Xena: Warrior Princess - General Discussion

[Bort]

35 minutes ago, Joe Hellandback said:

Well Gabby (and Joxer) would always rely on Xena to protect them, it wouldn't have been a problem if not for the Callisto's interference 

But at least they would try to defend themselves or help in some way. Gabrielle's pacifist phase, she would literally stand there and do nothing.

[JeanneH]

On 3/5/2018 at 1:38 AM, link417 said:

Anything Gabrielle-centric. I had wondered why she played such an outsized role for a sidekick (and an annoying one, at that) and then I recall seeing Renee listed as a producer in the credits and it was like, “Ahhh, now I get it.” However, I can’t find anything online about her being a producer on the show so maybe I’m misremembering? I could’ve sworn, though . . .

 

On 3/5/2018 at 10:10 AM, Primal Slayer said:

<snippage>

But no she wasn't a producer.

Renee did direct a couple episodes, though.

[link417]

4 hours ago, JeanneH said:

 

Renee did direct a couple episodes, though.

Yup, I went to check because I knew I had seen her name elsewhere in the credits.

[Joe Hellandback]

By the stage she was a producer she was pretty much indispensable. 

[Joe Hellandback]

Ok, 4 Music is repeating the series from beginning to end so I thought I'd give it a whirl. been a few years since I watched it on the Horror Channel and they stopped at the end of season 4.

The Good; yay, our girl is here in all her leather clad beauty! Gabby in her peasant blouse and we have all the elements of the show right here, right down to the Chakram. 

The Bad; early days yet, this ep still has the feel of a Hercules ep and not nearly as sophisticated as the show will become. 

Recurring Characters; Xena and Gabby aside we have;

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 (does he ever get a name?)

Perdicas-1 (who gets much more handsome this season)

Draco-1 who comes across as much more sophisticated than the simple warlord we'll later see, quite a tragic figure who knows he can never 'go home' as Xena does. 

Xena cliches;

Village in peril-1

Duel to settle things-1

Kills; amazingly Xena doesn't actually kill anyone, still in that Hercules phase but that won't last long. 

Subtext; just get a load of the look they share when Gabby finds Xena at her brother's grave and tells her she's not alone. She also refers to Argo as 'Boy'? 

Greek myths; Xena is Greek for guest/visitor, Gabrielle is actually Hebrew and means 'Woman of God/God is my strength'. Draco means Dragon and was the name of a famously strict Greek politician but unlikely to be the same guy unless he had a radical career change. Xena's blinding of the Cyclops and Gabby's later trick is very reminiscent of the legend of Ulysses.  

Best quote; Gabby tells Lila that Xena will 'Never let a man get close enough to do her'? Hmmmmmm?

Other;  a pretty simple story but the seeds of greatness are here, always very fond of Lila and Cyrene and we have them here for the first time. 

Rating; 7/10

[Primal Slayer]

I thought it was a decent way to open the series. It was interesting that Xena warrior look got an overhaul. 

Were we to assume that Xena might've committed suicide had she not been interrupted while digging her past (armor) away? Or was she just attempting to start over and become a sort of a pacifist? 

[SparedTurkey]

6 hours ago, Primal Slayer said:

Were we to assume that Xena might've committed suicide had she not been interrupted while digging her past (armor) away? Or was she just attempting to start over and become a sort of a pacifist? 

I think it was pacifism...although maybe that is a form of attempted suicide. But I think after the Hercules episodes we were supposed to get that she hated herself too much for suicide, or at least to do that before seeing her mum.

I think rewatching it now and seeing the things like the "she'd never let a man close enough to do her" lines lends more credence to the cast later saying that the subtext was intentional by the writers. I always thought it was just the actressess running with it (and never shooting it down ala Rizzoli & Isles cast/crew) but I'm starting to buy that it would have had to come somewhat from the higher ups (or at least they participated more than I originally gave credit for)

[Joe Hellandback]

9 hours ago, SparedTurkey said:

I think it was pacifism...although maybe that is a form of attempted suicide. But I think after the Hercules episodes we were supposed to get that she hated herself too much for suicide, or at least to do that before seeing her mum.

I think rewatching it now and seeing the things like the "she'd never let a man close enough to do her" lines lends more credence to the cast later saying that the subtext was intentional by the writers. I always thought it was just the actressess running with it (and never shooting it down ala Rizzoli & Isles cast/crew) but I'm starting to buy that it would have had to come somewhat from the higher ups (or at least they participated more than I originally gave credit for)

No, I never got the suicide vibe from her, burying her weapons was a sign of saying goodbye to her violent history. As for the subtext I'd say it was more a case of seeing things in retrospect and taking greater significance from them, 

S1 Ep2;

Chariots of War

The Good; Not bad, a little humdrum, full of clichés but they haven't become clichés in the series yet. Xena says sorry for the first time to Gabby's surprise and we have the first hurt/comfort scene so beloved of fanfiction.   

The Bad; The villain seems to die awfully easily from what is obviously a non-fatal wound? Xena tells the peaceful farmer that she doesn't have a family which must be news to her mother, half brother and son? Gabby refers to Xena as being 6ft tall when LL is actually only 5, 9 but I guess her boots can boost her up.   

Recurring Characters; 

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Xena cliches;

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-1

Nudity-a little LL back but see more of her later. 

Kills; yep, slits the villain open with her sword. 

Subtext; Gabby's 'Tree in the forest' story is pretty obvious and some interesting comments on Xena not having to be strong.

Yeesh!; the hot poker scene, dear lord. Let's all be grateful for anaesthetics and disinfectants    

Best quote; Gabby-"If I die I'll never talk to you again" which is somewhat ironic given how many times both will die in the series.

Xena to Gabby-"Remind me to talk about your taste in men" which is ironic given Xena's track record,  

Other;  run of the mill story but enjoyable enough 

Rating; 6/10

[Joe Hellandback]

S1 Ep3; Dreamworker

The Good; The final pond scene is quite lovely

The Bad;   Nothing bad, just a fairly weak episode. 

Recurring Characters; 

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Xena cliches; Gabby captured-1

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-1

Kills;  yep, 2 more for Xena making 3 in all but Gabby keeps her blood innocence  

Best quote; Mystic (To an unconscious Xena) "Don't worry, I'm a gentleman"

Other;  Gabby with a sword for the first time and the cleavage enhancing 'breast dagger' which I think will recur in a couple of later eps. Bruce Seth Green as director who also directed on Buffy. First appearance of a 'dreamscape' which will also recur. Gabby's extra toe which I had quite forgotten.

Rating; 6/10

[Joe Hellandback]

The Good; we get to see Gabby and Xena as their own little family and Xena do a sexy dance. Gabby makes herself useful by finding Ophelia telling Xena, "I do the talking, you do the fighting".   

The Bad; not much, maybe it would have been more effective if Nemos' villainy had been concealed until later in the ep.     

Recurring Characters; we never see Gregor again but he's actually the most familiar king in the Xenaverse as he features in the credits every week, suitably enough for this storyline the actor's surname is 'Newborn'. But we do have Falafel, the recurring street vendor from Hercules who pops up from time to time.

Falafel; 1 

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Xena cliches; seemingly loyal advisor who is actually the villain-1. Plus The Pinch for the 2nd time and Xena's skills with animals as she dismisses the guard dog, very Wonder Woman. Also Lucy does her fire-breathing act for the first time.  

