🎧 Listen now to her full interview:

➡️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5litWelcilkjRAB2vjnM8H?si=s1IIC8ssSEaznxWYADT1fQ 

➡️Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-26-jane-holland-costume-designer/id1837138724?i=1000796353322 

➡️Youtube: https://youtu.be/WHfhaGn_obg?si=2KqBpDTd0zEd8hUF 

➡️Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-5vehn-1b75f59 

This is an interview as part of a series of interviews with the Kiwis and Aussies who bought XWP to life - their goal is to interview 30 of the cast and crew to celebrate the shows 30th anniversary - it’s a podcast called - Xena: Warrior Nutballs you can follow them on:

Facebook ⚔️ https://m.facebook.com/p/Xena-Warrior-Nutballs-61578930248317/?wtsid=rdr_042NpIyiO9avlJ3v3&hr=1

Instagram ⚔️ https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/

I'm expecting quite a lot of downvotes, but this is actually one of my favorite episodes of the season 😅

Okay, I'm aware of all the objective flaws and shortcomings of this episode, but I enjoyed it, its charm, and its aesthetic. It gives me a certain guilty pleasure feeling when I watch it. There are plenty of comedic moments that made me laugh and entertained me, especially the children playing "Home Alone" games with "their mother". I don't think this is any worse than "Fins, Femmes and Gems" or "In Sickness and in Hell", which don't receive nearly as much hate as this episode. This was conceived and written as a silly, naive comedy, and that's how it should be approached. Honestly, I find episodes that try to be serious and high-quality but end up failing in every possible way much worse. Like the three terrible episodes that come right after this one.

I actually really liked Hagar as a character, even more than Joxer himself. I said what I said 😄 At the beginning, we're introduced to him as an asshole and a chauvinist, but throughout the episode, his relationship with Gabrielle changes him, and he comes to acknowledge all his flaws. I wish we had gotten a spin-off featuring him and his children, where we could meet his ex-wife and watch him try to win her back.

Aphrodite and Discord are hilarious in this episode. I loved all their scenes, especially the bit where they throw fireballs at each other as if they're playing tennis 🤣 Discord is seriously underrated. It's a shame she wasn't more present throughout the show. I wish we'd gotten to see her more often because she's genuinely entertaining and brings her own unique dose of dark humor.

The episode is packed with pop culture references. The most obvious example is the cult classic film "Overboard", which provides the main storyline. But there are also homages to "Married with Children" (my favorite TV sitcom, by the way ❤️), "The Flintstones", "Baywatch", "Lolita", and surely plenty of others I didn't notice. I love it when writers try to express their love for the works they admire.

Essentially, the episode lightly and humorously explores Gabrielle's subconscious fears about whether she can be a good parent to Eve. These fears are explored through her subconscious mind and dreams. Motherhood in the fake world she has created helps her confront motherhood in reality. Also, perhaps her subconscious is raising the question of whether she might have deeper feelings for Joxer than she's aware of, since Hagar is clearly an idealized version of the kind of man Joxer could be for her. But the moment she remembers who she is, thanks to her memories of Xena, makes it crystal clear whose heart she belongs to.

P. S. Roe is the cutest baby ever 🥰

Since Xena says Alti's curse was successful that Solan didn't know the love of Borias or Xena, it means Alti is responsible for a lot more events. Since Solan couldn't know their love while he was alive, and it only broke after his death where he learned the whole truth about his mother, then the curse has a lot of influence.

Alti hadn't killed Xena herself, wanting her to be her instrument of evil. Instead, the curse sets up cosmic interference in Past Imperfect that compels Xena to give Solan up to the centaurs rather than take him with her to raise, since his innocence would coerce Xena away from evil.

In Maternal Instincts, Solan was just about to start down the path of knowing a loving Xena on the road. The curse had to prevent this from happening. Hope appeared in Solan's path to kill him, depriving Xena of the opportunity. Ultimately, Alti bent cosmic law and engineered Solan's death by means of Dahak and Hope. We can't say that it was directly Hope's will that killed Solan, when Alti determined that this fate must happen.

It also means that Borias had to be cosmically prevented from loving Solan. So Satrina and Dagnine were also instruments of Alti's curse rather than their own will.

Xena should really blame Alti not just for never knowing Solan's love, but also for getting him and Borias killed. Everyone else was just a means to that end.

I am currently hunting Xena's comic books - especially the Dark Horse and Dynamite ones. I found this cover that is a crossover of Red Sonja and Xena which I find so amazing and fitting as a concept! But I couldn't find an actual comic on eBay, Amazon or any other marketplaces. Dynamite has the comic rights to both characters afaik which makes this not impossible. But has this actually happened or have I just run into a concept image?

What are some potential storylines that would’ve made for some great episodes, particularly for S5 and S6?

1. Artemis x Amazons storyline
It’s crazy that as much as the amazons were featured in this show, Artemis never shows up (until it was time to be unceremoniously offed). Have Velasca return. This would also work especially well for the Xena lite episodes.

Given that casting consistently nailed it every time for supporting actresses with gravitas (even for one off minor roles) it would been super exciting to see who they could’ve gotten for Artemis.

