Xena Reviews: Season 4, Episode 14

Devi – Director: Garth Maxwell/Writer: Chris Manheim

This one starts with Xena and Gabi in India, exploring the Entertainers’ Quarter in a city. They stop to watch a street magician (Eli) do the classic rope trick, but something goes wrong and his sexy assistant (Maya) goes crazy and attacks him. Xena jumps on stage and knocks Maya into a table.

That doesn’t stop Maya, who goes after Xena with a couple of swords. Xena sends her flying right into Eli and Maya starts going nuts, writhing around on the ground and screaming. Gabi goes to help her and a spirit flies out of Maya and disappears. The crowd assumes Gabi is a devi (a healing deity), saying she cast the demon out of Maya. The local priest (Vikram) blames Eli for bringing the demon to town, so Xena and Eli take off (using Eli’s magic cabinet to “vanish”), while Gabi tries to calm the mob. Xena takes Eli to hide in the temple, reasoning that Vikram would never look for him there. Eli asks if Gabi really is a devi and how she cast the demon out of Maya, but Xena doesn’t have an answer. That’s not good enough for Eli and he tries to use a candle to hypnotize Xena. Outside, Gabi tries to convince the people she’s not a devi, but when she spontaneously heals a blind man, even she starts to wonder. The healed man (Ravi) and some of his friends pledge themselves as Gabi’s bodyguards, while the rest of the crowd showers her with praise. In the temple, Xena’s will is too strong for Eli to hypnotize, so he tells her how he accidentally healed someone when he was a kid and has been searching for other healers ever since. Later, Gabi tells Xena about healing Ravi and says she’s happy to be a healer and wield power over life and death, which worries Xena.

The next morning, Xena mentions doing yoga together to test whether Gabi is still herself, but Gabi sees through it. The crowd of worshippers is even bigger and Gabi seems to be getting into it. Xena goes to check on Eli and finds Vikram hanged. Eli is ready to take off when Xena points out that Vikram is hanging too high for a suicide … someone else killed him. That really freaks Eli out, but Xena won’t let him leave until they figure out what’s going on. Gabi’s bodyguards disappear and Eli is attacked by crazed dogs. Xena saves him, but he runs into Gabi, spilling all the pearls the crowd has given her. Eli uses one of his street tricks to levitate, claiming Gabi cast a demon out of him. That gets him off the villagers’ shit list and he’s ready to take off again, only stopping at the temple to get some holy water as insurance. Xena stops him and takes the holy water vial from him. Eli mentions the demons depicted on the temple tapestries and Xena notices one that looks like Gabi. Eli says that’s Tataka, who likes to con people by using her powers to heal so she can soak up the adulation. Outside, Gabi is draped in pearls, looking exactly like Tataka and Xena realizes she’s possessed.

Xena talks to Gabi, who freaks out when she finds the holy water, spilling it all over herself to prove she’s not possessed. Xena points out that holy water is only effective when used by a priest or other holy man, but when Gabi starts crying Xena can’t stay mad and tries to comfort her. In the temple, Ravi attacks Eli and Xena shows up in time to save him. Ravi is a tough opponent, but Xena tells Eli to use the holy water and that kills him. Xena tells Eli he’s the devi, since he was the one who touched Maya (and called out to Aba, which means “father”) right before Maya started convulsing. Tataka knows Eli’s the devi too, which is why she sent Ravi to kill him. Xena goes to confront Tataka, but she hints that she sent back-up to kill Eli. Xena finds Eli fleeing through the forest, not just running from Tataka, but from the knowledge that he really does have healing powers. When he refuses to try an exorcism, Xena asks him to instruct her how to do it and he tells her to find something special of Gabi’s to use as a focus. Back in town, Tataka is telling her men to kill Xena and Eli.

Xena sneaks into town and gets Gabi’s quill to use as a focus. When Tataka’s men start roughing up the villagers, Xena confronts her. Tataka spills the holy water and she and Xena start fighting. Tataka’s a good fighter (her style is very sinuous, like a snake), but Xena gets her down and it looks like she’s ready to kill Gabi to end Tataka’s threat. But Eli shows up and offers to try an exorcism. Tataka attacks him, but Xena puts the Pinch on Gabi’s body to give Eli time to work. Tataka tries to undermine his confidence, but Xena convinces him he really does have the power to heal and he drives Tataka out, saving Gabi. Later, Gabi asks Eli if he wants to travel with them, but he says he has some stuff to figure out by himself … and adds that maybe he won’t really be alone anyway.

This is a pretty good episode (#54 on my all-time list) that introduces Eli, a character who will become very important next season (some fans might say too important). Eli starts out as a street charlatan and ends up being Jesus (or more likely Elijah … there’s a good write-up about that over at Whoosh). Eli is reluctant to accept his own gifts until he has no choice, which is kind of a running theme with the show; Xena has trouble accepting she’s really a good person and Gabi has trouble reconciling her peaceful nature with all the fighting she does (not to mention being in love with the ultimate warrior). At the end, I think Gabi asks Eli to join them because she’s fascinated by his healing powers, healing being something she’s always wanted to do. That’s probably why Tataka was able to take her over so easily, since she actually was helping people.

Chris Manheim said that Tataka was in Gabi the whole time, but let her have some measure of control at first (without letting Gabi know she was possessed), which is why it took Xena a while to figure it out. But I think she knew when Gabi seemed happy having power over life and death, something Gabi’s specifically said she doesn’t want. Another clue is the way Gabi yells “My pearls!” when Eli runs into her; very out of character, but also very funny the way Renee delivers the line. In a way, Tataka soaking up the adulation of the crowd is reminiscent of Xena basking in the worship of her army, which may have helped Xena see through Tataka’s scam. There’s some question as to whether Xena really was going to kill Gabi to get rid of Tataka. Chris Manheim said she would have because Gabi wouldn’t want to live knowing she was hurting people. I agree with that and it looked to me like Gabi actually regained control for a few seconds in that scene and was asking Xena to kill her.

Noticeable Things:

• We get another massage, where Xena says “maybe you are a devi”; I mentioned last episode how I think the massages might be code for sex, so maybe …
• Gabi mentions Xena having had a spirit inside her, but I’m not sure what that refers to. I don’t remember that from any of the episodes, unless it’s something with Lao Ma … or Alti.
• Eli’s run through the forest doesn’t fit with the previous scene because some stuff was cut from the scene.
• There’s a scene during the big fight when Gabi (or Tataka) licks Xena’s face, driving texters everywhere crazy. Renee kinda burst the bubble when she said that it wasn’t really all that sexy because she ended up with Lucy’s stage makeup all over her tongue, which was kinda gross. (Also, the lick left a burn on Xena’s skin … maybe it’s a good thing Tataka didn’t go down on her.)

Favourite Quotes:

• “When you’re crippled and old and I’m doing headstands, I’ll remind you of this.” Gabi telling a skeptical Xena that her yoga routine (which she’s apparently kept up after last episode) keeps her young and supple.
• “Okay, who are you and what have you done with Xena?” Gabi’s (or Tataka’s) response when Xena suggests they do yoga together.
• “And give up this face and this firm, strong body? Fat chance!” Tataka refusing to leave Gabrielle’s hot bod; I can’t help wondering if Gabi was in control at that particular moment …
• “Some things don’t bear too much thinking about … some things you’ve just gotta take on faith.” Xena revealing a hidden side to herself, but one that makes sense; she probably can’t really understand Gabi’s love for her, but takes it on faith anyway.