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Xena, Cyrene, Joxer, Minya, Lila and Autolycus have organised a surprise birthday party for Gabrielle. But when Ravenica, a bounty hunter, is mysteriously killed, Xena turns detective when she is forced to discover and give up the killer to Discord, the Goddess of Retribution, before time runs out and she takes everyone.
Main Cast[]
- Lucy Lawless as Xena
Also Starring[]
Guest Stars[]
- Ted Raimi as Joxer
- Alison Wall as Minya
- Meighan Desmond as Discord
- Willa O'Neill as Lila
- Darien Takle as Cyrene
- Bruce Campbell as Autolycus
Co Starring[]
Summary[]
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Surprise
On a stormy night, Xena enters the tavern owned by her mother, Cyrene. Finding the room suspiciously dark and quiet, Xena grabs someone hiding in the shadows. The lights come on, everyone yells surprise and Xena finds herself holding Joxer by the throat. Xena discovers that she has walked into a surprise birthday party for Gabrielle, whose birthday is tomorrow. Some particularly meaningful faces are there: Cyrene, Gabrielle's sister Lila, Joxer, Minya, and even Autolycus. Also at the inn is Ravenica, a mysterious woman, who exchanges meaningful glances with several of the others. Xena informs them that Gabrielle will not arrive until the next day, Cyrene tells her that her room is next to hers, a desire to keep her close during her rare visits home. Autolycus gestures to Ravenica who looks away. Everyone retires for the evening.
Ravenica is killed
In the middle of the night, Xena is awakened by a thunderbolt and sees someone quietly walking around outside. Suspicious, she gears up and investigates, discovering her mother’s room empty.
Discord wants the killer
Xena bursts into Ravenica's room, The key in the lock falls out. Xena finds Ravenica dead with a knife in the chest. As she inspects the body, a man in leather shorts attacks her. During the scuffle, Discord, the newly appointed Goddess of Retribution, suddenly appears. Discord tells Xena that she must figure out which one of her friends is the murderer and turn him or her over, or else the goddess will take someone at random. Though Discord acknowledges Xena isn’t the murderer, she makes it clear someone close to her is—and time is running out.
Act One[]
Xena's bounty
Xena gathers the suspects together: Minya, Autolycus, Lila, Cyrene, and Joxer—to find out who murdered Ravenica before sunrise, as demanded by the goddess Discord. Suspicion and tension rise as they realize the killer must be among them. Searching Ravenica’s belongings, they discover tools identifying her as a bounty hunter, looking to collect the reward for Xena.
Cyrene admits she saw a symbol on Ravenica earlier but didn’t connect the dots until later. Xena privately questions her mother, wondering if she killed Ravenica to protect her, as she had done in the past. Cyrene denies it, explaining she was in the kitchen when the murder occurred. Back in the tavern, they find a wanted poster for Xena, confirming Ravenica was after her for a bounty. Minya recognizes Ravenica and describes her brutal method of disabling horses to catch her targets. She confirms the body is Ravenica's. Joxer, eager to play detective, accuses Minya, but she refutes it, saying she only realized Ravenica’s identity recently.
The bounty is confirmed when Gabrielle arrives with the news soon after. Though surprised, she quickly catches on to the group's tension and realizes they’re trying to identify the killer. When Gabrielle asks who did it, everyone exchanges uneasy glances, still without an answer.
The first attempt
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Autolycus begins to suspect Cyrene, Xena’s mother. He points out that as the tavern owner, Cyrene had access to all rooms and could move around quietly without being noticed. Despite Xena’s earlier questioning, Autolycus insists Cyrene had both the means and motive: protecting her daughter from a deadly bounty hunter. Autoycus suspects Cyrene may have killed her to protect her daughter, while Joxer is wary of Minya because Ravenica is known for laming the horses of the people she hunts.
When Autolycus accuses Cyrene of the crime, Discord appears with her henchmen to kill her with an arrow. She confronts Xena, accusing her of lacking the courage to turn in her own mother, and prepares to strike.
Act Two[]
As Discord tries to enforce her ultimatum, she fires an arrow at Cyrene, but Xena deflects it with her chakram. Xena tells Discord it can't be her. Discord reminds Xena of the deadline and vanishes—leaving behind an ominous hourglass to mark the countdown. Discord leaves. Autolycus momentarily accuses Cyrene again, citing her access and protective instincts. But his theory falls apart when Gabrielle reveals a pouch of jewels that spilled from his bag, implicating him instead. He denies any involvement in the murder, admitting only to being a thief, not a killer.
