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
