"A Family Affair"

Here's the ending dialogue:

Gabrielle: "It's over-- or is it? Xena? Do you ever- o you get the feeling that sometimes-- nothing is really over? You know, it just-- keeps coming back around, but it's-- it's wearing a different face. It's-- it's the same underneath. Do you know what I mean?"

Xena: "Sure. I was trapped in a cycle of violence and hatred. And no matter how I tried to break free, something always pulled me
back-- until you."

Gabrielle: "Xena-- "

Xena: "No, it's true. You talk about trying to find your way, but to me, you are my way."

Gabrielle: "How can I be your way, when I-- I'm lost, myself?"

Xena: "I'm searching for answers, too. But how we look for them doesn't matter-- as long as we look for them together-- you and me."

This may be the deepest conversation on the show in a long time! Not that it's deep but still. i think Xena doesn't get the point. Gabrielle's search is going beyond her and leaving her behind. In retrospect this is probably the beginning of the spiritual quest in season 4. Gabrielle feels lost- is lost- and her solution is even more opposite of Xena's redemption path.

The ironic part is that Gabrielle feels this way after sacrificing herself & her evil daughter, saving Xena in the process, being rescued-somehow- from a lava pit to once again face off against Hope and her own offspring. But- in season 5- after slaughtering some Roman soldiers, being crucified on a cross, being in a battle between heaven & hell & angles & demons, then resurrected by Eli, Gabrielle doesn't feel lost!?!? She just goes off on a brain dead zombie way. Of course it's poor writing and favoritism towards the Crapert's wife but still it's painful to watch a great character get sidelined & belittled.

But at least we get one more season before things turn sour.

quote:

Originally posted by xenacrazed:
Diversity scores (betcha thought i'd forgot, eh)

Season 1:

Highest score ep: "The Titans" 7.5

Lowest score ep: "Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards" with 4, not much of a surprise here

Average score per ep: 6.3

Season total rating: 138.5

Season 2:

Highest score ep: 2 eps tied with a score of 8-
"The Xena Scrolls" and "Ulysses"

Lowest score ep: "Blind Faith" at 4.5

Average score per ep: 6.1

Season total rating: 133.5

The diversity score was the hardest to come up with but i think they came out okay. These 2 seasons had the closest scores in this category.

But overall season 1 ranked better than season 2 which surprised me. But i think the main reason is the comedies which added little to nothing to the scores- except maybe "The Xena Scrolls". XWP should have had more dramas IMO. i think so many comedies made it a show that seemed "cheapened" by less dramatic writing. 2 comedies per season would have been more than enough. It's one thing for a show to take itself too seriously but XWP needed to take itself more seriously to be a contender for something more special to a critical audience (never mind the fans!). That said, the comedies of the first 4 seasons would have been more than welcome in the disastrous final 2 seasons, IMO.

Xena Season 3 Diversity scores

Highest score ep: "The Bitter Suite" 8.5

The highest ep score so far! yay!

Lowest score ep: "Warrior… Priestess… Tramp" 3

Also the lowest ep so far...ugh!

Average score per ep: 5.8

That's the lowest of the 3 seasons so...

Season total rating: 127

Off by 11 & 6 from seasons 1 & 2. Still diversity is a hard thing to rank. i'd say it's still pretty well a good score per season. So far.

"In Sickness and in Hell"

Xena and Gabrielle go in search of Argo.

Best: well, Gabrielle is very hot at the start and even when covered with scabs, she's still hot!

Worst: Too much toilet humor; Joxer's "i'm blind" thing was even more lame than usual for him

Redemption score: 0, nothing nada zip zilch

X&G yin/Yang score: 5.5, Xena was off throughout

Diversity score- 3.5, barely

Greater good comment- Xena helps Joxer (ie does his job for him) in saving village though Joxer does get warlord's army sick.

