A Solstice Carol

Xena scribe Chris Manheim gives a Xenaversian spin to your typical holiday special in this delightful episode. Directed by John Kretchmer and originally aired in December of 1996, this episode takes elements from several different holiday staples and combines them into a single tale.

It is Solstice Eve, and during their travels Xena and Gabrielle arrive in the ubiquitous village that dominated much of the first and second seasons. This particular version is ruled by King Silvas, a miserly old ruler who is intended to bring to mind Ebenezer Scrooge, the central character of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. (In fact, many of his lines in the episode are loose rewriting from Dickens's Christmas classic.)

Silvas lost his wife thirty years earlier, and has since banned the celebration of Solstice -- the longest night of the year. He has also taxed his people to the brink of poverty. His clerk, an ex-toy maker by the name of Senticles, is given a notice to shut down an orphanage that very night.

Gabrielle, in the spirit of the holiday, encourages Xena to change Silvas's mind "without breaking heads." Xena does her best, and changes the king's mind without beating him up. Gabrielle inspires Senticles, and he undergoes a transformation into the bearded, flue-diving gift bearer that we've come to know and love.

The plot borrows from several holiday classics. There is the aforementioned A Christmas Carol, and the "Santa Claus" origin calls to mind from the stop-motion animated special Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, where the selfish and miserly burgermeister has banned toys, and a young Nicholas comes to the rescue.

But what is a Xena episode without a good fight sequence? This episode's closing act owes a great deal to the original Home Alone, where a cute little McCauley Culkin defends his home using a variety of toys.

Much of the joy found in this episode, looking back on it now, is how fresh it feels -- especially given the glut of holiday clichés that are packed inside. You have your miserly (and miserable) old man who has a change of heart, a chorus of orphans, and the good will towards men message. There is even the climactic snowfall. (Granted, in this case the "snow" is feathers from the stuffed animals used to drive off the guards, but it still counts.)

Joseph LoDuca's score for this episode (much of which can be found on the second soundtrack disc from Varese Sarabande records) is magical, filled with flutes and bells. This episode shows how effective good music can be. There are a couple of wonderfully clever examples of LoDuca's music in this episode. They include:

• Gabrielle playing "Jingle Bells" on a couple of guards during the final fight scene.
• The "Good, Bad and Ugly" music tag while Senticles loads a crossbow and quotes Dirty Harry ("Go ahead, make my day").
• Xena's use of a Hercules marionette (that strongly resembles Kevin Sorbo) while a variant of the Hercules theme plays.

This episode also introduces Tobias, a donkey that Gabrielle rescues from the tannery. While this critter only appears in this episode, he is as wonderfully developed as Argo became. In the end, Gabrielle gives him to a young couple with an infant (who strongly resemble Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus).

One final piece of trivia: the toy lamb that Xena presents to Gabrielle at the end of this episode reappears again in later episodes. In Gabrielle's Hope, Gabrielle puts the toy in the basket with the infant Hope. Later, in Maternal Instincts, it is how Gabrielle identifies her daughter.

Watching this classic episode again, I was surprised to see Renee O'Connor looking so young, but this episode serves to highlight the maturity Gabrielle gained during the intervening years. It was clear to me that the cast and crew had a wonderful time making this episode, and it deserves a place alongside the more widely accepted Xena classics.

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