Xena Media Review #19 (12/08/96) - Part 3 of 4 ================== cut here ================== [261] 05-01-96 SPECTRUM. Vol. 1 No. 5. Page 2. 1947 words. "Xena: Warrior Princess" COMMENTARY: Other than various items in XMR and WHOOSH, the SPECTRUM articles are to date the most significant published material about XWP. SPECTRUM #5 (May 1996) contained a general essay on the nature of the show, a detailed episode guide on the HTLJ's 'Xena Trilogy', a detailed episode guide to the first ten aired episodes of the first season (part two, covering episodes 11 through 23 -- missing, IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE -- was printed in SPECTRUM #6), and a list of "Gabrielle-isms". I had written a detailed analysis and review of the general essay (which took about four days to write) but I erased it somewhere in San Diego. So, I am going offer a quick one day knock-off instead and make a few observations in the commentary. The essay consisted of six parts, four of which are sub-titled: Xena: Superhero Princess?; Bleak Action and Enjoyable Acting; Xena: Anachronistic Princess?; and Mythological Adventures. The non-subtitled parts were the introduction and the epilogue about the episode guides. The introduction explained how XWP is currently considered a raving syndicated success and explored the nature of XWP's competition with HTLJ, BAYWATCH, and the old war horse, STAR TREK (in it's DEEP SPACE NINE incarnation). A critical observation was that "the meteoric rise of both of these shows is somewhat astonishing, given that they basically came out of nowhere and are not carbon copies of the popular network fare." The introduction concluded with, "Of course, that's part of their appeal. Neither would have survived the cut with a network -- they're too hard to pigeon-hole into easy categories. The shows are just -- there's no getting around it --really, really weird." This is a critical point. The artistic and business decisions to keep the projects syndicated aided the development of a show not bound by the more conservative requirements of a network television show. By going with syndication, the producers surrendered the chance at the bigger piece of the ratings piece for more control and more profit. If working with the networks is akin to making a pact with the devil; making a syndicated show would be cutting a deal with a corporate sponsor. Now, some would consider working with the suits to be analogous to working with the devil, but the issue is control. In the section entitled, "Xena: Superhero Princess?", the essay begins with a utilitarian description of XWP, writing, "If reduced to a bare- bones outline, Xena is easy to describe and actually sounds fairly generic. In an ancient time, grim Xena and her bubbly, talkative sidekick Gabrielle travel the countryside fighting crime and helping citizens in need of a protector. A female version of Batman and Robin, right?" The writer then observed that although XWP embraced the finer traditions of the comic book genre, it was more reminiscent of the comics of the sixties: "some adventure, a little melodrama, and a lot of humor, treading the thin line between genuine drama and tongue-in-cheek campiness." The writer next observed that XWP although may appear at first blush to be "a sort of 'Conanette the Barbarian'", it really was a direct descendent of the superhero series of comic book. The writer cited Xena's superpowers as leaping ability; gravity neutralization; hands of steel; and the "Xena touch" that cuts off the blood supply to the brain. Ending the "Xena: Superhero Princess" section, the writer also noted the recent comic book fad of strong female superheroes who are "usually a bit nasty and able to fight with the best of her male counterparts". The writer continued with, "Grim fighting females are all the rage. Of course, comic book readers' tastes don't necessarily reflect the much larger television- watching audience, but the comic book sub-culture is showing that there is a market for heroines on the rampage." In the section "Bleak Action and Enjoyable Acting", the writer concentrated on the backgrounds of both the character Xena and the actress who played her, Lucy Lawless. He also discussed Renee O'Connor. After reviewing Xena's villainous history and her past atrocities, the writer stated, "Her [Xena] bleak history sets the tone for the series and establishes the personality for Xena, who rarely smiles but sets about her life as one on a serious mission." He then juxtaposed the humor used on the show. He attributed this to the character, Gabrielle. Again, he brought