Breaking out of the ass-kiching mold, the third season of Xena:Warrior Princess put Xena and Gabrielle's friendship through the wringer. PauI Spragg tried to heal their wounds.
Gabrielle gets in some early practice for season four in The Deliverer
AFTER TWO high-rating and well-received seasons of adventures with Xena and Gabrielle, Xena: Warrior Princess was at the top of its game. As Hercules: The Legendary Journeys took a lighter approach, so Xena went the opposite direction, focussing in on two specific characteristics of the two leads (Xena's desire to do good and Gabrielle's innocence) and smashing them to pieces, making the differences between the two characters less clear as Gabrielle gets her first taste of violence and Xena is increasingly put into situations that require her to give in to her baser instincts. Not only did it give Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor many more shades of characterization to play with - a challenge they rose to brilliantly - it also made for superb television. Each episode is rated from 1 star to 5 stars.
C1 THE FURIES
Fighting alongside Boadicea in The Deliverer
****
Written by RJ Stewart
Directed by Gilbert ShiltonAres tells the Furies that Xena hasn't avenged the death of her father, so they punish her by turning her mad.
For two seasons, Lucy Lawless had been doing the wild-eyed slightly insane thing, but now she gets to play the role in earnest as Xena becomes increasingly unbalanced. It's amazing to watch as Lawless plays up the comic potential in Xena's madness while also communicating the struggle going on within her to retain her sanity. It all leads to a semi-revelation when Xena suggests that her father is Ares, a fact that remains unproven at the end of the episode. However, in an amazingly choreographed fight sequence which goes across walls, floors and ceilings, Xena certainly convinces us she might be telling the truth...
C2 BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
*****
Written by Hilary J Bader
Directed by Andrew MerrifieldXena wakes up to a cheery cry from Joxer, attempts to stop a group of villagers fighting each other, but is unable to make a difference. Then she wakes up to a cheery cry from Joxer again...
Xena does Groundhog Day in one of the best episodes of the season. Not only is the set-up very clever as Xena manages to save different people from death each day but never the right person, the reason for what's happening and how to stop it is rather sweet.
It's odd that considering the seriousness of the situation Xena finds herself in, this is a very funny episode. Firstly there's the quick-cut section in which Xena enjoys a few days of taking out her frustrations on others, including killing both the rooster that wakes her and the irritating Joxer with her chakram, then when she works out how she can save everyone in the short amount of time she has available. Welcome comic relief before the seriousness to come.
C3 THE DIRTY HALF DOZEN
***
Written by Steven L Sears
Directed by Rick JacobsonXena enlists the aid of a group of old associates who haven't changed in quite the same way she has, in order to stop an army Ares has equipped with the impenetrable metal of Hephaestus.
The first look this season at aspects of the old Xena as she uses her knowledge of how she used to be to perfectly read the actions of her associates, using the death of one to bring the others under control and watching as they cross and double-cross her and others. It's essentially a lot of arguing, fighting and killing for most of the episode, and most of the time it's fairly easy to predict who's double-crossing who. A very average episode.
C4 THE DELIVERER
*****
Written by Steven L Sears
Directed by Oley SassoneXena joins forces with her old foe Boadicea to protect Brittania's invasion by Caesar while Gabrielle finds love with a man who preaches of peace.
This rates among the best Xena has to offer, doing a superb piece of misdirection on the part of the A-plot away from what's happening in the background. The main story of Xena's fight against Caesar fleshes out some of the past between the two, a past that will become a vital part of the series for this and next season. But it's the Gabrielle sub-plot happening very much in the background that really (excuse the pun) delivers. What seems to be a rather nice romantic backdrop to the violence of Xena's battle against the Romans becomes one of the key events of the season when Gabrielle is tricked into joining a cult that worships a different 'one god' to the one Gabrielle has heard of. In a supremely powerful scene that sends shivers down the spine, the young bard is tricked into losing her blood innocence by killing someone, bringing into the world the Dark Lord Dahak. Although Xena thinks she's saved her friend at the end, it's a long way from the truth...
