Chariots of War

Subtext:

• In the opener, Gabrielle is telling Xena a story.
  • "So Zeus, in his appreciation, turned the two lovers into oak trees. And then do you know what happened?" "Somebody built a boat out of them?" "No, their branches intertwined and they spent the rest of their days in each other's embrace." "What's the point?" "Come on, Xena. I believe everyone will find their tree in the forest someday. Even you." "I find the strongest trees in the forest stand alone." "You don't have to be strong all the time, Xena. Sometimes it's good for the soul to be soft."
• Xena goes scouting, leaving Gabrielle behind.
  • In a tavern, Xena says "Find someplace you can wait for me." "What's wrong with this place?" A man staggers up to Gabrielle, says "Hello, beautiful!" and belches. "Another place sounds good" says Gabrielle.
  • As Xena rides away on her horse, Gabrielle shouts out, "Don't forget about me!" "I won't" replies Xena, emphatically.
• Gabrielle is hit on in another tavern.
  • "Let me buy you a mug of ale. But then you'll owe me." "How generous. Of course, I have to decline. What would people think? I mean me, a young, innocent girl, taking gifts from a swarthy stranger? The gossip alone would send this town reeling." "Is that yes?" "Well, not in the customary sense of the word. But perhaps you could help me. I'm looking for a friend of mine." "I could be your friend." "I'm serious. And you better back off before I find her. It's Xena." "The warrior princess?" "Yeah." "I like it. I could be a friend to both of you." "And I'm looking for my boyfriend. Big, strong, jealous type. And there he is now. He's resting, after polishing his giant, lethal sword collection."
• Gabrielle talks with Sphaerus.
  • Gabrielle describes Xena. Sphaerus says, "This friend of yours, you are close?" "Are you kidding? Like this!" she says, holding up her crossed fingers.
  • Sphaerus talks about his father: "He makes me do things I never thought I would. Things I regret." "I can understand that. My mother always wanted me to get married and have kids. And I remember telling her that I'd always be grateful for the way that she raised me, but she couldn't expect me to pay for that with my future. ...I came to a point in my life where I had to make a choice. And I thought about who I really was. And I made it."
• Xena sees Sphaerus, the guy Gabrielle has been talking about, riding with his warlord father.
  • "Remind me to talk to you sometime about your taste in men" she says.
• Xena parts from Darius.
  • "Do you ever miss your family?" she asks Gabrielle. "Sometimes. But not as much when I'm with you."

The no-holds-barred review:
Once again, most of the subtext in this episode is centered around Gabrielle. As the story opens, she is telling a story of love to Xena, trying to get her to soften up. What happened since the end of the last episode, you may ask? My guess is that Xena was ready to renounce her old self and violent ways. But since she has retaken the sword for good, she has a habit of slipping into "warrior mode" which is what Gabrielle is trying to get her out of. Too many walls between the two of them when Xena is like that. Darius recognizes this in Xena when he asks her "Are you so brave that you fear someone caring for you?" So anyway, Gabrielle is stuck in taverns warding off men for most of the episode. When describing her "boyfriend" to a persistent suitor, her description sounds a bit like Xena. She opens up to Sphaerus, telling him about leaving home because of her lesbian lifestyle. Eventually Gabrielle gets sick and tired of these men, so she goes looking for Xena. After finding her, Gabrielle, mischevious as she is, tries to arouse some sort of jealousy from Xena by describing some guy she met in a bar. Xena ignores her until she sees the guy, and then decides she and Gabrielle must have a talk in the near future.