Sins Of The Past

Xena (Lucy Lawless) is returning home to her mother Cyrene (Darien Takle) to begin the long road to redemption when Draco (Jay Laga’aia), a warrior from her past who wants her to return to her old life as an army commander, challenges her mission. She meets Gabrielle (Renee O’Connor), the woman who will become her sidekick and best friend in the adventure that will become their lives. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Important Character Introductions: Darien Takle as Cyrene. Jay Laga’aia as Draco. Willa O’Neill as Lila.

Important Event #1-Xena and Gabrielle meet.

Chariots of War

Xena is wounded saving a young village from a warrior trying to impress his wicked father. She is also given the chance at a happy family life when a handsome single man named Darius (Nick Kokotakis) and his three adorable children take her in. Gabrielle is also taken with a young warrior who just happens to be the same warrior attacking the village. Now the new dynamic duo must try and redeem the young man before he chooses the wrong path in life to walk. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Interesting tidbit-Nick Kokotakis, the actor who played Darius, had a recurring role on “Silk Stalkings”.

Dreamworker

Gabrielle is kidnapped by Manus (Nathaniel Lees), high priest to Morpheus (the god of dreams), who tries to force her into killing to survive. To save her Xena enters a dreamscape passage in which she is forced to fight her private demons as she fights her way to Gabrielle. If she doesn’t get to her friend on time Manus will force her to kill, and thereby make her worthy to sacrifice to Morpheus. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Cradle Of Hope

Nemos (Simon Prast), advisor to King Gregor (Edward Newborn), convinces the king to kill a baby that was prophesied to replace him as King. Now Xena must show him that the baby was meant to succeed him as his son, not as his enemy. (Caina Q. Fuller)

The Path Not Taken

When a princess is kidnapped Xena goes into her old stomping grounds to save her before her father’s kingdom and her lover’s kingdom go to war over her disappearance. She also meets up with Marcus (Bobby Hosea), a long lost lover she hopes she put on the right path in life. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Important Character Introduction-Marcus

The Reckoning

In an attempt to convince Xena to return to following him, Ares (Kevin Smith) frames Xena for the murders of several innocent farmers. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Important Character Introduction-Ares

The Titans

Gabrielle awakens three Titans who turn on the village that had plans to use them for protection against from their enemies. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Prometheus

Xena, Gabrielle, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) and Iolus (Michael Hurst) team up to free Prometheus when he is chained by Hera. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Death In Chains

King Sisyphus (Ray Henwood) chains Celesta (Kate Hodge) in order to save his life. Now no one can die, including a thug named Toxeus (Chris Graham) who is determined to stop Xena and Gabrielle from freeing Celesta. Gabrielle also meets and become infatuated with a young man named Talus (Kieren Hutchison), who unfortunately will die from heart failure when Xena releases Celesta. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Hooves And Harlots

The evil warlord Krykus is determined to get his hands on the land owned by the Amazon and Centaur Nations by starting a war between the two proud peoples. To do this he kills an Amazon Princess by the name of Terreis (Rebekah Mercer). Now Xena and another brash Amazon Warrior named Ephiny (Danielle Cormack) must prove to Queen Malosa (Allison Bruce) that Phantes (Colin Moy) is not guilty after all and avenge the princess’ death by bringing the real crook to justice. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Important Character Introduction-Ephiny (this episode welcomes Danielle Cormack to the Xenaverse).

Important Event#2-Gabrielle becomes an Amazon Princess.

The Black Wolf

Xena and Gabrielle must save a village and a freedom fighter from an evil warlord. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts

Xena and Gabrielle work to free Helen (Galyn Gorg) of Troy in the infamous Trojan War. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Athens City Academy Of The Performing Bards

Gabrielle leaves Xena’s side to pursue her dreams of attending the Athens City Academy of the Performing Bard’s. Here she meets a talented Bard by the name of Orion (Dean O’Gorman) as well as a group of eccentric youths with a passion for storytelling that matches her own and shows them the true meaning of a good story: It’s not the destination that makes a great story, but the journey along the way. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Did you know?: Dean O’Gorman also has a recurring role as young Iolus on Young Hercules.

