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LTTP: Xena: Warrior Princess

Naijaboy

Naijaboy

The Fallen
Mar 13, 2018
15,336
A long time ago, I had the vague memory of watching Xena episodes while it was airing. It was during that crazy time of cheap syndication shows with low quality value but they were fun as hell. And Xena was the the lead show during that era.

Years later, I attempted to rewatch the entire series while I was in college. I managed to finish season 1, but due to some reason I can't remember I did not go any further than that.

Fast forward to this year. I've been binging shows from the past during the summer and winter break, and I finally found the time to finish what I started. What made things easier is that Syfy is doing a marathon of the show for the summer. So I have started going through the show and I was ready to make an LTTP once I was done.

...which I would have done if not for just how crazy the show has been. So instead, I'm going to make the thread and type my thoughts on the episodes as I go. But discussion of the show is welcome as it usually is in a LTTP thread. So in this thread spoilers will be marked for the time being.
 
gforguava

gforguava

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,706
Always nice to see some Xena love, incredibly fun and woefully underrated show. And probably the only show in existence that made the requisite clipshow episodes actually worthwhile.


edit: And as a youngin' I was always there for Xena herself but upon rewatch it is really Gabs who makes the show for me. Renee O'Connor is kind of amazing.

edit #2: Oh and Xena: Warrior Podcast is a great podcast about the show, funny but also full of quality, in depth discussions.
 
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Naijaboy

Naijaboy

The Fallen
Mar 13, 2018
15,336
Season 2 Episode 1: Orphan of War

This was a banger episode. It had fantasy elements with interesting methods of depicting centaurs, crazy fight scenes and Xena once again in a moral dilemma. I like how they showed the value of non-lethal force in Gabrielle. That guard would have been less likely to have spared her if she had killed anyone. Overall a nice story into Xena's past.

Season 2 Episode 2: Remember Nothing
Basically an alternate universe where her brother lives... and yet so much went wrong. I thought having either Gabrielle or her brother dying would have been what got Xena to stop the simulation. What I didn't expect was cold- hearted Gabrielle starting a path towards revenge killing. It's a nice subversion of those kind of episodes and we even got a nice ending to boot.

Season 2 Episode 3: The Giant Killer
Another episode where the writers decided to say 'fuck it' and recreate a story that would've happened centuries earlier. I remember the Trojan episode with the same time issues. But at that point I decided to just let things be. It's its own world after all. And it shows a surprisingly sympathetic take on Goliath. It's also nice to see guile Gabrielle in play... even though it almost got her head chopped off in the process. I thought she and David had some good chemistry between each other as well... but that not gonna happen.

Season 2 Episode 4: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
This episode was significant for obvious reasons, but I just want to point out how great it starts. You have Gabrielle explaining the nature of the bacchae all while a man is getting chased down by wolves. It set the nature of the episode well. After that it was all camp from there. It helped that Joxer was there as well. I believe the character works in small doses and he works in this instance. I also like the bait and switch halfway making us think Xena got infected. Also, you can't convince me otherwise that it was love that saved the say in the end.

Season 2 Episode 5: Return of Callisto
Of all the scenes I remembered in te past, it was when this chick became the first person other than Xena to catch the chakram. In season one, you knew this meant shit was about to get real. And this episode was no different. Only now, she has an even bigger army to boot. Now, I thought that having Gabrielle married to that guy in the Troy episode was a bit rushed, so his death didn't register to me that well. But seeing Gabrielle as mad as she got was unsettling, especially when training with Xena with a sword for the first time. This worked especially well in context of episode 2. We know that Callisto was unlikely to be believed in retrospect, but there was still the thought of what could have been in the ending.
 
ClockworkOwl

ClockworkOwl

Banned
Feb 1, 2020
115
It's cool you're watching this. I just started a watch through myself, but I'm doing Hercules too. Xena is a better show for sure, but Hercules can hold its own. Some of these episodes I haven't seen since they first aired and I missed most of Xena's final season. It'll be a fun time.

I'm halfway through Herc's first season. Xena started airing during Herc's second season, so I'll be alternating episodes after that to keep both shows in sync.
 
Z-Beat

Z-Beat

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
31,872
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gforguava

gforguava

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,706
Naijaboy said:
Season 2 Episode 1: Orphan of War

This was a banger episode. It had fantasy elements with interesting methods of depicting centaurs, crazy fight scenes and Xena once again in a moral dilemma. I like how they showed the value of non-lethal force in Gabrielle. That guard would have been less likely to have spared her if she had killed anyone. Overall a nice story into Xena's past.
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Not to mention...
Xena rolls under a demon-Centaur and kicks him in his horse dick.

