So, coming in at #1 - "Sins of the Past" The first episode EVER! Why? Lots of reasons. Xena meets Gabrielle being the best reason. Now to be honest, I could not stand Gabrielle until the end of the first season. I thought Xena was tough enough to not need a side kick or anyone for that matter. I also thought I was the same way. I was wrong on both counts.
#2 - "When the Fates Collide" Season 6 - episode 18. Holy crap what an amazing beautiful script Katherine Fugate wrote. She only wrote this one episode for the entire series, but it was absolutely breathtaking. It is also mirrors how I feel about T. It wouldn't matter where we were or how we got there, we still would have found each other. We're soul mates.
#3 - "The Rheingold" part 1 of "The Ring" trilogy. Season 6 episode 7. OMG! Xena goes Norse & does a retelling of Beowulf & Sleeping Beauty. Two of my favorite stories of all time intertwined with the best show ever! How could I not love this? And Xena as a Valkyrie? C'mon...AWESOME!
#4 - "The Ring" part 2 of "The Ring" trilogy. Season 6 episode 8. OMG! More! No, wait! Xena don't put that ring on! OMG!
#5 - "Return of the Valkyrie" part 3 of "The Ring" trilogy. Season 6 episode 9. What!? What the What!? One year later!? OMG! What's happened to Gabrielle!? More importantly, what's happened to XENA!? Holy crap Xena's going to full on kiss Gabrielle! OMG!
#6 - "One Against an Army" Season 3 episode 13. Best Xena fight scene EVER! One of the absolutely most touching heartfelt Gabrielle/Xena moments of the entire series.
#7 - "A Day In the Life" Season 2 Episode 15. Absolutely HI-larious. So many great one liners. Directed by Michael Hurst (the guy that played Hercules' sidekick Iolaus.
#8 - "Remember Nothing" Season 2 Episode 2. We get to meet Xena's brother Lyceus. It makes me miss my brother. He's the awesomest! Also, we get to see that Xena isn't really to blame for what happened 10 years into her past.
#9 - "The Bitter Suite" Season 3 Episode 12. How better to fix a rift between our two characters than with a good old fashioned Musical? Lucy Lawless sings & so does Kevin Smith, but everyone else is dubbed over by pros. Joss Whedon loved it so much he copied it in Buffy.
#10 - "Adventures in the Sin Trade I" - Season 4 Episode 1. Northern Amazons. Cyane. Alti. Xena's dark past. Borias. Yummy Borias. My Favorite Xena outfit.
#11 - "Adventures in the Sin Trade II" - The vision Xena has that will tease us for the rest of Season 4. Or haunt. It still gives me the chills every time the music starts & we see that little vision.
#12 - "Devi" Season 4 Episode 14 - Xena & Gab in India. India has their own set of unique & awesome gods! We run into an important new character named Eli.
#13 - "Between the Lines" Season 4 Episode 15 - More Xena & Gab in India. The Mehndi. Souls intertwined. The return of Alti. Future lives. That damned vision again. This episode really should probably be in my top 5. It's so hard to decide!
#14 - "You Are There" Season 6 Episode 13 - Michael Hurst directs again. Remember "Day in the Life"? Yeah, this one is just as good. The ending is priceless.
#15 - "Many Happy Returns" Season 6 Episode 19 - The last fun & carefree episode before the end. It really has a season 2 or three feel to it but with the quality of season 6. It was originally going to be another musical episode, but they didn't quite have the funds to pull it off. The gift Xena gives Gabrielle & the way the two actors play their parts right here makes me cry every time. It's so incredibly sweet & romantic.
Crap...I'm already to 15!?
I didn't even get to "The Ides of March" or "Fallen Angel" or "Destiny" or "The Quest". All such good episodes.
And what about "The Crusader" or "A Good Day" or "In Sickness & In Hell" or "Paradise Found" or "The Way".
Not to mention, the absolute great Raimi-esque episode "The Haunting of Amphipolis" or the painful "Who's Gurkhan"?
The touching moment in "The Abyss" when Gabrielle thinks she's dying is worth a mention.
The awesome 1940's episode "The Xena Scrolls" is so much fun.
The scene in "Blind Faith" where Gabrielle puts Egyptian Senna in Xena's eyes is so precious.
"The Lost Mariner" guest starring Tony Todd is fun!
"The Greater Good" & "Is There a Doctor" make me cry.
The ones that made me laugh so much, like "The Quill is Mightier", "Femmes, Fems, & Gems", "Warrior... Priestess... Tramp", & "A Tale of Two Muses"!
What about the attempt by Gabrielle to domesticate Xena in "Kindred Spirits" or the fun of "Old Ares Had a Farm", where Xena seems pretty comfortable & shares little special moments & memories with Gabby?
The introduction to Xena's grown-up daughter in "Livia" then "Eve" and "Motherhood"?
There's a reason this is my favorite TV series EVER. There are so many great episodes.
Even "Friend In Need I & II" are beautifully done. I never thought I would say that. When Xena is hacking & slashing her way through men with arrows sticking out of her & screaming Gabrielle's name...wow, it gets me.
So, there you have it. My top 15. Maybe my next post should be my top 10 worst Xena episodes. I'm not sure there were 10. Well, Season 5. That entire Season was pretty damn bad until the last 5 or 6 episodes.
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