Xena Warrior Princess - Season Five

It may appear at first glance that satisfying those private adolescent fantasies having to do with aggressive women in skimpy outfits may be the sole purpose of the seemingly eternally popular Xena: Warrior Princess television series. And at second glance? well ok, it?s still all about leather-clad babes kicking butt with swords. But as silly as this series is, it has a very keen sense of its own absurdity, which makes it far more entertaining than its B-rated production value would without it.

Season 5 starts out, ironically, with Xena (Lucy Lawless) and Gabrielle (Renee O?Connor) dead, having been crucified by the Romans at the end of season 4. In true Xena fashion however, death is never a REAL end, and very soon our two heroines are back to the real world battling human oppressors, egomaniacal gods, and in a few cases, themselves. This season differs from its predecessors in that the Twilight of the Olympian Era (the end of the reign of the Greek gods) is fast approaching, precipitated by the growth of a new movement heralding the time when love conquers all and signified by the birth of Xena?s daughter Eve (Adrienne Wilkinson) (an event made necessary by Lucy Lawless? advancing real life pregnancy.) This makes Xena and her baby very unpopular with the majority of the gods of course, and over the course of the season the conflicts escalate until it comes down, quite simply, to Xena having to eliminate the gods or lose her daughter. The entire course of human history is once again in Xena?s most capable hands.

In watching the first season of Xena I found its tongue-in-cheek way of looking at itself utterly fascinating and the true heart of the entertainment gleaned from the show. Having now watched the fifth season I see these elements still present, but frequently overwhelmed by more serious themes and action which seem to want to bear more credibility than the show?s overall production value can be realistically expected to give them. For a television series the CGI effects are quite good, as are some of the make-up and creature effects (in particular, the demon effects in ?Fallen Angel?). The stunt, bluescreen and fight effects however are almost universally lame, and given the show?s emphasis on action this can be a real detriment, especially if you try to view several episodes in quick succession. The only times that the feebleness doesn?t become a drag, surprise surprise, is when the action pokes fun at itself, and then the poorly choreographed fight scenes, the overblown performances, and the cheesy fight special effects are more charming than tedious. The writing is at once inspired and confounding, masterfully injecting humorous touches when you least expect it at one moment, and then introducing out-of-control plot twists while massacring conventional mythology in the next. It is no surprise that the best episodes tend to be those that focus on the humor, such as ?Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire? and ?Punchlines?, and the worst (?Them Bones, Them Bones?) tend to be those that strive to take themselves too seriously. For a particular audience, one that buys into the idea that women bearing swords will always defeat men similarly armed, that the laws of physics do not apply during fight scenes, and that supernatural powers are no match for flying kicks, this show will be infinitely watchable and enjoyable. For those more grounded in reality, I?d be surprised if they?d last through more than one episode.

Official XENA site - http://www.xenacatalog.com