Purity

Written by Jeff Vlaming
Directed by Mark Beesley

In contrast to Them Bones, Them Bones, which I felt was a good story marred by clumsy execution, this episode is solidly written, well paced, and thoroughly enjoyable. Perhaps not quite as good as Chakram, but certainly on the plus side of a generally uneven season.

In my original approach to this episode, I couldn't really come up with a way to approach it. Then I sat down and slogged through the sixty-odd messages that were in my e-mail box (from the Chakram mailing list). My course became clear -- I would comment on the commentary. As a result, you may find this particular commentary jumps around a bit. Sorry.

During this stage of the series, there seemed to be two camps in regards to Xena and Gabrielle's partnership (and I'm not talking about a "subtextual" partnership). Group one is those who are annoyed when Gabrielle is cast in a retro "damsel in distress" mode. Group two are those who are annoyed when Gabrielle is off on her own, independent of the Warrior Princess.

Should we complain when Gabrielle displays different attitudes from week to week? There were many fans out there who felt that way. Every person though displays different facets of their personality depending on the circumstances they find themselves in. The reason for these changes can be as simple and varied as the person's mood, the people they are around, what they had for breakfast -- even the weather can affect somebody's demeanor.

While I suppose some of the inconsistency of Gabrielle's character can be attributed to plot needs (as some fans claimed), I think that Gabrielle is a more fleshed out, more "real" character by the very fact that her attitude changes from time to time. Ultimately, while her demeanor does change from episode to episode, her nature doesn't.

That's where I come from when analyzing consistency of character. Are the actions taken by the individual consistent with their nature? I can personally think of very few cases where Gabrielle's essential nature is contradicted. I'm sure there are people who will come up with examples, and all I can say is that everybody has their own definition of what Gabrielle's "core essence" consists of. That is really what this debate is about, and it kept surfacing every year, starting with the third season, and the "deconstruction" of the show's central characters.

So that's where I stand. Try to keep it in mind while I touch on a few of the things in this episode.

Perhaps an alternate title for this episode could be Ancient Chinese Secrets because of the two parallel plot lines. There is the spiritual conflict between Xena and the twin daughters of Lao Ma. They explore Lao Ma's teachings and uncover the secret behind the mystical power Lao Ma had at her command, a power which Xena had briefly harnessed before (in The Debt from season three). The other plot revolves around the efforts of Gabrielle and Joxer to uncover the secret of Black Powder so they can combat the physical danger posed by the army that threatens to conquer Chin.

The two stories complement each other nicely -- the drama and almost leisurely pace from the Xena plot is contrasted by the humor and adventure of the Gabrielle/Joxer plot. When the plot lines diverge, the episode goes back and forth between them very nicely. It never felt to me like they were staying with one story too long.

I found Gabrielle's "MacGyver" moment in the stocks to be very amusing. Yeah, it's an old bit (as somebody pointed out) but it could very easily have gotten crude, and it didn't. There was innuendo (obviously) but it didn't stray into the realm of what I consider poor taste (like say, some of the moments from In Sickness and In Hell).

I also thought the marketplace scene leading up to that moment was wonderful. Joxer was the archetypical "ugly American tourist" -- if you speak at them loudly and repeat everything ten times, then they'll understand you. And his outfit... nice and inconspicuous. All in all, Joxer (as he was in Animal Attraction) was once again funny without being totally annoying. I saw almost all the gags coming, but they were still funny. Was the water dripping on Joxer's head a nod to fans who feel that Joxer is that kind of torture? Even if it isn't, you've got to wonder.

While Xena's plot line is slower paced and more introspective, Xena gets her own licks in as well. Catching a rocket in midair and sending it back to the launcher? Only on this show would something so audacious actually work. Also, the standoff in the camp at the end, while it wasn't quite as stylish as the "Magic Mendhi" poses from Between the Lines, did look cool.

All in all, I have to give this episode a high rating. I enjoyed it tremendously, and found very little to complain about. The pacing was good, the story was solid and handled the multiple linked plot lines well. Characterization was consistent. Certainly not the absolute finest moment in the overall series, but I think it is a worthy follow-up to The Debt.

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