Xena: Warrior Princess 6x21/6x22 "A Friend in Need" Reaction
Added 2023-04-30 22:54:28 +0000 UTC
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Liam Catterson
2024-04-25 03:51:50 +0000 UTCI subscribed to watch Xena's episodes by the link doesn't work
Xena Warrior
2024-04-24 23:30:07 +0000 UTCSent a message :)
Liam Catterson
2024-01-25 18:08:45 +0000 UTCI left a message about this, but I thought I'd leave it here too, because I've had problems with messages not going through on Patreon lately. When I click this, it says the file has been deleted. Let me know if you have it somewhere still, Liam. I'd love to watch the reaction to it.
Raven Dark
2024-01-25 14:51:34 +0000 UTCThe kiss of life before it became apart of general CPR was something that was very romantic. It was in many of the fairytale animations that depicted a whirlwind romance. Mostly Disney. And it became a thing that to save your lover’s life you give them a true love’s kiss by passing oxygen into their lungs from your own mouth. Xena and Gabrielle went above and beyond that. Somehow Gabrielle passing water into an already dead Xena’s mouth seemed so much more romantic. It still floors me all these years later that they got away with this kiss when the network censors would pick up on even the slightest explicitly gay content with them.
Girl4Music
2023-11-30 19:02:27 +0000 UTCI subscribe to the headcanon theory that The Xena Scrolls are Gabrielle’s longass lover letter to Xena after she died and that AFIN is very much apart of that. In fact… It’s the first episode of ‘Gabrielle: Warrior Princess’. The pilot of the spin off that we deserved. Sometimes I cry at the sheer audacity of this moment. Then I sit in thoughtful silence and smile at how fitting it is. How right it is that she would be the only other owner of it. The only other worthy of being its owner. I do wonder though that if the dark chakram had never been neutralised, would Gabrielle have been able to wield it at all? Because as far as we know the only characters that can both catch and throw it are Xena, Callisto and Eve. But you never see proof that Eve could have thrown and caught the dark chakram on account of she wasn’t born when it was neutralised with the light chakram. You just take it on faith that Eve would have been able to due to her being Callisto reincarnated and, obviously, Xena’s biological daughter. So therefore it makes me wonder… Was Gabrielle the true owner of the light chakram? Could she also have been able to pick it up without burning to cinders? Because let’s be frank about this… Xena had lost her sense of self when she picked it up off the altar in the Tao temple. She didn’t know who she was. She was a blank slate. It was the altar’s creator that recognized her as the owner of the dark chakram, which allowed her to be able to pick the light chakram up. But odds are that she wouldn’t have been able to wield it without it being neutralised anyway. But given the fact that Gabrielle could wield the yin-yang chakram, I think it’s very fucking possible she was the owner of the light chakram instead of Xena. I mean regardless of how intertwined Xena and Gabrielle were in past, present and future… I don’t think Gabrielle could have ever instinctively been able to wield the yin-yang chakram if she wasn’t already the owner of at least half of it. The light half of it. And I would go as far as to say that that's how she was able to. Because she always could. She just never knew it. And had Tapert gotten his spin off show of ‘Gabrielle: Warrior Princess’ he would have explored this subject. It could simply be that the reason Gabrielle could wield the yin-yang chakram instinctively was because Xena could, and Xena - the body - was no longer around but the soul’s essence lived on in Gabrielle. That’s cute and all but that doesn’t really explain it. What could is that she was always the owner of it. But it took meeting and being with Xena in that lifetime for her to come to the reality where she would wield it. We always talk about how essential it was for Xena to meet Gabrielle for her to change the way that she did. But I say it was just as essential for Gabrielle to meet Xena because Gabrielle wasn’t who she was meant to be either without her, and certainly wouldn’t have become the exceptional warrior she ended up as. Soulmates or ‘one soul in two bodies’, as I refer to it… It means so much more than just the relationship factor. It’s all about how it affects the individual as well. All about how one changes because of the other. Which is why I always say that there’s got to be more than one soulmate for everyone. However Plato would disagree with me on that. And in a Greek background, it’s only appropriate that Xena and Gabrielle are the one and only half for each other - as the story goes… But it’s just something to think about that it isn’t just because of THAT why Gabrielle could wield the yin-yang chakram. Perhaps it was that she was always meant to but would have never gotten to the point of doing so without meeting, travelling with and falling in love with the true owner of the dark chakram. Xena. Maybe - just maybe - the yin-yang chakram is symbolic for the journey that these two individuals go on together because both of them are the owners of it BOTH when it was neutralised AND when it wasn’t. Think about it. It makes more sense than you realize.
