When King Lias falls sick, Princess Diana asks Xena to help out. Unbeknown to her, 'Xena' is not who she says she is...
Summary[]
Fearing his death is near, King Lias summons Xena to his kingdom to ensure that his daughter Diana's succession will be a smooth one. Physically, Diana looks like Xena's double, though she's far different in temperament. Supposedly arriving long before Xena, Gabrielle is surprised to find Joxer in a tavern near the castle, babbling about a romantic encounter he had with the warrior princess that morning. Thinking the flighty Joxer has somehow confused a dream with reality, Gabrielle heads for the palace and is amazed to find Xena, along with a mysterious companion named Agis, already there, way ahead of schedule. Gabrielle tells Xena of Joxer's boast, thinking it good for a laugh, but instead finds herself thrown into the dungeon on orders from the warrior princess herself.
Agis teams up with an Meg another Xena-lookalike.
When "Xena" and Agis are left alone, she reveals herself to be Meg, a common tramp pulled out of the gutter by the scheming Agis to be used in his plan to take over Lias' throne. Complete with a fake wooden chakram and warrior's costume, Meg is a dead ringer for Xena, as well as Princess Diana. The three women -- one warrior, one princess and one tramp -- share the same face and figure, but very little else.
"So, Xena, how's about that kiss, huh? "
On her way to the kingdom the next day, Xena stops off at the tavern where she is supposed to meet Gabrielle. Hassled by some unruly patrons, she promptly knocks them out cold before facing Alcibiades, one of Agis' henchmen, who has been sent to keep her from reaching the kingdom. In the furious fight that ensues, Xena grabs a torch and breathes fire into her attacker's face. Making quick work of Alcibiades and his men, she soon reaches the king's castle.
Meg pretends to be Princess Diana when Xena arrives.
Upon arriving, Xena goes straight to the throne room and is greeted by Meg, who has taken on the garb and identity of Princess Diana. The real princess has been bound and gagged and is being held captive by Agis.
Xena seeks out Joxer and learns that something is very much amiss when he tries to plant a big wet kiss on her. She is in the midst of smacking him back to his senses when the two are startled by footsteps coming their way. They duck into a side corridor and soon overhear Agis and Meg discussing their plot to take over the kingdom. Xena and Joxer then race to the dungeon to free Gabrielle and the three promptly split up to search for Diana.
Xena proves to her friends that she is the real Xena.
A short time later, Alcibades rides up to the castle and is met by a triumphant Meg, who has captured and bound Gabrielle. He leads the two women to the hiding place where Princess Diana is being held, only to discover he's been double-crossed when Xena, who is pretending to be Meg, punches him out.
Xena and Meg.
Xena then hides Diana and her husband Philemon in a secret chamber known only to the royal family and seeks out Agis, who has kidnapped Diana's newborn child in an attempt to regain control of the situation. Xena, disguised as Meg, devises a plan to recover the baby which works perfectly until Joxer, eager to prove his bravery, shows up and attacks Agis' men.
Meg is forced to kill the king to prove her loyalty.
Realizing her game is up, Xena reveals herself and leaps into battle to defend Joxer. Alcibiades escapes with Diana's baby in the ensuing scuffle, but is cornered by Xena just as he is about to hoist a baby basket up to the chandelier by a rope. When her sword slips clumsily from her hands, however, Agis's men realize that this Xena is really just Diana in disguise. They hoist the basket, with the baby inside, high up near the ceiling, threatening to let go of the rope unless Diana cooperates. Just as she is about to capitulate, a reformed Meg, posing as Xena, arrives to save the day, but her real identity is soon exposed as well.
Finally, just as the baby is about to go tumbling, the real warrior princess shows up. The baby is tossed through the air several times in a perilous game of "keep away" until Xena finally knocks out the last of the henchmen.
Meg comes the new personal cook for the kingdom.
In the end, King Lias rewards Meg's valiant efforts by naming her his personal cook. Xena and Meg say their goodbyes with Meg promising not to pretend to be Xena again. As Xena and Gabrielle walk off, Meg promises to leave the back door open for Joxer to return one day. As Joxer leaves, Meg waves and spoons fall out of her dress. She covers them with sand. Joxer races to catch up with Xena and Gabrielle who have walked off into the distance.
Disclaimer[]
Neither Xena nor her remarkably coincidental identical twin, Diana, were harmed during the production of this motion picture. Meg, however, suffered minor injuries while preparing Aardvark nuggets for King Lias.
Background Information[]
Behind the Scenes[]
- This episode was originally supposed to air as the second episode of season 2, "Intimate Stranger" was originally supposed to air right after "Return of Callisto", as the episode itself is set shortly after it.
- Not only did Lucy Lawless play Xena in this episode, but she also played Meg and Diana, too.
- This was actually the highest-rating "look-alike" episode of the entire series.
Key Events[]
- This episode marks the first time that Xena is forced to prove her identity by using her Chakram, something that she will also be forced to do much later, in "Legacy".
- This episode marks the first appearance of Meg, who is the second look-a-like of Xena's.
- This episode marks the last appearance of Diana, the first look-a-like of Xena's.
Goofs[]
Trivia[]
Chakram count
To prove to that she was the real Xena.
Meg call her fake Chakram a Shamrock.
Links and References[]
Main Cast[]
Guest Stars[]
- Ted Raimi as Joxer
- Simon Fa'amoe as Alcibiades
- Norman Forsey as Lias
- Chris Bailey as Agis
- Iain Rea as Philemon
References[]
People[]
Deities[]
Places[]
Other[]
[]
| << Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 >> | ||||||
| #01 | Orphan of War | #09 | A Solstice Carol | #17 | The Execution | |||
| #02 | Remember Nothing | #10 | The Xena Scrolls | #18 | Blind Faith | |||
| #03 | The Giant Killer | #11 | Here She Comes... Miss Amphipolis | #19 | Ulysses | |||
| #04 | Girls Just Wanna Have Fun | #12 | Destiny | #20 | The Price | |||
| #05 | Return of Callisto | #13 | The Quest | #21 | The Lost Mariner | |||
| #06 | Warrior... Princess... Tramp | #14 | A Necessary Evil | #22 | A Comedy of Eros | |||
| #07 | Intimate Stranger | #15 | A Day in the Life | |||||
| #08 | Ten Little Warlords | #16 | For Him the Bell Tolls | |||||