Xena: Warrior Princess 3x14 "Forgiven" Reaction
Added 2022-03-11 16:46:15 +0000 UTC
Comments
Yeah, what Xena’s done absolutely outweighs Tara and Gabrielle combined. You haven’t seen the half of it yet. Well… at the point you posted this reaction you hadn’t. Xena would never allow herself to be forgiven. At least not by herself. I don’t like it but I understand it.
Girl4Music
2023-11-14 10:46:03 +0000 UTC‘Forgiven’ deals with the themes of forgiveness and redemption. As you may know, the entire concept to the show is about a Warrior Princess named Xena who fights for the good of mankind to redeem herself from her past sins and be forgiven by the world of which she caused immense damage and pain to. So redemption and forgiveness are the biggest and most reiterated themes and overall messages in the show. But never more so prominent and profound than in this episode. We meet a young girl named Tara that reminds Xena of how she used to be before she became an evil warlord. Lost and confused, hanging around the wrong people, doesn’t understand the difference between right and wrong. She picks a fight with Gabrielle to show Xena she’d make a better sidekick. Initially this girl really pissed me off. I thought she was very arrogant and well out of her league to think that she could replace Gabrielle in Xena’s life. But like Gabrielle, I warmed up to her when she crumbled down in tears and confessed that she hates the way she is and wants to change herself. Become a good person. Just as Gabrielle does in the episode, I judged her too quickly. She had a story that hit me hard due to the way I treated people in my own life. It was a real wake up call to me at the time. One I really needed cause gods know I couldn’t be reached otherwise. I was so far beyond real help. There’s a line in the episode that has really stuck with me throughout the years and still is something I remind myself of even now as often as possible. XENA: “You are what you do. You can recreate yourself every second of your life.”
Girl4Music
2023-11-14 10:31:25 +0000 UTCThat ending shot is the only decent part of the episode for me.
Tony Tenser
2022-03-12 21:41:47 +0000 UTCI agree with what everyone is saying about Tara, I did not take to her at all. There was no reason for her to go after Gabrielle that viciously and spitefully in the first half of the episode and no reason for her sudden turn towards the light after Gabrielle beat her up. Xena has fought, even killed, people who were far more potential to turn good before. It was so unearned that she got so many chances in this episode for seemingly no reason. I do like the ending though. The shot of Xena walking off into that stunning sunset without undergoing the ritual was a lovely touch and very true to her character and journey.
Judson
2022-03-12 11:21:22 +0000 UTCI personally felt that by this point Gabrielle had well risen above being portrayed as a sidekick so this episode felt like an unfortunate throwback in Gabrielle's development for me. That coupled with the other issues i listed below is why this episode is pretty bottom of the barrel for me.
Tony Tenser
2022-03-11 19:43:05 +0000 UTCReally not a favourite for me especially with the vicious assault on Gabrielle perpetrated by Tara in the opening teaser- any empathy i might have had for Tara instantly died with that. And Xena's pretty much under-reaction to that assault isn't great either. Gabrielle has suffered a hell of a lot this season and the attack by Tara was for this audience member one step too far. So not an episode I watch much and definitely a step down after the three classics that preceded it.
Tony Tenser
2022-03-11 19:40:03 +0000 UTCI kind of like the notion of Xena having two little sidekicks, actually. Anyway, my favorite parts of this episode are the game of Charades and the ending with both Gabby and Tara seeking forgiveness and Xena turning from it.
Koz
2022-03-11 19:29:21 +0000 UTC
