My Top 15 Favorite Xena Episodes

Yes. Top 15, because it's impossible to pick 10. Mostly due to trilogy episode arcs. Besides, 15 is my favorite number.

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.

New Gauntlets & Fighting Through

Writing is tough. Writing is hard. Writing takes a whole mess of energy. Writing is scary. Writing is exciting. Writing is jumping into the vastness of the universe & going with it. Writing is letting go of control & letting creativity control you. Writing is something I can do & T can do better.
It's something that ANYONE can do, but the above mentioned things are reasons people don't.

The Xena finale really made it hard to keep going. There was the realization that what we had come up with wasn't working now. We panicked. We felt lost. We almost gave up. Then we got over it. Mostly because we had to. T made a commitment for class. So we watched the first episode again.



We kept thinking about the show. Talking about it. What we loved & what it meant to us. Then we realized that it meant many of the same things to everyone else. The campy fun of it, the deep serious moments, the incredible things that that team were able to put on the small screen that had never been done before & honestly, haven't been done since. The love. Oh, yeah, the love! That's why we wanted to do it! It made us laugh & cry & touched us to the very core of our being.

Then our 2nd official Xena Prop came in the mail. A pair of screen used gauntlets from the episode "Remember Nothing". Perfect timing.



See this pic below? See the baddies gauntlets? Yep, that's them. Cool.



See that dude (Maphias) helping Xena in the pic below? See his gauntlets? Yep, same ones! So cool.



It hit us like a bolt of lightning from Zeus himself. Our story DID still work! We just needed to move some things around & change a couple of perspectives, but the whole of the plot was really good & could still stay intact. What we were missing, really, was all the campy fun. The last two episodes were so serious that we let that bleed into our story. But really, is anyone that loved Xena going to want to see that? Or, do they want to see what made them love her in the first place? And for that matter, isn't that what WE want to see? Well, of course it is! Duh!



So, we're off again with a happier disposition & the passion we had before. Battle on Xena! We will bring you back.

Seeing Xena from a different perspective

Well, we finished it. The whole series from episode 1 to episode 134. Again. I haven't seen the final two episodes since they originally aired. I grieved for years. Funny, T & I didn't realized how much we missed this silly little TV show. How much it meant to us & how much laughter & strength we pulled from it. It's way more than a silly little TV show. It's a pretty amazing piece of work. The depth, the touching moments, the pain, the sadness, the fears, the awakenings & the friendship & love. It has given us so much to look forward to as well as a great way to escape the real world every night for the last couple months.

I have been dreading getting to those last two episodes. I was so completely distraught last time. I had traveled with these two characters & their friends for 6 years. I had met my soulmate because of this show. T & I learned things about ourselves & grew up together & grew together because of it. So on the 15th anniversary of the day we met, we watched the final two episodes. Actually, I think we watched the final 5 or 6. Two of which are among my favorite episodes ever. "When the Fates Collide" & "Many Happy Returns".

It was different. It all made sense this time. I wasn't so caught up worrying & anxious about what would happen. I knew what was coming. I always felt like Xena had been completely out of character in the last two episodes, but she was just the opposite. She was 100% herself. She did EXACTLY what Xena would have done. So did Gabrielle. The story is beautiful & tragic. Absolutely tragic. I cried hard again. This time though, it wasn't because I didn't feel like it was fair or that someone just didn't want the two characters to be together or any of the things I had seen before. no this time it was because there wasn't any other way out. It had to be this way. I'm still feeling pretty blue about it.

Now, this brought us to a bit of a conundrum as far as our script. Suddenly what we thought had happened & what had actually happened in the end were two totally different things. What we remembered & what we saw this time...not the same thing at all. Now our character motivations & character conflicts are all sorts of messed up. It also makes it harder to have as much passion to bring back a character once you realize they did indeed have a good ending. A just ending. Tragic or not.

Now, all that being said, we would still love to see these two characters reunited & have them walk off into the sunset. I still feel Xena never forgave herself & that's a big one for me. I feel Gabrielle also felt that Xena never forgave herself & I think her heart would always ache a bit at that. So back to the drawing board. Lesson learned. Do your research. Don't think you know something, make sure you know it. Still, I gotta admit, I am loving every minute of this. Battle On Xena.