Gabby captured-1

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-1

Kills;  yep, byebye Nemos! 

Xena; 4   

Best quote; Nemos-'My desire is pleasure not pain'. Then you picked the wrong girl because Xena's BIG with the kinky. 

Greek myths; Here we have Pandora and her infamous box. The search for the child resembles King Herod and Jesus plus the myth of Moses. Also another reference to Oedipus, also prophesised to take over a kingdom. The serving girl is called Ophelia which is the name of Hamlet's drowned girlfriend and means 'Help, aid, succour' in Greek and like Callisto is also the name of a moon, (Uranus for Ophelia, Jupiter for Cally). Tragically they didn't stick with the name of Xena and Gabrielle for the dwarf planet and its' moon discovered in 2005. 

Subtext; rather a lesbian fantasy that Xena and Gabby just stumble across a baby to mother in these pre-IVF/sperm bank days.  

Other;  I did actually have the Xena harem dancer doll from this ep but ended up giving it to my niece. Nice scene between Gregor and Xena, he very much of the opinion that she's the bad guy here and she quite accepting of that role. Of course this all has much greater resonance later with 'Hope' (interesting ep title?) who Gabby also places in a basket and chucks in the river because this time it's Xena who's out to kill the 'evil' baby. Xena's 'grab the sword' will later be re-used by Buffy against Angelus.  

Rating; 7/10

[Joe Hellandback]

The Path Not Taken 

The Good; the story of Marcus which is actually quite touching.

The Bad; Gabby seems rather wasted in this one.

Recurring Characters; Here’s Marcus, Xena’s ‘true love’ (at least for the moment).

Falafel; 1 

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Xena cliches; the estranged couple who need reuniting. Argo shows her tricks for the first time, kicking on demand and obeying Xena’s whisper. Plus Xena fire-breathing. Gabby in the stocks. Xena’s funeral dirge.

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-1  

Gabby captured-2

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-1

The Pinch; 2

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 2

Kills; 2 more for Xena, the first with the Chakram.

Xena; 6

Best quote; Gabrielle (of Marcus) ‘To be remembered like that is a good thing’  

Greek myths; no but Xena's advice about not flashing your gold in a tavern is reminiscent of Robinson Crusoe.  

Subtext; nope, very hetero ep in fact.   

Other; Gabby is outraged that she and Xena are being taken for hookers but still seems keen on the bag of gold. How do they fund themselves? Gabby’s barding or does Xena rely on her hoard of buried loot? Much like Draco, Marcus tried to walk away from the warlord/mercenary life but found he couldn’t readjust to the civilian world. Rather a downbeat ending.    

Rating; 7/10

[Joe Hellandback]

The Reckoning

 The Good; Some nice work from Gabby as Xena’s lawyer and Ares tempting Xena.

The Bad; It all seems a little contrived by Ares.

Recurring Characters; Here’s Ares in all his malevolent glee, Kevin Smith one of the great highlights of the series.

Marcus; 1

Falafel; 1 

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Xena cliches; Dr Xena for the first time trying to save the villagers. Gabby refers to Argo’s hatred (or jealousy?) for her. Gabby captured once more. Xena in bondage and whipped.   

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-1  

Gabby captured-2

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-1

The Pinch; 2

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 2

Kills; 

Xena; 6

Best quote; Villager (of Xena); “Truly I say that she is the very soul of goodness”  

Greek myths; Ares the god of war. Just as portrayed here the Greek Gods could become invisible at will although Ares in Greek mythology is portrayed as a more bestial, barbaric figure than the schemer he’s seen as in Xena/Hercules. Hector, Achilles and Agamemnon referenced from the Trojan War. 

Subtext; Gabby invites Xena to join her bathing.   

Other; we finally see what Gabby wears under her peasant dress as she bathes by the stream plus what Xena wears under her armour. Xena smacking Gabby in the midst of her fighting frenzy sure is a shocker. Gabby refers to ‘Argo’, is this the first time she’s named? Although they’ve obviously had a past history this appears to be the first time Xena actually sees Ares in human form.        

Rating; 7/10

[Primal Slayer]

It amazed me that Ares made his debut on Xena before he ever physically showed up in Hercules.

[Bort]

Yeah, I was gonna say… Ares’s Hercules appearances before Xena were always some bloody skulls in a shrine with a disembodied voice.

[Joe Hellandback]

18 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Yeah, I was gonna say… Ares’s Hercules appearances before Xena were always some bloody skulls in a shrine with a disembodied voice.

I guess they decided they needed some hunk factor? If I recall we had a different Aphrodite and Athena on Herc and Hera isn't Meg Foster until she appears on Xena?

The Titans

The Good; Theia mourning over Crius is quite moving.

The Bad; Gabby actually comes across as quite domineering, you’d think she’d have been nicer to the Titans. Also the Titans aren’t all that indestructible as we see Crius killed by conventional means.

Recurring Characters;

Ares; 1 

Marcus; 1

Falafel; 1 

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Xena cliches; Xena plays healer again and gets the net.

Dr Xena-2 

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-1  

Gabby captured-2

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-1

The Pinch; 2

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 2

Kills; 

Xena; 6

Best quote; (Gabby) “I’d rather not have you constantly telling everyone I’m a virgin, it’s kind of personal”  

Greek myths; The Titans were the precursors of the Olympian gods but were eventually overthrown and imprisoned by their children just as they did to their forebears. And of course if we believe that Xena is Ares' daughter then history repeats itself.   

Subtext; actually this establishes quite firmly that Gabby is still a virgin (at least in the Bill Clinton sense?) Also check out the relationship between Gabby and her new priest admirer, especially when Xena sees that they’ve (quite literally) spent the night together, their spat afterwards is quite revealing.     

Other; not bad, perhaps a little slow in places, you wonder that the Olympian gods don’t react to all this? The Titans plan to go against the gods but they seem to lack any powers except for their giant size. Xena tells Gabby she could never hate her but wait until The Bitter Suite.          

Rating; 6/10, not that great

Edited May 20, 2018 by Joe Hellandback
Daughter not father.

[Bort]

4 hours ago, Joe Hellandback said:

If I recall we had a different Aphrodite and Athena on Herc and Hera isn't Meg Foster until she appears on Xena?

Aphrodite was always the same actress they cast, first appearing on Hercules. Cupid too. Hera was mostly a Hercules character, she only appeared on Xena the one time. You’re right about Athena, though.

[Joe Hellandback]

5 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Aphrodite was always the same actress they cast, first appearing on Hercules. Cupid too. Hera was mostly a Hercules character, she only appeared on Xena the one time. You’re right about Athena, though.

And we never had the same Brutus twice?

Prometheus

The Good; Lucy’s ability to do the splits sure comes in useful whilst dodging the booby-traps. Like Xena making sure Gabby is taken care off as she goes off on her suicide mission.

The Bad; weak special effects with Prometheus himself, the green eggs/warriors especially cheap looking.

Recurring Characters; Hercules and Iolaus, after this however the spinoff can stand firmly on its’ own feet and their involvement in the Xenaverse is limited. Falafel back again plus Hera but still disembodied, not the great Meg Foster yet. 

