Directed by Jace Alexander
Written by RJ Stewart & Steven L Sears
When Gabrielle decides to audition for a coveted spot at the Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards, she helps another young hopeful regain confidence in his extraordinary talents as a storyteller.
Tropes
- A Day in the Limelight: Gabrielle takes center stage, while Xena spends most of the episode away fighting a cyclops.
- Clip Show: Of course. They at least try to mix it up by showing clips of old movies and Xena's appearances on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
- Failure Is the Only Option: Subverted. Gabrielle getting accepted into the academy would, of course, put the kibosh on traveling with Xena. Except she won the contest. It was her decision not to stay.
- Late-Arrival Spoiler: Orion revealing his real name is actually Homer.
- Most Writers Are Writers: Taken to an obvious extreme here.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: One of the would-be bards is named Stallonus. You can guess how he behaves.
- Shrinking Violet: Twickenham repeatedly stutters out of nervousness.
- Shout-Out: Stallonus's material comes from Hercules (1958), while Orion's story is Spartacus.
- So Proud of You: Orion's father in response to his son's final story and getting into the academy.
- Special Thanks: The usual No Animals Were Harmed gag disclaimer during the end credits was replaced with this:"The producers would like to acknowledge and pay tribute to Stanley Kubrick, Kirk Douglas and all those who were involved with the making of the film classic 'SPARTACUS.' Additional thanks to Steve Reeves."
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Orion spends much the father struggling to tell stories the way his father told him to. He ultimately stands up to him and does things his way.
