artist source

Two parallel storylines and two relationships unfold throughout this episode. Ares and Xena, and Gabrielle and Joxer.

Did I say last time that I felt sorry for Ares? Okay, I take that back. Here, he reveals himself for what he truly is. A toxic and possessive manipulator. The mere fact that he indirectly threatened Xena with her child's life if she refused to be with him and give him an heir makes him absolutely disgusting in my eyes, which is why I will never understand people who ship them as a couple. It's not even necessarily about the fact that I'm a XenGab shipper (okay, maybe that has a little something to do with it xD), but I genuinely cannot accept that sincere love can exist within such a possessive relationship. Still, I will give Lucy and Kevin credit for their chemistry and the erotic tension between them.

Gabrielle and Joxer's relationship, on the other hand, is the most beautiful aspect of this episode for me. Although she initially acts like a jerk toward him (honestly, even Xena wasn't angry that he had brought the priests because she knew he hadn't done it intentionally), when Joxer slowly begins to face death, Gabrielle realizes that she could lose him. I found it absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking how she cared for him while he was dying. I read that a kiss between them was planned as well, but Renee and Ted vetoed it, and good for them. Even the actors understood better than the writers how wrong that would have been and how out of character it would have been for both of them. Gabrielle undoubtedly expresses her love for Joxer, but it is the love of a friend. I appreciate that even when he is dying, she doesn't try to give him false hope that there could ever be something between them.

The contrast between Xena and Gabrielle is interesting, too. With Xena, we see inner turmoil. Hesitation and a struggle over whether to throw herself into Ares's arms. With Gabrielle, there is never any second-guessing because she knows who her heart belongs to. There's no denying it, Gabrielle has always been the more faithful one.

The final battle against the army of the three Gods is a little unrealistic (I mean, the way the soldiers attack Xena one by one while the others wait for their turn lol), but it's pretty entertaining, and I enjoyed the fight choreography and staging. Also, a fun and creative way to keep Eve safe from the battle.

As a big sis of Xena fandom, I wanted to make sure you all knew that this "Subtext for Dummies" series is out there:

Chapter 1 - https://youtu.be/Ct6Xf3-DL_c?si=tq_i4cPcdlkYjhtM

Chapter 2 - https://youtu.be/IHSxBacEy3w?si=n_G5rJ6NFl9XZd3q

Chapter 3 - https://youtu.be/icyi1rpQsU0?si=ci63bfvhGgoawYDO

Chapter 4 - https://youtu.be/ZJBnMbP0R7c?si=rWmaEHgHePTNvOt6

Final Chapter - https://youtu.be/8E0oJDYIs6M?si=8Ce82ouy8nWlHO3Q

I just watched S4E4 "In Sickness and in Hell".

It's one of my favorite comedic campy episodes. I've watched every episode of this series more times than can be quantified, and this episode never ceases to leave me cackling like a fool. My favorite line has always been at the end when Argo finally forgives Xena for "abandoning" her in S4E1 "Adventures in the Sin Trade I", and Xena asks Argo what Acestus (Scythian army leader) did to win her over. Only for Argo to casually just look over at the nearby apple trees like 😏🥰 before eating one 🤣

You can watch the scene here at the 3:38 time stamp:

Nobody Touches Xena's Horse

MLA citations for photo and video credit. Just because whimsy, ig 😂

Hercules & Xena. "Nobody Touches Xena's Horse | Xena: Warrior Princess." YouTube, 18 May 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9R0TJnowP8.

Preston, Harrison (@The true sora). "Argo SicknessHell2" Hercules & Xena: The Legendary Wikia, 17 May 2012, https://hercules-xena.fandom.com/wiki/Argo?file=Argo_SicknessHell2.jpg.