One aspect of the show I always loved is that they did their thing and if the budget couldn't really handle it, well, they did it anyway. Whenever you get a full Centaur shot the effect is generally lackluster but when they can use the camera to hide some of it it generally works well. There is a shot in "Orphn of War" where a Centaur kind of retreats after the above spoilered moment and it looks pretty dang good. The combination of their small budget but their massive ingenuity creates some really impressive stuff at times.

Z-Beat said:
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Xena's frequent "Why run when you can super-flip?" style will never not be amazing.
 

Deleted member 5745

Account closed at user request
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,429
Oh man, this is a serious nostalgia trip. I was in 3rd or 4th grade at the time but I loved watching Xena back then. Hercules, too.

I should do a rewatch of both.
 
JilloftheJungle

JilloftheJungle

Member
Oct 27, 2017
360
Best. I rewatch a lot, gives me that girl-power hype when I need it most. AIAIAIAIAIAIAAIIII!!!! Xena is only character I'd cosplay.
 
Zeshile

Zeshile

Prophet of Regret
Avenger
Dec 22, 2017
438
Kansas
My wife convinced me to watch it a few years ago and I had a good time. It's at it's best to me when it doesn't take things that seriously and really embraces the absurd.

Love Joxer though, we even named our cat after him. I'm probably the only person that thinks this, but Ted Raimi should be in way more things, he's always a lot of fun.
 

Manbig

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,316
Zeshile said:
My wife convinced me to watch it a few years ago and I had a good time. It's at it's best to me when it doesn't take things that seriously and really embraces the absurd.

Love Joxer though, we even named our cat after him. I'm probably the only person that thinks this, but Ted Raimi should be in way more things, he's always a lot of fun.
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You're not the only person. Ted Raimi was an absolute delight whenever he was on Xena and I usually enjoy seeing him in other stuff as well.
 
PHOENIXZERO

PHOENIXZERO

Member
Oct 29, 2017
12,113
Hercules and Xena were kind of like a live action successor to He-Man and She-Ra when I was a kid.

Shame Sorbo turned out to be such shit but like with He-Man and She-Ra, Xena turned out to be the better show anyway.
 

Deleted member 6949

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,786
When it was airing I shipped Xena and Gabrielle harder than anyone has ever shipped two characters in the history of fiction.
 
gforguava

gforguava

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,706
sangreal said:
you jest, but I remember when this aired like it was yesterday
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I only jest ever so slightly, it is a legitimately great moment that still elicits an "Oh snap" response from me. People generally seem fond of the show for its humor and outlandishness, both awesome qualities, but I think the drama is its strongest aspect and the show knows how to hit these dramatic moments out of the park.

And Callisto herself is one of the best 'chaotic evil mirror of stoic hero' around
 
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Naijaboy

Naijaboy

The Fallen
Mar 13, 2018
15,336
Season 2 Episode 6: Warrior... Princess... Tramp

I initially thought Xena was Lucy Lawless' natural voice until I watched Warrior... Princess... It was there where I saw just how much range she had as an actress. Well, she manages to do so once again with the official sequel to the episode. I didn't even consider a third Xena lookalike when she threw poor Gabrielle in the dungeon. This episode left me in stitches, from Meg flirting with Joxer, to him getting destroyed by both Diana and Xena afterwards to Gabrielle's slow descent into madness over it all. And yeah Gabrielle vs Meg was a bit of a catfight, but Meg did a lot better than I thought. I was expecting Gabrielle to wipe the floor with her, but she held her own for a while. And it's clear the entire cast was having a blast with the whole thing.

Season 2 Episode 7: Intimate Stranger

Talk about whiplash. Xena's actions in episode 5 start to weigh down on her and we see a more dramatic use of Lucy acting yet another version of Xena. Seriously, I'm living for this kind of stuff. At this point even I would have thought they would go with voice-ins (as much as I hate them) yet Lucy manages to pull it off. And give credit to Hudson Leick for doing a good Xena as Callisto impression. I think having a false identity episode just before this one hurts Gabrielle's credibility of not taking a fake into consideration, but I think that's a nitpick. And let's talk about poor Joxer and his own whiplash. From smooching with a Xena lookalike with defending Argo from what looked to be Callisto. But this more than any other episode so far showed there's potential for good in him after all.

Season 2 Episode 8: Ten Little Warriors
I thought they would have resolved the Xena as Callisto plot, but I'm glad for it seeing just how much they can run with it. Drunk Ares is hilarious. Incredulously, angry Gabrielle is actually pretty cute for once, likely due to lower stakes and the absurdly hilarious ways she got into fights. I was half hoping we can get more of the body swap, but alas she got her body back.

