Issue No. 17, Part 2 of 4 Release date: 09/01/96 Covering 04/04/96 to 04/19/96 Annotations XMR221 to XMR247 THIS PORTION IS A CONTINUATION FROM PART 1 Lines in this document: 1360 PART 2 of 4 Contents: Part 1: INTRODUCTION XMR Returneth The best laid plans of mice and men XenaFest II: The Myth and the Magic The Vacation The Curse of Baywatch Let's Hear it For Stacy Van Stipdonk AMENDED ANNOTATIONS [002.5] 04-25-94 HERCULES AND THE AMAZON WOMEN. [002.6] 05-02-94 HERCULES AND THE LOST KINGDOM. [005.3] 10-17-94 HERCULES AND THE AMAZON WOMEN. [005.4] 10-24-94 HERCULES AND THE LOST KINGDOM. [005.5] 12-12-94 HERCULES AND THE AMAZON WOMEN. [006.5] 12-19-94 HERCULES AND THE LOST KINGDOM. [006.6] 02-20-95 AS DARKNESS FALLS. [010.3] 03-13-95 THE WARRIOR PRINCESS. [010.6] 05-01-95 THE GAUNTLET. [016.5] 05-08-95 UNCHAINED HEART. [019.5] 05-22-95 AS DARKNESS FALLS. [023.5] 06-26-95 THE WARRIOR PRINCESS. [023.7] 07-03-95 THE GAUNTLET. [024.5] 07-10-95 UNCHAINED HEART. [026.5] 08-07-95 AS DARKNESS FALLS. [035.5] 09-04-95 SINS OF THE PAST. [041.5] 09-11-95 CHARIOTS OF WAR. [045.5] 09-18-95 DREAMWORKER. [048.5] 09-25-95 CRADLE OF HOPE. [054.5] 10-02-95 THE PATH NOT TAKEN. [054.6] 10-02-95 THE OUTCAST. [058.5] 10-09-95 THE WARRIOR PRINCESS. [062.5] 10-16-95 THE RECKONING. [066.4] 10-23-95 THE GAUNTLET. [066.5] 10-23-95 UNCHAINED HEART. [068.5] 10-30-95 THE TITANS. [071.5] 11-06-95 PROMETHEUS. [079.5] 11-13-95 DEATH IN CHAINS. Part 2: [083.5] 11-20-95 HOOVES AND HARLOTS. [088.5] 11-27-95 SINS OF THE PAST. [093] 12-04-95 CHARIOTS OF WAR. [098.5] 12-11-95 DREAMWORKER. [106.5] 12-18-95 CRADLE OF HOPE. [114.5] 12-25-95 THE PATH NOT TAKEN. [127] 01-01-96 FEMME FATALE. [128] 01-01-96 STARLOG. No. 222. [128.5] 01-01-96 THE RECKONING. [132.5] 01-08-96 THE BLACK WOLF. [138.5] 01-15-96 BEWARE OF GREEKS BEARING GIFTS. [145.5] 01-22-96 ATHENS CITY ACADEMY OF THE PERFORMING BARDS. [152.5] 01-29-96 A FISTFUL OF DINARS. [158.3] 02-05-96 WARRIOR...PRINCESS. Part 3: [161.5] 02-12-96 MORTAL BELOVED. [172.5] 02-19-96 THE ROYAL COUPLE OF THIEVES. [181.5] 02-26-96 THE TITANS. [196.5] 03-11-96 PROMETHEUS. [203.5] 03-18-96 DEATH IN CHAINS. [210.5] 03-25-96 HOOVES AND HARLOTS. [184] has been removed and replaced as XMR217.5. [215.5] 03-29-96 MCA XENA NETFORUM. [219.5] 04-01-96 STARLOG. No. 225. [219.6] 04-01-96 STARLOG. No. 225. [219.7] 04-01-96 THE BLACK WOLF. ANNOTATIONS [221] 04-04-96 PHILADELPHIA FORUM. [222] 04-04-96 DAILY VARIETY. [223] 04-08-96 VARIETY. [224] 04-08-96 PEOPLE. [225] 04-08-96 BEWARE OF GREEKS BEARING GIFTS. [226] 04-08-96 THE OUTCAST. [227] 04-09-96 The David Letterman Show. [228a] 04-09-96 ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE. [228b] 04-09-96 THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE. Part 4: [229] 04-11-96 USA TODAY. [230] 04-11-96 MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. [231] 04-11-96 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR. [232a] 04-11-96 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. [232b] 04-11-96 DAILY VARIETY. [232c] 04-15-96 VARIETY. [232d] 04-15-96 VARIETY. [233] 04-12-96 THE VANCOUVER SUN. [234] 04-14-96 DAILY NEWS (New York). [235] 04-15-96 INFOWORLD. [236] 04-15-96 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. [237] 04-15-96 PEOPLE Daily (on Pathfinder.com). [238] 04-15-96 FORTUNE. [239a] 04-15-96 DAILY VARIETY. [239b] 04-22-96 VARIETY. [240] 04-15-96 ATHENS CITY ACADEMY OF THE PERFORMING BARDS. [241] 04-17-96 STAR TRIBUNE. [242a] 04-18-96 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. [242b] 04-18-96 DAILY VARIETY. [242c] 04-18-96 DAILY VARIETY. [242d] 04-22-96 VARIETY. [243a] 04-18-96 DAILY VARIETY. [243b] 04-25-96 Daily Variety. [244] 04-18-96 DAILY VARIETY. [245] 04-19-96 THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT (Norfolk). [246] 04-19-96 ELECTRONIC MEDIA INTERNATIONAL. [247] 04-19-96 ELECTRONIC MEDIA INTERNATIONAL. :PART 2 [083.5] 11-20-95 HOOVES AND HARLOTS. Episode no. 10. First release. Guest stars: Danielle Cormack, David Aston, Alison Bruce, and Mark Ferguson. Written by Steven L. Sears. Directed by Jace Alexander. SYNOPSIS: After an unsuccessful attempt to save a dying Amazon Princess, Gabrielle is given the Right of Caste, which makes her an Amazon Princess. This would be fine and dandy except for an arm's dealer plot to turn the Amazons and Centaurs against each other so he can arm both sides. The Amazons accuse the Centaur leader's son of the murder and Gabrielle is duty bound to execute him. Xena finds this intolerable, so she gathers the evidence showing the arm's dealers treachery. But she is too late! The Queen of the Amazons' heart is too filled with hate. Using amazing body language, Xena gets Gabrielle to challenge the Queen and to use Xena as her champion. Xena beats the pants off of the Queen. For some reason, they make Xena the Queen, not Gabrielle (I guess they understand Xena could beat the pants off of Gabrielle, too). Xena talks everyone into hating the arm's dealer. They all weapon up and slaughter the arm's dealer and his men. Gabrielle even gets to whap a few no-goodniks. Everyone feels good after the slaughter and they have a good time. COMMENTARY: Mr. Sears, the writer of Hooves & Harlots, has assembled a strong oeuvre detailing the evolution and growth of the Xena and Gabrielle friendship. In the scripts solely accredited to him for the first season, "Dreamworker", "Hooves and Harlots", "The Royal Couple of Thieves", and "The Greater Good", only "Royal Couple" did not deal directly with some aspect of Xena and Gabrielle's developing friendship. Both scripts that he shared in credit with R.J. Stewart, "Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards" and "A Fistful of Dinars", contained some very subtle tests which the Xena-Gabrielle friendship endured and overcame. On a trivia note, Hooves & Harlots owed much to the Action Pack movie "Hercules and the Amazons" which just so happened to feature Lucy Lawless playing a supporting role as an Amazon chief of security. "Hercules and the Amazons" laid the foundation for Amazon culture and accoutrements which were later used to Hooves & Harlots advantage. On an even more trivial note, Steven L. Sears, who wrote this screenplay, took the name of the centaur leader, Tyldus, as his alias on AoL and various XWP fandom mailing lists. One of the more intriguing changes that the internet has brought to the entertainment business is the 'hands on' ability for creators of such shows as XWP to receive immediate and candid feedback. Some productions are exploiting this resource while others are testing the waters furtively. The classic extreme example of using the internet to create an intimate bond with his audience would have to be J. Michael Straczinski, who over the past 8 years has shared on-line almost every aspect of his Babylon 5 production. Mr. Sears' presence, along with others who are part of the XWP creative team, thus far has been moderate and not as manic as Mr. Straczinski. However, the precedent Mr. Straczinski has made has convinced many people in the entertainment business to not take lightly the effects a regular internet presence creates. HIGHLIGHTS: Gabrielle learning the art of the staff with the patient Amazons and getting some spiffy new clothes. Renee O'Connor simply steals the show. DISCLAIMER: No males, Centaurs or Amazons were harmed during the production of this motion picture. [088.5] 11-27-95 SINS OF THE PAST. Episode no. 1. Second release. Guest stars: Jay Laga'aia (Draco); Darien Takle (Cyrene). Story by Robert Tapert. Teleplay by R.J. Stewart. Directed by Doug Lefler. COMMENTARY: See XMR035.5 for synopsis. [093] 12-04-95 CHARIOTS OF WAR. Episode no. 2. Second release. Guest stars: Nick Kokotakis (Darius), Jeff Thomas, and Stuart Turner. Story by Josh Becker and Jack Perez. Teleplay by Adam Armus and Nora Kay Foster. Directed by Harley