Rating: 5

"In Sickness and in Hell"

What a script- scabs, lice, swollen tongue, farts, vomiting, goat poo, sheep dung. Custom made for yer average 6 yr old! Even the 3 Stooges had more classy eps than this. Makes me wonder how the producers could approve such a script.

Even the story of finding Argo was weak as the toilet humor never let up.

more later (like my idea how to improve this ep)...

"In Sickness and in Hell"

Here's how i'd fix the ep:

It starts where A Family Affair left off. Gabrielle is explaining to her folks about Hope & Dahok & the sacrifice thing. Herodotus gives Xena disgusting looks for letting her get into this mess & begins to lecture her.

Xena goes outside where Lila gives her a message form Joxer who saw Argo on the outskirts of town being pursued by some cult looking group. When Xena mentions this to Gabrielle, Herodotus says the cult is one that worships a cyclops and has been stealing his farm animals & trying to drive his family off their land.

So while Gabrielle tries to daughter-up to Hecuba, Xena & Herodotus go to get Argo & challenge the cult. Xena captures a young girl from the cult who is in awe of Xena thereafter, much to the disgust of Herodotus, who starts envisioning the girl as a long lost daughter.

Meanwhile Gabrielle reads her mom a scroll & encourages her to do heroics around the homestead.

At a campfire, Xena explains to Herodotus that Gabrielle reminds her of herself and who she might have been had her village not been raided, etc. He lets up on his criticism of Xena also as she notes that the girl reminds him of the daughter who left him too soon.

Then Xena & co confront the cyclops which brings on the rest of the cult who have captured Argo & intend to give her to the cyclops to eat! Xena takes the cyclops prisoner & wants to trade him for Argo. Somehow Xena & the girl convince the giant to become a vegetarian. Then they trade the cult for Argo. Then Xena says the cult should start farming- helping out Herodotus- to get food for teh cyclops. And the girl agrees to stay on and manage the cult while also filling the missing daughter shoes for Herodotus.

So at the end, Xena & Gabrielle leave both accomplishing a lot and not having scabs, lice or farting for it!

well, someone would have to write it better than i explained it but i think it might work!

"In Sickness and in Hell"

Okee, on my fix the ep idea- i'd make the cult leader a real bad ass who Xena has to fight. Cuz there has to be some action.

And maybe Gabrielle & Hecuba get into a dangerous situation on the farm- maybe with a mean neighbor who takes advantage of Hecuba- and Gabrielle teaches her mom the Xena pinch.
Hecuba may be reluctant at first til she uses it and her neighbor swears to not bother her again.

And we see early on the cyclops terrorize a farm who won't co-operate with the cult which makes us think that Gabrielle's folks are next on the list.

I'll get back to postin' my thoughts on last two eps of Season 1 but just wanted to say...ew, I HATED "In Sickness and in Hell." I think xc's rewrite of it is pretty danged epic tho!

O'Connor can do evil really well, I agree. Altho I still agree that Hope was a waste of time, almost like Eve was. Oh well!

Comedy eps...bah! Not always necessary.

Most drama shows these days don't bother with comedy eps. Some of them work a little humor in their eps but not to the extent X-WP did.

Xena would have been a better thought of show if they had stuck with drama all season long & made more eps that continued on into the next instead of the too many self-contained eps.

oh well, too late now...

"A Good Day"

Xena pits the armies of Caesar & Pompey against each other with innocent villagers in the middle.

Best: Xena vs Caesar vs Pompey in the mine shaft; Gabrielle refuses to lead men to their deaths- at least for awhile; Caitlin McDougall (Nogalin) is a hottie with a nice bod!; Was that sarcasm on Gabrielle's part towards Xena at the end?; Xena's strategies except for * (see worst)

Worst: * Self-centered Xena once again uses emotional blackmail to get Gabrielle to do her dirty work in her needless hatred for Caesar;
Gabrielle leading the villagers army

Redemption score: 1, towards the end

X&G yin/Yang score: 8, though Gabrielle was off this time

Diversity score- 5

Greater good comment- Xena saved the villagers at the beginning and made the Romans take their war elsewhere but at a big cost

Rating: 7, less cuz of the Gabrielle factor thing

"A Good Day"

Starts out where Romans are gonna kill Phlanagus & his hot wife Nogalin in his village for his being a Greek in a Roman army & not following orders. Then Xena stops the Romans. Soon Xena tells the villagers they have to burn their village so that the Romans don't use it. Then she tells them they have to form an army & fight.

