Category: TV Reviews

In Sickness and In Hell – Director: Josh Becker/Writers: Adam Armus, Nora Kay Foster

This one starts with Gabi waking up with fungus growing on her feet and Xena with her hair full of lice (although she refuses to admit it). They’re looking for Argo (in the valley where Xena first found her), since Xena left her here before heading to see the Northern Amazons. They see Argo, but she takes off and Xena figures she’s mad about being left behind. They run into Joxer, who’s promised to defend a village from raiders and naturally needs their help. Continue reading “Xena Reviews: Season 4, Episode 4”

A Family Affair – Director: Doug Lefler/Story: Liz Friedman, Chris Manhein/Teleplay: Chris Manheim

This one starts with a shepherd looking for his lost dog in the woods. He finds it, but he and the dog are both killed by … something. In Dahok’s Temple, Joxer is leaving flowers by the lava pit where Gabi died, but he gets a shock when Xena climbs out of the pit and tells him Gabi is still alive. Xena decides to check in Poteidaia to see if Gabi’s family has heard from her. When they get there, Joxer gets distracted by a puppet show, while Xena runs into Gabi in the marketplace. Continue reading “Xena Reviews: Season 4, Episode 3”

Adventures in the Sin Trade II – Director: T.J. Scott/Story: Rob Tapert, R.J. Stewart/Teleplay: R.J. Stewart

This one starts with Xena and Otere in an Amazon sweat lodge. Xena tells Otere how she first met Cyane and the Northern Amazons and we get the first of a series of flashbacks. Xena spies on Cyane while she’s in a sweat lodge (and seems rather attracted to her), but falls through the roof. Cyane is naked, but pulls all Xena’s clothes off at lightning speed and starts pounding her. Xena grabs a robe and takes off, but Cyane does some tree-running and catches up to Xena, preparing to kill her. Continue reading “Xena Reviews: Season 4, Episode 2”

Adventures in the Sin Trade – Director: T.J. Scott/Story: Rob Tapert, R.J. Stewart/Teleplay: R.J. Stewart

This one starts with a half-crazed Xena finding Hades to ask if she can see Gabrielle. Hades doesn’t know where she is and Xena figures Gabrielle must’ve gone to the Amazons’ afterlife after dying in last season’s finale. Hades doesn’t know where that is, but Xena does. She leaves Argo behind and heads out to find Gabi. Continue reading “Xena Reviews: Season 4, Episode 1”

Welcome to my geography and timeline review for Season 3, fellow Xena fans. As I explained last year and the year before, this is my attempt to bring some continuity to the Season 3 episodes, trying to figure out where they took place (and in what possible order) to make the whole thing flow better. Continue reading “Xena Season 3 Geography and Chronology”

Welcome to my overall review of Season 3 of Xena: Warrior Princess. (I won’t link to all the individual episodes that I reference, since you can access them from the tag cloud under Xena Season 3.) This season’s overarching theme would seem to be the Rift, the fans’ name for the anger and mistrust that pulls Xena and Gabrielle apart, causing them to lose trust in each other (and ultimately leading to the death of Xena’s son, Solan). I think the season can almost be split in two, with the first half dealing with the Rift, while the latter half shows how Xena and Gabi get past all that and find their love for each other again. Continue reading “Xena Season 3 Overview”

Sacrifice II – Director: Rick Jacobson/Writer: Paul Robert Coyle

This one continues right on from last episode, with Hope emerging from her cocoon looking like an exact duplicate of Gabi. Xena tries to kill her, but Hope uses her telekinesis to keep Xena away. Callisto jumps in and Xena buries her under some rock again. Continue reading “Xena Reviews: Season 3, Episode 22”

Sacrifice – Director: David Wharry-Smith/Writer: Steven L. Sears

This one starts with Callisto forcing herself out through a portal to another dimension (where she was trapped in a Hercules episode). Elsewhere, Xena and Gabi are looking for an old friend of Gabi’s from Poteidaia (Seraphin), who’s gotten involved with some kind of cult. Xena’s lip-reading talents tell them the cult is trying to bring back some goddess that they worship. When they realize Seraphin is meant to be a blood sacrifice for the cult, they jump in to help her, but she doesn’t seem all that eager to get away. Xena chases some fleeing cultists and is shocked to run into Callisto, who grabs one of the priests and vanishes. Continue reading “Xena Reviews: Season 3, Episode 21”

Vanishing Act – Director: Andrew Merrifield/Writer: Terence Winter

This one starts with Xena heading out to take care of something, leaving Gabi to participate in a festival dedicated to Pax, Goddess of Peace. Xena and Gabi’s friend Hadar makes a speech commemorating the end of hostilities between his town and a neighbouring one, but the next day, the golden statue of Pax is gone and the villagers start blaming each other. Xena returns and quickly uncovers a possible suspect … Autolycus, who’s disguised as an old woman. But Autolycus insists he didn’t steal the statue. Continue reading “Xena Reviews: Season 3, Episode 20”

Tsunami – Director: John Laing/Writer: Chris Manheim

This one starts with Gabi visiting a fortune-teller, who says she’s going to meet a tall, dark man and that there’ll be danger and death. Xena is skeptical and Gabi remarks that danger and death is pretty typical for them. They separate to get supplies and Gabi notices Autolycus being loaded onto a convict ship. She tries to talk to him and gets into a fight with the guards. The ship sets off and Gabi yells for help. Continue reading “Xena Reviews: Season 3, Episode 19”