The Gauntlet
This is quite simply, a terrific episode, and critical to the transformation of Xena.
Xena gives the villagers a night to reconsider surrendering to her. Sounds to me like she's already beginning to lose some of her severity.
The guy who played Mendicles was also in A Comedy of Eros.
And, of course, Dean O'Gorman has been in many incarnations of Hercules and Xena, including Return of the Valkyries.
Xena looks really good with her cape flowing as she leads her army.
She's one commander who isn't afraid to get in on the action.
Her men on foot run as fast as the ones on horses!
Xena chakrams three guys across the face, yet I didn't see a drop of blood!
Lucy's name is first in the credits.
Salmoneous makes a lousy woman.
But I like his comment when his veil is stripped from him, "I work in the circus."
It's obvious. Xena doesn't quite know what to do with him.
Xena's trying really hard to figure him out though. "Come here, Little Man…You amuse me."
When Salmoneous starts to take off the dress, Xena tells him, "Leave it; it becomes you." She finds that funny.
She was described as a "demon from Hades", and Hercules knew who it was. How insulting!
Her army has a pretty nice mess hall to relax in!
Xena eats by herself.
Without her armor.
And has atrocious manners, which I find funny.
Xena tells Salmoneous, "I prefer my relations to be private."
Here's Xena's theme song, according to Salmoneous…"Xena…coming to your town.
Xena…don't you wear a frown."
Xena has to admit, "For a wretched little man, you are mildly entertaining."
Salmoneous tells Xena she has great eyes, and great cheek structure…she should smile more.
Xena listens, at least for a while.
Then she gives him a huge hunk o' meat with a "Don't you stop amusing me, now."
I love Salmoneous's response, "No, your highness; your worship. What is your titular…uh…how do you like to be undressed…addressed?" Heh heh.
Darphus is lurking in the background of this scene, watching the whole exchange.
That one guy has on a Petracles hat.
It matters to this Xena that her soldiers show loyalty.
Darphus knew killing women and children would set Xena off. Obviously, he wanted the challenge all along.
Hee hee…Salmoneous is STILL in his dress.
Salmoneous doesn't amuse Darphus, yet Darphus doesn't kill him.
The obvious question is…how did the baby survive?
Xena doesn't even know how to hold the kid. But it's good to see she has at least the beginnings of a sense of compassion.
She sure looks out of place holding the baby!
Xena's reaction to Salmoneous's maternal instincts crack is interesting.
Is warrioress a real word?
Xena says, "I don't run away from my problems. I confront them, and I'll deal with Darphus."
Xena's tan is much darker here.
And she has a great deal of confidence in her men.
However, when she says, "The gauntlet?" her voice quavers.
Then she declares, "There's not a man here who'll raise a hand against me!"
She's wrong.
They strip of her more than her armor; they take her leathers too.
No one has ever survived the gauntlet.
She's a brave one!
They beat the crap out of her!
It's even more vicious considering it's a woman.
But I love it when she manages to fight back!
Gods, I'd hate to have to comb her hair after that!
It's goose bump time when she stands up after the gauntlet!
The men did turn out to be fairly honorable…they wouldn't cross the line and kill her after she survived.
She works up some excellent spit with Darphus!
That rock she clobbers Hercules with must have hurt!
Hercules says, "I once lost my family." That doesn't sound right. It sounds like he lost them, but found them again.
Boy, is Xena stubborn! "I can take care of myself!"
But she sounds determined when she says, "I have no men."
Salmoneous almost has a Joxer role in this one.
When Salmoneous is describing Xena to Hercules, he uses the universal gestures for great breasts.
Salmoneous was responsible for getting Hercules to change his mind about Xena.
It takes some convincing. "You're serious? She's not a cold-hearted evil bitch."
Salmoneous describes Darphus as using a scorched earth policy.
I have read a lot of negative comments about the golden armor, but I kind of like it.
So if Xena kills Hercules, would she be able to get her army back? That's her reasoning.
Xena's war cry needs some serious help.
She does a pretty good job kicking Hercules' ass for a while.
Her boots look like astronaut boots!
Hate her line, "I've got you now, Hercules!"
During the fight, Hercules literally kicks her in the ass.
She's already got that wicked laugh.
She was going to let Hercules kill her.
And she won't fight her own army.
The second Hercules pulls the sword back; she's up on her feet.
I love it when she shows up in the final fight, although it was obvious she'd be there.
Salmoneous is sure thrilled to see her!
Xena's men weren't very good fighters.
Why was Xena so tormenting to the baby's father?
She fights back a smile over Hercules' line about Salmoneous's hanging upside down. She DOES have a sense of humor.
It's Xena that suggests she and Hercules travel together.
It takes her a while to give a smile, as if she doesn't quite remember how.
The Gauntlet is very important, obvously, because it shows the beginnong of Xena's tranformation to good. The adventure will continue
in Unchained Heart.
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