Season Two - 1996/97
Orphan Of War
Xena arrives at the edge of Centaur lands in search of a warlord called Dagnen who was once a member of her army. She is certain he is searching for a stone that contains all the evil of the Centaur race in the hope it will bring him massive powers. After a fight with his men, she has a tense meeting with a Centaur named Calipus to whom she had made a promise never return to his lands many years before. At the end of the meeting, a young boy jumps down from the trees and tries to attack her - after he is called off by Calipus, Xena confesses to Gabrielle that the boy, Solon, is her son. Having promised the Centaurs that they will help with the fight against Dagnen, Gabrielle and Xena are welcomed into the Centaur village. Meanwhile Dagnen is using the services of a warlock with a home made telescope to try and find out what Xena is up to and catches a piece of the conversation about her son. Dagnen kidnaps the boy and holds him captive in his camp, and of course Xena comes to rescue him. During the rescue attempt, Xena and Solon find themselves in the Ixion Caverns, the place the mythical stone is supposed to be and are pursued by Dagnen. They discover the stone had been found and hidden elsewhere by Solon's father, and proceed to escape. In the process, Solon drops his father's sword and the handle breaks open revealing the stone which falls into Dagnen's hands. Dagnen makes an elixir my melting the stone and drinks it and becomes the evil Centaur described by myth, and proceeds to attack the Centaur village.
Episode: 2.1, US airdate: 30 Sep 96.
Remember Nothing
When Xena defends their temple from attacking thieves, the three Fates appear to her and offer her anything she wants as thanks for her help. She asks that they change history so that her brother didn't die fighting along side her and that she is no longer a warrior. They agree but warn her that the first time she kills, the timeline will revert to how it was before they interfere. As Xena explores this other reality, she struggles to find a way to help those she loves without going down the path that led her to being a Warrior. This becomes increasingly difficult, not least when she discovers that Gabrielle is a slavegirl in this other reality...
Episode: 2.2, US airdate: 7 Oct 96.
Guest Stars: Aaron Devitt (Lyceus?), Robert Harte (Mathias?).
Giant Killer
Xena returns to a graveyard full of giant's bones on the tenth anniversary of a battle, and is met there by Goliath, a giant and former friend. She soon discovers that Goliath is working as a mercenary for the Philistines who are trying to subdue a race called the israelities. Seeing how they are being treated, Xena soon ends up on the other side from Goliath and has to prepare to face him in battle. She finds her loyaties strained to breaking point when she realises she is going to have to kill him.
Episode: 2.3, US airdate: 14 Oct 96.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
When they hear of six abductions of local girls, Xena and Gabrielle venture into the woods where the Bacchae are known to live to try and recover them. No sooner do they enter than they meet Joxer who is being pursued by wolves who are almost definitely in truth the Bacchae. After fighting them off, Joxer opens the bag he was carrying and shows it's contents to Xena - it is the head of Orpheus, the musican who keeps Bacchus the god of wine and his deadly bloodsucking followers the Bacchae at bay. Deprived of his body by Bacchus, he can no longer play his lyre and thus the Bacchae are on the loose. Returning to the place where he left his lyre, they found his friend murdered and the lyre gone. A festival is in full swing and Gabrielle is drawn into dancing with two women who may well be Bacchae themselves. Seperately a pair of thieves come on two girls carrying the lyre and attempt to steal it from them, a bad move since the girls are Bacchae. Having been unable to recover the lyre, Xena and party attempt to enter the caves where Bacchus and his followers dwell, a task hampered by the fact that Gabrielle becomes a Bacchae herself. Drawn into Bacchus web of depravity, Gabrielle turns on her friends and only by becoming a Bacchae herself can Xena hope to complete her mission and save Gabrielle.
Episode: 2.4, US airdate: 21 Oct 96.
Guest Stars: Ted Raimi (Joxer), Matthew Chamberlain (Orpheus), Anthony Ray Parker (Bacchus).
