A friend who hadn't seen this ep yet asked me how I would rate it. I gave it a "6." Then I watched it again and upped that to an "8." There were so many threads, but when I looked at each one separately, I ended up seeing how they all interwove to make a pretty nice whole. Typically of XWP, we see concepts turned on their heads, with the eye of the beholder determining who was hero or villain, warrior or peacemaker, coward or courageous, honest or deceitful, trusting or deluded - as well as the shades of gray in between. "There's always another point of view," Xena says at one point. Indeed, nearly all the main characters were converts in a sense, and the beauty is that each played a role in showing the other another point of view. Only Najara - the fanatic - learned nothing.

I was surprised that Joxer was the heart of what impressed me most about CONVERT. Like Gabrielle, he takes responsibility for his loss of blood innocence, even though it was unpremeditated and involved a villain, and even though that meant questioning everything he'd wanted to believe about himself. Stunned, sickened by his first kill, he stands numbly before the townspeople as the warrior he always pretended to be, but it is not how he imagined. He doesn't seem to know quite how he feels or should feel, and is pleasantly surprised to be hailed as a hero. Soon thereafter, he discovers that Criton's gang may seek revenge upon him and that the slain villain has a son. In the blink of an eye, Joxer careens between cockish pride, his old gulping fear and the courage to face the one person who loved the man he slew.

Xena tries to discourage Joxer from going to see Criton's son. "It's a noble idea," but the chances of the young man understanding are "slim to none," she says. Still, she offers to go as his "back-up." He forcefully responds that he'll do it himself, that she's "always in everybody's business," and makes her promise not to interfere. The WP looks torn between respect, hurt and concern, but we learn later that the "bumbling idiot" has taught her a thing or two about having faith in others. Now he must learn to have faith in himself. First he has to overcome visions of Criton telling him that underneath they're the same - murderers -- "bad-assed, butt-kicking, slaughter happy." What Joxer once bragged of being now sends chills down his spine.

Xena actually listens to and comes to support Joxer's decision. Talking to the son has "gotta help," she gently tells him. She asks her partner to help Joxer with his guilt over killing Criton, but Gabrielle, still feeling conflicted over her own first kill, is uncertain that she'll do any good. When they get to the son's school, she whispers to Xena, "I know you promised Joxer you wouldn't interfere, but what if Criton's son gets violent?" (Apparently Joxer and Xena aren't the only ones with doubts to overcome.) Armon doesn't make it any easier, as he has grown up with stories about his father as "Criton the Courageous…a beacon of hope - a real-life hero."

Then comes one of my favorite scenes: Joxer stands speechless, rooted in his guilt and desire not to ruin Armon's idealized image of Criton. Xena is diplomatically blunt in finally saying what must be said -- that Criton is dead, killed in a fight. Armon vows to spill the killer's blood. Najara tells Armon that killing won't make the hurt and anger go away. Gabrielle adds, "She's right. It won't bring him back. He was your hero. As long as he continues to inspire you, he'll never die. He'd want you to stay here and finish school." Armon says OK, he'll kill his father's murderer after graduation. Xena, realizing that Armon isn't open to words of peaceful advice yet, nevertheless takes a page from the Bard's Book of Healing Counsel by inviting him to travel with them - "just until he figures out something else." Wow, talk about a great tag team!

Joxer is even more devastated, believing now that he will break Armon's heart by telling him his father was a "lie." Xena reminds him that she and Gabrielle are just suggesting he do what he said he would. Joxer bitterly responds, "Every boy needs a hero." "Then be one!", she shoots back. He tries, not by telling Armon, but by punching one of Criton's men who's come for revenge and is about to spill the beans. When the gang guy decks Joxer, Armon comes to the rescue, only to be decked himself. Last but not least, Xena steps in and sends the guy packing. Later, Joxer seems about to tell Armon the truth, but seeing Criton's insignia among the boy's belongings flashes Joxer back to his hands on the bloody weapon that orphaned Armon. Instead, Joxer calls Armon a hero for coming to his aid. Armon says that they're "even" then, since he learned from Xena that it was Joxer's idea to bring him the news of his father's death. Joxer pretends to accept Armon's gratitude, but walks away unconvinced. His warped fantasized self besieged on all fronts, he is still clueless about the truth of his character. He tells X&G that his own life is a lie, asking them, "What kind of warrior kills somebody and then has nightmares about it every night?"