Ares; 1 

Marcus; 1

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Xena cliches; Xena performs a tracheotomy  

Dr Xena-3 

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-1  

Gabby captured-2

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-1

The Pinch; 2

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 2

Kills; 

Xena; 6

Best quote; Gabby (to Xena)-“You’re not much for girl talk are you?”  

Greek myths; Prometheus was actually a Titan but obviously avoided being turned to stone like those in the previous ep. First mention of Hera and Hephaestus, the blacksmith of the gods and Aphrodite’s husband. Hercules and Iolaus are actually cousins as well as friends.      

Subtext; Gabby;(of Xena)-“Of course you’re not like most girls”. Check out the clasp the hand to the chest gesture when they say goodbye. But mostly this show the relationship between Xena/Herc and possibly Gabby/Iolaus.      

Other; Xena takes a sword from a stone and not for the last time. Really this would have been a far better ep if the specials effects were a bit more convincing but this was the mid-90s and CGI was in its’ infancy.          

Rating; 7/10 because I’m a sucker for Herc

[Ceindreadh]

4 hours ago, Joe Hellandback said:

And we never had the same Brutus twice?

Prometheus

The Good; Lucy’s ability to do the splits sure comes in useful whilst dodging the booby-traps. Like Xena making sure Gabby is taken care off as she goes off on her suicide mission.

The Bad; weak special effects with Prometheus himself, the green eggs/warriors especially cheap looking.

Recurring Characters; Hercules and Iolaus, after this however the spinoff can stand firmly on its’ own feet and their involvement in the Xenaverse is limited. Falafel back again plus Hera but still disembodied, not the great Meg Foster yet. 

 

Best quote; Gabby (to Xena)-“You’re not much for girl talk are you?”  

Greek myths; Prometheus was actually a Titan but obviously avoided being turned to stone like those in the previous ep. First mention of Hera and Hephaestus, the blacksmith of the gods and Aphrodite’s husband. Hercules and Iolaus are actually cousins as well as friends.      

Subtext; Gabby;(of Xena)-“Of course you’re not like most girls”. Check out the clasp the hand to the chest gesture when they say goodbye. But mostly this show the relationship between Xena/Herc and possibly Gabby/Iolaus.      

Other; Xena takes a sword from a stone and not for the last time. Really this would have been a far better ep if the specials effects were a bit more convincing but this was the mid-90s and CGI was in its’ infancy.          

Rating; 7/10 because I’m a sucker for Herc

Trivia.  In the fight scene where we later find that Iolaus got wounded, Michael Hurst broke his arm for real when it got caught between his opponent and the ground so they had to write it in to his later HTLJ eps.

[Bort]

4 hours ago, Joe Hellandback said:

And we never had the same Brutus twice?

We did, once he became such a pivotal character, it was the same actor after that. 

[Primal Slayer]

I was always a bit sad that Xena/Hercules didn't crossover a bit more often. Especially towards the end of S4.

[Bort]

There wasn’t much crossover with the lead characters but there was tons with the supporting ones. Ares, Aphrodite and Discord definitely went back and forth a lot. Callisto went over to Hercules for a really great two-parter as well.

[Primal Slayer]

Yeah when it came to supporting characters there was plenty of crossovers but I always got giddy when we got to see the Big 2 from each show interact. 

[Joe Hellandback]

12 hours ago, Primal Slayer said:

Yeah when it came to supporting characters there was plenty of crossovers but I always got giddy when we got to see the Big 2 from each show interact. 

Yeah, as fans we always like that, adds realism and depth to the 'verse' but studios don't, they like shows to stand on their own 2 feet. Truth is Xena so effortlessly surpassed Hercules in popularity it was the original which actually relied on the spinoff. 

Death in Chains

The Good; The saw blade Chakram effect is truly awesome! Quite a philosophical ep for an action show. Also like the warlord recruiting his gang by killing them all.  

The Bad; For a messenger of the Gods Celesta seems to be captured very easily? Also the whole storyline seems awfully similar to the previous ep. 

Recurring Characters; yep, Sisyphis will return in 10 Little Warlords and Hades numerous times.

Hades; 1 

Ares; 1 

Marcus; 1

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Xena cliches; yep, can't cure anyone but relieves their pain. Plus I'm going to add dead Gabby suitors.

Dead Gabby suitors; 1  

Dr Xena-4

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-1  

Gabby captured-2

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-1

The Pinch; 2

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 2

Kills; another for Xena

Xena; 7

Best quote; - Sisyphis (of Celesta) "I mean a visit from you happens but once a lifetime" 

Greek myths; Hades is the god of the underworlds in Greek mythology, brother to Zeus and Poseidon. He has no sister Celesta but he does have one called Hestia, very different as to how she's portrayed here.        

Subtext; no, one more doomed romance for Gabby     

Other; So Sisysphis good or bad? He seems more outright evil next time around. What happens to Celesta AFTER Xena kills Hades?           

Rating; 6/10, okay. 

[Bort]

1 hour ago, Joe Hellandback said:

Yeah, as fans we always like that, adds realism and depth to the 'verse' but studios don't, they like shows to stand on their own 2 feet. Truth is Xena so effortlessly surpassed Hercules in popularity it was the original which actually relied on the spinoff. 

Usually that’s the case but I don’t think that was an issue for Renaissance, they seemed to like crossovers, as illustrated by the supporting characters going back and forth a lot. As mentioned, Xena’s popularity helped keep Hercules on the board better than it would’ve, I don’t think it could’ve stood on its own feet without it. 

I’m sure the reason for the leads not crossing over very much was scheduling. There were just not enough hours in the day for Kevin and Lucy to work a full load on their own show AND the other one at the same time. They were already having to be creative in the writing to give them episodes with minimal screen time just so they could have a break once in while (“The Quill Is Mightier” is one of my favorite Xena-lite episodes, it’s absolutely hilarious and Renee does a great job of carrying it by herself).

[Joe Hellandback]

19 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Usually that’s the case but I don’t think that was an issue for Renaissance, they seemed to like crossovers, as illustrated by the supporting characters going back and forth a lot. As mentioned, Xena’s popularity helped keep Hercules on the board better than it would’ve, I don’t think it could’ve stood on its own feet without it. 

I’m sure the reason for the leads not crossing over very much was scheduling. There were just not enough hours in the day for Kevin and Lucy to work a full load on their own show AND the other one at the same time. They were already having to be creative in the writing to give them episodes with minimal screen time just so they could have a break once in while (“The Quill Is Mightier” is one of my favorite Xena-lite episodes, it’s absolutely hilarious and Renee does a great job of carrying it by herself).

You're probably right, it's always a subtle choice, how much do you integrate one another or develop a separate identity? Also of course the supporting characters on Hercules had to step up when Kevin had his stroke. 

Hooves and Harlots

The Good; Ephiny, hooray! And here Gabby becomes an Amazon princess and gets a whole new wardrobe and stick.  

The Bad; Okay I get the hooves bit but are the Amazons 'harlots'? Would have been a better ep if the villain hadn't been so obvious. 

Recurring Characters; 

Ephiny; 1

Hades; 1 

Ares; 1 

Marcus; 1

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Xena cliches; patching up the wounded again. Also matters are resolved by a duel.  

