A Good Day

There's some pretty vicious fighting at the beginning of this one.

Xena's head must be hard; she headbutts a helmeted solder with a loud metallic sound, and he goes down.

Flanagus's wife looks very familiar. Has she been on the show before?

How could Flanagus fight for Rome and not kill Greeks?

And how could he be sure? What identifies Greeks as Greek?

Xena waited for Flanagus's offer to help before telling him, "You're right; it was the uniform."

Temechula? William Tell? Coincidence?

Brutus got a lot younger and a lot cuter in this one, but I still like David Franklin better.

If possible, Caesar's eyes have sunk even deeper into his skull.

The little boy wears the same hat as the kid at the beginning of Sins of the Past.

Xena's voice quavers when she asks them to destroy the village.

She must have arranged the demonstration with Flanagus's wife beforehand.

Xena uses Gabrielle's shoulder when she hops down from the wagon.

Love Xena's determination:
Gabs: Are you sure about this?
Xena: Yes.

It's a very cool backdrop of Xena superimposed over the flaming village.

I don't care for the way Xena and Gabs look in their helmets. I could do without it.

Very, very clever using the duel sided banner!

How did Caesar KNOW it was Xena?

At least Pompey had a clue to work from. He knew it was a woman.

How could Xena find anything on that nondescript map?

Temechula wants to know what it's like when you kill. Gabrielle answers, "Everything changes…everything", which is exactly what Xena told her in Dreamworker.

Xena is all excited that she's going to hear Caesar's plan.

She tells Flanagus, "I can take care of myself.." then adds a "Thank you."

Gabrielle asks: How did it go?
Xena's response: Mixed bag.

The Roman camps ARE impressive.

"I won't be here when everything breaks loose," Xena tells Gabs.

Xena wants Gabbers to take command, but Gabs says she can't do it.

I love Xena's confidence…Pompey tells her there were only two men lurking in the woods, and she replied, "I know. Otherwise, I would have more helmets."

When Pompey holds up two fingers, I always think he's giving the peace sign.

Pompey: I haven't decided whether to invite you to the coronation. You're a little…hard to control.
Xena: I'm not here to try on party hats. Wanna talk or not?
Pompey: And they say all the good women are taken.

Gabs said she couldn't take command, but she does.

And Xena must not have believed her when she said she couldn't lead the attack…she told Flanagus to listen to the bard, anyway.

Xena takes on both Caesar and Pompey…now that's guts!

Is Xena holding them hostage to learn their plans…or just to keep them off the battlefield?

The fight scenes in this one are great!!

Xena kind of freaks out while searching for Gabbers.

But Gabs is involved in some pretty intense fighting of her own.

Xena just keeps yelling Gabs name over and over again.

How does Gabs miss with that staff? She let Flanagus die!

Temechula looks way to young to kill.

Gabs has to feel like shit knowing she let Flanagus die.

Caesar does have enough good sense to realize they've lost.

I love the "Roman" music.

Xena has to be so relieved when she finds Gabs.

In a way, the ending kind of reminds me of When in Rome.

Gabs definitely needed to cry.

She does lose it when Xena gets tender with her.

Xena is teary eyed too.

Such a sad ending! The dirge makes it sadder!

Temechula is in shock.

Flanagus's wife thanks Xena, and Xena chucks the boy's chin.

Xena's gauntlet looks funny during this scene…I don't think it's the real deal.

Xena's speech got Gabs through this one.

And then Gabs turns around to help Temechula in the same way.

The ending of this one is almost too sad to watch, although it's great to see Xena and Gabrielle help each other through it.


Here’s what Gary has to say:

This episode was simple, but complex at the same time. The gist: Caesar and Pompey's armies are in the area, and will rob and burn villages for food and supplies. Each general wants control of Rome. Xena wants them to fight because if it were a trench-warfare thing, they would be there for years, and the people would be wiped out by the warring sides. Xena says a fast wholesale battle will take the heat off for years.

Opening scene:
The Romans are in the Greek village, trashing it and looking for supplies. They will kill the villagers because of a mercenary named Flannagus, the husband of one of the village women. As the Romans get ready to throw the spears, Xena's Chakram cuts off the spear points. Then she and Gabby, along with the returning Flannagus, fight and defeat the Romans, who run off.

Xena at first does not like Flan because he fights for Rome, for pay. Xena's idea of someone killing Greeks in a war is traitorous, but she did it when she killed Greeks in Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts.

When Xena fought, she did not draw her sword...instead, she just punched and kicked, and even smacked her head on a helmet, knocking the guy out...she must have a hard head. There was a nice overhead shot of one of Xena's flips during the fight. Xena says that if the battle happens, the Romans will leave...she wants that to happen, no matter what.

