Episode: Between the Lines (S-4, E-15)

Author: CN Winters

Fandom: Subtext report, Xena Fanfiction, Xena and Gabrielle fanfiction

Author Note: Many of these reports are littered with errors because I wrote them quickly and 'on the fly' so I could post them quicker to the 'Nutforum' back in the day.

Feedback: Drop me a line at cnwinters71@yahoo.com.

Between the Lines 

Ohhhhh mama!!!<LOL> Is this a great episode or what?! I'm telling y'all (as my friend Tigre would say ' she's a Texas gal from down south ~spoken in a fake southern accent~), this ep had a little bit of everything (except X and G kissing a guy because frankly they're too wrapped up in each other (BG)). Okay anyway, three things I learned from this ep include: Gabby and Xena are both great tattooists, Alti is a really nasty b*tch right down to the core and Xena invents a symbol that stands even today ' all because of her love for Gabby (ahhh. . . .)

Gabby and Xena are shopping. Xena is arguing about giving up her leathers and changing her attire. Xena thinks she looks like a turkey in her new outfit. Gabby 'ooohs' when Xena steps out and she tells Xena her new look is sexy (VBG) (I have to go with Gabs on this one (G)). Xena tries a jumping kick and doesn't get tangled up so the new dress works for her (G).

They watch a woman being escorted to a pyre and when they throw her on top Xena comes to the rescue. It seems her husband has died and custom says she must follow him in death. Xena and Gabby won't stand for that and they open a can of whup a$$ on the village. They get the woman into a house. Gabby barricades the front door while Xena looks for another way out. The rescued woman follows Xena. She shows the warrior her funky tattoos and this funky light starts dancing around Xena. Next thing Xena gets zapped into the future (not far. I'd say within a century).

Xena then finds herself in front of a warrior woman and glances at her reflection in a shield. She's an old Indian woman. Slowly she finds out that the village she's in has been captured by the warrior woman . Xena learns she's Arminestra, the 'great peacemaker'. The warrior wants to own the villagers - life and soul but 'Xena' stalls her until some fire ball start flying from behind. Chaos breaks out and everyone is fighting. A king rides in and they search for the 'mother of peace' AKA Xena. During the battle Xena confronts the warrior only to learn that it's Alti and Alti sees that the 'peacemaker' is Xena.

The king comes to Xena's aid and has one of his men takes her to safety. But not before the king gets pegged with an arrow. Back in the past Gabby starts looking for Xena and finds the Indian woman. The woman sends all these rainbow colors around Gabby (Is that subtext too? (BG) Kinda like a rainbow flag of ancient times (BG)).

Back in the past Alti decides to take on Arminestra to become the Destroyer of Nations. Gabby is getting a lecture from the Indian woman during the light show and she tells Gabby she sent Xena to fight a great evil in her future that threatens to take her Karma, forever extinguishing her 'line' in the universe (or words to that effect). Gabby wants to know who it is but the Indian woman doesn't know that. Gabby wants the woman to send her to where Xena is. The woman refuses at first but they soon have this exchange:

G: This Karma you're talking about. Can you see mine? Can you see how much Xena is a part of that?!

W(woman): Yes in many lives ' past and future. You are right.

The woman said she will send her 'forward' too but she must learn how to use the weapon she didn't have time to give Xena. In the future Arminestra is tending to the kings arrow wounded shoulder. They talk and the king says he's going to give up the village to Alti so his people will live if even enslaved. But Xena tells him they can't trust Alti.

Gabby for her part is learning the Mindy, Mindi or mindai (You folks know I can't spell!!(LOL)) Anyway the mindi is body drawings, tattoos; some kind of kinky weapon on the flesh in some way. Anyhow, Gabby is touching the Indian's woman arm to remember the 'path to enlightenment, which she shouldn't understand'. The woman put the 'Mindi ink' in the wall so years from now Gabby and Xena will be able to find it.

The men who are hunting the woman begin to break through the door. The woman tells Gabby that Alti must be brought back here to be defeated and with that she zaps Gabby. Gabby sees a glimpse of her future and other scenes. Next we see the shirtless king become very modest and seems disoriented. Xena picks up the conversation and the king asked if this warrior they are discussing is tall, has black hair with a particular warcry. Xena walks over and realizes it's Gabby. Gabby knows now that it's Xena. She tells Xena she didn't think she would look so different. Xena smiles and replies: "So do you." And shows her a mirror. Xena explains to Gabby that her name is Shotse (sp?) and that she's the leader of these people. Gabby tells Xena she's in danger and Xena said she's already learned it's Alti she has to defeat. Gabby tells her the plan ' they have to bring her back but they aren't sure how. Xena's still got the brains but not the brawn in this life.

Meantime Alti is back at the village ready to sacrifice a young girl. Xena and Gabby are hiding in the bushes along with Gabby's army and they have this exchange:

G: If this doesn't work it all ends here. . .everything . . .us. . .our souls.. . .

X: We don't have any choice . .. It's funny. Here you're the warrior; the hero.

