Xena: Warrior Podcast

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, what’s past is present. Vera, Katie, and Livy take on the imperfect but hugely ambitious 4x09 “Past Imperfect.” We discuss this episode’s complex, emotionally ambiguous treatment of Xena and Borias, its introduction of another interesting(...ish) female villain, and its dense web of intratextual referencing, including the production’s unprecedented decision to reshoot a complete scene from “Orphan of War.” Plus: why we love Gabrielle’s angry voice, Satrina’s! hilarious! monologuing!, our new fave ship Boreipus, our least favorite plot device the Ixion Stone, and Katie’s new lock screen. RIP Borias!    The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, convert or die! Vera, Katie, and Livy worship at the feet of 4x08 “Crusader,” which introduces one of the show’s most fascinating antagonists. We discuss Najara as this episode’s point-of-view character, her many intriguing parallels with Callisto, and her role as a quasi-Joan of Arc, who for some reason the late-Nineties was totally obsessed with (The Messenger RULEZ). Plus: the problematic (coin!) novelty of seeing two women fight over ownership of a third, Gabrielle’s heart eyes, Najara Queen of Sick Burns, the glorious return of Vera’s favorite goon Theodorus, and Xena’s good chewing tooth. Also the greatest mystery of all: where the fuck were those swans?     The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLiv

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we’re singing the Shark Island Prison Blues. Vera, Katie, and Livy are sentenced to watch 4x07 “Locked Up and Tied Down,” the eleventh-best episode of all time! We discuss the continuing awesomeness of director Rick Jacobson the slo-mo king (long may he reign!), why Xena’s scripts sometimes explain too much, and this ep’s elaboration on some of the most important Xena themes: redemption, rehabilitation, and justice. Plus: meet Thalassa, a.k.a. Crabs Woman, who has the distinction of being Gabrielle’s first Girlfriend of the Week (Crabs and Gabs!), ableism and villainy, Xena’s unflattering prison rags, and rats, why is it always rats? The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchi

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, move your body! Join dancing queens Vera, Katie, and Livy as we sashay our way through 4x06 “A Tale of Two Muses,” XWP’s joyous homage to the 80’s classic, ‘Footloose.’ We discuss the episode’s playful political satire as it takes on social conservatism, censorship, repressive religious regimes, and corrupt authoritarians -- all explored through the medium of dance. Dance? DANCE! Plus: the return of Tara and Tara’s terrible wig, Autolycus dressed as a beekeeping Victorian ghost, Gabrielle the Riverdancing rebel, and Lucy Lawless cutting very, very loose. The funky chicken, seriously?!?!    The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, make love not war! Vera, Katie, and Livy don their best battle armor and take on 4x05 “A Good Day,” the most fiercely anti-war episode to date and the continuation of the series-long arc charting Gabrielle’s relationship with violence. We debate questions such as, who has the bigger dick, Caesar or Pompey (correct answer: Xena), how much of Xena’s planning is driven by her obsession with Caesar (correct answer: A LOT), and the ultimate, did Gabrielle miss her javelin throw by accident or on purpose (correct answer: ???). Plus: double arm grabs, the Lady with many names, and our new fave director, Rick Jacobson, is crowned King of Slo-Mo after that glorious fire montage. Rick! Rick! Rick! The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetoc

The laughter is contagious this week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! Vera, Katie, and Livy suffer through the gross-out extravaganza, 4x04 “In Sickness and in Hell.” We discuss the transgressiveness of writing poop jokes about ladies, this episode’s undercutting of Xena and Gabrielle’s heroism, the progression of Xena’s crazy hair, Gabs’s scene-stealing contortions, and why you should never ever travel back in time. Plus: foot rot, talking lice, peeling skin, the runs, numb tongue, peeling skin, goat poo, Nargo, more peeling skin, lord help us so much peeling skin!    The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, prepare to encounter the scariest thing in the world: a family reunion. Vera, Katie, and Livy are going home for 4x03 “A Family Affair.” Half domestic drama, half gothic horror, this episode has everything, including not one but two Xena/Gabrielle reunions! We discuss the horror films that inspired this ep, the importance of sympathizing with the monster, the many layers of subtext in Xena’s relationship with Gabrielle’s parents, and the Oedipal triangle of Gabrielle, Hope, and lil baby Destroyer. Plus: Gabs’s hospice hair, Xena’s new clip, and pinwheels galore! The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, flip right out of your bodies and join us in the spirit plane! Vera, Katie, and Livy continue their visit with the Northern Amazons in 4x02 “Adventures in the Sin Trade, Part 2.” We discuss the stylistic and tonal shifts that hinder this episode from matching the badassery of “Part 1,” namely the unintentionally hilarious kung-fu face-offs, nonstop dance-chants, and worst of all, SPIDER GABS. But who cares about any of that when the episode contains two minutes of transcendence in the form of Xena’s crucifixion vision! Xena and Gabrielle staring at each other with the eyes that they have!!! How does that make you feel? Gooooooood. The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive.