up the Batman and Robin similarities: "It's a well-established formula -- think again of the grim, mission-oriented Batman accompanied by the carefree, slightly irresponsible Robin." He continued, "Gabrielle, facing marriage to a "dull and stupid" man, seeks adventure by accompanying Xena. The pairing works well. Gabrielle is a talker who loves telling stories -- a perfect complement to Xena's overall silence. Xena is the wise, well-traveled adult with a wide range of experiences; Gabrielle is the (relative) youngster full of innocence." There was a fullpage posed picture of Xena with the caption: "Lucy Lawless as Xena". The writer then complimented the acting in the show. "[D]espite the constraints of the character, Lawless has proven to have enough of a screen presence that, following her stint on Xena, she should find a wide selection of roles available to her. Far from the overacting that adventure roles usually exhibit, Lawless manages to imbue Xena with remarkable subtlety and depth -- a haunted performance necessary for viewers to believe that the character actually does have a less-than-honorable past. She can express more with a raised eyebrow or slight smile than many actors can with complete body language." He then cited the episode WARRIOR...PRINCESS (#15) as an example of Lucy Lawless' range on the show. Concentrating on Renee O'Connor, the writer obsessed that "Renee O'Connor also is wonderful as Gabrielle. The role doesn't have the range of Xena. Often, her purpose in an episode is merely for comic relief -- or to fall in love on a weekly basis with the good- looking, gentle males that the two constantly encounter. These combine to make Gabrielle a more shallow character than Xena, yet O'Connor makes the most of it. One episode, 'Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards,' she virtually carries on her own. In another, 'Hooves & Harlots,' she has a major role. In both -- plus in numerous brief scenes throughout the series -- O'Connor shows an impressive comic ability. Even if she never gets offered another dramatic role (and she's been in many, including 'Follow the River', which we reviewed in 'Wrapped in Plastic' 17), we could easily see her establishing herself as a major star in comedy roles." There is a picture of Xena holding a sword. In the section "Xena: Anachronistic Princess?", the writer observed that "One of the strangest aspects of Xena is its use of mythology from a variety of sources, regardless of the time or place of the original stories. As such, the show thrives on anachronism." He also noted that the anachronisms were usually used in the show to make humorous references to contemporary life. This was true for the most part for HTLJ. But XWP actually used anachronisms for dramatic fodder: Troy, Goliath, the Ark of the Covenant, and the promised Julius Caesar were not done (or will be done) necessarily for cheap laughs, but for added depth, texture, and nuance for the stories. The article mentioned Salmoneus as existing predominately for this satire of contemporary life. This observation was based in part because of Salmoneus' offer to Xena of a theme song in THE GAUNTLET (HTLJ #12). This theory is also supported by Salmoneus' "wolf pack" speech in THE BLACK WOLF (#11), and as his Lord Selzer role in THE GREATER GOOD (#21). However, Salmoneus played a deeper role in XWP than he ever did in HTLJ, where he ironically has appeared more often. It was Salmoneus who first recognized that Xena was capable of redemption and change; he encouraged Hercules to accept the new Xena, and also aided Xena in her own self-resolve to seek redemption. The writer continued that the shows were set "in the golden age of myth, long before ancient Greece or Rome, on the distant frontier of known civilization far away from the land of mighty Hercules." He observed that this timeline placing was "vague enough, yet clearly elements of Greece and Rome dominate the episodes (although with no specific time reference)." The writer then brought up what I call THE GREAT TEMPORAL ANOMALY of XWP: how could Homer in ATHENS CITY ACADEMY OF THE PERFORMING BARDS (#13) tell the spellbound crowd the story of a slave revolt which was to happen at least 700 years after Homer's death. The writer's solutions were: "there were two Spartacuses, and the second, more famous one (as depicted in the Stanley Kubrick film) used the first one as a role model! Or here's another theory: Xena is, unbeknown to her, a time traveler. As she walks the countryside, she's slipping through different time portals." And you thought STAR TREK was the only