Punch Lines
| Xena: Warrior Princess episode | |
|---|---|
| “Punch Lines” | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 11 |
| Guest star(s) | Ted Raimi (Joxer); Alexandra Tydings (Aphrodite); John Gadsby (Lachrymose); Chris Ryan (Blutos); Tony Forster (Solemnus); Constance Talmadge (Joxer's mom) |
| Writer(s) | Chris Manheim |
| Director | Andrew Merrifield |
| Production no. | #V0910 |
| Original airdate | 2000 Jan. 24 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire" | "God Fearing Child" |
Gabrielle, suffering writer's block, talks to Aphrodite about her problems in recounting the day.
The day began when Gabrielle, Xena, and Joxer were walking along. They got into an argument about whether Xena has ever been testy (Joxer has a series of funny flashbacks). Gabrielle & Xena bet that Xena can't go a whole day without losing her temper. Gabrielle goes off to wash Argo, and accidentally does it in the god Lachrymose's waters—shrinking Argo to tiny-pony size. She offers to try to make Lachrymose laugh and embarks on a clip episode.
In the meantime, Xena and Joxer, eating in a local pub, have to hear a nearby baby crying loudly. Xena doesn't lose her temper but does scare the baby into silence. The mother glares at Xena and then turns to soothe her baby. "Ohhh, did that mean old warrior princess scare you?" Xena is suddenly stricken with remorse. "I scared it mute. What kind of a mother am I gonna make?" she worries. As she goes about her day, eating, shopping, running into enemies, she too has a clip episode, worrying about motherhood, the baby, etc.
Later, Gabrielle and mini-Argo run into Lachrymose again; he gets really pissed off at her and shrinks her to about 8" tall. She seeks the help of Joxer to avoid having to tell Xena. Joxer tells Lachrymose his story, and Lachrymose seems unusually (and subtextually) interested in Joxer and his story, rubbing his shoulders encouragingly.