6-04 Who's Gurkhan?

First airing was on Oct. 23, 2000.

This episode starts out with Xena, Gabrielle, Eve, and Virgil walking into Poteidaia (no horses?).
Gabrielle is anxious to see if her parent's house is still standing. But when they get to the farm,
Gabrielle comments on how rundown everything looks. Xena urges her to go to the house while they
wait outside the fence. Just before she knocks on the door, it opens and a twenty-five-year-older
Lila opens it. They embrace.

They are inside, it is getting dark, and thunder can be heard. Lila sadly mentions to Gabrielle
that she wishes Sarah was there to see her. Gabrielle asks who Sarah is. Lila says it's her
daughter. Then Gabrielle asks where her parents are. Lila tells her Sarah was kidnapped by Gurkhan
and taken to Mogador to be a slave in his harem. Eve tells them it's in north Africa. Lila then
tells them that their parents, and her husband, went to buy her back but they were beheaded.

Gabrielle runs out of the house and Xena follows. She tells Gabrielle they will go after Sarah.
Gabrielle tells her it will be more than a rescue mission. She wants vengeance, and she will kill
him. The skies open up and they are drenched with a hard rain.

They are on a ship heading toward Africa. Gabrielle is practicing with her sais. Eve asks what her
plan is. Gabrielle says to get inside the city, kill Gurkhan, and bring Sarah back. Eve says that
is her goal, but what is her plan? She tells Gabrielle she was in Mogador once. Gabrielle want to
know about Gurkhan, and Eve tells her no one outside the city has ever seen him, but if he captures
her, to pray the end is quick. Gabrielle asks why she was in Mogador. Eve says to sell slave girls.
Suddenly Gabrielle gets seasick and runs to the railing to throw up.

Eve and Xena are watching Gabrielle. Eve says Gabrielle doesn't have it in her to kill in cold
blood. But wonders if she inherited that talent from Xena. Xena says she is going to cure
Gabrielle's seasickness.

They have arrived at Mogador but Virgil can't wake Gabrielle up. Xena says she'll be out for a
while. She says she's going to the palace without her. And Virgil is going to help her.

They are in a slave market. Xena is dressed in rags and Virgil is dressed like a rich man named
Superlious. He tells the slave seller he wants to sell his slave. The man walks around her, then
strips her clothes off. Virgil is awed and speechless. The seller tells him Gurkhan will probably
buy her.

Xena is put up for sale. She tells Virgil to get near Gurkhan when he bids to see if he can hear
something useful. The bidding starts and three different men named Gurkhan offer bids for her. She
is finally sold to one of the Gurkhans for 220 gold ducats.

Gabrielle wakes up and realizes they are in port and that Xena has left without her. Virgil
returns, singing about being a pirate, with a bag of gold coins. Gabrielle tells him two can play
Xena's game.

Xena is in a room with a large bathing pool with other slave girls. She calls herself Sophie. She
asks a couple of them if they know Sarah but no one will talk about the other "wives." Then a well
dressed woman tells the new girls she is the Number One Wife and intends to stay number one. She
kicks Xena in the face when she catches her looking at a folding screen a man is standing behind.

They are all in a large room with the three Gurkhans looking over the harem. Superlious comes in
with another slave covered with a large white veil. He offers to let her dance for Gurkhan as a
token of his good faith. The number one wife sees one of the Gurkhans nod and tells him she can
dance.

It is Gabrielle dressed in a skimpy costume. She dances sensuously closer to them. She puts her
hands over her head and starts to draw a knife hidden in the straps of her top. Xena sees her and
dives at her, knocking her down, knocking her out, and says "she won't have Gurkhan before me."
Xena is knocked out and dragged away.

One of the slaves asks Gabrielle if she could get to see "Sophie". Gabrielle says there are too
many guards.

While Gabrielle worries and frets, Xena is being beaten by three guards. She is hung upside down
and beaten with clubs. Blood drips down to puddle on the stone floor. She sees a vision of
Gabrielle walking toward her, swaying like she was dancing. One of the Gurkhans comes in and asks
why she had a knife. Xena says to make sure none of the other wives gets a jump on her. She says
she is there to give herself to Gurkhan and to be his number one wife. He tells her her name is now
Fatima, and has her cut down.

Xena, barely able to walk, enters the harem room. When the guards leave she collapses onto a bed of
pillows and Gabrielle runs to her. She looks at Xena's bloody face and injured eye, then holds her
close.

While a servant girl is wiping Xena's wounds, she assures Gabrielle that Sarah is here. She says
she can kill Gurkhan. Gabrielle thanks her. Xena says not to thank her but to be ready.

Much time has passed and Xena's wounds have healed. The number one wife tells the girls to get down
on their faces and not to look. Gurkhan comes in and selects Fatima. Number One tells her she will
dance. Gabrielle draws on Xena's make up.

Fatima starts to dance very seductively. As the dance ends she tells Gurkhan she has a request. She
wants Sarah's head on a plate. He asks where she heard that name, then snickers and says he'll give
her Sarah's head.

The Number One Wife wants to how he can do that to her. When he doesn't answer, she proudly walks
off with the guards. Gabrielle looks shocked, but not Xena.

"Fatima" and Gurkhan are in his bed chamber and she whispers an idea into his ear. Gabrielle walks
in as Xena is straddling Gurkhan on the bed. He invites Gabrielle to join them. Xena puts the Pinch
on him and he is paralyzed. Xena hands Gabrielle a dagger and tells her to do it.

Gabrielle puts the knife to his throat, hesitates, then asks, "Are you afraid? Afraid like my
mother? My father? Like my sister's husband? Right before you cut off their heads. If I kill
you -- you win. I become like you. I hate you."

Gabrielle gets up and turns away from him. Then she kicks him and pummels him with her fists until
her rage has subsided.

Gabrielle and Xena enter Sarah's cell. She asks if they are there to behead her. Gabrielle tells
her who they are and that they are there to take her home. Gabrielle tries to put her arms around
her but Sarah fights against the embrace, then breaks down and lets Gabrielle hold her. Gabrielle
tells her everyone knows she was just a child when she was abducted. Sarah says she thought the
only way to survive was to be more vicious that her competition.

Xena tells them they have to go. Sarah tells then the security has made the palace invincible. Xena
comes in dragging the still-paralyze Gurkhan and tells her there is a loophole in the system.

The three of them go into the harem room and Xena tells the slave girls they are going a cruise and
asks if anyone wants to go. They all run toward the door.

Inside the cell Gurkhan has a cloth over his head. The guards decapitate him without checking. But
they run away when the see Gurkhan's head lying on the floor.

They are on the ship bound for Greece. Sarah wonders how her mother could ever love her again after
the terrible things she's done. Gabrielle tells her she is in the right company, and looks at Eve
and Xena.

.........

Yet another great episode!

So much to like and so little to criticize (in no particular order).

Comparing Gabrielle's dance to Xena's - Gabrielle's was sensual and erotic. Xena's was sexy and
seductive. And I can't say which one I liked better.

Don't recall Xena ever taking such a beating - and all to protect Gabrielle! Can you love someone
TOO much? Not Xena, that's for sure. And the images of Gabrielle when Xena was hanging upside down
was what kept her going.

It was a nice visual when Xena and Eve were sitting together as mother and daughter, but talking
about killing!

And it was a touching scene between Gabrielle and Sarah in the dungeon.

Rene