Gabby tells Xena of caverns and maps, which will figure into Xena's overall plan. Gabby sends ONE MAN to round up surrounding villagers who are willing to fight and join Xena. This guy had a lot of riding to do.

Temecula is a young archer who never has killed, but wants to join the battle. Gabby makes him a signalman who will loose fire-arrows as signals to faraway troops.

The opposing armies arrive. Xena has people make fake uniforms made in her plan. Flan says there are some miners who will fight.

Xena, in a sad scene, gets on a wagon and tells the people they must kill their animals, and burn their homes so the Romans cannot use anything in the war.

Note: If Xena's plan works, there would be no need of this since the Romans will have been wiped out. Also, Caesar says that any village that is there should be burned anyway even if they stole supplies.

During the village-burning, Xena and Gabby look sick, seeing the waste of the town. Xena, the Destroyer of Nations, is squeamish of destroying now. Gabby looks really aghast at the fires.

On a knoll, Xena and the villagers in Roman disguise, plant a banner. This banner is seen by Pompey's spies. Pompey wants the hill since he believes that Caesar wants it. Each side sends troops to take the hill, and they fight as Xena and her group sneak away. The banner had the opposing sides colors on each side. This was the plan to draw Pompey's guards from the pass and the catapults. The villagers can escape now, and Xena has Pompey's artillery.

Note: Caesar has no catapults. Xena knows that Pompey has more men than Caesar, who has 15 legions, or 90,000 men. Pompey must have over 100,000 men. Pompey and Caesar each guess Xena is behind the ruse.

Xena has her men pace out the distance for the catapults, according to the map. We will see why this is later.

Gabby tells Temecula that killing changes everything, as it did for her.

Flan sneaks Xena into Caesar's camp so she can overhear his battle plans. She cuts a hole in the tent and nobody inside or outside notices. Flan is captured by diverting attention from Xena. He is to be killed but Xena saves him and they escape to the village.

Xena arranges messages to be sent to Pompey and Caesar to meet her alone in the woods at night...this is at the spot paced out by the catapult guys. The idea: The firebombs will fall around her and her opponents, and a cave-in will result, taking Xena and them out of the action. The generals will not be able to direct their troops.

Xena asks Gabby to give the order to attack if Caesar tries to retreat. Gabby says "I can't give the command" for the men to die...the Romans or the villagers. Xena says she will tell Flan.

At night, in the woods, Xena meets Pompey and Caesar. They talk, and Xena gives the order for the catapults to fire. They all fight, and firebombs rain around them.

Note: no matter how good the aim was, everyone was moving around, and for none of them to get hit and die was impossible. Also, the ground gives way, as planned, and the three fall, not getting hurt. Nobody else falls with them.

Flan tells Gabby that Caesar is in retreat and the battle is over. Gabby, knowing it is a trick, now must order the attack.

During the big battle, Xena, Pompey, and Caesar fight in a three-way duel, with Xena making fancy moves. The main action is aboveground.

Gabby, dressed as a soldier and holding a sword and her staff, yells, "Take the wall!". What wall? She ditches the sword at once. I believe she had it to make the men follow her with intent to kill instead if she just had the staff.

Flan kills a lot of men, and stabs them when they are down. He yells "No prisoners!" as he and his small band fight. He also yells, "for Caesar!" This is odd. After all, they are trying to kill any Romans. Why not yell, "for our villages!"?

There is a long battle-scene, with slow-motion of Xena and Gabby fighting, their hair flying in the action. Xena escaped the cave and joined the battle as Caesar and Pompey kept fighting each other.

Gabby stares at the fight she initiated...she is horrified. Flan is hit from behind and she picks up a spear to kill the Roman who is about to kill Flan. She throws it and misses by a mile...on purpose. Flan is killed and Temecula kills the Roman with an arrow.

Gabby is devastated by this one death,, and cries holding the dead man in her arms. Xena sees her and the battle ends.

The generals hear silence above, and emerge from the cavern to see the wholesale slaughter. Caesar says he will go back and get another army...Pompey says he will be always after Caesar.

Caesar:” Rome has won...WE have lost." He says that Xena cannot change his destiny.

Xena sings the funeral dirge. She tells Gabby that everything happens for a reason, and that it was a "good day for fighting." This does not cheer Gabby up and she has to try to tell Temecula what Xena said. Gabby will also say it was for the greater good.

Thus ends the episode.

Note: Gabby does not want to kill again, but uses her staff. However, she orders over 200,000 men to their deaths...what a burden for her, since even killing Meridian in Deliverer in self-defense was appalling to her.


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