Season 4 has quite a lot of things that just did not work for me, from the India arc to Gabrielle’s increasingly extreme pacifism, but honestly, I would put up with all of it again just to get this episode. It had practically been announced from the very beginning of the season, the entire season had been building anticipation for it, the crucifixion visions kept coming back, and when we finally got what they had been preparing us for all this time, the result was one of the greatest television masterpieces Xena ever produced. This is an episode that manages to bring together the personal tragedy of Xena and Gabrielle, the conclusion of one of the show’s most important rivalries, and the historical turning point of Caesar’s downfall into one enormous story, without ever losing its emotional center.

Callisto returns, and as much as I adore the character, I have to admit I was not exactly thrilled to see her again. For me, her character reached the perfect conclusion in Sacrifice II. There, she finally stopped hating Xena, stopped wanting revenge, and was left with only the desire to disappear, to stop existing. That is why I find it rather difficult to accept this new Callisto, who once again appears with that same hatred toward Xena. Where does all that hatred come from again? And wasn’t she supposed to end up in oblivion? How did she even get to Hell? Who is the Master giving her orders? From this distance in time, the most logical assumption is that he is the Christian God, but then an even bigger question arises about what his motive is. Why would he want Xena to abandon the way of warrior, why would he want Caesar to become emperor, and what exactly does he have to gain from all of this? I do not think the show ever clarified that. Still, I absolutely love Hell. It has this completely crazy, dark and entertaining aesthetic that fits the Xenaverse and Callisto as its guide through it perfectly. Even though I consider her return unnecessary, Hudson is still so charismatic that it is impossible to look away from her.

Caesar finally gets what he brought upon himself. Xena and Gabrielle are partly responsible because they planted the seed of doubt in Brutus’s mind and opened his eyes to the danger Caesar represents, but when everything is taken into account, Caesar is ultimately the greatest culprit behind his own downfall. His lies, manipulation and arrogance are what destroy him in the end. It is especially significant that he decides to execute Gabrielle after promising Brutus that he would not kill her. By doing so, he practically destroys the last remaining trace of trust Brutus had in him. And then comes the proclamation of Caesar as emperor, the moment when Caesar completely loses touch with reality and begins to believe that he is above everyone else. He develops a God complex, and that very complex destroys him. Ironically, the man who thought he could control fate ultimately becomes the victim of his own decisions.

But all of that is still secondary to me compared to what is truly the heart of the episode, and that is Xena and Gabrielle. Once again, we see what the show does best when it comes to their relationship, their willingness to sacrifice themselves for each other without a second thought. Both of them have a chance to escape. Both could save their own lives. But neither of them thinks about herself. Gabrielle cannot leave a helpless Xena behind, and Xena cannot allow Gabrielle to die. The moment when Gabrielle takes up a weapon and kills the Roman soldiers to protect Xena is perhaps the most romantic moment in the entire show for me. Especially because it perfectly reverses the situation from One Against an Army. There, Xena fought an entire army alone to save Gabrielle. Here, Gabrielle does the same for Xena. And what fascinates me is just how terrifying Gabrielle is in that scene. She no longer looks like the gentle pacifist trying to find a peaceful way out. She does not even look human anymore. She looks like a wild animal that has lost control because someone has hurt her partner. And Xena’s reaction is perhaps even more beautiful. She does not encourage her, she is not happy that Gabrielle has killed people because of her, she begs her to stop. Even while lying there helpless, she is more concerned about Gabrielle’s soul than her own life.

And that is exactly where, in my opinion, we can best see how wrong it is to reduce Gabrielle’s way of love to pacifism. Her decision to kill the Roman soldiers is not a rejection of love. On the contrary, it may be the most extreme expression of love she had shown up to that point. Her problem is not that she does not value life, but that Xena’s life is so precious to her that she is willing to violate her own principles to protect it. Gabrielle’s way of love was never simply a way of pacifism and nonviolence. It was always about her love for Xena and how she would give her entire being and soul for that love. That is Gabrielle’s true way of love, which she also confirms in their dungeon scene. Here we see two women who know they may die and who, in that moment, care more about each other than themselves. The chemistry between Lucy and Renee is incredible, and Gabrielle’s kiss on Xena’s forehead is the perfect ending to that scene. Such a small gesture, yet it says more about their relationship than ten minutes of dialogue ever could.

I also love the symbolism woven throughout the entire episode. Callisto dressed in white represents a kind of ironic innocence, which is especially amusing for a character who is practically the embodiment of revenge and hatred. I love the motif of the chakram even more. Throughout the show, we have seen how powerful that weapon is, how it can smash through trees and stone, only for it to finally break against Xena’s back here. It is almost as if this confirms how deeply connected the chakram and Xena have become, as though the weapon that had been an extension of her will for so long can no longer exist separately from her.

