A Friend in Need, Part 2

Story by Rob Tapert and R.J. Stewart
Teleplay by R.J. Stewart
Directed by Rob Tapert

I didn't think they'd do it, but it ended in the best way possible.

Several weeks before the show ended, I wrote a piece about the end of the series, and how I would end it if I had creative control. I saw three possible endings: Xena and Gabrielle could walk off into the sunset and other adventures, Xena could retire and Gabrielle could carry on the hero work, or Xena could die.

Personally, the death of Xena seemed to be the only satisfactory way to end the show. The premise of the series was Xena's quest for redemption. Despite everything that has happened in the past six years, I don't think that she would have quietly accepted retirement. Her conscience bothers her too much for that. In Xena's mind, only the greatest sacrifice would be able to redeem her -- the loss of her own life in defense of others.

Cynic that I am, however, I didn't think that they would do it. The possibility of a movie a few years down the line, and the money that could still be made seemed too great a temptation. Would Rob kill the golden goose? I honestly didn't think it was very likely.

There was quite a bit of negative feeling in the fans because Xena was killed. I can certainly understand this attitude -- after all, we have come to love this dark-haired warrior over the years, and it is never easy to let someone we love go.

Xena (the series) is myth. The purpose of myth (among other things) is to instruct. What lesson can be drawn from this final tale? There are two lessons that I feel can (and should) be learned.

First, the greatest and most heroic sacrifice that any person can make is that of his or her own life. Xena knew the cost of saving the souls trapped by Yodoshi was her own life. It was a price she was willing to pay. I'm sure that her self-assumed responsibility for their torment made it easier (that hyper-active conscience acting up again), but it was still a tremendously heroic act.

The other lesson is perhaps even more important. Gabrielle accepted her friend's choice. She did not invalidate Xena's sacrifice by acting out of her own selfish need. Instead, she realized that Xena would always be with her, even in death. Carrying on the battle for the greater good is what Xena would want -- and the greatest way to honor her life.

In the same way, we should celebrate the life of Xena. Even though the series has ended, it will always remain a part of our hearts. We should strive to carry on the lessons we have learned over the years, honoring the memory of a show that has made us more than we could have ever hoped to be.

There are several bits and pieces in this episode that jumped out at me, and I would like to highlight a few of them.

First of all, the episode opens with Xena burying her armor. This is a very significant moment. As you may recall, we first met Xena (in Sins of the Past) as she was burying her armor. The series is framed by these two events. In the series premiere, it was an attempt to turn away from the warrior path she had been following. In the finale, it appears to be an act of acceptance.

Xena went out the way I always felt she should -- in glorious battle, taking as many of the enemy with her as she could. Despite multiple arrow wounds (I counted six, though there were probably more) she mows down soldiers like they were so much wheat. It is only with her lifeblood ebbing away that she is finally brought down.

What was up with the massive explosion? I know that science and history are a little skewed in the Xenaverse, but could somebody explain to me why it looked like Xena had set off a small-yield nuclear weapon? The firestorm and subsequent gale-force winds were way out of proportion with the amount of gunpowder.

I really liked that Gabrielle put the pieces together and figured out that Xena wasn't expecting to come back.

The plan to defeat Yodoshi wasn't particularly convoluted, as far as Xena plans go. Get the anklet that summons him, set a trap, and then kill him. Of course, nothing is ever that simple. It turns out Yodoshi is drinking from the Fountain of Strength -- the same fountain that Gabrielle is taking Xena's ashes to. I loved the look that passed over Xena's face when she realized what was going on.

The duel between Gabrielle and the commander of the army was excellent, and very true to what I understand about samurai dueling. Unlike western sword fighting, the samurai duel consists of a very quick exchange that decides the winner very quickly. Of course, Gabrielle can't kill her opponent in cold blood, so she simply cold-cocks him.

That whole sequence -- from the moment Gabrielle enters the camp, to her departure with Xena's body -- reminded me of the classic film Unforgiven. There is a climactic revenge sequence that takes place during a storm in that movie as well, and the mood was eerily similar.

