A comparison of this episode to the previous three shows just how good R.J. is. There were no gaping plot holes that I could find. The characters were true to their backgrounds and motivations. The tension and drama were cranked much higher than last week's "Heart of Darkness." This is how Xena should be written.
And yet, the storyline is much less complex than anything else we've seen this season. It is a story driven by the characters, rather than by some artificial plot mechanic that must be satisfied. In my opinion, it stands even with the best dramatic episodes of the series.
(It is, I suppose, possible that the recent spate of mediocrity we've been subject to has made me much more forgiving of the foibles in a solid episode like this one. Still, even after watching it a couple of times and thinking about it, I find myself enthralled by the taut storytelling.)
The plot in this episode focuses on Gabrielle. She returns to Potedeia to find out what has happened to her family in the twenty-five years since Ares put her and Xena on ice. Gabby's sister Lilla still lives in the old house, and passes along some troublesome news. A villain known as Gurkhan kidnapped Lilla's daughter, Sarah, years earlier. When Lilla's husband and parents went to retrieve her, Gurkhan had them executed.
This sets up the primary conflict for the episode. Driven by grief and rage, Gabrielle resolves to travel to North Africa and kill Gurkhan. Xena, who knows that vengeance is not a healthy reason to do anything, goes along to make sure Gabrielle doesn't make a huge mistake.
Xena and Gabrielle infiltrate Gurkhan's harem, learn the fate of Sarah, and rescue the other slaves in the harem. It is a tightly woven story with high personal stakes for both Xena and Gabrielle. Gabrielle seeks revenge for her dead family, and Xena is afraid for Gabrielle's life and moral stability.
The episode is directed by Michael Hurst, and contains a lot of his trademark sensuality. Much like his earlier directing credit, "Antony & Cleopatra", Hurst uses the camera here to contrast the internal and external natures of the characters. There is a lot of moral ambiguity in this episode, and Hurst uses it wonderfully. The physical beauty of the characters often masks a dark undercurrent in their heart.