Girl4Music
2023-11-30 18:58:49 +0000 UTCJust watched the finale to Xena: Warrior Princess’ ‘A Friend In Need’ (Director’s Cut) because I’m a self-masochist like that. And you know what… I still really like it. I still think it’s a good and appropriate ending. The reason for Xena to stay dead wasn’t right, I do agree with that because it is the wrong and dangerous message to send. But her dying and staying dead is the point. That was the right endgame for her, for sure, given her own individual storyline arc. But anyway, even if you don’t agree with that, there’s still lots of other reasons to like AFIN. Like the setting up of Gabrielle’s endgame throughout the whole thing. “Show me, Gabrielle.” “Listen not just to the sounds but to what’s behind the sounds.” “I just wanted you to know everything I know.” All that was in preparation for what Gabrielle would ultimately have to do. Which was to let go of Xena. Not to mention the whole production and direction of it is extremely aesthetically pleasing. It’s beautiful. And I have my headcanon that they became as as one so it doesn’t really bother me so much that Xena died. I honestly agree with Rob and Renee. It was the correct way to end the show. A show that’s about redemption first and foremost. The self doesn’t make that decision. That’s the truth of it. Redemption isn’t self-made or self-caused. If that was the case, then it wouldn’t truly be called redemption, would it? It’d be just called self-satisfaction or self-serving. And Xena didn’t believe in that. All the way through the show she never believed that her own benevolent actions would make the difference. But you could argue that the choice made - leaving behind her happiness (Gabrielle) - is what ultimately redeemed her. But anyway, I do genuinely like it. I think it sufficiently concludes many reiterated themes throughout the whole show. Particularly the themes of redemption, vengeance and balance. To me it was a good ending. I’ll stand by that viewpoint always I believe even when it’s in a complete minority to the rest of the fandom. I think it terms of what it tells the audience or forces them to understand and learn - it’s not good. But in terms of it concluding the arc of the main lead characters and all the foreshadowing to it - it is good because Xena always believed that she’d die with a sword in her hand. That she’d go out in a heroes death. And she did. She went out like all heroes do. So as wrong and dangerous of a message that is for the audience watching - it’s still consistent with the story and the environment and the time. With Xena’s world. And for me, it’s not Bury your Gays at all because death is just what happens when you’re a warrior and you can’t deny that truth just because they’re your favourite gay icon in your favourite gay relationship. I adore Xena and Gabrielle. I do. They’re my OTP. You all know that. But… circumstances are made for the storytelling. I will always choose the storytelling first.