Meanwhile, Najara has taken it upon herself to fill Armon in on what really happened, convincing the disbelieving young man by telling him to look in Joxer's bag. Soon thereafter, Armon angrily advances on Joxer, brandishing the very weapon that killed his father and heedless of everyone's restraining words. The tag team springs into action again. Xena has to get Armon's attention first with physical persuasion, just as Gabrielle foresaw. Then the bard steps in, urging Armon to be brave by letting Joxer live, thereby honoring "Criton the Courageous." Armon listens this time and reluctantly drops the weapon, "in memory of my father." Najara self-righteously defends her actions by twisting the theme of the day in the three friends' hearts: "Gabrielle's right. Everyone deserves to know the truth [looking pointedly at a disgusted Xena] about someone they love."

Armon tries to sneak out of camp, only to run into Xena. She of the practical "you can recreate yourself every minute of every day" school of thought tells him, "You don't need that dream [of Criton the Courageous] anymore. You're 100 times the man your father ever was." (So much for "slim to none" chances that he would understand, eh?) The next morning, Armon runs back to warn them that Criton's gang is coming. He tells Joxer that the father he remembers in his heart would call Joxer a hero. (Seems Gabrielle and Joxer were also right that Armon needed an ideal for inspiration, in addition to confidence in himself.)

The ruffians attack, and Xena tells her companions to clear out, which, surprisingly, they do. She's dispatching the bad guys per usual, when a gash to the leg sends her to her knees. Gabrielle gasps and (with the same conflicted look she gave Eli before she leapt to aid the chained "Xena" in THE WAY) prepares to spring into action. Najara holds her back. "That's Xena's way. Let her walk it alone." As the bard struggles, Najara turns increasingly more violent, nearly pulling out the hair remaining in that cute new "do." She's listening to, and demands that Gabrielle also hear, the Jinn - who, as Xena warned Gabrielle, and Najara now confirms -- "get mad when you don't hear them."

Gabrielle uses her new nonviolent powder puff to temporarily blind the fanatic. Xena comes over, every fiber in her being probably screaming to knock the crusader even sillier. Once again, though, she tries to end it without a fight. "Back off. It's over." Once again Najara provokes a fight anyway. "Apparently not," she responds, kicking Xena in her wounded leg. To the "Ladder Fight" music from CALLISTO, Xena's fibers finally get their Way - really getting their juices going when Najara once again shouts, "The light will triumph!" Suffice it to say that it is Najara who ends up lying extinguished on the forest floor.

I skipped a lot of "Surely you're not buying Najara's new wolf in sheep's clothing routine, Gabrielle"/ "But *you* changed, Xena" ; "Xena will do something to make you choose between her and your own soul, Gabrielle"/ "That will never happen, Najara"; "I offer her life and peace, while you want to take her to her death, Xena"/ "Suck an egg, Najara" dialogues reminiscent of CRUSADER. They turned out not to be as interesting to me as the subtle ways Xena, Gabrielle and - yes, even Joxer - were adjusting to, adopting, complementing, supporting, and learning from each others' ways.

We have an idea what Joxer taught his two friends, though I'm not sure what he himself learned. As to our girls, Xena tells Gabrielle in the end, "You've changed in ways that have shown me choices I'd never have known without you." Gabrielle responds, "When push comes to shove, sometimes the only choice is to shove back. With this path I'm on, I can't do that." We've seen how hard that is for her, especially when Xena is in danger. The bard's still not familiar with this path; it is, after all, still Eli's and not well trod enough yet for her to call her own. She will trip and lose her bearings often. But that's OK. Xena reaffirms what she said in FAMILY AFFAIR - that Gabrielle is her way, that they will seek where they must go together for as long as it takes. "With me around," the warrior reassures her peace-loving partner, "you won't have to [shove back]." Yep, quite a tag team. Both heroes in each other's eyes whether kicking butt, doing sensitive chats or simply blowing smoke.