Many thanks to Jeffrey Jay for the transcript

Cult Times

January 2002

 

"Sky 1 broadcast the final episode of Xena : Warrior Princess this month, bringing to an end an epic and unusual journey in more ways than one. For the series' lead character, the two part A friend in Need concerned the much-sought after redemption of a woman who was once a merciless killer, and finally gave her life to save the souls of others. For the series, though, it was an quiet departure in the ignoble environment of a Sunday lunchtime time slot - a pretty damning judgement for what was once a very hot property. There was a time when Xena was considered the most promising inclusion in the schedules of the fledgling Channel 5, while Sky once considered it reliable enough to dominate the prime-time schedules of the (now defunct) Sky 2. Now it's only considered worthy of a place in the time-slot Channel 4 used to use for cheap re-runs of Lost in Space and The Time Tunnel, and where ITV2 churns out The Incredible Hulk, the risible Sheena and Young Hercules.

How could this happen? For my money, it's all a question of how Xena was perceived at the height of its success, helped by the efforts of publicists working for Sky and Channel 5 and, to some extent the direction of the show at the time. The series seemed to be pitched firmly as a piece of harmless, trashy, fun: an hours worth of undemanding pap for the lads, and ladettes to watch before they went out on a Saturday night. It had well choreographed but ludicrous fight sequences, and a tongue-in-cheek tendency towards cheesy dialogue and over-acting. Most importantly, though, it had an admirably relaxed and uninhibited obsession with bare flesh, fetishist costumes and bondage. Better still, in the subtext-ridden relationship between its two leading character, it had the ever-present suggestion of some hot girl-on-girl action.

What most of us didn't really understand at the time was that Xena had more high-minded ideas, and, in particular, that its relationship with feminism was more than just an acceptable way to draw leering males into a weekly drama about a buxom dominatrix and her cute blonde sidekick. Over the years, the series dealt with an increasingly serious set of ideas and storylines, alluding to the fall of old religions and the birth of Christianity as well as the human dramas of love, loss and motherhood. As far as girl-on-girl action was concerned, it eventually became clear that the series' attitude was frustratingly mature, and any suggestion of carnal interest would detract from the subtler attractions of the heroines' Sapphic bond of love and mutual reliance.

EXIT XENA In some ways it was clear that A Friend in Need had been designed to play on the series' strengths. The plot was suitably epic, pitching our heroine against a powerful Japanese demon who was keeping thousands of souls captive in his realm. I detect a hint of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in the superb fight sequences and the general flavour of eastern mysticism, which has to be a good thing. Meanwhile, Xena's relationship with Gabrielle faces two pretty serious challenges. First, there were the pangs of jealousy as Gabrielle learned of Xena's former, also female, student, who seemed to have been a lot less cautious in expressing her feelings for the warrior princess, and started to turn her away from the path of evil. Then, carrying out the mission to redeem an awful mistake that she made around that time, Xena rushed headlong into a battle that she couldn't possibly survive - and, sure enough, was pretty comprehensively killed.

This being Xena, of course, being stabbed about a dozen times and then having your head cut off wasn't necessarily the end. The main concern of the second episode was therefore whether Gabrielle could reach a magical fountain at the top of Mount Fujiyama before sunset, so as to turn her friend's ashes back into flesh and blood. I can understand the feelings of fans who feel cheated by the outcome, which was that Gabrielle dutifully took the ashes to the said fountain, only to be told that, in order to keep the souls free after defeating the demon, Xena had to stay dead. Xena's earlier promise that she and her 'soul mate' would always be together consequently sounded a little hollow.

PREMATURE END It would be a little churlish to say that a more significant problem with the finale was Lucy Lawless's over-the-top performance - or that I would have been more convinced of Gabrielle's ability to succeed in Xena's role if Renée O'Connor looked more butch. The reason why I felt cheated by A Friend in Need was that it came out of nowhere. The problem could have been solved if Xena's final mission had been built up throughout the season, and the necessity for her to remain as a spirit had been properly explained earlier. As it was, the fact that the death of our heroine seemed to have been forced on us at the last moment made it a bitter pill to swallow, especially with a Sunday lunch."

 


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