show with this problem! The writer concluded this section with "In fact, such dilemmas aren't meant to be given serious thought. The show is treating myths and historical elements as game pieces to be moved at will into a particular episode if they will create more entertaining stories. Sometimes multiple myths will be combined. "Cradle of Hope" merges the story of a baby (who is remarkably similar to Moses) with the Pandora legend -- with Xena as the link. Sometimes the myths are re-written by simply adding Xena's influence. For instance, classical mythology tells that Hercules (Heracles) freed Prometheus from Mount Caucasus. In the world of Xena, however, we learn that Hercules had assistance from the warrior princess." There is a graphic of Renee O'Connor with caption: "Renee O'Connor with Sheryl Lee (top) and Tyler Noyes (bottom left) in the ABC TV movie 'Follow the River' (1995)" In the very short section called, "Mythological Adventures", it was stated that the mythology notes in the episode guide would "provide only a rough overview of some of those aspects of any given episode." The last part, which was un-subtitled, were notes about the episode guide. The writer first apologized for not assigning a rating to each episode. Apparently, the magazine does not individually rate episodes of fantasy shows. They state, however, "Most of these episodes would fall into the three-star (or "donut") category (see page 26)." Three stars on Page 26, stated: "Enjoyable and entertaining, particularly to a fan of the genre of show that may fall into this category; worth taping and keeping, although the writing is sometimes only average. Examples: Wild Palms, the 60s Batman, and the early Beverly Hills, 90210." I must admit I cringed at XWP being compared with WILD PALMS (which raised incoherency to an artform; XWP is far from being incoherent); the 60's BATMAN (which was pure camp; the campiness of XWP is not inflicted upon the viewer like it was in BATMAN, but is of a more mild, implied campiness); and the early BEVERLY HILLS, 90210 (I can't even think of anything that would compare between this show and XWP!). The point, though, SPECTRUM is making, was that XWP is a true cult treasure. This I have no disagreement with! The essay ended with the statement "because the end credits are presented in microscopic type (and thus presumably not meant to be seen or read -- much like the legalese at the bottom of car commercials), we are omitting listing those credits below. Third, we've tried to get the spellings accurate on the various characters, but we can't guarantee that we were completely successful on everyone. As mentioned in our editorial, we could not fit the entire feature in this issue. Following is part one of the episode guide. Part two will appear in Spectrum 6." The microscopic end credits are a pain in the proverbial rear end and cause much anguish amongst fans who need this information to obsess further about their love affair with the warrior princess. Luckily, the fans with BIG SCREEN TV's share this information with the smaller tv'ed fans periodically. Else, it would be even more painful. Why do the production people allow this travesty to go on? Obviously they are sadists. Commentary used parts of a transcription by Stacy Van Stipdonk. NO REPRINT OR EXCERPT: Back issues of SPECTRUM #5 can be purchased for $6.50 from Win-Mill Productions (Dept. S5), 1912 E. Timberview Lane, Arlington, TX 76014. [262] 05-01-96 SPECTRUM. Vol. 1 No. 5. Page 5. 1978 words. "The Xena Trilogy on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" COMMENTARY: This essay on the infamous Xena Trilogy (WARRIOR PRINCESS, THE GAUNTLET, and UNCHAINED HEART) presented the subject matter in the guise of an episode guide (this manner was repeated in the XWP first season episode guide which part one followed this article). The format was: name of the episode; list of the guest stars and the production staff; synopsis; notes on mythology; and commentary. THE WARRIOR PRINCESS (HTLJ #09) The summary was concise and related most of the main action without bothering with motivations or conjectures. In the mythology notes, the writer of the article reviewed briefly Hercules and Iolaus' place in Greek and Roman mythology, and noted that "We don't know of any Xena in classical mythology." The commentary bemoaned the fact that Xena's seduction of Iolaus was not "convincing for an instant. The lack of suspense removed any real drama from the episode." However, the article added, "All is not lost, however, as Xena proves to be a captivating outlaw." It further observed that it