Any Xena:WP fans on the boards?

Re: Chemistry between the two stars... When I was trying to decide if I wanted to buy this series, I went through tons of youtube vids to try and get a flavor of the show. Since none of the eps were online, I started to "watch" the cons online and was struck by two things.

First, Lucy Lawless was the same kind of Rah Rah cheerleader for her "ancient" (1990's-2001) series that Kate Mulgrew is for hers. And I liked that!

Second, Lucy and Renee had SO much FUN busting on each other when they were answering questions about their show.

I simply had to watch it, so after dithering for 2 months I coughed up the money.

As for the supporting cast, I have to add the late (unfortunately) and great Kevin Smith to your pantheon, along with the always excellent Alexandra Tydings and Hudson Leick.

And speaking of Kevin....




Or Hudson.... (she really did play a great "Xena".) [vid deleted]

Or how about Alex and Hudson?

Speaking of Urban...

Or of Bruce...

Or Ted....

But what about Martin Csokas? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbcodHa_4RQ&feature=related

And lets not forget Adrienne Wilkinson.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdFPW60_k_Y&feature=related

Oh good heavens... how could I forget Queen Ephiny... Danielle Cormack? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5E3-ppaPi8&feature=related

Or crazy Kathryn Morris... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdkJQStPIOo


Oh shoot! Speaking of crazy! What about Claire Stansfield!!!! (Don't possess me Alti, it was an honest mistake!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuDVMn2ruCY

Or, sigh, Jacqueline Kim... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJT_EcEUfkY&feature=related

Wait?

Where the heck did Renee go to?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlPFGfArukc

 

Season 1: Prometheus

Things I liked...


I like that they are still building the relationship between these two, funny ....


Gabrielle: “How do you know you’re supposed to visit this particular
oracle if Prometheus is captured?”
Xena: “I just know.”
Gabrielle: “Hey, you’re plenty mysterious enough, without having to
work at it. Are you going to give me a straight answer?”
Xena: “A friend told me.”
Gabrielle: “A friend-- who?”
Xena: “Just a friend. There it is. If I’m not back by nightfall,
I want you to leave this place.”
Gabrielle: “I take it, this isn’t going to be your typical,
run-of-the-mill trip to an oracle.”

and yet poignant....

Gabrielle: “You made it.”
Xena: “You had faith, didn’t you?”
Gabrielle: “Well, of course. Never a doubt. You always come through.”
Xena: “Gabrielle, what if, one day, I don’t come through?”
Gabrielle: “That’s not gonna happen.”
Xena: “But if it does, what would you do?”
Gabrielle: “I, I’d become a travelling bard.”
Xena: “You’d be good at that. Shouldn’t you have some schooling
first?”
Gabrielle: “That would be great”
Xena: “Where’s the best place to study that kind of thing?”
Gabrielle: “Athens, at the academy. Why are we talking about this?
It’s, it’s depressing. Nothing’s gonna happen to you.”
Xena: “You’re probably right.”

Sweetie... you have NO idea how many times this chick is going to die on you during this series.

But don't you worry.

You pay her back in kind!

Besides the knitting together, and the foreshadowing for what will be coming down the road in a few more eps, my other favorite thing about this ep is tall, dark, muscular with a wonderful set of eyes... and I'm NOT talking about Xena.

Hello Hercules!

Sigh.

First time around, I didn't see the eps from Hercules' Legendary Journeys which evidently launched the Xena mythos... but this time around I was WELL aware of it.

[vid deleted]

I think this ep is the only one I had seen during the first run, because I remembered Gabrielle telling Iolaus that story about everyone having 4 arms/4 legs/ 2 heads and 1 soul...



How prophetic to the eventual arc of the series that this idea of two soulmates finding one another should begin in season 1. In an ep where Herc and Iolaus are featured heavily and in which both women are obviously interested.

But I guess there's a difference between being interested, and being right.

[vid deleted]

 

Season 1 continues with episode 9: "Death in Chains"... Good King Sisyphus decides he wants more than the 3 score and 10 years that was granted healthy men of his day, and entraps Celesta, the sister of Hades who himself is the God of the underworld/ afterlife. Unfortunately, while Celesta is captured, she can't fulfill her Goddess duties, which means "death" has no sting.

This ep was a sweet reminder that there are many necessary parts to life, and that death is simply one of them. I liked it when Talus told the King "he" no longer feared death...

“You shouldn’t fear it. I did for the longest time. But
now my suffering has-- grown so-- real-- and deep. Now I know-- death can be a friend-- a resting place.”

Things I liked about this ep? The continued yet slow maturation of Gabrielle.

Xena is giving her more duties, whether its tending to the wounded on the roadside, or sending her with Talus to the hospital to help.

I love how the young girl that slipped out of her home a couple of months ago to follow this Warrior Princess quickly decides to go against her mentor's instructions and return to Xena's side when Gabrielle feels she's in danger.

I love how this young thing continues to do what she's always done, lead with her heart whether its with Xena or Talus. Of course, my heart broke for the teenager when she learned that no matter how good someone is, ultimately life doesn't "play" fair and the ones we love will die.

