05x07 - Back in the Bottle

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Xena: Warrior Princess". Aired: September 1995 to June 2001.*
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Xena helps people free themselves against injustices.
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05x07 - Back in the Bottle

Post by bunniefuu »

Previously on Xena…

"The hawk and the dove
must be made one with the wisdom."

Who wrote that?

Lao Ma.

Whoever did this wasn't after the village.
They were after Lao Ma's book.

You're my mother's friend.

-Your mother?
-I'm the daughter of Lao Ma.

The book…

Somebody's taken it.

Hello, sister.

"The hawk and the dove
must become one with the wisdom."

And so it shall be.

Kao Sin, this is not what she meant!

Her blood is in your heart.
Her lessons are in mine.

If we focus together,
we don't need the book.

I am to follow in the footsteps
of one who is called the Green Dragon.

Then you'll be walking
the path of a dead man.

To conquer others is to have power.

To conquer yourself
is to know the way.

Xena, I'm starving.

Can't we just cook this thing
and eat it?

Gabrielle…

I'm trying to achieve
absolute stillness.

Great.
Another one.

I don't know what's going on.

Ever since that fight with Pao Ssu,
I can't seem to harness the power.

I'll say.

-What did Lao Ma have that I don't?
-A full stomach.

Boy, I couldn't find anything,
except a squirrel.

It put up quite a fight, though.
As long as we got that ra…

Yep.

That's it, Xena.

If you'd concentrate on makin' that thing stone,
maybe it would cook.

All right.

Ok, can I just go to town for food?
Who has money?

I do.

Here.

It's black powder.
Joxer, I told you to get rid of this.

-I thought I did!
-All right. Pao Ssu's dead…

…and the secret of black powder dies with her.
Give me that.

Fire!

Xena!

Gabrielle!

Gabrielle!

Gabrielle!

-Are you all right?
-What happened?

When I touched the black powder,
I saw a vision of death.

The power's trying to tell me something.

We've gotta go back there.

Our minds are open to you,
Green Dragon.

May your formlessness take shape
in our realm.

Green Dragon… Your humble servant,
Khan, at your service.

Is my army ready?

They are prepared to carve your name
onto the face of the world…

-…or die trying.
-That may not be necessary.

I have become one with the greater hope.

My sister, m*rder*d by Xena…

…Dead to your world,
but reborn unto mine,…

…is now part of me.

And she has a secret
to share with you.

A secret Xena failed to contain.

A secret I will give you…

…and every one of your men.

The formula for the black powder.

In the time of ancient gods,…

…warlords…

…and kings…

…a land in turmoil
cried out for a hero.


She was Xena.

A mighty princess…

…forged in the heat of battle.

The power…

The passion…

The danger…

Her courage will change the world.

It never ceases to amaze me
how beautiful it is here.

Tell me about it.

Refugees…

…coming from La Ma's temple.

There must be thousands of 'em.

Where are they going?

Let's find out.

You must keep walking.

Kao Sin…

Kao Sin!

-What's going on here?
-It's Khan's army.

They've come down from the northern mountains
and are taking over the land.

These people have lost everything.

-Who's Khan?
-A w*rlord.

We haven't seen anything from him in years…

…but now he has the largest army
I've ever seen.

And he has the black powder.

I thought you destroyed the black powder.

So did I.

-How far away is his army?
-A day's ride, maybe less.

These people are tired and weak.

They'll never make it through the cliff pass
before Khan's army arrives.

Lao Ma's palace…

There's a series of tunnels and caves beneath it.
We can hide these people there.

Even with the black powder,
it'll take Khan a while to find us.

Very well.

Gabrielle, I want you to ride ahead.
Make sure the path is clear.

Joxer… Redirect these people
towards Lao Ma's palace.

Right.

Kao Sin…

There's only one way that Khan could have
gotten the secret of the black powder.

-I told no one.
-No, not you.