Season 2 Episode 9: A Solstice Carol
It's one of those episode where you just shrug your shoulders and enjoy the crazy ride. As far as Christmas Carol parodies go, it's alright. They even had a Hercules action figure. What got my head scratching was the ending. If Mary and Joseph had Jesus before the solstice, does that make their Christmas before the 25th. It's either that or the child would be a year old... you know what? Just forget it.

Season 2 Episode 10: The Xena Scrolls
This episode just proved the producers were high and just wanted to see what they can get away with in a show. Not only do we get our characters in slightly modern times, it doubles as a recap episode and makes the show canon in-universe. Legends of Tomorrow wishes it's at the level of Why the Fuck Not Xena's producers were at. Props to Ted Raimi for completely fooling me with that getup and the French accent. Also to Lawless and O'Conner for creating even more different versions of their characters. Joxer's descendant may have a better shot this time around, but something tells me Mel and Janice will end up as soulmates. Also, I just found out this was the basis for AU fanfictions everywhere (which I usually don't like, but I wouldn't mind seeing the trio in a few more adventures).
 
RestEerie

RestEerie

Banned
Aug 20, 2018
13,618
i was a 14yo wee lad when xena was on tv. That show gave me a lot of reactions.......many of them biological in nature..... :-\
 
Boy

Boy

Member
Apr 24, 2018
4,577
Loved Xena along with Hercules. That was my to go show back in the day on Saturday nights as a kid.
 
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Naijaboy

Naijaboy

The Fallen
Mar 13, 2018
15,336
Season 2, Episode 11 - Here She Comes, Miss Amphipolis

Ah, the return of Salmoneus. Of course he would run a beauty pageant. What was shocking was that Lucy Lawless did such work in the past. Sponsor Gabrielle was wonderful, and the whole thing was a delight. It was also surprisingly positive for all the girls seeing their reasonings and standing up for themselves in the end. I could have sworn it was that dresser lady, but the real culprit made more sense. Also... this was probably the earliest I've seen a drag queen in a positive light since ...And Justice For All. And there's the part where it looked as if Gabrielle was jealous of Miss Artiphys kissing Xena.

Season 2, Episodes 12-14
This is a combination as this is basically a 3-parter in the life, (first?) death and revival of Xena. We see a greener Xena without her chakram (sorta) bonding with a stowaway while getting tricked by perennial foe Caesar. I knew Xena dies a couple times so it didn't register with me as well, but her prep talk with the now dead M'Lila still moved me. Autolycus makes a welcoming return in the next adventure as well as Iolaus (why didn't he stick around to help Gabrielle?). I also wished they milked things out with Gabrielle climbing up the ropes without any help and then Xena possesses her to help out. I had to watch the Hercules episode to see how Callisto got her immortality, but at least it gave us more of her. Chaotic Evil types always keeps heroes on their toes, but Xena did well for herself given the curveballs thrown at her. Also... I've seen swords getting thrown, but a staff too? Gabby's been learning from the best.

Season 2, Episode 15 -A Day in the Life
Only Xena would emphasize an episode with little to no fighting about a slice-of-life of the two. It... wasn't the best moment for both of them as they bickered to hilarious effect. The show basically acknowledges that so many people would fall for Xena as well as fangirls helping her out. It's just such a charming episode. There's so many great quotes to choose from too. And Goliath's family got some closure too.

Season 2, Episode 16 - For Him the Bell Tolls
Joxer finally gets his dues as a capable warrior... with the help of Aphrodite of course. I bet Ted was happy to let loose a bit after being the comic relief for so long. It was also a blast seeing him in action. I lost it when they did a 'Not Left Handed' joke near the end. I didn't know Joxer had his own theme song. I first herd Renee sing it in the commentary section tweaking it with Gabby as the protagonist.
 
KamenSenshi

KamenSenshi

Member
Nov 27, 2017
1,870
Love Xena, it was such an entertaining show. It was cool seeing Gabrielle progress in fighting ability throughout the show. Callisto might actually be my favorite "evil version of main character".
 
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Naijaboy

Naijaboy

The Fallen
Mar 13, 2018
15,336
Season 2 Episode 17: The Execution
A well done mystery to clear the name of the entertaining Meleager the Mighty. The judge and the executioner were also great guest stars, and the final plan was damn good. Unfortunately, it did falter a bit by not getting him caught with both crimes. At least... I don't think he did. Still, it was well acted by everyone involved and Xena vs Meleager was one of the best fights they had so far.

Season 2 Episode 18: Blind Faith
The 'greatest fan' episode has been done before, but it was still a good episode. Jeremy Callaghan played his role well and it's always fun to see Gabrielle out of her element. And of course Xena can act like a queen better. She is a princess after all.

