Minisode 02: Buffus the Bacchae Slayer!

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, she saved the world a lot. No, not Xena...though she saved it too (she saved it FIRST)! But in this special episode of the podcast, Vera, Katie, and Livy are taking a break from our regular schedule to analyze the hell(mouth) out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer! We mention Buffy all the time, so we felt a free-wheeling discussion of all things related to the vampire slayer and her Sunnydale crew was long overdue. We talk about our histories with the show, how our relationships with it have evolved over time, and how Buffy has changed the way we watch television. Plus: our favorite characters, episodes, Big Bads, and fab 90’s lewks! We wear the cheese, it does not wear us!

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41: 3x18 "Fins, Femmes & Gems"

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we’re going fishing! Vera, Katie, and Livy hang out by the lake with 3x18 “Fins, Femmes & Gems,” a frothy farce that also functions as…an advertisement for DeBeers? We discuss what could have been before the last-minute rewrites, subtext becoming text, director Josh Becker’s spilling of tea, and Rob Tapert’s perplexing love affair with comedies about fishing. Plus: hot takes on why Xena is mostly unaffected by Aphrodite’s spell (she is hardcore obsessed with fishing anyway!), Gabrielle reminding Xena of Lyceus (a little creepy?) and Joxer the Ape-man (somebody really needs to teach this boy about consent!). A diamond is forever!

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40: 3x17 "Forget Me Not"

You’re lime green jello and you can’t even admit it to yourself in this week’s XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! Vera, Katie, and Livy go up against the green-eyed monster in 3x17 “Forget Me Not,” an ingenious clip show that is actually an intimate character study, re-examining what came before as a way of cunningly pushing the plot forward. We discuss Gabrielle’s painful revelation and the acting breakthrough it represents for Renée O’Connor; the symbol-heavy spirit quest that links this episode back to “The Bitter Suite”; Ares as a manifestation of Gabrielle’s guilt, denial, and dark sexual energy; Joxer the Creepster; the River of Whoa; Gabrielle’s hero’s journey; and whether the actress playing the Priestess of Mnemosyne might be an actual oracle. MEEEEMORIIIIIES! 

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39: 3x16 “When in Rome…”

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, all roads lead to Rome! Vera, Katie, and Livy take on the Triumvirate in 3x16 “When in Rome…”, an epic sequel to “Destiny” that introduces us to a new place, culture, and several significant new characters, all while putting Xena and Gabrielle through the emotional wringer. (Mmm, just how we like it!) We discuss the evolution of the relationship between Xena and Caesar, how amazing Xena looks in Roman finery (always a GOOD LEWK for Lucy Lawless), the vast quantities of fruit everybody seems to eat in Rome, Pompey the Bro, Vercinix the Hot, and finally the HUGE decision Gabrielle makes and the complicating feelings surrounding it. If you liked it, you should have put a ring on it!

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38: 3x14-15 "Forgiven" & "King Con"

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we’re here to protect wimps and kick the crap out of jerks! Vera, Katie, and Livy are talking about the sweet, thematically rich post-Rift episode 3x14 “Forgiven,” in which baby Shiri Appleby sports a horrible mullet and bites off Gabrielle’s ear and yet still somehow manages to be lovable. We discuss whether young sidekicks are important audience surrogates or just plain annoying, Gabs as the bad cop, Xena’s mysterious punk phase, the difference between telling and showing, and the many paths to forgiveness. Speaking of forgiveness, 3x15 “King Con” needs a lot of it, because it is very bad and very heterosexual. We chat about the Bechdel Test, Gabrielle’s hobbling, how much punishment does it take for us to care about Joxer, and Lucy Lawless’s open-mouthed kissing style. (Hey, It’s still better than “Ulysses.”)

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