From: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org (chakram-refugees-digest) To: chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Subject: chakram-refugees-digest V3 #27 Reply-To: chakram-refugees@smoe.org Sender: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk chakram-refugees-digest Monday, January 27 2003 Volume 03 : Number 027 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [chakram-refugees] Flirty Xena [Trek4u269@aol.com] [chakram-refugees] ["Cheryl Ande" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 04:44:13 EST From: Trek4u269@aol.com Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Flirty Xena The argument is simple. If a pacifist is defined as someone who is strongly and actively opposed to war and violence for settling disputes then that means they do all they dont "hide" behind having their "enforcer" do it. That is like Ghandi traveliing with Rambo. Ghandi preaches peace and Rambo is blowing up everyone while they travel side by side. Sorta like a little girl having their big brother or sister hovering around in background.....the lil girl can say and do whatever because if violence happens her big sister will step in and squash the other person. just a wee bit of a conflict.............. ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 18:41:19 -0500 From: "Cheryl Ande" Subject: [chakram-refugees] # # # # ## # # Legacy This episode was the original episode that fan fiction writer Melissa Good was hired to write. Rob Tapert wanted to try to get some fan input into the series and with recommendation from Steven Sears, she was hired. Good known for her alt stories or romantic Xena and Gabrielle stories is a good storyteller, as she has said, with the ability to write fast. While most fans of her stories (and I am one) like her romantic take on Xena and Gabrielle, what is often over looked is her often dark view of mankind. In Legacy Good examines not what our gals will sacrifice for the greater good but what they won't sacrifice. It is a character study of both Gabrielle and Xena but mostly it's about Xena's holds above the greater good. The story opens with Xena and Gabrielle in a sand storm and dressed in Arabian costume. Gabrielle is not happy about her and Xena's vacation taking such an unexpected turn but Xena has a solution. Xena leads them two an oasis where the girls enjoy a bath (yes a subtext moment but one not specified by Good she said she merely wrote X & G visit an oasis, she was surprised by the bathing seen and the sight of our gals (doubles) in the all together). After the bath the women hear the sounds of battle and go off to investigate. They find a group of Bedouins being harassed by another group on horseback. They of course ride to the rescue, which they accomplish in short order. Winning the admiration of one the defeated Bedouins and the ire of the Kahina, the rescued leader of the other group. Kahina is incensed about X & G's interference but is more irate when she discovers they say they are the legendary Xena and Gabrielle, the Battling Bard of Potadeia. Xena confirms her identity with a spectacular chakram toss and is stunned the formally irate woman now kneels before her. At Kahina's camp the women learn that Gabrielle's scrolls have spread the tale of the Warrior Princess to the distant land. Gabrielle is happy that her scrolls are still read this far south (and I believe they have been read and not just as an oral tradition since latter on the characters can actually discuss Gabrielle literary development). More importantly because of the scrolls Xena is seen as the hero who will lead the Bedouins against their most dangerous enemy, the encroaching Romans. Kahina explains that Xena is also the key to forming an alliance with her rival Tazere whose tribesmen Xena defeated that day. Xena and Gabrielle agree to help Kahina. After a lovely meal of roasted scorpion and turning the offer of Kahina's gap tooth cousins as bed warmers with the tale of their Amazon chastity oath, Xena and Gabrielle retire for the night. That night Gabrielle asks Xena how, during a fight, she knows when to kill and when to merely incapacitate an enemy. Xena is disturbed by the question - to question such things in the heat of combat will get Gabrielle killed - she must depend on her gut feeling and act. Gabrielle is left to ponder this during the night. The next day Kahina, Xena, and Gabrielle visit Tazere. Although Tazere is suspicious, her son Korah is thrilled to meet Xena and especially Gabrielle. Tazere with his sons urging accepts Xena and soon he and Xena are discussing strategy. Gabrielle on the other hand entrances Korah much to her amusement. He admires her as a writer and a warrior and wants her teach him how to use the sais. Gabrielle, I believe s touch by the young man's puppy like devotion but a bit taken aback when he starts washing her feet. Gabrielle's astonishment to Korah's foot fetish is nothing as compared with Xena's startled expression when she sees the footbath. Xena however has plans; she and Gabrielle are going to the Roman garrison to scout out the troop strength. Kahina and Tazere are appalled and Korah wants to join his idols but Xena and Gabrielle insist on going alone. At the Roman fortress Xena masquerades as Roman patrician seeking business opportunities with Gabrielle as her