C5 GABRIELLE'S HOPE
The baby that will come between Gabrielle and Xena in Gabrielle's Hope
****
Written by RJ Stewart
Directed by Charles Sielert and Andrew MerrifieldGabrielle discovers she is pregnant, and gives birth to a baby, Hope, a short time after conception. However, the baby isn't as innocent as it appears, and Xena realizes that Hope must die to save others from the evil inside her.
It's here that the Xena/Gabrielle relationship begins its downward spiral as Gabrielle plans to bring up her child with warmth and love, not wanting to believe that even her goodness is inadequate to control the evil within Hope. No mother could possibly kill her own child, and so Xena must do the job, something that drives what you could say is something of a wedge between the pair.
Renee O'Connor portrays a Gabrielle desperately hoping that the portents aren't true, and making what will turn out to be a very human but also massively unwise decision to save her daughter, Iying to Xena about what she's done.
C6/C7 THE DEBT 1 & 11
***
Story by Robert Tapert and RJ Stewart
Teleplay by RJ Stewert
Directed by Oley SassoneXena sets out on a mission to kill the Green Dragon, a boy she once met who has grown up to be a powerful tyrant in Chin. On the journey, she explains to Gabrielle why the young man must die and looks back on the time she spent with Lao Ma, a woman who taught her how best to use her abilities.
It's debatable whether this needs to be a two-part story, as both episodes are quite slow-moving and not a lot happens. We know Xena was finally converted to good by Hercules, so the fact that she eventually betrays Lao Ma doesn't come as a shock. However, it is quite frightening to see the kind of vicious, vindictive woman Xena used to be.
The flashback material doesn't add a huge amount more to our understanding of Xena, and Lao Ma's powers, which appear to be magical, seem oddly out of place in the more realistic world of Xena where it's only the gods who have supernatural powers. Xena discovering the ability to float and then fly is, frankly, a bit stupid.
What makes it worth watching, however, is the clash between Gabrielle and Xena once again as Gabrielle betrays Xena to stop her committing murder. The contempt Xena feels once she is locked up is palpable, and her refusal to give in to the tyrannical Ming Tien shows great strength of character. But it's the final sequence that's particularly telling as we find that despite what Gabrielle believes, Xena has managed to exact her revenge after all.
C8 KING OF ASSASSINS
Autolycus poses for Cleopatra in King of Assasins
****
Written by Adam Armus and Nora Kay Foster
Directed by Bruce CampbellA case of mistaken identity when Autolycus agrees to work with Joxer's twin brother, Jett, a worldclass assassin who has his sights set on Cleopatra.
Ted Raimi gets one of his all-too-infrequent chances to play someone more competent than Joxer as he gets the dual roles of Jett and his brother. There's also the first appearance in this series of Gina Torres, playing Cleopatra, oddly enough a character she would be playing alongside a few years down the line.
With Lucy Lawless barely in the episode, the supporting cast have the screen time, with Raimi expertly playing two different parts, Renee O'Connor getting a chance to lead and come up with Xena-like plans as Gabrielle and Bruce Campbell his usual suave self as Autolycus. Torres makes for a sexy and extremely intelligent Cleopatra and there are the traditional comic moments when Joxer is mistaken for Jett and vice versa. Plus, the final confrontation between the twin brothers is as touching as it is unexpected.
C9 WARRIOR... PRIESTESS... TRAMP
Undercover Xena...or Meg... or maybe Leah in Warrior...Priestess...Tramp
****
Written by Adam Armus and Nora Kay Foster
Directed by Robert GintyA priestess who happens to look like Xena and a bordello owner who has a similarly uncanny appearance are involved in a scheme to end worship of the goddess Hestia.
From one doubles story to another, and once again a great showcase for Lucy Lawless, as she plays Meg for the second time and priestess Leah, as well as Xena. She is the reason the story is so enjoyable as she makes each character fully rounded and unlike Xena, with different mannerisms and personality traits that enable the viewer to keep track of who;s pretending to be who at any given time.