What the future Bard doesn't yet see, is the gift she was to the young man who had to die before he'd lived his life.

What the future Bard doesn't yet see, is the gift she is to the woman she idolizes, to whom she turns for succor in her hour of grief.

Thankfully, its already obvious that her idol IS aware of this gift, even if she doesn't always know how to deal with it.

 

Season 1, episode 10... "Hooves and Harlots".

Ahhhhh. Now we're getting somewhere.



Xena & Gabrielle encounter not just the Amazons, but the Centaurs as well. Gabrielle's title of Squire is kicked up a notch as she goes from the child hiding behind Xena and Hercules holding but not swinging the hayrake, to a fledgling Amazon who's fighting warlords and saving fellow Amazons with her fighting/walking staff.



Things I loved? The fact that Gabrielle is NO WHERE NEAR as irritating as she has been in previous eps, AND the fact that her ability to annoy others is becoming a joke. Poor Ephiny... Gabrielle really was her "cross to bear" that week.

I also loved the "fight" between Xena and Ephiny, and the fact that Ephiny couldn't figure out why Xena was trying so hard to save both her and the Centaur.

Speaking of Xena & Ephiny... loved the way the two came together in the end, trying to use body language to get Gabrielle to name Xena her champion.

Gabrielle: (Loud voice)“I demand the challenge.”
Melosa: “You?”
Gabrielle: “I’m an Amazon Princess-- you can’t deny me.”
Melosa: “Gabrielle-- Do you wanna fight me to the death?”
Gabrielle: (really small voice) “Not really.”
Ephiny: “You made the challenge, Gabrielle. You have to follow through. Choose your weapon, or, choose your champion.” (Elaborate eyerolls in Xena's direction)
Gabrielle: (Gabby finally catches on)“Choose my champion? I pick Xena.”
Melosa: “If you lose, you all die. You too, Ephiny. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
Gabrielle: (To Xena, quietly) “We gotta come up with some hand signals or something.”
Ephiny: (To Xena) “Melosa fights low-- she goes for the knees. She’s got a blind side that’s on her right. But she’s quick.”
Gabrielle: “Don’t you think she knows what she’s doing? You haven’t seen her fight. Now, I have seen her fight-- a lot.”
Ephiny: (To Xena) “She’s annoying; how have you put up with her?”
Gabrielle: “Hey, she puts up with me fine.” (Notice she doesn't deny she's annoying!)
Xena: (Quietly to Ephiny) “If I lose, make sure Gabrielle gets out of here.”
Melosa: “Choose your weapon, Xena.”
Xena: “Cho-boes.”
Gabrielle: “OK, now you won’t lose. Remember that her blind side is on the right.... " (Xena's focused completely on her opponent, and simply shoves the annoying sidekick out of harm's way. As she goes out of frame we hear Gabby say) "Never mind.”

The choboes fight was okay, though I liked the Xena/Ephiny fight in the trees better. The final battle with the Amazons & Centaurs teaming up was decent, as was the message at the end...

Melosa: “It’s not gonna be an easy peace (Between Centaurs & Amazons), but it’s a good start.”
Xena: “Making war is simple-- making peace is never easy. If it was, everyone would do it.”

What did I like the most... again, I'd say it was the growing relationship between out "two" princesses...

Despite the last joke Ephiny made about Xena riding her horse to avoid talking/listening to Gabrielle.. we see the two friends walk off into the orange sunset.

Gabrielle: “Are you mad at me because I didn’t tell you about the right of caste?”
Xena: “No, not mad.”
Gabrielle: “Oh. I just thought it would be great to be an Amazon. I didn’t realize what it meant. But, I’ve learned my lesson. Everything I know, you know. From now on, no more secrets.”
Xena: “We’ll see how long that lasts.”
Gabrielle: “Huh. You know, I just thought of something. You’re a Warrior Princess, and I’m an Amazon Princess." (Gabrielle continues to walk ahead up the hill, talking about her story, not realizing that Xena has turned to the left and is walking away) That’s gonna make such a great story. Yeah, and it all starts with you and me finding those signs in the trees. And then, (Gabby turns and sees she's alone. Xena is about 30 feet away and is disappearing over the shoulder of the hill) Xena, hey, wait. (As she runs to catch up, the storymaking continues unabated ) And then the arrows came flying down....”

 

Season 6, "Legacy", another great ep. And, as usual in many of the Xena eps, we see reprecussions of that act in the NEXT ep, "Abyss". The fact that they build one upon the other is a really nice departure from many other TV shows.

 

Yeah, I think they got the perfect blend of serialization and stand-alone episodes.

 

Season 1: The Black Wolf (No, nothing to do with "Dr Who")

First lots of nice little moments of inspiration scattered through this ep.

Xena's first encounter with Hermia in 10 years, a woman she knew as a youth.
Xena: "Causes are only lost when people give up."


