The Convert

But before the commentary, a song:

I'm Gabby the First I am,
Gabby the First I am I am,
I got duped by the zealot next door,
She's tricked us seven times before...

Second verse! Same as the first!

Very gory effect when the blood drips down the altar and onto the carpet. Yich. But then it quickly got outdone by the blood still pumping out of Kryton's chest wound. Which was a good touch to go with Joxer's horror over his first kill; appropriately nassssty.

The fight scenes in this episode in general were lots of fun. I knew we were in for a barn-burner in the very first fight, when Xena forcefully teaches a fellow how to do the splits. Yeeow! And once again, the bad guys show an amazing dearth of brains: "She's swinging on a whip! Quick! Everybody make a circle!"

Gabrielle has a new weapon, some kind of dustbuster harmonica. Gab says the purpose of it is to distract the enemy without hurting them. But isn't that just distracting them for two seconds until they swing again or meet Xena's sword? How is that "nobody getting hurt"? Is that really better than the staff? Thumbs down on the goofy-looking dustbuster.

Joxer's reaction after his first kill was excellent. He couldn't stop staring at the body, his voice was shaky, his attention was somewhere roughly a world away. It was nice to see Joxer get some development and his best qualities get some attention. He's still far from a great mind, he's still incompetent, but his courage and soft heart got to enjoy a little limelight this episode. And no slapstick pratfalls - whew. Going to tell the son that he killed the father takes SERIOUS guts, and responsibility.

When Gab defends Najara in the town square, her shawl is blowing around in the wind, except for the one shot when she kneels back down. Then her shawl is pinned behind her.

Watch Najara curl up to Gab as Gabrielle and Xena start bickering about Najara in the town, like a baby needing protection from the big bad mean warlord. Wow, she really plays for Gab to the hilt from moment one.

"You know what, Xena? You're always in everybody's business." Joxer has a point there. But it doesn't stop her from doing it again.

Eli said he was going home to his people... and he shows up at a Greek prison? Does this mean that his people were Greek, or felons? And if they were Greek, wouldn't he have talked about that with Xena and Gab?

I still can't figure out Najara's damage. She hears voices. She follows radical philosophers at the drop of a hat. (OK, that one sounds familiar.) She forgets radical philosophers just as easily. And she obsesses over little blonde bards. Normalcy and this chick don't see much of each other.

Najara says she escaped by divine decree of the mysteriously-moving djinn, which is hiding and swimming like mad. That ain't so mysterious OR divine. Those are the kinds of moments that made me want to tap Gabrielle on the shoulder and mention "Ummm, Gab? She's a loony. Certifiable. Quit listening to her."

The djinn told Najara that she and Gab would meet again with their new common purpose. Does that mean Eli mentioned his first disciple to Najara? Maybe that's why she took up this banner in the first place.

Joxer sure sobers up fast! One scene, he can't see straight, and the next, he's stone-soberly screaming at guilt visions.

Gabrielle does a LOUSY job of securing prisoners. One double-knot and some wrist wraps? A five-year-old can get out of that. Xena checks with Gabrielle that she tied her up, but sadly, she doesn't check that Gab tied her WELL. Personally, I think Najara was kind of getting a kick out of it. ("Let's go build a hospice. We can take those big ropes with us.")

The conversation in the woods between Xena and Najara is catfight-for-the-eyeballs vicious. Later, they go at it hand-to-hand. For now, they content themselves with going at where they live. And they both have each other's number. "New outfit, new religion, same old wacko underneath" (with marvelous gusto on the word "wacko" - I liked that). Hilarious "Ugggg" from Xena when Najara says that Gabrielle is both their inspirations. But final point goes to Najara for twisting the knife as deep as it'll go with "I want to share a life of peace with Gabrielle. You want to share a violent death." That'll leave a mark.

When the gang meets Armon, Gabrielle has given her scarf to Najara to wrap around her wrists, so she's not so obviously a prisoner. A kind touch of sympathy.

What was that stuff that Gabrielle was putting on Najara's wound? It looked like brick mortar.

At the pond, Najara makes a play for Gabrielle that's about as subtle as an airhorn. And unlike the Crusader episode, Gabrielle turns her down with the same amount of subtlety. (What part of "no" don't you understand?") Not that it gives ol' stalker Najara a moment's pause.

Joxer's most brave and intelligent moment of the entire series so far came when he tried to turn away the boy who had come to challenge him. (Another sad consequence to taking up the sword.) He gets knocked on his butt for his troubles, but he stood his ground and tried to turn the boy away. I felt that he was trying to keep Armon from hearing the truth and to prevent a fight from breaking out, not just running from a fight out of fear. Points all around.

Beautiful scene with Argo. Somebody nominate that filly for an Emmy!

Xena gets seriously vehement in the campfire fight with Gabrielle about whether to let Najara go. I loved that passion, but Xena isn't giving Gabrielle enough credit. Yes, Gab believes that Najara is reforming. But despite Xena's protests, Gabrielle has already told Najara no, when Najara wanted them to build the hospice together. And Gab and Najara finally come to blows (kind of) when Xena is hanging in the balance. Xena gets very riled about Gabrielle trusting Najara at all (understandable, given Najara's intentions), but Xena never ends up realizing how many times Gab does stand her ground against Najara.

Other than to allow for cozier campfire chats and dirty dealings from imprisoned zealots, why are there two campfires for the gang?

Gabrielle's talking-down of Armon to get him to spare Joxer is the kind of thing I'm hoping we'll see more of from Gab while she's avoiding fighting. I also liked that Gabrielle was the first one to spot and approach the momentary survivor of the attack on the temple in the opening scene. When the fighting goes by the wayside, Gab's sense for emotions and focus on people should get kicked to the front of the line.

Najara and Gabrielle finally blow up, not because Gabrielle says no, but because Najara wants to let Xena die (and win Gabrielle in a forfeit), and Gabrielle is showing signs that this path of non-violence stuff just might get pitched again where Xena is involved. But instead, Xena beats the bad guys, Gabrielle stays non-violent (with a little help from the dustbuster), and Najara is the one who plays way hopscotch.

The Battle Royale between Xena and Najara was a classic, starting right at the beginning with Xena taking Najara into the trees via knees to the gut. I almost fell off the couch laughing. My one quibble: Najara's roll in the vines was a duplicate of Xena's fight with Ares in The Furies.

The clawed dagger gets dropped in a long, loving camera shot that screams to wait for it to reappear. I loved it when it showed up in Najara's teeth.

Funny how vines in ancient Greece look like taped-up, green ropes.

Like an addict falling off the wagon, Najara takes some serious delight in getting her hands (and her face) bloody. Cute move, psycho. (That blood stripe, by the way, does some serious shrinking later in the fight.)

An upside-down climb up a vine! Najara must have gotten all A's in gym class.

Najara gives a twitch in her final shot. She could be back.

"When push comes to shove, sometimes the only choice is to shove back." Gabrielle is still questioning her path. Her searching isn't over.

So what happened to Armon and Joxer? Last we saw of them, they were riding bareback Argo away from Kryton's men. Are they still running?

Return to the Wool-Gatherings.

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