A Fistful of Dinars

I think that translates into modern English as A Fistful of Dollars. Funny, but I don't recall seeing Clint Eastwood anywhere in this episode, did you? Petracles (, who is also Xena's ex-fiancé, may be good at trying to turn Xena and Gabrielle against one another by toying with Gabrielle's affections, but he ain't no "Stranger" to Xena. She knows him all too well and she's not about to let him, or the psychotic killer Thersites, get their hands on a stash of Ambrosia, food of the gods. Besides, we all know what kind of gods they would turn out to be anyway. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Warrior…Princess

King Lias (Norman Forsey), father of Princess Diana (Lucy Lawless) asks Xena to pose as his daughter who is an exact replica of Xena. She is being targeted by assassins, and Xena agrees since Dian’s marriage to Prince Mineus (Latham Gaines) will mean the dissolution of slavery in the two kingdoms. Xena also plays match maker when she discovers that Mineus is a self-centered jerk and it is Philemon who will make a much better mate for Diana. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Did you know?: The would-be assassin at the beginning of this episode is played by Jason Hoyte, who later goes on to play Hephaestus, god of the blacksmiths (and husband of Aphrodite) in such episodes as Hercules TLJ: Love Amazon Style and Xena WP: Looking Death in the Eye?

Mortal Beloved

Xena is summoned by Marcus to the underworld to stop Atyminius (Paul Willis) after he steals Hades helmet of invisibility to take over the underworld and travel to earth to continue to kill innocents. (Caina Q. Fuller)

The Royal Couple Of Thieves

Xena convinces Autolycus to help her retrieve a deadly artifact/weapon from the hands of the warlord Malthus (David Telford). To do so Autolycus goes undercover as a deadly assassin named Lord Sinteres (Played by Grant Bridger) and she goes undercover as his concubine Cherish to steal it back.  (Caina Q. Fuller)

The Prodigal

After nearly getting herself and Xena wounded in a fight, Gabrielle looses confidence in her abilities as a sidekick and returns home to recoup. While there she discovers Potidea is under threat by a warlord named Damon (Steve Hall). She teams up with an out-to-pasture warrior named Meleager (Tim Thomerson) to save the village and in the process she heals the broken bond between herself and her sister Lila and she re-gains her confidence to return to Xena. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Altared States

Xena and Gabrielle must save young Icus (David de Laotour) from his father Anteus (David Ackroyd) who is out to sacrifice him because he believes it is an order from God. As it turns out it is the order of Icus older brother Maell (Karl Urban), who is jealous that his father has taken away his birthright and given it to Icus. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Did You Know?: This is Karl Urban's first appearance in the Xenaverse before he returns to play Julius Caesar for the first time in the season 2 episode “Destiny”?

Ties That Bind

Ares returns in this episode to attempt to trick Xena into coming back to him when he guises himself as Xena’s long lost father Atrius (Tom Atkins). (Caina Q. Fuller)

The Greater Good

When Xena is poisoned by a mysterious warrior (we later discover it’s Callisto played by Hudson Leick) Gabrielle is forced to don the Warrior Princess’ leathers and impersonate her to save an innocent village from the warlord Talmadeus (Peter McCauley), who is after the villager’s leader-Salmoneus (Robert Trebor). (Caina Q. Fuller)

Callisto

That mysterious warrior from “The Greater Good” is back in this episode. Her name is Callisto (Hudson Leick), and she was among Xena’s first victims when Xena began her career years before. Her village had been raided by Xena’s army and it caught on fire. She lost her entire family. Now she is a woman and a warrior, and she is determined to make Xena pay at all costs. (Caina Q. Fuller)

Important Character Introduction-Callisto (this episode welcomes Hudson Leick to the Xenaverse).

Death Mask

We meet Xena’s other brother, Toris (Joseph Kell) (this is the only episode we see him in), who is determined to avenge Lyceus death by killing the warlord Cortese (Michael Lawrence) who raided Amphipolis and started Xena on the road to evil so many years before. Can Xena stop him before he commits murder? (Caina Q. Fuller)

Is There A Doctor In The House?

Xena and Gabrielle become trapped in a temple when they wander into the Mitoan-Thessalian war. There they discover Ephiny is near birth and her husband Phantes (Colin Moy) was murdered in the fray. Can Xena save the life of Ephiny and her baby, Gabrielle (after she is wounded in an attack) and stop the war? (Caina Q. Fuller)

Did You Know?: Colin Moy, who played Phantes in Hooves and Harlots, returns in the season 5 episode Little Problems as Galantis, little Daphne’s father?