In the prison...
Flora: "The times change people."
Xena: "And people change the times. You remembered.".... .....
Flora: “Even back then, you could read people. I could never figure that out. You always had this knack for understanding what someone needed, without asking. That’s only one of the things I liked about you.”
Xena:“Remember that oak tree-- by the river?”
Flora: “I tried to forget it. You and all those other kids would climb up into it. And I would be left on the ground. Then, you’d reach down your hand, and you’d say, ‘You gotta have faith; you got to.’ And I’d reach up-- and you’d pull your hand away. I fell for that every time. I couldn’t understand why someone-- I admired so much could treat me like that. Can you tell me why?”
Xena: “I can tell you that you were the closest thing I’ve ever had to a sister. That was important to me.”


Second, humor has not been forgotten despite the gravity of the situation.


And speaking of "little Sisters"... or Squires, or Amazon Princesses in training, Gabrielle has not been idly waiting for Xena to rescue herself. She's been actively trying to get herself arrested so she could get herself thrown into prison and bring Xena needed weapons. After succeeding brilliantly, she's searching the prison for signs of her friend.

Gabrielle: (To the head of the guard wearing the porridge Gabs threw all over him)“It’s really nice of you to walk me down here personally. (Door slams shut as Gabby looks at another prisoner) Excuse me?”
Inmate: “Do you like my rock?”
Gabrielle: “Have you seen Xena? (Inmate runs away quickly!) She-- she’s tall. She’s beautiful. She's -- piercing blue eyes -- swings a mean right hook. (Gabby looks up at large man with a broken nose) It looks like she might have swung it already.”

There are many fav lines in this ep... but Salmonius has or causes at least 2 of them.

Salmonius: #1 “She’s your friend. She’s your friend? You have a friend? What is she-- a warrior, huh?” (He squeezes Gabby's biceps)
Gabrielle: “Hey, hey! Back off! (Xena is smiling as her "little sister" cows Sal... like a chihuahua barking loudly) #2 You know, you wouldn’t be in here in the first place if you had kept your hands off my tomatoes.” (Xena's smile at Sal turns to shock at Gabby then turns again to a scowl at Sal!)
Salmonius: “I can explain that!”


Third, we see yet again that Xena isn't simply brawn, she has a fair amount of brains to back up her new philosophy.

Xena: “Hi.”
Flora: “I’ve been thinking-- about you, and me-- how much we’ve changed. I realized something.”
Xena: “What’s that?”
Flora: “Why you never gave me your hand to climb the tree. You told me to have faith. And I always thought you meant to have faith in you. But it was me you were talking about, wasn’t it?”
Xena: “You have to have faith in yourself, Flora; otherwise, you spend the rest of your life waiting for other people to offer their hand to you.”
Flora: “I told Diomedes the story about the tree. He doesn’t understand it.”
Xena: “Diomedes is in love with you, you know.”
Flora: “Yes-- and I love him. I’d do anything for him.”
Xena: “And he’d do anything for the Black Wolf? Yes, I know who the Black Wolf is.”
Flora: “The others thought you could be fooled. I knew it was just a matter of time. So-- now what?”

So now what? I LOVE that line, when you consider what Xena whispers to her while the guards try to drown Salmonius.

Xena: (Standing behind her "little Sister)“Flora, do you have faith?(Flora nods her head)...Koulos-- get him out. I’ll give you what you want.”
Koulos: “What is it I want?”
Xena: “The Black Wolf (Nods towards Flora) -- it’s her.


Fourth: I can't believe I've never mentioned this in the last few weeks, but I love that completely improbable chakram and all the wonderful things it does.

Fifth:... The touchy feely ending as Mother (Hermia) and daughter (Flora/Black Wolf) embrace... and the producers breaking "the fourth wall" as Salmonius intones... “This is what the public wants. This alone will make us a fortune!”

Yeah Robert, that's what we want. Otherwise its just another sword and sorcery show.

 

Season 1... ep 12 "Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts".

Hmmm, just like 2 eps ago we saw the start of an "early seasons" arc where Gabby was "the annoying Blonde", here we see 2 other themes that one can only roll ones eyes at.

1) That Xena is the cause of every major historical event for approx a thousand years of recorded/verbal history.

2) That one can walk around the the Greek isles... not to mention India/ China/ Egypt/Siberia/Norway/and (sail) to Britannia within just a weeks/months.

How do I resolve such a HUGE impossibility for ancient warrior princesses?

I'm a freaking TREKKIE! I believe in Transporters, Warp engines, Compression Phaser Rifles, Holodecks and Replicators.

Believing our two costars have gams of steel that travel 100+ miles a day on the energy sucked from half an apple is mere child's play.



What I find increasingly interesting, is discovering that "Early" Xena, the Warrior Teen who saved Amphipolis had more contacts than the simple warlords she fought against. In this ep, we discover that (once again) 10 years ago she met Helen in Sparta, before the Trojan war began and before Early Xena turned into Evil Xena.

I wish in later seasons TPTB had shown us a more indepth study on THAT Xena... rather than just how she descended into her madness.

But I guess they are saving that for the "reimagined" version in 2025, right?

Things I liked about this ep... Gabby is continuing to improve in her fighting skills, but she's NOT superwoman yet. Just about had a cow at the look she gave the soldier who split her staff in two with his sword.

I liked that her teacher STILL doesn't take herself too seriously...

(They are outside the walled besieged city of Troy...)

