Well, T & I have been hard at work on this Xena script. We realized we hadn't watched Xena seasons 4, 5 & 6 much at all after the series ended. We knew 1, 2 & 3 like the backs of our hands, but beyond that things got hazy. So, we are re-watching the entire series & just made it to the end of season 4. Oh! Season 4. I remember it like it was yesterday. They teased the fans the entire season with a premonition Xena had of her & Gabrielle being crucified. Watching it again still made me nervous, even though I knew what was coming.
That's where we left off last night. Xena & Gabby hanging on crosses. Xena's spirit comes out of her body & lifts Gabrielle's spirit from hers, a bright flash of light & credits!
Two seasons to go.
You know, this was an amazingly written show. It was nominated for & won many awards, from ASCAP awards to GLAAD awards. It even took home an Emmy. If you are into editing, Xena is probably one of the best television show ever to study. Their editing was pretty flawless. You never notice when we change from Lucy lawless to Zoe Bell & back. Did you know the head costume designer for Xena, Ngila Dickson, went on from Xena to win an Oscar for the Lord of the Rings Costume Design? There were so many talented people connected to this campy, yet deep little fantasy show. If you didn't take the 6 year journey with these characters, you should. Episode by episode. Sure, there are a few turkeys, but it is well worth it. It will change you.
The episodes have really held up. It's not like Wonder Woman or Buck Rogers or even the A-Team. I love those shows, but man, they are really cheesy & dated. Xena however isn't. It helps that it was set in an ancient time. The things Xena & Gabrielle deal with are issues everyone deals with, so that is what helps it hold up so well. Xena & Gabrielle deal with things like trying to figure out what path in life to take & how to know if you are on the right path. It deals with faith & how we shouldn't depend on any deity as opposed to relying on ourselves & our friends. It shows us that no one is perfect, but we all have the ability to be the best person we can be, no matter who we have been. It also deals with that deep connection to another soul that we are all either searching for or have found. These things never change, despite the times.
It's hard, but so much fun, picking these characters apart. What motivates them, moves them, stirs them. Because we are looking at them so hard, T & I are seeing things we never did before. Not to mention seeing how far we have come from where we were when we watched these the first time around. It's an amazing process. Trying to take characters you love & stop being just a fan & start being a writer. To write what the character would do & not what you want the character to do. We have a great plot so far. The hardest part, in my opinion, is going to be summing up the series in the first 15 to 20 minutes of the film script & then having a real convincing reason for Xena to return to the land of the living. Or for Gabrielle to die. We are determined to do this. We are doing this.
If you haven't yet, please go "LIKE" the Facebook Page Xena 2011 Movie Campaign.
Oh, and one more thing. Guess who has a 2012 calendar coming out? Xena. Yep. Makes you wonder what's up. There hasn't been an officially licensed calendar since 2002. Could this be a fresh new marketing push? Let's hope so.
It is really great re-watching the series from beginning to end, no commercials. I remembered the writing being good, but it is actually way more amazing than I thought. It's funny to me that most people who caught the show (ie. weren't fans, but didn't change the channel either), blow it off as just a silly show. When in all actuality, the series in it's entirety was quite deep and very touching. And a little campy fighting moves never hurt the Asian movie market any. ;)
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