So- did Xena just happen onto this village in the nick of time? i doubt it. She probably knew Caesar & Pompey were fighting each other. And in Greece. So why not alert the Greek army and have them fight instead of a village of farmers & fishermen? And c'mon, Xena said the two warring factions would be entrenched for years.
i doubt that. Even if that were so, Xena could still get them fighting eaxch other quicker without destroying the village but with the Greek army.

more later...

"A Good Day"

Even though i didn't care for Xena's strategies in the post above, she had some good ones later on. But i think she should have had Gabrielle lead the villagers to safety elsewhere and use the Greek army to fight the Romans.

We see one of the Alti visions in this ep when the village burns. This should have scared her off of getting involved with the Romans as the one vision shows the Romans crucifying her & Gabrielle! Of course, Gabrielle's hair is short in the vision but that doesn't mean that it couldn't get cut while in captivity. i would think Xena wouldn't want to take that chance but still she gets Gabrielle into the thick of things.

more later...

"A Good Day"

The confrontation between Pompey & Caesar & Xena was great. The whole Roman part of the show was very good.

Didn't like Xena doing an emotional con on Gabrielle to lead the army when she wasn't there. i did like it when Gabrielle rebuked her at first. Xena just doesn't learn that her hatred for Caesar is hurtful bad for Gabrielle. Or maybe Xena just doesn't care enuff to change.

more later...

"A Good Day"

This is the ending chat between Xena & Gabrielle-

Gabrielle: "I could have saved him. How do I get over that?"

Xens: "I can't answer that question-- maybe `cause there's nothing I can say that can take away that feeling you have. You wanna know that what you did was for all the right reasons-- but with that pain in your gut and the weight on your shoulders, the best
you can come up with is that it was a good day of fighting. I've seen so many changes in you-- things I could never have expected-- but as hard as the changes have been, you've gotta
know that it's for a reason. All this is for a reason. Otherwise, what's the point? I was asking myself that same question when I first met you."

Gabrielle: "I should talk to Temecula. I should tell him that-- that what he did was for the greater good, and there is a reason for it. It was a good day of fighting."
..............................................

That's quite a cop-out from Xena. "A good day of fighting". If i were Gabrielle i would've said, "WTF? How aboot a bad day of dying?"

Xena mentions changes in Gabrielle. Yeah, gettin raped by Dahak, giving birth to a demon called Hope, killing some cult chick, being made judge & jury over some high Roman, leading a village of fishermen & farmers to war & death- yeah, not good changes and many of them a result of Xena's self-serving grudge against Caesar or others or herself.

To me, Gabrielle's response was meant as sarcasm. Was it really for the greater good or just the greater good according to Xena's viewpoint?

What's the point, Xena asked, what's the reason for it? Well once again it all comes down to being in the same circle Xena goes in. This is something the show explores more with Najara but once again cops-out when Najara turns out to be more self-righteous than Xena's self-serving ways. Then once over, it never really comes up again until only slightly during the India arc.

Xena may be on the path of redemption and atonement but she isn't taking into consideration those who look to her for leadership and as a role model (like Gabrielle). Her redemption can never be complete til she lets go of the Caesar obsession as well as being some kind of warrior boss. She can't let go of her past when faced with big conflicts like Romans or the Horde or some warlord with an army. Innocents getting hurt seems to not always be the priority if she has to show who's the warrior boss or that she was correct about a certain point that ought to be unimportant in the face of violence. TPTB never really confront this issue as they should and Xena the character just creeps along with little to no substantial growth. Too bad.