Cokeliss. COMMENTARY: See XMR41.5 for synopsis. [098.5] 12-11-95 DREAMWORKER. Episode no. 3. Second release. Guest stars: Nathaniel Lees and Desmond Kelly. Written by Steven L. Sears. Directed by Bruce Seth Green. COMMENTARY: See XMR098.5 for synopsis. [106.5] 12-18-95 CRADLE OF HOPE. Episode no. 4. Second release. Guest stars: Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Pandora), Edward Newborn, and Simon Prast. Written by Terence Winter. Directed by Michael Levine. COMMENTARY: See XMR048.5 for synopsis. [114.5] 12-25-95 THE PATH NOT TAKEN. Episode no. 5. Second release. Guest stars: Bobby Hosea (Marcus) and Stephen Tozer. Written by Julie Sherman. Directed by Stephen L. Posey. COMMENTARY: See XMR054.5 for synopsis. [127] 01-01-96 FEMME FATALE. Vol 4. No. 5. Page 46. ""Lucy Lawless. Xena. Warrior Princess" By Frederick C. Szebin. COMMENTARY: Full color graphics and a unique spin on the interview made this fan-magazine coverage of Lucy Lawless' 5th major media interview fun to read, if not illuminating. Information not usually found in the mainstream press proliferated (Ms. Lawless was quoted as saying "I've avoided advertising Tampax--oops! sorry, don't use a brand name!--I mean, feminine hygiene products." and "We had a sort of gay Mardi Gras recently. The American producer was down here and couldn't believe all the women's breasts around...There were families gathered and we had our seven-year-old daughter there. I had to leave when the S&M float came along--not that there's anything wrong with S&M, you understand!--I thought maybe my kid had seen enough then. But she never blinked. It was cool."). Mr. Szebin was quite informative when he was not trying to be a writer for Vanity Fair. Ms. Lawless was also quoted as saying about her physical requirements of XWP, that, "It's very bruising. My husband was embarrassed to be seen with me for about a month after shooting, because I was so mottled! I don't own any discreet clothing, so he didn't want to look like a wife beater or something." After viewing Ms. Lawless' several interviews from February to August 1996, we would have to agree with her "discreet clothing" remark. Transcribed by SVS REPRINT: On-screen, She's a Sword-wielding Crusader; Off- screen, the Lovely Lawless Cuts with a Rapier Wit. Muscling the competition, HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS has scaled Mount Olympus (i.e. the Nielsen numbers) en route to achieving a noble goal: dispersing prosperity among the land's proprietors (i.e. making a ton of money for the syndicators). The show's U.S. producers, dipping into New Zealand's talent pool, cast Lucy Lawless in four of the first season's episodes. Lawless clicked with the public; her warrior queen was subsequently reprised not as the Big Guy's sidekick, but as the title character in a spin-off series XENA. Pausing before her 7:30 a.m. workout, Lawless reacts to my admission that "sweating it out" is incompatible with such an ungodly hour. "That's right," she responds, nailing me on my Altoona, Pennsylvania grooming. "Americans who aren't from the west coast don't have a natural propensity for going to the gym, have they? I don't either -- but they're making me!" As she slips on a pair of sneakers, I congratulate Lawless on flawlessly executing the physical demands of the Xena role. 'Awww, I'm faking it," she playfully grins while launching into jog. [Picture of Xena holding her chakram and her sword] Prior to her involvement with HERCULES, Lawless labored in New Zealand and Canadian productions. Assignments included co-host of AIR NEW ZEALAND HOLIDAY, a travel magazine show, and smooching with teen idol Rick Springfield on an episode of his syndicated series, HIGH TIDE. "It was obviously the thrill of my career at that time," Lawless recalls. "It was cool, man!" I ponder -- "Wonder what Springfield's been up to, lately?" There's a slight pause. "You just did the perfect imitation of his voice!" exclaims an astonished Lawless. "He's got a really high voice. He was very nice. I like that about a person. Kissing him was like being thrown back to the eighth grade!" [LUCY LAWLESS. "The producers said, 'We'll see if Lucy will do XENA.' The studio said, 'No, we've got a list of 5 women and we want you to call them.' Everyone of them said 'yes,' then had to pull out!"] Lawless subsequently appeared with Oscar-winner Jon Voight in THE RAINBOW WARRIOR, a factbased ABC production about the anti-nuke group, Greenpeace. TV ads supplemented her income, with variant roles ranging "from a lovely mummy to a harassed professional woman coming home after work, and finding that all the electrical appliances have come to life for her. Lights dance around vacuum cleaners, bring me my slippers. I've done what I guess is considered a lot of commercials down here. They're all pretty good ads. I'm not ashamed of them. I've avoided advertising Tampax -- oops! sorry, don't use a brand name! -- I mean, feminine hygiene products. Not that there's anything wrong with them, you understand [laughs] -- but who needs the money?" A busy schedule notwithstanding, Lawless continues to squeeze-in freelance work including commercial voice overs and stage -- upon retiring from the XENA set. [Posed Picture of Xena holding her sword in front of her with both hands. Caption: "Xena knows about the darker side of human nature since she must battle it within herself every day." Making her debut in the spear n' sandal arena, the six-foot Lawless was cast as Lysia, a swashbuckling enforcer in HERCULES AND THE AMAZON WOMEN, the first of five two-hour "Action Pack" movies produced for television. Ratings prompted the transition to a TV series, and Lawless was engaged for a role as Lyla, the gallant bride of Deric the Centaur, in an episode titled "As Darkness Falls." Premiering her Xena character in "The Warrior Queen" episode, Lawless delivered as a vicious soldier who leans on her femininity to seduce Iolaus (Michael Hurst) into rebelling against his pal, the mighty Herc. Lawless encored as Xena in "The Gauntlet" episode, avenging herself against usurpers who smeared her name and disbanded her army. [Picture of Xena and Iolaus bathing together [Note: the caption says she is with Hercules, but she is truly with Iolaus]. Caption: Lawless & Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) come clean.] "It almost makes me sick to think of it now," recounts Lawless. "It was a series of coincidences which brought Xena to me. The original lady from America got sick. The producers said, 'Why don't we see if Luce will do it? 'The studio said, 'No, no. You've already used her! We've got a list of five people here and we want you to call them.' Everyone of them said, 'Yes!' then had to pull out for some reason. "The producers finally managed to track me down. I'd gone on a camping holiday to get the camping experience just once, which I'm never doing again [laughs]! The producers rang all sorts of relatives and camping grounds. Anyway, they found me and said, 'Do you want to do the show? You have 30 seconds to get up here!' Xena was supposed to die at the end of 'The Warrior Queen,' and still isn't dead." One requisite for the role was that damn training ritual at the gym. "Fighting is like doing a dance," Lawless explains. "You do it to an extent, a double comes in and does it, then they try to clip as much of you into the fight as possible [laughs]! We're working on giving me muscles and making me run like a sprinter. I used to jog quite a lot. It's not the same as that lion-like brace that a sprinter has. There are things you can do to just work your body, and give yourself that kind of power. I've also been training with swords and weapons, as well as martial arts for playing the warrior queen. We're working on the basics right now, because I'm not the sort of person who has been fighting