Dead Gabby suitors; 1  

Dr Xena-5

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-1  

Gabby captured-2

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 2

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 2

Kills; another for Xena

Xena; 8

Best quote; -Ephiny (handling horse dung at the scene of the crime); "You're right, this has hay in it, centaurs don't eat hay"   

Xena; "Plus Centaur's put all their weight on their front hooves" (Ephiny looks uncomfortable and brushes off the ordure) 

Greek myths;  And like all fictional Amazons ever their breasts are left fully intact. Amazons in Greek myths were actually enemies of Hercules. 

Subtext; Ephiny seems 'interested' in Xena who asks her to stop looking at her.     

Other;  Xena is familiar with the Amazon symbol for peace amongst their other traditions, she seems reluctant to reveal why and we later find out it's not a pretty story.          

Rating; 7/10 largely because of Ephiny and Gabby's new threads. 

Edited May 22, 2018 by Joe Hellandback

[Joe Hellandback]

Quote

 

The Black Wolf

The Good; Salmoneus is funny and I like Gabby smuggling the whip and Chakram in.

The Bad; pretty lacklustre otherwise.  

Recurring Characters; here’s Salmoneus in all his capitalist glory 

Ephiny; 1

Hades; 1 

Ares; 1 

Marcus; 1

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Xena cliches;   10 years ago, first time it’s used. Plus ‘I have many skills’ Gabby captured but deliberately so

“I have many skills’; 1

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 1  

Dr Xena-5

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-1  

Gabby captured-3

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 2

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 2

Kills; another for Xena

Xena; 8

Best quote; - Gabby “It would have been fine if you could have kept your hands off my tomatoes!”

Greek myths; Xerxes of course a traditional Spartan name but probably not the same guy. Of course we also have the whole ‘I am Spartacus’ routine. We also have ‘Cry wolf’, one of Aesop’s fables. 

Subtext; ?    

Other; very little to write here, unremarkable ep           

Rating; 6/10, not great

Edited May 28, 2018 by Joe Hellandback
Title

[Joe Hellandback]

• Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts

• The Good; Xena tries to tell an epic story with a miniscule budget but succeeds admirably. Plus some really gruesome skeletons which are pretty chilling and clever of Xena to use the wooden horse to get out of the city.    

  The Bad; again, would be better if the bad guy wasn’t so obvious.   

  Recurring Characters; Perdicas, who has got a lot more handsome from his previous appearance.

  Ephiny; 1

  Hades; 1 

  Ares; 1 

  Marcus; 1

  Falafel; 2

  Cyrene-1

  Lila-1

  Gabby's dad-1 

  Perdicas-2 

  Draco-1  

  Sisyphis-1

  Xena cliches; Another disloyal advisor, this one killing his own brother over a woman, an age old tale.    

  “I have many skills’; 1

  10 years ago; 1

  Dead Gabby suitors; 1  

  Dr Xena-5

  Xena in bondage-2  

  Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-2  

  Gabby captured-2

  Village in peril-2

  Duel to settle things-2

  The Pinch; 2

  Xena animal skills; 2

  Xena fire-breathing; 2

  Kills; at least 5 more for Xena

  Xena; 13

  Best quote; Gabby “So how do we get in?”

  Xena; “Are your boots laced?” 

  Greek myths; the fate of the real Helen of Troy is uncertain, she is reported to either have returned and lived out her life happily with Menelaeus, been sent by the Gods to join Achilles in the Elysian fields or been hung from a tree by The Furies. In Greek myth the Gods play a major role in the siege but not here. 

  Subtext; no, Gabby getting kissy, kissy with her now hunky ex.      

• 7/10

Edited May 28, 2018 by Joe Hellandback
Title

[Joe Hellandback]

Spoiler

 

Athens Academy of the Performing Bards

The Good;  A fun ep, very light, gives Gabby an early chance to shine, the producers obviously beginning to realise how important she is to the show. The stab scene is a real shock, you genuinely wonder if this will be Gabby solving a murder mystery for a moment. 

The Bad; not much to dislike about this one, just quite lightweight  

Recurring Characters; no but here we have young Hercules, Xena/Herc always keen to reuse NZ’s rather limited acting pool.  

Ephiny; 1

Hades; 1 

Ares; 1 

Marcus; 1

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Xena cliches;   

“I have many skills’; 1

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 1  

Dr Xena-5

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-1  

Gabby captured-2

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 2

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 2

Kills; 

Xena; 8

Best quote; - Xena “You’re my family Gabrielle, you’re like a sister to me”

Greek myths; every major literary figure in Greek history here, of course in reality they all lived hundreds of years apart.

Subtext; nope, instead we have bad old Xena seducing Iolaus.     

Other; How DID they get permission to use clips from Spartacus? No wonder they had to give big thanks in the credits. Most shows will do clip shows at some stage to save money and as an emergency fill in for the eventuality they can’t produce any fresh eps. Most are utterly terrible, characters sitting around saying ‘Hey remember when?’ Xena and Hercules do them BRILLIANTLY, you actually look forwards to them instead of dreading them, they’re arguably the most enjoyable Hercules eps of all. This is early days of course so not that great               

Rating; 6/10

[Joe Hellandback]

A Fistful of Dinars

The Good;  An okay ep, largely memorable for the implied love triangle and the revelation that Xena actually had a fiancée, she sure gets around. Like Gabby figuring out the riddle 

The Bad; Seems a bit cheap. The Mythbusters proved you couldn't climb up a collapsed bridge although I always thought it depended on the size of the gaps between the planks. Bit much that they just trash the poor monks temple.   

Recurring Characters; no 

Ephiny; 1

Hades; 1 

Ares; 1 

Marcus; 1

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Xena cliches;  here's the pinch again and another dead Gabby suitor plus her taken hostage once more. 

“I have many skills’; 1

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-5

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-1  

Gabby captured-3

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 3

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 2

Kills; another for Xena

Xena; 9

Best quote; - Petracles “When I had her I realised I didn't want her anymore”

Greek myths; nope but reminiscent of The Maltese Falcon and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre as well as Indiana Jones. 

Subtext; a very jealous Xena over Petracles putting the moves on Gabby     

Other; Pretty unremarkable, the series is still in the quest of the week situation, we need more arc.            

Rating; 5/10

Edited May 28, 2018 by Joe Hellandback
Title

[Bort]

@Joe Hellandback, what episodes are you talking about? Many of the past few posts, you haven’t said what the titles are.

[Joe Hellandback]

3 hours ago, kariyaki said:

@Joe Hellandback, what episodes are you talking about? Many of the past few posts, you haven’t said what the titles are.

Apologies, I'll go back and correct. 

[Primal Slayer]

On 5/21/2018 at 10:12 AM, kariyaki said:

Usually that’s the case but I don’t think that was an issue for Renaissance, they seemed to like crossovers, as illustrated by the supporting characters going back and forth a lot. As mentioned, Xena’s popularity helped keep Hercules on the board better than it would’ve, I don’t think it could’ve stood on its own feet without it. 

I’m sure the reason for the leads not crossing over very much was scheduling. There were just not enough hours in the day for Kevin and Lucy to work a full load on their own show AND the other one at the same time. They were already having to be creative in the writing to give them episodes with minimal screen time just so they could have a break once in while (“The Quill Is Mightier” is one of my favorite Xena-lite episodes, it’s absolutely hilarious and Renee does a great job of carrying it by herself).

mhmm. Xena was suppose to be in Hercules 5x13 "Surprise, Suprise" but Lucy couldn't do it so they switched her out with Nebula.