loyal slave. The Roman governor is pleased to meet this wealth Roman. Xena and Gabrielle both question him about the Bedouin threat. He dismisses them and the military commander scoffs at their worship of "Caesar's Thracian whore" Xena (I loved Xena's look you can just see her deciding whether she will lop his head off or just cut out his heart when they meet again). When Gabrielle doubts Roman's ability to control the natives, the governor reveals his plans to exterminate the nomads. Xena and Gabrielle now have the Roman plans and are ready to prepare the Bedouins for war. On the way back to Kahina's camp the pair are again caught in a blinding sand storm. Both women are disoriented. Suddenly Gabrielle, having been knocked to the ground by her bolting horse, looks up to see a mysterious figure approaching Xena from the rear. He appears to have a knife and Xena doesn't realize he is at her back. Gabrielle attacks and kills the stranger. The stranger is Korah and his knife was only a scroll. Gabrielle has followed her gut and the consequences were terrible - she has killed her gentle friend. Now the question here is whether Gabrielle screwed up. I would say no. The evidence was that Korah presented a threat to Xena. They were in hostile territory and Korah didn't identify himself. Certainly Gabrielle is predisposed now to act to defend Xena - three times her inaction has caused friends to be killed or seriously hurt, Flanigus, Eli, and Xena. Gabrielle's action was right but the outcome was tragic. Gabrielle is consumed by guilt and grief. At the oasis Xena cleans the blood off the hands of a disbelieving Gabrielle. Xena says she will take the boy home to his father. Gabrielle wants to go with him but Xena says it would be best if waits for her at Kahina's camp while she explains the accident. Xena arrives at the Tazere's camp with Korah. Before she has a chance to explain the grieving father begins to accuse Kahina's men of the murder. Knives are drawn - things are out of hand. Xena suddenly says there were tracks of a thousand men near Korah's body. Now everyone jumps to the conclusion that the Roman's have killed Korah and they all rush off vowing vengeance. Leaving Xena to shout after them that they had better just prepare for war. Xena now goes to Gabrielle. Gabrielle wants to know what has happened. Xena confesses that she has allowed Tazere and Kahina to believe the death was caused by the Romans. Gabrielle is appalled - Xena has lied. Xena says the penalty for what Gabrielle has done is death - it was an accident she can't let her die for an accident. So what if the Romans are blamed they have to fight them anyway. Suddenly Kahina enters and after her a hapless Roman soldier who was caught with blood on his spear. They have caught the murder and they are going to drag him off to Tazere for death. Xena desperately tries to stop them - he may be innocent, they can't just pick a random soldier for execution. Suddenly Gabrielle speaks up - she is the guilty one. Kahina is stunned - the fabled Warrior Princess has lied. Gabrielle is taken to Tazere and Kahina dismisses Xena as untrustworthy. Now we have the most controversial point of the story. Xena hasn't actually lied but she has allowed a falsehood to be believed. She did this to save Gabrielle - not to save the mission. I believe her intention was to tell Tazere the truth but when she saw everyone's volatile reaction to Korah's death, she realized no one was going to listen to reason. The lie was easy and convenient so she let it ride. The flaw in this plan was that Gabrielle who would have to go along with this. This is why I think Xena never intended to lie - she knows Gabrielle would not go along with this lie merely to save herself. Indeed Gabrielle doesn't. Gabrielle tells the truth especially when an innocent will suffer because of her guilt. Is Gabrielle being selfish? Is she jeopardizing the greater good as defined by the mission? Yes. She has however found the thing she will not sacrifice for the greater good - she will not sacrifice her honor. She knows the power that lies have to corrupt the soul - she watched how her lies nearly destroyed Xena and how Xena's lies nearly destroyed their friendship. She will never live a lie again - even if it means her death. Oddly enough another person has found the thing they will not sacrifice the greater good for - Kahina. When Gabrielle confesses Kahina could have ignored an uncomfortable truth. She could have joined Xena in convincing Gabrielle to go along with the cover up. If Gabrielle could be kept quiet the Xena would still be able to lead the Bedouins. Their victory would be assured and their freedom secured. This would be the greater good but Kahina will not sacrifice her traditions and justice for that. She turns Gabrielle over and rejects Xena's help. At Tazere's camp Gabrielle is chained next to Korah's body. As she contemplates her life - she watches her progression from idealistic girl to pacifist to warrior and now, to her mind, to murder. Tazere comes to her; he is bitter and no doubt guilty that he allowed his son to go off and find Xena alone and when he condemns her; Gabrielle sinks into a suicidal depression. Xena is also having a rotten night. Lying in tent she had shared with Gabrielle, Xena is furiously plotting to save her friend. He