Listen I am the thinking about Gabrielle breaking her moral code and killing the roman soldier to try and save Xena. It’s literally my favorite moment in media ever.
Like you have Gabrielle, who is always set as being the moral center of the show. She starts off innocent and naïve but grows more as the show goes on. She gets darker but she’s still the moral center- the one that Xena always trusts to guide her through her own journey to redemption. Then she gets taken advantage of so deeply that it falls apart and The Rift happens. They make it through that but Gabrielle is so shaken by those events that she tries to revert back to her peaceful ways.
She spends an entire season trying to be peaceful. She gives up violence and carries no weapons despite how dangerous her life with Xena is and that she knows they’re going to lose their lives together soon.
Then Xena gets attacked. Xena- the woman that fought off an entire army! She’s fought off gods and all kinds of monsters but she collapses because her back got broken.
And Gabrielle picks up a weapon and starts killing Roman soldiers like it’s nothing. Even before she started her nonviolent lifestyle she NEVER killed people but Xena’s life is in danger and her first instinct was to pick up a sword to protect her.
God it gets me every time. Xena could never get rid of that piece of herself that was good and Gabrielle can’t get rid of that little piece of darkness. And at the end of the day her breaking her oath only bought Xena a couple of hours because they still end up crucified.
I know the show implies that Gabrielle’s arc is finished in the final when she picks up Xena’s mantle but to ME her realizing that there was no way for her to live a peaceful life anymore , that violence will always be a part of her and that Xena was more important then anything is just perfect.