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎28‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 11:32 PM, Primal Slayer said:

mhmm. Xena was suppose to be in Hercules 5x13 "Surprise, Suprise" but Lucy couldn't do it so they switched her out with Nebula.

A shame, I'd loved to have seen her there, she was probably the show's greatest legacy.

Warrior...Princess

The Good; actually the third of the Xena doubles with Princess Diana, having already played the characters of Lysia and Lyla on Hercules.  LL having a great time playing very much against type, especially love her riding Argo side-saddle.     

The Bad;  so Sysiphis encountered Xena and never bothered saying 'Jeez you look just like my cousin's daughter!'? Necessarily a very Gabby-light ep. 

Recurring Characters; Princess Di and her dad will later recur.  

Ephiny; 1

Hades; 1 

Ares; 1 

Marcus; 1

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Xena cliches; doubles, Dr Xena, firebreathing, the pinch, disloyal advisor times 2

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 1

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-6

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-3

Gabby captured-3

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 4

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 3

Kills; none

Xena; 9

Best quote; - Xena; "Come on, we've all got that evil spot somewhere!"

Greek myths; no but very reminiscent of The Prisoner of Zenda with elements of The Prince and the Pauper and The Court Jester.   

Subtext; Gabby; (gazing longingly at beautiful Xena lookalike Princess Di) "I hope I'll find someone who could make me smile like that"

Xena; "I'm sure you will, just don't be afraid to speak up when you do"

Other; so where did all the doubles come from? Did Ares have more than one daughter but the demi-goddess powers only took with the girl from Amphipolis? Here we have illustrated one of Xena's few failings, although a great singer she can't play a musical instrument (although Gabby and Joxer can do both). First(?) of the disclaimers, that neither Xena nor Diana were hurt in this ep.               

Rating; 7/10, fun romp

Edited May 31, 2018 by Joe Hellandback
Title

[Joe Hellandback]

Mortal Beloved

The Good; some not bad early CGI battles, a genuinely scary villain, a nice end to the Marcus storyline and a nice trick with the sleeping bride, genuinely fooled me for a sec. Also nice to see Hades again.     

The Bad;  If Hades has all these amazing powers it's a bit of a stretch he needs Xena's help? Charon's bit seems to go on a bit too long.

Recurring Characters; I'd forgotten, Toxeus is back as well as Hades, Charon and Marcus

Charon; 1

Toxeus; 2

Ephiny; 1

Hades; 2

Ares; 1 

Marcus; 2

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Xena clichés;  fire-breathing and Dr Xena

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 1

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-7

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-3

Gabby captured-3

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 4

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 4

Kills; 4 including 2 Harpies and Marcus. 

Xena; 13

Best quote; - Gabby; "Xena that lake is deep and treacherous, what if something goes wrong?"

Xena; "Then I guess I'll make it to the afterlife one way or the other?"

Greek myths; surprisingly the whole Hades helmet thing is nearly spot on. The title a play on Beethoven biopic Immortal Beloved.     

Subtext; Gabby a little nervous at Xena seeing her ex. Rightfully so as she leers at Marcus' ripped midriff and....

Notches on the Chakram; yep, Xena and Marcus

Xena; 1 

Other; an ep that quite literally goes to hell and back, a very enjoyable mix of combat, comedy and romance, a lot darker than what has come before, certainly more so than anything on Hercules, you genuinely fear for Gabby on the beach but she turns out to be a lot tougher than she looks.              

Rating; 7/10, 

Edited June 1, 2018 by Joe Hellandback

[Joe Hellandback]

The Royal Couple of Thieves 

The Good; Autolycus basically brightens up the screen every time he appears and I really think he works better as a Xena character than on Hercules where he largely serves to be relief from the big guy stoicism (or some would say dullness?). On Xena he sparks off (and flirts with) both Xena and Gabby and that makes him much more fun.       

The Bad;  Again, given how infamous Xena was back in the day isn't it a bit of a stretch that no one from this den of villains recognises her?

Recurring Characters; Autolycus who will become one of the series favourite recurring characters

Autolycus; 1

Charon; 1

Toxeus; 2

Ephiny; 1

Hades; 2

Ares; 1 

Marcus; 2

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-1

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Xena clichés; the Pinch and for once it's fatal. Gabby capturedx2   

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 1

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-7

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-3

Gabby captured-5

Village in peril-2

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 5

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 4

Kills; just 1 

Xena; 14

Best quote; - Gabby; "My what a beautiful ring"

Autolycus; "Yes, I got it from a beautiful princess"

Gabby; "Was it a gift?"

Autolycus; "You're so young!"

Greek myths; the Ark of the Covenant although it's a little smaller here compared to what it's supposed to look like.

Subtext; ?

Notches on the Chakram; nope but we do get Xena doing a sexy striptease, I used to own the Harem girl Xena action figure but eventually gave it to my niece.  

Xena; 1 

Other; the entrance of Autolycus and the show is all the better for it. Also the beginning of the series rather ambiguous relationship with Christianity which will continue through the years, becoming much more well defined later on, a common trope on 90s TV shows (Charmed and Buffy having a similar grey area on the subject, intrinsically Christian in ethos without ever waving a bible in your face).                

Rating; 8/10, best ep so far.

[Joe Hellandback]

The Prodigal

The Good;  a chance for Gabby to shine having been at the side of the action for a few eps now, some nice comedy with Maeleger and some lovely sister sister stuff, always a Lila fan.        

The Bad;  so where are Gabby's mum and dad? And does no one ask after Perdicas? If you look closely you can see the rope at the back of the cart of stakes as it rolls towards them. 

Recurring Characters; Lila back and first appearance of Maeleger

Autolycus; 1

Charon; 1

Toxeus; 2

Ephiny; 1

Hades; 2

Ares; 1 

Marcus; 2

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-2

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Maeleger; 1

Xena clichés;  Gabby captured again plus Potedia under threat.   

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 1

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-7

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-3

Gabby captured-6

Village in peril-3

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 5

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 4

Kills;  

Xena; 14

Best quote; - Maeleger-"That's a lovely hat young woman, have her bathed and brought to my tent" 

Greek myths; Maeleger the Mighty a real guy, one of the Argonauts (and hence a contemporary of Herc and co).

Subtext; the parting scene between Gabby and Xena is very heartfelt, Xena aghast at the idea of losing her companion. 

Notches on the Chakram; No but the robbers seem to threaten to rape our girls.

Xena; 1 

Other; first sign of Gabby's panpipes and she now seems an accomplished hitchhiker, both as a lot lizard and faking pregnancy. Boy has Potidea grown since we last saw it, maybe Perdicas has been sending money home? Lila refers to the 'Woman Wonder', a nice little ref to a different Amazon princess.           

Rating; 7/10 

[Joe Hellandback]

Altared States (clever!)

The Prodigal

The Good; once again Xena treads that fine line around religion and does it successfully.         

The Bad; they all seem very sceptical of the existence of the tribe's god given how the supernatural is everyday in their world?  

Recurring Characters; no but here's Karl Urban, one of the Xena quadruples! 

