Who's Gurkhan?

Who's Gurkhan?

Teleplay by R.J. Stewart
Story by Rob Tapert
Directed by Michael Hurst

Episode synopsis:

Segment one:

Xena, Gabrielle, Eve, and Virgil arrive in Potedeia but find Lila the only member of Gabrielle's family left. Lila explains that eight years ago her daughter, Sarah, was kidnapped by Gurkhan, who brought her to North Africa and made her a member of his harem. Gabrielle's parents and Lila's husband sold most of their possessions and travelled to Gurkhan's walled city to buy her back. Instead, they were beheaded. Gabrielle freaks out. She warns Xena that they are going not only to rescue Sarah, but also sate Gabrielle's need for vengeance.

Segment two:

While travelling to North Africa, Eve tells Gabrielle that killing Gurkhan will not be easy, for he keeps his identity a closely guarded secret. After discussing Gabrielle's death wish with Eve, Xena gives Gabrielle a seasickness potion which knocks her out cold. Taking advantage of the situation, Xena takes Virgil into the city where he sells her as a slave in an attempt to find out Gurkhan's identity. But their plans are thwarted by multiple bidders using Gurkhan's name.

Segment three:

When Gabrielle awakes, she quickly realizes how she has been duped and leaves for the city to continue her original plan. Xena, now a member of the harem, tries to determine which wife is Sarah, but is warned not to ask about the other wives unless she wishes to be punished. The new wives are introduced to the First Wife, a domineering and violent woman. Virgil arrives at Gurkhan's palace and gives Gabrielle to him as a gift. While she dances for Gurkhan, she makes a move to grab a knife. Xena sees this and tackles her to prevent her from making a lethal mistake. Xena is knocked out by Gurkhan's guards.

Segment four:

After being severly tortured, Xena is questioned on her actions. She confesses that she is jealous of the other wives and yearns to be the First Wife. After being returned to the harem, she is later called for to dance for Gurkhan. After doing so, she asks Gurkhan for Sarah's head on a plate. He acquiesces and the First Wife is lead away.

Segment five:

Xena is brought to Gurkhan's bedchamber where she suggests that Gabrielle join them. She then subdues Gurkhan and hands Gabrielle a dagger with which to finish the job. Gabrielle finds that she is unable to go through with it. Together they release Sarah, who mourns to Gabrielle over the person she has become. Gurkhan is left in Sarah's cell and is decapitated as her by the guards for a scarf and veil cover his features.

Disclaimer: Xena's uncanny ability to recover from devastating wounds was not harmed during the production of this motion picture.

Moments Of Subtext:

• Xena has an inscrutable expression as she watches Gabrielle dance for Gurkhan.
• While she is being tortured, Xena has visions of Gabrielle caressing her face and dancing for her.
• The look on Gabrielle's face when they drag Xena's recently tortured body back into the harem is profound. She then runs over to the body and holds it.
• There is an overhead shot of the members of the harem preening each other.
• As a servant girl to the harem tends to Xena's wounds, Gabrielle rubs Xena's arm.

Commentary:

I liked this episode. Sure, there were somethings wrong with it, but it is so pleasant to finally get away from gods and saving the entire world and deal with a personal, character driven episode. I disagree with the basic premise of the episode, that Gabrielle would blindly crave blood like she does. To me, this is a betrayal of her character. Obviously the direction of her character has given her a more agressive, violent personality, but given her past, I believe that she should have had an internal struggle with her emotions before she was on top of Gurkhan with a dagger poised for the kill. But if you accept the premise, then the rest of the story has a very good flow to it, with things happening in a logical and (more or less) realistic manner. The conflict the other character's feel over Gabrielle's behavior is well expressed, yet they treat her with dignity and accept the outcome that she has chosen for herself, with only one attempt made to seriously dissuade her (drugging her.)

What are some of the psychological ramifications of this episode? There is a lot of discussion in the media about whether exposure to violence produces violent people. This episode (in my opinion) supports that theory. Gabrielle's exposure to Xena's lifestyle and an acceptance of that violence has corrupted Gabrielle and added a darkness to her soul. You see, this series has long been about the reformation of evil people. Xena was evil. She is an example that people can change, they can learn from their mistakes; they can be reformed. And Xena and Gabrielle have travelled the known world following that belief; whenever possible they capture evil doers and turn them over to the proper authorities. Xena and Gabrielle do not decide themselves what punishment is appropriate. A good example of this is the episode "Crusader" where Najara has killed possibly hundreds of people, and Xena and Gabrielle turn her over to the local "police." But now the darkness that they speak of in that episode (both Xena and Gabrielle tell Najara that they fear Xena's darkness and what it will do to Gabrielle) has had the impact they feared. Gabrielle stands over Gurkhan, who is incapacitated, helpless. She psychologically tortures him, running a blade over his face, telling him he is about to die for what he has done. While she does not go through with the actually murder, she then beats him, a scene I find comparable to the scene where Gurkhan's soldiers beat an incapacitated Xena. And then the two of them, Xena and Gabrielle, leave Gurkhan in a position where he is killed. They are responsible for his death. If you throw a person into a pit of lions, you have killed that person even though it is technically the lions who finished the job. Gabrielle HAS in fact become Gurkhan, a fate she fears as she decides whether to murder him or not. So the title of this episode can refer not only to Gurkhan's inisistence on anonymity, but also the darkness that now resides in Gabrielle.

I feel uncomfortable for some of the minor characters in this episode. Poor Virgil. He has the unpleasant duty of being the wacky comic relief in this very serious and dark episode. And unfortunately for him, he does not pull it off well at all. I find it hard to blame him, for who could do anything with that kind of material or role in this episode? Eve also leaves me uncomfortable. Maybe it's me; I have trained myself to always be watching for subtext and have grossly overheightened my "lesbian awareness." But there is a scene with Eve cuddling with Xena on the boat... and there is just something about the way the scene is played by Eve that makes me all sorts of "Ewwwwww."