"A Tale of Two Muses"

Xena enlists Autolycus to help Tara in a town where dancing is banned.

Best: Desert scenes; Gabrielle in bare feet; Gabrielle invents tap dancing; Autolycus as Philipon the Reformer; nice tribute to "Flashdance"; the fight-dance parallels; Xena uses carrier pigeons

Worst: Xena was too much out of character especially at the end; the ending should have had some dialogue wrap-up, maybe a moral-to-the-story ending as it was not satisfying way to end the ep

Redemption score: 0, nothing here

X&G yin/Yang score: 6.5, as i said above, Xena too much out of character

Diversity score- 6.5

Greater good comment- Xena saved Philipon from attack and gets dancing ban lifted

Rating: 8 (a decent comedy/musical which would have been better with a strong ending & a Xena more in character- 8 is being nice)

"A Tale of Two Muses"

This was an okay comedy. It was not written by the usual pair of writers who write Xena comedies (namely Adam Armus and Nora Kay Foster). Howeever this ep was better in the 1st & 2n acts but the ending just didn't do it much justice.

Xena was too out of character. Especially during the end dance scene and also at times when she was promoting Philipon. She was too silly.

Bruce Campbell was good as Philipon. Shiri Appleby was better here as Tara than in her other ep.

more later...

"A Tale of Two Muses"

Gabrielle was what i liked best about this ep. Her in her bare feet. Her dancin when she couldn't resist. Just her!

How could the ending be better? Maybe if Calliope showed up and gave a lesson on music & dance & how it bests a culture and stuff. Some kind of speech with a good moral in it. Then she could jump onto Istafan about using her name to be against dancin. Actually Terpsichore is the muse of dance not Calliope who is the goddess of poetry. Can't TPTB get that right? i dunno maybe Madonna could have played either Calliope or Terpsichore.

"Locked Up and Tied Down"

Xena is tried & convicted of murder and sent for life to Shark Island.

Best: Xena & the rats; Xena gives in to being a prisoner for life; Gabrielle as a healer

Worst: Xena's line about not seeking redemption; Xena & Gabrielle shocked that Xena would actually be arrested; that Xena finally goes on trial for a past crime only to discover her victim not only still alive but the commandant of the prison!- how phony & what a cop-out!

Redemption score: 8.5, it could have been higher except for a couple stoopid remarks by the ladies

X&G yin/Yang score: 7.5, almost normal

Diversity score- 5.5

Greater good comment- Xena saved Gabrielle from hanging; Xena would have accepted that prison term

Rating: 7.5, lower because of the comments i mentioned above and the cop-out of the "murder"

"Locked Up and Tied Down"

quote:

Gabrielle: "What in Tartarus have you been carrying on these shoulders?"

Xena: "I wouldn't know. I try not to overanalyze my life, like some people."

How can she even ask? How can she not know?
Poor writing.

quote:

Judge: "Your defense of your friend is admirable-- as are her attempts at redemption. But-- all this-- cannot erase-- a crime like the one committed against that young girl. Xena-- do you accept the condemnation of this court-- for your guilt in this matter?"

Xena: "I do."

A-ha! Even the judge sees that all the good Xena has done in her redemption/atonement attempts still can't make up for one murder. And Xena agrees.

quote:

Gabrielle: "You could have said something in your defense."

Xena: "There's no defense for what I did, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle: "Xena, you could have argued thegreater good. Come on! Surely, what you can do outside prison will outweigh-- !"

Xena: "What? Outweigh what? The pain that that young girl felt as she was being eaten alive?"

Gabrielle: "Don't."

Xena: "Gabrielle, she was like you. She had your kind of spirit-- and I killed that. What can outweigh that?"

Gabrielle: "Xena, if you're looking for redemption, you're not gonna find it there."

Xena: "I'm not looking for redemption any more. Gabrielle, we're always talking about your spiritual quest. You say that you need something to make you feel complete. Well, so do I."

Gabrielle still doesn't get it. She doesn't see things from the victim's point of view or especially that of the victim's family & friends.

Xena makes good points for a change but even in prison she should & would still be seeking redemption.

quote:

Gabrielle: "So, how about it?"

Xena: "How about what?"

Gabrielle: "Forgiving yourself."

X: "Gabrielle, that's not for me. But I won't let that monster that I used to be-- the one that's sleeping so close to my heart-- destroy all the good I can do now."

Silly stoopid naive Gabrielle! She still don't get it! Duh!

Now that last line by Xena - "But I won't let that monster that I used to be-- the one that's sleeping so close to my heart" -now there's an option that was never explored again.
Too bad.

more later...

"Locked Up and Tied Down"

The first time we see Xena on trial is in the Reckoning. There she's accused of a crime she didn't commit. Here she's on trial for a crime that she sorta committed- that everyone around her thinks she committed including herself. What a cop out that her victim is not only alive but the warden of the prison Xena is heading to!

Of course, had Thalassa been dead, Xena would have had to rot in prison & that'd be the setting of the show forevermore. That wouldbn't have worked. Now the judge could have sentenced Xena to community service as she'd been doing and make Gabrielle send him reports or maybe a 3rd party send reports, making sure Xena didn't harm any innocents while saving others & fighting bad people. A 3rd party whose objective unlike Gabrielle.

Liking the redemption issue as i do, i was torn on this ep cuz it didn't go deep enuff into the issue. We don't get much redemption story line hereon-in and i kinda feel cheated.

This ep also didn't mention if Xena should be jailed for maiming & disfiguring Thalassa. She should have spent some time in jail for that but i guess it wasn't that big of a deal back in those days.

more later...

"Locked Up and Tied Down"

Gabrielle was pretty stoopid to try and rescue Xena in the rat pit. If Thalassa had really been dead, Xena would be stuck there forever & Gabrielle would have been hung or imprisoned there for trying to help Xena escape.

There must have been more time spent bewteen Gabrielle & Thalassa as Thalassa talked of how she knew Gabrielle better. But i guess TPTB didn't care to show us more.

Gabrielle was awfully cute as a healer tho!

The Xena-rat scenes are classic.

"Crusader"

Xena & Gabrielle fight, then join, then again fight Najara.

Best: Xena finally admits she hurts Gabrielle; the promise of a hospise; the focus on Gabrielle; a mean Xena at the end is a hoot; the look Gabrielle gives Xena when Najara quotes that Xena admitted to hurting Gabrielle; the Jinn- real or fake, they still have a presence

Worst: Najara turns out to kill people who either won't reform or who she thinks isn't sincere- this was a disappointment or one that should have been held back til later eps.

Redemption score: 5, in mentioning Xena fighting her dark side

X&G yin/Yang score: 9, a high point!

Diversity score- 6.5

Greater good comment- Xena & Najara save villagers; Xena willing to leave Gabrielle behind rather than let her face the vision fate

Rating: 10

"Crusader"

The ep starts out with Dach- Najara's main man- telling her that their people are under attack. It's Xena & Gabrielle, who Najara's people mistake for working with Marat the slave trader.

Najara fights both the ladies and almost kills Gabrielle (though Xena had chakram ready to stop her) when the Jinn stop Najara. The Jinn are the voices in her head (i have different voices in my head- the Gin!).

Then after Najara apologizes, the Jinn ask her to ask the ladies if they want to join her & stop Marat. They say yep.

So wouldn't the Jinn know the Xena won't trust Najara and will be her undoing? i think Najara really believes the Jinn exist whether they do or not. It would have been nice if this story was part of a 3-4 ep arc and the Jinn talked to someone else, either Xena or Gabrielle. But again, i guess they're to be considered a matter of faith.

