Review: "Legacy"

I have to admit that with the first couple of episodes this season, my faith in the series was a bit shaken. But after the past couple of episodes it has been wonderfully restored. If the powers that be can sustain the momentum they seem to have found, this will be a wonderful season.

This is the second episode penned by fanfic scribe Melissa Good. (The first was the season premiere, "Coming Home" - an episode I found decidedly bland.) It was a very solid episode - which makes sense, considering that it was the original story idea she proposed to Tapert & Company.

It is a story that somehow manages to bring together elements from the early (so-called) "classic" episodes of the first couple of seasons, and the rich character and story development of later years. This is a script that is written by somebody who knows - and loves - the characters. I do have a minor quibble or two, but this is a wonderful effort overall.

In fact, I now have a desire to track down some of Missy's fan fiction to see if her short stories are as solid as this script. I am not an aficionado of fan fiction by any stretch - in fact I have only read one piece of it in the three years I've been a fan of the show.

I really don't have too much to say about this episode, except that it addresses the changes that Gabrielle has gone through in the past five years or so. This issue has been a feature that cropped up in many complaints about Gabrielle's character development during the latter half of season four and season five.

Gabrielle has, undeniably, undergone a transition from the naïve, idealistic peasant girl who impulsively followed the Warrior Princess to a capable warrior in her own right. How has this change affected her? Is it a choice that she regrets making? These questions are handled very well in this script.

In past commentary, I have pointed out that Xena and Gabrielle have reversed roles. This episode addresses that issue. As Xena points out to Gabrielle, she once felt like Gabrielle does now - and then Gabrielle came into her life. This statement very neatly sums up the role reversal that has occurred. Just as Xena found her "moral center" in Gabrielle way back in the earliest days of the series, Gabrielle now needs to find a moral center of her own. I hope that this season addresses that issue (and if rumors are to be believed, that is just what will happen).

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