Gabrielle: “Oh. OK-- let me get this straight. To get inside Troy, not only do we have to get past that huge stone wall but-- we have to do it in front of the Greek army?”
Xena: “Shh! Keep your voice down, Gabrielle.”
Gabrielle: “Right. But you do have a plan?”
Xena: “Count on it. Are your boots laced? (Gabby starts to look down at her boots when Xena grabs her and stands up to run down the hill towards Troy)Come on!”
Gabrielle: “Ahh!!!!!!!!”

I liked that the two "children" from Potadiea found each other again, although the thought that this Greek teen could have come to Troy and become a NCO type within the few months that Gabby has been gone was a bit out there... (Oh, right... phasers/replicators/ the fact that alien races all speak Federation Standard )

I liked that Gabby could remember the good times when they were young, and get excited by this young man once again. I also liked that Perdicus wasn't a fool, and left her at the end. He knew, despite her protestations of love, that she wasn't done sowing her "wild oats", that they both had more growing up to do before they could consider finding a future together.

(Yes, I know what happens in season 2.... so shsssss.)

I like that our Philospher Princess has wisdom for older friends like Helen, and not just for young Squires like Gabrielle. Her insistence that Helen wake up and smell the coffee, that this war STOPPED being "about her" long ago was very insightful.



Speaking of insightful... Xena finally was just that...insightful about Gabrielle when she didn't push her on why Perdicus wasn't joining them.



Back to where we started this ep... just two friends walking down the road, enjoying a joke.

Gabrielle: “Do you want to go back for the (Trojan) horse? It’s bound to be a collectors’ item?”
Xena: “Only if you’re gonna pull it.”
Gabrielle: “Nah.”

 

Season 1 episode 13... "Athens City Academy of Performing Bards"

Remember FIVE episodes ago when Xena thought she was going to die freeing Prometheus, she asked Gabrielle what she would do if one day she "didn't come back" from a fight/mission..


Xena: “Gabrielle, what if, one day, I don’t come through?”
Gabrielle: “That’s not gonna happen.”
Xena: “But if it does, what would you do?”
Gabrielle: “I, I’d become a travelling bard.”
Xena: “You’d be good at that. Shouldn’t you have some schooling
first?”
Gabrielle: “That would be great”
Xena: “Where’s the best place to study that kind of thing?”
Gabrielle: “Athens, at the academy.

Just before Xena knocks Hercules unconscious and takes the sword to free Prometheus (and presumably die), its Gabby's future that's foremost on her mind.

Herc: “It has to be here someplace. (Flame goes out) Uh-oh.”
Xena:“The gift of fire-- It’s gone. Look.” (Points to access to Prometheus' plateau)
Herc: “This is it. You ready?”(Herc has stupidly turned his back on the Warrior Princess)
Xena:“Mm-hmm.”
Herc: “All right. I’ll go first.”
Xena: “Gabrielle wants to go to an academy for bards in Athens. Make sure she gets there.” (CONK! Xena hits him with the hilt of her sword on the back of the head.Down goes Herc like a sack of potatoes.)

Talk about foreshadowing....


(Non-Xena related vid)

Episode 13 opens with an interesting scene that I nearly missed first time around. Sure, I noticed Gabby telling stories in the tavern... but I didn't really comprehend that she was making money at the end of the tale. I always wondered how these two got cash, since Xena didn't seem to take money for "her" services.

Oh... and remember in my last review when I made a ironic comment re: how Xena was responsible for everything that happened in recorded history for about a millennia?

I over reached.

GABRIELLE was responsible for keeping Homer in the Bard business... ALTHOUGH I guess it could be argued that since every story Gabby told this week was a Xena story, then XENA's inspiration is still responsible for keeping the boy from straying from the artistic path... but I digress.

Back to the clip show idea... I didn't mind this one as much as other Lucy Lawless lite eps that would follow in future seasons, and I think it was because it WAS a clip show, heavy with Xena centric clips.

I also didn't mind it since I liked the story of Gabrielle traveling to Athens to try out for the Academy. I loved seeing this young girl...

(The commentary I listened to this morning had Renee explaining that Gabs was 18 when she ran off to join Xena. "Ancient" for a person in Ancient Greece, and yet still a "baby" in the eyes of Xena and oldsters like myself.)

... going off to Athens by herself to compete for a spot at school. That takes guts now a days, and to do it without your "family" there to cheer you on? Gabrielle, you ARE growing up!

Speaking of family, its nice to see Xena admit to Gabrielle that she looks upon their friendship as something special, but she's NOT so attached that she looks heart broken/crestfallen/downtrodden (pick an adjective that will be appropriate in future eps) at the thought of the little bird leaving the nest.

XENA:“Oh, you’ll get in, Gabrielle. You’re a good storyteller. I only remember one story told me when I was young. It was about two orphans who decided to search the world for their families. And it’s all about their adventures and how they kept searching. But the part I remember most is the end.”
XENA: & Gabrielle: “And when the first man-- ”
Gabrielle:“ “-- reached the end of his journey, he found himself--”
XENA: & Gabrielle: “-- at the beginning.”
Gabrielle: “The family he had sought had travelled the world with him. The only family he had ever known-- ever needed-- was standing right beside him. I know the story.”
XENA:“Thanks for being my family. You’re like a sister to me. Now, go get your dream.”