Futurama Planet Express Blueprint Shirt

Oh yeah! ThinkGeek has this really awesome shirt available for $18.99 - $20.99 depending on what size you need. Plus, with it's purchase you rack up 225 Geek Points for other merchandise! Win Win!

Sometimes You Have to Choose the Hard Path

This script writing stuff is hard. Especially when you take characters that are already established that you LOVE because you don't want to hurt them. You feel like they are a part of you. That's the "Fan" talking though. The "Fan" can really screw up a good story.



While on this journey with Xena & Gabrielle for the second time as we re-watch all the episodes, we have laughed & we have cried. We've cried more. The characters have hurt so deeply & overcome incredibly difficult situations. There is something beautiful in the pain they share & what they give to each other. I realized last night that part of the problem with our story was that I wanted to save them. I didn't want them to hurt. Sure, they could get physically beat up a little, but no more emotional hurt. I wanted to fix everything & it end happy and everything be okay, just in an exciting way.



How uncharacteristic & boring. And how impossible. As a writer, you have to make the hard choices. You have to up the stakes. You have to hurt your characters or they will never move past things & grow. Xena left Gabrielle alone. After all the promises of forever & eternity & never again, she left her. Not only that, but she left her just as she came into her own as a warrior. Xena always had Gabrielle to lean on, but who does Gabby have?



Now, the anger & frustration I need my character to feel is difficult. I don't want her to be upset & angry. I don't want her to have to become hard. Just like Xena, I don't want that "light" to go out in her soul. However, as a writer, it sure would make an interesting story. It sure would hurt to see that happen. It sure would make you cheer on Xena in attempt to bring Gabrielle back from that. It would be interesting to see what Gabrielle tells Xena about how she feels about being abandoned. Much of it wouldn't be pretty & we all know we can't just go back to who we were in the past. We can only move forward & decide what direction we are going to take now. Sometimes, in order to move forward, you have to let go. I love this creative process. I love everything I'm learning. Even if it hard sometimes.

Have Dinner with the One and Only Lucy Lawless

charitybuzz | #262825 - Have Dinner with the One and Only Lucy Lawless in LA or New Zealand

The New Thundercats

Thundercats - Cosmocats 2011 VOSTFR EP 1 & 2 by Rakuen06

If you haven't seen this yet, or like me have no TV because cable is stupid high, here it is! Episodes 1 & 2 of the New Thundercats! It's awesome! It's like Star Wars mixed with some Lord of the Rings & the old Thundercats all in one show! Let's hope it stays up for a while so those of us without TV who LOVE the old show can catch the new one!

Thundercats HOOOO!!!

Writing Xena

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.

In the Flesh

Okay, this is pretty cool. A Doctor Who ganger making set. Gangers are the term for the clones made out of artificial flesh in the Doctor Who episode "The Almost People". I don't know about you, but I have always loved sets that come with goo or stuff to mold & molds to do it with! This one is also great because the mold is of the 11th Doctor. That means all you custom figure makers can make endless copies of Matt Smith's Doctor & sculpt him up any way you want! How cool is that?



The set comes with figure mold of the doctor & tools to mix your Flesh compound. Use the included hand pump to squirt flesh compound into the mold and make your own Ganger figure! Set is $52.99 (import from UK) at Entertainment Earth!

River Song is Da Bomb!

So guess what Think Geek has? It's really cool! You're going to HAVE to have it. Here's a picture:



Do you know what THAT is? Here's a Video:



Yep, River Song's screwdriver. Sonic Screwdriver. With removable parts & flashy lights! $19.99.

You know you want it!

I Wrote This!

So, yep, I'm now published! Woo-Hoo! Go check out my Xena article online over at Lesbilicious!

http://www.lesbilicious.co.uk/tv-film/bringing-back-the-warrior-princess-the-xena-2011-movie-campaign/

The Creature in Barnes & Noble

You never know where you're going to find action figure collectibles. Sometimes they pop up at places like Barnes & Noble or their online source barnes&noble.com

These Diamond Select Art Asylum Mini-mates are a prime example! They are from my favorite Universal Monster Film "The Creature From the Black Lagoon". I don't know how it is in the rest of the world, but here in the "Land of the Red Man", Creature stuff is hard to come by. Universal Monster stuff is something that always seems to rise in price as well. Almost immediately after it comes out. Barnes & Noble has this particular pack on sale for $12.76.

