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Editor's Note: This article was completed prior to the India arc of Season Four.
The young bright-eyed long-haired peasant-dress clad Gabrielle versus the older world-weary short-haired Sari clad Gabrielle. Amazing what four seasons can do.
[1] Ah, the little bard from Poteidaia. Over the seasons we have seen her grow, and we have loved every single second of it. Starting out as the tag-a-long sidekick, she soon received the Amazon right of caste, transforming her into the staff-toting blonde we worship today. We, as the viewers, find that the character of Gabrielle is easy to relate to.[2] She does not have super-human fighting abilities. She shows pure emotion in every episode, letting us know her character is a real person. This is unlike Xena, who defies gravity every episode, fights better than the god of war himself, recovers swiftly from any injury, and controls her emotions (most of the time). The only time our warrior babe cannot contain her feelings is over matters of the "Gabrielle kind".
[3] I am not saying that Gabrielle does not hold her own on the fighting end of things. She quickly learned to use that staff of hers, and she started her own b*tt-kicking in Season Two.
[4] Gabrielle's character has been extremely dynamic, altering through the course of each season. Yes, we have seen Xena struggle through changes and the fighting of her dark side, but it has been nothing compared to Gabrielle's struggles and changes. Just look at her outfit. It alone has shown the progressive change in Gabrielle from girl to woman. Now granted, they shrunk her clothes for ratings most likely, but it is also a good tool for showing us that Gabrielle has been growing up.
[5] These are the reasons why Gabrielle is loved. Well, most of them anyway. Having Gabrielle be the most realistic character on the show, and being able to watch her grow and change, makes us relate to her, and makes us adore her.
Gabrielle, in her Amazon Queen days.
Biography
Justy Reed
http://members.tripod.com/~sidney0
A woman of mystery.