Return of Callisto
It's feeding time at a prison and a new prison warder is being shown the ropes as they dish out a thick porridge to each prisoner. The new warder is told to be especially careful of one prisoner - a young blonde woman (Callisto) strapped down in a huge confining chair. She torments the warder and enraged he goes in and hits her, giving her the opportunity to relieve him of a knife. She uses it to escape her bonds and her cell and slaughters all the prison warders. Meanwhile Perdicus finds Xena and Gabrielle and proposes to Gabrielle, who while initially unsure in the end agrees to marry him. Joxer arrives with the news that Callisto has escaped. Gabrielle marries Perdicus and together they set off for home while Xena and Joxer plan to stop Callisto. Xena puts her pinch on Theodorus and discovers that Callisto has followed Gabrielle and plans to kill her as a way of destroying all Xena cares about. Callisto catches up with the unarmed Gabrielle and Perdicus in some swampy marshes and is about to kill Gabrielle when Xena arrives; Xena stops her but as Callisto leaves she kills Perdicus. After a funeral pyre for Perdicus, Gabrielle insists that Xena teach her how to kill with a sword so that she can go after Callisto herself - this Xena is extremely unwilling to do. Knowing that Xena will stand in her way, Gabrielle tells Xena that she's going home to mourn, but instead goes into Callisto's stronghold and plans to kill her. When she gets there however she realises that all of those who love her have valued her blood innocence and moral values above all else, and she cannot strike the blow. She is soon a prisoner of Callisto, and Xena is soon also caught and tied up in Callisto's prison chair, while Gabrielle is tied up and burnt at the stake. Joxer rushes in in an attempt to save them but is soon captured, but not before his actions have allowed Xena to retrieve her Chakram.
Episode: 22.5, US airdate: 28 Oct 96.
Guest Star: Hudson Leick (Callisto), Ted Raimi (Joxer), Scott Garrison (Perdicus).
Warrior...Princes...Tramp
Xena arrives at the court of King Lias where the king is desperately ill and Diana (who looks identical to Xena) is likely to ascend to the throne - Diana asks for her help. Meanwhile Gabrielle is shocked when she encounters Joxer in a bar describing a sexual encounter with Xena, which she reprimands him for, and they proceed to the court. Gabrielle is even more shocked when Xena doesn't seem to recognise her and throws her into the dungeon. Soon it becomes apparent that the Xena at the court is an imposter, a situation further confused when the real Xena arrives. It turns out that a third identical woman, a tramp called Meg, is being used by a power hungry warlord to stand in for Diana, and take her place on the throne.
Episode: 2.6, US airdate: 4 Nov 96.
Guest Star: Ted Raimi (Joxer).
Intimate Stranger
Xena and Gabrielle are trying to track down Callisto's men and bring them to justice but Xena keeps being troubled by nightmares in which Callisto and Ares accuse her of murdering Callisto. Callisto soons tricks Xena into coming down into Tartarus and swaps bodies, returning to the world of the living in Xena's body. Xena calls on Hades to help her and he agrees to let her return to the world of the living for one day in Callisto's body to try and stop Callisto and Ares. Meantime, Callisto in Xena's body is causing havoc; injuring Argo, teaching Gabrielle to kill, and taking over Callisto's old army. Callisto then arranges to round up the citizens of Xena's home village and burn them as the ultimate act of revenge against Xena. Ares becomes infuriated with Callisto who will not stop her crusade of revenge and become the Warrior Princess he wants to lead his army. Xena finally forces a showdown with Callisto, and they both return to Tartarus where Xena wins the right to return to the land of the living, but with a difference - she's still trapped in Callisto's body.
Episode: 2.7, US airdate: 11 Nov 96.
Guest Star: Hudson Leick (Callisto/Xena), Ted Raimi (Joxer).