There's the usual fun with mistaken identity, Joxer getting the brunt of the slapping as he mistakes the innocent and chaste Leah for Meg and later makes the same mistake with an irritable Xena. His relationship with Meg is once again great fun, though, as the pair seem to share the same weird sense of humor.
C10 THE QUILL IS MIGHTIER
*****
Written by Hillary J Bader
Directed by Andrew MerrifieldGabtielle finds herself with serious problems when Aphrodite makes everything Gabrielle writes in her scroll come true.
Yet again Xena is kept out of the action for the most part, presumably because to keep her onsite the writers would have to explain why she's temporarily chummy with Gabrielle again. In a similar way to the concept of having three wishes and needing to phrase them correctly to get what you want, Gabrielle discovers that however hard she tries to make the world a better place, all she'll get is more trouble. When written carefully, these kinds of stories can be wonderfully unpredictable as the viewer tries to guess how a simple request can be corrupted. Stripping Ares and Aphrodite of their powers is a lot of fun and the way Joxer arrives due to the inspired words 'Gabrielle woke up with a jerk' is hilarious, and made even funnier by his efforts on the scroll, which lead to three all-singing, all-dancing, all-naked Gabrielles. And Xena fights everyone with fish. What more could anyone want?
C11 MATERNAL INSTINCTS
*****
Written by Chris Manheim
Directed by Mark BeesleyHope and Callisto team up to bring pain and suffering to Xena by killing her son, Solan.
At last Xena discovers what Gabrielle really did with Hope instead of killing her, as Xena goes up against her old foe Callisto, only realizing too late that Callisto is merely a distraction from Hope's efforts to find and murder Solan.
Once again motherhood plays a big part as the fates of two children hang in the balance. For once Callisto is more a means to an end than a major player in the drama unfolding, with everything centered around Xena and Gabrielle as both mothers try to protect their children. In the end, both lose. Xena's son is killed thanks to Gabrielle sending Hope directly to where the boy is hiding, and Hope dies at her mother's hand once Gabrielle realizes what she's done and the pain and suffering she has caused by allowing Hope to live. Hard-hitting, amazingly emotional and with superb performances from Lawless and O'Connor, this is one of the best episodes made.
C12 THE BITTER SUITE
*****
Written by Steven L Sears and Chris Manheim
Directed by Oley SassoneXena and Gabrielle find themselves in the land of Illusia, a strange world where they are forced to mend their relationship or die.
From one of the most emotional episodes of the series to another, but also without doubt the most unusual. Kicking off with a terrifying example of how things have got as Xena drags Gabrielle behind her on horseback before throwing her from a cliff, things take a turn for the surreal as both Xena and Gabrielle are transported to a land where they are shown recent events from their past and forced to come to terms with them.
The fact that most of the episode is also sung adds an edge to proceedings with both Lawless and O'Connor putting in emotional performances. Their voices may crack occasionally, but that merely adds to the feeling of raw emotion. There are some powerful images, great effects, a chance for Xena and Gabrielle to go 'au naturel' once again, and a finale that is guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye.
C13 ONE AGAINST AN ARMY
**
Written by Gew O'Neill and Noreen Tobin
Directed by Paul LynchGabrielle is struck by a poisoned arrow and will die unless Xena can get help. But first Xena has to get past the endre Persian army.
After all the emotions running high over the last few episodes, it seems odd to have the Xena/ Gabrielle relationship back to normal. The biggest problem here is that too much time is spent on Gabrielle lying and moaning feverishly, and the fact that Xena even stands a chance against an army is difficult to swallow. Lots of fighting and premonitions of lots of fighting makes this a very repetitive and dull episode.
C14 FORGIVEN
*
Written by RJ Stewart
Directed by Garth MaxwellAs Xena attempts to retrieve a stolen urn, a young girl joins her who feels she has what it takes to replace Gabrielle as Xena's sidekick.