with swords all my life!" Lawless endures a routine quota of aches and pains per fight scene naturally, that fetching costume makes her all the more vulnerable to the pokes, punches and mauling. "It's very bruising," she smiles. "My husband was embarrassed to be seen with me for about a month after shooting, because I was so mottled [laughs]! I don't own any discreet clothing, so he didn't want to look like a wife beater or something." The role of Hercules has earned Yank actor Kevin Sorbo plenty of media attention in the U.S. Prior to lifting boulders and crashing toga parties, Sorbo was introduced to European audiences as "the Jim Beam guy." Just ask Lawless, his former supporting player: "Everybody in the world knows the Jim Beam guy. Americans don't. You can't advertise hard liquor, can you? In the little amoral countries, he's a big star! He's great, a good man. He never comes not having done his work. I've worked with Americans before, but he's as prepared as anyone. We've seen a lot of superstars who come down and haven't done any preparation. I guess that will come as the series progresses -- Kevin will do a little less work [laughs]. No, I'm just joking. He's really good." [Posed picture of Xena holding her chakram. Caption: "Xena lives by her wits but is also a fighter."] [Picture of Xena and Gabrielle riding in a chariot, smiling. Caption: Her role in HERCULES AND THE LOST KINGDOM prompted Renee O'Connor's casting as Xena's advocate.] [LUCY LAWLESS. "That Bible Belt mentality goes through your whole country. But there are a lot of good things about America, though it's not fashionable down here to say so and never really has been."] Our conversations drifts into a checklist of cultural contrasts between New Zealand and America. "We had a sort of gay Mardi Gras recently," says Lawless. "The American producer was down here and couldn't believe all the women's breasts around. He said, 'This just wouldn't happen in the States!' We have no morals at all! There were families gathered and we had our seven-year-old daughter there. I had to leave when the S&M float came along -- not that there's anything wrong with S&M, you understand! -- I thought maybe my kid had seen enough then. But she never blinked. It was cool." I note that "gay pride" in the U.S. is likely to be publicly displayed but with more restraint. Surprised? "No," replies Lawless, who brandishes a thorough understanding of colonial morality. "That Bible Belt mentality goes through the whole country, I love to watch OPRAH, and see these awful Nazis stand up and just tear strips off some poor, unwed mother. That's disgraceful. There are a lot of good things about America. It's not fashionable down here to say so, and never really has been. "My family and I visited Los Angeles recently, and had a great time there. We really liked the people. It was really telling; not just the way they treated us, but the way they treated one another. The people we met listen to each other. If they don't like what's said, they'll go, 'G*******t! --' It's out in the open and they care enough to explain what they mean. They regard one another. I like that." [Picture of Xena holding her chakram above her head. Caption: Working closely with an Auckland trainer, Lawless has also been instructed by martial arts master Douglas Wong (DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY).] [Posed picture of Xena holding her sword with one hand, ready to strike] Seems to me that New Zealand isn't the only country where pro-U.S. sentiments are unpopular. Does an intolerance for Americans prevail in Europe? "I don't think you'd find that attitude on a one-on-one basis," replies Lawless. "We like the accent. We kind of like Americans but, I for example, can't behave like an American and get away with it." And how do Americans behave? "You can't be that BIG," deadpans Lawless, "-- you can't talk that big down here. If you dream big ... well, shut up and get on with it. Then, when you make it, everyone will claim you as their long-lost little brother. Otherwise, they'll sort of say, 'Come on, don't get up yourself!'" I tell Lawless that the phrase "up yourself' would be interpreted by Americans as a profanity. "It's naughty?" You betcha, it's the equivalent of "Up yours!" "That's what it means here," shrugs Lawless, "but we say a lot of things like that which are kind of endearments ... like, 'Aw, you old bugger' [laughs]. It's an endearment. It depends on how you say it. Like my dad, who's just this lovely old Catholic gentleman, will say, 'Well, I'll be buggered!' It's just common. It doesn't mean anything. It's part of America's nature to be expansive and generous of spirit. That's something that really impresses me. That openness is something you take for granted. I love my friends over there." Beyond the physical regimen, Lawless' adherence to her professional obligations provokes another hardship; separation from her family, sometimes for weeks. Lawless is relieved when her daughter visits the set, though the kid seems to have acclimated herself to mum's work habits. "She's been on movie sets before," explains Lawless. "She thinks everybody's mummy does it. We were sitting in a car in L.A. and she's saying, 'Yeah, after a couple of years, go to L.A. and get your own show' [laughs]. It's this perfectly natural progression for her." "Out of the mouths of babes comes great wisdom," says yours truly, grinning. "Pardon me?" inquires Lawless with raised voice, her blue eyes spitting fire. "Babe? Are you calling me a babe?" "Whoa, who me? I was referring to your pre- adolescent daughter as a 'babe.' Are my semantics getting in the way?" "Yeah," Lawless chuckles. "Semantics. There is actually a world of vast differences that make it hard for us to understand one another sometimes." Breathing easier, I mention that I'd like to spend more time in New Zealand, its beauteous floriculture serving as backdrops in XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS. "You'd have to be bored with America just to come down here and freshen up," replies the customarily candid Lawless. "Just as a small example -- the forests, the ranges -- you've got everything you want in the States; it's at your beck and call. When you come down here, you'll find things a lot different so you've got to not want creature comforts, services and all that to appreciate the place. Because if you're looking for a little America, it's not gonna be here. So, yeah! Come on down! The water's fine!" [128] 01-01-96 STARLOG. No. 222. Page 50. "The Savage Sword of Xena" COMMENTARY: This first major fan magazine interview (6th major media interview) of Lucy Lawless was the most significant interview to date given by Ms. Lawless in a U.S. print medium. Transcribed by SVS. REPRINT: [Posed picture of Xena crouched on a rock. Caption: With a dark past & a deadly blade, Lucy Lawless battles on as Warrior Princess] Playing Xena, syndicated television's hottest new action heroine, is no easy task, and Lucy Lawless has plenty of bruises to prove it. The sword-wielding New Zealand actress, who's currently sharing a weekly double bill with the legendary strongman Hercules, insists that wounds, welts, scrapes and scars are all just part of the job. "I've actually gotten much better about that," Lawless happily announces from the Auckland studio where much of Xena is shot. "I just got five bruises today, and I don't even know how they happened. When the camera rolls, you don't even think about it, and your reflexes get sharper after you've been hit a few times!" Lawless is quick to point out that her fighting skills have improved considerably since her first appearance as an amazon warrior in one of the two-hour Hercules movies. "I've never thought of myself as a very physical person," she insists. "I was never a sports freak or anything like that. My