Uh, not that I looked or anything, but Renee has something covering her nipples...either that or they are located abnormally low
on her anatomy.
Xena says, "Well, she's a good kid, I s'pose." Minya?? A kid??
I've heard the hot tub scene was done in one take. That's pretty remarkable...it's perfectly done.
I like Gabbers' "Because I do the sensitive chats."
Ouch! That hot water is scalding me just to look at it!
Love this exchange:
Xena: What?
Gabrielle: "You said for now."
Xena: So?
Gabrielle: You're not going to do it again, are you?
Xena: Wh-a-a-a-t?
And, of course, you've gotta love, "Are you sitting on the soap?
"I was wondering what that was!"
In the water fight, it's interesting to note that Xena splashes first. And their laughs are adorable...they are having a blast!
Xena should be doing shampoo adverts! Wow! Was she totally unwaware of what she was doing to Hower?
Of all the things Xena can be, she is NOT a man-stealer. "Hey! Hower...say goodbye to Minya."
When Gabs is discussing the frying pan/whip trade, check out the pan she's holding. She is holding two different pans, depending
on the camera angle. Check out the handle.
When Xena was meditating, were the buckets there for a reason?
Gabs starts to deny getting back at Xena, but can't do it.
Xena is SO possessive..."I want it back!" she states, referring to the whip.
Minya's "She's yours" comment earns an enigmatical grin from Gabrielle. hmmm...
But Xena quits arguing. Double hmmmm...
I don't get why Minya changes her tune about Xena so quickly. Even though Hower was infatuated with Xena, she was still cool.
Xena's "Yo, Hower" makes me giggle everytime!
That is one big footprint! Sheesh!
Minya's line, "You have one where Xena steals somebody's boyfriend, or do you always leave that part out?" reminds me of Kahina's
line about Gabrielle's scrolls in Legacy.
Gabrielle responds with, "Xena would never take anybody's boyfriend. She has more integrity in that way than anyone I've ever met." That seems
to ring true with later Xena...but when it came to Borias and Natasha and Evil Xena, it was a different story.
When Xena is trying to figure out how to handle Gareth, there's thunder in the distance. Xena talks about an approaching storm.
Yet, there is no sign of a cloud or sound of thunder when they're trying out the flying parchment or any subsequent scene until Xena ties
the string to Gareth.
The parchment flew for a while. I don't understand the skepticism of the others.
Gabs is confiding in Xena, who isn't listening. She's thinking about her new invention..."Maybe if I ran with it."
I must admit, there for a while, Xena DID look a little nutso.
"Have faith, Gabrielle, have faith." Then whammo!
When Xena finally gets it up (heh heh!), Gabs acts like a little kid. It's very sweet!
And I love her enthusiastic "Yeah! When Gareth gets here...we're going...to have...a flying...piece...of parchment...floating in the
air...with a belt...buckle hanging...on it." Hee hee!
I love the lacksadaisacal music in this episode!
When Xena is walking away after putting Gabs in charge of keeping it up (heh heh again), she claps her hands over her head...but she doesn't look
back when Gabs yells.
Gabrielle's falling down and then racing after the kite string is just precious!
"And you gotta snowball's chance in Tartarus with me...ya got that?" Yep...there's a senstive chat for you!
But Xena gives up on convincing Hower very, very quickly.
Xena had said for Gabrielle to keep flying the parchment while she talked to Hower. However, the second she exited the barn,
she was calling for Gabs. Did she know the bard had doubled back in an effort to catch her offguard?
Anyway, yet another attempt by Gabs proved futile, and this time, Xena became a handle, as Gabrielle uses her breastplate as a hand
hold as she gets to her feet. Interesting sound effect there.
Xena: It's your turn to talk to Hower.
Gabs: Right..your flying parchment's stuck up a tree.
They're acting as if they're mad at each other, but they're not. They're just having some fun.
After Gabs returns:
Xena: How did it go with Hower?
Gabs: Not well...maybe you can kick him around a litle bit.
Xena: Yeah, but he might like it.
Gabs: Hmm...that's true.
And with an exchange of smiles, they are perfectly at ease with each other again.
I've heard somes sound systems don't play the screams of Zagrias's men as they are being stomped. It comes through loud and clear
on mine.
I love Xena's idle chakram toss and her and Gabrielle's tennis reactions. I wonder how many takes it took for Lucy to catch it that off-
handedly?
Zagrias...Varagis...A Day in the Life....Many Happy Returns...Coincidence?...I think not.
Zagrias says "ChakRAM".
Zagrias was a really annoying weenie.
