Many Happy Returns

Many Happy Returns

Written by Liz Friedman and Vanessa Place
Directed by Mark Beesley

Episode synopsis:

Segment one:

Xena and Gabrielle encounter a goup of religious zealots about to sacrifice a virgin. Xena rescues her using the Helmet Of Hermes and flies her to safety, where J'nia, the virgin, is annoyed because her sacrifice was ruined.

Segment two:

Xena and Gabrielle decide to cure J'nia of her religious zeal by introducing her to a real god, Aphrodite.

Segment three:

The four of them travel to Thebes, and once they arrive there, the Helmet Of Hermes is stolen by a warlord.

Segment four:

J'nia becomes a disciple of Aphrodite, and asks her to make her fall in love. Unfortunately, Aphrodite hooks her up with the warlord's son. Xena, Aphrodite, and Gabrielle rescue her and the Helmet from the warlord's lair by posing as J'nia's parents and a wedding planner. J'nia, however, is recaptued by the zealots along with the Helmet.

Segment five:

The zealots offer the Helmet to the warlord in exchange for his protection. Xena and the warlord fight, until he is defeated and J'nia saved.

Moments Of Subtext:

• Gabrielle pokes Xena's breasts when asking her not to play any practical jokes on her (because it is her birthday.)
• When J'nia mistakes Xena for a god, she wraps herself around her and says "Take thy humble servent, J'nia, to thy bosom."
  "Whoa!" warns Xena, "these are spoken for."
• To prove to J'nia that Xena is not a god, Gabrielle pinches her bottom.
• Xena and Gabrielle engage in some nude frolicking at a local pond.
• Gabrielle squeals and giggles when she believes that an eel in her bed is, in fact, Xena.
• Aphrodite greets Xena and Gabrielle with, "Well, if it isn't my favorite girl group!"
• Gabrielle gets all excited when she finds out they are travelling to Thebes to see Sappho perform.
• For her birthday, Xena gives Gabrielle a poem she had Sappho write for her: "There's a moment when I look at you, and no speech is left in me. My tongue breaks, then fire races under my skin and I tremble and grow pale, for I am dying of such love, or so it seems to me." Both are overwhelmed by the poem and hug.
• Finally, Xena puts on the Helmet and she and Gabrielle fly off together.

Commentary:

Tons of subtext in this episode. Tons. After that ending, one could probably officially declare them "out of the closet," however I think we all know that the next new episode will put them right back into the land of vague looks. This episode is very fun to watch from a subtext viewpoint though.