"Sins of the Past"
Alright. It's officially the first review of Xena: Warrior Princess!
SPOILERS: My reviews are full of them! I'll try to note when I'm about to spoil the series by posting [SERIES SPOILER] for said item and [SERIES SPOILER] after. Please don't read the review, unless you have seen the episode under discussion or don't care if I spoil it.
Just a.. f-few notes: Usually (hopefully) I won’t take this many notes, but there were many "firsts" and a lot of background information involved. It’s the introductory episode, after all. It sets the tone for the entire series!
1) "I love this show!" - Me, several times out loud.
2) “Draco? Okay, now he’s a scary guy, and I understand why you’re upset, but let me throw some logic at you.” – Gabrielle
3) Gabrielle: “Hey Xena?” Xena: “What?” G: “I could probably get up there behind you.” X: “What are you talking about?” – Ha!
4) Xena and Gabrielle's age gap: When Xena first began and I started watching in 1995, I thought the characters of Gabrielle and Xena were about the same age. (Technically, that line of thinking isn't too outlandish, because Lucy Lawless [Xena] and Renee O'Connor [Gabrielle] are only three years apart.) However, now that I think about it (I totally didn’t consider this in 2009), there's a considerable age gap between Xena and Gabrielle.
Age - Let's break it down: Gabrielle is betrothed. In ancient times, Greek girls married anywhere from the beginning of puberty to 15-16 years of age. (I’ve even heard up to 18, but Gabrielle doesn’t look 18.) Let’s say Gabrielle is 16. [SERIES SPOILER] Xena has already been around long enough to lead a village war, build an army, get her legs broken by Caeser, allow her legs time to heal, stay with Lao Ma for a while, turn evil, raise another army, become part of the Valkyrie, live with the Amazons for a spell, and build a murderous reputation all over the world. [END SPOILER] I know I'm leaving out a few things, but I think it's a safe bet that Xena’s in her mid-20s (24-26), if not her late 20s (27-29). It wouldn’t be extreme to say that the characters are about 10 years apart in age or that Xena is at least a third older than Gabrielle. This idea adds new intensity to their dynamic for me. It says so much more about Xena, especially.5) You know you give up a piece of yourself when people start fighting on top of other people and you say, "Alright." Don’t forget, Crocodile Dundee walked on people’s heads, too:
6) In this episode, we get a good look at Lucy Lawless’ dazzling blue eyes. I was telling a friend about Xena not long ago. She was familiar with it, but had never delved into it. She asked about LL and I mentioned her eyes. My friend said, “What color are her eyes?” and I looked at her like she was a stranger. I thought everyone knew her eye color. She’s famous for it!
7) Sometimes a fighting maneuver is so good, I laugh.
8) The opening shot of this first episode is beautiful. It looks like a camera trick, but I think they shot it true. And the first scene of Xena riding her horse is dreamlike as she gallops across the countryside through thick fog. It’s beautiful. That shot alone foreshadows the amazing character we're all about to love.
9) Cool shot of Xena riding toward a rainbow – HOOo!
10) Some people complain about the picture quality of the first season. I think it’s quite nice. The grain is large, but the color is accurate. And of course, it’s in 4:3 format. I’ve heard that it was 4:3 to start and then widescreen in later episodes, which is reportedly preserved in the box set. We’ll see.
11) The gentleman who gives Gabrielle a ride to Amphipolis, Xena’s hometown, tells Gabrielle that he knew Oedipus. This would put the setting somewhere within 5th century BC. [SERIES SPOILER] We all know that Xena jumps all over the place, time-wise. Why, technically, at this point, Xena's already had a fling with Ceaser, who lived in 1st Century BC. [END SPOILER]
12) Renee O’Connor (ROC) is already so good as Gabrielle. She’s so beautiful, which should always be a given, as I don’t want to sound redundant. I love that Xena (and the audience) already sees how good Gabrielle is from her first words, “Take me. Let the others go."
13) Part of Xena’s flashback at the beginning, when she comes upon a village she destroyed, didn’t happen in Hercules. It was made brand new just for the flashback and is also used in the intro. You can tell, because she wears her new armor. This is the shot of her sitting atop Argo with a leer on her face while the village burns behind her.
14) Somewhat touching sequence where Cyrene disowns Xena and then holds her at the end. No one gets to you more than your parents.
15) That double karate chop to that guy’s neck on the horse: I tried that move on my younger brother once after I originally saw this episode, and it really hurt him.
16) Gabrielle saves Xena from stoning by the Amphipolitans through reasoning, but I mean, if Xena really wanted to save her own life here, she could’ve. For the episode's purposes, though, Gabrielle saves Xena's life (but not really). It looks like Gabrielle helps out again by tripping that one henchman who rushes to save Draco from falling.
17) Xena rides into Amphipolis in only her black leathers - no armor. Wow.
18) [SERIES SPOILER] After Gabrielle switches from this concealing outfit to her later ones, she never again has a covered mid-section. [END SPOILER]
19) Xena has a headband on in this episode. This only happens, like, once more and then they nix her headbands altogether, which is a good thing I think. The less headgear she has in the way of fashion, the more I believe her. And, ironically, I think less headgear makes her more womanly. She doesn’t need it, plus Xena is all about traveling light.
20) I’ve never really given a shit about Xena’s sword. She doesn’t seem to hold any sort of attachment to it, other than it’s a weapon, but I think I kind of like it now. I love that it’s so worn-looking, like she’s sharpened it a thousand times. The gems in it are awesome, the hilt is cool-looking, the pommel - large and in charge. It’s just a plain old sweet-ass sword.
21) I’ve never liked Xena’s footwear. Can I get an amen? But then again, they’re just ancient boots; they serve their purpose. It would’ve been so insulting if they were like high-heeled boots or something.
22) Love how they mix Joseph LoDuca’s singing women with the women working and chanting in the field.
23) Sort of always loved Darien Takle as Cyrene. I can believe that she and Xena are related; they kind of favor each other. Cyrene’s a good-lookin’ woman.
24) Love the part where Xena disarms Hector by flinging his sword up into a tree branch.
25) When my best friend, Luscious L, decided to try to give this show a shot, the first thing she mentioned was how annoying the “blond girl” was. That made me laugh so hard. [SERIES SPOILER] I told Luscious that Gabrielle’s referred to as "the annoying blond" sseeeeveral times throughout the series. [END SPOILER] I love that she’s annoying. I think it’s endearing and that that was the point: to pair Xena, who hardly speaks, with someone so full of life that she’s about to explode.
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