And then comes the finale, and I really do not have much to say except that it is epic. So many times throughout the season we watched visions of Xena and Gabrielle nailed to the cross, and now we finally get the entire scene. And it really is painful, but also powerful and breathtaking. At the same time, Caesar is being murdered, so every nail driven into Xena and Gabrielle’s bodies is accompanied by another stab of the knife into Caesar. It is as if their suffering and his punishment are unfolding in parallel, as a kind of symbolic justice. Xena and Gabrielle physically die, but in that death they actually triumph. Their bodies are destroyed, but their souls leave together, which may be the most beautiful possible ending to their story. After everything they have done to each other, all the betrayals, lies, arguments, pain, separations and reunions, when it matters most, they choose each other again. Honestly, if Xena had ended here, I would not have complained in the slightest. For me, this would have been the perfect finale to their story.

Listen now to his full interview:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3lN4pnmu37mA9wrNkDAFgV

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../xena-warrior.../id1837138724

Youtube: https://youtu.be/SLSmbpzDppI?si=JXKhvvQrkhWJ7TVz

Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-9g6yh-197cb9f

This is an interview as part of a series of interviews with the Kiwis and Aussies who bought XWP to life - their goal is to interview 30 of the cast and crew to celebrate the shows 30th anniversary - it’s a podcast called - Xena: Warrior Nutballs you can follow them on:

Facebook ⚔️ https://m.facebook.com/p/Xena-Warrior-Nutballs-61578930248317/?wtsid=rdr_042NpIyiO9avlJ3v3&hr=1

Instagram ⚔️ https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/

I got recommended this new interview with Lucy Lawless and it was pretty fun, and decently long so I wanted to share it here in case anyone interested hasn’t seen it.

Link: https://youtu.be/eh7y6A-iNFw

I guess the Callisto soul is still strong! Video Link

This summer I've been sewing embroderies everywhere and I made this! Hope you guys like it as much as I do! Just wanted to share!

Hi! I'm looking for kinky, mature, very gay etc XenaGab fanfictions! Please recommend any! Thanks!

Sincerely, a very gay girl madly in love with the Warrior Princess

The very beginning of the episode immediately leaves a heavy impression. Ephiny, whom we had not seen since the middle of the third season, is killed right before our eyes, and her death genuinely hurts precisely because she was one of the most important characters among the Amazons. Still, she went out in her own way, like a true warrior, fighting and protecting her sisters. Her death also serves as a powerful reminder that war in this show is never just spectacle, because behind every battle are people who will never live to see the next day.

I understand what the writers wanted to accomplish with Gabrielle's path of love and nonviolence, but I have to admit that here this narrative only makes Gabrielle come across as hypocritical to me. Gabrielle preaches mercy and the rejection of violence, while at the same time accepting the role of Amazon Queen, taking responsibility for their war and effectively sending other warriors into battle and to their deaths. To me, that is quite contradictory. If you truly believe that killing is wrong, then it is difficult to justify not taking up the sword yourself while sending others to fight and die on your orders. That is why her decision at the end, when she finally gives up the crown, actually makes much more sense to me than everything that came before it. She could have done it immediately and avoided much of the moral hypocrisy her character displays here.

Brutus is therefore very interesting to me. Although we are introduced to him through Ephiny's murder, the show does not portray him as a typical villain, but as an honorable and decent warrior who has his own code and whose greatest flaw is his excessive loyalty to Caesar. I especially like his scenes with Gabrielle, because there is a certain mutual respect between them despite the fact that he killed one of her Amazon sisters. In a way, they are both people trying to find their place between their personal beliefs and their duty to those they serve.

This episode also introduces us to Amaris, who, interestingly, immediately reminded me of Tara. She is headstrong, stubborn, rebellious and constantly throws herself into danger to prove that she can hold her own against older and more experienced warriors. Unlike Tara, however, I find Amaris much more likable. She has more charisma, and her rebelliousness is entertaining rather than irritating, so I simply enjoy watching her much more than I ever enjoyed watching Tara.

The decision to have Xena be the one to behead Pompey once again shows how much this show loves playing with history. Of course, someone who looks at historical events completely literally would probably consider Xena beheading Pompey an absolute sacrilege. But this is Xena. The show has never tried to be historically accurate and has no problem putting Greek gods, Roman history and later Christianity into the same world, changing real events whenever necessary to fit its own mythology. So Pompey's death does not bother me at all in that context. On the contrary, it feels completely consistent with the alternate history the show has been building from the very beginning.