Descend with us into the Amazon Land of the Dead on this week’s XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! Vera, Katie, and Livy embark on 4x01 “Adventures in the Sin Trade, Part 1.” Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with your vision; that's just the glorious return of director T.J. Scott! In the “Sin Trades” he gets the perfect showcase for his fever-dream aesthetic, as Xena journeys inward, outward, into the past, and eventually, into the future. We discuss this episode’s challenging nonlinear structure, the visuals so dissolve-heavy it's like one 42-minute-long montage, the immersive soundscape that includes the best-ever use of ROC’s patented soft voice™, the debt the Amazon mythology owes to Siberian Shamanism, Hades and the annoying bureaucracy of death, new villain Alti as the Anti-Lao Ma, WTF is up with Anokin, Lucy Lawless’s bone structure, Lucy Lawless’s chanting, Lucy Lawless’s eyes, Lucy Lawless’s cry-faces, Lucy Lawless’s fearlessness, Lucy Lawless’s everything. In conclusion, LUCY LAWLESS!!!1

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, Vera, Katie, and Livy are still processing all the intense emotions from the end of S3, so to let off some steam, we’re having a party podcast where we... open our mail. (We really know how to par-tay!) It’s another installment of our Hermes Mailbag series! And yes, it’s still called that, and, as always, it’s fashionable and full of great Q’s. This time around, topics include: favorite and least favorite S3 moments, who was more to blame for the Rift, Supercorp, serialized storytelling vs. standalones, and Vera’s three pitches for a Callisto TV show!    The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we are DIIIIISSAAAAPPOINTED, because we're watching two episodes of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. In this special Patron-funded episode, we discuss the Herc/Xena crossover two-parter "Armageddon Now," lamenting the fact that this key Callisto storyline had to happen on Hercules of all places. We talk about everything traumatizing that happens in Cirra, Callisto the Terminator, and how amazing it would have been if Xena and Gabrielle had followed her into the past. Then the main event: Xena the Conqueror. We break down all of the amazing lewks and talk about the scene that launched a whole genre of darkfic. The moral of this story is: stay out of barns, people!  The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLi

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, no more living for you! Vera, Katie, and Livy are dying from the drama of 3x22 "Sacrifice Part 2," the final plunge in Season 3’s wrenching rollercoaster. We discuss Callisto's last hurrah, Renée O’Connor’s tour de force double performance and silky hair, Hope's tantalizing glimmer of humanity, and the moving conversation between Xena and Gabrielle that puts a punctuation mark on the Rift. Plus: we talk for over half-an-hour about this episode's devastating final two minutes, because they are EVERYTHING. The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

Burst out of your flesh cocoon and witness this week’s XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! Vera, Katie, and Livy have reached 3x21 “Sacrifice Part 1,” the first half of the epic season finale. We discuss this episode’s busy synthesis of Season 3’s many plot threads, with Dahak, Hope, Callisto, Ares, the Rift, and the kitchen sink all in the mix. Plus there’s Gabrielle’s bad angel, Seraphin, a funhouse mirror version of who she could have been; Callisto discovers nihilism (yay?); the reason gods are so susceptible to avalanches; the symbolic importance of zombie!Gabs; and the real star of the show, HOPE’S EYEBROWS.    The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

