Season 2, episode 11
Salmoneus needs Xena’s help to keep peace in a land where war can erupt at any moment. He is running a beauty pageant and someone is trying to sabotage it by killing off the contestants.
Xena is not happy but disguising herself as a contestant, she enters the Miss Known World beauty pageant as Miss Amphipolis, in order to flush out whoever is trying to sabotage the event. Gabrielle disguises herself as Xena’s rich sponsor the Marquessa. Using this disguise she is able to move amongst the kings and other sponsors to learn what she can about who has more to gain if war erupts.
When Salmoneus introduces Xena to one of the contestants, Miss Mycenae, who plays a harp we see that the harp is rigged to set off a crossbow. Xena uses her chakram to save the day. In another scene, Xena goes to the steam bath, where the other contestants give her the could-shoulder. The other women leave and Xena is alone and she finds she is locked in the steam room. Butt naked with only a towel to hand Xena makes her escape.
Later Xena discovers that one of the contestants, Miss Artifice, is a man. He was the one who locked her in the steam room because he knew she would discover his secret. Turns out he’s a crossdresser who has endured a lot of shame due to his large breasts. Xena agrees to keep his secret.
This was another fun episode. This time we have Salmoneus providing some of it. This episode confirmed even more for me that the subtext existed. I liked that when Xena won the contest she withdraws and the other runners up follow suit leaving Miss Artifice to take the crown. Gabrielle’s face when Miss Artifice kissed Xena. Lovely. Was she just a tad jealous?
How soon did you realise that there was more to Miss Artifice than met the eye?
Disclaimer: No ribbons were harmed during the production of this motion picture. However, several experienced severe motion sickness.
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