Many Happy Returns

On their way to deliver the Helmet of Hermes to Thebes, Xena and Gabrielle save the young virgin Genia from being sacrificed by religious zealots. In order to change her views on the "gracious" Gods that she believes in, they introduce her to Aphrodite.

Summary
Strolling through a forest, Gabrielle expresses her delight that Xena is taking her to a Sappho poetry reading for her birthday. She also pleads with Xena not to pull any of her traditional birthday pranks, Xena promises, no jokes, but her fingers are crossed behind her back. Xena takes a spy glass from the horse's backpack, but when Gabrielle peers through the telescope Xena hands her, she is left with a ring of soot around her eye. Xena says they have to head to Thebes and that they are delivering the Helmet of Hermes to some kind along the way. Gabrielle wonders if her present is in Thebes. Xena's laughter is halted by a sudden shriek that sends the women to investigate.

Zarat and his band of religious zealots are about to sacrifice the virgin Genia by hurling her off the edge of a cliff when Xena and Gabrielle intervene and order them to drop the girl. They place a girl on a contraption designed to slowly throw her over a cliff. The head dude raises his sword to cut the last rope. Xena's chakram flies through the air and cuts the sword in half. Xena tells him to put the girl down. He says you are interrupting a religious ceremony. Xena and Gabrielle fight the zealot followers. During the fight, the rope is broken and the girl goes over the cliff. Xena grabs the helmet and jumps over the cliff. Zarat grabs the girl and tosses her off the cliff. Xena dives over the edge with her bag in hand and as she plummets, she pulls out the Helmet of Hermes. As soon as she puts it on, she begins flying and is able to grab hold of Genia and execute a safe landing. Believing she has crossed over to the other side, Genia regards Xena with awe and confesses she's always dreamed of being sacrificed. As Xena and Gabrielle try to make sense of this new twist, they hear the zealots heading their way and the three women take off.

Once safe in the forest, Genia bows before Xena, certain that she's a god. Xena explains that she was able to fly only because of Hermes' helmet, and even goes so far as to cut her own finger to prove she bleeds and is therefore not a god. Genia becomes angry and accuses them of ruining her life. Determined to sacrifice herself to the Almighty, she begins holding her breath until Xena and Gabrielle offer to introduce her to a real god on their way to deliver the Helmet to Thebes. Meanwhile, the zealot Frankus enters the lair of his father, the warlord Ferragus, to inform him that the sacrificial virgin has escaped. When Ferragus learns that Xena rescued Genia using the Helmet of Hermes, he orders his son to seize it from her.

Xena, Gabrielle, and Jenai arrive at a waterfall. They make camp. Xena and Gabrielle go swimming. Genia does not go, but she keeps peeping at the naked women through her hands. Later, as they eat. Then Genia realizes she ate fish and says she must do penance and sleep on the ground without cover. Xena says if they weren't supposed to eat fish, how come they taste good? Genia accepts a blanket. Xena tells Gabrielle they should get some rest; they have a big day tomorrow. As Xena and Gabrielle lay beside each other, Gabrielle begins to giggle. She tells Xena to stop it. Then Gabrielle realizes there is an eel or snake or some other creepy slimy thing at her feet. Xena snickers. Gabrielle declares war. Xena smiles.

Next morning, Xena bathes beneath the falls. Genia wakes up. Gabrielle tells her that Xena is never to be bothered while she bathes in the morning. Xena emerges from the water. Her clothes are missing. Gabrielle tells Xena they are right under her nose. Xena looks and finds her clothes partially hidden. She grabs them, and when she does, a bucket of fish guts falls on her head from the tree. Gabrielle is a little stunned. She tells Xena she was sure she would have dodged those fish guts. Xena didn't see that coming, apparently. Gabrielle looks a little nervous.

Later that morning Xena, Gabrielle and Genia enter Aphrodite's temple and find the goddess of love bathing with two gorgeous young studs. Inviting Aphrodite to Sappho's show, the four set off. As they travel, Aphrodite desperately tries to convince an unimpressed Genia that she's a real god. At a tavern in the Thebes marketplace, Aphrodite magically creates an exact replica of the bag containing the Helmet of Hermes that Xena has been carrying to match the new shoes she also magically produced for Genia and herself.