Girl4Music
2023-11-30 18:55:09 +0000 UTCSaving Higuchi - Gabrielle leads the way! I talk a lot about Gabrielle’s evolution into becoming a warrior. but I’ve never expressed what this scene from ‘A Friend In Need part I′ means to me and how I interpret it. Throughout her entire life while travelling with Xena, Gabrielle never made the decisions, never layed out the plan, and more importantly, never been successful at it. It’s always been Xena. I remember in ‘The Bitter Suite’, Gabrielle brought that up when they had a fight in the Hall of Echoes. Gabrielle: “What if you’re wrong?” Xena: “You got any better ideas?” Gabrielle: “You’re asking me? Well, that’s a first. You know, ever since we’ve met, you’ve always made the decisions.” Xena: “Because you always take so long to reach one. Always weighing the pros and cons!” I don’t know if the writers did this intentionally while writing Gabrielle’s individual storyline for AFIN, but this scene really stood out to me because it seemed that for the first time, Xena was asking Gabrielle for what to do and trusting that she’d succeed. That could be because she knew it was a suicide mission and needed to know Gabrielle could survive on her own. Or it could simply be because she knew whatever plan Gabrielle had would work out for them and she could step back and watch her proudly take the lead. Either way, this is what really showed me Gabrielle was ready to carry on in Xena’s legacy. It must have meant a great deal to Gabrielle, given it always bothered her that she never had much responsibility in their endeavours for the Greater Good. It was always Xena doing the team leading. It must have really made her feel worthy and valued. I know it would make me feel that way. We all want to feel that way to our loved ones. We all want to feel useful and helpful. We all want to feel good enough to be in their lives and by their side. We all want to feel like we’re never a burden on them or an annoyance to them. We don’t want to feel like we’re just a distraction to them. Xena always made Gabrielle feel like a distraction. Maybe not intentionally, but it certainly came across that way sometimes in the dialogue. So, this must have meant so much to Gabrielle when Xena asked her on how she’d go about saving Higuchi. All she had to do was prove that she could be successful at it. She did! They are and always will be a GREAT team!
Girl4Music
2023-11-30 18:53:03 +0000 UTCStriking differences between season 4 and season 6 - The differences in how Xena and Gabrielle deal with situations, circumstances, and consequences that involve their deaths, moral codes, and choices. Many Xenites believe that Gabrielle didn’t love Xena to same level Xena loved her. But that’s only because they don’t agree with the ending. I, however, did. In fact I would have wrote the ending to the show exactly the same way. The only change I would have made, was I would have given a different and better reason for Xena to stay dead than the one she got. Because I thought the reason was just lazy writing, and she deserved better. But she would have had a heroes death in my ending too. Sword in her hand. Ultimately redeemed from all the evil she did and crimes she committed. Like I explained in a recent Tumblr post I wrote, Gabrielle would have found it extremely difficult, at first, but she would have had the emotional strength to move on and continue life, without Xena, eventually. That does not in any way mean she loved Xena less. I would actually say it means she loved Xena more. The complete opposite. Sometimes love requires you to let go and move on. It requires so much strength and courage. At some point we all have to do it. And as difficult and painful as it is, you do it because you love them enough to. You allow them to leave you. It seems contradictory to most people. It’s a love that not too many understand because it’s so hard to think that someone could just put aside their selfish desires like that, and let go of all their need to be with that person, to give them the eternal rest and peace they seek. If what Gabrielle did, by allowing Xena to pass on into eternity, was not love, then I don’t know what is. As I’ve said countless times, in relation to these characters, love goes way beyond human conceptualization. It’s on another level than we currently comprehend as humans, but that the soul knows with no doubt. For all out there that say Gabrielle didn’t love Xena as much as Xena loved her because she allowed her to stay dead. Just think about this. Xena chose that end to keep her promise to live by the ‘greater good’. It was her moral code. Gabrielle never agreed with it, but she accepted Xena’s choice because she couldn’t deny Xena that eternal peace as a fully redeemed soul. It was all about what Xena wanted to Gabrielle. An unselfish thought. However, if it was the other way around, it’d be a completely different story. If Gabrielle chose to stay dead, Xena would not have accepted it. Not only would it have been selfish for her not to respect what Gabrielle wanted. But it would have also been against her moral code to live by the ‘greater good’, and to redeem herself