Ten Little Warlords
Xena still stuck in Callisto's body wakes Gabrielle who is once again shocked by her appearance. Joxer arrives with an invitation apparently from Ares addressed to Callisto, and they immediately smell a rat knowing that Xena is in Callisto's body and the real Ares knows that. The invitation leads them to a small port where they see a number of warlords gathering. Things take a turn for the strange when Gabrielle starts a fight over the price of fishcakes and Xena finds Ares, drunk, in a tavern. He tells Xena that he's been stripped of his godhood because someone has stolen his sword and he asks for her help in getting it back. At first she's unsure and doesn't believe his statement that he was a benevolent god of war, but when Gabrielle starts her second fight in the matter of a few minutes, Xena begins to believe him. Acting on the invitations, Xena and Ares board a boat in the dock and set sail for an island where they are told there will be a competition to determine who will be the next god of war. Upon their arrival they hear the screams of a monster, and on entering the castle, Xena suspects the work of Sisyphus, a master trickster, who duly appears. Over the course of the evening, the various warlords start trying to do away with each other in a quest to be the first to try the competition with the monster. Meanwhile Gabrielle and Joxer have arrived on the island, and Gabrielle is determined to slay the monster herself, leading Joxer to quip "What are you supposed to be? A fierce warlord trapped in the body of Gabrielle?". After Ares gets caught in a trap, Xena struggles to free him. She becomes convinced that Sisyphus will have hidden the sword in plain sight and goes back to look for it. Returning it to Ares, he returns to being a god and dispatches Sisyphus back to Tartarus. Gabrielle arrives and reminds Ares of his promise to Xena to return her to her own body, but he disappears without doing so. As they walk back along the beach to the boat Gabrielle and Joxer came in, there is a sudden change and Xena is once again back in her own body.
Episode: 2.8, US airdate: 18 Nov 96.
Guest Stars: Hudson Leick (Xena), Kevin Smith (Ares), Ted Raimi (Joxer), Charles Siebert (Sisyphus).
Solstice Carol
It is the eve of the winter solstice and Xena and Gabrielle are shopping for presents for each other in the market of a small town when a young boy steals her chakram from her belt. Following him, she discovers he's taken her chakram to have the pride of place at the top of a decorated tree at the orphanage where he lives. Hearing that the Orphanage is to be evicted from it's building on the eve of Solstice on the orders of the King, Xena determines to visit the King and get him to reverse the heartless decision. Gabrielle tries to pursuade Xena to let her handle it peacefully in deference to the season. Reluctantly Xena agrees and soon she, Gabrielle and one of the King's minions, Senticles, a former toymaker; are staging a visit from each of the three Fates in turn to show to the King the error of his ways.
Episode: 2.9, US airdate: 9 Dec 96.
Xena Scrolls
Macedonia 1942: Leading archiologist Janice Covington (Renee O'Connor) is supervising a dig hunting for the legendary Xena scrolls, a fragment of which her father, an infamous tombrobber found many years before. She seems close to a solution but keeps getting distracted from the dig by various parties trying to get in on the action. One of these, with a seemingly genuine offer of help, is one Melinda Papus (Lucy Lawless) who's father was a leading archiologist and who has a significant experience in translating old writtings. After re-interpreting the fragment Janice's father discovered to point out that Xena was dark haired, and it was Callisto who was blonde, she reads a tablet found outside a sealed tomb and manages to open it's lock. Being shepherded at gun point my a dodgy Englishman called Smythe and his henchmen, Janice and Mel enter the tomb. Mel manages to trip several of the traps set within the tomb to discourage grave robbers, and is instructed to sit down. As she does so, she triggers the repository of the scrolls to swing open. Collecting the scrolls, and finding one half of Xena's Chakram (which only Mel can remove), they try to leave only to be threatened once again by Smythe and his men. Running from them Janice and Mel (and a further companion, appartantly a French Military Officer) find themselves in a large cavern with a coffin prominently placed in the centre. From this tomb arises Ares, the god of war, who had been imprisoned there by Xena. When the Chakram is reassembled from its two parts, Mel becomes inhabited by the spirit of Xena, and tries to fight Ares and prevent his release into the world again.
Episode: 2.10, US airdate: 13 Jan 97.
