72: 5x07 "Back in the Bottle"

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, you spin me right round baby right round! Vera, Katie, and Livy put up a force field to protect themselves from 5x07 “Back in the Bottle,” the staggeringly lazy, tone deaf conclusion of the Chin two-parter. And you thought “Purity” was bad! We discuss the terrible script, so busted that the writers tried to save it with the last minute addition of...Ming T’ien? Also: Gabs has her first Boyfriend of the Week in YEARS and the sparks aren’t exactly flying, Voldemort and Quirrell stand on a Roomba, Genghis Khan subscribes to the Green Dragon newsletter for some reason, romantic psychic links, and the cowardly awfulness of having your hero declare she has “no choice” in a beyond-serious moral dilemma. The Problematic Jar is overflowing!!!

Apple Podcasts    |    Google Play    |    Download     |    Patreon

71: 5x06 "Purity"

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST -- ugh, next slide! Vera, Katie, and Livy take on 5x06 “Purity,” the first half of the show’s misguided return to Chin. We discuss the shallow characterizations of new characters Pao Ssu and K’ao Hsin, Joxer’s blatant racism, and the writers’ infuriating retcon of “The Debt” -- seriously, since when has Lao Ma been Xena’s MOM? Plus: Gabrielle is really good with her feet, Be Less Gay :(, YAAS, Rick Jacobson uses his powers for evil, that’s not how the Force works!, and we give up covering these episodes in a single podcast halfway through. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Apple Podcasts    |    Google Play    |    Download     |    Patreon

70: 5x05 "Them Bones, Them Bones" Live at Xenite Retreat!

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, welcome to the doghouse! Vera, Katie, and Livy are proud to present 5x05 “Them Bones, Them Bones” recorded LIVE AT XENITE RETREAT 2018! First we give you the deets on our pre-Retreat brush with celebrity and we introduce our special guest for the live show. Then we break down this episode’s experimental visuals, its exploration of identity and belonging, and the behind-the-scenes staffing transitions that affected its production. Plus: Gabs goes way beyond Test Day, Xena embraces motherhood, the glorious return of TV CPR, hat bangs, Amarice’s confusing secret, Yakut’s private heartbreak, the mechanics of skeleton fights, and Alti can’t decide whether she wants to be Xena’s lover or her baby. Paging Dr. Freud!

Apple Podcasts    |    Google Play    |    Download     |    Patreon

69: Xenite Retreat 2018 + 5x04 "Animal Attraction"

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, Vera, Katie, and Livy clip on their deputy’s badges and prepare for a showdown with 5x04 “Animal Attraction.” We discuss the show’s baffling decision to reveal Xena’s pregnancy in a rom-com western, pregnancy coat homages, 90’s lady gunslingers, and what ‘race you to Greece’ really means. But before we break down the episode, we give you the play-by-play of our own adventures at Xenite Retreat 2018, including our die-hard allegiance to Callisto’s Cut-Throats, our many leaps of faith, howling at the moon to Katy Perry, the recording of our very first live show, and meeting Steve Sears while dressed as cows. Moooo! (Note: "Animal Attraction" begins at 58:00.)  

Apple Podcasts    |    Google Play    |    Download     |    Patreon

68: 5x03 "Succession"

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, may the odds be ever in your favor! Vera, Katie, and Livy get their Hunger Games on with 5x03 “Succession,” a high-concept, small-scale gem and Steve Sears’s final credited contribution to the series. We discuss the episode’s intriguing triangulation between Xena, Gabs, and Ares, the tension that Gabrielle’s battle prowess puts on her relationship with Xena, and how these character dynamics might have evolved if Steve had continued writing S5. Plus: if you combine Xena and Gabs you get one amazing person, Mavican or Mavican’t, Xena wears pants, Gabrielle squats, Xena watches TV, Ares’ little dumpling, very important rocks, legacy in all its forms, and Gabrielle has a wound and absolutely everyone is concerned about it!

Apple Podcasts    |    Google Play    |    Download     |    Patreon