Adventures in the Sin Trade I

Subtext:

• Xena is willing to undergo personal torment in order to see Gabrielle one last time.
  • "Gabrielle--I'm entering a world of darkness I promised myself I'd never return to. But it's the only way I can see you again. ...I can hear you."
• Xena's mind turns to the past, when she met Alti and her "friend" Anoken. Lesbianism abounds.
  • Anoken is dressed very similar to Gabrielle.
  • Alti strokes Anoken's hair and head, while Anoken smiles, purrs, breathes heavily, and moans a little bit as she rubs her head on Anoken's hand.
  • Xena licks her top lip as she watches this display. "Please, make yourselves at home" she says.
• Xena declares her feelings for Gabrielle while she is presiding over the funeral pyre of an unknown amazon.
  • "Even in death, Gabrielle, I will never leave you."
  • Then follows a montage of scenes showing "moments of togetherness" between Xena and Gabrielle while Xena continues talking: "You are the best thing that ever happened to me. You gave my life meaning and joy. You will be a part of me forever."
  • During the montage, Xena, still at the funeral pyre, is crying and wailing.
• Xena reveals that she is willing to die for Gabrielle.
  • "I'm looking for a friend. She should have passed through the gate and into eternity by now."
    "So you plan to follow her into eternity?"
    "That's right."
    "So will you be able to get back from there?"
    "I don't know."
    "She must be some friend."
    "She's the only friend."
• Xena alters her plan to follow Gabrielle into eternity because of Gabrielle's effect on her life.
  • "I can't, Gabrielle. I can't. You know nothing would make me happier than seeing you again. You're my light. I just realized what it was that you gave me: a light of my own. There's something I gotta do. Something you'd want me to do. I love you."

Notes:
In this episode we see a new grieving process for Xena. Each time Gabrielle dies (see also Is There A Doctor In The House? in seasone one) Xena is completely focused on Gabrielle, on seeing Gabrielle, getting Gabrielle back. This is unlike the reactions she has had to the deaths of other loved ones. She barely mentions Solan after he dies. In fact, she is more focused on Gabrielle's betrayal than the death of her son. When her "one true love," Marcus dies, she seems a little sad. (i cannot tell you how many anti-subtext emails i get each week saying "What about Marcus!? He was Xena's one true love!" Well, just look how she responds to his death, and how she responds to each of Gabrielle's. NOW who does she love more?) In fact, in Marcus' case Xena even kills him to get him back to the afterlife.
Then there is Alti and Anoken. Xena could not be more fascinated or instantly drawn to these two women. Why is this? In the timeline, these flashbacks take place soon after Xena's time with Lao-ma. If Lao-ma opened up Xena's lesbian side, then Xena is now ripe for exploration. She immediately takes to these two women. She grieves almost uncontrollably during battle when she finds Anoken dead. Even Borias is disturbed. "You knew her for less than a moon." he says, trying to understand her reaction. Xena continues to have a strong devotion to Alti which Borias keeps trying to attribute to a spell.
This episode reveals that Amazons are not one specific tribe, but a scattered group of women warriors in the known world. It is not said where the tribe that Alti has cursed is from, nor who are the tribe of young women who adopt Xena. All that is said is that they are not the Amazons from Greece or Mesopotamia. The universal rule seems to be that Amazons are societies of only women. One such society of young women bond with Xena in this episode, immediately accepting her as a leader figure.
Also, while Xena is fighting the bezerker at the end it was odd to me that Xena seemed unwilling to draw her sword until she absolutely, positively had to. Is this Gabrielle's influence on her? While Gabrielle is dead, Xena is taking some of her character traits to heart?