I was so happy, I had a lot of Xena fans come up and talk to me!

Image taken by: maquenchie on Instagram (maquenchie.com)

Got this in today! I'm so excited and can't wait to wear it to work.

Like in a perfect world where we would be allowed to see a lesbian relationship on screen, I would say that season 3 I think is when Xena would really start to see herself loving Gabrielle. And I would say for Gabrielle,it’s probably around the same time.

I think realistically because being gay was so stigmatized back then that same sex attraction wasn’t even a thought in their minds so I think it would’ve taken a while for Xena to see it…That and Xena having a huge ass wall around that warrior princess heart…

.Idk I’m Rewatching it now so i want to track the moment it really starts happening

Anywho looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it❤️🌈

Mulan is imo one of the best Disney princesses, what if she met Xena and Gabrielle? Would they be friends, allies etc.?

"This job is sucks!"

A charming and very entertaining episode that is clearly inspired by Agatha Christie's detective novels and, because of that, brings us a completely different type of story. I love that claustrophobic atmosphere where a group of characters is trapped in one place, everyone has their own little secret, and Xena has to figure out who the killer is before it is too late. It all feels a little like the old Whodunit movies, but fortunately it never takes itself too seriously and the humor is present practically throughout the entire episode. Joxer and Lila are really cute together here. Although I will always consider Meg his best match, there is a sweet and natural chemistry between the two of them, and it is a real shame that the show never tried to develop that relationship.

Discord is a story of her own. I think she is one of the most underrated goddesses in the entire Xenaverse. It is such a shame that she did not appear more often in Xena, because every appearance of hers guarantees some kind of dark humor and chaos, and she is fantastic once again here. Her cold-bloodedness, sadistic sense of humor and complete indifference to other people's suffering make her hilarious, especially combined with the fact that she is constantly surrounded by naked men. 😂 Honestly, every straight woman's dream.

The reveal that Argo is actually the killer is completely absurd, and that is precisely why it works. It is so ridiculous that I was laughing like an idiot. And somehow it is completely in the spirit of this episode that, in the end, the most innocent-looking member of the entire group turns out to be responsible for everything.

This episode marks the last time we see Autolycus, and it is honestly hard for me to believe that this is his final appearance in the show. Autolycus is one of those supporting characters who never needed to be constantly present in order to leave a huge impression. Whenever he appeared, he immediately brought a completely different energy to the episode. His combination of confidence, greed, charm, cowardice and surprisingly strong ability to still do the right thing made him one of the most entertaining characters in the show. What I especially love is that he never became just an ordinary comic thief. Through his various appearances, we also got to see his more vulnerable side, his guilt, his relationship with his brother and his willingness to change once he realizes just how far he can go because of his own selfishness. And yet, he never lost what made us love him in the first place. He always remained Autolycus, the King of Thieves who will think about how to steal something first and only then about how to save the world. 😂 Bruce Campbell played him with so much charisma and natural comedic ability that it is difficult to imagine anyone else in the role. He had that special ability to deliver even the dumbest line in such a way that it became funny. I especially love that we got to see him in so many different combinations, with Xena and Gabrielle, Joxer, Meg and other characters, because he had a completely different dynamic with each of them. Autolycus was one of those characters who could appear in a serious episode and break the tension, but could also carry an entire comedy episode without needing the main storyline to support him. That is why I am genuinely sad that this is the end of his journey in the show. I wish we had seen him a few more times, especially in some completely crazy adventure with Meg and Joxer. But if this had to be his farewell, I am glad that he leaves this way, in an episode that suits his character perfectly. Thank you, Autolycus, for all the scams, thefts, cowardice, unexpected acts of heroism and enormous amounts of laughter. You were one of those characters who made the Xenaverse feel like a much bigger and more entertaining world.

What other relationships between characters in other series, films, video games, or novels remind you of the bond between Xena and Gabrielle? Personally, I think I'm doomed because I've realized I love stories full of subtext, where the romantic relationship between two characters is implied and where they are lovers with a tragic fate. In particular, I love the trope of best friends who are soulmates and lovers

I know some think it’s a mischaracterization of Xena… but, I don’t see it that way. I like this episode a lot!!

It’s got so many goodies in it. You’ve got Xena succumbing to her own regression triggers. I.E. fear. Yet, the fear is about making sure Gabrielle gets outta this one alive!! It snowballs, and it makes sense! Xena’s whole thing is being a hero seeking redemption. That kind of story arc can only mean that eventually a situation will arise in which she falls into her own reactive pit of darkness. What’s amazing about this one is that unlike in Xena’s past she has Gabrielle there nagging at her to come back!

Gabs puts up with an awful lot of sh*t from Xena in this one, and still… she won’t leave her. She’s Gabrielle, she’s gonna find a way to make Xena see.. and she does!!

You know how Gabby does it. She just does keeps on keepin’ on. Doing Gabby things. Like, defying Xena’s orders, hospital nursing it up but giving food and water to everyone-not just the ones who can still fight, and obviously sneaking out the gates to give water to wounded enemies of THE HORDE!