Xena inspects Ravenica’s belongings and finds inconsistencies in how her gear was packed, suggesting someone repacked her bag in haste. But when Ravenica's diamonds are found in the King of Thieves' possession, suspicion turns to him. Crucially, she detects lavender perfume on Ravenica’s pouch—an oddity for a stealthy bounty hunter. Lavender is a scent only Lila wears, making her a new suspect. Lila is shocked but tries to explain herself, saying she noticed Ravenica’s odd behavior but didn’t touch anything. Joxer unhelpfully "defends" her with confusing logic, and Gabrielle insists her sister is innocent. Xena, remaining objective, tells the group she’ll suspect everyone until the truth is uncovered. She enlists Gabrielle and Autolycus to help her investigate further—firmly excluding Joxer. Autolycus quietly pockets the jewels again as suspicion continues to swirl.
Gabrielle explains her story to the group
In Ravenica’s room, Xena, Gabrielle, and Autolycus search for more clues. Gabrielle insists none of their close friends or family could commit murder, and even Autolycus agrees—for once. They notice some strange details: a piece of kindling in a room with no fireplace or stove, and five candles when there’s only space for four. Suspicion briefly lands on whoever discovered the locked room (which turns out to be Xena herself), but she redirects focus to new evidence—a red rash on Ravenica’s neck and ink on the back of her head where a bump is found. The room was locked from the inside, and there were no signs of forced entry, meaning only someone with a key could have entered. Xena reveals she found the key when she broke in. The mystery deepens when they consider who could’ve locked the door and how the attack happened. Gabrielle humorously suggests Ravenica could have been stabbed through the keyhole, but Xena hints the knife itself may hold the answer to the mystery.
Ravenica mistakes Joxer for his deadly Triplet Brother, Jett
Joxer is considered a suspect when it is learned that Ravenica was also after his brother, Jett. Soon, everyone with the exception of Xena admits that they all saw Ravenica around the time of her death. With all of Xena's friends and family having means, motive and/or opportunity, everyone becomes suspect. As they examine the body, Gabrielle finds some kindling. Ravenica also had a rash and ink on her. The door was also locked from the inside. They confirm it wasn't the knife that killed her, which led to Gabrielle saying that she killed her.
Act Three[]
"...I put Joxer's gravy recipe in her water bag."
Gabrielle says she met up with Ravenica a few days back and put Joxer's gravy in her water jug to give her the trots, and that must be what killed the woman. But the water bag is full, so that's not it. Discord shortens the deadline. Xena says a bounty scroll is missing. Joxer has it. He says he got it because the woman mistook him for his brother Jett, and also stole a love note he was writing to Lila. Joxer hit her in the head with an inkwell then, too. Ravenica took the note to her room and when Joxer went to get it back he saw the bounty on Jett.
The Second Attempt
Joxer heard Autolycus and Ravenica arguing. Autolycus says he threatened Ravenica to save Autolycus. Just then, Discord reappears with her henchmen, ready to take someone away. She raises her bow, signaling she's prepared to act.
Act Four[]
"Time flies when I'm having fun."
Discord threatens to shoot Autolycus: Xena stops Discord from taking Autolycus by pointing out he never confessed to murder, only to warning Ravenica. Discord, frustrated, threatens that if the real killer isn’t handed over next time, she’ll take everyone—Xena’s friends and family—to ensure justice is served. After she vanishes, Xena demands honesty from everyone. Cyrene claims Lila and Minya were together, but Xena doubts it. Under pressure, Minya admits she and Lila were trying to protect Xena, and that helping was her idea.
Minya and Lila plotted to keep Ravenica from Xena. Lila went to let the woman's horse go, so she couldn't follow Xena. Ravenica caught her, so Minya went to Ravenica's room and talked loudly like a man to get her attention. When Ravenica caught her instead, Minya panicked and ran away, throwing a candle that dropped to the floor. Back in the tavern, everyone reflects on what they know, but Gabrielle presses for more truths, especially from Autolycus and Cyrene. Tension builds as Gabrielle insists on full honesty, and just as they realize no one has clearly confessed to the murder.
