THIS WEEK IN XENA NEWS....
TWXN 38
10/18/96

Brought to you by Xena: Media Review (XMR):
http://www.teleport.com/~gater/IAXS/IAXS.html

XMR is a periodic annotated world press review of
reports regarding the internationally syndicated
television show XENA: Warrior Princess (1995 - ) and
the castmembers, Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor.  For
a free e-mail subscription send "subscribe XMR" to
ktaborn@lightspeed.net. Excerpts from the following
cites will appear in future issues of XMR.


EDITOR APOLOGY:

Sorry about overloading you on TWXNs, but #37 and #38
were supposed to be one issue, but the intro to #37 and
the last annotation of #38 grew to be too large for one
issue. 


[   ] 10-15-96
   THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. Tuesday. Page E-3. 1213
words. "Xena Allure Makes Her Legend in His Own Mind"
By Welton Jones (welton.jones@uniontrib.com)
   COMMENTARY: This item was Welton Jones first
substantial XWP article. Previously Mr. Jones had
mentioned XWP in an aside using it as an example of a
quality show (he mentioned it along with NYPD Blue)
(San Diego Union-Tribune, 10-01-96, page E-1, "The
Current Cosby Creation Leaves Him Cold").
   This time up to bat, Mr. Jones devoted 1213 words to
XWP. After comparing the birth of Xena to the birth of
Venus, he made the observation that Xena, as a
character, was "the most likely new candidate since Mr.
Spock and Darth Vader" to become a new folk hero.
   Mr. Jones opined on what aided XWP's rise to the
top: that it's syndicated ("Could be this floating
schedule exposed her to a wider audience than a fixed
weekly spot") and the title of the show ("Maybe the
lurid, comic strip title snagged a few more viewers").
Mr. Jones continued with a personal story of his
discovery of XWP ("I stumbled across Xena last season,
while looking for something mindless to accompany
Saturday night dinner."), and concluded that "Right
away I got hooked and, all things being equal, there
are few current television shows I prefer now more than
this pungent stew of Classic Comics mythology, kung fu
flicks, computer tricks, science fiction, fairy tales,
arcade games, cheesecake, slapstick, campy romp and
buddy epic that all blends so smoothly together."
   This article, perhaps, is the best example so far of
a trend I having been noting in news coverage of XWP.
At last, professional tv-watchers are coming out of the
closet to defend and extol XWP. They are not afraid to
admit their bias towards the show and use an almost
proselytizing demeanor in their writing. For example,
Mr. Jones then justified his interest in XWP by listing
what he believed to be what made XWP so compelling. He
listed them in order of importance: 
   (1) Heroism. Mr. Jones alluded to the battle between
Xena's quest for morality and redemption and the curse
and pull of her past.
   (2) Atmosphere. Citing New Zealand landscapes as
compelling, he also stated "The large and vivid crowds,
the complex special effects, the rich textures of the
decor, the vast outdoor panoramas and even the broad
overacting of the supporting players all contribute to
an accumulated sense of importance."
   (3) Attitude. In a reference to the producers
purposefulness in ignoring inconsistencies, Mr. Jones
noted "A gee-whiz sense of wonder balances precisely
with the casual hangout humor to solve deftly the
problem of access between eras." He also brought up the
"shared conspiracy" which was created between the show
and the viewers regarding such "inconsistencies".
   (4) Casting. Mr. Jones was clearly impressed with
Lucy Lawless. He wrote, "Her presence is commanding and
her athleticism is formidable, but her real secret is
the intelligent sensitivity she brings to her acting. 
While Xena certainly is what the Irish call 'a fine
broth of a girl,' careful study reveals the
sophistication of Lawless' technique."
   (5) Stories. Citing the rich repository of ancient
Greek mythology, Mr. Jones recognized that the creators
of XWP did not limit themselves to that. He cited
Goliath appearing in a show (playing this week!) and