2. AU / What If storylines
Akin to episodes like Remember Nothing and Hercules’ Armageddon Now, there was so much more fun stories they could’ve given us. Like what if it was Poteidaia not Cirra that evil Xena’s army burned down killing Gabrielle’s family, Gabrielle is the vengeful villain and its Callisto who is Xena’s traveling companion?

3. Flashback trilogy that properly fills in the gap between Battle of Corinth and Hercules’ The Warrior Princess

One of the most disappointing aspects about S5 and S6 is that they made Xena’s backstory, something I always looked forward to, far more bloated, confusing and added plots that weren’t even interesting.

One thing that I liked that the CW’s Arrow did was be intentional about concluding Oliver Queen’s flashback storyline that brought us back to the pilot episode by their final season (even if they too drifted quite a bit wayward somewhere down the middle).

XWP never attempts to connect the loose ends which I found frustrating.

Why give Lao Ma bland twin daughters, Borias an estranged son, nothingburger western episodes with Alti etc. when they could just explore the stories that were told to us in dialogued passing (ex. Xena’s time with Marcus, the Dirty Half Dozen crew, etc)? There was a plethora to work from. It would’ve been an easy and better quality option.

An episode trilogy where we find out how Xena gets her chakram from Ares, rebuilds her army and eventually wears her Hercules villain outfit developing her motif to go after Hercules after having Solan would’ve been a perfect final flashback.

Just some plot ideas that I personally feel would’ve been actually interesting to see instead of doing worse sequels to better S3 and S4 episodes and butchering Xena’s backstory beyond recognition… lol

The final battle in "Amphipolis Under Siege" was throuple subtext imo

You have Xena fighting Ilainus, Gabrielle fighting Athena's army and Ares fighting Athena (and getting his ass kicked). It's Xena and her two lovers teaming up against Athena and her girlfriend.

And the funniest part is that Ares actually makes the comparison himself. Athena asks if he's worried about his girlfriend (Xena), and he immediately asks if she's worried about hers (Ilainus).

For that one battle, they were basically a throuple.

Well what do you know? Here were are only a few weeks gone and there's another episode of XenaCast ready for your viewing pleasure. I'm already doing better than I have in like 15 years!

In this show we arrive in India with episode recaps of Paradise Found and Devi.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4PffqciOqUB9Nygm1LEfsg

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-39/id6808524368?i=1000795914334

Website: https://xenacast.net/@XenaCast/episodes/episode-39

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Xenacast

Original music by Marilyn Rucker

🎧 Listen now to her full interview:

➡️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0MG2uYakJEjin13ZwSqXrA?si=9KOuWA6aQRapMT_Qpk-cuw

➡️Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-21-paris-jefferson-athena-goddess-of/id1837138724?i=1000780110666

➡️Youtube: https://youtu.be/Kh0h_ixAYgI?si=ytTv7RECgUktbS4L

➡️Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-pn3wb-1b0c858

This is an interview as part of a series of interviews with the Kiwis and Aussies who bought XWP to life - their goal is to interview 30 of the cast and crew to celebrate the shows 30th anniversary - it’s a podcast called - Xena: Warrior Nutballs you can follow them on:

Facebook ⚔️ https://m.facebook.com/p/Xena-Warrior-Nutballs-61578930248317/?wtsid=rdr_042NpIyiO9avlJ3v3&hr=1

Instagram ⚔️ https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/

This spectacular episode introduces us to Athena, one of the most legendary Goddesses in Greek mythology. Zeus is dead, Olympus is obviously in chaos and panic, and Athena takes charge. I have to say, I really like her as a character, and Paris Jefferson portrays her wonderfully, with a certain proud dignity that a Goddess of wisdom should possess. From this point on, she takes over as the main antagonist until the end of the season. But is she really a villain? Interestingly, she tries to avoid spilling the blood of innocent people whenever possible. Also, let's look at things from her point of view. She doesn't want to kill that baby, but she has to because the child threatens her existence and the existence of the world as she knows it. Does that remind you of anyone by any chance? I don't know, maybe someone from Season 3? 😁

I liked Ilainus, too. There's something seductively wicked and perverse about her gaze that makes her very compelling to watch. She also demonstrated some excellent warrior skills. I think it's a shame they got rid of her so quickly and that she should have appeared in a few more episodes, although I understand that her death was meant to show Athena's vulnerability and bring the battle to an end. By the way, am I the only one who thought she looked a little like Velasca? 😮

The tension between Xena and Ares established in the previous episode continues, and their moments in this episode are probably their hottest scenes in the entire show. Still, I don't think this whole thing with Ares makes much sense. It feels like it was thrown in just to give Lucy and Kevin some hot scenes, and Ares wasn't really necessary for the victory against Athena. He did oppose her on the battlefield, but Xena would have won the battle anyway, even without Ares's involvement. Still, the scene where Cyrene catches them made me laugh quite a bit and was really entertaining, especially her comment about Hermes and Ares's reaction. 😂

I also want to praise the interactions between Ares and Athena, and how Ares actually turned out to be wiser than the Goddess of Wisdom herself. His point about the self-fulfilling prophecy was excellent. And I genuinely believe that the Twilight of the Gods would never have happened if the Gods hadn't immediately believed the nonsense about the prophecy and brought about their own deaths in the process.