nickname was 'Unco,' or 'Uncoordinated' at school, so it was a big shock to me to be doing this sort of thing. They've been giving me a lot of training, which has helped a lot. Unlike Kevin Sorbo, who is a sportsman from way back, I need to get my skills up and keep them up, because it doesn't come naturally to me " Xena: Warrior Princess is a spin-off of last season's surprise adventure-fantasy hit, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, starring Sorbo as the mythological demigod. Xena first appeared in three top-rated episodes of that series as a merciless warrior chief out to eliminate Hercules. She eventually renounces her warlike ways and teams up with Herc to battle her former compatriots. The warrior princess turned out to be so popular that MCA TV greenlighted a Xena spin-off series featuring the same combination of mythology, action-adventure and stunning New Zealand scenery that made Hercules so successful. [Picture of Xena driving a chariot with Gabrielle standing behind her. Caption: Riding hard into syndicated adventure is Lucy Lawless, who has the reins of Xena: Warrior Princess firmly in hand.] The new series began with Xena determined to make amends for the sins of her past, and setting out to battle the forces of evil. She's joined by Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), a feisty, fast-talking young woman who's looking for a little excitement in her life. As Gabrielle quickly discovers, hanging out with Xena means all the excitement she can handle -- and then some! [Picture of Anthony Quinn as Zeus. Caption: "He seemed to like me because I didn't kowtow to him," Lawless says of Anthony Quinn, who she co-starred with in Hercules and the Amazon Women.] Carrying the weight of a weekly action-adventure series on one's leather-clad shoulders would probably be a daunting prospect for even the most seasoned of actresses. For Lawless, it really hasn't been a problem, and she credits the crew of Xena for making her job that much easier. "I don't really feel that pressure, because I'm surrounded by so many people who are giving their all as well. Everybody -- from the people who lay out the cups, to the generator operator, to the makeup people everybody is working so hard that it's not really my show. There's a really good feeling. We saw the first episode the other day, and it just galvanized everyone." While Lawless has already shot almost half of the first season's 22 episodes, she doesn't have a firm idea yet of what her character is all about. "I'm still looking for it, and it doesn't matter what's on paper. After your first rehearsal for the first episode, you know what the history is, and that acts as fuel, but because Xena's always a character in transition and she's on this journey, you never quite know what she's about. I just have a feeling, and the rest of it happens organically and continues to grow, or at least I hope it does." One trait that has begun to emerge is Xena's surprisingly wry sense of humor, usually sparked by exchanges with the idealistic and outspoken Gabrielle. Lawless says the character is considerably less dark than in her early appearances, and while Xena will probably never be a barrel of laughs, she's obviously picking up some of the actress' own infectious good humor. "You haven't seen anything yet!" Lawless promises half-threateningly. "I don't think Xena ever thinks she's funny. She isn't the knee-slapping, thigh- slapping, rib-tickling sort, but as you'll see, there's a wry humor to her. I'm also sorry to tell you this, but Gabrielle never entirely gets the better of her." The actress goes on to say that the give-and-take relationship between Xena and Gabrielle is key to the series, and "it's getting better and better the more we get to know each other. I have huge respect for Renee as a person. She's easy to listen to in film acting terms, and that's the magic: if you're actually listening and taking in somebody's face. That's real acting." [Picture of Xena with her sword drawn & evil warriors in the background. Caption: "I've got to say, although initially they were never my favorite thing to do, watching the fight scenes is really rewarding," Lawless offers.] Amazon Wife Looking back at her own real-life experiences, Lawless would probably say they mirror those of the brash young Gabrielle more than the seasoned warrior woman Xena. After attending Auckland University for a short time, the young Lawless contracted a serious case of wanderlust and left for Europe to go grape-picking on the Rhine. When the money began to run out, she moved to Australia, where she signed on with a gold mining company operating in the Outback. Relocated to a small mining camp even farther from civilization, Lawless found herself doing the same work as her male peers: digging, mapping and driving trucks. After getting married in Australia, Lawless moved back to Auckland with her husband, determined to pursue a career in acting. She landed her first real acting job at age 20, with the TV comedy troupe Funny Business, and after a string of guest-starring TV roles, she moved to Vancouver for eight months to study drama at the William Davis Center for Actor's Study. In 1992, Lawless returned to New Zealand, where she accepted a job as co-host for Air New Zealand Holiday, a travel show which took her around the world. A second season followed, and then a role in the two-hour Hercules TV movie Hercules and the Amazon Women. As Lawless admits, she didn't think, "not in a million years" that the character would one day help her land the role of Xena. In Amazon Women, Lawless portrayed Lysia, lieutenant to Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons (played by Roma Downey). Looking back on the first of her many Hercules guest appearances, the actress admits that her memory is a bit blurred, particularly of the battle sequences. "You know, I don't even remember doing fight scenes when I was in that," she says with mock surprise. "Were there really fight scenes? "I have to say, I've surprised myself by the physicality of it all, because it's obviously some sort of natural aggression that shines through. It's something that I never recognized before, but I think growing up in a house with seven kids probably helped in that regard. I have five brothers, so it was pretty much the law of the jungle. It was a very loving home and everything, but it was still very rowdy. I cold really relate to that running-the-gauntlet scene in the second Xena episode." On the other hand, the actress has no trouble remembering her scenes with the legendary Anthony Quinn, who played Zeus in the five two-hour movies. "He was great; I was really surprised. Some people were a little nervous about having him around, but because I had not, to my everlasting shame, ever seen an Anthony Quinn movie, it didn't bother me. I knew his name and that he was somebody, but you treat everybody the same until you find out they're an idiot. He seemed to like me because I didn't kowtow to him or whatever, but he was a superstar and I cold see that. I felt really privileged to meet him, because there aren't many of them left. There are only a few of his caliber from that era, an I know he's working still, which only makes him greater. He was a real gentleman." [Picture of Xena with her sword drawn with Gabrielle standing behind her. Caption: "I have huge respect for Renee [O'Connor]," raves Lawless of the actress who plays Gabrielle, Xena's wise-cracking sidekick.] Lawless also enjoyed working with leading man Sorbo (STARLOG #211), who was still far from being a household name in those early days. "Kevin really hasn't changed very much; he's a nice guy and good to work with. This has, in a funny way, become Kevin's home, and I think he's looking at buying a place because he has been down here for two years. He has a lot