Xena asks what Marat is doing in Phoenicia. Phoenicia is part of the coastline of what is now Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria. X&G have traveled a long way from Greece and with Argo no less!

more later...

"Crusader"

Gabrielle is really taken in by Najara: the stopping and smelling the flowers; the looking at swans; the talk of starting a hospice; the singing round the campfire (need better songs tho); and the initiating into the light to fight darkness. OOOOOoooOOOO prime Gabrielle stuffage!

Xena doesn't trust Najara- naturally- especially when she sees the influence Najara has on Gabrielle. But Najara lets Xena lead her army against Marat's men. Xena sees the reactions of saved villagers towards Najara and that Najara wants to convert the slave traders towards the light. Xena begins to have a change of heart.

more later...

"Crusader"

Xena sees the Alti vision of her & Gabrielle being crucified. The Jinn tell Najara about it. So the Jinn must be real. Najara confronts Xena. Najara says that fate can be avoided.

Najara: "I believe our destiny is in our hearts. But it will take drastic measures-- to change an event-- you've foreseen in your soul's eye."

Funny that Xena doesn't try to change the vision much as the season advances or as Gabrielle finds out her fate in the vision.
Xena seems almost driven to have that fate occur!

The more Xena sees Gabrielle happy around Najara she then decides to leave her with Najara, making her "i hurt her" statement.

But when Xena goes after Marat she finds out that Najara kills her prisoners if they won't change to the light or if she believes their conversion isn't true.

This is my big but only problem with this ep. They should not have had this happen about the prisoners. Let Gabrielle hang with Najara. Let Xena go her own way. Let it run it's course over 4 or 5 eps. Let Gabrielle have her hospice to not just start and leave, but to come back to now and then. Even if they make Najara a villain or one with less morals, still have Gabrielle accomplish this dream of hers.

Unfortunately they don't do that. They take the easy, simple, self-contained ep way out. Too much trouble for Rob & his minions to branch out a little.

oh well.

more later...

"Crusader"

So Xena returns after finding out from Marat what Najara does to slave traders yada yada as i mentioned in the post above.

Najara mentions in front of Grbrielle that Xena says she hurts her. The look Gabrielle gives Xena is a priceless wince that- to me- doesn't say you're wrong as well as doesn't say you're right. It seems to say, ah, "don't bring that subject up cuz it's a sticky one".

Then Najara proceeds to kick Xena's butt. Xena says to a kid in the place (whatever kind of place it is- a soda fountain of some kind)- "Well, it serves me right for trusting someone who talks about being _good_ all the time. You know what? She's a tough girl-- but she's got a weakness. It's the same one I've got." Yeah, Gabrielle.

But earlier, Najara was gonna kill Xena after the fight. but then!:


Najara: "In the name of the light! I smite the darkness!"

Gabrielle: "What?! No-o-o-o-o! You'll have to kill us both."

Najara: "You don't understand, Gabrielle-- that darkness inside her will destroy you one day."

Gabrielle: "Put the sword down. Najara-- you and I-- we'll walk out of here together."

Najara: "You're just saying that to protect her."

Gabrielle: "Xena's dark side frightens me. I need to move on, but I could never live with someone who killed her. There would be no going back from that."

So is that last bit about Xena's dark side true? Or is she just saying that to ward off Najara? They don't explore that topic now or ever, sadly.

Much as i hate wrapping the story up in a single ep, the rest of the ep was awesome for Xena. She was pissed & her dark side came out a wee bit. The trick they played on Najara was great. Leaving Gabrielle on the slab was funny. Najara's final words with X&G were great.

Too bad it was all wrapped up here. Next time we see Najara she is pitiful and all the bite & influence she had is gone. Why even bother?

This ep was a brief glimpse of what could have been a great arc had Crapert & his crew not copped out & took the easy self-contained ep way out. Laziness once again prevailed.