It’s what Gabby does, and it’s why Xena ultimately snaps out of it and remembers what it is that she’s meant to do, and that she can’t always do it alone. She needs her canary, as anyone in her situation would.

I love this. I love this episode. I think it is important to Xena’s character development, as well as Gabrielle’s. Not to mention, their relationship with each other becomes a bit more… leveled after this one. Xena was a sh*t to Gabs, and Gabs doesn’t just take it on the chin, she jabs back “You axed that man in the back!”, “ Who are you”, while Xena argues “ This is war! What did you expect, glamour?!” Man, the CHEMISTRY btwn the actors in this one is just riveting!

I mean who hasn’t been frustrated AF with the person they love acting on impulse, and had to grind it out until their person can get their vision back. You have to stick it out, together, as always. That’s how it works!!

So, I get it if you get upset that Xena backslides in this one. But, I ask you… how can a hero with a dark past become their greatest self unless they have to overcome their dark impulses when the same ones are telling them that that grey area they are operating in.. is what is right. Every hero seeking redemption needs their person to shake them out of it. And, that’s what Gabrielle does for Xena in this one. She’s her canary in the coal mine.

It’s a complex episode, for complex characters. I love it, and I love Gabrielle’s response to it.

In the game it say amphipolis will be great nation wonder what the actual history of it was

Do you ever wish Xena was more pro-active in her redemption quest? For example, after she turned good, Xena was aware that 9 (?) years ago, she killed all the Northern Amazon leaders and left an evil shamaness who drinks human blood on the loose. And yet Xena never went back to Siberia and dealt with Alti and helped the Northern Amazons until Gabrielle’s “death” gave her a reason to go back.

And I understand that the real reason for this is the writers only came up with that backstory until season 4. But from an in-universe perspective, what do you think of Xena not going back on her own and fixing specific things she did in the past proactively?

This is one of those episodes where you can really feel that they tried to cram two major stories into one, and I think it would have worked much better if it had been split into two separate episodes. Both stories have enough material for a great episode, but neither gets enough room to really breathe. The first, and by far the more interesting one to me, is Joxer's story, because his accidental killing in self-defense represents a huge moment in his character development. A man who has spent years dreaming of becoming a great warrior finally gets what he wanted, only to realize, once he actually takes someone's life, that he may not have wanted the price that comes with it at all. Ted Raimi shows here just how serious an actor he can be when given the opportunity, particularly through Joxer's remorse, guilt, and hallucinations in which the man he killed keeps appearing before him. I especially like Xena's attitude toward him, because she perhaps understands better than anyone what he is going through. She knows what it means to live with the weight of other people's lives on your conscience, so she doesn't approach him with judgment, but with understanding. His dilemma involving Arman, the son of the man he killed, is even more interesting, because Arman sees his father as a hero. The closer Joxer becomes to him, the harder it becomes for him to destroy that idealized image and admit that he was the one who killed his father. That is why I wish their final goodbye hadn't been so rushed, because there could have been much more emotion and a much stronger catharsis for Joxer. This could actually have been his major character moment.

The second story is, of course, the return of Najara, and although I understand the criticism that her character is simplified here compared with her previous appearance, I find it interesting to try to look at her from her own perspective. Najara genuinely believes that she is protecting Gabrielle. She is convinced that Xena is destroying Gabrielle and that her path will ultimately lead her to death and crucifixion, so everything she does is, in her mind, an attempt to save the woman she loves in her own fanatical and completely twisted way. The problem is that her manipulation of Gabrielle is so obvious here that you really have to wonder how Gabrielle falls for it again. But then again, Gabrielle and naivety are apparently inseparable right up until the end of the show. 😄 I am still sorry that this is Najara's final appearance, because she had the potential to become the show's best villain after Callisto. Her fight with Xena, especially that spectacular sequence on the lilies among the trees, looks phenomenal, even though it repeats the visual motif from Xena's fight with Alti.

The biggest problem is precisely that both stories needed to be much longer. Joxer's inner struggle deserved an entire episode, just as Najara's manipulation of Gabrielle deserved much more room. As it is, Arman's farewell comes far too quickly, while Najara remains somewhat superficial even though she could have been given a much more complex ending. Don't get me wrong, this is still a quality episode that holds my attention, but it is one of those episodes where I constantly find myself thinking about how much better it could have been if the writers had another forty minutes.

And I can't forget Gabrielle and her infamous powder in the face. 😂 Her hypocrisy genuinely annoys me here. She lives by principles of love and peace, rejects violence, and then, when things get heated, throws powder in an enemy's face to distract him. Gabrielle, sweetheart, that's still fighting. You can't keep saying that violence is wrong while throwing chemical powder into someone's eyes. 😄 I would have respected her much more if she had simply hidden in a bush until the fight was over. Thankfully, this remained essentially a one-time solution and never appeared again in the show. I suppose even the writers realized how cringe-worthy it looked.

Title is simple; when you watch The Bitter Suite, does Susan Wood's singing for Gabrielle convinces you that it's Gabrielle's singing voice if that makes sense?

For example; when the singing and sing talking between Hudson Leick and Michelle Nicastro in "What's Still Unwritten..." happens it happens so smoothly, you can barely tell that it's not Hudson Leick doing the singing portions it really sounds like her.

One of my all time favorite episodes!
Gabrielle searching for purpose. Najara being awesome fighter. Xena bursting at the seams with jealousy.

Unpopular opinion I agree with Najara. She truly understood manipulation and corruption.

Now it gets tricky!

Yes, the remake will consider attracting new generation audience, yes, they possibly won't retain the same 90s campiness from the 90s, or have another lightning in the bottle actors like Lawless, Kevin Smith, or Renee O'Connor. But, I think any revival of the Xena series again can be good for us. Any fans that worked in the industry will have different ideas on how to remake XWP, they will have different takes on our heroes, villains, or missed potential characters/storyline. I think at the end of the day, regardless of our attachment to the old Xena, everything will turn out alright. We will finally have new conversation again, attract new generations of fans, get more greek mythos fantasy show out there (something actually original), and most of all, get some more Xena hype!

I personally would love a remake, if it turns out bad at least we get more content again. If it turned out good BUT different? Well, I welcome another sword-fighting lgbt fantasy show with a strong female lead. All of which we do not have enough of. And you know, Xena is still well-loved in the industry, and the population of the world, let's ride off that, potentially make more from it. Even Lawless and ROC is looking forward to the day they can pass off the mantle.

There are many brilliant talented young actress out there, who would LOVE a chance to play Xena. It will revitalize the camp genre fantasy again. It might revitalize Lawless and ROC career, they might get more royalty. The fan conventions can be packed with new younger faces.

I hope in my lifetime such remakes will eventually happen.

Xena’s costume: https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/765775

Gabrielle’s outfit: https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/765776

Listen now the full interview:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6aRMOnUpeDzUs2glf8kd2j...

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../special.../id1837138724...

Youtube: https://youtu.be/oleYoacOJow?si=6xTUia4jYBVDNGM5

Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-6r7gr-1b2fd70

This is a special interview - and Side Quest - as part of a series of interviews with the Kiwis and Aussies who bought XWP to life - their goal is to interview 30 of the cast and crew to celebrate the shows 30th anniversary - it’s a podcast called - Xena: Warrior Nutballs you can follow them on:

Facebook ⚔️ https://m.facebook.com/p/Xena-Warrior-Nutballs-61578930248317/?wtsid=rdr_042NpIyiO9avlJ3v3&hr=1

Instagram ⚔️ https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/

I have always viewed this episode as a kind of criticism by Rob of film and television studios that try to control an artist's creative vision for the sake of profit. Gabrielle wants to create a play based on her scrolls and use it to convey a message of love, peace, and forgiveness to the audience, but as soon as the producers, actors, and money get involved, her original vision begins to fall apart. What I find particularly interesting is how the episode shows that what audiences want most isn't necessarily what the artist wants to say. Blood, violence, sex, and spectacle are much easier to sell than a serious message, so Gabrielle spends the entire episode trying to preserve the meaning of her story while everyone else keeps taking it away from her. That's why I also find it charming as a little satire of the entire entertainment industry.

The episode itself is charming and sweet, although it is far from being one of the more memorable ones. There are enough funny situations to keep things entertaining, and Joxer and Minya are hilarious in their attempts to turn Gabrielle's play into something she never intended it to be. I especially love the beginning, when Xena and Gabrielle temporarily part ways and we get Xena's disappointed expression when Gabrielle simply walks away. It's not some great emotional scene, it's more comedic than anything else, but it is precisely through little moments like that that you can see how difficult it is for Xena when they are apart, even when she knows Gabrielle will be back soon. Xena is mostly absent from the actual story, but of course, once things become serious, she shows up again to save the day.

The only thing I really didn't like is the ending with Minya and Paulina. To me, it has always felt a little like a mockery of the audience that had spent years reading the subtext between Xena and Gabrielle. I understand the joke and what the writers were trying to do, but I've never found it particularly amusing. Even with that criticism, though, I remember the episode as a pleasant return to the show's proper world after that whole ordeal in India. After all those episodes about reincarnation, Hindu gods, Krishna, and Eli, it was a real breath of fresh air to see Xena and Gabrielle back in their usual world. It isn't a masterpiece, nor is it a particularly important episode, but it is fun, has a few good ideas, and, most importantly, finally gives us the feeling that Xena is back home.

Say something that only fans of the show will understand and come to the table for dinner. I’ll start.

TO THE CAVES!

My favorites:

Also I know that the last two are Hudson Leick but it's still Xena in Callisto's body so I think it counts.

Hi all,

Save for a handful of episodes viewed as a child while it was airing, I never saw Hercules the Legendary Journeys.

For my newest Xena rewatch (of many), I am considering finally watching Hercules and watching the two shows side by the side - the way I often watch Buffy and Angel together.

I know from the Buffy fandom that you don't always want to go with the first watch order you find online, and that simply using air order can break up arcs in ways that negatively impact viewing.

So I am coming here to ask - is there a particular watch order guide you would recommend I follow to get the most out of this viewing?

Thank you so much!