of friends here, and it's quite enriching, living in another country for a period of time. He seems to be handling it fine, and because he's here, he doesn't have people hounding him every two seconds. It's like a beach holiday." ["'Holy guacamole, where do I go from here?'"] [Picture of Xena with her sword drawn. Caption: "If you're going to play a character for a couple of years, Lawless says of her alter-ego, "then I can't think of a better character to play."] When Hercules was picked up as a weekly series the following season, Lawless was invited back, but this time in a different role. In "When Darkness Falls," she played the scheming Lyla, who tries to help her centaur friends by drugging Hercules at a local wedding festival. While Lawless was happy to return to the series, she's not quite sure why she was asked back as a different character. "I don't know, that's a producer's question, so you would have to ask Eric Grundemann that. Hey, Eric!" she jokingly yells to the Hercules producer working in a nearby office. "Eric would know, or [exec producer] Rob Tapert, but I couldn't tell you." Warrior Woman What Lawless can say is she had no difficulty with the complicated visual FX required to create the realistic-looking centaurs in that episode. "I don't have any trouble with special FX. If you have an active imagination, you just use it and it's not difficult at all. I actually find it easier than working off actors. It never even occurred to me that this might be a difficulty; it was just normal acting. When Lawless was asked to return a few weeks later to play Xena in a three-episode story arc that closed Hercules' first season, it was almost literally a case of being in the right place at the right time. The original actress hired to play Xena got sick at the last minute, and the producers had to find a replacement over the New Year's weekend. "I had just been in the previous episode, so I think the execs were saying, 'Oh no, we can't use her because we just used her. Here's a list of five other actresses you should try,' and every one of them pulled out for some reason. Pilot season was coming up, so they decided, 'Oh no, we don't want to go down to the bottom of the world in pilot season and do a three-week stint that will come to nothing, when we could stay here in LA and do a pilot that could possibly become a series,' so thanks girls, thank you very much! "I flew up there two days before and had my hair changed. They made the costume up for me and then I was shooting. I had been on a camping holiday just before that, so they had to move heaven and Earth to find me. It was a huge twist of fate or good luck, or whatever you want to call it, but here I am." Xena's debut came in "The Warrior' Princess," in which she seduces Hercules' friend Iolaus, driving a wedge between the two longtime comrades. For Michael Hurst, who has played Iolaus since the two-hour movies, working with Lawless was a pleasure. "Like Kevin, there's no selfishness about her," he notes. "She has a lot of generosity and we had a ball making those episodes. Both Lucy and I were really in our element, being picked up for the series, dressing in the most amazing way and doing scenes together. It was fantastic for both of us, and we both had a good time." According to Hurst, one of the most uncomfortable moments in "The Warrior Princess" was the scene in which Xena disrobes and joins Iolaus for a bath. The reason, for that discomfort? Not the one you might think. "Let me tell you, that water was lukewarm, and we had a lot of little pieces of styrofoam, which they use to create the look of stone, floating around; it looked like soup. As anybody would tell you, the last thing in your mind is any sense of eroticism! It was really businesslike, and we actually lost it sometimes. We just couldn't help but start laughing at the whole ridiculous situation: shooting this scene in a warehouse in the middle of Auckland City. It was very funny." "We did develop a really good rapport early on," agrees Lawless. "I don't think it had anything to do with the fact that he's an established New Zealand actor, because we were only barely acquainted before that, but we really hit it off. Most women love talking to Michael. I think he gets a lot of mail already, but he's a pretty good guy, and would never get uptight about it. He and his wife drafted out some replies, but at this stage, I think the load is already getting too heavy and they just won't be able to keep doing that. He's such a busy man, directing plays and all sorts of things." Xena returned in "The Gauntlet," and this time, the warrior princess was beginning to tire of her warlike ways. Unfortunately, leaving that life behind meant having to endure a trial by combat with her former comrades. Lawless feels that although the episode may have been a bit too intense, it also signaled the beginning of Xena's evolution into a dramatically different character. "That first episode was directed by Bruce Seth Green, and then Jack Perez did the next one, which was a much darker show. It was written dark, and shot dark. Xena is a very different character now. Before, she had no honor, but this Xena is very different. It's part of her life-changing transition, and now she does have her own warped code of honor." It was during the shooting of "The Gauntlet" that Lawless remembers hearing the first hint of a possible spin-off series featuring Xena. "I was sitting in the second AD's bus, and I was trying to be all cool about it, saying, 'Yeah, yeah, we'll believe it when it happens, and I'll talk to you later, thank you, Mr. Tapert.' I went away and had lunch on my own, and tried to pretend I hadn't heard what I heard. Anyway, the upshot is four months from that day, it was happening. It seems like forever ago, but it was really only January, and now we're already up to our ninth episode." [Picture of Xena holding a villain with one arm behind his back. Caption: When MCA TV's Vanishing Son series was cancelled, Xena was in the on-deck circle and Lawless couldn't be more pleased with the way things turned out.] [Picture of Xena and Hercules back to back with swords drawn. Caption: Xena is a spin-off of the wildly- popular Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and it only seems right that Herc himself, Kevin Sorbo, should make an appearance.] Barbarian Mom In order to prepare their lead actress for the new series, the producers of Xena sent Lawless to train with martial arts master Douglas (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) Wong who taught her basic kung fu moves, as well as fighting techniques with staffs and swords. "It was like the old studio system; they took me to LA for training in dialogue, kung fu, personal training and film technique. It was just wonderful and really kick- started me again. After I left acting school four years ago I had kind of plateaued. It took me four years to understand everything I had been taught, and then to think, 'Holy guacamole, where do I go from here?'" If there's anything more difficult than battling mythological monsters and barbarian warriors, it's trying to maintain a happy domestic life. With the long hours she has to spend on the Xena set, Lawless concedes it isn't always easy to find time to spend with her husband and seven-year-old daughter Daisy. "It is difficult sometimes, but we're managing. My daughter comes down to the set after school some days, and I know she's well-looked-after because she's with her father, and she couldn't have a better father, so she's fine." And what does Daisy think of Mom's new job? "She thinks it's pretty cool. She likes to have the posters and things, but she hasn't actually seen any of these new episodes yet." That brings up an interesting point: whether or not the action-oriented Xena is suitable viewing for small children. "I