Autolycus; 1

Charon; 1

Toxeus; 2

Ephiny; 1

Hades; 2

Ares; 1 

Marcus; 2

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-2

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Maeleger; 1

Xena clichés; Gabby captured, disloyal son this time. Xena uses pressure points but not the pinch.     

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 1

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-7

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-4

Gabby captured-7

Village in peril-3

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 5 

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 4

Kills;  

Xena; 14

Best quote; -Xena (of Gabby rubbing against her as she climbs)"Loving every moment!"

Greek myths; the story of Isaac a biblical classic, right up there with Job as a test of faith. Although how we had it concurrently with the Ark of the Covenant last week is anyone's guess? Elements also of course of Cain and Abel and Jacob and Esau. 

Subtext; oh, it's out in the open now, teasing us with Gabby and Xena bathing, love Xena's little half smile as Gabby dives underwater to practice her 'skills'. Plus Gabby declares Xena 'beautiful', to use another biblical allusion the 'scales falling away from her eyes'. 

Notches on the Chakram; no but you can just see Gabby's nipples in the moment she ducks under the water. 

Xena; 1 

Other; Xena refers to her maternal instinct because of course she has a secret son of her own. A nice story with some good performances, especially from stoned Gabby and Karl Urban plays a (quite literal) zealot very well.             

Rating; 7/10

[Joe Hellandback]

Ties that Bind

The Good; Xena deals with her daddy issues (I remember a great fanfic where Barney Stinson from HIMYM seduces Xena, Wonder Woman, Buffy etc by exploiting their daddy issues, strikes you how many superheroines have them?) , Gabby proves her worth both to Xena and the 'soiled dove' slave girls. Atreus is actually very plausible.           

The Bad; How come Xena never mentions her mother and 2 brothers? Also is Xena the only person in the ancient world to be called that?  

Recurring Characters; Ares  

Autolycus; 1

Charon; 1

Toxeus; 2

Ephiny; 1

Hades; 2

Ares; 2

Marcus; 2

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-2

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Maeleger; 1

Xena clichés; Village in peril, many skills and the pinch    

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 2

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-7

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-4

Gabby captured-7

Village in peril-4

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 6 

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 4

Kills;  amazingly none. 

Xena; 14

Best quote; -Ares; "There's a reason I play the part of Atreus so well" Hmmmmm?

Greek myths; 

Subtext; Personally I always believed Ares was Xena's father, it really is the only reasonable explanation for the facts we know. Some of the looks they trade suggest a little something GSA going on and they seem to be pushing Ares sexuality, lots of lounging about in bulging leather trousers.  

Notches on the Chakram; no but some obviously raped slavegirls. 

Xena; 1 

Other; We see the old vengful fire in Xena's eyes and we see how necessary it is for her to have Gabrielle to temper her warlord instincts. An enjoyable ep all around, signalling the fact that Ares is to become a major character in the show.          

Rating; 7/10

[Joe Hellandback]

The Greater Good

The Good; here's Callisto! But not Hudson, played by a different body double. For what is a lightweight story in Salmoneus as Lord Seltzer and Gabby as (a remarkably convincing) Xena this gets quite grim when we think Xena has really died. Gabby also saves her for the first time.          

The Bad; the Gabby/Argo feud is pretty stupid. 

Recurring Characters; Callisto and Salmoneus

Salmoneus; 2

Callisto; 1  

Autolycus; 1

Charon; 1

Toxeus; 2

Ephiny; 1

Hades; 2

Ares; 2

Marcus; 2

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-2

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-1 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Maeleger; 1

Xena clichés; Village in peril, Gabby captured, first of the hurt/comfort so beloved of fanfic.    

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 2

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-7

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-4

Gabby captured-8

Village in peril-5

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 6 

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 4

Hurt/comfort; 1

Kills;  amazingly none. 

Xena; 14

Best quote; -Gabby (of Xena dying); "Don't you ever do that again". If only...?

Greek myths; 

Callisto a real character from Greek mythology but one of Artemis' hunting nymphs so probably not the same person. 

Subtext; whole lot of hurt/comfort going on  

Notches on the Chakram;  

Xena; 1 

Other; very enjoyable but you ain't seen nothing yet! 

Rating; 7/10

[Joe Hellandback]

Callisto

The Good;  and here's Callisto in all her glory and Hudson really is a kick in the head in every sense and just the most beautiful woman alive. Also we have Joxer who will go on to be such a huge part of the series so some people think this is the greatest ep ever and some the worst. Lovely shot when Cally first catches the Chakram.          

The Bad; The only thing I can think off is that if Cally really wanted people to believe that she was Xena back to her bad old ways shouldn't she have dyed her hair black? Also was it really necessary to kill the kid even if it was offscreen? 

Recurring Characters; Callisto again and Joxer for the first time plus Cally's recurring henchman Theodorus. 

Theodorus; 1

Joxer; 1

Salmoneus; 2

Callisto; 2  

Autolycus; 1

Charon; 1

Toxeus; 2

Ephiny; 1

Hades; 2

Ares; 2

Marcus; 2

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-2

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-2 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Maeleger; 1

Xena clichés; Village in peril, Gabby captured, The Pinch.    

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 2

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-7

Xena in bondage-2  

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-4

Gabby captured-9

Village in peril-6

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 6 

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 4

Hurt/comfort; 1

Kills;  amazingly none. 

Xena; 14

Best quote; - Callisto; "The idea of your pity is worse than death, you created a monster with integrity Xena, take me to the mob"

Greek myths; 

Subtext; another one of those cosy fireside chats, Xena now puts Gabby on a par with her mother and Hercules in her affections. She says she would go crazy if anything happened to any of them (as we just saw with Atrius a couple of eps ago).   

Notches on the Chakram;  

Xena; 1 

Other; really this is the ep where Xena takes off and becomes a truly great series, it is often thought that a hero is only as good as the villains they face, Batman with his rogues gallery, Luke Skywalker with Darth Vader etc. Callisto brings things in the Xenaverse to a whole new level and the series never looks back. Note even at this early stage Joxer is prepared to die to save Gabrielle? You always wonder what Callisto would have been like if Xena had stayed evil? Would she have been the heroine of the story? What would time travelling Iolaus have done if tyrant Xena had been executing outspoken dissident Gabrielle and that realities' heroic rebel leader Callisto had stormed in to save her? Also check out Xena's reaction to the sight of the crucified villagers which will have greater significance later.    

Rating; 9/10

Edited June 14, 2018 by Joe Hellandback

[Joe Hellandback]

Death Mask

The Good; nice concept with the King also being the bandit, playing both sides of the coin. Plus a sibling reunion. 

 The Bad; how exactly did Cortese become king? 

Recurring Characters; nope, Torus is neither seen nor even mentioned again.  

Theodorus; 1

Joxer; 1

Salmoneus; 2

Callisto; 2  

Autolycus; 1

Charon; 1

Toxeus; 2

Ephiny; 1

Hades; 2

Ares; 2

Marcus; 2

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-2

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-2 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Maeleger; 1

Xena clichés; Village in peril, The Pinch, Xena in bondage. Amazingly we have a reversal of the 'Loyal lieutenant' cliché, here it's the lieutenant who is the good guy and the leader the villain.     

