Episode 133
season 6 # 21
“A Friend in Need I”
XENA:Warrior Princess the director's cut
ACT II Scene 1:
Still on the boat with Xena and Gabrielle, as they approach “Japa”.
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GABRIELLE: “She broke your heart? I don’t understand.”
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XENA: “For a while, I didn’t understand myself.”
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[The Past]
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XENA’s Voice: “When I travelled with Akemi to her island for the ransom-- I was to learn that my heart was seeking something else.”
We are at an abandoned farm, covered in snow. Xena is NOT a happy camper!
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XENA: “I thought I was taking you to your father.”
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Akemi: “His castle’s in the north. We came here first to visit my Grandfather. He died here... many years ago.”
XENA: “Are you telling me that we have walked
days in the wrong direction to see a
dead Guy?!”
Akemi: “We must visit my Grandfather to seek his blessing. He’s dead, but
I can
still speak to him.”
She kneels before a shrine and claps a couple times to alert the spirits to her presence.
XENA: “All your
talk about
moons up your sleeve... you were playing me for a
fool. I ougtta just ...!”
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Xena pulls her sword ...
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...and is about to lop Akemi's head off. But she’s stopped, not by a plea for mercy but by a small hand that lifts the hair from her own neck so that Xena can see where to strike.
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Then Akemi looks carefully over her shoulder at the woman holding the sword above her and says...
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Akemi: “You hear the Kami through the sounds of nature. In the same way-- I hear sounds that are silent to you.
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(She prays then places another scroll into the family shrine before she stands up to face Xena)
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Akemi: My Grandfather says that you are a wise and appropriate teacher-- and-- he feels your sword-- is
not good
enough.”
Never insult a warrior's blade!
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XENA: “There’s a string of widows from here to Greece that say different.”
Akemi: “Compared to a Katana-- all other swords are
toys.”
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OUCH! That's a little harsh...
XENA: “Well-- then
get me one of those.”
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Xena uses her sword to flick Akemi's pointed hat, and we watch the snow float away from the brim.
Akemi: “The Great Katana lies near here, but you must know... in
our country...
(Akemi walks away from Xena, proving she is a
MASTER manipulator!)
Akemi: "...women
are forbidden to own Katana.”
XENA: “Well, they’re just gonna have to get used to it, aren’t they?”
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(I always wondered if Akemi came back for her satchel and walking stick.

)
****
scene 2:
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The forge of a Master swordmaker.
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Akemi: “Sensei, I come
bearing a challenge. My master wishes to fight you for possession of the Katana forged from the purest ore of the Hakiman temple.”
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Sensei: (No small opinion of HIS abilities!) “Your master must be a
mighty samurai.”
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Akemi turns to the doorway where we see a shrouded character with a pointed Japanese hat, head tilted down looking at the ground.
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XENA: “
Oh, no... I’m just a
girl... in search of a
really good
sword.”
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She sheds the cloak and the hat, and stands revealed in her halter top and Japanese slacks.
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Sensei: (How do you say PISSED in Japanese?!) “A woman?! A foreigner! Challenging us for the sacred Katana?! This is a
great insolence!”
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XENA: (She purrs in that way she has as she draws her blade...) “Well, I guess you’re gonna have to
teach me a lesson,
hm-m?”
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[And a fight ensues.
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With his first swing, the Sensie’s katana cuts Xena’s sword in two!
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He smiles…
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and so does she!
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]
XENA: “Ooh,
Gimme, Gimme.”
[Fight continues… as she punches out the Sensei and then goads his young muscular assistant to challenge her with TWO swords.
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She bobs and weaves away from his spinning weapons, and simply KO’s him with a punch to the face. BOOM and down he goes! A huge guy comes after her and she just side steps him.
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The next guy was just as easy to knock out as the old Sensie, with one fist straight to the face… but the third one... the third one is that HUGE guy she previously sidestepped. He was so hard to knock out that after four right left combinations which still left him STANDING, Xena LOOKS
at her fist as if to ask… WHAT’S wrong with you? Of course, then she winds it up and smashes him a fifth time and FINALLY down he goes!
But the most telling part of the fight, for those Xena nitpickers who always want to know EVERTHING about a character; is almost lost in the dark lighting of the forge’s set.
Two huge men have now grabbed Xena and are about to throw her into a wall of spear tips… but she braces herself with her foot before the closest spear over her RIGHT BREAST can fully penetrate her chest.
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Using her foot she pushes herself and her attackers away from the wall of weapons and elbows first one guy and then knocks away the other before she flips up onto a table/workbench to get away.
Unfortunately, this table has many swords lying on it, sharp side up so she must make a complex dancing/jumping routine to kick her attackers without cutting off her own feet!
Sadly for one attacker, after she executes a perfect 10 dismount from the sword table, she kicks one of them ONTO the sword table and we hear the blades cut into his black. Ick
{Tell me again, who thought this was a kids’s show?}
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As Xena finishes off the remainder of the Sensie's men, the Sensei decides to go after Akemi who holds him off with her parasol long enough for Xena to come swinging across the forge to the rescue. After she’s knocked the Sensei down for the count, she stands to briefly check on Akemi before stalking across the forge to her REAL goal. The sword!
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As she stands and stalks, we see the blood pooling and dripping down from that right breast.
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Hence the origin of the scar seen on Xena's breast since season 1!
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XENA: (
Lifts the sacred Katana down from the wall) “Yeah. Grandpa was right.
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XENA: Now, this ..."
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XENA: "...is
a sword.”
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(She's such a sword slut!
)
Just remember, although OUR Xena is telling the story... its still Evil Xena that we are watching.
Or is it?