was Xena's tortured soul which was the compelling component of the story. "Although [Xena] does not remain a criminal for long, the success of the Xena series rests on the foundation that the audience believes she could be -- or, more accurately, that she could have been. The underlying darkness in her series (absent in the Hercules series) arises from Lawless's grim, tortured demeanor. She convinces the viewer that Xena is capable of atrocities, so the viewer can appreciate the struggle within herself to gain absolution." The commentary included a detailed analysis of Xena's murder of Estrogon as an example of Xena being "perfectly at ease with her own malevolence." The commentary concluded with a pondering of what Xena might be a princess of. (Later episodes would tell us that 'warrior princess' was a nomiker given to Xena by her adulating armies.) The graphics used were of Xena standing in her camp with the caption: "Xena's first appearance at the beginning of the Hercules episode titled 'The Warrior Princess'" and a posed picture of Hercules with the caption: "Kevin Sorbo as Hercules". THE GAUNTLET (HTLJ #12) The summary covered most of the major plot threads and added some humorous detail. The mythology notes were dedicated to the background of the character Salmoneus. The commentary began discussion about the high level of violence in the episode, especially where Xena walked the gauntlet. The writer also picked up on the "softening" of the character of Xena. The writer also cannily noticed the "won't kill women and children" credo which was introduced in THE GAUNTLET. He observed how although WARRIOR PRINCESS did not go against it, it was that the emphasis did not highlight the new code and also gave a rather different impression of the warrior princess. The author of the Spectrum article felt that the writers of the show used some artificial contrivances (and is this so shocking? XWP is basically one BIG artificial contrivance. The issue, in my opinion, is not that the writers of XWP periodically reduce themselves to artificial contrivances, but the fact that when they do, they do surprisingly well and relate them always to the ur-theme, one way or another, of the entire series). Quoting the writer of the screenplay and co-creator of XWP, John Schulian, the author observed the darkness of THE GAUNTLET. "The Gauntlet...was not consistent with the atmosphere of Hercules." The graphic consisted of a picture of the season premier newspaper advertisement for Xena and Hercules "#1 Action Is Back To Back!". The caption stated "Xena premiered alongside the second-season Hercules premiere in September 1995." UNCHAINED HEART (HTLJ #13) After a perfunctory synopsis (after writing enough synopses to appreciate the difficulty in doing so, I want to add that by calling it perfunctory is not an insult; I meant the synopsis is extremely adequate), and skipping any mythological observations, the author jumped into their disappointment of the conclusion of the trilogy in the comments section. The writer blamed "wretched sentimentality" for ruining it for him. Also, although he was greatly excited by the challenge of Xena and Hercules having to kill someone who is already dead, he was disappointed by the fact that no one, especially the viewer and including Xena and Hercules, really understood HOW Gragus and Darphus died. (To defend the episode, Hercules did mumble something about only evil being able to kill evil while he and Xena were fighting Gragus. I admit it wasn't the best of explanations, but at least an attempt was made.) The article ended on the writer's consistent disappointment in HTLJ's special effects. The writer noted that even network shows can have bad special effects (e.g. first two seasons of LOIS AND CLARK), but used M.A.N.T.I.S. as an example of excellent use of special effects. (It was not noted in the article but the Raimi-Tapert team of Renaissance Pictures was responsible for M.A.N.T.I.S). OVERVIEW These Spectrum articles have the historical privilege of being the first serious media reaction to XWP. The reviewer only saw the redemption theme of Xena as the only thing that really worked in the trilogy. He also observed that the acting skills of Kevin Sorbo and Lucy Lawless saved the trilogy from becoming unbearable. The trilogy did have its problems. First of all, three different Xenas were presented in each of the episodes. Ms. Lawless coped well, but the audience easily could have problems with this. Second, HTLJ as a show was still in its infancy. It is difficult to raise a show, but the HTLJ almost had twins! HERCULES