They also have this sweet All Star Superman Collectors Action Figure Box Set for $35.96 onlne which would include free shipping since it's over $25.00.



It's always a great idea to look for sales & clearance online at places you might not think about carrying toys, figures & collectibles in order to find those missing items or hard to find items. So, Happy Monday!

Leela & Leela & a River.

First off, Happy Birthday to my sweet dog Leela. She officially turned 4 on Aug. 9, 2011. She is the best dog EVER!

Secondly, AWESOME!!! Underground Toys made a Leela action figure! No, not of my dog, of Leela from Doctor Who! Apparently this was one of the San Deigo Comic Con Exclusives!



Leela is 5" & comes with an array of weapons. Right now, Entertainment Earth has managed to snag up a few & they are asking $30.99 ea. for them.

Oh, but there's more! There is another San Diego Comic Con figure that I know you want. They also made my other favorite companion of all time. River Song!!! Not just River Song, but River Song with the Pandorica chair! She is much harder to get hold of though. You can find her on Ebay at anywhere from $40 to $70 bucks.



Don't forget, New Doctor Who episodes start in two weeks!

New NECA 7 Inch Figures

NECA has some great new 80's movie figures they are releasing this month. If you're a Robocop fan or a Terminator fan, you will want to snatch these up. Robocop is poseable with interchangeable hands & his signature pistol.



The Terminator figure is one I have always wanted to see! It is from the original Terminator movie. When the Terminator T-800 series finally tracks down Sarah Connor in the nightclub he is wearing a very 1980's outfit or Tech Noir clothes. I'm not sure how poseable this figure is, but then again he is a cyborg. Honestly though, he appears to have little if any articulation. He is solid plastic, despite what appears to be cloth. Now, if they will make the Sarah Connor figure & Reese figure from the same scene I can pull off some little videos to make the fanboy & girls proud.



The Terminator figure is $14.99 & I believe Toys R Us will be carrying it. The Robocop figure is $16.99 & I wouldn't be surprised to see him show up there, too. You can also find both figures online at Entertainment Earth.

Thundercats Sale!!!

You read that right! For every 2 Thundercats items you buy, Entertainment Earth will give you the second one for 30% off! Just put 2 ThunderCats items in your shopping cart and they'll automatically insert a coupon in your cart that gives you the lowest priced of the 2 items for 30% off during checkout.

The sale ends Aug. 9th, so don't wait!

Darth Maul Bronze

Sideshow's latest Star Wars bronze.

Check out Sideshow's page for Pre-Order info!

Seriously!? THIS rocks.

So, I am getting more magazine requests & many that promise to do an article themselves on the Warrior Princess. T's is amazed. We have to laugh a little because she is the Professional Writer & I am the Professional Artist. She has had great success with selling her art & now I'm getting paid to write.

The Xena 2011 Movie Campaign FB Page administrators wrote me a really nice e-mail thanking me for my efforts. I feel I've made some friends. It's really amazing. I'm working hard, having fun, & doing something I believe in. Pretty freakin' sweet.



You know, THIS is really going to happen.

Obsession + Passion = Bravery

Huh, who knew that if you got really passionate about something & wrote to every magazine you could think of about the Xena 2011 Movie campaign that some of them would write you back & ask you to write them an article? An article they are willing to pay you for! That's exactly what has happened. By trying to get the word out, I inadvertently created work for myself that people are willing to pay me for.

So, my first article will be with the online magazine Lesbilicious It's a UK magazine, but the good ol' internet makes online relevant worldwide.

Now I have to find people to interview. I have already sent my questions out to the administrators of the Facebook page "Xena 2011 Movie Campaign" and to the writer/producer of several Xena episodes throughout the series Steven L. Sears.



I wonder who else I can ask?

My deadline is Aug. 7. I better get on it. Wish me luck!