Guest Stars: Lucy Lawless (Melinda Papus), Renee O'Connor (Janis Covington), Ted Raimi (Jacques Sur), Kevin Smith (Ares).
Here She Comes... Miss Amphipolis
Salmoneus summons Xena and Gabrielle to come to his aid; telling them it's hugely important and their help is needed to stop a war. As they walk along a beach, they discover a group of beauties in skimpy costumes being attacked by some thugs. Xena sees off the thugs with some spirited use of seashells. Somewhat to their annoyance they discover that what Salmoneus is refering to is a beauty pagent he's involved in organising which is being sabotaged, bringing three local chieftans to the point of war. Each is certain that the girl he is sponsoring is the most beautiful and will win, and blames the others for the attacks. Seeking a cover story, Xena posses as a contestant, Miss Amphipolis, while Grabrielle becomes "The Marquesa", her sponsor. The confusing aspect however is that all of the chieftans appear to be almost equally as outraged as each other, and as each progressive attack happens threaten a more extreme response. Meantime, Xena discovers an unexpected ally amongst the ranks of the competitors and starts to understand each of the girls reasons for taking part.
Episode: 2.11, US airdate: 20 Jan 97.
Guest Star: Karen Dior (Miss Artiphis), Robert Trebor (Salmoneus).
Destiny
Xena decides to face some of her internal demons by visiting the ruins of the city where fire took hold during the attack of her army. Leaving Garbrielle on the hillside, she rides down into the town and sees visions of the past including a blonde teenager asking why which we can only assume is Callisto. Returning to the hillside, Xena discovers that Gabrielle is gone, and since her staff is still lying there assumes she's been captured. Xena duely finds Gabrielle and some other women and children who are capitives of a tribe of canibals and proceeds to free them. After escaping they are ambushed again and Xena is fatally wounded by a trap. She tells Gabrielle that her only hope lies with a healer who lives on Mount Nestus. As Gabrielle struggles to get Xena to the healer, we see the story of Xena's encounter with Julius Caesar and the effect it had on her life. Unfortunately the healer is unable to help and Xena dies...
Part one of a two part story
Episode: 2.12, US airdate: 27 Jan 97.
The Quest
Having promised Xena to return her body to her home village of Amphipolis should she die, Gabrielle sets off to do her bidding. Along the way, she is attacked by a gang of thugs who want to claim a ransom for Xena's dead body, and she fights them off, latterly aided by Iolaus. After telling him the sad news, she continues on her way until once again stopped, this time by the more friendly Amazons who wish to salute Xena and offer a traditional Amazonian funeral pyre. Meantime, the King of Thieves is stealing the danger of Helios, and discovers that the spirit of Xena is exerting influence over his actions. Gabrielle discovers that she's officially the new Amazon Queen, a title she's unwilling to take until Ephiny explains that the current acting Queen (Velasca) is very warlike and plans to start a battle with the Centaurs. Caught up in trying to stop the war, Gabrielle decides to become Queen and to accept the Amazons offer of a Funeral Pyre. Meantime Autolycus arrives and has to steal Xena's body before it gets burnt. He succeeds and Gabrielle joins him in the quest to find Ambrosia to restore Xena's spirit and body into a single whole; unfortunately the Amazon Queen is on their trail and realises that they know how to obtain the Ambrosia. Soon Gabrielle and Velasca are locked in a to the death struggle to obtain the Ambrosia...
Part two of a two part story
Episode: 2.13, US airdate: 3 Feb 97.
Guest Stars: Michael Hurst (Iolaus), Melinda Clarke (Velasca), Bruce Campbell (Autolycus).