Meanwhile, Frankus, who has been secretly following the women, tells Ferragus where they are. Flanked by his goons, Ferragus arrives at the tavern and orders Xena to turn over the bag containing the helmet. When she refuses, his men attack, but Aphrodite manages to swipe Xena's bag and hide it. Xena orders Aphrodite to take Genia to safety while she and Gabrielle finish fighting the thugs. Grabbing one of the bags, Aphrodite and Genia flee while Gabrielle, seeing the remaining bag, snatches it. Ferragus notices this and grabs the bag from Gabrielle, which is actually the one that contains the helmet, and escapes with it. Frantic, Xena and Gabrielle take off in search of Ferragus and the helmet. As Aphrodite and Genia continue shopping, Genia, who is now completely devoted to the goddess, asks Aphrodite to cast a spell on her that makes her feel as if she's in love. Aphrodite orders her to pick a guy and Genia, scanning the crowd, points to Frankus. Once the spell is cast, Genia and Frankus look at one another and rush into each other's arms.

Arriving at Ferragus' lair, Xena and Gabrielle are shocked to see Frankus enter with Genia, whom he introduces to his father as his fiance. Aphrodite joins Xena and Gabrielle and the three devise a plan to save Genia and recover the helmet. Disguised and pretending to be Genia's parents, Xena and Aphrodite enter the house with Gabrielle, who is posing as a barber. When Ferragus is persuaded to let Gabrielle trim his hair for the impending nuptials, he takes the helmet off and places it gently in its bag. While Aphrodite breaks Genia's love spell, Xena discreetly swaps bags, handing the one with the helmet to Genia, who is magically transported by Aphrodite back to the Thebes marketplace where she is immediately captured by Zarat and his men. Back in his lair, Ferragus is seething over having lost the helmet when Zarat enters and offers to help him.

Inside the zealot's temple, Genia is about to be sacrificed when Xena and Gabrielle barge in. As Xena moves toward Zarat, Ferragus swoops in wearing the helmet and a battle breaks out while the rope holding Genia burns rapidly. With some fancy maneuvering, the real Helmet of Hermes ends up safe with Aphrodite and Xena and Gabrielle emerge triumphant. Genia thanks them profusely for saving her life and teaching her the ways of the world.

Later that night, By the sea, with the sun setting, Xena apologizes to Gabrielle because they missed the Sappho show. Xena asks Gabrielle to close her eyes; some tender teasing; Gabrielle closes her eyes. Gabrielle finds a scroll with a poem written by Sappho. She reads it aloud; it is a beautiful love poem. Xena puts on the Helmet of Hermes, grabs Gabrielle, and they fly off together. "Happy Birthday, Gabrielle."

Disclaimer
No fish guts were harmed in the making of this motion picture.

Behind the Scenes

 * Shooting Dates: Early February 2001.
 * This episode was originally titled "Two Bags Full."
 * This episode was one of seventeen that fans selected to be featured on the Xena: Warrior Princess: 10th Anniversary Collection, and is subsequently considered one of the greatest episodes in history.
 * This was the final episode to be written. "A Friend In Need II" had already been written by this time.
 * Lucy's yelp in disbelief in the swimming scene was real, since Renée unexpectedly pinched her.
 * Lucy Lawless played a practical joke on the crew during the filming, getting up in drag and pretending to be a fan gone amok. She had them all fooled, but eventually she clued them in to the gag.
 * In this episode Genia is angry when Xena stops the priests from sacrificing her. This scene was very similar to one that Renee O'Connor performed in the second Action Pack movie, Hercules and the Lost Kingdom.
 * This episode was replacement for "Last Chance", a.k.a. "The Sappho Episode", a musical episode, because production fell through right before filming was to start. It was to include a duet between Gabrielle and Xena of the Donna Summer song "Last Dance", culminating in a passionate kiss between the two heroines. It has been suggested that this episode was dropped because the team didn't want to make the subtext into a blatent narrative.
 * Renée O'Connor announced to the cast and crew that she was pregnant during the filming of this episode.

Key Events

 * This is the final stand-alone episode before "A Friend In Need I", since the next episode is set in modern day.
 * Subsequently, it is the final episode to be solely set in Greece.
 * This episode marks the final appearance of Aphrodite.
 * The is the last time Gabrielle is seen using her Sais in battle.

Guest Stars

 * Alexandra Tydings as Aphrodite

Gods
Aphrodite ,

Places
Thebes