might have had a question mark over that one before," says Lawless, considering whether she would let her own daughter watch the series, "but now I think yes, I would, because all the sound FX and speed ramping make the fights cartoonish. "I think she could see Xena; she has seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and we're a bit less inhibited about those things here. We just had a festival which is like Mardi Gras, and I was surprised at how shocked our American friends were at all the naked breasts walking around on the main street, but that's New Zealand." It may be too early to discuss some of the highlights of Xena's first season, but Lawless says there are plenty of moments where everything seems to click. "You get that once or twice a day. You might see the playback, and you see somebody slug, you on the head with a foam thing. They came nowhere near you, but it just looks fantastic because you dropped at precisely the right moment. "I've got to say, although initially they were never my favorite thing to do, watching the fight scenes is really rewarding. In fact, seeing them once the sound FX have been put in, I get the biggest kick out of them." The actress also wants Xena fans to know that she's doing a lot more of her own fighting these days. "They still use a double sometimes, because some of the things are not only difficult but dangerous, with the flips and so forth. I have wonderful acrobatic doubles and a stunt double and a horse riding double. These women do the most amazing, things, and beautifully, too. That's what I mean when I talk about this not being just my show. They all help to enrich the character, so it's really a huge team effort and I'm grateful to all of them for their hard work." With Xena and Hercules both shooting, in the same Auckland studios, one might think there was a little good-natured rivalry between the parent series and its spin-off. "Not really," says Lawless, "because we screen at different times, so there's no point in being in competition. We don't really compete, because the flavors of the two shows are so distinct from one another. There are things that happen on Hercules that will never happen on Xena, and vice versa. There's no point in competing. I also think we're working way too hard to be looking at each other's shows." Nonetheless. the two characters meet again in an episode of Xena. "We just shot it, and I think it has turned out great. It was so nice to work with Kevin again. It's really like an ensemble cast, because everybody knows, their characters and you're not mucking around trying to find something in a scene, so filming went much faster." Should Xena: Warrior Princess turn out to be the same unexpected success as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys last season, it's entirely possible that Lucy Lawless could be battling the forces of evil for many years to come. The actress considers that possibility for a moment. "If you're going to play a character for a couple of years," she finally reflects, "then I can't think of a better character to play. She has such duality and complexity that I should consider myself a very lucky actor if I do." [128.5] 01-01-96 THE RECKONING. Episode no. 6. Second release. Guest stars: Kevin Smith (Ares). Written by Peter Allan Fields. Directed by Charles Siebert. COMMENTARY: See XMR062.5 for synopsis. [132.5] 01-08-96 THE BLACK WOLF. Episode no. 11. First release. Guest stars: Robert Trebor (Salmoneous), Kevin J. Wilson, Nigel Harbrow, Emma Turner, and Ian Huges. Written by Alan Jay Glueckman. Directed by Mario Di Leo. SYNOPSIS: The attack of the Ninja Robin Hoods! Can't get more high concept than that. The young adults of a village are thrown into prison because the taxing authorities want them to divulge the identity of Black Wolf, the leader of the ninja-Robin Hoods. Unfortunately for the taxing authorities, Xena's girlhood pal, Flora, is among the imprisoned. As part of an intricate plan, Xena goes to Xerxes, the man behind the tax, and convinces him that she can find out who Black Wolf is. She offers to be a spy for him. Xerxes accepts even though his security advisor is against it. Xena is tossed into prison where Flora refuses to leave unless all the prisoners go. Xena then devises an escape plan but it is foiled by a traitor. Meanwhile, Gabrielle meets Salmoneous and in her attempt to get arrested gets Salmoneous arrested instead. Only later on does Gabrielle finally convince someone to arrest her. Finally the authorities wise up and threaten to kill Salmoneous if Black Wolf is not revealed. Flora 'fesses up and is then taken to be publicly executed. Since Gabrielle had hidden Xena's chakram in her dorky hat, Xena uses it to cut the executioner's axe and the chains of the watching prisoners (you had to have been there). Everybody joins in the fray and Xena is victorious, as usual. COMMENTARY: News surfaced at the end of the first season that the actor Robert Trebor (Salmoneous) would hitherforth concentrate on his HTLJ appearances. The character of Joxer was then introduced to fill the void that would be created by Salmoneous' absence. Salmoneous will be sorely missed. The great void Joxer will fill was further underscored by the fact that Salmoneous appeared in only two episodes each of both HTLJ and XWP where Xena appeared as well. Joxer was slated to appear in a third of the XWP's 2nd season episodes, eight episodes in all. The creators had to balance Salmoneous' departure from the Xenaverse by quadrupling the replacement's appearances. What a compliment to Mr. Trebor. Salmoneous first met Xena in HTLJ's two-parter "The Gauntlet" and "Unchained Heart". Salmoneous was critical to Xena's dramatic conversion from a ruthless warlord to a champion of the downtrodden and those who have met with injustice. Without Salmoneus' ability to see the good in Xena, past the veneer of a cold and calculating martial machine, Xena and Hercules could have never made the contact that began Xena's path to redemption. Salmonous was the first to note that they were all on the same side, and he had to convince both doubting parties of that separately. He succeeded and the rest is history. Salmoneous' next visit with Xena was in "Black Wolf" where he met Gabrielle for the first time. His all around willingness to help out in a pinch once again was emphasized. Although this episode marked the weakest of his Xena appearances, the character was still crucial in several regards. He helped organize the prisoners; he was loyal to Xena in every decision she made; and he got to help out in the last big fight scene. Salmoneous' final visit of the first season to Xenaland was "The Greater Good". His presence again was critical to the further development of a relationship; this time between Xena and Gabrielle. He made some mistakes, but in the end, those same mistakes set up circumstances which allowed Xena and Gabrielle better to understand how much their friendship had grown. Gabrielle alone played for Xena the same function that Salmoneous and Iolaus played for Hercules. She was Xena's best friend, i.e., the person who guarded Xena's back, but also a soulmate who could look into Xena's heart when even Xena had trouble doing so. On a trivia note, Robert Trebor played a supporting role in "Hercules and the Lost Kingdom" which guest starred Renee O'Connor. HIGHLIGHTS: Where after Flora's man asks Xena "You embroider?" Xena says "I have MANY skills." [138.5] 01-15-96 BEWARE OF GREEKS BEARING GIFTS. Episode no. 12. First release. Guest stars: Galyn Goerg (Helen), Scott Garrison, Cameron Rhodes, and Warren Carl. Teleplay by Adam Armus and Nora Kay Foster. Story by Roy Thomas and Janis Hendler. Directed by T.J. Scott. SYNOPSIS: Xena is compelled to visit her pal Helen at Troy midst the Trojan War after Helen begins to have nightmares. After