All hail the King of Thieves this week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! Vera, Katie, and Livy watch an Autolycus double feature, because double the Bruce Campbell is never a bad thing. First we discuss 3x19 “Tsunami,” Xena’s tense, breathless take on a disaster movie, which features many excellent examples of sexy wetness, some questionable underwater science, and a whopper of a dead-Gabs fakeout. Then it’s on to 3x20 “Vanishing Act,” a featherweight ep that is really just an excuse for Autolycus and company to don a variety of silly, oftentimes cringe-worthy disguises. We still love ya, Auto baby!!! The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, she saved the world a lot. No, not Xena...though she saved it too (she saved it FIRST)! But in this special episode of the podcast, Vera, Katie, and Livy are taking a break from our regular schedule to analyze the hell(mouth) out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer! We mention Buffy all the time, so we felt a free-wheeling discussion of all things related to the vampire slayer and her Sunnydale crew was long overdue. We talk about our histories with the show, how our relationships with it have evolved over time, and how Buffy has changed the way we watch television. Plus: our favorite characters, episodes, Big Bads, and fab 90’s lewks! We wear the cheese, it does not wear us! The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@Ponderou

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we’re going fishing! Vera, Katie, and Livy hang out by the lake with 3x18 “Fins, Femmes & Gems,” a frothy farce that also functions as…an advertisement for DeBeers? We discuss what could have been before the last-minute rewrites, subtext becoming text, director Josh Becker’s spilling of tea, and Rob Tapert’s perplexing love affair with comedies about fishing. Plus: hot takes on why Xena is mostly unaffected by Aphrodite’s spell (she's hardcore obsessed with fishing anyway!), Gabrielle reminding Xena of Lyceus (a little creepy?) and Joxer the Ape-man (somebody really needs to teach this boy about consent!). A diamond is forever! The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive

You’re lime green jello and you can’t even admit it to yourself in this week’s XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! Vera, Katie, and Livy go up against the green-eyed monster in 3x17 “Forget Me Not,” an ingenious clip show that is actually an intimate character study, re-examining what came before as a way of cunningly pushing the plot forward. We discuss Gabrielle’s painful revelation and the acting breakthrough it represents for Renée O’Connor; the symbol-heavy spirit quest that links this episode back to “The Bitter Suite”; Ares as a manifestation of Gabrielle’s guilt, denial, and dark sexual energy; Joxer the Creepster; the River of Whoa; Gabrielle’s hero’s journey; and whether the actress playing the Priestess of Mnemosyne might be an actual oracle. MEEEEMORIIIIIES!  The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Ver

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, all roads lead to Rome! Vera, Katie, and Livy take on the Triumvirate in 3x16 “When in Rome…”, an epic sequel to “Destiny” that introduces us to a new place, culture, and several significant new characters, all while putting Xena and Gabrielle through the emotional wringer. (Mmm, just how we like it!) We discuss the evolution of the relationship between Xena and Caesar, how amazing Xena looks in Roman finery (always a GOOD LEWK for Lucy Lawless), the vast quantities of fruit everybody seems to eat in Rome, Pompey the Bro, Vercinix the Hot, and finally the HUGE decision Gabrielle makes and the complicating feelings surrounding it. If you liked it, you should have put a ring on it!   The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Li

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we’re here to protect wimps and kick the crap out of jerks! Vera, Katie, and Livy are talking about the sweet, thematically rich post-Rift episode 3x14 “Forgiven,” in which baby Shiri Appleby sports a horrible mullet and bites off Gabrielle’s ear and yet still somehow manages to be lovable. We discuss whether young sidekicks are important audience surrogates or just plain annoying, Gabs as the bad cop, Xena’s mysterious punk phase, the difference between telling and showing, and the many paths to forgiveness. Speaking of forgiveness, 3x15 “King Con” needs a lot of it, because it is very bad and very heterosexual. We chat about the Bechdel Test, Gabrielle’s hobbling, how much punishment does it take for us to care about Joxer, and Lucy Lawless’s open-mouthed kissing style. (Hey, It’s still better than “Ulysses.”) The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarri

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, things are getting sweaty! Vera, Katie, and Livy are swooning over 3x13 “One Against an Army,” the sweetly intimate semi-conclusion to the Rift arc. In this episode, things go from bad to worse as Gabs sprains her ankle and then gets poison-arrowed! The result is a hurt/comfort extravaganza, and we talk all about this trope’s history in fanfiction, why it’s so appealing, and the important truths it exposes about Xena, Gabrielle, and their relationship (omg Xena is the little spoon!?). This ep has a Significant Theme, movingly depicting the struggle between the characters’ personal feels (SO personal, SO MANY feels) and their commitment to the greater good. Plus: the lewks, the faces, the touches, the tears, Xena’s Home Alone-style booby traps, Gabrielle the oracle, and did we mention everyone is very, very sweaty? The power, the passion, the podcast! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast  iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawar