One of the best Xena life lessons
Posted by amyc7@reddit | xena | View on Reddit | 14 comments
Source: https://www.whoosh.org/epguide/trans/103trans.html
G: “You know? Doesn’t it make more sense that I should learn how to defend myself? _I_ think it makes more sense.”
X: “Don’t confuse defending yourself with using a weapon. When you pull a sword, you have to be ready to kill.”
G: “You don’t think I know that?”
X: “No-- I don’t think you do. People are too quick to go for
their sword. It should always be the last resort.”
G: “I don’t want to learn to kill. I want to learn to survive.”
X: “All right. The rules of survival. Number one. If you can run, run. Number two. If you can’t run-- surrender, and then run. Number three. If you’re outnumbered, let them fight each other, while you run. Number four--”
G: “Wait-- More running?”
X: “No. Four is where you talk your way out of it, and I know
you can do that. It’s wisdom before weapons, Gabrielle. The
moment you pick up a sword, you become a target. And the moment you kill--”
G: “The moment you kill-- What?”
X: “Everything changes. Everything.”
AnotherBroh@reddit
And the best end:
X: “Ready to go?”
G: “Xena-- I could have killed someone. I mean-- I was capable of it.”
X: “We’re all capable of it. The point is, you didn’t cross that line.”
G: “But I got close enough to peak over. And what I saw scared me.”
X: “See how calm the surface of the water is. That was me once. And then-- The water ripples and churns; that’s what I became.”
G: “But if we sit here long enough it will go back to being still again. It will go back to being calm.”
X: “But the stone’s still under there. It’s now part of the lake. It might look as it did before, but it’s forever changed. Come on-- let’s go.”
OrangeClyde@reddit
I’ve been thinking about that rock and ripples line for decades
Charliesmum97@reddit
Same. That and 'dont apologize, improve.'
Byanychance@reddit
What episode was that?
IseQween@reddit
The rock/ripples is at the end of S1E3 DREAMWORKER. The "don't be sorry, just improve" is near the beginning of S1E7 TITANS, after Gabs' tending of Argo delays Xena from pursuing bad guys.
Charliesmum97@reddit
I honestly don't remember. I just remember it because my son was young at the time and I said it to him more than once.
theyarnllama@reddit
This part lives in my head rent-free.
TheCuri0usWatcher@reddit
I love this dialogue here & even wrote poetry based on it when I was younger. It always stuck with me to the point I immediately recognized a remixed version of it in another movie.....but I doubt anyone cared as much as I did or paid attention 🤣.
It was probably unintentional, or some staple philosophy both Xena & the movie were inspired by, which is why they sounded so similar.....but a similar conversation that was a little less eloquent, was in the movie "Wanted" with Angelina Jolie when she was talking to James McAvoy's character trying to convince him to kill his first target....Fox to Wesley was saying "We don't know how far the ripples of our decisions go. We kill one, and maybe save a thousand. That's the code of the Fraternity."
When I heard it, I was like, XENA! They got that from Xena! Although they probably didn't 🤣, but that's how much that dialogue stuck with me lol.
Musical_Xena@reddit
I wish they had circled back to this stuff during the last couple seasons of the show, especially season 6. 😢
Byanychance@reddit
Legacy?
Musical_Xena@reddit
That episode definitely could have had a reference to it. The killing was absolutely not needed to protect Xena.
I'm especially thinking of the episode when Gabrielle led the Amazon into multiple big fights, and Gabrielle was even chasing down fleeing enemies to kill them. Sorry, don't recall the episode name.
ACalcifiedHeart@reddit
This is actually also a good test to see if your Self defence classes are taught by a legitimate tutor, who has your best interests in mind; or someone just there to collect your money.
Any teacher of Martial Arts/Self Defence, worth their salt, will always tell you to run first, do literally anything else, and only resort to violence when there is no other choice.
amyc7@reddit (OP)
Thanks! That's good to know!
Agile-Dork9360@reddit
And has a very good flirting line:
G: “Hah! It’s not like your breasts aren’t dangerous enough. That was a joke You can laugh."