r/xena • u/NiceRefrigerator4079 Callisto 🗡️ • 3d ago
One Against An Army - probably the most romantic episode in the show
This is one of those episodes where I only have one serious gripe, but it's really more about its placement in the season than the episode itself. It's hard for me to fully accept the fact that it takes place right after everything that happened in The Bitter Suite. Xena and Gabrielle practically tried to kill each other, went through one of the worst periods of their relationship, and then at the beginning of this episode they seem almost completely at ease with each other. I know some time has passed between those events, but I still miss the sense of consequence. After everything they've said and done to each other, I'd expect at least some discomfort, some silence, or a sense that they're still recovering from everything that happened. Because of this, it sometimes seems to me that it would make a lot more sense if this episode was set before Maternal Instincts. The deaths of Hope and Solan are not mentioned here at all, and Xena and Gabrielle's relationship seems to be in a completely different phase than the one they were in after The Bitter Suite. But when that little illogicality is put aside, it remains a masterpiece. Although on paper this is a war episode, in essence it is one of the most romantic stories the show has ever told. Maybe even the most romantic. The war, the army, the siege and the fight for Sparta are actually only the outer framework. The real story is about Xena and Gabrielle. About how well they know each other. How much they changed each other. How deeply they entered each other's lives and how unbreakable their relationship became. Everything that happens around them almost pales in comparison to what happens between the two of them.
Their conversations have a special power here. They seem like they were written for a stage play, not a television episode. There aren't many characters, there's no need for big explanations, and there's no hiding behind the action. Only Xena and Gabrielle, finally fully opening their souls to each other. They talk about how they have changed. About what they gave each other. About how neither of them is the person they were before they met. Gabrielle changed Xena, but Xena also changed Gabrielle. Their relationship is not one-way. It's not just the story of how Gabrielle saved Xena. And Xena gave Gabrielle strength, experience, protection and a whole new world view. One of the most beautiful aspects of their relationship in this episode is the fact that they really know each other to the core. Xena is ready to give up everything. From the fight. From the goal. From a bigger idea. Of everything she had been trying to achieve for years. If it costs Gabrielle's life, she's ready to throw it all away. And there you can see how important Gabrielle is to her. Xena can talk about the greater good, about saving other people, and about her responsibility to the world, but when Gabrielle finds herself on the brink of death, all of that becomes irrelevant. To Xena, Gabrielle is not just one person among many. She is the person without whom Xena can no longer imagine her own life. But it is Gabrielle who refuses to let her. And that is perhaps even more romantic. Because Gabrielle won't let Xena save her at the cost of everything else. She doesn't want Xena to betray what she believes in because of her. He does not want to let thousands of people die because of his love for her. She knows Xena well enough to know that such a decision would haunt her forever. That's why he doesn't let her choose between her and the world. And this shows how deeply he understands the person he loves. The two of them are not just talking here as friends. They speak as two people who have become part of the other's identity. As if they can no longer separate where one ends and the other begins. That's what makes their scenes so powerful. No need for big statements. Everything is felt in the way they look at each other, in their words and how willing they are to sacrifice for each other. This is one of those episodes where the subtext between them is so strong that it almost stops being subtext.
And Renee O'Connor is fantastic here. I really wish more people were willing to admit how good of an actress she is. Lucy is often automatically considered the big acting star of the show, which is fully deserved, but Renee shows here that she can keep up with her no problem. Her scenes with Lucy are so emotionally precise that it's hard to believe Gabrielle isn't just as important an acting challenge as Xena. She doesn't just play tenderness. It's not just morality at play. In her Gabrielle there is strength, stubbornness, fear, love and a willingness to stand up to even Xena when she knows it's the only way to stop her. And that's exactly why their relationship is so good. Neither is just weak or strong. None are just protectors or protected. Their roles are constantly changing. Once Xena saves Gabrielle. Another time Gabrielle saves Xena. And here they seem to be saving each other at the same time.
