Written by Paul Robert Coyle
Directed by Garth Maxwell
Xena and Gabrielle respond to an urgent message from Meleager the Mighty (Tim Thomerson). By the time they have arrived, he has been found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. The duo now race to find out whether he was innocent or not.
Tropes
- The Alcoholic: Meleager himself which put him in his current mess in the first place.
- Arrow Catch: Xena catches a few crossbow bolts, including one with her teeth.
- Asshole Victim: Kalaman was a violent thug. Xena was defending an unarmed man when she killed him.
- Broken Pedestal: Gabrielle's faith in Meleager is shattered when she learns he lied about giving up drinking. In getting them to make up, Xena cautions Gabrielle about putting people on a pedestal and having expectations that are too high.
- Call-Back: Kalaman was actually killed by Xena. This happened when Gabrielle was at the Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards.
- Corrupt Bureaucrat: Judge Arbus runs the town and has a reputation as a Reasonable Authority Figure interested in justice above all else, but he's actually this. He supposedly gave Volkur the Vicious a fair trial rather than turn him over to a bloodthirsty mob, but a witness tells Xena that's a lie. An innocent man was mistaken for Volkur, and Arbus knew that, but he didn't care and had the poor guy tried and executed for the sake of his own reputation. He's also content to let Meleager be executed, despite the insistence that Xena is on the way with proof of his innocence; he even orders his men to kill Xena if she shows up.
- Faking the Dead: The plan to shake up Arbus and get him to confess relies on a belief that the dead haunt a guilty person. Xena poses as the executioner and fakes the hanging, leaving the supposedly dead Meleager to confront Arbus when they're alone.
- Like a Son to Me: While filling out his will, Meleager intends to leave everything to Gabrielle, who he refers to as the closest thing to a daughter he has ever known.
- Off the Wagon: Meleager had worked to quit drinking since he last saw Gabrielle, but he slipped. As a result, he was drunk when the murder happened and can't be sure he didn't actually do it.
- Parting-Words Regret: Gabrielle gives up on Meleager after learning he lied and actively avoids him. Xena warns her that this will happen if she doesn't talk to him while she still has the chance.
- The Reveal: Meleager didn't kill Kalaman; Xena did.
- Tampering with Food and Drink: Gabrielle tampered with the food she knew the guards would take from Meleager.
- Wham Line: "You didn't kill that man. I did."
