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X is for Xena
Apr. 27th, 2018 07:51 amI became a Xena fan quite late.
I saw an episode here and there, but the ones which really hooked me were The Gift, The Bitter Suite, and Adventures in the Sin Trade, stories which transcended and moved beyond the action drama, incorporating elements of other things. The stories where Xena herself became so much more than simply an action hero.
Not that she wasn’t an awesome action hero or I didn’t enjoy the action. It was wonderful watching a tough female character kicking butt, but this wasn’t what got me into Xena.
She wasn’t alone. She was exceptional, yes, but she was at her best interacting with or pitted against other strong female characters. I’m not just talking about Xena and Gabrielle, although that relationship was a driving force at the heart of most of my favorite stories and plot arcs. Xena was also wonderful with Lao Ma, Cyane, and Alti. Nor were these women always depicted in skimpy leather armour (although there was a lot of that). One of the most beautiful, sensual moments on the show was when Xena and Lao Ma floated in the air in long, silken gowns, defying gravity with a grace worthy of an action scene in Quentin Tarantino’s Hero. This was no action scene, though. It struck me as being a love scene between two women, a beautiful, fantastic love scene the likes of which I’d never seen before.
I hadn’t watched a lot of love scenes between women on science fiction, fantasy, or action TV series. I’d gotten very excited over the budding relationship between Talia and Ivanova which was revolutionary at the time. Alas we saw little of the two of them together as a couple, although it was openly acknowledged that they were.
Xena and Gabrielle were in a way the exact opposite of Ivanova and Talia. They were never acknowledged as being a couple, yet there were many displayings of them acting like one. It wasn’t just the epic displays of self sacrifice or the tender moments of passion. It was there in the comedic moments when the two of them fought over all of the little things which drove each other crazy, or tackled the daily problems which faced them together. Their journey allowed them to grow together, get to know each other, and learn as a team. They explored new philosophies, sometimes going their separate ways in the process. Gabrielle became a pacifist for a while or Xena went off to deal with unfinished business from her past. The two women returned to each other for the bulk of the journey, finding each other again and again. Often their changes were beautifully expressed in costume. Xena was a gorgeous show, exploring a variety of outfits for our lead characters besides their usual. Special arcs were often punctuated by a costume change.
Don’t get me wrong. They were plenty of female warriors in skimpy leather. Often our two leads were among them. They got to go beyond that, though, exploring imagery which reflected their character changes which I found fascinating.
The characters were constantly facing change and development, even when they resisted it. Xena was a warrior, a former villainous warlord turned wandering hero. That original premise in itself was fascinating. She was much more than that. She wasn’t just a strategist, but a singer, a mother, and a lover. At times she was unrelentingly sultry. At other times, she was crude enough to party with a group of Tolkien’s orcs. Xena had many facets, which the show explored in great detail.
Often Gabrielle was at her side. Some of the most romantic stories were ones where she’d thought she’d lost Gaby and was trying to get her back, or reconcile with her loss. Others concerned another woman entirely, such as Lao Ma.
When Xena wasn’t revealing a new facet to her personality, she was discovering one. Nor was she alone in this journey of discovery.
Traveling at Xena’s side, Gabrielle went from a sidekick and would be bard to an Amazon princess, and the mother of a malevolent demigod. These experiences transformed her, making her embrace total pacifism for a while. Xena being in danger summoned up her warrior’s spirit, leading to follow a similar path to Xena herself.
Gabrielle went through as many spectacular changes as Xena herself did.
This show ended up turning into an epic woman’s journey unlike anything else. I’ve never seen anything quite like it on television.
This is why to this day it occupies a special place in my heart. Thank you, everyone, who brought this epic to life.
I saw an episode here and there, but the ones which really hooked me were The Gift, The Bitter Suite, and Adventures in the Sin Trade, stories which transcended and moved beyond the action drama, incorporating elements of other things. The stories where Xena herself became so much more than simply an action hero.
Not that she wasn’t an awesome action hero or I didn’t enjoy the action. It was wonderful watching a tough female character kicking butt, but this wasn’t what got me into Xena.
She wasn’t alone. She was exceptional, yes, but she was at her best interacting with or pitted against other strong female characters. I’m not just talking about Xena and Gabrielle, although that relationship was a driving force at the heart of most of my favorite stories and plot arcs. Xena was also wonderful with Lao Ma, Cyane, and Alti. Nor were these women always depicted in skimpy leather armour (although there was a lot of that). One of the most beautiful, sensual moments on the show was when Xena and Lao Ma floated in the air in long, silken gowns, defying gravity with a grace worthy of an action scene in Quentin Tarantino’s Hero. This was no action scene, though. It struck me as being a love scene between two women, a beautiful, fantastic love scene the likes of which I’d never seen before.
I hadn’t watched a lot of love scenes between women on science fiction, fantasy, or action TV series. I’d gotten very excited over the budding relationship between Talia and Ivanova which was revolutionary at the time. Alas we saw little of the two of them together as a couple, although it was openly acknowledged that they were.
Xena and Gabrielle were in a way the exact opposite of Ivanova and Talia. They were never acknowledged as being a couple, yet there were many displayings of them acting like one. It wasn’t just the epic displays of self sacrifice or the tender moments of passion. It was there in the comedic moments when the two of them fought over all of the little things which drove each other crazy, or tackled the daily problems which faced them together. Their journey allowed them to grow together, get to know each other, and learn as a team. They explored new philosophies, sometimes going their separate ways in the process. Gabrielle became a pacifist for a while or Xena went off to deal with unfinished business from her past. The two women returned to each other for the bulk of the journey, finding each other again and again. Often their changes were beautifully expressed in costume. Xena was a gorgeous show, exploring a variety of outfits for our lead characters besides their usual. Special arcs were often punctuated by a costume change.
Don’t get me wrong. They were plenty of female warriors in skimpy leather. Often our two leads were among them. They got to go beyond that, though, exploring imagery which reflected their character changes which I found fascinating.
The characters were constantly facing change and development, even when they resisted it. Xena was a warrior, a former villainous warlord turned wandering hero. That original premise in itself was fascinating. She was much more than that. She wasn’t just a strategist, but a singer, a mother, and a lover. At times she was unrelentingly sultry. At other times, she was crude enough to party with a group of Tolkien’s orcs. Xena had many facets, which the show explored in great detail.
Often Gabrielle was at her side. Some of the most romantic stories were ones where she’d thought she’d lost Gaby and was trying to get her back, or reconcile with her loss. Others concerned another woman entirely, such as Lao Ma.
When Xena wasn’t revealing a new facet to her personality, she was discovering one. Nor was she alone in this journey of discovery.
Traveling at Xena’s side, Gabrielle went from a sidekick and would be bard to an Amazon princess, and the mother of a malevolent demigod. These experiences transformed her, making her embrace total pacifism for a while. Xena being in danger summoned up her warrior’s spirit, leading to follow a similar path to Xena herself.
Gabrielle went through as many spectacular changes as Xena herself did.
This show ended up turning into an epic woman’s journey unlike anything else. I’ve never seen anything quite like it on television.
This is why to this day it occupies a special place in my heart. Thank you, everyone, who brought this epic to life.