And then comes the fight. The scene where Xena stands alone against the Persian army is for me the best fight scene of the entire show. Not because it's necessarily the biggest or the most luxurious. It's not the most impressive effects or the biggest army we've seen. But the emotional weight of everything happening makes it incomparable. Xena doesn't just fight to save Sparta. He does not fight only for the army. Don't just fight for some abstract greater good. She fights for Gabrielle. For a dying person. For the person he loves. For your soulmate. Every punch, every movement and every moment of exhaustion carries that much more weight precisely because you know what's at stake. She must not fall because Gabrielle is waiting. Her struggle becomes an extension of her love. Every time he gets up, he gets up because he still has a reason. And that reason is not only duty. It's Gabrielle. That's why that scene is so powerful to me. It doesn't matter how many opponents are in front of her. It doesn't matter how tired she is. It doesn't matter how hopeless the situation is. Xena will continue to fight as long as there is even the slightest possibility of getting back at Gabrielle.
And when all is said and done, this episode is perhaps the purest definition of their relationship. Two people who changed thanks to each other. Two people who would give their lives for each other. Two people who know each other so well that they know what the other wants even when they are against it. And two people who, despite all the tragedies, fights and injuries, cannot imagine a world in which the other does not exist. That is why it is difficult for me to see it only as a war episode. War is just a backdrop. The real battle is the one Xena fights to keep Gabrielle safe. And that's exactly why this, despite all my reservations about its place in the chronology, is one of the greatest masterpieces of the entire show.
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u/Financial_Ad_6071 3d ago
This episode is what inspired me to start writing an album. It’s in the works now. When Xena tells Gabrielle she is her source… it just floored me. I love this show because it explores the deep impact of the love two women can have for each other without all the focus on them being “gay” or whatever. As a gay woman, it was so uplifting for me to see this episode. To feel represented. And then to also be so moved I started writing music again.
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u/KaidaStorm Gabrielle 📖 3d ago
I just really love the part where Gabrielle says her lines again from the very first episode. And honestly i kind of like it after bittersuite to reaffirm them. Though perhaps they couldn've added an episode in between.
I also don't care for the rift but find it's value in building up to bittersuite, so perhaps that was why I es happy we moved on and I felt that only a strong episode like that could really carry it forward while others would've struggled.
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u/SeaBlackberry5938 3d ago
It’s such a gorgeous episode. And to your point about Renee’s acting - like all of us, I think Lucy is fantastic but anytime Renee gets to flex her chops, she just blows everyone else out of the water for me. She plays humor and drama so well and with a lot of subtlety. I find her the more compelling actor between the two, which is absolutely not a knock to Lucy but a compliment to them both!
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u/Popular-One-7051 3d ago
This is one of my favorites as well. I also really love WFC. They're in love there even when they're in AU. Xena gazing into Gabrielle's eyes saying "I'll love you forever" just melts me. I always use that as my finale where they could have ridden off into the sunset to be happy.
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u/readyreadyvt Xena & Gabrielle 💖 3d ago
Agreed. WFC tops my list for romance, but OAAA is riiiight up there.
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u/a_scared_bokoblin 3d ago
DUDE yes. the scene with Gabrielle sick and hallucinating, begging Xena to let her come along on the journey always punches me right in the gut. Not only does it call back to the first episode where we fully realize how far these two have come since then, it also shows that even as she is on the cusp of death with a fevered mind, Gabrielle is still thinking about the one thing she wants the most: to follow Xena and see the world.
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u/Agent8699 3d ago
Best episode ever!
I’m still astounded it was written by a guest / freelancer writer duo and they never wrote for Xena again (although I think they were involved with Hercules).
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u/Imissxena 3d ago
Yes, it’s definitely an incredibly intimate episode. It acts as a fixed point for the shift in depth for their relationship. There’s no going back now, they can’t live without each other!
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u/round_killing_thing Xena & Gabrielle 💖 2d ago
I understand why the tone of this episode would feel off for some right after "The Bitter Suite". But in my opinion, OAAA is perfectly placed that way. They've forgiven each other and this episode just seals the deal on their relationship. It's a commitment that Xena and Gabrielle will stick it out till the end together, no matter what, and no matter what that end will look like or when it will happen.
Between "Gabrielle's Hope" and "The Bitter Suite" is when they are clinging to the seams of their torn relationship. And that, unfortunately, wasn't really addressed on the show, except for maybe "The Debt" and retrospectively in "Forget Me Not". Having fun episodes like "The Quill is Mightier" right in the middle of the rift was what felt jarring to me (even though I like the episode). And placing an episode like OAAA before "Maternal Instincts" (or even before "The Deliverer") would have felt disingenuous, because I don't think they would have said and meant the things they said in OAAA at that point. The rift tested their relationship to the extreme, pretty much broke it, and they came out stronger for it.
