By Moriya Bradley
Very soon after discovering that all 6 seasons of one of my favorite childhood shows- Xena: Warrior Princess are on Netflix, I decided to marathon and watch the whole show start to finish.
If you don’t know what it’s about, the basic premise is that Xena is a legendary warrior from ancient Greece who is seeking redemption from her evil warlord ways. She commits herself to travelling the world to do good deeds and defend those who cannot defend themselves. She quickly meets the young Gabrielle, an enthusiastic bard with a passion for telling all of Xena’s heroic deeds. Together they embark on a 6 season journey, battling many foes, not the least of which are warlords, most of the Greek Gods, Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar, Amazons, Centaurs, an evil shamaness, the warrior Callisto, and several embodiments of evil incarnate. There is no better ancient crime fighting duo. It’s one of my all time favorite shows, and here’s 17 reasons why.
Xena is a warrior princess, extra emphasis on the warrior. Because Xena grew up thinking that fighting and violence were always the answer, it’s not surprising that she grew up to be a vicious warlord. Xena gave in to her inner darkness, something we all have inside of us, and let it rule her life for many years. Though she now is trying to make up for past sins, those masterful skills that she learned during those dark years carry her throughout her heroic journey.
- She takes her fate into her own hands. A major thing that Xena learned from making such a 180 in her life is that no one can be the master of your own fate except you. Xena realized that she was on a path that she didn’t want to be on, so she changed- even though it was a rocky road to get off of. Xena accepted that she couldn’t change all of the horrible things that she’d done, but she could try to help prevent others from making the same damaging mistakes. Xena always relies on her own skills to get the job done, knowing that if she doesn’t take a stand, maybe nobody will. She never lets anyone else tell her how her life is going to play out. She acts, and doesn’t wait to be acted upon.
- Her sidekick Gabrielle, who let’s be honest, is the best. Gabrielle is an all around lovable character. From her sweet appearance to her loving attitude, to her ability to talk herself out of or into the most ridiculous of situations. She’s the ultimate sidekick. Her loving personality almost singlehandedly pulls Xena back from the edge countless times, and who knows where Xena might be without her. She’s also a marvelous storyteller, who throughout the show inspires so many to change their ways to become better people, and to always do the right thing even if it isn’t the easiest thing. She teaches that the greatest rewards in life aren’t monetary.
The show touches on Greek, Roman, Chinese, Hindu, African, Norse, Egyptian, Japanese, and Christian mythology as well as some real history. I’m a sucker for mythology and ancient history, so the fact that the show has at least 3 or 4 episodes on each, (some way more than that) is utterly fantastic. It’s so much fun to see how creative the writers had to get to make all of these cultures interact and work together to make them all apart of the same overall story.
There is action in every single episode. The action in Xena isn’t for everyone, but I happen to LOVE it. It’s a lot of gravity defying stunts, wirework, and fight scenes that would not/could not happen in real life. Most of it is trying to be funny and make fun of itself, so keep that in mind if you are finding it hard to watch.
- The humor. Much like the action, the humor in the show is not for everyone. About half of it is slapstick, and the other half is intentionally laughable supposed serious moments. (I think the writers really were trying to have some comedy through mock seriousness.)
- The creative story-arcs. Sort of on a similar note to the mythology, all of the story-arcs in Xena deal with different cultures and mythology. I’m sure it took a lot of research and work for the writers to be able to transition story-arcs so smoothly, and this I appreciate. There is a lot of commonly known mythology as well as some things that I’m sure the writers had to create, which are all equally as awesome.
Callisto. Callisto is one of the long lasting villains that appear in the show, and she’s one of my personal favorite story villains ever. I would definitely categorize Callisto as one of Xena’s few true nemesis. Also, the actress who plays Callisto, (Hudson Leick) does a MAGNIFICENT job of being utterly terrifying and ruthless. A little of the backstory: when Xena was a bloodthirsty warlord, she terrorized and slaughtered Callisto’s village. Callisto lived, though her whole family perished. Years later, Callisto has learned everything she can about being a vicious warrior herself, and takes it upon herself to avenge her family’s death by committing to be Xena’s demise. She does this by taunting Xena, saying that she created the monster that Callisto has become. Xena and Callisto come head to head repeatedly, as Xena sees so much of herself in Callisto.
