One Against an Army
| Xena: Warrior Princess episode | |
|---|---|
| “One Against an Army” | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 13 |
| Guest star(s) | Douglas Kamo (Dorian); Nick Kemplen (Phiddipides) |
| Writer(s) | Gene O'Neill & Noreen Tobin; Jim Prior (editor) |
| Director | Paul Lynch |
| Production no. | #V0413 |
| Original airdate | 1998 Feb. 9 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "The Bitter Suite" | "Forgiven" |
Gabrielle is dying of poison, and Xena must fend off the Persian Army.
Disclaimer
"Gabrielle's ankle was harmed during the production of this motion picture."
Intertextuality
The overall story is a reference to the battles of Thermopylae (circa 480BC), in which 300 Greek (Spartan) soldiers held off the invading Persian Army, and Marathon (490BC), most famous for the runner who ran to Athens to warn them of the invasion, dropping dead in exhaustion afterwards. Xena encounters the runner and warns him to "pace himself", and then goes on to replace the army of 300 Spartans in a single fight against the Persian's lead cavalry.