Who's Gurkhan?

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

If you've read my previous reviews, I wasn't terribly impressed with Season Six up to this point. I felt the episodes were somewhat dull, and the writing hasn't been up to the standards that I've come to expect from the series. That said, I was thrilled with this most recent offering by the Xenastaff, which marks the first script by R.J. Stewart this season.

A comparison of this episode to the previous three shows just how good R.J. is. There were no gaping plot holes that I could find. The characters were true to their backgrounds and motivations. The tension and drama were cranked much higher than Heart of Darkness. This is how Xena should be written.

And yet, the storyline is less complex than anything else so far this season. It is a story driven by the characters, rather than by some artificial plot mechanic that must be satisfied. In my opinion, it stands even with the best dramatic episodes of the series.

(It is, I suppose, possible that the recent spate of mediocrity we've been subject to has made me much more forgiving of the foibles in a solid episode like this one. Still, even after watching multiple times, I find myself enthralled by the taut storytelling.)

The plot in this episode focuses on Gabrielle. She returns to Potedeia to find out what has happened to her family in the twenty-five years since Ares put her and Xena on ice. Gabby's sister Lilla still lives in the old house, and passes along some troublesome news. A villain known as Gurkhan kidnapped Lilla's daughter, Sarah, years earlier. When Lilla's husband and parents went to retrieve her, Gurkhan had them executed.

This sets up the primary conflict for the episode. Driven by grief and rage, Gabrielle resolves to travel to North Africa and kill Gurkhan. Xena, who knows that vengeance is not a healthy reason to do anything, goes along to make sure Gabrielle doesn't make a huge mistake.

Xena and Gabrielle infiltrate Gurkhan's harem, learn the fate of Sarah, and rescue the other slaves in the harem. It is a tightly woven story with high personal stakes for both Xena and Gabrielle. Gabrielle seeks revenge for her dead family, and Xena is afraid for Gabrielle's life and moral stability.

The episode is directed by Michael Hurst, and contains a lot of his trademark sensuality. Much like his earlier directing credit, Antony and Cleopatra, Hurst uses the camera here to contrast the internal and external natures of the characters. There is a lot of moral ambiguity in this episode, and Hurst uses it wonderfully. The physical beauty of the characters often masks a dark undercurrent in their heart.

The previous episode also had a great deal of sensuality, but when compared to the beauty crafted here, Heart of Darkness comes across as cheap smut, while this episode is high-class erotica.

There are two things I would like to focus on in this episode. The first is the near-fatal sacrifice Xena makes for her friend. When Gabrielle arrives in Gurkhan's palace and attempts to kill him, Xena stops the assassination. Not only that, she takes the fall for her friend, knowing that it very well may cost Xena her life.

The love and devotion shown in this act are tremendous. Xena willingly accepts the punishment that Gabrielle would have earned. Subtexters should rejoice at this affirmation of Xena's love for Gabrielle.

In fact, the phantom appearances of Gabrielle while Xena is being tortured relate to a comment that Xena makes earlier in the episode. She tells one of the other harem girls to keep thinking of her fiance, because the image of someone she loves will carry her through the ordeal. In the same way, Xena clings to Gabrielle's image to carry her through the abuse and torture that she suffers.

It would be no surprise if a hue and cry were raised over the brutal treatment we witness while Xena is in Gurkhan's dungeon. Abuse against women is a serious problem in our society, and images of abuse are sure to be shocking.

I would caution people to go with their knee-jerk reaction to the sequence, however, because it goes to show the depth of Xena's love for Gabrielle. Even if you don't accept the sexual interpretation of Xena and Gabrielle's relationship, you cannot deny that this sequence irrefutably affirms Xena's love for her friend.

The other issue I would like to mention is the parallel story construction that occurred with the mystery over Gurkhan's identity, and the mystery of Sarah's identity. It was very well handled. This jaded and cynical TV viewer was caught off guard by the revelation of Sarah's identity.

The mystery of Gurkhan's identity served to distract us from the other mystery - which of the girls in the harem was Gabrielle's niece? The way the story played out, I felt we were intentionally led to believe a different girl was Sarah. They chose an actress who bore a strong physical resemblance to Willa O'Neill (Lilla), and the episode was directed so that we might be led to believe she was the wayward niece.

Of course, when the moment of discovery finally came, it made perfect sense. I take it as a sign of good writing that I was distracted enough to not pierce the mystery of Sarah's identity. It appears that Sarah takes more after her aunt than her mother. It was an excellent job of casting and directing.

Excellent performances abounded in this episode. Xena and Gabrielle's role-reversal was well played. In the early episodes of the series, Gabrielle was often the one acting to restrain Xena's more murderous impulses. Lucy and Renee both turned in wonderful work - Renee played the grief-stricken vengeance seeker wonderfully, and Xena played the devoted friend with her head on straight.

Eve's role in this was likewise good. She provided some background on Gurkhan and the city, and also served as a parallel to Sarah. The final scene on board the ship where she Sarah and Eve were talking about the past and how they could be forgiven was well written and well acted.

The actress who played Sarah likewise gave a good performance. She played much of the episode as a stone cold bitch, but when the truth was uncovered, the shattered little girl came out. The scene in the dungeon when Xena and Gabrielle rescue her was heart wrenching.

Even Virgil, one of the most popular fan punching bags since his father, served a purpose in this episode. He helped Xena and Gabrielle infiltrate the harem, and got out of the way once they were there. He filled the role that traditionally would have been taken by either Joxer or Autolycus (depending on when the episode was made). He distinguished himself from either one of those characters, however, and stayed out of the way once his job was done.

The only character that wasn't really developed was Gurkhan himself, but we don't need him to be. He's a typical Xena villain -- a warlord who is taking advantage of innocents. Judging by the abuse perpetrated in his dungeons, he deserves the punishment meted out at the end.

All around, this is an excellent episode. It is amazing what somebody who knows the characters can do to produce a solidly written script. Wonderful acting and directing, stunning visuals, and a tightly woven storyline make this episode an instant classic (at least, in my humble opinion). After careful consideration, I give this episode the coveted "A" rating.

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