During the funeral pyre, I thought the background music should have been the famous dirge sung by Lucy Lawless (first heard in The Path Not Taken). Ah well. I can always mute the scene and play my CD in the background.

Isn't it fortunate that funerary urns come equipped with childproof caps? The amount of tossing about that urn took was a bit extreme.

I noticed one hiccup in the episode continuity. They refer to the sacred katana multiple times as the weapon that will defeat Yodoshi. During the fight in the bathhouse, the sword used is the Ghost Hunter's. Then during the climactic fight at the Fountain of Strength, Xena asks Gabrielle for the sacred katana -- and Gabrielle gives her the sword she has been carrying!

This can, I suppose, be explained away. The monk was supposed to say the prayers that would bless the blade, giving it the necessary power. He could easily have done this with Ghost Hunter's sword, and the sacred katana (which Xena claimed in the first part, and Gabrielle was carrying because she had recovered Xena's body) had the necessary power already. It isn't a big deal, but it did strike me as a little odd.

During an appearance on the Late Show with Conan O'Brien the week before the finale aired, Lucy said that Rob had "outed her character" in the finale. I don't really see this as official confirmation of the dynamic duo's lesbian relationship, but there is evidence in the finale to support that interpretation. There is, of course, "the kiss". Gabrielle transfers a mouthful of water from the Fountain of Strength in classic "mouth-to-mouth" fashion. The expression on both their faces after that exchange is very. interesting. I'll let the individual viewers to make up their own minds.

(By the way, don't take that as my ringing endorsement of the "subtext" in the series. I have never denied that the series could be interpreted that way, but I still maintain that their sexual relationship -- or lack thereof -- has any real bearing on the message of the series. They love each other, and let's leave it at that.)

I nearly cheered when Gabrielle threw the chakram -- it was a wonderful moment, and I think it was another clue that Xena wasn't coming back. The chakram had accepted a new master, if you want to look at it that way. Alternatively, you can see it as the moment Gabrielle stepped into Xena's shoes. Another part of Xena's saga has ended -- the apprentice is now on her own.

There were a couple of moments during that final battle when Xena and Gabrielle were gazing meaningfully at each other while other stuff was happening. My thoughts at the time, "Hey girls, the fight isn't over yet. There's still a demon to slay!" It was very touching, but seemed inappropriate at the time.

Xena and Gabrielle's final moments together as the sun goes down are very touching. In many ways, I feel that this scene is the true end of the series. The scene on the boat is more of an epilogue.

And speaking of the scene on the boat...

If there is one scene that is open to interpretation in this episode, it is this one. I really enjoyed how Gabrielle picked up where they had left off at the opening of this two-part epic. I liked the irony that she was now the girl with the chakram.

There are two ways those final moments can be taken. First, you can believe that Xena's spirit is literally hanging around, and will offer Gabrielle advice, be a companion, or whatever else is necessary.

Or you can take the point of view that I prefer -- Xena was merely in Gabrielle's mind, and that while Xena continues to live in Gabrielle's heart, she isn't literally hanging about "in spirit". The former cheapens Xena's sacrifice in my mind, because she didn't really lose anything.

So, when all is said and done, what do I think of this episode? It is very difficult to say. I don't think it was the finest hours of the series, but it was very well done. I think the problem with this episode (like so many others the last couple of seasons) is that there has been a strong sense of "been there, done that". Many of the stories are different takes on old episodes, shifted around because of the changes in Xena and Gabrielle's relationship.

There was very little that was fresh, or new in A Friend in Need. Does that weaken its impact? Perhaps a little. But I think the fact that the ending upsets people, that people have found themselves in shock, on the verge of tears says quite a bit about the impact of this episode, and the entire series.

There are episodes that I like better than this one. There are episodes that I feel are more technically brilliant. But I don't think I have ever been quite as surprised as I was when Xena kept Gabrielle from pouring her ashes into the fountain. Even at the end, Rob Tapert and the rest of the staff took a risk, and I believe it paid off wonderfully.

This episode earns an A-minus.

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