Xena: Season 1, Episode 04: "Cradle of Hope"

Alright, this episode's got it all. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll soil yourself. Well, probably not the last two, but you'll definitely laugh or my name ain't Wanda Tate. The ladies find a baby, all hope is nearly lost and Xena turns everybody on while dancing undercover.

SPOILER: My reviews are full of them! I'll try to note when I'm about to spoil the series by posting [SERIES SPOILER] for said item and [END SPOILER] after. Please don't read the review, unless you've seen the episode under discussion or don't care if I spoil it. 

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With "Cradle of Hope" under my belt, I'm reminded of the handful of episodes that I "managed" to capture on VHS in 1995/1996. This is one such episode. There are a few others that I recall making the cut: "A Solstice Carol" and all the Callisto episodes. As I continue to watch, I might remember others. I’m lucky enough to have forgotten what happens in these eps, so's I can watch as if seeing them for the first time.

EXTRAS: 

1) “Don’t be alarmed. If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead already.” - Classic Xena. She's already said this a couple of times, but it must be noted somewhere. Why not here, I say?

2) The look on Gabrielle’s face when she throws the baby to Xena, Xena’s face after she dives to catch it, Gabrielle’s again as she eyes Xena on the ground with the baby and Xena rolling her eyes in resolution. The timing and substance of this sequence is extremely gratifying.

3) I love Xena's mad romp near the end as she frantically looks for Gabrielle and Pandora with the opening box in her arms, the slow-motion shot of Xena rushing the opening box to Pandora’s hand. I love that Xena buys into the myth, takes it seriously, actually fears the outcome.

4) With Xena's dancing scene, something new. It shows that she's a master of subterfuge, can do anything, be anyone. She's the ultimate virtuoso. She even appears to be "in the zone" for a moment there.

5) I can’t believe I watched all this stuff with the dancers being brought to soldiers' rooms and shit like that. That’s pretty hard-core, and yet I didn’t think about it too much as a teen.

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