OK first of all you all know that this particular episode has been embroiled in controversy since way BEFORE it was aired. Yup I read all the posts both here and at Jr. and yup I read all the spoilers and teases but decided to reserve opinion on my own thoughts until AFTER I saw it. And here...for all who are interested...they are...
Taking it from the top:
How can one fall asleep while sitting astride a horse? LOL Ahh well I suppose its kind of like the thing parents do with babies when they are cranky. ;) Anyway I think the Warrior Princess knew something weird was up right then and there. But Xena being Xena brushed the thought away because to her, at that point, it was insignificant.
Enter the GabHorse...what a magnificent animal! I must say that I was impressed...so noble, so proud and so beautiful. I still don't understand though how he got stuck in that trap. And I do think I saw him tethered to a tree with a rope while he was stuck. Of course I am doing this from memory only having seen the ep once (I like to stick with my first impressions when I write these) and so I could be wrong. How cool that it was Gabrielle who calmed him and not Xena. ;)
On to town...I loved it! Of course I always did have a fond place in my heart for westerns. Remember Bonanza? When I was a very very little girl my very first heart stopping love was for Little Joe Cartright. ;) I wondered how they could pull this part off considering the timeline but I think they did a magnificent job. I loved the costumes...ohhh love those hats...I want me one! (bo knows ;)) and the whole atmosphere just screamed Clint Easwood. LOL
Melosa...or maybe I should say Talia. She looked good! I loved her outfit! And what a cool idea to have a woman as a sheriff. I'm trying to think if I ever saw a woman portrayed as a sheriff in those spaghetti westerns...nope...don't remember one so good on the writers! (Yeah actually a positive statement there.)
The animal attraction...Gabrielle really does have a soft spot for horses. I wondered if this one reminded her of the one she had when she was a young girl. It was great to see that she had gotten over that sadness in her life. I LMAO at her bandaged foot and the way she hobbled around. The horsie just rolled his eyes at her (in horsie fashion)....it was great! I think this is good. Gabrielle has obviously wanted a pet for a long time (remember Tobias?) and now she has a faithful, loyal and very beautiful friend.
"You're pregnant"...OMG that poor healer. I certainly wouldn't want to be the one to tell Xena that she was "in the family way" especially since she didn't have the....um....family. ;) And she did react the way she should have...shock, anger, lashing out, telling him the way only she could that he was wrong. And then of course Talia's "Well you're looking a bit..." (insert blown out cheeks here, LOL) with Xena's insulted initial reaction....perfect! But again...done correctly because I don't think Xena would have accepted the healer's diagnosis alone. And coming from a friend...whose mother was a midwife to boot...yes...I can see her finally accepting it no matter how impossible it might have been.
Amarice/Armon/Joxer....well this I could have done without. Although I too LMAO when Amarice slipped on that soapy floor. But there was absolutely no chemistry between her and Armon. It was a total mismatch IMO. I think I could have even accepted her as having a thing for Joxer before believing she had the hots for Armon. Not much more I can say here except that it was obviously filler scripting...why I don't know but that's what it was IMO.
"I SAID MILK!!!" This is a line which will go down in Xenaverse history right alongside of..."You used my scroll?" "There weren't any good leaves." Loved it. Also loved the way Xena just couldn't get the gang's attention by saying over and over. "I'm pregnant." But when she did finally get them to listen the looks on all their faces were priceless. Gabrielle...Renee...running the gamut of emotions in a split second...from shock, to confustion, to feeling betrayed (it looked that way to me anyway), to plain old puzzlement was excellent.
The showdown...a classic. The panning back and forth between Talia and Darkon was perfect. The eyes, the twitching fingers, the stance....perfect for a high noon gunfight...only this time...they threw knives. I LMAO again. (Can you tell I liked this ep yet? LOL) And what a back up Gabrielle made. No mistake she was looking good...except for that ONE time she got distracted...again, she needs to work on her focusing. Other that that I do think excellent fighting skills are now in place. :) But whoa....shades of My Friend Flicka...what a horse!!! I totally did not expect him to bust through the barn door like that but gods....I LOVED IT!!! ;)
Overall....
Well Gabrielle finally has her horsie. Amarice said good-bye to Armon...(whew thank the gods)...Joxer...well Joxer is still Joxer, LOL...and Xena is happy that she is pregnant. And yes, I think they did the right thing making this into a light hearted episode rather than a dark one. Because had that happened, the dark mood would have had to carry through the remaining episodes until that baby was born. That IMO would not have been a good thing because after the baby came and Xena found out this child was a being of good (if indeed this is what happens)...then Xena would have had to deal with her own mixed emotions and fight the demons inside of her which may make her want to reject the child. No this would not have been a good thing IMO
"I feel life Gabrielle...and its good." I think that said it all. No matter how this life came to be within her, XENA is happy. She has accepted it and she would NOT have done that if it wasn't what she wanted. Does she see this as a second chance? Does this make up for deserting Solan? Or for the way she treated Hope? I do think she wants to do it right this time. Yes she and Gabrielle are a two horse family now....and more. :)
I know there will be tons of you who don't agree with my impressions here but they ARE mine and I will stick to them. For all the naysayers crying rape...well...I remind you...its not HOW the child is conceived but HOW you love that child after its born. I think Xena is going to love this baby...very much. :)
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