Defining the Greater Good

Originally published March 21, 2001

When Legacy was originally broadcast it sparked an interesting debate on the Chakram mailing list. The discussion centered around the end of the episode, when Gabrielle tells Xena that saving her was against the "greater good". Xena replies to this by saying that some things are larger than the greater good -- and that Gabrielle is one of those things.

Many of the reviews I read that panned this episode pointed to this exchange as a primary reason. There was a feeling among some fans (especially those who are staunch supporters of the "battling bard") that "Xena's moral choices are always right, and Gabrielle's are always wrong." I understand how this point of view can be taken, but I don't completely agree with it.

First of all, there has been at least one time where Gabrielle's choice was the better one (and please, note the use of the word "better" instead of "right"). In The Price, Gabrielle's kindness and insistence on diplomacy are what end up saving the day -- Xena's ruthless command decisions in that episode are cast in a decidedly negative light.

Second, to look at the issue in terms of "Xena right, Gabrielle wrong" oversimplifies the complex morality the show sometimes examines. In fact, Xena's decision is a prime example of this complexity.

How does one go about quantifying the greater good? Is it, as Spock said in Star Trek 2, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one"? Can raw numbers so easily define the correct moral choice? Hardly. As Star Trek 3 goes on to demonstrate, sometimes the needs of the one are more important. Morality is rarely clear-cut.

Looking at Xena's choice in Legacy, I believe that it is justified, and even fits the themes the show has presented for years. Gabrielle was responsible for Korah's death -- she made the decision to kill him in that sandstorm (that was a poor decision, granted, but that is ultimately beside the point). The punishment that was going to be meted out -- before Xena arrived and saved the day -- was little more than classic vengeance dressed up in "the law". As we all know, vengeance is something that the series has been against since the earliest days, dressed up as the "cycle of violence".

So Gabrielle's death, while it may have been just under the law, was not doing anything to stop the cycle of death and revenge. Just as Gabrielle argued in Locked Up and Tied Down, punishing Xena for her crimes doesn't do anything to repair the damage done, it just tries to give those left behind some sense of closure.

I'm not saying that letting Gabrielle die would have been a "wrong" choice -- issues like this are far more complex than simple black and white. This is where the muddy moral ground develops.

The difference between Xena and Gabrielle can be seen when comparing Legacy to Locked Up and Tied Down. In the latter, Gabrielle makes her argument and lives with the decision handed down by the court -- she lives within the law, inside the boundaries society has laid down. Thus, when a similar situation develops in her life, she accepts what the law -- and society -- say is the right thing.

Xena, on the other hand, has lived outside the law for years. She has, in almost classic hero fashion, defined her own law by what she believes is right. Even in her "evil warlord" days, she was driven by that personal ideal -- it was simply twisted as a result of those she came into contact with.

Wait a minute, I hear you saying. In Locked Up, Xena meekly accepted the decision of the court as well. Doesn't this fly in the face of everything you've just presented? Not really, and there are two reasons why.

First, Xena was on a heavy-duty atonement kick at that point in season four. Her recent encounter with Najara (in Crusader) had gotten her thinking that it may be best for Gabrielle to not stay with her anymore -- especially in light of the death vision that ran as an undercurrent throughout the fourth season. By accepting the decision of the court, she was doing what she thought was best for Gabrielle.

Second, the crime Xena thought she was being punished for occurred back in her younger, "evil" days. This is different from Gabrielle's crime in Legacy, where she believed she was saving somebody's life.

In the end, Gabrielle's rescue is justified, and the theme of forgiveness and breaking the cycle of vengeance is reaffirmed. Gabrielle and Tazere may not have ended up the best of friends, but the cycle is broken. Isn't that, in a way, what the series is all about?

The greater good is not simply a matter of black and white, right and wrong, or some quantified amount of good for the most people. It is, ultimately, driven by our own personal sense of justice -- and while that sense may sometimes cry out for blood and vengeance, that often does nothing but perpetuate the cycle. Legacy does an excellent job of highlighting the balance that must be struck between vengeance and mercy.