“Xena: Warrior Princess” (1995-2001), recapped by chavalah

[chavalah]

In all honesty, I can’t remember when I started officially watching “Xena.” The sixth season is the only one I watched in real time. Seasons one-four I mostly got in syndicated reruns on The Sci Fi Channel. Season Five will largely be as new for me as for any newb! ;)

“Xena” was a spinoff born from a minor guest appearance by Lucy Lawless in “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.” Occasionally the two shows, both loosely set in ancient Greece, had joint episodes and plotlines, but “Xena” was more than capable of standing alone. The episodic atmosphere, particularly in the beginning, was very cheesy—sort of a slapstick comedy for martial arts, modern-life parodies, and a historical timeline that completely skewed into an alternate universe with how many important events, across centuries and continents, “Xena” played a part in. The show also heralded in the use of “musical episodes,” from “The Bitter Suite” in 1998 to “Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire” a year later.

But beneath the cheese was a very compelling story—about a guilt-ridden warlord seeking redemption, her perky, blond sidekick on the brink of adulthood, and the life-altering bond that they create together. “Xena” was incredibly innovative in how it portrayed female issues—removing all men to secondary roles, it achieved what few other series have been able to, concerning the growth and relationships between women. As the show moved along, Xena (Lucy Lawless) and Gabrielle’s (Renee O’Connor) “friendship” was increasingly scrutinized in a sexual content, making the show iconic in lesbian and perhaps feminist circles. This “subtext” was increasingly alluded to in later seasons, and culminated in Xena and Gabrielle becoming bondafide “soul mates.” You can easily see from my icon where I stand on this issue. :P

Whatever you might think of Xena and Gabrielle’s life after dark, their true strength comes in the journey they take together—one character tainted by darkness, the other innocent and light—and the ways they help each other find a middle ground. Along the way they meet a cast of kooky and unforgettable characters—from the driven God of War Ares (Kevin Smith), vengeful Callisto (Hudson Leick), Amazon queen Ephiny (Danielle Cormack), ambitious Caesar (Karl Urban), and clumsy, lovable Joxer the Mighty (Ted Raimi) to name a very few. These folks help shape the story…and quite often, add to the laughs! :P

So I hope you come along with me, and enjoy the exploits of the warrior princess and the battling bard in these recaps. For more “Xena” news and fandom, you might want to check out FemPop's episode reviews or XenaCast, which was produced by lavender_jane.


Season One

• 1.01: "Sins of the Past"


• 1.02: "Chariots of War"


• 1.03: "Dreamworker"


• 1.04: "Cradle of Hope"


• 1.05: "The Path Not Taken"


• 1.06: "The Reckoning"


• 1.07: "The Titans"


• 1.08: "Prometheus"


• 1.09: "Death in Chains"


• 1.10: "Hooves and Harlots"


• 1.11: "The Black Wolf"


• 1.12: "Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts"


• 1.13: "Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards"


• 1.14: "A Fistful of Dinars"


• 1.15: "Warrior...Princess"


• 1.16: "Mortal Beloved"


• 1.17: "The Royal Couple of Thieves"


• 1.18: "The Prodigal"


• 1.19: "Altered States"


• 1.20: "Ties that Bind"


• 1.21: "The Greater Good"


• 1.22: "Callisto"


• 1.23: "Death Mask"


• 1:24: "Is There a Doctor in the House?"

Season Two

• 2.01: "Orphan of War"


• 2.02: "Remember Nothing"


• 2.03: "The Giant Killer"


• 2.04: "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"


• 2.05: "Return of Callisto"


• 2.06: "Warrior...Princess...Tramp"


• 2.07: "Intimate Stranger"


• 2.08: "Ten Little Warlords"


• 2.09: "A Solstice Carol"


• 2.10: "The Xena Scrolls"


• 2.11: "Here She Comes...Miss Amphipolis"


• 2.12: "Destiny"


• 2.13: "The Quest"


• 2.14: "A Necessary Evil"


• 2.15: "A Day in the Life"


• 2.16: "For Him the Bell Tolls"


• 2.17: "The Execution"


• 2.18: "Blind Faith"


• 2.19: "Ulysses"


• 2.20: "The Price"


• 2.21: "Lost Mariner"


• 2.22: "A Comedy of Eros"

Season Three

• 3.01: "The Furies"


• 3.02: "Been There, Done That"


• 3.03: "The Dirty Half Dozen"


• 3.04: "The Deliverer"


• 3.05: "Gabrielle's Hope"


• 3.06: "The Debt, Part 1"


• 3.07: "The Debt, Part 2"


• 3.08: "The King of Assassins"


• 3.09: "Warrior, Priestess...Tramp"


• 3.10: "The Quill is Mightier..."


• 3.11: "Maternal Instincts"


• 3.12: "The Bitter Suite"


• 3.13: "One Against an Army"


• 3.14: "Forgiven"


• 3.15: "King Con"


• 3.16: "When in Rome..."


• 3.17: "Forget Me Not"


• 3.18: "Fins, Femmes and Gems"


• 3.19: "Tsunami"


• 3.20: "Vanishing Act"


• 3.21: "Sacrifice, Part 1"


• 3.22: "Sacrifice, Part 2"

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