Interesting idea that Xena gave Minya.
Maybe it IS the leather.
There still hasn't been a crack of thunder...no wind...nothing.
When Xena says, "I shouldn't have used your scrolls," she looks like Meg.
I thought it was odd that Gabs spoke of lining the road with birch trees, and that's the kind of tree Xena climbed.
And there is still no thunder.
Gareth is UGLY!
And so what does Xena say..."Come on, Handsome!" and later..."You couldn't catch a cold!"
That's a pretty cool graveyard! I think that's where Callisto must have gotten the bones that decorated her lair.
Gabs finally got Xena...but it was on the forehead...not the nose. But Xena grabbed her nose.
Why was Xena so irritated when Gabs gave her the impulsive kiss? Embarrassment?
As for the Dipper VS. the Bear argument, it's my understanding that the Bear is part of the Big Dipper...so I guess
they were both right.
Although for reasons I can't define, A Day in the Life isn't in my top ten list, it would be one of the first episodes I'd show a non-fan
in my effort to convert them. It's solid from end-to-end, and the interaction between Xena and Gabrielle is what makes it such a fantastic
episode. First rate!
And now, for Gary's thoughts on this one:
I loved this episode for a lot of reasons,mainly because of the human-ness
of Xena and Gabby.I had hoped the series would have kept up this level of
excellence,but it didn't.
The plot is easy enough.Simplicity is the best in a great production.
Xena and Gabby are attacked in the morning by some thugs who are sent by
Zagrias,a warlord. He wanted them to make sure Xena did not interfere with
his plans to sack Piedmont,a village in the area.
Xena uses the pinch on a thug to get this information. During the
interrogation,Gabby chatters incessantly about the fact that Xena used their
last frying pan plus a pot to fight the bad guys. She scolds Xena for not
using her regular weapons. Xena answers that she likes to be creative.
Gabby had been asleep during the initial phase of the fight,but Xena
squirted her with water to wake her up,and Gabby joined the fight at once.
They spot a guy who was looking for them named Hauer. He is from
Laurel,another village. He explains that Xena is needed to protect the
village from Gareth the Giant,who killed Goliath's family.
Gabby draws up a plan on her scroll to see which village to protect. Xena
decides it with a coin toss...they will take on the giant.
Xena keeps sending Hauer,who is falling in love with her,on various errands
to Zagrias. Her plan:maneuver the army in the path of the giant,saving
Piedmont from Zag's attack. Then Xena can concentrate on the giant.
The girls,on setting out,good-naturedly kick each other in the butt as they
walk. Also,Xena gets more physical later by yanking Gabby's hair and pulling
her halter top as a tow-rope. I has wished the top wasn't so strong.
Gabby and Hauer are on a riverbank while Xena catches fish by hand. It was
funny to see an eel,and various fish tossed at Gabby's face while she was
talking to Hauer.
Hauer asks Gabby if Xena will ever settle down. Gabby says "No...she likes
what I do.." Later she says Xena likes her life the way it is.
Gabby cleans the fish with the Chakram. Xena had stuck their paring knife in
a thug a while back,and their cooking utensils are ruined. This theme is
throughout the show.
Note; We never see Zag's army.It was clever to refer to it,but not see
it.The cost of extras was low.
On the trail to Laurel,Xena has to make a pit stop in the bushes while Gabby
acts out the Bacchae story as she waits for her. She wants to add to her
scroll,but a piece of it is missing. Xena used it as toilet paper. Gabby is
angry at her,and Xena seemed more scared of Gabby then than of the giant.
During the show is another running gag. Xena and Gabby play the guessing
game Who Am I?,with Xena saying that the answer is someone SHE has killed.
At Laurel,Gabby says what a dull place it is,and if someone planted birch
trees,it would have been nicer. Minia,the only one left besides Hauer,meets
the girls. Minia is enthralled with Xena and calls Gabby "Lauriel".
To help think of a plan,Xena has Minia set up the hot-tub for Xena and
Gabby. This scene is a good one. Each washes the other's back,and then they
are constantly doused with hot water by an overly-helpful Minia.
Gabby suggests the old mirror trick to get the giant to take off his helmet
when they meet,like Goliath did in Giant Killer,but the weather will not be
sunny to do that.
Xena tells Minia to gather the mirrors "for now" much to Gabby's annoyance.
Gabby wanted to help and Xena patronized her a bit. The girls splash each
other like kids,showing how human they are at heart.
Minia had asked Gabby earlier if Xena "slept in the..." Gabby:"Well......"
Gabby says since she does the sensitive chats,she will try to convince Hauer
that Xena is not interested in him. Hauer has said he loves Xena,much to
Minia's dismay.