from the sins of her past. But since Gabrielle’s life goes beyond the ‘greater good’ for her, she wouldn’t have accepted Gabrielle sacrificing herself the way she did for those 40,000 souls. By avenging their deaths. As proved in season 6, ‘Legacy’, when Korah’s life had to be avenged and Gabrielle accepted the consequences of her actions. Even though it was just an accident, and purely on a gut instinct, Gabrielle still felt very guilty for it. So, she chose to let his family execute her. But Xena refused to let it be that way. She went against the ‘greater good’ just to save her when she led those romans to Korah’s father’s campsite. She would not let Gabrielle choose that end. Furthermore, it was right Gabrielle should carry on Xena’s legacy. When you think about it, a hero never dies if their legacy is still alive. And a person never dies if they remain in their loved ones minds and hearts. Their consciousness never dies. That’s what I believe the show wanted to convey to the audience in ‘AFIN’, as well as that love comes at a price. It’s not always riding off into the sunset together. It’s not always a happy ending. Sometimes it’s pain and suffering, and that’s realistic. Are you willing to put aside your own happiness to love that deeply? That’s the question we can’t answer. That’s the love too few of us can understand and accept because it’s upsetting and seems counterintuitive. Until you realize that love isn’t just a feeling. Love isn’t just something you feel. Love is your entire being. Love is you. And it’s your responsibility to cultivate that love. That unconditional and unselfish love. Xena didn’t just give up her life to be ultimately redeemed. That would have been all too easy. She gave up her happiness. She gave up Gabrielle. Gabrielle also gave up her happiness. She gave up Xena. But she didn’t give up her own life. She loved Xena on a deeper level. She loved her with the love that lets go. Who loved who more depends on what you think is most important when it comes to the situation of making sacrifices with your own death. Living by the moral code you’ve promised to follow your whole life, and honoring the wishes of your loved ones, or ignoring all that and killing in order to protect and defend your loved ones. The different circumstances here make it very difficult to give an answer. But to me, they loved each other equally, as they both tried their hardest to save each other’s lives no matter the situation, circumstance or consequence. And, without hesitation, give up their own life to do it. When it came to each other’s lives, there was absolutely no excuses to not save each other’s lives. That is called love, that is true. However, in the end, what really matters is what the person themselves decide, and it’s extremely difficult to just accept it if it means you’ll be in incredible pain. Gabrielle didn’t love Xena more or less than Xena loved her. But she did love her unconditionally. Well, it turned out that one of the conditions that she had to excuse, whether she liked it or not, was to accept the death of Xena, because it’s what Xena decided. The ‘greater good’ didn’t really matter to Gabrielle either, when it came to Xena’s life. But Xena’s choice did, and so she chose to respect her wishes. That is as unconditional as you can get when it comes to loving someone, because of the fact that they have to leave you for you to give that kind of love to them. The truly striking difference here is not in how far one will go to save the one they love, which is Xena’s love. It’s in how much they’re willing to give up to do it. But sometimes the situation is that the very thing you have to give up is the loved one you’re trying to save. So, therefore, the greatest gesture of unconditional love you can give is, as hard as it is, to let go of them. That’s Gabrielle’s love. The Xenites have great difficulty in accepting the ending of ‘AFIN’, because it’s not something easily understood. Or rather, they do understand it, but they put their own views, reasons and conditions to not accept it first. When they should do as Gabrielle did, and just honour the Warrior Princess’ wishes. It’s not about being morally right. It has nothing to do with living by the ‘greater good’. It has to do with respecting and accepting the choice of the one you love. And for Xena, living by the ‘greater good’, in the end, meant that she had to stay dead. The question you need to ask yourself is do you love Xena to the depth Gabrielle does? Unconditionally and unselfishly. If you do, and you were in Gabrielle’s situation at the time, you would have not dumped Xena’s ashes into the fountain of strength either. Even if you didn’t agree with Xena, in having to avenge the death of those 40,000 souls, by staying dead, which Gabrielle definetly didn’t. Nevertheless, you put all that aside, because Xena did. Xena tells Gabrielle that it was her influence on her throughout their travels together that made her choose the end she did. She knew that it was morally right because she learned that it was from Gabrielle. And even though it upset both her and Gabrielle, because it meant they couldn’t be together in that way anymore, they both accepted it because this was how Xena was to receive her ultimate redemption. “Gabrielle does say in the last scene that she doesn’t care about those people. All she cares about is Xena. Which to me was the heart of the dichotomy of Gabrielle. It was so against her nature to say that. Her love for Xena is so strong, it changed her emotionally. But she couldn’t deny her friend the peace she had sought for so long.” - Renee O’Connor