I liked watching Gabby meet the challenges of making new friends, going through her own tests, critiquing the work of her fellow bards, and challenging same to stand up for THEIR dreams.

I also liked seeing Gabrielle realize that there is a difference between "living" your dream, and just talking about it.




Gabrielle: “Hi.”
Xena: “So who won?”
Gabrielle: “I did.”
Xena: “Then what are you doing here?”
Gabrielle: “Well, I know this is gonna sound stupid-- but I realized that while they’re telling adventures, you and I can be living them.”
Xena: “Well, it’s good to have you back.” (Their path is suddenly blocked by a band of hooligans, and Xena puts on her scowl and pulls her sword from the scabbard on her back.)
Gabrielle: “This is gonna make a great story.






ETA.... I can't BELIEVE I forgot something!

Gabby finally kissed someone "her age" and he didn't die!

 

Season 1 continues with episode #14... "A Fistful of Dinars"...

Remember the last line of the last "review".... "Gabrielle kissed someone her age and he DIDN'T die!" Well... either I spoke too soon, or this one was too old to withstand the "power" of a daughter of Potadiea's passion.

Things that I liked.... again, its the tantalyzing glimpses into the backstory of Xena. In later seasons TPTB only concentrate on "evil" Xena, after she's broken by Ceaser until the birth of her son. Pretty much everything before and after those years is a mystery until Hercules comes on the scene and helps to turn her from her wicked ways.

Geting back to #14... Again we discover that Xena has fallen in love before... and this time was spurned by her fiance. (Did he REALLY think he'd find someone better!) Despite everything she's been through since, (and for those who haven't seen the entire series there's been PLENTY ) despite everything thats gone on in her life since their breakup, Xena harbors significant distrust of this one man.



I thought it was funny how she kept trying to keep Gabrielle away from him, since I suspect what she was trying to do was keep herself away from him.

Lets see... so far this season we've met Marcus and now Petricles and got reacquainted with Hercules who have all been serious love interests during different parts of her life, and we saw how she could be tempted by Darius in episode #2 "Chariots of War" and his three little children.

Nice to see she hasn't "just" been a warlord these last 10 years.

I also liked that we got a little "Indianna Jones" style "follow the clues/decode the mystery/find the treasure" story along with the old lover coming home to roost theme.

I really liked the dynamic being played out between Xena and Petricles over the battlefield called Gabrielle... and I just had to roll my eyes over the youngster who wants to be "treated" like an adult but can't see the danger until Petricles makes a move more bold than Homer, or Perdicus, or Talus or Iolaus.

Finally... I liked that just as Gabrielle learned she can't trust everyone that comes into her lfe... Xena learned she can't DIStrust everyone who's ever wronged her in her life.

(Xena has just killed Thersites. Thersites' knife is still in Petricles chest and he's dying in Gabrielle's lap.)

Gabrielle: “It’s OK. Don’t, don’t--”
Petricles: “Xena-- I’m sorry I hurt you.”
Xena: “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
Petricles: “It matters to me. I was a fool not to appreciate what I had.” (He manages to pull a small bag from under his belt and hands it to her before he dies. Xena opens the bag and looks inside.)
Xena: “My wedding bracelet." (Earlier, he told Xena he traded it to an arms dealer for weapons) "I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”

(Can't find any Petricles vids... so will need to resort to Foreshadowing)

 

Season 1 #15... "Warrior.... Princess"

Sometimes, a body just want to laugh...

out loud...

and maybe, just maybe, roll around on the floor because your knees will no longer hold you up.

I LIKED "Warrior .... Princess", and I liked it not because of the tried and true story of the pauper and the prince.... I liked it because of Lucy Lawless' expressions when she was Diana. Transcripts do NOT do this episode justice.

I also liked the B story with Gabrielle and the Faux Xena. Here, transcripts are helpful...

(Gabby has been attacked by a hooligan who has her in a head lock. Faux Xena is riding, sidesaddle, into view)

Gabrielle: “Xena! Xena!”(Faux Xena hops off Argo and runs to Gabby's aid. She slaps the back of the badguy, which doesn't impress him. He lets go of Gabby to size up the selling price of this new woman at his mercy.)
Bad guy: “You look good for a gold piece or twenty.”
Diana/Xena: (Faux Xena turns and runs away )“Papa, Papa!”(Gabby uses her staff to take down the badguy, then runs after Faux Xena who is cowering in the underbrush. She has a letter from Real Xena tucked between her breasts)
Gabrielle: “OK, I just wish you would give me some warning when you’re going to test me like that.”
Diana/Xena: “Gabrielle?”
Gabrielle: “Yes? Are you all right? What happened at the castle? (Faux Xena hands the note to Gabby, who reads it with disbelief) So, you’re Princess Diana-- who just happens to look exactly like Xena? Hah! It’s test day, isn’t it? Well, you’re gonna have to do better than that.”
Diana/Xena: “You mean, you don’t believe I’m Princess Diana?”
Gabrielle: “Hmmm, not for a minute.”