started as a movie series in 04/25/94. Almost nine months later, it premiered as a series on 01/16/95. Xena was introduced in the series less than two months later 03/13/95. By the time the trilogy was resumed, 05/01/96, less than two months later, the decision to make it a series had been finalized and pre=production had started. A little over four months later, SINS OF THE PATH was aired as XWP's first episode on 09/04/95. There had been only 13 HERCULES shows aired by the time XWP started. The producers were clearly working overtime on these projects and were no doubt running on fumes for a while. Transcription by Stacy Van Stipdonk. EXCERPT: THE WARRIOR PRINCESS [Hercules: The Legendary Journeys]... ...COMMENTS: The main idea of the story -- to turn Iolaus against Hercules -- isn't convincing for an instant. The lack of suspense removes any real drama from the episode. All is not lost, however, as Xena proves to be a captivating outlaw. Although she does not remain a criminal for long, the success of the Xena series rests on the foundation that the audience believes she could be -- or, more accurately, that she could have been. The underlying darkness in her series (absent in the Hercules series) arises from Lawless's grim, tortured demeanor. She convinces the viewer that Xena is capable of atrocities, so the viewer can appreciate the struggle within herself to gain absolution. This capacity for evil is unsuccessful in the seduction of Iolaus -- as previously mentioned, that is never convincing. A few other scenes, however, work wonderfully in capturing her despicable character. The best is her cold-blooded murder of Estrogon. It succeeds well on several levels. First, it reveals the extent of her brutality. Second, it's performed with a cool weapon, her chakram (a Frisbee-like disc with a hole in the center). Third, the director's staging of the event is perfect. Finally, it concludes with a shot of Xena, calmly standing, but with a face full of rage. Subtly, the shot presents a psychological portrait of Xena: perfectly at ease with her own malevolence. It's no surprise the writers brought Xena back. Clearly, much could be done to utilize Lawless's great portrayal of an interesting character. The episode never addresses one important question: of what is Xena princess? Arcadia? She seems to be more of a wandering renegade who has assembled a group of men to follow her.... ...THE GAUNTLET [Hercules: The Legendary Journeys]... ...COMMENTS: Pretty violent stuff -- would the show be more extensively edited if it were on a major network instead of syndication? The battle scenes are intense, but even more so the Gauntlet sequence -- perhaps in part because it's a woman being attacked. This episode muddies the portrait of Xena's personality and psychology; already there's a softening taking place. Her early admonition -- they are "warriors, not barbarians" -- seems like a distinction without a difference, given the context. The prohibition against killing women and children doesn't conflict with her earlier appearance, although the emphasis here gives viewers a considerably different impression of Xena from what was portrayed in "The Warrior Princess" (where she could have held those beliefs, but they weren't emphasized). Why didn't Xena accompany Hercules to Parthus? Their separation seems to have been written merely to create some (very) artificial suspense and to give her a "dramatic" re-entrance. This episode's tone is quite different from the usual Hercules fare much darker and more violent. Here, the Xena tone takes over. Writer John Schulian told Starlog that this episode was "a little too dark .... [in] Hercules ... there is violence, but it's ail done in a way that doesn't make you cringe." "The Gauntlet" episode, he continued, was not consistent with the atmosphere of Hercules.... UNCHAINED HEART [Hercules: The Legendary Journeys]... ...COMMENTS: Part three of the "Xena Trilogy" comes to a disappointing and muddled conclusion. The Hercules/Xena love plot is okay and a reasonable extension of past events, but a couple of times the staging of the scenes approaches (perhaps attains) wretched sentimentality (i.e. when Iolaus comes upon the two after he returns from a scouting expedition). Fortunately, the strength of Sorbo and Lawless as actors saves many scenes that would have been unwatchable with lesser performers. When that's not going on, the writers have to figure out how Hercules and Xena are going to kill an enemy who's already dead. The idea of such a battle is interesting. Unfortunately, the conclusion falls flat. Gragus eats