The culprit is caught
When time expires, Discord and her henchmen arrive to apprehend everyone, but Xena and her friends fight back. As Discord’s men attack, Xena, Autolycus, Minya, and Joxer fight them off while Gabrielle, Cyrene, and Lila take shelter in the kitchen. In the scuffle when Minya uses the Chandelier as a weapon, Xena notices the way a chandelier is swinging. Xena says she knows who killed Ravenica. She tells Discord that she knows who did it. Xena explains that Ravenica was trying to injure her horse, Argo, but the horse kicked her back into the room and set off a chain of events that ended with the knife being lodged in her chest. Since she cannot seek retribution against a horse, Discord unhappily leaves the inn, saying she hates her job.
Tag[]
With the mystery solved, everyone apologizes for suspecting each other. Minya is searching around when Lila approaches her, holding up a whip. Lila hands it to Minya, who thanks her. Lila expresses her gratitude, saying that Minya's distraction of Ravenica likely saved her from harm, calling Minya a hero. Meanwhile, Joxer follows Gabrielle and tries to explain that Sophocles said plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery, but Gabrielle isn't impressed, especially after he took her scroll. She forgives him for being willing to take her place with Discord, and in a moment of affection, Gabrielle kisses Joxer on the cheek.
I would kill to protect you Xena. Any mother who loves her child would.
In the aftermath, Cyrene is cleaning up the mess, and Autolycus offers to help. Cyrene finds diamonds lying around, but Autolycus says they aren't his, suggesting the diamonds are just her lucky find. Cyrene seems to accept this, and Autolycus moves off. Xena then approaches her mother and apologizes to Cyrene for wondering if she did kill Ravenica. Cyrene says she would kill to protect Xena, so her suspicion wasn't entirely misplaced.
Happy Birthday Gabrielle!
Gabrielle joins Xena and remarks that, in the end, everyone’s actions were driven by love — for family, for those they care about. As they share this realization, Autolycus sneaks into the kitchen. Lila follows him, and he gestures for everyone to be quiet. They all eagerly wait as Autolycus, with a mischievous grin, prepares to reveal something. Suddenly, everyone emerges from the kitchen, now Gabrielle finally has her birthday party, as everyone brings in a cake for Gabrielle and sings Happy Birthday to her. Gabrielle blows out the candles, as the group continues singing.
Disclaimer[]
Argo was once again proven innocent during the production of this motion picture.
Background Information[]
Behind the Scenes[]
- This episode was originally known as "Bar Murder Mystery."
- Shooting Dates: February 18 to 25, 1999 (5.5-day shoot).
- This was the twenty-first episode of the season to be written but aired as the nineteenth.
- Having Minya do pretend voices in the background to draw Ravenica away from Lila was an in-joke, since Alison Wall was part of "The Loop Group," which regularly did background voices for Renaissance Pictures.
- Willa O'Neill on working with Ted Raimi: “For [this] episode I just had to be sweet and charming and in love with Joxer. Ted [Raimi] was really great. When I first met him we got to talking about someone I really admire, Jim Henson. I grew up with the Muppets and really like them. I wish they had just let Kermit die too, because some things just can’t be re-voiced, not to a purist like myself, anyway. Ted said that he’d met Jim Henson and I really admired him for that. It wasn’t too hard to pretend to be in love with Joxer after that.” (Whoosh! Interview – January 2000)[1]
- Alison Wall spoke in an interview with Whoosh! on working with an ensemble cast in this episode: “[This] was a comedy as well… everyone knows their part so well. Everyone really likes each other and it’s a nice warm atmosphere to be a part of. Renee and Lucy and Ted all know the ropes. Ted is funny, he’s so lovely and vague. For some reason, he called me ‘Mindy’ for the longest time. I was talking to someone on set and he called me Mindy and this person gave the strangest look. I said, ‘Oh, Ted is so sweet, he calls me Mindy all the time.’ He said, ‘Isn’t that your name?’ I said, ‘No, actually, it’s Ali.’ He was so apologetic. I said ‘I really don’t mind, Tod, you can call me what you like!’ The next day in makeup he said, ‘Hi, Mindy!’ He is lovely though. He’s writing too, apparently. All jolly good fun, really.” (Whoosh! Interview – January 2000) [2]
- Bruce Campbell on having so much fun filming this episode: “I hadn’t done an Auto episode in a while. I had buzzed my hair for another part… [This episode] was like ‘Xena, She Wrote.’ That’s what I called it… The problem with [this] one is that [Ted and I] suffered from having too much fun, cause I remember specifically… an assistant director came over to us… and she was like… ‘Could you leave?… Sorry guys, but you have to leave. You’re too loud and obnoxious.’ (Campbell & Raimi Interview – Season Four DVD Set) [3]
| "“I [tried] to lighten [Cyrene] up, to make her funny, to be a bit ditsy. I think she is quite funny. I think that’s where Xena gets her sense of humor from, and probably her independence and feisty character, because mom’s small but feisty. There was one thing that I did which Lucy loved and we kept in. In [one scene], Xena reaches to get a piece of fruit and I smack her hand, which is what mothers do. That’s the sort of relationship that they’ve got now and probably always had, except when Xena was being a bad girl.”" |
| ― Darien Takle (Actor, Cyrene)
Source: (Titan: The Official XENA Magazine, Issue #10 – September 2000) and many thanks to http://jacksonupperco.com/ for personally researched, and transcribed |
Key Events[]
- Discord is now the goddess of retribution, a position presumably vacant since "The Enforcer". She credits Ares for the promotion.