This one was just fun all around... from Xena's initial introduction to the castle when everyone was kneeling to her, or draping their shawls around her bare shoulders when they thought she was Diana, to the masquerade where she was kicking a$$ behind Philomon's back or pretending to play the harp at dinner.

As always with Xena, you see her try to empower people to take control of their own lives, but this time she's not doing it to the female guest star, she's doing it to the man who loves her.

Phil: “When she returns, the wedding will go as planned.”

Xena: “Only if you let it. Tell Diana you love her.”
Phil: “My brother is first-born. Diana is rightfully his.”
Xena: “Diana belongs to no one but herself, and the sooner you both realize that, the better off your kingdoms will be.”

Of course, this being XWP, Xena isn't fooled by a late minute deception, and the Princess is saved. Unlike Picard in TNG's "The Price"... the bride doesn't end up with the wrong man so Xena can sit back and revel in her influence over the final result.

And OF COURSE, this being XWP.... we have to end a funny episode with several great lines, if not a double entendre or two.


Gabrielle: “It’s so romantic, (Diana & Philomon's wedding)isn’t it?”
Xena: (sarcastically) “Very.”
Gabrielle: “I hope I find someone who’ll make me smile like that.”
Xena: “I’m sure you will. Just don’t be afraid to speak up when it happens. Of course that’s never been a problem with you, has it?”
Gabrielle: “She’s so beautiful-- Look how her hair shines.”
Xena: “Well, they sure brush it enough.”
Gabrielle: “Wait till you see Argo’s tail. What was it like being her?”
Xena: “Not as much fun as you would think.”
Gabrielle: “Really?”
Xena: “Mm-Hmm.”
Gabrielle: “You had people waiting on you hand and foot, fulfilling your every whim.”
Xena: “Hey, that’s what you’re here for.”
Gabrielle: You had all the riches a person could desire, and you didn’t enjoy that.”
XENA: “It’s just not me. Oooh! Thank you. Try one of these-- (Hands Gabby a small confection she stole off a servant's platter) they’re incredible. We had them for dessert every night. (Gabby stares at her accusingly) I didn’t say I "couldn’t" get used to it...”






What happens when Xena doesn't take her own advice.

 

Season 1 #16 "Mortal Beloved".


This is one of the things I like about this show. How one week it can be doing comedy about a Warrior and a Princess, and the next week its back doing drama about lost loves consigned to Tartarus (Greecian Olympian Hell) despite their last minute change of heart.

It was "heartening" that Marcus didn't regret his one selfless act, nor spent the "tv hour" bemoaning the fact that it didn't keep him out of Tartarus. In fact, unlike Ceaser in season 6, he doesn't take advantage of the recent upheaval in the underworld. Instead he seeks out his former lover to make things "right" for the good souls that have been "reassigned" to Tarturas.

I've previously discussed that smattering of Xena philosophy throughout this season, and we get quite a lot in "MB", as Marcus shows Xena how well he learned the lessons she put to him.


Xena: “Tell me the truth, Marcus. You were put with the wicked when you died, weren’t you?”
Marcus: “Well, like your friend (Toxeus, Xena killed him a few eps ago) says, it’s hard to make up for a lifetime of evil with a single good deed at the end.”
Xena: “So if we succeed in putting things right, you’ll spend the rest of eternity in Tartarus with the very people you’re about to betray. Why are you doing this, Marcus?”
Marcus: “Xena, I died doing a selfless act. You taught me how sweet that could be. And I knew you’d do the same thing if you were in my place.”




Other things I liked about this ep was that not only does Gabby try to talk Xena out of her plan to "swim" to the underworld... but she uses a fair amount of logic for a character that I'm usually "tsking" for being "too immature" in her responses to problems. Strangely enough, I also love the fact that Xena's response ISN'T "logical"...

Gabrielle: “Consider the consequences if you’re wrong: Even if you reach the bottom, you won’t have enough air left to make it back to the surface.”
Xena: “Then I’ll make it to the Underworld one way or another.”
Gabrielle: “It’s not funny.”
Xena: “Gabrielle. The man I love has asked for my help to savegood souls. I have to try this. (Xena is no longer pleading... she puts out her hand for the chakram Gabby has been hiding behind her back during this argument, the way a child would hide her mother's car keys to keep her from leaving.) Gabrielle--”
Gabriell: (But the "child" is definately growing up.) “Yes, you do. Well, I’ll camp here and I’ll wait.”

You do that, Gabrielle. Just keep your eyes open and your staff nearby.

Our Warrior Princess quickly sizes up the underworld and the new tyrant in charge, and puts him immediately on the defensive.

Ya gotta love a woman who can piss off the dead so easily!

Xena not only pisses off the dead, she out manuevers the God of the underworld, Hades himself, to allow Marcus 48 hours of life to help her reclaim his helmet of invisibility.

After returning to the land of the living, and rescuing Gabrielle from the bad guy... Xena does do again what I like the most. She reveals more about her psyche in this ep....