Season 2 Episode 19: Ulysses
Speaking of out of her element, she now has to contend with seasickness for the first time as well as Poseidon. The love scene... I guess I can see it, but that doesn't bode well for his loyalty.

Season 2 Episode 20: The Price
I think this was the first real miss of the season. The story did a great job of hyping up the Horde as well as Xena's ruthlessness, but I felt the ending felt flat.

Season 2 Episode 21: The Lost Mariner
Two Poiseidon episodes in the past 3? No wonder he wants to toss Xena into a whirpool. I'm glad Cecrops got to live in the end and with a swerve to end the curse too.

Season 2 Episode 22: Comedy of Eros
Joxer returns, and with it all sorts of shenanigans. Also back is pilot villain Draco. Add a rampaging Bliss and you have a hilarious season finale with some deft manipulation from a lovestruck Xena in the end. Poor Joxer though. It just wasn't meant to be... wait. Cupid was played by Karl Urban? Damn
 
Dodongo

Dodongo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,464
If you love camp, Xena is so good.

The episode where she punches a pterodactyl in the mouth is legendary.
 
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Naijaboy

Naijaboy

The Fallen
Mar 13, 2018
15,336
On to season 3

Season 3 Episode 1: The Fates
So I found out that this and the next episode were supposed to be the last 2 episodes of season2, but the studio reduced all future episodes to 22 per season. Which sucks for the last season. This season however gets to benefit from some great sequences. As usual, the show manages to mix the wackiness of Xena's madness to some intense scenes when she finds out she may have to kill her mother. And yet Xena has proven to as clever as ever, even in madness. I wonder why Ares didn't clarify things, but he may have figured that Xena wasn't crazy enough to manipulate her. Overall a great look into her backstory.

Season 3 Episode 2: Been There Done That
I didn't know they had a Groundhog's Day episode. As far as the others I've seen before, it was great. It was a good idea to start with Joxer's 'death' as people may have suspected shenanigans if Gabrielle died first. I lost it when the two families managed to handle Xena better than any warlord I've seen before. That all-out brawl was also insanely fun to watch. And that last chakram through was one for the ages. I don't see how that can be topped. I would say this is not favorite episode so far.

Season 3 Episode 3 The Dirty Half Dozen
I heard this was supposed to take place after the next couple of episodes, but I think the message fit better before all that drama happened. Nevertheless, it was a nice episode featuring an up-and-coming warlord who was done in by refusing to seek help to the end. I'm getting good at noticing that look in Ares' face when he knows his new favorite already lost. I'd like to see more of the remaining members in a future episode.

Season 3 Episode 4 Deliverer
Holy hell was there so much going on. It was already stacked with the return of Caesar, now we for Gabrielle with her first kill. I think it was well done. We already saw her struggling with a guy with a mace in the previous episode, so I don't think she could have beaten the priestess nonlethally. I also liked how Ares was afraid of that new faith taking over and we all thought it was God (though in hindsight Ares was right to worry either way). The issue here is that there's too much going on. The Caesar plot didn't even get any resolution in the end. The episode would have benefitted with a two-part introduction to wrap everything up.

Season 3 Episode 5 Gabrielle's Hope
Now this was painful to watch. Narratively of course. Gabrielle's rocked by her first kill and both her and Xena were growing distant from each other I found out that Xena fans call this arc The Rift and it was hard seeing these two in conflict with each other like never before. I feel like Gabby's being influenced in her decision making. I should have known she was pregnant with Hope given a lot of the tropes thrown out there.

Season 3 Episodes 6-7 The Debt
I think I found my new favorite episode(s). The flashback episode last season was a highlight and this episode was no different. Evil Xena's fun to watch even with all the mistakes she makes. Meanwhile in the present, she has to contend with one of the many consequences of her actions. Both Xena and Gabrielle were put on a difficult situation, and unfortunately, the resolution will likely widen the rift between them. Man was that kid messed up, even killing his own mother while knowing the truth behind her back. The episode has made both of them one of my favorite characters on television. The studio was crazy not to make a movie out of it.

Season 3 Episode 8 The King of Assassins
And to think we wouldn't have gotten Xena-lite episodes if Lucy Lawless didn't break her pelvis. Unfortunate as it was, it created what is quickly becoming one of my favorite concepts. This time Gabrielle tries to make a plan of her own with limited success. I think this is due to the rift and wanting to set off on her own. Also, I'm just shocked everyone can act so many different characters in the same world. This time Ted plays the ruthless twin brother of Joxer and Autolycus joins in on the fun too. And did anyone notice a connection between Cleopatra and Xena?
 
Wyman Manderly

Wyman Manderly

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,448
Loved this show as a kid along with Hercules. Lucy Lawless and Kevin Smith are awesome in every scene they're in.
 
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