77: 5x13 "Eternal Bonds"

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, Chris Manheim is at it again! Vera, Katie, and Livy are getting hot and heavy with 5x13 “Eternal Bonds,” a.k.a. A Very Hetero Episode that is nonetheless very attuned to the characters and kicks off the quality upswing as we enter the back half of Season 5. We discuss the show’s handling of Baby Eve, poopy diapies and all, the moral complexity of exposing a child to a life of violence and the intimate beauty of the breastfeeding sequence. Plus: The B word, Ares goes downtown in dreamland, Xena chops it out, the Beesley dunes, Gabrielle and Joxer resolve their issues through the magic of hurt/comfort, and Ares reduces Vera to singing boy band hits of the 90’s. The power, the passion, the podcast!    

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76: 5x12 "God Fearing Child"

Oh baby, it’s time for another episode of XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! Vera, Katie, and Livy have a special delivery with 5x12 “God Fearing Child,” and ARGH get out of the way, Hercules!! We discuss this episode’s mothers and fathers, as Xena reckons with the specter of Solon just as she’s about to give birth, and Hercules reckons with his daddy issues which no one cares about. Plus: the dysfunctional family unit of Zeus, Hera, and Ares; Meg Foster on Cagney and Lacey; Ares’ manipulative sincerity; Gabs is invisible which is awesome but also we can’t see her arms anymore, boo; the afterlife makes no sense; and Xena lost her pants just in time! "Heeeeeey!"  

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75: 5x11 "Punch Lines"

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, live free or pie hard! Vera, Katie, and Livy are horsing around with 5x11 “Punch Lines,” a clip show celebration of Xena’s comedies. We discuss how this episode fits into the tradition of Gabrielle-focused clip shows, the cinematic history of pie fights, getting laughs out of Xena’s pregnancy, the very problematic (coin!) ‘romantic comedy’ supercut, Gabrielle’s writer’s block, and Aphrodite’s therapeutic seduction. White chocolate, anyone?

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74: 5x10 “Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire”

Welcome, all you baddest mama jammers, to another episode of XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! Vera, Katie, and Livy are rocking out to 5x10 “Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire,” the show’s second, way-more-mediocre musical episode. Season FIVE! *shakes fist* We discuss our fave jukebox musicals (of which this is not one!), the thematic cohesion (or lack thereof!) with the song choice, RenPix’s obsession with Bye Bye Birdie, our long history with the Jace dance, how the male gaze can be challenged in an all-female space, whether Cyrene’s obsession with finding Xena’s baby a father is in character or not (it’s not!), and whether Gabrielle’s jealousy over Joxer is in character or not (it might be?). Plus: Vera performs a dramatic reading of the Xena rap (what Xena rap?) and Gabs shimmies to freedom!

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73: 5x08-09 "Little Problems" & "Seeds of Faith"

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, Vera, Katie, and Livy are in the soup with 5x08 “Little Problems” and 5x09 “Seeds of Faith.” We discuss what these two episodes have in common: reflective surfaces conveniently placed everywhere you need them! We also discuss how these episodes differ: one is a fairly serious meditation on belief and sacrifice, the others is about Gabrielle and Aphrodite impersonating conjoined Scandinavian twins. Check out those moosels! Plus: our fave ships Gaphrodite and Gares, Gabrielle’s fall from grace gets cut for time, a new vision of all-female family, the Rift Part 2, and forgiving your enemy means loving them like they’re your child (because they actually are your child, plus they’re also the father of your child, yes it’s confusing). TOUCHING!

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