-Your sister, Pao Ssu.
-But she's dead.

You destroyed her.

Obviously that didn't stop her
passing on the secret.

From beyond the grave?
How's that possible?

She must have had help.

Who's in charge here?

That would be Lin Chi.
He's busy.

My name is Gabrielle. I'm with Xena.
I have to talk to him.

I'm Lin Chi. Glad to meet you.
Excuse me.

You have to abandon your work here.

This palace is directly in the path
of Khan's army.

Me and my men
can hide out here for two,…

-…maybe three days.
-You will be k*lled in the process.

It'll give the people
a chance to escape.

They can't clear the pass in time.

Their only hope is to hide in the tunnels
under this palace.

That was an advance guard.

-I know.
-Ok, listen up!

Move the sandbags below.
Gabrielle will tell you where.

Thank you.

You are now one with the Green Dragon.

Keep moving. Come on.

The men are clearing
some of the lower caves.

I've taken the liberty of moving
the children there.

Good.
Kao Sin, I had a vision the other day.

-You must have seen it too.
-Yes.

-It's the future.
-Future…

You see, I can channel
Lao Ma's powers…

…but I can't seem to control them.

Maybe you don't have
complete control of the power.

-But I saw what you did last time.
-Against Pao Ssu, your sister…

That was against one woman.
This is an army of thousands.

Get these people to safety.
Come on! Keep moving!

Go! Hurry.

-Joxer, don't move a muscle!
-I know!

I was leadin' these people
and that guy in front of me just blew up!

What's underneath us?
Is't sandworms?

No, they're traps set with black powder.
If you step on one, they explode.

Just stay there.
I'm comin' out to getcha.

Ok…

All right…

Ok.

Khan sent out a patrol to set mines.

Now I'm gonna lead you out of here.
Follow in my footprints.

Ok.

-What happened?
-Perhaps I can explain.

Well, well, you must be Khan.

And it's always an honor
to meet a worthy adversary, Xena.

It's funny. You don't look smart enough
to come up…

…with the formula for black powder by yourself.

They say dead men tell no tales,
but they were wrong.

Hello again, Xena.

Ming Tien…

Trapped here in the world between worlds.

Kept alive
by my burning hatred for you.

Well, at least I have family
to keep me company.

And so,
it seems I was fated…

…to walk the path
of the Green Dragon, Xena.

When you k*lled us,
you fulfilled our destiny.

And death was only the beginning,
as it will be for you.

Pao Ssu, so it was you
who gave Khan the black powder.

And then in turn to an entire legion
of warriors…

…all of whom are prepared to die
in the dragon's name.

What are you prepared to die for, Xena?

Your mother's legacy
and your sister's cause!

So you shall.

I see Lao Ma's teachings
were not lost on you…

…but even her power cannot stop
a hundred thousand men.

All with the knowledge of the black powder.

Care to test that theory?

How long can you keep this up?

I can't att*ck them
unless I let down my guard.

Then we're dead.

Not quite.

All right! Follow the path!

Come on! Single file!

Get these people out of here!

-Gabrielle, let's go!
-Lin Chi! Come on!

Let 'em go.

To achieve a perfect stillness…

…one must cease to will,
and submit to the greater whole.

If something can be imagined,
it can also be realized.

Anything is possible.

Well, that's something.

I heard about what happened.
Are you all right?

Considering I saw a ghost? Yeah.

The ancients believe
when a soul is not at rest…

…it lingers in the realm
between the living and the dead.

My brother and sister d*ed with,
shall we say, unfinished business.

-And so they remain…
-…To complete what they started.

They tried to k*ll me and they couldn't.

I have no doubt your mastery
of the power will be our greatest ally.

I wish that I could say that I did it on purpose,
Kao Sin, but I didn't.

It was a reflex.

There's something you're not telling me.

Kao Sin…

Before you left…

…I found a warning
in the pages of my mother's book…

…to me and my siblings.

