Xena: Warrior Princess review: Is There A Doctor In The House?

Xena Warrior Princess favourite episodes

Is There A Doctor In The House? is my favourite episode of season one. There were a few others I could have chosen but this particular episode tied up the season nicely. In the first episode of the season Sins of The Past, we see a fresh-faced Gabrielle determined to follow the Warrior Princess. She can only imagine the adventures they will have but she is in no way equipped for the dangers they will face. Xena is reluctant to have Gabby tagging along. She is on a journey of discovery, to find the real person beneath the warrior mask and to atone for her sins of the past.

By the last episode of the season Gabrielle has grown considerably. The rose coloured glasses that she wore in the beginning have been removed. Now she is with Xena as a partner in her quest to redeem herself not the little tag along she was before. She is still not Xena’s equal despite becoming an Amazon Princess. She has gained some fighting skills that allow her to protect herself thus becoming less of a worry for Xena who has come to rely on her friendship.

Until the last episode we don’t realise quite how much she cares for Gabrielle. They have travelled for many miles had many dangerous encounters and managed to extract themselves from them quite nicely. In “Callisto” Xena puts her many fighting and acrobatic skills to use to save Gabrielle from plunging to an early death. In “Dreamworker” Xena uses the power of her mind to save Gab’s blood innocence. These were all do-able. So far we believe that there is nothing that the Warrior Maid cannot undo. She does have many skills after all.

In “Is There A Doctor in the House” we learn the full extent of Xena’s healing abilities. People are dying all around but Xena keeps a cool head and sets out to save lives. At first the story seems to focus around how Xena intends to stop the war. By wounding the Commanding Officer of one of the armies you can’t see how this is to be accomplished until Gabrielle starts working her storytelling magic on him. ‘So Gab’s is gonna talk him into submission’, I thought. It’s not until Gabrielle is wounded that the CO really sees the havoc that war can reek. He reproaches Xena for bringing Gabrielle, an innocent, into a war zone. At this stage Xena is just a little flustered, she has done what she can for Gabrielle. Now she has to rely on her companion’s strength of will to complete the healing process.

This episode had me gripped from the beginning, the return of Ephiny, and the death of Phantos, Ephiny going into labour. I watched each moment with bated breath. I couldn’t even begin to guess at the outcome. When Gabrielle died and Xena totally lost it, I was in shock. I didn’t see it coming. I felt Xena’s pain and cried my eyes out right along with her. Lucy’s acting was magnificent. I believed the Warrior Princess had finally been defeated but prayed for divine intervention.

When Xena started pounding on Gabrielle’s chest I was chanting with every thump “Live damn you.” I soon realised that this would bring her back but, it didn’t detract from the relief I felt when Gab’s finally drew breath. It wasn’t until the closing credits that I realised that I had been bawling like a baby. The snotty tissues on the bed were testament to that fact. I looked around the room and was grateful when I realised that I was alone. I was emotionally drained.

I realised that Gabrielle had become Xena’s life. Subtext or not her love for Gabrielle is deep.