Locked Up and Tied Down
| Xena: Warrior Princess episode | |
|---|---|
| “Locked Up and Tied Down” | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 7 |
| Guest star(s) | Katrina Browne (Thalassa, the commandant); William Kircher (captain); Tanea Heke (Ersina); Natalie Dennis (Clysemene) |
| Writer(s) | Robert Tapert & Josh Becker (story); Hilary Bader (teleplay); Jim Prior (editor) |
| Director | Rick Jacobson |
| Production no. | #V0614 |
| Original airdate | 1998 Nov. 9 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "A Tale of Two Muses" | "Crusader" |
Xena is tried for one of her past crimes — the murder of the young woman Thalassa — and sentenced for life to a women's prison, Shark Island Prison.
Notes (& spoilers)
- Before being sent to prison, Xena tells Gabrielle she has to do this : "I'm not looking for redemption any more. Gabrielle, we're always talking about your spiritual quest. You say that you need something to make you feel complete. Well, so do I."
- Women-in-prison tropes galore:
- The "all you've heard is true" speech when they arrive;
- One of the prisoners, Ersina, leads a gang of prison thugs, who immediately try to get rough with Xena, when she tries to help another prisoner.
- The Commandant is scary beautiful with a scar across her face, a bitter spirit, and a certain amount of interest in Gabrielle. She quickly warms to Gabrielle and makes her "her pet", fleeing with her when the prison rebellion starts.
- Xena scares off the rats with the force of her will.
- Xena had told Gabrielle that Thalassa had been like her ("Gabrielle, she was like you. She had your kind of spirit, and I killed that. What can outweigh that?") Gabrielle doesn't respond, but when Gabrielle is faced with the results of Xena's handiwork in person, she is disconcerted.
- Xena frees herself by tossing a dead rat with her teeth to knock off her chakram and break her bonds.