It said that the more
each of us uses the power…

…the stronger we all become.

So, you're trying to suppress the power?

Wouldn't you?

If Pao Ssu and Ming Tien have truly returned…

…then every time I use the power
I make them stronger.

Kao Sin…

Yes?

I was told to report to you.
Khan's army have stopped advancing…

…and they're setting up camp.

Where do they keep the black powder?

-This is the last of it.
-That'll do!

Gabrielle…
I owe you an apology.

-For what?
-When you came to warn us, I…

…I acted like a pompous ass.
Mostly for show.

Apology accepted.

You know, we heard Xena
travelled with a companion…

A storyteller of sorts.

I am.

I mean, I used to tell stories,
but it's been a while.

When you're born with a gift of the bard,
you die with it.

-My life's more complicated now.
-I think you're selling yourself short.

You don't know me.

I know that someone who's willing to die…

…for a cause greater than herself,
has a merciful heart…

…and that's where all great stories come from.

Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi.

Am I interrupting?

I'm not interrupting anything.

Am I?

-No.
-Good.

-What are you doing here?
-Xena wants you.

All right, so now
we know where Khan is keeping…

…a large surplus of the black powder.
Gabrielle, you and I are gonna go blow it up.

-We'll do it.
-You bet we will.

Joxer, Lin Chi and I.

Gabrielle…

Xena, come on… You're gonna run
through the woods and set off explosions?

Thank you. I already have a mother.

And you're going to be a mother.
It's not just your life that you're risking.

We can handle it.

I know.

Right.

Can't say they're not prepared.

I'll make a trail with the powder.

Like butterflies in a net.

I expected more cunning
from one who travels with the great Xena.

Young fools…

Even if you had destroyed
this supply of powder…

…you would not even
have begun to inhibit our campaign.

We have hundreds more of these tents.

You know what I'm looking forward to?

The look on your face when Xena
devastates your army.

Your faith in your friend is misplaced.

Every step she takes,
only secures the destiny of my masters.

All of Chin will burn
as an emblem of her failure!

Goodbye, Gabrielle.

Xena, what is it?

It's Gabrielle.

She's afraid.

The wind…

What was that that you said to me
about your mother once?

Every day that passes in Chin
without bloodshed…

…passes because she had
a hand in guiding its destiny.

She speaks to me now
even through the whispering wind.

The wind…

Listen, listen!


What is that?

The sound of my dead ancestors
making a place for me at their table.

The wind…

It's sucking all the air!

Take a deep breath!

They're safe.

Let's get out of here!

No, we're gonna finish what we came for.

Perhaps my brother's confidence
in you was ill-chosen.

I suplicate myself before you, masters.

Failure will not follow a second time.

You can be sure of that, Khan.
Move your troops into position.

We att*ck in the morning.

Gabrielle…

-Are you all right?
-Are you?

-Yeah.
-How did you know?

I felt your fear.
I saw through your eyes.

-You can control the power…
-No, I can't control it.

It seems to have a will of its own.

It uses me.

Yet, it protects the ones you love.

That won't be much help
against Khan's army now, will it?

I can't love them to death, now, can I?

Perhaps not.

But if Pao Ssu and Ming Tien could return here
through the sheer power of their hate…

…what makes you think they cannot be
defeated through the power of your love?

I'm sorry, Kao Sin.

I have never seen a w*r ended by love.

I used to think that love was enough.
I was wrong.

You have always succeeded
where others have failed.

Why should this day be any different?

Yep.

I won two awards for this
at the Thebian Cooking Academy.

Of course,
the thebians' legendary flatulance…

…had nothing to do with this.

There you go.

Hi.

You should… You should eat something.
It'll make you feel better.

Listen, don't worry.
Everything's gonna be ok.

I'm not worried for myself.
It's my family.

I don't know if they made it from the village.

Tei…
That's your name, right?

Tei, ok.