Xena and Gabrielle fight their way to the city walls, Gabrielle discovers that her ex-fiance Perdicas, literally a different man and all buffed up, is fighting for Troy. Gabrielle had left him when she decided to carry on with Xena. She now is impressed with the new body and personality. Meanwhile, Xena and Helen play catch up in each other's lives and Xena finds out that Helen is not happy with Paris or Troy. Helen feels, just so, confined by it all. Deiphobus, the captain of the guards and Paris' brother (Paris being Helen's lover), then wheels in a big bamboo horse stating that the Greeks have left. Turns out that Deiphobus is working with the Greeks and the horse is filled with Greeks. Xena suspects, and gets enough people worried about it, that they all hole up in a Temple. Deiphobus kills Paris so he can have Helen (dating was much more vicious back then). After the Greeks exit the horse and take the city, they pull the horse out of the city's gates. Luckily, the gang found refuge in the horse and now can escape. Xena notices Deiphobus trying to escape as well with Helen. She has a nasty fight with Deiphobus who is, as most of Xena's foes are, eventually kabobed. Perdicas dumps Gabrielle in order to escort Helen safely to the nearest city facilities (yeah, right!) COMMENTARY: Cited by Ms. Magazine as one of the more feminist episodes of XWP because of some dialog shared between Xena and Helen of Troy ("Xena to Helen of Troy: 'What do you want to do?' Helen: 'No one's ever asked me that before!'), XWP is clearly not your run-of-the- mill traditional woman superhero show. First of all, Xena is not a superhero. Second, she has no permanent male in residence who sticks around to save her. Third, she has no temporary male who pops up to save her (well, baring Hercules, but, heck, he's a demigod afterall -- but then all the fights they have had ended in a draw, except the time Xena knocked him out in an unfair move in Prometheus.) In fact, Xena keeps Gabrielle around not just for someone to talk to at the campsite at night or to feed her horse, but to rescue as well. Apparently Xena doesn't need a man. It also appears that Helen might be thinking the same thing, after she's through with Perdicas, of course. HIGHLIGHTS: Xena somersaulting out of a large bamboo horse is not to be missed. DISCLAIMER: No Oversized Polynesian-Style Bamboo Horses were harmed during the production of this motion picture. However, many wicker lawn chairs gave their lives. [145.5] 01-22-96 ATHENS CITY ACADEMY OF THE PERFORMING BARDS. Episode no. 13. First release. Guest stars: Dean O'Gorman, Grahame Moore. Written by R.J. Stewart and Steven L. Sears. Directed by Jace Alexander. SYNOPSIS: Suddenly we are in "The Reckoning" where Ares as the mysterious masked assailant goes mano a mano with Xena. But wait! It's not a re-run, it's Gabrielle telling the story to a bunch of guys. A young guy tells Gabrielle that the Bard Academy in Athens has some openings and that there's a competition going on to fill the positions. Gabrielle ditches Xena to go (she must have learned how to do it after watching how Xena handled Hercules). Gabrielle meets up with the young guy again, just in time to tell him about Xena's fight with Draco in "Sins of the Past". Instead of showing any interest in the real name of the guy, she dubs him Orion. Gabrielle artfully bluffs her way into the competition. During a lecture, she is horrified by a staged event. She then tells the story of Xena and Death in "Death in Chains" in order to show them what a REAL story is about. Later she hangs out at the dorm with her new pals: Stallonas, who tells the story of Hercules in a Steve Reeves Hercules movie; and Euripides, who tells the story of Iolaus' seduction in "The Warrior Princess" from HTLJ. Instead of then telling Euripides about her and Xena's double date with Hercules and Iolaus in "Prometheus" (which would have wowed him more, I believe), she tells the tale of Xena's redemption in "The Gauntlet" from HTLJ. Meanwhile, Orion is suffering from severe father angst. His father is a stage father who wants Orion to be best darn bard ever. Orion feels great pressure to perform properly. Gabrielle tries to shape up the father but it doesn't work. She then tells Orion to let the story take control, ignore the audience and just let go. Presumably, that's what she does. After being kicked out of the competition for many reasons (late registration, lied to get in, insulted the instructor, too perky), Gabrielle then tells her new friends that although she dumped Xena, she would not dump them. She does this by finally telling them about the friendship between Hercules, Xena, her, and Iolaus in "Prometheus". After such a fine story, the wannabe bards have no choice but to refuse to perform until Gabrielle is reinstated into the competition. To strut her stuff, Gabrielle tells the story of her and Xena finding the baby in "Cradle of Hope". Stallonas starts the competition with more Steve Reeves' Hercules. Gabrielle tells about various Xena adventures from "Sins of the Past" and "Chariots of War". Orion then decides to blot out the audience by closing his eyes and giving the story all he's got, Father be damned! He tells the story of Spartacus from the Stanley Kubrik movie "Spartacus". Neither Stallonas or Gabrielle made the cut (even though it is ambiguous; Gabrielle may have refused it), but Orion did. He tells Gabrielle his real name: Homer. Gabrielle then goes back to Xena as if she never ditched her to begin with. COMMENTARY: In reality the show was made no doubt to cover something else that Ms. Lawless had to do and to save the production company money (it was all clips and Gabrielle). This episode, along with "The Prodigal", comprised the "Where is Xena?" episodes. In both episodes Gabrielle awkwardly dumped Xena in the beginning only in the end to return, a little bit older and a little bit wiser. In "Athens" Gabrielle left Xena mid-trip to see if she was made of the right stuff and could get accepted into a prestigious, if not snooty, bard school (one that she dreamt of attending in Prometheus). In "Prodigal" she left Xena mid-trip in a sudden and poorly motivated need to return to her home village. By the time these episodes had aired, the relationship of Xena and Gabrielle had already taken on a life of it's own. Their separation was very awkward and the writers did not seem to really even try to hide it. It was clearly a device, albeit it awkward, to allow Gabrielle some breathing space to develop sans Xena (not to mention to give Ms. Lawless a break and in the case of "Athens" to spend a little less money and work the crew a little less that week). In 'Athens' Gabrielle discovered that she could function quite successfully without Xena, thus furthering a process rarely seen in television called the maturation of the character. She went about her business cleaning up the bard acts of various up and coming bards, fixing a rift between Homer and his father, and even redressing her bard professor for ineffective teaching techniques. It was unclear whether she was accepted and refused the scholarship or whether she wasn't offered anything. However, it was clear that at that point she had decided it was more important making the story than telling the story. And this could be best furthered by returning to Xena. This was cleverly emphasized by the evolution of her stories from being just about Xena to finally stories about HER and Xena. Thus Gabrielle returned to Xena with a more focused reason why she wanted to be there. It also defined her evolution towards becoming Xena's partner than just a tag-a-long chronicler, as she sold herself to Xena in the first part of the first season. All this was fine and good. The relationship of Xena and Gabrielle seemed almost etched in stone at that point, but