Marcus: “Yes, that would be you. There’s something I wanted to say to you.”
Xena: “What?”
Marcus: “My death was not your fault. Things had to play out the way they did.”
Xena: “Sometimes, I think if I had just said things a little
differently, then maybe you’d have come around before it was too late.”
Marcus: “No. Xena, it was a miracle you got to me at all.
See, I was convinced I could never change. But your words
finally found their way to my heart. You did everything right-- Don’t be so hard on yourself. And, don’t give up on love.”
Xena: “You heard those thoughts, too?”
Marcus: “Yes.”
Xena“It’s just that I found out how much you meant to me one moment, and you were gone the next. It hurt too much, I guess. I started wondering if it was ever worth it to care that much.”
Marcus: “Oh, but it is. One thing that I’ve learned, is that
love is the strongest power in the universe. It’s stronger than evil-- it’s even stronger than death. My feelings for you were the only thing that kept me going down there in Tartarus. It was like I was carrying my own Elysian fields around inside of me.”
Xena: “There’s somethng I’ve been wanting to say to you, too.”
Marcus: “What?”
Xena: “I love you.”



....and strange enough I also like the fact that she's obviously not using Gabrielle as her confidant in all things.

Gabrielle IS growing up quick under Xena's tutelage, but she doesn't need to be burdened yet with the knowledge that her mentor has doubts about herself. At this stage of the teaching process, I prefer Gabby only knows what Xena is certain about.


(Xena pops up from the lake, seaweed hanging from the hilt of her sword)
Gabrielle: “Xena!”
Xena: “He’s in the Elysian fields.”
Gabrielle: “You’ll be together again one day.”
Xena: “We’ll never be apart. (Xena taps her chest) He’s in here, forever.”




Now, just in case one thinks there's only angst and drama in this ep... let me point out my fav funnies ....

Xena and the boatman Charon on the river Styxx...

Xena: “Charon, I’m not dead.”
Charon: “You’re not dead?”
X: “No.”
Charon: “You mean you’re alive?”
Xena: “Yes.”
Charon: “Ay-yi-yi. What is it all coming to?”
Xena: “Charon, I know something’s gone wrong on the other side.”
Charon: “Oh, I know something’s gone wrong on the other side. Yeah, well, you can say that again. We got everything turned upside-down. All the wicked are in the Elysian fields. All the good guys are down in Tartarus. And now we got tourists already.”

Or when she meets Toxeus for the first time since "Death in Chains"....

Toxeus: “Xena!”
Marcus: “You know him?”
Xena: “I killed him.”
Marcus: “Oh.”
Toxeus: [Laughs] “You ended up with the wicked after all,
Xena. I guess it’s hard to make up for a lifetime of evil with
a few good deeds at the end. Tell me, who had the pleasure of killing you?”
Xena: “No one-- My horse threw me, and I broke my little neck.”

Or Xena checking out Marcus' bod after a Harpy has relieved him of his vest.

Marcus: “What?”
Xena: (Smiles mischevioulsy) “You lost some weight.”
Marcus: “It gets hot down here.”

or the first time Gabby meets Marcus...


Xena: “Gabrielle, this is Marcus.”
Gabrielle: “Oh, I’ve heard so much about you. I’m sorry we didn’t get to meet before you were-- killed. You’re dead.”

It was nice to see Xena not only get closure over Marcus, but have her be given permission/encouragement to love again.

And, it was nice, this "early" in their relationship, to see Gabby not ask anything of Xena. Just be a shoulder for her mentor to lean upon.

Our "little girl" IS growing up.

 

y'know, your reviews are kinda inspiring me to pick this up on Netflix and watch it thru to. More fun, kibbitzing with people. I haven't watched Xena since it stopped.

With work pressure being what it is, it's probably going to be around Christmas that I'll be able to join in.

Are you also watching Herc or just limiting this to Xena? What are you going to do when the crossovers come up?

 

Excellent! That is exactly what I'm hoping will happen. I'd love to get a conversation going about XWP. It amazes me the stuff I learn from various websites, or the commentaries about these eps that just went completely over my head the first time through.

Like the presence of "the crossovers". A fellow poster informed me of them just a few weeks ago. I plan on picking up Herc's 4th season at the minimum since several appear there... I'm undecided on the other seasons so far.

I have no problem with you joining the party next month. I'm going to keep slugging my way through the eps one by one until then.

 

Glad I could help . The Herc eps really flesh out the Callisto/Hope saga.

Especially look for the ep where Callisto time-travels to the day Xena raided her village to try to save her parents. Some... interesting... revellations ensue.

 

I think that's in season 4, and is one of the reasons why I picked that season.

One of my fav lines from season 5's "Fallen Angel" (not to be confused with the alt. verse Gabrielle play of the same name) is when demon Gabby asked demon Callisto...

"Callisto-- when Xena burned your family-- did you see them on fire? Did you-- did you-- smell-- their flesh-- sizzling? You know what I think? You wanted them to die so you'd have a reason to be a bitch."

Our "little girl" makes a convincing devil!

Evil Xena & Evil Gabrielle...

 

According to Wiki, Callisto also appears in one season 3 ep of Herc:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callisto_(Xena)

I believe that's the ep where she gains immortality.
Like I said, a boxed set of just that plot arc would be amazing.

 

Season 1 #17 "Royal couple of Thieves"

AKA "Hereeeeee's Autolycus!



Its back to the comedies with "The King of Thieves".