Darphus and bursts into flames. Why? Even the characters watching the event have no explanations reflection, we believe, of the thinking of the episode's writers. Hercules has often been plagued with bad special effects, and Gragus is no exception. Quality effects are always difficult on a television budget, and even more so on a syndicated series budget. The effects on the first two years of ABC's Lois & Clark were awful and only started to improve in the third season. Yet the work on Fox's M.A.N.T.I.S. was much better. We aren't expecting (or even asking for) Terminator 2-like effects on Hercules, though we hope the effects team are striving for better work than this episode portrays. [263] 05-01-96 SPECTRUM. Vol. 1 No. 5. Page 6. 5949 words. "Xena: Warrior Princess Episode Guide" COMMENTARY: Guide to episodes 1 through 10. Part 1 of two parts. Discussed each episode separately and included comments about mythology. The episode guide provided a short production and guest star summary; a complete synopsis; a note on myths where relevant; commentary on the episode; and end-credit disclaimers where applicable. 1. SINS OF THE PAST The synopsis section quoted the following lines of dialogue: Gabrielle describing Perdicas as "dull and stupid". Xena's mother saying that Xena had brought "shame and sorrow" to her. Draco asking Xena, "Celebrate your dark side; ride with me." In retrospect the selection of these lines was quite canny. We now know the fate of Perdicas, from his subsequent escape from Poteidaia, through his change of heart in fighting for the Trojans at Troy (not to mention the finding of a new body), through his disillusionment with war and warriors, and finally to his brief marriage to Gabrielle and senseless death at the hands of Callisto (the Perdicas episodes being: SINS OF THE PAST (#01), BEWARE GREEKS BEARING GIFTS (#12), and RETURN OF CALLISTO (#29)). We also know more about the depth of pain that Xena carries because of the shame and sorrow she brought to her mother. That was made evident in the episode REMEMBER NOTHING (#26). Finally, Xena's inner battle with her dark side is what fuels the entire series. The mythology note noticed that there was no Gabrielle in classical mythology and also pointed out the name was neither Greek nor Roman. FYI, the name Gabrielle is a feminized version of the ancient Hebrew name Gabriel. This may have significance along with the fact that Xena had contact with ancient Hebrews (ROYAL COUPLE OF THIEVES (#17), ALTARED STATES (#19), and GIANT KILLER (#27)). The commentary criticized SINS for being more like HTLJ than the later darker XWP. I believe the reviewer picked up on the similar feel that SINS had with THE GAUNTLET (HTLJ #12), but was confused because the grittiness and brutality of THE GAUNTLET was less infected by the internal comedy relief of Salmoneus, than SINS was by its cyclops encounters and the introduction of Gabrielle. 2. CHARIOTS OF WAR The Synopsis section quoted the following lines of dialogue: Gabrielle, describing Xena to Sphaerus: "Maybe you've seen her? Six feet tall, dark hair, lots of leather; she fights like the harpies in a bad mood." No mythology notes were given. The commentary focused on (1) the arrow removal scene; (2) a conjecture that the episode's message was "peace through strength"; (3) the wimpiness of both Darius and Sphaerus; and (4) some of Gabrielle's better lines. 3. DREAMWORKER The synopsis section quoted the following lines of dialogue: Morpheus' high priest describing Gabrielle: there's a "fire about her," but she doesn't "stain herself with blood". The Blind mystic tells Xena that Gabrielle will be forced to lose her "blood innocence", and that Xena must use a "dream passage" to rescue Gabrielle. The Mythology notes mentioned that Morpheus was the God of Dreams. The reviewer called DREAMWORKER the "quintessential Xena episode." I cannot help but agree. Also, the later episodes of REMEMBER NOTHING (#26), RETURN OF CALLISTO (#29), and INTIMATE STRANGER (#31) added greatly to the themes developed in this early episode. 4. CRADLE OF HOPE The synopsis section quoted the following lines of dialogue: Gabrielle after finding the baby: "Xena, can we keep him?" The Myth notes found the show's disregard for consistency or unified continuity amusing. It reviewed the Pandora myth (with an editorial note that "none of [it] makes much sense, even on a symbolic level") and criticized the episode for the ending joke that there was nothing in Pandora's box to begin with. The commentary focused on (1) the threading of various myths in the episode; and (2) the appearance of another wimpy sensitive man (the King). The writer also marveled over Xena's hands of steel when she caught Nemos' sword with her bare hands. Ouch! The writer mentioned that Xena repeated this feat in THE BLACK WOLF (#11). CRADLE OF HOPE (#04) was also the first episode with those "weird disclaimers that often appear during the end credits". 