- This episode marks the final appearance of Autolycus on Xena: Warrior Princess. However, he makes one more appearance in the HTLJ Season 6 episode, "Hercules, Tramps & Thieves".
- Last appearance of Minya.
- Though seen briefly on the series in Season 3's "The Deliverer", this is the first time Discord has come face-to-face with Xena.
- Cyrene makes her first appearance since "The Furies," a gap of 40 episodes.
- This episode continues the romance between Lila and Joxer, that first blossomed in "A Family Affair." Ultimately, however, they will both marry other people.
Goofs[]
- Joxer mentions that Ravenica mistook him for his villainous twin brother, Joxer is, however, a triplet, which he had previously brought up in the episode, The King of Assasins when he spoke about his brother Jett.
Trivia[]
- The style of this episode was played out in the style of the Clue board game, in which the players have a time limit to find out who is the murderer amongst them.
- The story was played out in the style of a camp, hammed up Miss Marple novel - with a group of suspects, each with their own motives and stories, where the murderer turns out to be a secondary character who has been overlooked from the start.
- Chakram count: 1
- To save Cyrene from getting killed by Discord.
- The resolution of the mystery is very similar to that of the Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of Silver Blaze", where a man found with a smashed skull turns to have been killed by the horse he intended to make lame with a surgical knife. It is unknown whether the similarity is deliberate. Jeff Vlaming denied knowledge of the story, but credits R. J. Stewart with the idea, while stating the latter never said anything on the subject.[4]
| "“I remember Ted and Bruce making up my birthday song at the end of the show. I don’t [remember if] it made the cut. ‘For he’s a jolly good fellow’… They kept going, ‘for she’s getting older, for she’s getting older.’ They kept getting worse and worse as they went along. ‘Her hips are getting wider, her hips are getting wider.’ I was, like, ‘Oh my God!’ Thank God that [part] didn’t make it.”" |
| ― Renee O’Connor (Actor, Gabrielle)
Source: (Coffee Talk #1 With Lucy and Renee and many thanks to http://jacksonupperco.com/ for personally researched, and transcribed |
Memorable Quotations[]
- "What are you saying? You couldn't have killed her, you weren't even here."
"I know but if it wasn't the knife, it had to be me. You see I ran into Ravenica two days ago, I heard she was hot on your trail, so I decided to slow her down a bit. I thought I could get here first and warn you, so I put Joxer's gravy recipe in her water bag."
"That's inhuman."
"It was only enough to give her the trots for a couple days, not enough to kill her. Unless, she was allergic to it and with the rash on the back of her neck, she had to be, which means I am the killer." - —Xena and Gabrielle
Links and References[]
References[]
References[]
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| << Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 >> | ||||||
| #01 | Adventures in the Sin Trade | #09 | Past Imperfect | #17 | The Play's the Thing | |||
| #02 | Adventures in the Sin Trade II | #10 | The Key to the Kingdom | #18 | The Convert | |||
| #03 | A Family Affair | #11 | Daughter of Pomira | #19 | Takes One to Know One | |||
| #04 | In Sickness and in Hell | #12 | If the Shoe Fits... | #20 | Endgame | |||
| #05 | A Good Day | #13 | Paradise Found | #21 | The Ides of March | |||
| #06 | A Tale of Two Muses | #14 | Devi | #22 | Deja Vu All Over Again | |||
| #07 | Locked Up and Tied Down | #15 | Between the Lines | |||||
| #08 | Crusader | #16 | The Way | |||||