This is near the end... but I love the exchange so much I'm going to start the review with it...

Autolycus: “Can I ask you something? Is your life always like this?”
Xena: “Pretty much.”
Autolycus: “Sheesh!”

All I can say, Autolycus, is THANK GOD!


Fav themes continue...First, the glimpsing this time of Xena's recent past. As has been mentioned earlier, XWP is refreshing in that the writers "usually" not only remember what came before but actually reference it.

Case in point, Xena and the demigod Hercules.




Autolycus is pumping Xena for information regarding her relationship or lack thereof with Herc.


Autolycus: “You know, it seems pretty clear to me that Hercules doesn’t know a diamond in the rough when he sees one. I mean-- look at you.”
Xena: “Care to explain that?”
Autolycus: “Well, Hercules could have any woman he wanted. Obviously, he just passed you by.”
Xena: “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
Autolycus: “No-- just a fact, but-- if he let someone like you get away-- then he must be a-- well, all right, yes, it-- was a compliment.”
Xena: “Hercules isn’t as blind as you think; but neither one of us wants to fool ourselves.”
Autolycus: “And then there are those of us who-- live to fool ourselves.”

Sweet sentiment, Xena, although those of in the know realize the real reason you two don't get together permanently... then we'd have only one show to sell adverts on, instead of two.

Getting back to the "serious" comment...

Second; building on past eps... it was nice for TPTB to provide us with the knowledge that Xena HAS thought of the big guy who helped turn her from her wicked ways... and yet has come to a realization that settling down isn't in the cards for either of them right now. Kind of like the way Perdicus realized he and Gabrielle hadn't come along far enough in their separate travels to allow a relationship to bloom between them "5 eps" ago.


Not only did I like the nod towards her recent past, I especially liked the nod to her distant past. When she was a younger warlord and the Jews found her beaten and took her in and protected her with their very lives. Again, its nice to see "that" Xena could inspire that kind of compassion in others, and could recall that compassion with a sense of loyalty years later.

Third; philosophy continues to fall from her mouth, and more easily than from the Faux Sinteries... "Gabrielle, Autolycus, don't fear the truth. Face it."

A fourth theme, which I think I touched on before, is that our Warrior Princess will be made, over the course of 6 seasons, the driving force behind every major historical event that takes place from 500 BC to 1000 AD, give or take a hundred years. From recovering the ark of the covenant, to protecting Cleopatra in one season and avenging her death in another, to supplying Joseph a donkey for Mary to ride upon, to preparing the way for Ceasar's assasination and Brutus'/Marc Antony's individual defeats.

I used to smile and roll my eyes at this "as TPTB put it", correction of the historical record with evidence as provided by the Xena scrolls.

I used to.

Now I just accept it as "fact."

No... not that Xena lived 1500 years and controlled everything, but that, like the ancient books of medicine written by "the" physician Hippocrates... there wasn't just one author. Nor was there just one Doctor. The "Hippocratic corpus", the body of knowledge ascribed to the famed Doctor was written by many healers over the course of 300 years.

The "Xena scrolls" undoubtedly were written by multiple women over 1500 years detailing the efforts of the distaff side of history. Efforts glossed over by their male counterparts. (Where's Dan Brown when you need him???)

Getting back to our crew... this was an enjoyable ep which not only put Xena on a different footing than we are used to this early in the series ( seductive harem dancer/concubine, to be specific), it also let us see that "slave or not" no-one pushes her around without getting some serious "push back". (Want some sugar on your grapefruit, Autolycus? )

The "eye rolls/smirks/faces" of Lucy that had me in stitches a few eps ago are back in rare form as she deals with letcherous warlords and Lieutenants of same.

Gabby has a smaller part this week, and I have to admit it... I laughed when she told Xena she WISHED she only had one of those Headaches where you hoped you would die.

According to "Whoosh.org" Gabby's best lines were cut from the show. Since I LOVE the scene that was cut and provide it here w/o their knowledge or permission... don't blab!



(An omitted Gab scene: After Xena tried to relieve Gab's headache and tells her to mark the trail, Gabrielle moves towards several horses. She looks about...no one to be seen. )

Gabrielle: "I can't believe I'm about to do this."

(But, just before she can get on a horse, a spear jams into the ground next to her. She spins and finds two guards approaching. Gabrielle grabs up the spear, slams the tip into the ground to break off the blade, then sets herself in a fighting position.)

Gabrielle: "Don't mess with me. I have a huge headache and I'm just not in the mood."

(The guards smile and charge her. Gabrielle reacts, sweeping the legs out from under the first guard as she spins the staff over her head and brings it down into the chest of the second, knocking him back.)

Gabrielle: "I warned you!- I - HAVE A - HEADACHE!"

(Another spin and the staff comes down on the first guard's head, dropping him to the ground...)


I can sooooo see the Battling Bard of Potadiea (in training) do this.

Other things I liked... that although Xena had no trouble bantering with Autolycus and eventually comes to respect him, she nethertheless was resistant to his "charms".



A girl has to have SOME standards, doesn't she?

 

Boxed set sounds good, but season 4 might just whet my apetite for the rest of Herc's series even more than youtube does.