5. THE PATH NOT TAKEN The Myth note explored the historical Mezentius, who was a king of the Etruscans. The commentary noted that CRADLE OF HOPE (#04) and THE PATH NOT TAKEN (#05) were related plot wise. The episode made the reviewer wonder where Xena got her money! 6. THE RECKONING The mythology notes stated, "Ares, the Greek god of war, is the half-brother of Hercules. (Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera; Hercules is the son of Zeus and Alcmena.)" The commentary noted a change in the presentation of men in the show and discussed the strong allusions in the episode to the temptation of Christ. The reviewer concluded that "On the other hand, this parallel (and others) should not be over-emphasized or over-analyzed. Xena is certainly not an allegory, and we doubt that it employs, or even attempts, symbolism. The writers simply pull story elements from a wide variety of sources for whatever occasion suits their needs." In XMR I wrote an editorial in XMR #12 (June 21, 1996) which took exception to the comment, "Xena is certainly not an allegory". I have rewritten it in part below. XENA AS ALLEGORY I finally got a copy of the May 1996 issue of SPECTRUM (#05), which contains the first part of an episode guide (episodes 1 through 10) and a seasonal review of XWP. It is a wonderful effort and I applaud an "off-Broadway" journal for beating CINEFANTASTIQUE and SCI-FI UNIVERSE to the punch of putting together an episode by episode review and analysis of XWP. Much thought and care to detail went into the production and some very good issues were raised. I feel somewhat disappointed that WHOOSH! did not beat SPECTRUM as the first journal to present XWP as an artwork worthy of such analysis, but I am also heartened knowing that WHOOSH! will devote it's whole being to XWP and not just ten pages out of forty. In the analysis for THE RECKONING (where that wild and crazy god Ares attempted to seduce Xena back to the dark side while Xena was being tortured and put on trial for murders she did not commit) Craig Miller (the editor, writer, and publisher of SPECTRUM) wrote: "Just as 'Cradle of Hope' seems partially inspired by the story of Moses in the Old Testament, 'The Reckoning' brings to mind the incident in the New Testament where Satan tempts a weakened Christ. This parallel might seem like a bit of a stretch, although Robert Tapert told SCI-FI ENTERTAINMENT, 'For both shows [Hercules and Xena], we'll start to raise a few stories from the Bible.' On the other hand, this parallel (and others) should not be over-emphasized or over-analyzed. Xena is certainly not an allegory, and we doubt that it employs, or even attempts, symbolism. The writers simply pull story elements from a wide variety of sources for whatever occasion suits their needs." There are several issues raised by this paragraph I should like to discuss. First. The theme of temptation is firmly established in our literary traditions. Its historical antecedents include not only Christ's temptation but also is found in our own time in STAR WARS, westerns, and many other popular artforms. It easily joins in with the themes of redemption and the hero's quest, which are also themes found in great supply in XWP. Many of the themes found in the Bible are found in earlier tales and, or course, later ones. These themes are used in the art of storytelling. The story-teller uses themes as tools to weave their craft. Thus, it is not really that much of a stretch to read the episode as an essay in temptation. Ares uses a variety of techniques to convince Xena to join him as his Queen. That he would go to that much trouble clearly establishes that temptation is a major focus, if not THE focus, of this episode. Since the anticipated audience for this episode would be primarily western Christian, it does not take a rocket scientist to make the connections between this episode and the other great tales of temptation in our past. The Temptation of Christ is a major theme in the art of western civilization. However, Christ's temptation was of a lower force trying to bring down a higher force. Xena's was higher force trying to manipulate a mere mortal. Christ was a spiritual truth that Satan wanted to test and eventually break so that Christ would fail on His mission. The temptation of Xena by Ares had more of a sexual context than spiritual one, although the spiritual aspects cannot be denied. Furthermore, Xena was not at that time a "Christ figure". She was a reformed violent and evil warlord. She had "found the path to good" and was warily treading it. Ares wanted her back. Satan did not want Christ back, Satan wanted Christ to fail. Ares tested Xena's resolve, and Xena as a mortal, was very susceptible. Whereas Satan was doomed to fail by definition; Xena had no such definition. She could fail and Ares knew it. That added to the overall drama of Xena's quest. She could fail and she indeed did so a couple of times (THE RECKONING (#06) and TIES THAT BIND (#20)); luckily for the show however, Gabrielle (Xena's current moral compass) was the agent of her return to the proper path. Second. Such parallels seem to abound in XWP. The writers and the producers are very canny people. They have made a very intelligent parody that has a firm foundation in many themes exalted by western and eastern civilizations. The fact that XWP can be analyzed in progressively deeper levels (as is being discovered on several of the mailing lists about XWP) demonstrates that there are things in it worthy of analysis. Things which perhaps are capable of surviving over-emphasis or over-analysis (well, I hope so!!). Third. XWP is an allegory. An allegory is "a literary, dramatic, or pictorial device in which each character, object, and event symbolically illustrates an idea or moral or religious principle." (from Webster's). XWP is not an allegory as perhaps Dante's Inferno is (which, to give Mr. Miller a reasonable doubt, I shall assume this is what he meant by saying XWP is not an allegory). Of course not, because XWP is a television show which must make money and entertain at the same time. It also gets made weekly with a possibility of continuing another year if it's lucky. It is not written by one person, it is not guided by one creative power, and it is not likely to be completely self- consistent. However, there are classic themes involved in the story-telling in Xena. These are great themes found in all literature and all stories of all cultures on earth (and even in Klingon opera!): redemption; temptation; loyalties of friendship; the hero's quest; moral battles; family duties; and, tests and difficulties, to name a few. These themes are played out through characters, objects and events in XWP. It happens with such a great frequency that one can only conclude that the writers and producers are aware of this and are cultivating it (hmmm, sounds like a conspiracy to me! Quick call Oliver Stone!). Fourth. XWP not only utilizes symbolism, but in fact embraces it. Perhaps given the inspiration of the fuzzy pre-classical Greek timeframe, the show reaps symbols from all over the world from ancient times to the present. The show is a cultural moshpit: racially diverse cast; Asian marital arts; middle eastern weapons; Southern California accents; popular culture references; use of American slang; European medieval clothing; permed hairstyles; anachronistic set design; etc. Through all this confusion, the use of symbolism and allegory have become one of the most important unifying devices of the show. All of this is too prevalent. This prevalence is evidence that it is being done purposely and is being developed and cultivated. I would say this is strong evidence that the writers and producers not only are attempting symbolism, but that they are successful at it. Fifth. True, "the writers simply pull story elements from a wide variety of sources for whatever occasion suits their needs." On a level which is concerned with the integrity of the individual story elements, that is true. However, one must ask what are the writers' needs? How do they use these elements? Do they produce something which is unique to that episode? Or do they try to build on something that has already been started? Do they employ the devices of symbolism and allegory? Do they hearkened back to a previous tradition or allude to a moral theme? Do they implement macro-themes or micro-themes? Is the macro-theme an allegory? Is the micro-theme a symbol? I obviously disagree with Mr. Miller's observation that XWP is not an allegory or that it attempts to use symbolism. XWP is a very witty and canny television show. It is also campy and silly. However, many of the underlying themes and continuing plots employed by the show are indeed expressed through allegory and symbolism. ================== cut here ================== Continued in Part 4