Girl4Music
2023-11-30 18:50:23 +0000 UTCOh, you should totally checkout the bloopers! =D
Michelle Linardis
2023-05-03 01:42:13 +0000 UTCI'm glad for you that you enjoyed that contronversial finale! Wish that could be me, as I hate it viscerally. Almost nothing in this finale works for me, it's crazy. - First and foremost: these episodes simply don't shine to me. There are many elements we'd already seen before, but they were done *better* in the past in my opinion. Epic battles in Chin, magic and the spiritual world, evil-and-homoerotic Xena flashbacks, romantic moments between Xena and Gabrielle, Xena dying and being a ghost... Been there, seen that. - Then, there ARE new elements: the ones used to conclude to the show's major themes/characters. And surprise, I don't like them at all. The show's established time and time again that Xena always finds a way to revive. In Destiny, she does so because she realizes she can do more good alive than dead, and because Gabrielle needs her. Season 4 is all about her accepting that her work as a warrior is her true way, her true redemption. Yet we're supposed to believe this particular death is/should be definitive, that it's right. This death is supposedly "for the greater good", despite the concept of "sacrifice as redemption" contradicting most of the show. Implicitly, with this finale, there's also the idea that Gabrielle doesn't need Xena anymore: look at her, she fights well, she can use pressure points and even the Chakram. But come on, they're soulmates, Gabrielle's said she doesn't feel complete without Xena. It's depressing and truly doesn't feel right after 6 seasons of them either being together, either actively fighting to be together again. Basically... What did Xena and Gabrielle want in the first episode of the show? Xena wanted to die: here, she does. Gabrielle wanted to be warrior "like Xena": here, she sort of is, a lone warrior with a Chakram. I don't think it's right that they both end up getting what they wanted years ago, disregarding their personal and interpersonal growths. Xena's idea of redemption had changed, Gabrielle affirmed her own identity as a bard and warrior instead of just following Xena's footsteps, etc. - So what works for me is particular shots, or short scenes. The episodes look good, there are some moments which are well-written (particularly in part 1). But aside from that... It's a big nope for me. Anyway, yeah I just don't like this finale, but truly, I'm glad you enjoyed it and the rest of the show! Thank you for reacting to XWP all the way through, it's been a blast!
Mark
2023-05-02 20:25:31 +0000 UTCNice, so excited to watch this! :) Preliminary thoughts: The way they wrapped up Xena's character was a case of 'terrible idea, beautiful presentation'. Her needing to die in order to get """true""" redemption is such a sour message and goes against the show's main narrative. The battle leading up to her death was done really well though. Xena absolutely would have wanted to go out that kind of way. I also really loved how they found a way to incorporate Xena's softer side and her bond with Gabrielle in her final moments. "If I only had 30 seconds to live, this is how I'd want to live them, looking into your eyes." And she really did it! She really thought of all the good times with Gabrielle as she was charging to her death. The show originally strongly considered having Gabrielle die alongside Xena too and I'm so glad they didn't do that! I may like other shows more, but Gabrielle is my all-time favourite TV character! Her growth arc which spans all 6 seasons, her continual ambivalence towards the very concept of fighting for good, and her idealism are so endearing and fascinating. I'm glad they wrapped her character up well. I think the message here is that Gabrielle can now go on to become the inspirational heroic figure Xena never could. Apart from having an untainted legacy, something Xena could never have because of her past, Gabrielle has also always shown to place the greater good above all else, Whereas Xena often would choose Gabrielle over the greater good. This is not a knock against Xena, we love how she's decisively overcome her past and love her emotional side. And I don't think, as elite as she is now, Gabrielle can ever reach Xena's fighting ability. But because of the above factors, Gabrielle can become a more bulletproof symbol for good which almost no other heroes can be. And the fact that it is in her nature to continually question and refine her own morals means that she'll never take her status for granted.
Judson
2023-05-01 08:03:12 +0000 UTCAnd so the journey ends <3
Michelle Linardis
2023-05-01 06:09:02 +0000 UTC
