The entire premise was silly - a motley crew of Xena & Gabrielle's associates assemble at Cyrene's tavern in Amphipolis to throw a surprise birthday party for Gabrielle. I can understand Lila and Joxer's presence, but what in Tartarus was Minya doing there??? (Not that I'm complaining, mind - she's a really great character, and Alison Wall always plays her to the hilt.) If Discord is Goddess of Retribution (huh???), why does she have to rely on a mortal to figure out the victim for her? But then again, the Greek gods of the Xenaverse have had to rely upon mere mortals for quite a lot of other things, so why not this?
Trivia bit: I'm guessing this episode was filmed in late January/early February, because Bruce Campbell's hair hadn't had much of a chance to grow back from getting it buzzed for his guest spot on the X-Files, which I believe was filmed in early January.
Joxer was back to his usual bumbling self this week - oh well. At least he was funny. I guess Lila got to know him when he was hanging around Potadeia during A Family Affair, though if she was moved to write him a love letter, it looks like Gabrielle got the brains in the family (which is a truly frightening thought, lately).
Is everyone blind, or had Gabrielle already been back to Potadeia and Amphipolis to show off her new look? Neither Lila nor Cyrene (nor Autolycus, for that matter) batted an eye when she arrived. Had Xena, Joxer, or Minya given them warning? "Okay mom, when Gabrielle gets here, don't freak out when you see her. She's going to be wearing a lot of yellow silk, her hair is about as short as Joxer's, and she's got all these weird squiggles painted all over her body. Don't be alarmed - I think it's just a phase she's going through."
What was up with Cyrene's 'do? I didn't know they had perms in ancient Greece (though if they had mousse, I guess anything's possible :). Plus, she seemed like she was about to bust out laughing in every scene. Odd. Guess she was just giddy at having her little girl at home, for once.
I don't think they ever did explain where Ravinica's rash came from, now that I think about it. Maybe she was allergic to the ink? Dunno.
Was Discord referring to Xena or Autolycus when she said "tall, dark and ... mortal" and "tall, dark, and deadly"? Could've been either one. I'd prefer Xena to be the answer to that, but I couldn't tell.
About the final fight, all I'm going to say is: It's a sad, sad day when Minya busts more heads in a fight than Gabrielle. Sigh...
I don't know why, but I noticed Xena's facial expressions a lot more than usual in this one. They were priceless, too. We got our fill of trademark sneers, as well as bemused grins and even the covering-of-the-face when Gabrielle was nattering on about her theories as to how the murder was committed. The interaction between Xena and Autolycus was great, as usual - they really play off one another well.
Favorite lines: