Episode 123 season 6 # 11
"Dangerous Prey"
Xena and Varia have brought the dead Queen back to the Amazon Camp, where we get our final tete e tete between Xena and Gabrielle for the episode, so enjoy it while you can.
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Xena: "It was all internal damage. It's pressure points, Gabrielle. Marga was meant to crawl back to camp before she died."
Gabrielle: "Why would someone do that?"
Xena: "So she'd bring us the message."
(Suddenly she notices the ton of attitude is missing) "Where's Varia? Gabrielle, try to keep everyone in the camp till I find out what's goin' on."
What follows is a
servicable enough ep, but it lacks a certain ingredient that I can only describe as...
"Gabrielle".
I can imagine the Xenite fans, counting down their eps to the finale, bemoaning the time "wasted" on a Gabrielle "lite" ep. Heck, I did it myself in Voyager with Captain Janeway. (See Name of OP!)
The two actresses, in their various DVD interviews... and frequently in their con appearences, talk about finding the heart of the story, finding "the love"... and its not really there in DP. There are good things, don't get me wrong, and I love the fights in the caves and at the end... but after 122 eps, it just doesn't seem like "Xena" without Gabrielle.
Varia has run off to find what's killing her people, and runs right into a trap.
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We discover the men trapping her work for a Prince who hunts humans for sport. Their Lieutenant thinks he'll enjoy hunting Varia... but when Xena arrives to save the silly Amazon, he discovers SHE'S the REAL prize and rides off to tell Prince Morloch.
After cutting down Varia, Xena charges her with watching their prisoner... but she fails at it when the man commits suicide. The fact that they fear their Prince more than death is LOST on Varia but NOT on Xena.
The fact that Varia, who's just stepped into one trap, and was about to step into another more deadly trap in her quest for vengence is also not lost on Xena.
Xena: "These men have a leader and they are more afraid of facing him than they are of death. What does that tell you?"
Varia: "All I need to know is where to find him."
(She walks away when suddenly Xena triggers a trap Varia was about to step into!)
Xena: (Disgusted with the youth's arrogance) "There's a whole lot of things you need to know. This entire canyon is rigged like a hunting ground. There are traps
everywhere."
Varia: "A few little snares is not gonna stop me from finding Marga's killer."
(Says the warrior who's already needed Xena to save her TWICE in the last 5 minutes!)
Xena: "I promised Marga that I would protect you."
Varia: "I don't want your protection."
(She turns to stalk away)
Xena: "Varia!" (As the Amazon turns back towards Xena, Xena pulls up the metal trap by its long chain and SOMEHOW, DON'T ASK ME HOW, she throws it at Varia and encircles the Amazon's neck like a freaking dog collar!)
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Needless to say, Varia isn't happy.
Varia: "Are you
crazy?!"
Xena: "If you want to find Marga's killer, and remain in one piece, you'll do what I say,
when I say it."
Varia: "Get this off me,
now."
Xena: "And
until then, you're on a leash. Come on."
Var: "Uh!"
While Xena drags Varia through the forest (wishing, i'm sure, that she also had placed a gag on her), the minion runs back to tantalyze Morloch with the news of a new and interesting prey, worthy of his attentions.
Varia: "Let me go! Get this thing off me."
Xena: "Believe me, this chain's the best friend you've got right now."
Varia: "I lost my queen. Most of my tribe is gone. And you won't let me loose so I can stop the man who's killing them?"
Xena: "If you don't
stop acting like a child and start trusting me to help me, this man will hunt your people to extinction."
Var: "You'd know about that.
You wiped out a whole tribe of my sisters all by yourself."
(And then she strikes Xena across the face. The WP just stands there, deciding what to do next.)
Xena: (Varia is sooo lucky!) "I'm gonna let
that one go."
Varia: "I hate you!"
Xena: "Yeah? Well, it won't be the last time you say that. Come on."
Somewhere in the forest, they have discovered an old temple/building, and they take refuge inside.
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Varia: "I heard Marga say our fate was in your hands. If you think you're replacing her,
you're wrong."
Xena: "It's not what she meant. Marga wanted me to teach you about being a warrior. Well,
I can't do that if you won't learn."
http://mikes-images.com/eps/dp/pages/dp_mq_167cd.htm[Fight erupts after the chain comes off Varia's neck]
Varia: "I don't need to learn."
Xena: (The Warrior Philospher tries to teach the youngling a thing or two) "Anger makes you vulnerable, Varia."
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Varia: "It's making me do what I should have done the moment you stepped into the Amazon village."
Xena: "You gotta control your anger, Varia. Otherwise, you don't got a chance against the one who killed Marga. Is this the way you're gonna save the Amazons, huh? Come on, lesson's over. Let's get outta here."
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Varia: "You haven't beaten me."
Xena: "Marga is
dead, Varia. The
village is next. You can't save them on your own. You've
gotta trust me."
Varia: "Trusting outsiders has done nothing but get us killed!" [Yells as the floor beneath her feet collapses]
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Xena: "
Varia! Come on.
Take my hand!"
Varia: "Never."
ACT II BEGINS
The "kid" tries to save herself to no avail, but still refuses to grab Xena's hand. So the WP grabs that chain that was once around Varia's neck and throws it down JUST as the ledge Varia was clinging to collapses. Varia grabs the chain and Xena lifts her to safety.
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Xena: "All right, Varia. Come on."
Varia: "You saved me."
Xena: "For the
last time. I'm
not going to waste enery protecting someone with a death wish."
Varia: "I thought you made a pledge to Marga."
Xena: "Because
she saw somethin' in you. Look, if you don't want my help, that's your choice. But just know that your sisters will live or die by what you decide to do."
Varia: "Xena, I know that I can learn a lot from you. And I know that you've helped my people. I shouldn't have said what I did about you."
Xena: "Varia, you almost died in there, rather than admit defeat. You gotta learn when enough's enough and when the fight is over."
Varia: "Yeah, but you..."
(She looks into the WP's eyes... and realizes she has to "stop willing, stop desiring, stop hating" to get this teacher's respect.) "I'll work on it."
Xena: "Good."
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Xena has captured another of Prince Morloch's minions and left him up a tree as bait for the Prince.
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As she and Varia scope out the competition, they don't realize they themselves are being scoped out by Morloch.
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Then Xena's "spidey sense" goes into overdrive, and she has a strange request to her pupil.
Xena: "Something's not right. Varia, this is where you get to do exactly what I say when I say it."
Varia: "Just give me the word."
Xena: "Get ready to take your clothes off."
Get your minds out of the gutter! You know as well as I do, once Xena pulled Varia back into the bushes, what she was planning on doing. When the leathered warrior stepped back into view by herself,... Prince Morloch immediately became suspicious...
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As the Amazon clad Warrior flanked his position, there was only one man not three kneeling at the overlook spot. Xena chakramed him anyway, to the applause of the "real" Prince standing nearby.
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