She's wrong. Mainly because Gabrielle, despite being referred to as an 'irritating blonde' in her time isn't half as annoying as Tara in this episode (who is played by Shiri Appleby, far better in Roswell). Most of the time the viewer is dying to see Gabrielle giving in to temptation and kicking the kid's ass from here to Tartarus.
Much as Xena wants to give someone else the chance Gabrielle gave her, Tara really isn't worth the effort as she's clearly no Xena-in-waiting. When she moves into double-crossing Xena then triple-crossing her boyfriend, it's no real surprise, and although everything turns out okay in the end, you can't help but feel Tara will do things for her own good first before helping others.
C15 KING CON
***
Written by Chris Manheim
Directed by Janet GreekJoxer is beaten senseless by the owner of a gambling palace, so Xena decides to take him to the cleaners with the help of two con men, who have their own bet going on about kissing Xena.
It's good once in a while to see Xena making plans that don't involve massive amounts of fighting, meaning this episode is a welcome change of pace. One of the two con men is similar to Autolycus which makes him a well-meaning character, and it's fun to watch Xena show her ability to read people and make them behave the way she wants them to.
However, pleasing as it is to see the man who ordered Joxer's death getting his comeuppance, it makes for an episode that merely rates as okay.
C16 WHEN IN ROME...
****
Written by Steven L Sears
Directed by John LaingXena kidnaps Roman general Crassus in the hope of forcing Caesar into a trade for Gaul warrior Vercinix.
There's a palpable sense of tension throughout this episode as Caesar is more than a worthy adversary, having studied Xena's methods, and is therefore able to anticipate her next move. Karl Urban is particularly superb as the cunning Roman leader, showing his total lack of scruples or morals. Although Xena gets what she wants in the end she certainly doesn't get there the way she intends and there's a superb gladiatorial fight in which she proves just how tough she is.
Then there's GabrieHe. A season ago, it would have been compassion all the way, and she feels she has to believe that deep down Crassus is a good man. However, once Vercinix tells her what he's like, Gabrielle has no problem setting up Crassus to be executed in place of Vercinix, and in a horrible scene towards the end, Caesar is forced to execute his general to save face as Gabrielle watches with a satisfied expression on hers. Wonderful work from Rence O'Connor.
C17 FORGET ME NOT
*
Written by Hilary J Bader
Directed by Charlie HaskellAfter recent traumas, Gabrielle goes to the Temple of Mnemosyne in order to have her memory wiped clean of what she has done.
Essentially an upmarket clip show, Forget Me Not sees Gabrielle put through some horrible trials by what seems to be Ares only to discover she would be better off keeping her memories. Even a sub-plot featuring Joxer trying to teach a memory-free GabrieHe just who she is doesn't hold a great deal of interest.
C18 FINS, FEMMES AND GEMS
Aphrodite causes trouble in Fins, Femmes and Gems
**
Written by Adam Armus and Nora Kay Foster
Directed by Josh BeckerXena, Gabrielle and Joxer set off to retrieve a stolen jewel which Aphrodite wishes to have. To stop them, the goddess makes each of them obsessed with something.
The problem with this episode is that it's something of a one-joke affair. Xena becomes obsessed with fish, Gabrielle with herself and Joxer with being an apeman. All it really accomplishes is taking all the main cast out of the action as they are all too caught up in their obsessions. Xena fights using fish once again, there are some fun exchanges betwean the preening Gabrielle and Xena, but ape-Joxer is just annoying. There's little more to this episode, but that's obsessions for you...
C19 TSUNAMI
**
Written by Chris Maheim
Directed by John LaingXena, Gabrielle and Autolycus find themselves trapped beneath a sinking ship and must find a way to escape and save those trapped along with them.
This is another episode which has a very limited premise. People trapped beneath a ship sadly don't have much on their minds beyond escaping, and aside from dissenters, the inevitable person who can't swim and crazed maniacs who want to kill everyone so they can survive longer, there's not much you can write about. Sure enough, there's much arguing, an attempt at murder and all the usual ingredients in this adventure caused by Poseidon, along with am unlikely means of escape. There's just nothing much to it.