As with the other major war episodes, the visual side is excellent. The battle between the Amazons and the Romans looks huge and epic, while the sets and music give the whole story an added sense of grandeur. Still, what stays with me in the end is not the battle itself, but the final scene. Xena and Gabrielle stand before Ephiny's funeral pyre, and Gabrielle finally breaks down. Everything she had been trying to suppress throughout the episode disappears the moment she realizes that Ephiny is truly gone and that she will never see her again. For the first time, she allows herself to cry and finds comfort in Xena's arms. It is one of those simple, quiet moments that carry more emotional weight than any huge battle. Gabrielle has lost one of her Amazon sisters, and Xena is there simply to hold her and be by her side. The scene is so sincere and painful that it could make even a stone cry.

As requested by u/IseQween, here is part two of the Homecoming scene (first part posted here: https://www.reddit.com/r/xena/comments/1vrofzw/homecoming/ ).

Enjoy!

I was so happy, I had a lot of Xena fans come up and talk to me!

Image taken by: maquenchie on Instagram (maquenchie.com)

For a long time, I've had an idea for a revival in my head that I wish we could have. Something to repair the damage of Xena's finale for og fans and a means to pass the torch and give the next generation their Xena and Gabrielle.

The story starts with the new Xena fighting her universe's Hercules; he is appealing to her as in the og, but this Xena manages to kill Hercules and sets herself firmly on the path towards Xena the Conqueror.

The scena cuts to Olympus and new Aphrodite who FEELS Xena's path heading away from her Great Love (Gabrielle). She's too proud to seek counsel from the other Gods but determines she's okay with seeking advice from HERSELF and magically connects to OG Aphrodite asking for advice to get Xena back on the path to her Great Love.

OG Aphrodite tells her she's sending help and through a portal arrives OG Xena and Gabrielle and a young man with auburn hair and a staff and a set of pan pipes who is revealed to be their son Joxer who is a trained bard like his mother, but with a musical leaning. At some point we learn Xena was resurrected in Egypt and they've had a long life together both adventuring and domestic.

OG Xena and Gabrielle set out to save new Gabrielle who is being kidnapped just like og Gabrielle, but without her Xena stumbling upon the scene during her redemption arch because she returned to her army.

Og Xena and Gabrielle rescue new Gabrielle and her village displaying Renee and Lucy's comedy chops as they ham up the aging Warrior tropes with their son displaying solid skills with a staff taught by his mom.

New Gabrielle fan girls over them just as og Gabrielle once did for Xena and we get some nice nostalgia over Xena lovingly teasing her Gabrielle over her past exuberance.

They tell new Gabrielle of her diverted path of Great Love and they set out for new Xena's army. Shenanigans happen. New Xena is thwarted but new Gabrielle is able to connect to her somehow, and basically they're set up to begin their journey. New and og Aphrodite appear to take our og crew home, but Joxer elects to stay in the new universe to explore and write songs of the multiverse.

Our OG Xena and Gabrielle return to their retirement and as our new trio walks away Joxer entertains them with a song about his namesake "Joxer the Mighty" which makes new Xena groan and new Gabrielle dance as they head down the road.

This series introduces the Xena multiverse and opens the door for further versions of Xena and Gabrielle to exist simultaneously and for new generations to have "their Xena."

Like in a perfect world where we would be allowed to see a lesbian relationship on screen, I would say that season 3 I think is when Xena would really start to see herself loving Gabrielle. And I would say for Gabrielle,it’s probably around the same time.

I think realistically because being gay was so stigmatized back then that same sex attraction wasn’t even a thought in their minds so I think it would’ve taken a while for Xena to see it…That and Xena having a huge ass wall around that warrior princess heart…

.Idk I’m Rewatching it now so i want to track the moment it really starts happening

Anywho looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it❤️🌈

Got this in today! I'm so excited and can't wait to wear it to work.

Mulan is imo one of the best Disney princesses, what if she met Xena and Gabrielle? Would they be friends, allies etc.?

"This job is sucks!"

A charming and very entertaining episode that is clearly inspired by Agatha Christie's detective novels and, because of that, brings us a completely different type of story. I love that claustrophobic atmosphere where a group of characters is trapped in one place, everyone has their own little secret, and Xena has to figure out who the killer is before it is too late. It all feels a little like the old Whodunit movies, but fortunately it never takes itself too seriously and the humor is present practically throughout the entire episode. Joxer and Lila are really cute together here. Although I will always consider Meg his best match, there is a sweet and natural chemistry between the two of them, and it is a real shame that the show never tried to develop that relationship.

Discord is a story of her own. I think she is one of the most underrated goddesses in the entire Xenaverse. It is such a shame that she did not appear more often in Xena, because every appearance of hers guarantees some kind of dark humor and chaos, and she is fantastic once again here. Her cold-bloodedness, sadistic sense of humor and complete indifference to other people's suffering make her hilarious, especially combined with the fact that she is constantly surrounded by naked men. 😂 Honestly, every straight woman's dream.