A Necessary Evil
The Amazons prepare to crown a new queen who by custom should be Gabrielle but Gabrielle decides that Ephiny should be queen in her place. Ephiny agrees but only on the condition that she is regent for Gabrielle. Suddenly a desperately injured Velasca appears and in front of the assembled Amazons eats a piece of ambrosia and becomes a god. When the Amazons turn against her following Ephiny's orders, she starts striking out with explosive flames from her finger tips. After a few short minutes of fighting, they all flee leaving Velasca in the burning ruins of the Amazon village. With Velasca now a god, Xena reasons that she needs an immortal to fight an immortal and much to Gabrielle's horror decides that Callisto is the only choice. Callisto has been trapped by Hercules in the ruins of a ramsacked temple. Having pursuaded Callisto to help them in exchange for giving her ambrosia, the three of them prepare to face Velasca, but not before Callisto forces Xena to make a public confession about her crimes. Coming face to face with Velasca in a canyon where her lightning bolts won't do too much damage, they start a fight with her. Callisto true to form attempts to change sides and form an alliance with Velasca, who merely tries to kill her. Mildly offended by this Callisto decides to attack Velasca as per the original plan, and she is trapped under a rockslide. This however is not enough to hold her for long and Xena plans to face her a second time in a ruined temple near a lava pit, in which she hopes to trap Velasca, and with luck Callisto as well.
Episode: 2.14, US airdate: 10 Feb 97.
Guest Stars:Hudson Leick (Callisto), Melinda Clarke (Velasca), Danielle Cormack (Ephiny).
A Day In The Life
A diary of an ordinary day with the Warrior Princess. The day starts with a dawn attack from the army of a local warlord, during which time their frying pan becomes rather damaged, a fact that Gabrielle is deeply annoyed about. In the process they discover that the warlord is planning to sack a nearby village and decide to stop him, however en route they meet a villager who asks them for help protecting his village from a giant. They decide to help the village under attack from the giant instead although Xena has high hopes of being able to stop both. While he's showing them the way, the villager, Hawer, falls instantly in love with Xena. Xena sends him off on an errand to deliver a cryptic message to the warlord. Arriving at the village they meet another villager, Minya, who is also Hawer's girlfriend and decide to distract her enthusiasm by asking her to fill a bathtub for them. Pretty soon both the warlord and the giant are converging on the village and Xena is trying to get a homemade kite to fly...
Episode: 2.15, US airdate: 17 Feb 97.
Guest Stars: Murray Keane (Hawer), Alison Wall (Minya).
For Him The Bell Tolls
When Xena is called away, Gabrielle bumps into Joxer and they travel together for a while. Encountering a group of girls being cornered by Slave Traders, Gabrielle steps in to fight and is astounded when Joxer suddenly puts on an incredible display of courage and skill. They discover that the group are a Princess and her close courtiers en route to a rendezvous with her lover, a Prince from the next Kingdom. When Joxer and the Princess inexplicably fall in love, Gabrielle becomes suspicious and begins to realise that the ringing of a bell transforms Joxer between his normal unco-ordinated self and the sauve swordsman he's become. Gabrielle does her best to keep them appart, but when the father of the jilted Prince sends out an army to capture Joxer and his companions, things take a turn for the worse. When he decrees that Joxer should be executed for his crimes, Gabrielle has to take on the Goddess of Love herself, Aphrodite, in order to set things straight again.
Episode: 2.16, US airdate: 24 Feb 97.
Guest Stars: Ted Raimi (Joxer), Alexandra Tydings (Aphrodite), Karl Urban (Cupid).
The Execution
Gabrielle receives word that her friend Meleager the Mighty needs her help, however when she and Xena arrive they discover that he has been arrested and has stood trial for murder and is sentanced to be hung. Gabrielle is convinced of his innocence, but Xena has her doubts particularly as the judge who tried him, Arbus, has a reputation as a fair and just man. Gabrielle desperate to save her friend breaks him out of jail, and is in her turn caught although he makes a getaway. Xena promises Arbus that she will return with Meleager, and she and Gabrielle set off to catch him. However when they do catch up with him, Gabrielle decides to try and stop Xena capturing him and taking him back to a certain death. When Xena gets past Gabrielle, she begins to realise that Meleager is a good fighter and when he tells her he let himself be captured so as not to injure innocent people, Xena becomes more unsure. Hearing his story again, Xena recognises aspects of the man Meleager is supposed to have killed, and on seeing the man's sword, realises that is was not Meleager but Xena herself who killed the man.
