Yuku free message boards

Many Happy Returns is a throwback episode - a last, loving look at the elements that made the show so much fun in its earlier years. We have Xena and Gab trying to one-up each other the way they did in A Day In The Life, 'Dite in fine fettle, a feisty virgin sacrifice reminiscent of S1 Gab, a hammy warlord and evil geek from H:TLJ - even Gab with a knife at her throat! Underneath it all, though lies a certain melancholy - as LL and ROC point out in their DVD interview, this is Alex Tydings' farewell appearance, the final "classic" X:WP episode, and the last story in which Xena and Gab spend real time together. Ahead lies yet another ϋber clip show and the end of the road in FIN.

The plot could have been lifted from any one of a dozen S1/2/3 Xena episodes - Xena and Gab must stop idiot warlord and creepy cult leader from getting their hands on the Helmet of Hermes, which itself is a shoutout to all of the plot devices that miraculously appeared in episode after episode of X:WP or H:TLJ. Since the story is of no real consequence, I'll direct my attention in this review to the characters.

Genia is cute, decently played by Katie Stuart, and very similar not only to Baby Gab but also the independent-minded Deianeira ROC played in Hercules and the Lost Kingdom. Her introduction is identical to Deianeira's - prepared to be sacrificed to some unknown deity and furious with Xena for interfering. Genia's innocence and naïveté serve to remind us just how far Gab's come - once, a long time ago, she was much like Genia; now, she's responsible for seeing that Genia comes to no harm and learns something about how to take care of herself. I liked Genia's initial skepticism about 'Dite's godhood - together with her annoyance at Xena, it gave her just enough tartness to cut any potential treacle. The romance with the warlord's son was a predictable-but-pleasant echo of Gab's own flirtation with warlord offspring in Chariots of War.

Another character who's come a long way is Aphrodite - remember her disdainful dismissal of innocent, idealistic Gab in S2 and 3? Now, she greets the Battling Bard with a warm hug and birthday wishes, and even seems to get along OK with Xena (about as well as they ever get along, anyway). In the old days, 'Dite was cheerfully oblivious of the havoc she created, if not actively delighting in it; here, she's honestly contrite about her mistakes and anxious to help repair their consequences. For a character whose basic purpose was comic relief, 'Dite was well-served by the writers on both X:WP and H:TLJ, and Alex Tydings did a great job with her portrayal - goodbye, Goddess of Love; the Xena- and Herkaverses would have been much poorer without you.

The bad guys should be quickly recognized by Herc fans - the horrifically mugging warlord Farragus is Hori Ahipene, who played Discord's equally overacting boytoy Brutus in Love on the Rocks. As for Zarat, the power-crazed cult leader, we have to go all the way back to Once A Hero to find him - Latham Gaines played Marcus, the scheming regent for the drunken, delusional Jason. He even has the same goatee that he wore 4 years ago - maybe it's the real thing, instead of the cheesy makeup job I'd always assumed it to be!

As for our two heroes, it was wonderful to see them relaxed and at ease with each other - there weren't too many other times In S6 where you saw them that way, other than Old Ares Had A Farm and a couple of moments in You Are There. The practical jokes are a deliberate harkening back to A Day In The Life, and I enjoyed Gab's hyper-nervous reaction when she realizes that her fish-guts gag may have spawned some truly dire retaliation from Xena. The girls also get one final opportunity to don disguises, and they're two of the best they've ever done. Watching Gab sashaying around as Belle of Belle's Bridal Barn, it's hard not to realize that ROC undoubtedly grew up around people who looked, sounded and acted exactly like Belle; she's got the sweet-but-steely Young Texas Womanhood thing down to a T. As for Xena's getup, I'm surprised that LL never got the chance to do male drag before - she's a remarkably convincing man once she gets that fake stubble on her chin. Not only her face, but her movements, mannerisms and speech become male, and it doesn't require a particularly massive suspension of disbelief to buy her disguise. When I saw Lucy's delight in the DVD interview as she described how she sat next to the female crew members in her costume and makeup and put the moves on them before they realized what was going on, I couldn't help but think that TPTB had missed some comedy opportunities along the way. As for the ending, when Xena presents Gab with the scroll, it was a nice, complex interplay of emotions shown by Xena. Xena obviously feels very deeply about Gab, but she's not comfortable with "mushy stuff" (unless she, Gab or both are at death's door, which seems to happen about every 6 weeks or so).

Another departure for a veteran Xenaverse director, in this case Mark Beesley - any lingering doubts I may have had about him from Eternal Bonds or Heart of Darkness are dispelled here. He does a fine job with the fight scenes, and his direction and lighting for the final scene when Gab reads Sappho's poem is inspired. The wirework and green-screen shots for the Helmet of Hermes effects are a reversion to early-season cheese, but it's in keeping with the feel of the episode. Liz Friedman's and Vanessa Place's script is light and breezy, and their treatment of Xena's and Gab's relationship suits me better than some of the heavier-breathing eps like When Fates Collide.

I give this one 8/10 chakrams - one of my favorite S6 episodes, a fond tribute to what this series had been once, and was no more, and would never be again.