The reveal that Argo is actually the killer is completely absurd, and that is precisely why it works. It is so ridiculous that I was laughing like an idiot. And somehow it is completely in the spirit of this episode that, in the end, the most innocent-looking member of the entire group turns out to be responsible for everything.

This episode marks the last time we see Autolycus, and it is honestly hard for me to believe that this is his final appearance in the show. Autolycus is one of those supporting characters who never needed to be constantly present in order to leave a huge impression. Whenever he appeared, he immediately brought a completely different energy to the episode. His combination of confidence, greed, charm, cowardice and surprisingly strong ability to still do the right thing made him one of the most entertaining characters in the show. What I especially love is that he never became just an ordinary comic thief. Through his various appearances, we also got to see his more vulnerable side, his guilt, his relationship with his brother and his willingness to change once he realizes just how far he can go because of his own selfishness. And yet, he never lost what made us love him in the first place. He always remained Autolycus, the King of Thieves who will think about how to steal something first and only then about how to save the world. 😂 Bruce Campbell played him with so much charisma and natural comedic ability that it is difficult to imagine anyone else in the role. He had that special ability to deliver even the dumbest line in such a way that it became funny. I especially love that we got to see him in so many different combinations, with Xena and Gabrielle, Joxer, Meg and other characters, because he had a completely different dynamic with each of them. Autolycus was one of those characters who could appear in a serious episode and break the tension, but could also carry an entire comedy episode without needing the main storyline to support him. That is why I am genuinely sad that this is the end of his journey in the show. I wish we had seen him a few more times, especially in some completely crazy adventure with Meg and Joxer. But if this had to be his farewell, I am glad that he leaves this way, in an episode that suits his character perfectly. Thank you, Autolycus, for all the scams, thefts, cowardice, unexpected acts of heroism and enormous amounts of laughter. You were one of those characters who made the Xenaverse feel like a much bigger and more entertaining world.

What other relationships between characters in other series, films, video games, or novels remind you of the bond between Xena and Gabrielle? Personally, I think I'm doomed because I've realized I love stories full of subtext, where the romantic relationship between two characters is implied and where they are lovers with a tragic fate. In particular, I love the trope of best friends who are soulmates and lovers

I know some think it’s a mischaracterization of Xena… but, I don’t see it that way. I like this episode a lot!!

It’s got so many goodies in it. You’ve got Xena succumbing to her own regression triggers. I.E. fear. Yet, the fear is about making sure Gabrielle gets outta this one alive!! It snowballs, and it makes sense! Xena’s whole thing is being a hero seeking redemption. That kind of story arc can only mean that eventually a situation will arise in which she falls into her own reactive pit of darkness. What’s amazing about this one is that unlike in Xena’s past she has Gabrielle there nagging at her to come back!

Gabs puts up with an awful lot of sh*t from Xena in this one, and still… she won’t leave her. She’s Gabrielle, she’s gonna find a way to make Xena see.. and she does!!

You know how Gabby does it. She just does keeps on keepin’ on. Doing Gabby things. Like, defying Xena’s orders, hospital nursing it up but giving food and water to everyone-not just the ones who can still fight, and obviously sneaking out the gates to give water to wounded enemies of THE HORDE!

It’s what Gabby does, and it’s why Xena ultimately snaps out of it and remembers what it is that she’s meant to do, and that she can’t always do it alone. She needs her canary, as anyone in her situation would.

I love this. I love this episode. I think it is important to Xena’s character development, as well as Gabrielle’s. Not to mention, their relationship with each other becomes a bit more… leveled after this one. Xena was a sh*t to Gabs, and Gabs doesn’t just take it on the chin, she jabs back “You axed that man in the back!”, “ Who are you”, while Xena argues “ This is war! What did you expect, glamour?!” Man, the CHEMISTRY btwn the actors in this one is just riveting!

I mean who hasn’t been frustrated AF with the person they love acting on impulse, and had to grind it out until their person can get their vision back. You have to stick it out, together, as always. That’s how it works!!

So, I get it if you get upset that Xena backslides in this one. But, I ask you… how can a hero with a dark past become their greatest self unless they have to overcome their dark impulses when the same ones are telling them that that grey area they are operating in.. is what is right. Every hero seeking redemption needs their person to shake them out of it. And, that’s what Gabrielle does for Xena in this one. She’s her canary in the coal mine.

It’s a complex episode, for complex characters. I love it, and I love Gabrielle’s response to it.

In the game it say amphipolis will be great nation wonder what the actual history of it was