Xena: Warrior Princess: 3x04 "The Deliverer" Reaction
Added 2022-01-09 21:00:36 +0000 UTC
Comments
Little did our inquisitive bard know, she was posulating the leading scientific theory of the 19th century, of what has come to be called ‘Atomic theory.’ This theory only became a serious scientific topic since Albert Einstein discovered the atom. It was purely philosophy before he wrote his paper on Brownian motion in 1905, that later helped scientists find a way for testing the theory experimentally, which then led to what was the existence of the atom. From that, a whole new scientific paradigm to understanding the Universe and how our animal nature interacts with it, was born. And because of all this, we now go by atomic/quantum theory over classical/newtonian theory in any and all scientific pursuit of attempting to answer the biggest questions in philosophy. Such philosophic topics mostly started out in ancient Greece with the likes of Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Democritus… ect. The latter of which interacts with Gabrielle in the show, but is known and remembered, in real life, for the formulation of ‘Atomic theory’. So, that tells us that Gabrielle, in the show, is the one who came up with it instead. This would make her a Greek philosopher. I’ve always thought this little debate between Xena and Gabrielle highly intriguing. Xena is the realist and Gabrielle is the idealist. Now, it was Einstein himself that said that “imagination is more important than knowledge.” For through imagination, there is many possibilities and potentialities for discovering truthful information, than there ever will be for information already known and understood, as it is restricted and limited by the boundaries of conventionality. So, unfortunately, for Xena, she won’t make as many discoveries as Gabrielle will, as she only considers such information to postulate on and take seriously if it can be discovered through empirical evidence. I.e. objectively observed and experienced. It’s a classic case of idealism vs realism. But, based on this post, we can come to the conclusion that it is mind over matter that is the key to discovering fundamental truths. In this debate, it is idealism that wins. Sorry, Xena. Realism only masks the truth, not finds it. You may have created effective medical technique, but Gabrielle is the one who theorized as to why the human body even needs medical aid at all. She has you beat, Miss. “I Have Many Skills.”, because she’s brave enough to postulate on what seems unrealistic. So, actually, her theory is absolutely 100% spot on and your scepticism is not!
Girl4Music
2023-11-11 14:26:26 +0000 UTCGabrielle is so attentive when Xena speaks about her past. It's beautiful. She may not be understanding but she is listening. And that makes all the difference. That's all Xena needs. Someone to listen to her when she so rarely expresses herself like this. And if you watch this very scene, Xena starts off barely audible and choosing her words carefully and then as she notices Gabrielle isn't saying anything back, begins to open up more and more because of how much Gabrielle listens and does not judge or criticize her for what she's telling her about her past. Gabrielle never vilifies her for the sins of her past and that's really beautiful. An amazingly admirable and inspiring part of their relationship is the respect, acceptance and support they give each other in moments like this. In moments where they feel comfortable enough with each other to tell all - especially Xena - without fear of judgement or criticism. They have a very healthy relationship in this way. I love it.
Girl4Music
2023-11-11 14:20:51 +0000 UTC‘The Deliverer’ is such a deceiving episode. It seems like a normal episode without anything especially important happening, until the last 5-10 minutes that change EVERYTHING. Big shocker for Xena. Her sweet innocent Gabrielle has crossed the Rubicon of blood and she's in denial. I wrote in a post of mine about this scene that Xena is a little hypocritical of the way she thinks about Gabrielle putting her on a pedastal. Xena actually holds Gabrielle on the highest pedastal of all.
Girl4Music
2023-11-11 14:17:59 +0000 UTCThe next episode. I'M NOT READY FOR THE NEXT EPISODE!
Lipaz
2022-01-13 16:05:01 +0000 UTCThis episode just about killed Marlie over at ChosenOneRections too! Krafstar was so charming, earnest and thoughtful, he had us all fooled. It was such a horrible way for Gabrielle to take a life for the first time. She already had such a strong aversion towards violence but really thought she was saving a good man's life by killing, only for them to confirm that it was an evil act that will beget more evil. I appreciate the show's pacing of Gabrielle's development though. As one of only two leads in an action series, she took 10 episodes to start fighting and 40 episodes after that to kill someone.; and all the while she continues to question the validity of Xena and her own lifestyles 'fighting' for good. I don't know how well known Boadicea is in the UK, but it was nice seeing the show visit somewhere closer to home for you. What does everyone think about how far Xena is responsible for what happened? The episode makes it a point to underscore repeatedly that Xena was driven by the corrupt motivation of hatred for Caesar in travelling to Britannia with Gabrielle. In the scene where she defeats the Romans guarding the temple, she charges on right away to further attack Caesar, leaving Gabrielle and the followers behind. She also completely dismisses Ares' warning that the cult was evil without investigation. Obviously, in real life, the cult is entirely responsible for their own duplicity and violence; and Gabrielle is responsible for her own decisions, including following Xena on her mission against Caesar. But the show does repeat the point about Xena's motivation and her allowing this to happen three or four times, certainly something worth reflecting on.
Judson
2022-01-10 05:41:38 +0000 UTCThis is a pretty big episode, it’s fair to say, especially since it clearly is a significant (and horrible) moment for Gabrielle. I remember being very glad that it was clearly stated that “this is not the one God of the Israelites.” The idea that this is the origin of Stonehenge was an interesting (and potentially controversial) touch. Introducing Discord! The twist is one HECK of a twist, and some folks didn’t like it, but I think it’s great.
Koz
2022-01-10 00:14:05 +0000 UTC