then "The Prodigal" came around. Gabrielle once again got itchy feet, and before you could say "No, you didn't freeze", Gabrielle was out of there, leaving Xena in the dust, and heading home to bond with her flesh and blood sister. Again the parting was done very abruptly and without any foreshadowing, other than Gabrielle's perception of her failure at an ambush. Yet again, the parting was not the point, it was that Gabrielle had to visit with her real family in order to realize that she also was family to Xena. Both shows highlighted the talents of Ms. O'Connor and she carried both shows successfully. HIGHLIGHTS: Stallonas. I loved him. DISCLAIMER: The producers would like to acknowledge and pay tribute to Stanley Kubrick, Kirk Douglas and all those who were involved with the making of the film classic 'SPARTACUS.' Additional thanks to Steve Reeves. [152.5] 01-29-96 A FISTFUL OF DINARS. Episode no. 14. First release. Guest stars: Jeremy Roberts and Peter Daube. Written by Steven L. Sears and R.J. Stewart. Directed by Josh Becker. SYNOPSIS: Weird fusion of Indiana Jones adventure with spaghetti western sensibilities. The writers must have been up watching tv too late one night. Xena has the 2nd clue ("neither east nor west"), Thersites the assassin has two clues ("the teacher's" and "student"), and Petracles, Xena's ex-fiance, has a clue ("is not incorrect"). They are the only clues to the whereabouts of the mythic Cimmerian (or is it Summarian) Treasure. Therefore, a fragile partnership is made to recover the treasure. Gabrielle suspects that Xena is in for more than the treasure, and it is true. Xena is after the Titan's key which allows access to ambrosia, the food of the gods. A mortal who eats ambrosia is made into a god. Xena tries to warn Gabrielle about Petracles, but Gabrielle doesn't listen. Gabrielle doesn't take it seriously until Petracles kisses her. Petracles later accuses Xena of being jealous. Arriving at the hidden entrance of the treasure, the partners figure out the clue and find the treasure. Thersites finds the Titan's key first and kidnaps Gabrielle. Xena and Petracles take a shortcut and meet Thersites in the ambrosia room. Thersites stabs Petracles. Xena skewers Thersites. Paracles before dying, shows Xena that he had always carried her wedding bracelet on his person. Xena disposes of the ambrosia. COMMENTARY: An example of how complex Xena and Gabrielle's friendship had become by "Dinars" was illustrated by Petracles comment about Xena's jealousy. Was Petracles saying Xena was jealous because (1) he was attentive to Gabrielle and Xena still liked him; (2) he was attentive to Gabrielle and Xena didn't like him; (3) he was attentive to Gabrielle and Gabrielle liked him; (4) he was attentive to Gabrielle and Xena liked Gabrielle; (4) Gabrielle was attentive to him and Xena liked him; (4) Gabrielle was attentive to him and Xena didn't like him; (5) Gabrielle was attentive to him and he liked her; (6) Gabrielle was attentive to him and Xena liked her; or (7) any two or more from the above. Talk about double, triple, etc. entendres! HIGHLIGHTS: (1) The interaction between Gabrielle and Thersites; especially after the bridge incident: ignore the Xena and Petracles conversation and watch Gabrielle and Thercites in the background. (2) The Gabrielle and Petracles discussion about who was the smoothest talker. (3) Xena's singlemindedness in rescuing Gabrielle from the falling bridge. DISCLAIMER: No Ambrosia was Spilled, Spoiled or in any way harmed during the production of this motion picture. (Thanks to the indefinite shelf life of marshmallows.) [158.3] 02-05-96 WARRIOR...PRINCESS. Episode no. 15. First release. Guest stars: Iain Rea, Norman Forsey, and Latham Gaines. Written by Brenda Lilly. Directed by Michael Levine. SYNOPSIS: Amazing, but true: the cousin of Sisyphus (does brains run in this family or what?), hires Xena to protect his daughter, Diana, who is, no kidding, an exact double of...Xena! It seems that Diana is about to marry Minius (arranged of course; they have never met) in order to join two kingdoms together. Part of the deal is that Minius' kingdom must give up slavery. This does not set well with the slave trade lobbyists. The king fears an assassination attempt upon Diana, who has only left the castle twice before and is rather naive. Xena agrees to go undercover as Diana, while, instead of hiding Diana in a secure place, Diana is forced to dress up like Xena and is thrown out of the castle. Xena-as-Diana then meets Philemon, the brother of Minius. He was sent to make the final arrangements and preparations for the marriage and fusion of the two kingdoms. He has secretly fallen in love with Diana. He can sense something different with Dana, but he takes it as pre-wedding heebie-jeebies. Meanwhile, Diana-as-Xena comes across Gabrielle in the midst of an attack. Gabrielle thinks it's a test and so clobbers the fiend. Gabrielle doesn't believe Diana's story until Diana starts to cry. Gabrielle finally gets the clue and agrees to help Diana survive on the outside. Xena-as-Diana thwarts off an assassination attempt and realizes that someone is allowing the assassins to enter the castle. Later that evening, Xena-as-Diana meets Minius and avoids playing a harp by breaking the strings. Gabrielle and Diana-as-Xena slowly bond on the road. Diana-as-Xena's is exposed to some poor folks and is shocked. As Gabrielle feeds the folks, Diana-as-Xena almost decapitates everyone by throwing her "rounding killing thing." When Gabrielle tells Diana-as-Xena it's called a chakram, Diana-as-Xena says, "Bless you." At last Philemon discovered his beloved is not his beloved. Xena fends off another attack and finds out that General Bromius is behind the assassination attempts. When they go to Bromius' room, he has committed suicide. Philemon suspects murder. The King assumes that the peril is over, so he recalls Diana home. Diana returns and Xena leaves. Philemon realizes it was murder and rushes out to find Xena to bring her back. At the wedding, just as Philemon feared, another attempt is made on Diana's life. However, Diana is really Xena-as-Diana and beats the pants off of everyone at the wedding. Meanwhile, Diana-as-Xena gets Philemon to admit his love for Diana. Back at the wedding, Minius absolutely refuses to marry Diana because of her actions at the wedding. Happy ending!!! And Argo gets a well-brushed tail. COMMENTARY: Lucy Lawless actually played four characters in this romp: Xena, Diana, Xena as Diana, and Diana as Xena. All four were distinct and never were confused during the show. It was always very clear which character was on screen, excepting of course the end where the trick was played upon the audience as well. However, there were subtle things done by Ms. Lawless which became obvious after multiple viewings of the last act of the episode. Warrior...Princess reached the apex of silliness for the first season. Royal Couple of Thieves and The Prodigal attempted to aspire to the low-humor of this episode, but they never stood a chance. Slapstick and broad physical comedy was used in good measure. The energy that Ms. Lawless put into the roles was no doubt a relief after playing the stern, uptight Xena for over half a year. For the most part, except for Altared States, Ms. Lawless has played Xena very straight and humorless; reserving Xena's emotional expression exclusively while in the heat of battle or in strategy power-plays. HIGHLIGHTS: (1) Interaction between Gabrielle and Princess Diana dressed as Xena, especially the 'round killing thing' and 'bless you' scene; (2) Xena as Princess Diana and trying to beat up bad guys without her chaperone noticing. DISCLAIMER: Neither Xena nor her remarkably coincidental identical twin, Diana, were harmed during the production of this motion picture. CONTINUED IN PART 3