plan is made. That night she rides to the Roman garrison. In the guise of the Roman patrician she informs the Roman governor that she has information about where the Bedouins are. She convinces him to send his legions out to destroy them. That morning Gabrielle is taken out and buried up to her neck in sand. Before her are horsemen playing a spirited game of polo with sculls, soon Gabby's head will be the new ball. Tazere now orders the horsemen at Gabrielle. As thunder towards her, a chakram whizzes through the air cutting off their upraised mallet heads. Xena rides into camp but before anyone can to anything about her a cru goes up - the Roman arm is approaching. Everyone scatters to take up position at the valley that was selected by Xena as the place of battle. Xena digs Gabby up and off they go. On the hillside Gabrielle marvels that the Romans saved her. Xena says yes and they took their own sweet time about it too. Gabrielle is stunned - Xena has set the Romans on the Bedouins to save her against the greater good. Xena admits that. She knows what she won't sacrifice for the greater good and that's Gabrielle. For Xena Gabrielle is what makes life worth living - she was lone and lost and Gabrielle became her friend. She will not give that up. Now is that selfish and maybe not the attitude of the traditional hero? Yes. Xena, however, is not the traditional hero - she very human and like any human being there is only so far she can go for altruism and she will not sacrifice her one true friend for any cause. In the valley the Bedouins are in disarray. Xena and Gabrielle ride up. Kahina and Tazere are suspicious but Gabrielle says they could have escaped but they came back. She came to try to make sure Korah didn't dies in vain and Xena says she came to keep her word to Kahina about fighting with her. Tazere accepts their help but Kahina knows Xena betrayed them and she says to Gabrielle that she never told the complete truth about Xena in her scrolls. What I think Kahina meant was that Gabrielle never revealed how truly ruthless Xena could be in achieving her goals especially when it came to protecting what is hers. The battle takes place in the valley. The Roman legion marches into the valley looking for the nomads. Suddenly they are overtaken by a sand storm. The Enemy spring up from the ground (how come a horse never stand on the buried surprise attacker). The battle is one. Xena fights the commander who insults her and as she kills him she tell him to give him Xena's regards. Gabrielle fighting with her staff saves Tazere's life. The Roman's are defeated - their bodies will never be found under the sand. They will forever be a mystery. That night Xena and Gabrielle talk. Gabrielle says Xena saved her against the greater good and asks isn't the greater good what they are fighting for. Xena says that everyone has some thing that is beyond the greater good and she was not going to let her die for it. Gabrielle asks, "what if ii is her choice." Xena says 'especially if its her choice." Gabrielle has no answer for this. Tazere comes up now. He says that Gabrielle's debt is paid and they are even. Gabrielle gently says that they aren't and Tazere sadly aggress. He says however that his son would have been a great warrior just like her. As the show ends it is obvious Gabrielle does not accept Tazere's judgment about her. I think this was an excellent episode. It had great production values, costuming was wonderful, and direction was good. The script presented and interesting moral dilemma that had no easy answer. I believe Xena should have told the truth - the situation would have not been any worse than it was. Xena complicated things by allowing a lie to be believed. Once the lie is revealed she discredited and Gabrielle is still put in danger. Although Xena believes that Gabrielle had to be put to death for Korah's death there were obvious loopholes in the law. After the battle Gabrielle is free because she saves Tazere's life in battle so perhaps if everyone had been upfront about the truth they could have found a way out of the death sentence. Some could argue and have that Gabrielle was somehow obligated to go along with Xena's cover-up. I don't believe this - Gabrielle had a right to protect her honor. I however also believe that Xena when saved Gabrielle from the execution she was right. Gabrielle sentence was vengeance not justice and Xena had a right and duty to save Gabby from injustice. It's a complicated situation with a lot of ambiguities. We also have questions about what right do we have in interfering with others. Kahina is angry when Xena interferes in her fight with Tazere's group. Is she angry because she is just stiff necked or did Xena and Gabrielle actually endanger a delicate balance of power. Was the attack life threatening or were the rivals just counting coupe -a ritual attack. If Xena or Gabrielle had killed on of the attackers would they have made things worse? Did they interfere with something they didn't understand? Then at the end Xena bluntly says the she would never allow Gabrielle to willingly sacrifice herself. Is Xena right or wrong? That's a question for Gabrielle and the audience to ponder. CherylA ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ End of chakram-refugees-digest V3 #27 *************************************