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 2

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-7

Xena in bondage-3

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-4

Gabby captured-9

Village in peril-7

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 7 

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 4

Hurt/comfort; 1

Kills;  amazingly none, Xena a lot less bloody in the earlier seasons. 

Xena; 14

Best quote; - Gabby (of Xena); "You're full of surprises". You have no idea!

Greek myths; 

Subtext; a little jealousy between Gabby and Torus.   

Notches on the Chakram;  

Xena; 1 

Other; so long Torus, we hardly knew you. My theory was always that Torus was Xena's half brother from Cyrene's previous marriage (or possibly a child 'born of sin' by her?). Then again maybe he was her father's child by another woman and Cyrene was his stepmother? Or Atrius was an adulterer? The return of Gabby's breast dagger which is put to good use.     

Rating; 7/10

[Joe Hellandback]

Is there a Doctor in the House?

The Good; Xena does MASH and makes a great job of it.

 The Bad; she doesn't exactly do much to prevent infection but I guess we can't have everything. Was it really necessary to kill Ephiny's husband in quite so gruesome a manner? 

Recurring Characters; here's Ephiny again

Theodorus; 1

Joxer; 1

Salmoneus; 2

Callisto; 2  

Autolycus; 1

Charon; 1

Toxeus; 2

Ephiny; 2

Hades; 2

Ares; 2

Marcus; 2

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-2

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-2 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Maeleger; 1

Xena clichés; The whole ep is a tribute to Dr Xena, we also have Gabby back from the dead for the first time and The Pinch twice plus plenty of hurt/comfort and the first of the Xena inventions, CPR.

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 2

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-8

Xena in bondage-3

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-4

Gabby captured-9

Village in peril-7

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 8 

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 4

Hurt/comfort; 2

Back from the dead; Gabby-1

Xena inventions; CPR

Kills; 0 

Xena; 14

Best quote; - Xena; "You've killed so many"

General; "So have you"

Greek myths;

So here we have Hippocrates, the founder of medicine and Galen one of the pioneers of anatomy (who must have reformed markedly if it's the same guy?). It's quite true that Athens was one of the most tolerant of all ancients societies but I'm not sure it was THAT tolerant of human/centaur relations.   

Subtext; a whole lot of Gabby/Xena mouth to mouth action going on.    

Notches on the Chakram; okay, I think what we're all wondering here is how exactly did Ephiny get pregnant by a centaur? All I can think is 'Ouch!'.  

Xena; 1 

Ephiny; 1

Other; a very nice 'bottle' episode, all at the one location and with one theme and very little subplot. Nice to see Ephiny again and I like the Amazon rite/sisterhood moments between her and Gabby. Xena plays desperate when trying to save Gabby very well.       

Rating; 7/10

[Bort]

20 minutes ago, Joe Hellandback said:

The Bad; she doesn't exactly do much to prevent infection but I guess we can't have everything.

Infection wasn’t a thing that was figured out until the 20th century, so I think the show did that right. 

[Joe Hellandback]

12 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Infection wasn’t a thing that was figured out until the 20th century, so I think the show did that right. 

Maybe it was another thing she would invent/discover?

Orphan of War

The Good; We delve further into Xena's past and discover her long lost son which was certainly a turn up for the books. I actually quite like the villain who's very human and has a sense of humour. Nice ref to Thesirtes from A Royal Couple of Thieves too.

 The Bad; all the stuff with the super centaur is pretty dumb. Couldn't Xena lower Solan the key and then raise him up rather than try to haul the entire cage? 

Recurring Characters; Solan for the first time

Solon; 1

Theodorus; 1

Joxer; 1

Salmoneus; 2

Callisto; 2  

Autolycus; 1

Charon; 1

Toxeus; 2

Ephiny; 2

Hades; 2

Ares; 2

Marcus; 2

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-2

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-2 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Maeleger; 1

Xena clichés; The pinch times 2

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 2

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-8

Xena in bondage-3

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-4

Gabby captured-9

Village in peril-7

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 10 

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 4

Hurt/comfort; 2

Back from the dead; Gabby-1

Xena inventions; CPR

Kills; just 1

Xena; 15

Best quote; - Henchman "What if it doesn't work?"

Villain; "Well, you get my horse and you get my tent"

Greek myths; various explanations for the Centaurs in Greek mythology and all a lot different to what is portrayed here.    

Subtext; ?    

Notches on the Chakram;   

Xena; 1 

Ephiny; 1

Other; So Xena has a son? Didn't see that one coming. I think Gabby actually handles the news extremely well considering. Also the first mention of Borias who will play a much greater role later on. Really this ep doesn't need the villain subplot, it's all about Xena/Solan.        

Rating; 7/10

[Joe Hellandback]

Remember Nothing

The Good; Some great stuff, Xena wrestles with the consequences of her actions, really like her brother and suitor, their relationship with her and one another plus a great emotional performance from embittered slavegirl Gabby. Some great dramatic music too, very Platoon.    

 The Bad; But if Xena had never met Borias doesn't this mean that Solan never existed? No WAY is Gabby Cyrene's size. 

Recurring Characters; going to give this category up as it's just impossible to keep track, for the record we have recurring warlords Krykus and Muzentius who both perished in the real world. 

Solon; 1

Theodorus; 1

Joxer; 1

Salmoneus; 2

Callisto; 2  

Autolycus; 1

Charon; 1

Toxeus; 2

Ephiny; 2

Hades; 2

Ares; 2

Marcus; 2

Falafel; 2

Cyrene-1

Lila-2

Gabby's dad-1 

Perdicas-2 

Draco-1  

Sisyphis-1

Maeleger; 1

Xena clichés; 1 kill, Gabby and Xena captured, Lyceus seems to have eyes for Gabby but too early to put him down as a suitor, village in peril.  

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 2

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-8

Xena in bondage-4

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-4

Gabby captured-9

Village in peril-8

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 10 

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 4

Hurt/comfort; 2

Back from the dead; Gabby-1

Xena inventions; CPR

Kills; just 1

Xena; 16

Best quote; - Lyceus; "You're the only family I have"

Greek myths; yep, a remarkably accurate depiction of the Fates who even Xena worships. 

Subtext; ?    

Notches on the Chakram;   

Xena; 1 

Ephiny; 1

Other; A lot of fun here, many shows do an alternate reality ep but Xena's is pretty brave in that it shows some stuff would actually be better, Lyceus is still alive and by destroying this world Xena is actually killing him in order to spare Gabby her blood innocence. You'd also like to see a scene where Xena comes across a happy and carefree Callisto with her family? But what happened to Torus? Is he dead? Or is he Xena's half brother and unrelated to Lyceus?           

Rating; 7/10

[Joe Hellandback]

The Giant Killer

The Good; Once again Xena helps the Israelites, the 12 tribes really got around if they made it to ancient Greece? Or have Gabby and Xena taken a trip to the Middle East? The emotional stuff with Goliath and between the  Israelite brothers is better than the action.  

 The Bad;  Special effects really don't do this tale justice. 

Xena clichés; duel and 10 years ago.   

