After events in 'The Deliverer" Gabrielle becomes pregnant by Dahak. Her baby grows superfast, inside her, and gives birth all in one day. Banshees who worship Dahak, want to protect her and her baby, take the baby to raise it. If that wasn't enough, Knights of the Round table are out to kill Gabs and her baby, as they view it as evil.
I just want to start off with some comments I see sometimes that insist that Xena was wrong to go after the baby and that if she could have been raised by Gabrielle it would have been ok, and that someone else could have killed Goewin. Nope, no one else killed Goewin. It was never shown nor implied that anyone but Hope killed him. They had an entire series which is over now, and that just doesn't exist except in the minds of people that want to make things up to suit their view.
The baby, Hope was a demon disguised as a baby. One could argue that's why Dahak wanted Gabrielle's blood innocence, purity, to use that very thing as a camouflage. No one wants to see a baby killed in a TV show, but the thing is, Hope isn't an actual baby. She's like Damien from 'The Omen.' She was serving her father's directives from the very beginning. This is why it never would have worked if Gabrielle had tried to raise it. Hope was communicating with her father all along. She probably would have ended up killing Gabrielle. Xena was pretty much damned if she did, and damned if she didn't. The baby, Hope, was evil. Pure and simple. Events later on more than validated that. Xena was right.
Was Xena too cold? She was already rightly suspicious of the child. I always thought that Xena took that approach because she felt she might give in to Gabrielle if she were too soft and sympathetic towards her about Hope, which would then lead to an even worse outcome.
This is such a heavy dramatic episode. The drama of the birth, then Gabrielle goes against Xena. Sometimes I wonder about Gab's love for her baby. It seems only natural right. I mean, of course, a mother is going to love her kid. Except Gabrielle didn't have the 9 months to grow to love her unborn baby. In fact, while the baby was growing inside her, she was horrified. She just had an evil spirit/god/whatever plant a baby to grow inside her, then gives birth the same day. But out pops this cute little baby and it's insta-love. I guess it makes sense for someone like Gabs, but I felt like her lack of worry or suspicion seemed kind of weird. It was probably the trauma and the hormones.
So was Gabrielle raped by Dahak? I'd argue yes. She was violated by him when he implanted his seed within her. No, it's not the sexual assault rape that we know in the real world. She isn't going to have horrible memories of being raped that way. But it's very clear she was violated. Something was done to her body against her will.
For such a dark episode they did manage to get some humor in there. Gabrielle's crazy cravings were funny. The sword in the stone which Xena pulled out no problem was hilarious, especially when we see in the background while Xena and Gab are talking, Goewin and Eochaid are trying to pull it out with no success.
Xena has some hilarious lines towards and about the Banshees:
"I'm gonna kick these ladies' butts."
"Oh, we don't have to run for it. I'm gonna slap these bitches silly."
"I've got your number, Sweetie."
Loved this, especially since she was so enthused to fight the Banshees. Lol.
In the end, Gabrielle lies to Xena saying she threw Hope off a cliff. I'm surprised Xena bought this. Gabrielle didn't sound truthful to me in the tone she used. Also, it just seemed a so-not-like Gabrielle-thing to do. This lie starts the "rift" which became known in the Xenaverse as the lies and hurt which come between Xena and Gabrielle. A must-see episode. It affects a lot down the road. 10/10.
I just want to start off with some comments I see sometimes that insist that Xena was wrong to go after the baby and that if she could have been raised by Gabrielle it would have been ok, and that someone else could have killed Goewin. Nope, no one else killed Goewin. It was never shown nor implied that anyone but Hope killed him. They had an entire series which is over now, and that just doesn't exist except in the minds of people that want to make things up to suit their view.
The baby, Hope was a demon disguised as a baby. One could argue that's why Dahak wanted Gabrielle's blood innocence, purity, to use that very thing as a camouflage. No one wants to see a baby killed in a TV show, but the thing is, Hope isn't an actual baby. She's like Damien from 'The Omen.' She was serving her father's directives from the very beginning. This is why it never would have worked if Gabrielle had tried to raise it. Hope was communicating with her father all along. She probably would have ended up killing Gabrielle. Xena was pretty much damned if she did, and damned if she didn't. The baby, Hope, was evil. Pure and simple. Events later on more than validated that. Xena was right.
Was Xena too cold? She was already rightly suspicious of the child. I always thought that Xena took that approach because she felt she might give in to Gabrielle if she were too soft and sympathetic towards her about Hope, which would then lead to an even worse outcome.
This is such a heavy dramatic episode. The drama of the birth, then Gabrielle goes against Xena. Sometimes I wonder about Gab's love for her baby. It seems only natural right. I mean, of course, a mother is going to love her kid. Except Gabrielle didn't have the 9 months to grow to love her unborn baby. In fact, while the baby was growing inside her, she was horrified. She just had an evil spirit/god/whatever plant a baby to grow inside her, then gives birth the same day. But out pops this cute little baby and it's insta-love. I guess it makes sense for someone like Gabs, but I felt like her lack of worry or suspicion seemed kind of weird. It was probably the trauma and the hormones.
So was Gabrielle raped by Dahak? I'd argue yes. She was violated by him when he implanted his seed within her. No, it's not the sexual assault rape that we know in the real world. She isn't going to have horrible memories of being raped that way. But it's very clear she was violated. Something was done to her body against her will.
For such a dark episode they did manage to get some humor in there. Gabrielle's crazy cravings were funny. The sword in the stone which Xena pulled out no problem was hilarious, especially when we see in the background while Xena and Gab are talking, Goewin and Eochaid are trying to pull it out with no success.
Xena has some hilarious lines towards and about the Banshees:
"I'm gonna kick these ladies' butts."
"Oh, we don't have to run for it. I'm gonna slap these bitches silly."
"I've got your number, Sweetie."
Loved this, especially since she was so enthused to fight the Banshees. Lol.
In the end, Gabrielle lies to Xena saying she threw Hope off a cliff. I'm surprised Xena bought this. Gabrielle didn't sound truthful to me in the tone she used. Also, it just seemed a so-not-like Gabrielle-thing to do. This lie starts the "rift" which became known in the Xenaverse as the lies and hurt which come between Xena and Gabrielle. A must-see episode. It affects a lot down the road. 10/10.