C20 VANISHING ACT
Autolycus investigates a Vanishing Act
****
Written by Terry Winter
Directed by Andrew MerrifieldThe theft of a giant statue of Pax leaves Autolycus stunned, as he has no idea how the theft was accomplished. Therefore, with Xena and Gabrielle's help, he decides to steal it back and restore his reputation as King of Thieves.
After seeing the considerate side of Autolycus in Tsunami, it's time to take a look at his past and why he first set himself up as the King of Thieves. Although this sudden background (reeled off by Xena early on) is put conveniently to use a short while later, it doesn't alter a fan episode that has a very serious issue at the bottom of it: Autolycus has had every reason not to be the good man he is considering his brother's murder led him to a life of crime.
So far so obvious, but the episode is really livened up by the undercover work going on throughout as Autolycus insists on retrieving the statue his way. To this end, he becomes the hunchback servant to Ezra the Fence (aka Xena) who indulges in a fierce bidding war for the statue with Myopia the Fence (Gabrielle). Although all three are wonderful characters, it's Lucy Lawless who steals the show with her wonderfully over-the-top portrayal, complete with Bronx accent. Special mention also to the great scenes of Autolycus gradually working his way through 500 of the world's best locks.
C21 SACRIFICE I
****
Written by Steven L Sears
Directed by David Warry-SmithXena and Gabrielle discover followers of Hope who are trying to bring her back into the world through sacrifice with Callisto's help, so the pair tries to stop them.
A wonderfully apocalyptic end to the season starts here as Xena and Gabrielle find themselves caught in the middle of a clash of gods, taking on Callisto and Ares, who are both fighting to bring back Hope for their own ends. It's a fight they are unable to win, but they must try to save Hope's followers from themselves, brainwashed as they have been into thinking Hope's return will be a good thing.
The return of Callisto is once again welcome, as Hudson Leick and Lucy Lawless fight each time to a standstill, neither giving in and making for some of the most ferocious battles in the series. Ares stepping in is an added twist in the tale, especially when he asks for Gabrielle to return the favor she owes him, forcing her to protect Hope if she wants Xena to live.
C22 SACRIFICE 11
*****
Written by Paul Robert Coyle
Directed by Rick JacabsonHope has been reborn, and Dahak plans to rain destruction on the world. Ares is delighted; Callisto hopes for oblivion and Xena, Gabrielle and Joxer must find a way to put the genie back in the boÉtle before it's too late.
There's less action in this second part than the first, which is actually a good thing, as it leaves more time for character interplay. Xena and Gabrielle get to show their feelings for each other once more as each is willing to give their life to stop Hope's plan. Ares' part in proceedings is once again a surprise, and Callisto's wish shows a new side of her character. Joxer's part in it all is likewise a nice surprise as he gets to prove his worth after so long trying. But it all comes to a truly major showdown at the finish and an ending no one expected, an ending that would lead to changes for both Xena and Gabrielle in the fourth season.
Disclaimer: Paul Spragg was not harmed during production of this magazine, but he did almost have a nervous breakdown at one point.
From the Hercules season four guide in the same issue
D5 STRANGER IN A STRANGE WORLD
*****
Written by Paul Robert Coyle
Directed by Michael LevineIolaus is transported into a parallel universe where he meets alternate versions of the people he knows, including a Hercules who rules under the name of The Sovereign. Anyone dying in this universe dies in the other, and with Zeus being poisoned, Hercules must follow Iolaus to save two lives.
It had to happen. Sooner or later, there's a parallel universe story. This is one of the best, with almost every recurring character making an appearance in another guise, including Kevin Smith as a hilarious Ares, god of love, Ted Raimi as a new, tough, Joxer and Lucy Lawless as a totally unbalanced Xena who has all manner of naughty plans for the Sovereign. Kevin Sorbo plays bad brilliantly, and Michael Hurst's alternate Jester Iolaus makes a fun, if useless, temporary companion for Herc. Plus there are some great fight scenes with people flying everywhere and it brings danger back into Herc's universe with the return of Hind's Blood, the only thing that can kill a god.
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