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 2

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-8

Xena in bondage-4

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-4

Gabby captured-9

Village in peril-8

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 10 

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 4

Hurt/comfort; 2

Back from the dead; Gabby-1

Xena inventions; CPR

Kills; 3

Xena; 19

Best quote; - 

Greek myths;

Or should we say biblical? A reasonably faithful retelling of David and Goliath although actually the Philistines are also the 'Children of Abraham', descended from Hagar and Ishmael.  

Subtext; very little, Gabby doesn't have much to do here, in fact she crushes on David until his fiancée turns up.    

Notches on the Chakram;   

Xena; 1 

Ephiny; 1

Other; a nice little tale of past friendships and the strain the world puts on them, nothing especially brilliant.            

Rating; 6/10

[Joe Hellandback]

Girls just Want to have Fun

The Good; an ep that is full of lots of Evil Dead imagery especially the graveyard scene and Joxer being chased through the forest. 

 The Bad; if you look at the burning torches in the party scenes you can just glimpse the gas cannisters they use to fuel them.  

Xena clichés;    

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 2

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 2

Dr Xena-8

Xena in bondage-4

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-4

Gabby captured-9

Village in peril-8

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 10 

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 4

Hurt/comfort; 2

Back from the dead; Gabby-1

Xena inventions; CPR

Kills; Bacchus? Or is he?

Xena; 19

Best quote; - Joxer "Music is for cissies!"

Greek myths;

A fairly faithful retelling of the Greek god Bacchus mixed with the vampire myth, Baachus more of a party god than anything else but does have wild female followers and does endorse blood drinking. By contrast Dryad's are shy tree dwelling nymphs with little resemblance to how they're portrayed here.    

Subtext; a whole lip-smacking, love bite licking Goth love letter from Gabby to Xena. Interestingly at this point Jabby doesn't seem to be a thing yet. 

Notches on the Chakram;   

Xena; 1 

Ephiny; 1

Other; Xena does Buffy (a common theme in slashfic I think you'll find) which had just started at this time, it was a great time for female heroes. Lots of evil dead stuff here and also many references to Ridley Scott's 80s fantasy Legend, right down to the final shot. First use of Xena's whip unless someone can correct me?            

Rating; 6/10

[Joe Hellandback]

The Return of Callisto

The Good;  rollickingly brilliant, all of it. I always wanted a scene in a TV show where the villain is dangling off something high and the hero comes and sits down beside them;

Villain; "You going to help me up?"

Hero; "No, I want to watch you DIE!"

and Xena delivers, in pretty shocking fashion, you'd never see Hercules do this. Also love the Chakram catching scene, a reverse of what we see in Cally's first ep. 

 The Bad;  ?

Xena clichés; The Pinch and the first of Xena' funeral dirge. Bye-bye Perdicas. Gabby prisoner and Xena in bondage. Dr Xena with Joxer at the end.    

Funeral dirge; 1    

Doubles; 1 

“I have many skills’; 2

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 3

Dr Xena-8

Xena in bondage-5

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-4

Gabby captured-10

Village in peril-8

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 10 

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 4

Hurt/comfort; 2

Back from the dead; Gabby-1

Xena inventions; CPR

Kills; remarkably just Callisto for Xena. Perdicas pretty tasty with the old sword.  

Xena; 20

Best quote; -Gabby "I've never been with a man before", note 'man', not 'anyone'? 

Greek myths;    

Subtext;  a whole lot of forlorn looks from Xena to Gabby, especially after the wedding. What's more we have the Xena/Callisto flirting too, Cally referring to Xena as 'pretty' and 'sweetie'. 

Notches on the Chakram; Gabby and Perdicas

Gabby; 1 

Xena; 1 

Ephiny; 1

Other; we hear what sounds like the music form Predator several times. Joxer actually saves the day and is best man at Gabby's wedding (just as he will later give Xena away). My personal ship was always Xexer and we see the first inkling of it here, with Gabby gone she pairs up with him, from loneliness? To keep her morally grounded? Michelle Calvert was Hudson's stunt double who died in mysterious circumstances during the series. From here, season 2 really never looks back.  

Rating; 8/10

[Joe Hellandback]

Warrior, Princess, Tramp

The Good;  a fun little interlude in the more serious business of season 2, nice to see Diana back (sadly for the last time) and here's Meg

 The Bad; little reckless of Xena to let the thugs sword get so close to her whilst pretending to be Meg? 

Xena clichés; another double, firebreathing, Gabby captured.       

Funeral dirge; 1    

Doubles; 2

“I have many skills’; 2

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 3

Dr Xena-8

Xena in bondage-5

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-4

Gabby captured-11

Village in peril-8

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 10 

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 5

Hurt/comfort; 2

Back from the dead; Gabby-1

Xena inventions; CPR

Kills;  

Xena; 20

Best quote; -Meg "A little more cleavage can't hurt", her entire personality summed up right there! Almost as good as 'My father died in childbirth'.  

Greek myths;    

Subtext;  Gabby jealous of Joxer and 'Xena', telling him that he's not Xena's type. A play made on the term thespian not for the last time.  

Notches on the Chakram; Joxer and Meg

Gabby; 1 

Xena; 1 

Ephiny; 1

Meg; 1

Joxer; 1

Other; another hint at Xexer as Joxer gets it on with a Xena lookalike. More lookalikes and disguises than a Shakespearean comedy and all good fun. Joxer refers to Xena being struck by Cupid's arrow, well not yet.   

Rating; 7/10. 

Edited June 29, 2018 by Joe Hellandback
title

[Joe Hellandback]

Intimate Stranger

The Good; brilliant performances all around from Hudson and LL who play one another wonderfully, especially LL, just a few little quirks in how she presents Xena, shifting her speech patterns etc but still so damn plausible with everything she tell Gabby. Emotive scene too with Callisto's mother. Joxer also gets a little chance to shine and we see some of Gabby's steel. 

 The Bad;  ?

Xena clichés; back from the dead, vet rather than Dr Xena, the Pinch       

Funeral dirge; 1    

Doubles; 2

“I have many skills’; 2

10 years ago; 1

Dead Gabby suitors; 3

Dr Xena-9

Xena in bondage-5

Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-4

Gabby captured-11

Village in peril-8

Duel to settle things-2

The Pinch; 11 

Xena animal skills; 2

Xena fire-breathing; 5

Hurt/comfort; 2

Back from the dead; Gabby-1, Callisto-1

Xena inventions; CPR

Kills;  none really, not that this ever kept Cally down. 

Xena; 20

Best quote;

Cally/Xena; "Do you understand?"

Terrified/baffled henchman; "No, but it will be done!" (you see with an attitude like that this guy would go far in any army!)

Greek myths;    

Subtext; once again Cally is obsessed with 'pretty Xena' and comments that Gabby is now 'my little friend'.   

Notches on the Chakram; Callisto and Ares get it on using Xena's body. 

Gabby; 1 

Xena; 1 

Ephiny; 1

Meg; 1

Joxer; 1

Callisto; 1

Ares; 1

Other; Interesting that Ares has now impersonated both of Xena's parents? Also an interesting scene where Xena/Callisto says her hearing is not as good when in Callisto's body? Once again pointing to Xena as a demi-goddess and Ares as her father. Poor Theodrous, never had a chance did he? Joxer and Argo seem to get on quite well. I remember what a shock it was that Xena didn't get her body back at the end, of course it was planned she would but LL broke her pelvis falling of her horse.    

Rating; 8/10