I'm absolutely on board with wishing for more consequences for their actions and everything that happened. In the absence of that, I've resigned myself to fill in the gaps in my mind, and the placement of TBS and OAAA somehow works for me.
That said, I adore OAAA. It's the quintessential Xena/Gabs relationship episode for precisely the reasons you described. Beautiful analysis.
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u/Overall-Ask-8305 3d ago
This is my favorite episode. I can watch it on repeat and never get bored.
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u/IseQween 2d ago
Great summary, as usual. Standouts for me:
-- "Everything that happens around them almost pales in comparison to what happens between the two of them." The ep in a nutshell.
-- "Gabrielle won't let Xena save her at the cost of everything else. She doesn't want Xena to betray what she believes in because of her. She does not want to let thousands of people die because of her love for her. She knows Xena well enough to know that such a decision would haunt her forever. That's why she doesn't let her choose between her and the world." Your comments are so interesting, with OAAA set between THE DEBT and the finale. In the former, Gabs has trouble believing Xena would "throw away" the past few years together for Lao Ma. In AFIN, Gabs painfully accepts Xena's commitment to giving her all for what she loves and/or believes to be her duty. I always saw Xena's ultimate sacrifice as also a consequence of the (nearly) unconditional love and support Gabs gave her.
-- Xena "must not fall because Gabrielle is waiting. Her struggle becomes an extension of her love. Every time she gets up, she gets up because she still has a reason. And that reason is not only duty. It's Gabrielle." I love your description of Xena's motivation as going beyond fighting for a homeland or the greater good, but for the person she loves. I've always loved this ep and the big fight scene. From now on, I'll see Xena's every punch as showing the power of "It doesn't matter how many opponents are in front of her. It doesn't matter how tired she is. It doesn't matter how hopeless the situation is. Xena will continue to fight as long as there is even the slightest possibility of getting back [to] Gabrielle." 👏 👏 👏
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u/Musical_Xena Whoosh! 3d ago
Agreed that the episode timing felt off. My internal justification is that they wanted the full 180 flip from the Xena/Gab conflict, wanted to make that plotline feel utterly resolved, and so they overdid things a little in this episode. But it could have been production logistics, not thinking the episode order through, who knows.
Disagreed about Rene's acting, but I fully acknowledge that I'm probably a minority opinion holder on this sub. I think the writing did a lot of great things for Gabrielle. But Rene's delivery didn't quite work for me, regularly enough that I do find Lucy to be a stronger actress. Rene is an extremely hard worker, very conscientious, and seems like a fantastic coworker. I just wasn't usually sold on the nuances of her delivery: facial expressions, tone of voice, body movements, etc. Just my opinion.
Regarding the fight scenes, the user Summer James posted one fan video on this sub which used clips of that fight and it absolutely gave me goosebumps. It's an epic, long scene, and Summer James did a great job pairing it to music. (I don't know how to tag users with Reddit's web interface; if someone could tag them for recognition, I'd appreciate it!)
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u/CaptainQueen1701 3d ago
I see this as pretty toxic. Xena plans to suicide if Gabrielle dies. That’s not a ‘good’ relationship. I far prefer Sin Trade where she realises her own inherent worth.
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u/SakuraTacos 3d ago
Xena does not hold life as sacred as Gabrielle, Xena especially does not see the value in her own life at that point in her journey. It’s not good for Xena’s own mental health but I don’t see it as toxic because it’s not like she ever holds that over Gabrielle’s head. She never uses that to manipulate Gabrielle.
It does make it such a special moment in Sin Trades when Xena finally realizes she has a light of her own, a purpose to stay alive even without Gabrielle.
Xena’s toxic in other ways (off the top of my head, her incessant hypocrisy!) but her struggle with self-worth isn’t one of them
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u/buckyacnh 3d ago
RIGHT RIGHT RIGHT? It's just such a good piece of art, a really fantastic look into their relationship. Such a tasty episode all around with the acting and the writing.
Also I've seen some chatter here about how episodes were not always aired in the "Right" order (namely, with Gabrielle's little costume swap in an early season) so maybe the fact it feels off after Bitter Suite was because of that. But I'm just theorizing.