Episode: 2.17, US airdate: 7th Apr 97.
Blind Faith
While visiting a small town, Gabrielle and Xena become seperated and Gabrielle is kidnapped. While trying to find her, Xena is challenged to a fight with a young warrior who really fancies himself as a fighter. Despite being incapacitated by an accident with an oil bottle during the fight, Xena manages to hold her own. Meanwhile Gabrielle discovers that she is to be married to a king and despite her protests is coached in how to present herself at court. The warrior is infuriated that Xena is incapacitated and refuses to continue to fight her with her at such a disadvantage. She agrees to a rematch but only on the condition that he assist her in rescuing Gabrielle first. When his erstwhile friends with whom he arranged Gabrielle's kidnapping turn on him and try to kill him, Xena and he end up fighting on the same side. At the end of the fight, he suddenly realises that Xena is now blind, but not before she's manacled the two of them together to stop him escaping. Later while trying to escape a search by the soldiers of the king who has kidnapped Gabrielle, Xena falls into a ravine and is about to drag the young warrior with her. When she releases the manacle to allow him to survive, he decides to try and save her. Gabrielle meanwhile escapes the guards and visits the King's chambers only to discover that he's dead and that she is to be married to him and then killed so that the King's minister can gain power over the kingdom.
Episode: 2.18, US airdate: 14th Apr 97.
Ulysses
Gabrielle is extolling the beauty of the seashore to Xena who is doing her best to appear unconvinced until she hears the sound of a battle in progress. She then sits back and enjoys watching the fight while it's only three against one, and the one seems to be winning. When a further dozen attackers appear to join the fray, Xena and Gabrielle even up the odds. Seeing off the attackers, Xena and Gabrielle find that the man they've saved is none other than Ulysses, King of Ithica trying to return home from the Trojan war. His ship has been captured by pirates loyal to Poseidon, the king of the sea. With Gabrielle pretending to be an exotic dancer, Xena and Ulysses climb onto the ship and soon the pirates have all been thrown overboard. They then set sail for Ithica, and en route they encounter the sirens - enchanting maidens whose singing lures unsuspecting (male) sailors onto the rocks. Meanwhile Ulysses and Xena start to develop a considerable affection for each other, Ulysses believing his wife Penelope to be dead. Arriving in Ithica, they save a man being attacked by thugs who turns out to be a childhood friend of Ulysses'. He tells Ulysses that the Queen is still alive but is being pestered by suitors at the Royal Court. With Xena and Gabrielle in disguise assisting him, Ulysses re-enters the Palace dressed as a peasant and takes the challenge Penelope has set to string a bow that has belonged to Ulysses' family for generations. He then reveals himself and proceeds to start a fight to remove all the suitors from the palace. Xena and Gabrielle join in and soon there is complete havoc.
Episode: 2.19, US airdate: 21st Apr 97.