Gabby,in order to get a new frying pan,trades Xena's whip for Minia's pan.
Xena is angry at this,and says Gabby is trying to get even with her.
Minia says that Hauer is her own,but Gabby is Xena's.Another reference to a
possible subtext here.
The girls look good with their wet hair. Gabby has yet another subplot
going. Thru the show,she keeps trying to hit Xena with her staff,but Xena
thwarts her all the time.
In the barn,Gabby finally gives up on the guessing-game. Xena says the man
she killed was Theodorus,Callisto's man. Gabby says that Cal did it,but Xena
says,"Yeah,but she as in MY body at the time." This is in the
point-counterpoint about invading spirits we have discussed. Gabby says it
wasn't fair.
Outside,the girls hear stomping...it is because the giant is killing Zag's
army. The girls wait for Gareth,and Xena is idly tossing her Chakram like a
kid would bounce a ball off a garage wall to kill time.
Before this,there is yet another plot...Xena makes a kite,her "flying
parchment" with a belt buckle on it. She says it can bring the power of Zeus
to earth and kill Gareth. After numerous tries to fly the kite,the thing
does fly and Xena leaves it with Gabby to practice with it.
Funny scenes are the constant crashing of the kite,and when it hits Gabby
who was trying to have faith and peace,it hits her,not hurting her.
Back at the barn,when Xena emerges,Gabby jumps down towards her,missing. She
climbs up Xena's body-armor,and grabs her left breastplate...a sort of horn
sound goes off at this...pretty funny,with Xena looking bored. Gabby says
the kite is stuck in a tree.
Minia shows up in leather getting Hauer's attention. At that moment,Zag
appears with a broken sword. His army has been literally crushed by Gareth.
He attacks Minia,who knocks him out with one punch. Hauer,impressed,goes
with her to make out.
Xena goes to the woods near the trail Gareth will come down and sets her
kite-trap. She surprises him,and leaps on his back,tying on the kite string.
She runs and he gives chase. She leads him to the giants' graveyard,and the
storm clouds come. Gareth is killed by lightning hitting the kite,sending
the bolt thru him. Xena says as he is hit'Goliath says hello".
At the end,Xena and Gabby are lying around their campfire,looking at the
stars. Gabby sees a constellation as a bear while Xena sees it as a dipper.
At that moment,Gabby hits Xena with the staff,right in the nose. Xena says
Gabby got her fairly...Gabby is sorry she hurt Xena,and gives her a kiss on
the cheek. Xena says "HEY!"....Gabby later says Xena LET her hit her,and the
story ends.
Note:In Giant-killer,the girls needed good weather to kill a giant. In this
ep,they need bad weather.
The running gags of the staff hitting Xena,the guessing-game,the
kite-flying,the love interest of Hauer,and the frying pan were just great.
Minor plots combined with care really made this funny ep the best. Compared
to In Sickness and in Hell,this was a more subdued humor instead of the
bathroom humor in Sickness. I laughed out loud at that show because of its
complete insanity. DAY is the best because it endeared me to the girls with
their realness.
And here's how Andrew felt about it:With a title borrowed from the Beatles, this episode follows Xena and Gabrielle through a "typical" day on the road, as they try to deal with both a pillaging warlord and a rampaging giant.
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XENA AND GABRIELLEAs first seen in PROMETHEUS, Gabrielle is a very heavy sleeper, and being woken up by water squirting in her face doesn't put her in the best of moods. Actually, I find the characterisation in this story disturbing. I realise that friends sometimes get on each others' nerves, but to have Xena and Gabby bicker their way through much of the episode over petty matters is a little jarring. Gabrielle in particular is snippy from the outset, being more concerned with a ruined frying pan than the fact that Xena has just saved her life. Not only that, she wants Xena to put the "pinch" on the completely innocent Hower, just so she can question him! Her mock attacks on Xena are funny, but appear in no other episode so there's no sense of continuity.
Xena doesn't exactly come out of this episode smelling of roses, either. She blatantly cheats at "Who Am I?" (see GENERAL OBSERVATIONS for my thoughts on body swapping), she pulls Gabby about by the hair and BGSB and, worst of all, uses one of her friend's precious scrolls as toilet paper! This lack of respect for Gabrielle's property would be repeated in the Season 4 episode IF THE SHOE FITS... Gabrielle's misuse of Xena's chakram may be viewed in the same way, but the Warrior Princess must bear some responsibility after throwing their last cutting knife at a warlord. Gabby's trading of Xena's whip is uncharacteristically spiteful, and also shows up an unpleasant set of double standards in Xena's nature. She dismisses the destruction of Gabrielle's property as unimportant, but is angry when her own property is traded. This hypocrisy would show up in far more serious fashion in later seasons, most notably in Xena's attitude to lies in THE DEBT II and MATERNAL INSTINCTS, and her contrasting attitudes towards Hope and Eve/Livia.