Bacchus as a bad guy. Mr. Jones observed, "By remaining
vague about the show's dates (roughly 1000 B.C.) and
background (something about a wronged girl who learns
martial arts to seek revenge), the producers provide
themselves limitless opportunities for borrowing
legends to retool."
   After listing these aspects of the show, Mr. Jones
then compared XWP to HTLJ and HTLJ came up short. "They
both handle the action with a hero's aplomb but she
[Xena] gleams with the added glow of the unexpected, a
fictional hero both resourceful and efficient who also
happens to be a major babe." He then criticized the
first two episodes of HTLJ stating that "The villains
are mere cartoons, the plots are clumsy (a female
scribe does a tiresome enterprising reporter bit) and
Sorbo seems bemused to find himself, as the greatest
hero in history, helping jolly peasants with their
yardwork." Mr. Jones then stated, "No such drift with
Xena". To be fair, he did criticize XWP by stating,
"her season premiere does labor through enough
alternate universe gibberish to stir interest aboard
the starship Enterprise." [Apparently, Mr. Jones was
confused and actually referred to the second show of
the new season REMEMBER ME, and not the first show,
ORPHAN OF WAR].  On the debate of which show was
better, Mr. Jones concluded with the observation,
"There's a temptation to see these two series as
interchangeable.  But Xena is pulling away in the
subtlety stakes, thanks to the little mysteries that
surround her past and her future."
   Mr. Jones obviously prided himself in his knowledge
of both shows and felt he knew them well enough to
compare them. This is not a review of a casual viewer
or of a reviewer who just watched a couple tapes in
order to make copy. Mr. Jones continued to reveal his
personal interest in the show by making a comparison
between the side kicks of Hercules and Xena: Iolaus and
Gabrielle, respectively.
   Mr. Jones concluded that Gabrielle was more
interesting than Iolaus because "Sorbo and Michael
Hurst (as Iolaus) do a lot of guy stuff to compensate. 
But Xena and Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) are another
matter.  When they cuddle, the air is charged with
romance.  And, believe me, the Internet is buzzing."
  Cuddle?  [Sorry, couldn't help it].
  My favorite line in the article was "Unless you're
really obsessed with metaphors, both shows are,
finally, just well-crafted escapist nonsense."
   THERE'S THE RUB: "Unless you are really obsessed
with metaphors..." Well, about three quarters of Xena
fandom are OBSESSED with metaphors. The charm of the
show is that it's jam-packed with metaphors, symbolism,
references, nuances, double-entendres, dumb jokes,
corny situations, etc. That is why Craig Miller in his
SPECTRUM, No. 5, May 1995, review of XWP episode THE
RECKONING (XMR262) was wrong when he wrote "Xena is
certainly not an allegory, and we doubt that it
employs, or even attempts, symbolism." [This statement
was discussed in more detail in "Xena as Allegory", my
editorial in XENA MEDIA REVIEW (XMR #12).]
   Mr. Jones has clearly grasped a fundamental
understanding about XWP and its meaning to many in
fandom.
   In concluding the article, Mr. Jones returned to the
theme that he believed that XWP was here to stay. He
wrote, "Other than the obvious opportunity for women to
identify with a hero as assertive, confident, daring
and crafty as any man, the creators of Xena also offer
a vivid central character at home in a timeless
universe and just waiting for an entire history of her
own. It isn't often that we can watch the birth of a
new legend."
   This article is easily the non-intellectual
counterpart of the most seminal articles on XWP
published to date. The "seminal" articles being, THE
VILLAGE VOICE, (XMR115) 12-26-95, page 47, "Xenaphilia"
by Stacey D'Erasmo; MS MAGAZINE, (XMR322), Vol 7, No.
1, July/August 1996, page 74, "Xena. She's Big, Tall,
Strong--and Popular" by Donna Minkowitz; and THE
WASHINGTON POST, (XMR pending) 09-21-96, page C01,
"Woman of Steel; Television's Warrior Xena Is a
Superheroine With Broad Appeal" by Elizabeth Kastor. 