The Price
Xena and Gabrielle are fishing the conventional way with fishing lines, when Gabrielle catches a half-dead Athenian soldier with an axe buried in his ribcage. Xena is immediately panic stricken, and tells Gabrielle to run, but before they can get very far they are surrounded by savages from a tribe known as The Horde. Doubling back, Xena and Gabrielle take one of their canoes and head off down the river with only Xena's timely use of the chakram saving them from being caught. Xena tells Gabrielle of her previous encounter with the Horde and how they slaughtered a significant number of her army. They return to the canoe and continue down the river, feeling that they're being watched. They pass a river bank where a number of the Athenian army are stretched out and screaming on makeshift crosses; Gabrielle pleads with Xena to let her go and help but Xena refuses insisting that they're as good as dead. A soldier still on his feet swims out into the river, and catches hold of their canoe and they try to pull him in. Suddenly ahead they see the aura of a waterfall and head towards the bank; fortunately just as a group of soldiers from the Athenian garrison arrive. Returning with them to the garrison, Xena discovers a descimated and hopeless army based in the ruins of a castle -- she decides to try and rally them around her in order to survive. Meanwhile Gabrielle tries to do her best for the injured and dying. As Xena works on her plan to defend the garrison, Gabrielle starts to see the totally evil and ruthless side of Xena that made her into such a formidable warlord. When Xena refuses food for the injured and dying and starts torturing a prisoner she's taken, Gabrielle snaps and decides to follow her own lights rather than Xena's orders. Gabrielle goes outside with water to attend to the injured of the Horde, she initiates a ceasefire during which time both sides retrieve their injured from the battleground. In the process, Xena realises that Gabrielle is right that she needs to understand the enemy and tries an experiment with the captured savage. She releases him with a challenge for the leader of the Horde, and he comes forward to take part in a duel. When Xena defeats him, he is killed by his own side who then withdraw leaving the Athenians free to leave the besieged compound.
Episode: 2.20, US airdate: 28th Apr 97.
Guest Stars: Paul Glover (Mercer), Charles Mesure (Mendacles).
Lost Mariner
Xena and Gabrielle are shipwrecked after the boat they were travelling in is run onto the rocks by marauding pirates. Gabrielle (and another survivor) are rescued by a boat that comes past the following morning. When the other survivor is killed my magical forces after jumping from the boat, Gabrielle discovers that she is trapped on the doomed ship of Cecrops. Cecrops has been cursed by Poseidon to forever travel the sea and no one is able to leave the ship. Xena, desperate to save Gabrielle and relentlessly pursued by some pirates she's acquainted with decides to jump onto the ship despite knowing of the curse. When Poseidon appears and offers Xena a way of the ship, she realises that there is a way to defeat the curse and she's close to finding it and defies Poseidon by remaining. When Poseidon offers Cecrops a way out for giving Xena up to him, Xena becomes certain she knows the way out and leads them to the deadly whirlpool, Caribdus, where she believes the answer and their salvation lies.
Episode: 2.21, US airdate: 5th May 97.
Guest Stars: Tony Todd (Cecrops), George Henare (Itseem?), Nigel Harbrow (Basculis).
Comedy of Eros
Cupid tries to pursuade his young son, Bliss, to go to sleep and believing him asleep, goes to his wife. Bliss however has other ideas and borrows his father's bows and arrows and disappears. Xena and Gabrielle arrive at the temple of the Hestian Virgins where they plan to defend the temple and more specifically the virgin priestesses from an attack by the warlord Draco. Unfortunately Bliss arrives at the same village and starts shooting his father's arrows all over the place. Draco arrives on the scene, and Bliss fires an arrow at Xena just as they confront each other. Despite her infatuation with Draco, Xena is still determined to stop him from kidnapping the priestesses and tries to convince him not to do it. Meanwhile Bliss strikes again, this time making Gabrielle fall for Joxer and Draco fall for Gabrielle. Draco goes after the priestesses but only catches one, who turns out to be Xena in disguise. Then somewhat unexpectedly Xena appears to change heart and stands aside to let Draco kidnap the priestesses; the slave trader arrives with a note supposedly from Draco including Gabrielle in the slaves being sold. Since Draco is hopelessly in love with Gabrielle, he refuses to hand her over and a fight ensues during which time the priestesses escape to some nearby caves. Things take a turn for the bizzare when Bliss strikes a number of the Priestesses and they start chasing Draco's men instead of the other way round. Meanwhile Xena lets Cupid know what is going on and does a deal with him to help him clear up the mess Bliss has made. Fairly soon everyone is back to normal except Draco, who Xena pursuades Cupid should be left as he is. Joxer is somewhat depressed that Gabrielle's interest in him wasn't real after all, since he was genuinely interested in her.
Episode: 2.22, US airdate: 12th May 97.
Guest Stars: TTed Raimi (Joxer), Jay Laga'aia (Draco), Karl Urban (Cupid).