06: 1x11-12 "The Black Wolf" & "Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts"

Sing, muses, as we embark upon another epic episode of XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! This week Vera, Katie, and Livy partake in some whiskey and tackle the Robin Hood-style swashbuckler 1x11, “The Black Wolf,” in which Salmoneus pays homage to Xena’s amazing legs, Gabrielle accessorizes with a fine chakram hat, and Xena teaches people life lessons by dropping them out of trees (as you do). Then we move on to 1x12, “Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts,” an ambitious first outing for one of the show’s most talented directors. We discuss TJ Scott’s unique visual style, the transgressive depiction of Helen of Troy, and the reintroduction of Gabrielle’s greatest BFOTW, Perdicas, so lovable despite looking exactly like Donny Osmond ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

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05: 1x09-10 "Death in Chains" & "Hooves and Harlots"

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, Vera, Katie, and Livy embark on the Sisyphean task of finding deep meaning in the not-very-deep 1x09, “Death in Chains,” in which King Sisyphus lives in Disney’s Haunted Mansion and Gabrielle falls for a BFOTW so generically perfect he may as well have been grown in a lab. (Rats!) But then we move on to crucial 1x10, “Hooves and Harlots,” an essential episode for Gabrielle, who gains a new title, a new outfit, and her very first weapon. So join us as we break out the Problematic Jar and perform the Amazon symbol of peace.

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04: 1x07-08 "The Titans" & "Prometheus"

Hello, World!

The two episodes featured on this week’s XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST share a relationship status of “it’s complicated.” First, the Titanic ménage à trois of 1x07, “The Titans” (ew, get a room, guys, if only you could find one large enough!). Then there’s the love rhombus of 1x08, “Prometheus,” where Hercules and Iolaus come to town looking to pair off with Xena and Gabrielle, only to end up pairing off with each other instead (phew!). Listen in as we discuss Gabrielle the cruel, if adorable, little goddess, the Platonic origin of love, and the Real Oracles of New Jersey.

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03: 1x05-06 "The Path Not Taken" & "The Reckoning"

On this week’s XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we confront Xena’s ultimate weakness: hot tubs! Xena’s penultimate weakness, btw, is men with well-muscled arms, which makes this pair of episodes, 1x05, “The Path Not Taken” and 1x06, “The Reckoning,” quite the trial for her. (Not a trial for Vera, Katie, and Livy, though; we loved every minute of these two very strong stories.) Join us as we discuss misogyny as comedy device, the twelve-step program that is the warrior’s path to redemption, and why Ares is totally the Christian Grey of the Xenaverse (though his Red Room is a bit green...screened).

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02: 1x03-04 "Dreamworker" & "Cradle of Hope"

What dreams may come in this week’s XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! Vera, Katie, and Livy venture through the dreamscape of 1x03, “Dreamworker,” which lays the foundations of one of the show’s biggest emotional arcs: Gabrielle realizes that becoming a warrior might not be all fun and games, while Xena wrestles with her dark side...literally. Next, we lighten things up with 1x04, “Cradle of Hope,” an episode that raises pressing questions like, “How high can a warrior princess throw a baby?” and “Is Xena a good dancer?" (But really, is she??)

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