Purity

Purity

Written by Jeff Vlaming
Directed by Mark Beesley

Synopsis and commentary:
Xena wakes up because her spidey-sense is tingling. Out from the reeds stumbles an asian guy who dies in Gabrielle's arms. He has a message from Lao-Ma. Now, why is it that everyone from Asia who has a message for Xena must die as soon as they find her? Anyways, Xena, Gabrielle, and Joxer walk to Asia (?!) and prevent an army from storming a monastery with the help of "The Daughter Of Lao-Ma."
Xena and Pao Ssu search for the book of Lao-Ma while Gabrielle and Joxer go to the market to buy spices so they can make their own black powder. (Yeah, right.)
Pao Ssu steals the wrong book from her sister, K'ao Hsin. Gabrielle breaks out of prison with the contents of Joxer's pants after Joxer gets them into prison by sking about the black powder in the local marketplace. Since the episode is so incredibly light on subtext the writers offer us some from a previous episode. Xena recalls: "I was cornered here and your mother hid me in her bath, underwater. She gave me her breath to keep me alive." While Xena and K'ao Hsin are in Lao-Ma's palace reading, Pao Ssu captures Gabrielle and Joxer goes to the palace, cuts down some trees, constructs some wooden contraptions to hold Gabrielle and Joxer, gets some barrels of black powder, ties up Gabrielle and Joxer, spreads out the black powder and creates a little dilemma for Xena, kills her friends or give the book.
Xena of course, saves her friends, but Pao Ssu gets the book. Joxer then discovers the ingredients for black powder by playing around in the kitchen. All the main characters, Xena, Pao Ssu, and K'ao Hsin sit around and learn "the power."
Xena and K'ao Hsin then go and talk to Pao Ssu until her army accidentally blows her up. (This army is kept at bay by Gabrielle, alone.)
This was a remarkably subtext free episode. Not even Xena hanging out with K'ao Hsin could add anything, for I could not get anything out of their relationship other than in a friendly way. Or perhaps a mother/daughter thing. So sorry.

Disclaimer: To obtain a copy of Joxer's recipe for and other Chinese delicacies, visit your local bookstore or look for it on the Internet.