Episode Stills for Season 6 Episode 4 - Who's Gurkhan?
When Gabrielle learns that her niece has been captured by the vicious raider Gurkhan (Calvin Tuteao), she sets sail for North Africa on a rescue mission with Xena, Eve (Adrienne Wilkinson) and Virgil (William Gregory Lee).
SCRIBES & SCROLLS: Story by Robert Tapert. Teleplay by R.J. Stewart. Directed by Michael Hurst. Edited by Rob Field.
PASSING PARADE: Willa O'Neill (Lila); Adrienne Wilkinson (Eve);
William Gregory Lee (Virgil); Calvin Tuteao (Gurkhan); Tandie Wright (Sonata); Gina Varela (Milda); Michelle Langstone (Lana); Jo Lo (Yo).
DISCLAIMER: Xena's uncanny ability to recover from devastating wounds was not harmed during the production of this motion picture.
STORY SO FAR: Gabrielle goes to North Africa, seeking vengeance on the vicious raider who captured her niece and killed her parents and her sister’s husband years before.
REWIND FOR: Xena's helping hand on the tiller in the first shot on board the ship to Mogodor. Touch of the perennial back seat driver's syndrome there. She clearly doesn't trust anyone, least of all the captain of this ship to do anything as well as she can. Can you spell control freak?
Yet another human resource recycling moment. You may remember the follicly challenged slave auctioneer in Mogodor from that ol' classic The Quill Is Mightier. He played the hapless general waiting for Ares' "You'll know it when you see it" sign to attack. Guess all those naked Gabrielles must have given him an idea for a career change.
Xena growling at Virgil to back off when he squeezes her cheeks (the upper ones) in front of the slave auctioneer. No one can do 'pissed off' quite like Xena. The priceless expression on Virgil's face was bettered a few seconds later when Xena was stripped naked in front of him. There were no FX guys involved when you saw his tongue rolling out of his mouth and his eyes bug out on the end of stalks.
The expression a moment later on Gabrielle’s face just before she asks Eve "Where is she".... Eve might have killed whole armies, but she hasn’t truly known danger until that moment methinks.
A classic Joxer moment as Superlius - Pirate of the High Seas aka Virgil returns to the ship singing "I capture beautiful maidens and sell them - -." The delusions of grandeur, the fumbling as he drops his bag of gold coins, ending with a "Hi Gabrielle!" would have brought a tear to his father's eye, and an approving belch from his mother.
The look on Xena's face when Gabrielle shimmied into view (in a marvellous costume) as she literally bent those glorious abbs over backwards for Gurkhan during her dance audition. Xena's expression was a confused mix of:
1. That's a new trick, and why haven't I seen it before.
2. Where could Gabrielle possibly be concealing a weapon in that outfit she's almost wearing, and,
3. How come she never dresses for me like that?!
The scene when a pummelled Xena declares she’s "peachy" as Gabrielle cradles her. Awwww, couldn’t y’all just feel the love. *g*
Gabrielle trailing her fingers down Xena's arm in the bathing room scene. That one small gesture demonstrated her deep love and affection for the Warrior Princess better than a thousand ham-fisted scripts ever could.
QUOTABLE:
"She doesn't have what it takes to kill in cold blood. Do you think I inherited that talent from you mother?" The butter wouldn't melt in her mouth look, and the creepy tone in Eve's voice made you want to itch something.
"Eve, that peaceful smile is not going to cut it!" Gabrielle's under the strain of Eve's new 'goody goody' phase and calls her bluff. Guess you can only fool some of the people some of the time, huh Eve?
"We did it because we love you." You guessed it, Eve again. Uggh. We surrender already. That girl has all the charm of fingernails being dragged down a chalkboard.
"You'll be beaten, dragged, manacled, thrown in a dark dungeon and left to die."
A dark dungeon as opposed to the well-lit, rooms with a view, prisoners are usually forced to endure. Meanwhile, Yo, self-appointed entertainment director, impresses her fellow slave girls with a list of 'fun things to do' at Club Gurkhan.
"For in my stables, I have rare beauties from every part of the world, just waiting to be plucked." He did say plucked, right?
"I have a request - Sarah's head on a plate." And don't be skimpy with the french fries, right Xena?
"Join us little one." Ghurkhan seals his death sentence by snuffing out any chance of mercy from Gabrielle. You don't do short jokes around the Bard, mate.