- Aries. Aries is one of the Greek Gods that appears most frequently in the show. As most people know, Aries is the Greek God of War, and as such, he and Xena naturally have a history. Xena was his prized champion during her warlord days, and Aries did not let her go easily. He appears several times throughout every season of the show, sometimes to tempt Xena to return to him, to be his Warrior Queen, and occasionally to help Xena out. Aries always has a hidden agenda though, making Xena fundamentally wary of accepting his help, deals, or listening to anything he has to say. Their relationship develops over the course of the show, and we get some really interesting insight into both of their characters through their interaction.
- The fun recurring side characters, like Joxer and Autolycus. As I’ve said previously, there is a very specific kind of humor in the show. One of my favorite parts about the humor is the hilarious side characters that help relieve the serious, tense plot lines. Autolycus is the King of Thieves, who Xena and Gabrielle meet on one of their many adventures. He comes back sporadically throughout the show when some comic relief is just what the show needs. And then there is Joxer, Xena and Gabrielle’s third wheel, who is a lovable idiot. He’s always inadvertently doing stupid things that get Xena and Gabrielle into tight spots, but he’s got a good heart and always keeps things interesting.
- The costumes. Though none of the costumes in the show are especially elaborate, they are still awesome and have their own evolution within the show. Of course, Xena has her iconic leather warrior outfit with the ornate metal work over the chest, but some of the more underrated costumes have actually come to be my favorites. For example, Gabrielle has a new outfit almost every season, a reflection of both her character changes as well as where the story is currently taking place. One of my favorites: Gabrielle’s outfit in India. She wears a mustard crop top, green skirt and long yellow scarf. It is reminiscent of an Indian sari, though more adapted for her fighting needs. By this time in the show, Gabrielle has also chopped off her long flowing golden hair for an edgy warrior pixie cut. Love it.
- Xena’s kick-ass war cry. Nobody has a war cry as cool as Xena’s. Need I say more?
The character development. This is something that makes the whole show what it is. In a show that has 6 seasons, it is to be expected that there are some deep moments that change the characters, and I love how Xena and Gabrielle evolve. They are both so different by the end that it’s insane, and I love watching their characters really discover who they are and what their places are in the world. It’s such a long journey for them both and some of the challenges they face together are incredible. I know their fictional, but so much can be learned from Xena and Gabrielle; the way they rely on eachother, how they love each other yet don’t always like each other, they always have each other’s best interest at heart, and they always try to keep each other on the right path, even though they make mistakes.
The weapons. The weapons are one of the best trademarks of the show. Of course, Xena’s weapon of choice is her sword, as well as her trusty chakram, with which she is very skilled. A chakram isn’t a weapon that is too common, and I love that. It makes it signature to Xena in my mind. Gabrielle has her “walking stick” towards the beginning of the show, which she starts using as a fighting staff. Gabrielle doesn’t kill during fights, making a staff optimal for a non-lethal weapon. Eventually though, Gabrielle loses her blood innocence and trades in her staff for the sais, which are even more badass.
- The fact that Xena and Gabrielle always pull through, despite unbelievable odds. I’ve already touched a little bit on the subject, but it’s worth repeating. Xena and Gabrielle’s friendship is remarkable. Their unique characters have such a capacity for growth, and it’s wonderful, intense, and heart-wrenching to watch. They are put through so many unbelievable things and even though they don’t always come out on top, they always come out of it together. To name a few, they endure the death of their own children, the death of friends, family, lovers, the wrath of gods, warlords, immortals, they survive trips to Tartarus and several other-worldly lands, the end of civilizations, being trapped in an ice cave for 25 years, the Furies, and so so many other things that should’ve killed them (sometimes did, you just gotta watch it).
- The diverse types of episodes. Another great thing about this show is that the creators and writers really did get super imaginative on different ways of storytelling. While most of the episodes are shown the regular way, there are several episodes that take place in relatively modern times, and there’s even a couple musical episodes. They are all fantastic and keep things fresh. It’s so exciting to sit down and hit play on my tv, because it’s like a roll of the dice; you never know what type of episode you’re going to get.
The many, many life lessons that can be gleaned from all of it. I’ve already touched on this a few times, but it really is fantastic and deserves to be elaborated. There is something profound and deep about every single character if you look hard enough, and sometimes when an episode gets over I just sit on my couch thinking of how chock full every episode is with meaning. Some of the major ones: unconditional love, friendship, loyalty, how violence isn’t always the answer, the power of faith, knowing when to fight to defend what you believe, knowing when to turn the other cheek, knowing that you have to lose a few battles to win the war, that family is the most important thing, how people can find family in the most unlikely of places, how sometimes you have to make your own family, and knowing that loved ones live on after they die if you keep a piece of them in your own heart.
Now get watching!
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