Xena: Season 3, Episode 17: "Forget Me Not"

It's a recap episode! (Aka: "clips show") God, this is perfect for me, who can barely remember the episodes I’ve already rewatched this season. I really needed it. I should rewatch all episodes from this season, if not the whole series, but, there’s no time.
These clip shows are deep, I can't believe it. They always throw something really critical in there.

Recaps included:

1) The death of Hope
2) Gabrielle’s first kill
3) Gabrielle's recent kill of Crassus
4) Gabrielle’s betrayal of Xena in Chin
5) The climactic song in "Bitter Suite" reuniting them
6) Xena leaving Gabrielle to kill Ming Tien
7) Previously unseen agreement for Ares to zap Gabrielle to Chin

Gabrielle's old words to Xena at the dock telling her “you would just throw away these last few years?” I have never thought about it before, but this is like Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts going out with each other in plain sight. Gabrielle was saying it with regard to her and Xena's relationship; not all the good Xena had been doing, which is the way we all took it when we saw it in "The Debt: Part 2." And that makes way more sense, because Xena had already killed people during their journeys. I remember wondering why it was suddenly such a big deal to Gabrielle. But now we know why. She was hurt and mad at Xena! I would've been, too.

One thing that happened on the DL that I've never seen before, was that we see Gabrielle really hurt after Xena leaves her to go to Chin and Ares appears. She can barely even talk, and can't we all relate to that right after we've been dumped? That was so interesting. She just got really quiet. That whole scene was poignant and intense. Gabrielle appeared really fragile, to the point that Ares seemed to notice and sympathize.

My favorite thing about the deal Gabrielle and Ares made is that Gabrielle now owes Ares a favor. This is obviously to set up some future conflict that is about to happen, but I can't wait to see (and remember) what it is. I love conflict in stories.

It seemed like a last-ditch effort to explain how Gabrielle got to Chin so quickly. Wouldn't they have had that discussion right after Chin? “How the hell did you get there so fast? I was so surprised to see you! I couldn't wrap my mind around it. How did you even get there? I thought I took the fastest way!” You know, that kind of thing. But this did clear it up.

Some have said that this is an extra episode in The Rift series. I think I have to agree. I mean, it was all recaps of rift episodes. It's a summary of them. And basically what we find out is that all that shit happened, because Gabrielle, for some reason, couldn't tell Xena how she felt and Xena couldn't deal with own feelings.

I almost want to give this a seven and I still might. It was such a good recap episode, but I can't imagine giving a recap episode a seven. I'm tempted to even mark it as a favorite! I gotta think about it. There was another one "The Xena Scrolls," which was also good. Let me check what I did with it and get back to you.

SPOILERS: My reviews are full of them! I'll try to note when I'm about to spoil the series by posting [SERIES SPOILER] before 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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EXTRAS:

1) Priest: “Ah. This one’s yours.” G: “You could open a pottery shop.” — No matter how fast and furiously the shit hits the fan, Gabrielle just can't turn off the jokes!

2) Priestess: “She is on her journey, Joxer. That Gabrielle is just an empty shell, with no realization of her past.” J: “Get away from her. How’d you know my name?” Priestess: “I have your memories. Ow.” J: “Whatever." — This was so funny, I didn't see it coming. Just so many jokes about and delivered by Joxer that I cherished in this episode.

3) Priestess: “If you love her, allow her the chance to lose the pain she carries. It’s in her memory.” J: “Yeah? Well, I can make her forget. I’m a very forgettable person.” — See?? Haha!

4) Ares: “You don’t know? Oh, yeah, the memory thing, right? Got a problem up here? Bad thoughts keeping you up nights? Believe it or not, I’m here to protect you.” — I loved his delivery of the line, "Got a problem up here?" I enjoy Kevin Smith as an actor immensely.

5) G: “The last one took me by surprise, but I’m ready for this.” Ares: “I hope so. This river runs deep.” — Good writing.

6) Amnesia G: “It’s very strange. With every story you tell me, this thing I’m wearing gets smaller. Is it enchanted?” — Can't tell if this is a nod to the fact that it is getting smaller or that Joxer is sexualizing her in the stories. Or both. The episodes are, after all, her accounts.

7) Amnesia G: “Are you going to sing that ‘Jerks-' that-‘Joxer the Mighty’ song, again? I like that song.” J: “Are you kiddin’ me? You hate it.” Amnesia G: “I do?” J: “No, uh, you love it." — God, Joxer is so fucking funny in this.

8) Joxer: “This is the story of Callisto.” Forgotten G: “Callisto?” J: “Yeah.” Forgotten G: “Do I like her?” J: “No, but, uh, I want you to hear when we first met." — See, this is so fucking cute.

9) Joxer reading Callisto: “'He called himself, “Joxer,” a warrior.' Huh. Well-termed phrase, I must say. ‘But a warrior like no other. So inept, so clumsy, s-’ uh 'so cleverly disguised as a bumbler, that, uh, no one suspected his true warrior nature.” — This is so funny, and while he's reading this, he turns the scroll away from Gabrielle so she can't read it. So good.

10) Ares: “Is it all worth it? Is the quest for knowledge worth all this pain?” G: “Yes. It has to be. Otherwise, what’s the point of living?” — Money shot.

11) G: “It was worth it.” Ares: “Then why are you still here? Answer me.” — The way Ares says, answer me, and the fact he even says it at all, feels like the resolution end of a lovers dispute. It's so profound, I can't rap my head around it; all I can do is love that he said it.

12) Ares: “There is no point to living. Don’t you get it, Gabrielle? Maybe, that’s the source of all your pain, all you’ve been through with Xena, all she’s put you through. Maybe, you finally realized it all adds up to a big, fat zero.” — This episode is to intense... And I can't imagine him talking to her like this about a person who was just a friend. This is blatant, "She is the one you love," talk.

The River of Woe was pretty bad, true. But not half as bad as the Tree of Woe in Conan The Barbarian:

Gabrielle burning in the last river, reminds me of Linda Hamilton burning in the apocalypse scene in Terminator 2. ...Actually, this scene is so amazing and Linda H is so amazing in this role and movie, that I strongly encourage watching Terminator 2 before watching this clip.

 

Also, some news! I just heard about this new Xena comic book series that started a few months back. I think they're up to six or seven issues now, but I managed to snag the first three today at my local comic book store. I am a big fan of the cover artist, Jenny Frison. She has a unique style and doesn't do covers for just anyone. So far, she's done a cover for every single issue of this series, which says a lot. I am such a comic book whore, but I don't usually buy Dynamite comics. I do only buy comics that I've heard are good, and this particular Xena series (there are more than one) I hear is pretty good. I'll read them and let you know. Here are issues #1 and #2 with covers by Jenny Frison: 

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