Look, Tei.

I promise to help you
find your family.

Ok?

Ok.

What are you doing?

Can't just sit and wait.

I know how you feel.

-Can I help?
-Sure.

So… You ever thought about settling down?

You know, sometimes people think
that a home is a place.

-It can be a person.
-You know where you belong.

What about you?

I used to think
I belonged here, but…

…I've watched my people
k*ll each other over…

…petty disputes that could have been easily
solved with a conversation.

That's not a world I wanna live in.

It doesn't get any better outside of Chin.

That depends on who you walk through it with.

Xena!

Xena!

Where…?

Xena!

-Joxer, what is it?
-It's Khan's army…

…comin' over the south ridge. Big!

Villagers are…

I thought Khan's goal
was to wipe these people clear off the map.

-Why would he take hostages?
-To use them as shields.

He's going to march them with his army.

That way, if we att*ck his men,
we att*ck the villagers, too.

We can't take that chance.

If we don't,
Khan stands to take twice as many lives.

Xena, even if you can
control the power…

…are you prepared
to destroy a hundred thousand men?

I don't have any choice.

You understand?
I'll hold him off as long as I can.

You get everyone out of there
as soon as possible.

Xena, if you let us fight with you,
we can hold him off longer.

No, Gabrielle. I need absolute clarity
in what I'm about to do.

You'll only be a distraction.
You can't help me outta this one.

Be careful.

Good luck, Lin Chi.

With her by my side,
how can we lose?

You always have and always will walk
the path of the warrior, Xena.

But remember…
There are many ways to win a w*r…

…and they do not all involve a sword.

My men are ready
to begin their as*ault.

Nowhere left to run, Xena.

You're weak.
You will never have the strength to defeat me.

"Fear is a w*apon of the wicked,
and a tool of the righteous."

"End the w*r
between the mind and the heart."

"Peace must be found within
before it can be actualized."

What is she doing?

Facing her death
like a true warrior!

Destroy her!

Ok! Listen up! Stay low!
Tight formation! Follow me!

Come on, you…!

Hurry!

Xena!

Gabrielle!

Anything is possible.

Anything is possible.

Xena!

No!

Who was gonna pull their swords first?
Me or them?

I looked 'em in the eye, and then…

Ten of 'em went down,
right then and there before me.

You're so brave…

Well… Bravery isn't really the word for it.
It's more like…

…incredible chivalry.

Because right then and there,
wave after wave came.

Blood everywhere.

Then, right in front of me,
Khan's entire army…

Hundr… Thou… Thou…
Hundreds of thousands of 'em came at me.

I…!
Ten of 'em went down!

Heads spurting blood everywhere!

And they ran.
I dropped my sword.

But then Khan came right towards me.

I looked at him, took my hand,…

…reached through his chest
and pulled out his bleeding heart.

Well… Maybe we should
start packing up.

It's getting awfully late
and everyone else seems to be leaving.

What a lovely basket!
Is it hand sown?

Are you going home?

You and Xena have it right.

To stand in one place
in the world, this big,…

…is a real waste of space.

So… You're the story-teller.

How's this gonna end?

I haven't written it yet.

Goodbye, Gabrielle.

That was a terrible choice
you had to make, Kao Sin.

Between your family and your home.

Actually, during our time
together, Xena,…

…I feel closer to my mother
than ever.

Her spirit lives on in you.

Her spirit, perhaps, but not her power.
I don't feel it anymore.

Perhaps it served its purpose.

After all, Chin is safe and…

…with the black powder gone,
so is the world.

You know what?

Today I felt a kind of compassion
that I've never felt before.

Your point of view changes when you're
about to bring new life into the world.

No, it's not that.

The power that I had today
wasn't born out of anger.

I wasn't even thinking about those men.

I was thinking about the people
that they wanted to hurt.

So, I guess what I said before
isn't true anymore.

I have seen love end a w*r.
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