G: In this lifetime the Mother of Peace would be a goddess to me. . .that's a hero to me

X: (looking all concerned and worried for the Gabster) Be careful

And Xena watches as Gabrielle goes off to position herself/himself (BG) for battle (Ahhhhh.. ..Kinda pulls at the heart strings doesn't it (VBG) And it's nice to see the show on the other foot. Now she knows how Gabby feels having to watch Xena ride off. (VBG)). As Gabby leaves Xena sends a guy off after the box that Gabby told her about in order to fight Alti.

Xena comes out and confronts Alti (who's been trying to figure out what force has been trying to stop her). Xena said she knows and if she wants the answer she has to let the village people go. They talk. Alti said she's finding a way to be even more powerful. When Alti starts to choke Xena, Gabby goes in for the save. Everyone fights again. Gabby's out there hacking and slashing with some great Xena moves. Xena's little helper dude gets shot by Alti with a cross bow but he give Xena the box before he dies. Gabby got knocked upside the head and both are taken prisoner by Alti.

In typical villain fashion Alti doesn't just kill Xena and Gabby. Oh no!! She has to tie them to the railroad tracks and twirl her mustache while laughing sinisterly. . .Okay, it's not THAT FAR in the future (G). No such thing as trains yet but if she did have a train. . .

Anyway she has to settle for stakes instead. She and the army go out to make 'X' to crucify the village on. In the mean time, Xena brings out the little box of goodies (VBG). They get naked and have fun with edible body gels (LOL). Okay that's a slight exaggeration (G) but they do get partially naked and paint each other up in a bunch of pretty designs.

Back to the Indian woman they are getting ready to torch her up again. Xena and Gabby are still painting each other up. Alti comes back in and Xena and Gabby start doing these funky hand and body movements. Xena comes behind Gabby and puts her hands across Gabby's chest ' their different patterns on there bodies come together and this light brings all three of them back to the pyre where the woman is being burned.

Alti does the mind thing again and Xena gets a real a$$ kicking. Gabby comes to Xena's rescue when she's down but Alti breaks Gabby's staff in two and beats the crap outta her with it (ouchhhhh!!). She pulls Gabby up by her hair (double ouchhhh!) and starts to show her the vision, telling her that Xena's gonna be responsible for her death. Xena screams at Alti, "You Biiiiitch!!!!" but Alti breaks Xena's legs by showing her Ceasars crucifixition again.

Alti starts to kill Gabby by her cross hanging vision; shes dripping blood from her hands and feet. Xena can't move but she gets to her chakram and flings it, cutting Gabby's hair so Alti can't hurt her. Gabby falls like a sack of potatoes and the Indian woman comes out. Alti tries to take her on but gets thrown across the village. Their skin starts to glow where the paint was and Xena realize it's not the woman but the mandi, mindi, whatever that's Alti's enemy. Alti is defeated (for now) and Xena and Gabby both crawl to be next to each other across the ground and curl up in each others arms. The women all have this finally exchange:

W: Thank you Xena. You destroyed Alti at the one time when her Karma was most powerful.

X: The one time?

W: Oh yes. Her soul is not destroyed. It will return many times filled with evil but you will always be there to meet it. And you Gabby. . . you both walk a path together. Think of yourselves as lines in the mindi ' separated but forever connected. Mindi contains truth.

So now not only are Gabby and Xena connected in this life, in death but also their intertwined Karma (Isn't that sweet(BG)).

Anyway the woman turns into a big ball of light and floats away. Suddenly Gabby and Xena are healed. Later, Xena checks out her new tattoos while she waits for Gabby to get back from the 'barber'. When Gabby approaches, Xena ruffles her chopped locks and asks Gabby what she thinks of the new 'do. Gabby said it's okay but she wishes she had a choice in the matter (Damn Rob Tappert! Damn him!! No'Gabby/ROC looks very cute).

Since Gabby has now seen the vision too she knows she looks the same as the vision. But still she feels Alti could be very mistaken and that they rule their own destiny. Xena seems like she's starting to have more faith and thinks that maybe she and Gabby have actually known each other for a very long time. Or maybe Xena's found the peace that if they don't live a long life in this 'line' they will meet again in the next life. If that is true (that they will keep repeating life over and over), Gabby wants to know how she will be able to spot Xena in the future.

Xena takes the ink and makes a line down from the chakram already painted on her foot. She then puts another line horizontal. ( In other words she's created the female symbol). So now if Gabby wants to search for her in the 'next' life she'll know it's her when she finds her. (Isn't that sweet too?)

Not a lot of sensual maintext in this one (I have to admit though that the gratuitous painting were gratuitous (G) but delightfully erotic in a way). Just lots of those little 'ahh. . .sweet' moments in this ep.

Next week Gabby gets choked by a mean looking dude and Xena grows four extra arms. From the previews this doesn't look nearly as cheesy as I feared earlier this week. But the expected loss of Gabby's staff is a bit unsettling. Oh well. Guess we'll have to wait and see. But so far it's Indian ep number three with one more to go and I have to admit I'm impressed. . .now if only they could do that every week (BG) instead of just waiting for sweeps.

CN Winters