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Xena: Warrior Princess: Season One
Plot Outline: In a time of ancient gods, ruthless warriors, and capricious kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena,
a mighty Warrior Princess forged in the heat of battle. Relive the power, the passion, and the wild adventure of international
icon Lucy Lawless's first season as Xena, a season that swept up audiences the world over and completely redefined the role
of the female action hero. Season 1 on DVD includes the 24 jaw-dropping episodes that changed the world. Episodes: Sins of
the Past, Chariots of War, Dreamworker, Cradle of Hope, The Path Not Taken, The Reckoning, The Titans, Prometheus, Death in
Chains, Hooves and Harlots, The Black Wolf, Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts, Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards, A Fist
Full of Dinars, Warrior...Princess, Mortal Beloved, The Royal Couple of Thieves, The Prodigal, Altered States, Ties That Bind,
The Greater Good, Callisto, Death Mask, Is There a Doctor in the House? Just four minutes into "Sins of the Past," the first episode of "Xena", you'll gladly follow the warrior princess anywhere.
Taking on a gang of marauders, she leaps onto an upright spear embedded in the ground and, with a cry of "Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi,"
does a circular wall of death on their chests. A syndication phenomenon, this audacious 1995 series was a spin-off from "Hercules:
The Legendary Journeys". Lucy Lawless stars as Xena, dressed to kill in leather and breastplate. Her exploits are legend:
"She came down out of the sky in a chariot throwing thunderbolts and breathing fire," remarks one awestruck boy in the first
episode. Xena wants to bury her violent past, but there is no rest for the formerly wicked as she takes up arms (and feet)
against any number of villains and mythological beasts. She is joined by Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), a young peasant woman
who "is not cut out for this village life," and runs away from home to join Xena in her adventures. As the series evolved,
speculation was rife about the true nature of their relationship. Playful and provocative teasers in several of these episodes
give this first season an unexpected erotic charge, as witness "Altared States," in which the two skinnydip, and later, a
drugged Gabrielle, revived by Xena, looks upon her and gushes, "By the gods! You are beautiful." Other memorable episodes
include "Callisto," which introduces the vengeful female warrior who would further bedevil Xena in seasons to come; "Prometheus,"
in which Kevin Sorbo guest stars as Hercules; "Chariots of War," in which Xena wears a dress (!), and "Warrior...Princess,"
in which Xena trades places with her look-alike, a Princess named--yes--Diana, who is the target of assassins. By the gods,
"Xena" is an absolute hoot whose pleasures--stylized action
sequences, cheesy special effects, tongue-in-cheek anachronistic
dialogue--are anything but guilty ones. Clumsy packaging, lack
of commentary, and less than pristine picture quality are minor
drawbacks to this otherwise thrilling set.
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| Cast Summary: | |||
| Lucy Lawless | |||
| Rene O'Connor | |||
| Peter Daube | |||
| Huntley Eliott | |||
| Richard Foulkes Jr. | |||
"In a time of ancient gods, warlords, and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle. The power. The passion. The danger. Her courage will change the world."
If you don't recognize the above, you've been in a distant land since at least 1995, and this review isn't really for you. But you should buy this collection immediately, because you're in for an entirely novel treat.
Xena: Warrior Princess is a spin-off series from "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys", which followed 5 "Action Pack" (don't ask) Hercules movies. The Hercules and Xena stories are revisionist tales of antiquity. Most of the names are right ("Hercules" instead of "Herakles", and the Roman "Cupid" instead of Greek "Eros" are notable exceptions), but anachronisms abound. We first see Xena sitting on her horse, complete with stirrups (1000 years before their invention) and saddle horn (2000 years early). Xena's sword is bronze, but steel implements abound in an era when Indian Wootz steel was a commodity valued above gold. The wet countryside of New Zealand doubles for the dry Mediterranean clime of Greece. And barbarian warriors look suspiciously like Maori. Obviously the emphasis is on entertainment rather than historical accuracy. It's a good thing, too, because the entertainment value is outstanding.
The premise of the series is that Xena was a teenager living in the Greek village of Amphipolis when it was attacked. She rallied her neighbors to mount a successful defense. Then she took the surrounding towns to have a defensive perimeter. One thing led to another, and Xena was a warlord terrorizing the countryside. But, true to her original intent, she spared defenseless women and children. When her underlings thought that made her soft she broke from them, and began an epic quest for redemption. Soon after this she met Gabrielle, a young villager whose community is raided. With ambitions exceeding her small town's reach Gabrielle decides to follow Xena on her travels.
Xena is a mythic hero. Lacking the godly strength of Hercules, she nevertheless matches him in battle by virtue of superhuman agility. Plus, as she says, "I have many skills" -- including tactics, strategy, eastern martial arts, horsemanship, medicine, and singing. Xena is at the top of her form when we first see her. In sharp contrast to this we watch Gabrielle as she transforms from quick-witted but unsophisticated villager to wannabe bard to reluctant warrior.
Lucy Lawless got an early entry into the Hercules/Xena universe; she played Lysia in "Hercules and the Amazon Women", the very first of the movies that preceded the "Hercules" series. In fact this earlier role was a strike against her when trying out for the part of Xena in the "Hercules" series. But hair dye, boots with lifts, and skin bronzer transformed Lucy Lawless (5' 10 1/2", light brown hair, pale skin) to Xena (6' tall, brown-black hair, olive complexion). Add in a passable American accent, and this native New Zealander carried off the role of an Americanized Greek mythic hero with aplomb. When you see Xena riding at the gallop or trading blows with a foe that's really Lucy Lawless; when Xena is tumbling through the air it's a stunt performer.
Renee O'Connor also got an early start; she played an earlier version
of Deianeira, Hercules' wife, in "Hercules and the Lost Kingdom", the
second Hercules movie, before landing the role of Gabrielle. In the
first season of X:WP O'Connor is listed as "also starring", after the
title; only Lawless gets "starring" billing.
| UPC 013131254891 |
