Review: A Friend in Need

What I find most ironic in this episode (and the series in general) is that Xena feels most responsible for events that she had little to no control over. Xena had no way of knowing that teaching Akemi the pinch would result in Yodoshi becoming a demon lord. She didn't know that Yodoshi would hold the people who died in the fire captive. It was a series of coincidences stemming from a disastrous accident.

I'm not going to say that Xena shouldn't right this wrong. She is, after all, the hero; that's her job.

There are two beautiful moments in this episode. The first is when Xena teaches Gabrielle the pinch. It is, in my opinion, the final lesson from the master to the pupil.

The other moment is at the very end -- you can almost read Xena's thoughts. As Gabrielle fades into the mist, it seems clear that Xena doesn't expect to see her again. It is the finest moment of the episode, and a cliffhanger that is perhaps more powerful than any other the show has had in six years.

I'm not sure what else to say about this episode, except that I am really looking forward to the conclusion. So far, there have been plenty of moments that recall the best of the series - humor, action, love, and drama. While in the end it may not rank as highly as "The Debt" in terms of sheer quality, it seems a very fitting end to the series.

I am giving this episode a tentative "A-minus"; conditional on the way they handle the second half.

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