34: 3x10 "The Quill Is Mightier..."

Something smells fishy this week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! Vera, Katie, and Livy discuss the final comedy before the Rift resumes, 3x10 “The Quill is Mightier…” This episode has a stacked cast of comedy all-stars, with Ares, Aphrodite, Joxer, and Minya all cracking wise to distract us from Xena’s absence from Greece (cuz she’s too busy starring in Grease). The presence of so many secondary characters means that a lot of new ships are launched, our favorites being Aphrodite/Gabs...and, shockingly, Ares/Gabs. We defend those choices, plus we chat about Gabrielle’s writing style, Rob Tapert’s ultimate fish fantasy, and Go-Go-Gabrielle. Go-Go to the caves!
 

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33: 3x08-09 “The King of Assassins” & “Warrior…Priestess…Tramp”

We’re seeing double this week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! Vera, Katie, and Livy catch a doppelgänger double-header of 3x08 “The King of Assassins” and 3x09 “Warrior…Priestess…Tramp.” Is it weird to watch a bunch of comedies in the middle of the pitch-dark Rift saga? Yup! Are those comedies funny? ...Yup? Admittedly it’s a mixed bag with “Assassins,” but at least it features the easy-going bromance of Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi, plus the utterly magnificent Gina Torres as Cleopatra. But “Priestess” is divine from beginning to end. We discuss its introduction of a new Xena doppel, Leah, who sounds like Church Lady if Church Lady were from Mars, its exploration of womanhood and sexual mores so characteristic of the multi-Xena comedies, and its many, many masturbation jokes. Real talk: if Xena deflowers Leah, does that count as self-love?

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Hermes Mailbag 01 - Burrito Dreams

Girls just wanna have mail on this week’s XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! Vera, Katie, and Livy dip into our Hermes (Hermès?) mailbag (it’s fancy! AND delivered real fast!) to answer your Qs! Topics include: how we would reboot XWP (and, more importantly, would there be bangs??), femslash’s place in fandom, Xena's and Gabrielle's definitive Hogwarts House, our thoughts on Wonder Woman, podcasting influences and recommendations, and so much more! Plus, Xena: Warrior Podcast’s origin story! How did the three hosts meet? The answer may surprise you! 

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32: 3x06-07 "The Debt" & "The Debt II"

Pack your bags and don your fashionable winter cloak, we're going on an adventure on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! This week Vera, Katie, and Livy travel to the kingdom of Chin for 3x06 "The Debt" and 3x07 "The Debt II." This classic two-parter has a winning combination of lush spectacle, swooning romance, and moral ambiguity. We discuss the elaborate production and costume design, and the debt (har har) to wuxia cinema this storyline wears on its elegant sleeve. And there's plenty of character motivation to pick over as The Rift continues to wreck us: in these eps Xena attains new layers of emotional complexity in the past and in the present, and Gabrielle makes a deliciously human mistake. Plus: the introduction of ~THE GREAT BORIAS~, who is and will always be a problem, little bitch Ming T'ien and his love of antiquing, and Lao Ma, who is a gloriously three-dimensional character with a really awkward bathing routine.

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31: 3x04-05 "The Deliverer" & "Gabrielle's Hope"

Things take a dark turn this week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST. Vera, Katie, and Livy find themselves at a major crossroads with 3x04 “The Deliverer” and 3x05 “Gabrielle’s Hope.” Together they mark the beginning of one of Xena’s most ambitious, dramatic, and polarizing story arcs, one that would ultimately redefine what kinds of stories the show could tell. First we talk about “The Deliverer”’s devious bait-and-switch structure, its epic rematch between Xena and Julius Caesar that takes a backseat in the shocking last act when Chekhov’s blood innocence goes off. We discuss awesome warrior queen Boadicea, BFOTW (or IS he?) Khrafstar, and Gabrielle’s rape, with its profound repercussions for the characters moving forward. Then it’s on to “Gabrielle’s Hope,” where we discuss the episode’s horror film inspirations, its use of problematic mystical pregnancy tropes to tell a story of female agency and choice, and the painful moral dilemma that sets Gabrielle and Xena against each other. *sadly throws coins in jar*

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