This episode is noteworthy for two "subtext" moments. The first occurs when Hower asks Gabrielle is she thinks Xena would ever consider marrying and settling down, to which Gabby replies "No, she likes what I do" before correcting it to "I think she likes what she's doing". Blooper Tape 2 shows this to have been caused by Renee O'Connor blowing the line - it isn't in the script, and occurs in none of the later takes. Director Michael Hurst appears to have left it in because it provides a funny moment, but some fans read WAAAAAY too much into it, seeing Gabrielle's words as "proof" of a lesbian relationship. The same occurs with the "hot tub" scene. There's nothing even remotely erotic about it - sharing a bath makes sense, as it saves time, water and a lot of effort on Minya's part. The "splash fight" is delightful to watch. Freeze the picture a few times to see the girls' expressions - Lucy and Renee are clearly having a great time!
Xena's attempts to launch her kite remind me of Charlie Brown of "Peanuts" fame. When Gabby tells her "Your flying parchment is stuck in a tree" I found myself thinking "Let's hope it's not a kite-eating tree!" Xena refuses to even consider that she may be wrong, and this conviction of her own infallibility would also feature in later seasons.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONSThis episode has a remarkably small cast, with only five characters besides our two heroes. Of these, only Hower and Minya have more than a few lines, concentrating our attention on Xena and Gabrielle. The subtitled Greek captions before each scene appear to be a tribute to Kelsey Grammar's hit series "Frasier".
Minya, as with some fans of the show, gives Gabrielle no credit. She can't even remember Gabby's name, yet without her stories Xena's reputation wouldn't have spread so far.
There are some good off-camera lines, notably the "Ow!" from one of Zagreus' men after Gabby throws the frying pan away, and Hower's "Where'd you get that whip?" as he pursues the leather-clad Minya.
Body swapping - as presented in INTIMATE STRANGER, Callisto in Xena's body is actually Callisto, with Callisto's memories and personality. Xena's body is simply being "worn" like a suit of clothes, or perhaps "driven" like a car. Xena was in no way responsible for Theodorus' death. The will behind the knife was Callisto's, ergo Callisto was the killer. As I said earlier, Xena cheats when playing "Who Am I?" by claiming it was she who killed Theodorus.
Xena's bored chakram tossing as she waits for Gareth is funny, especially the way her eyes follow the weapon's flight.
The footage of Gareth is taken from THE GIANT KILLER, which had to be heavily cut for length. Rather than waste the footage, it was cleverly incorporated into this episode to allow Xena to avenge her friend Goliath.
LITTLE PROBLEMSWhy does Xena let Gabrielle waste time drawing up a list of pros and cons before flipping the coin? Wouldn't it have made more sense to do that right away? She also says she's never been in this area before, so how does she know about the giants' burial ground?
"Are you sitting on the soap?" is a good line. Unfortunately they didn't have soap in those days, making do with olive oil - ick!
How do Xena and Gabrielle know that Theodorus was killed by Callisto? I can only assume that they rounded up the rest of the gang between INTIMATE STRANGER and this episode, learning of Theodorus' fate from one of his men.
My favourite visual gag in this episode is the "roadkill" hedgehog in Gareth's footprint. Oddly enough, there appears to be only one print - shouldn't there be a trail?
At one point in the episode Gabrielle is seen working on the scroll of GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN, but in a later scene Minya is heard reading the conclusion to the story. Gabby must be a really fast writer! Either that or she's a compulsive tinkerer, always going back over her work to see if she can improve it in some way.
Gareth appears to be much bigger than Goliath, but like Xena's old friend his size varies from scene to scene. He also seems rather slow - with his stride, he should be able to catch Xena easily, yet he always lags behind.
Xena's "Ben Franklin" experiment leaves me feeling uneasy - does string actually conduct electricity? Wouldn't it just burn through? Besides, Gareth's by far the tallest thing in the vicinity - the lightning would probably have struck him anyway.
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A good episode, with a decent balance of comedy and drama. The plot is wafer thin, however, and the squabbling between Xena and Gabrielle seems contrived at times. The subtextual moments have also been blown out of all proportion, and seem to be the main reason for the episode's popularity. Frankly, I feel this one is overrated.
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