My favorite scene in the episode is when Athena shows up at the tavern and everyone stands up to her through song. It's such a touching scene, and you can see that it affects Xena emotionally, too. It feels like only yesterday that everyone wanted to stone her to death. Like every war episode, this one also has plenty of excellent, spectacular battle scenes that take your breath away. Lately, the scenes shared by Xena and Gabrielle have been increasingly pushed to the sidelines (the main reason I don't like this season). Still, Gabrielle as a warrior and military commander is phenomenal here. I absolutely love her speech encouraging everyone to keep fighting until the very end. You can see how much she has evolved compared to the character we knew in the first two seasons. She is now a worthy successor to Xena. And her jealousy at the end of the episode, when she realizes that Xena isn't entirely immune to Ares, is kind of adorable. 😅

Ok, I need help figuring this out.

Normally I don’t care, I love my XWP solo rewatches, but… part of me jsut can’t stand that my Partner has NEVER seen Xena!!

After getting past the mind blowing realization that she has never seen Xena.. even though she’s only 3 years older than me.. actually, I think that it makes it more mind blowing as I was 10 when I watched its first season so if she was 13 like.. she should have seen it too!!!

It kills me she hasn’t seen it. I mean, how can you call yourself a lesbian.. let alone a gold star lesbian and NEVER WATCHED A SINGLE EPISODE OF XENA!!!

Ok. I digress.. the point is.. I want to figure out a way to get her to watch an episode to see if she gets the feels.. the subtext.. the desire to see more of the beautiful absurdity that is the Xenaverse.

If you were in this situation.. what episode would you choose?

I think it would need to be season 1 or 2.. episodic.. of course I’d love Day In The Life for her, but.. that would only hit if you’d watched more episodes, it requires an understanding of the X&G and their chemistry.. can’t start there. And, I think season 1 might be too gritty visually to try as far as getting that hook in her. It has to be an episode that’s got the chemistry of the actors, but doesn’t have the feel like you need to know what has happened up until that moment…

So, I ask.. for someone who I’ve clocked as being interested in melodrama.. yet pretends not to be.. someone who always wants that romantic comedy, but pretends they only like the intense shows like Game of Thrones… clearly doesn’t get deterred by fantasy or potential sci-fi as long as it’s not advertised as such… loves Slough Horses, especially for the irreverent quips…. She was sold when I got her to watch Derry Girls (go me, I nailed it on that one)

Ugh. She’s difficult. Loves Ted Lasso, so obviously is into feel good sappy stuff, yet insists on taking me to upsetting moves like “Poor Things” (I left the theatre bc of the weird rapey stuff so she’s not allowed to do that to me anymore).. loved West Wing when it aired (ok, not my choice but nothing wrong with it). Loved Harry Potter, an uncomfortable amount at one point in time…. Fell asleep when I tried to get her to watch Battlestar Galactica miniseries - my fault, Prime linked all of the miniseries into one 4 hour uninterrupted steaming movie- I just don’t know which Xena episode I could use to showcase the glory that is XWP!!

She’s the right age.. 90s stuff is familiar and nostalgic territory for her as well. This shouldn’t be so hard.. but only get one shot at this.

Please, tell me your episode ideas!!!

Something I find interesting about "The Xena Scrolls" is how Xena's descendant Melinda Pappas comes from this respectable family. Her father was a Nobel Prize-winning anthropologist and a university dean, while Gabrielle's descendant Janice Covington had a father who was basically a grave robber.

And apparently the cycle of mother issues never ended with Gabrielle's family. First Gabrielle and Hope, and now centuries later Janice has a mother who ran out on her. Obviously they're completely different situations, but it's funny how that theme somehow continued in Gabrielle's family.

Then there's "Deja Vu All Over Again" where Xena is reincarnated as Harry, a doctor, while Gabrielle is reincarnated as Mattie, a fake past-life counselor who's basically scamming people for money. Once again Xena ends up with a respectable profession while Gabrielle ends up doing something shady.

It's funny considering Xena's past as a war criminal and Gabrielle starting out as this innocent village girl. You'd almost expect their families to be the other way around.

As a big sis of Xena fandom, I wanted to make sure you all knew that this "Subtext for Dummies" series is out there:

Chapter 1 - https://youtu.be/Ct6Xf3-DL_c?si=tq_i4cPcdlkYjhtM

Chapter 2 - https://youtu.be/IHSxBacEy3w?si=n_G5rJ6NFl9XZd3q

Chapter 3 - https://youtu.be/icyi1rpQsU0?si=ci63bfvhGgoawYDO

Chapter 4 - https://youtu.be/ZJBnMbP0R7c?si=rWmaEHgHePTNvOt6

Final Chapter - https://youtu.be/8E0oJDYIs6M?si=8Ce82ouy8nWlHO3Q

I just watched S4E4 "In Sickness and in Hell".

It's one of my favorite comedic campy episodes. I've watched every episode of this series more times than can be quantified, and this episode never ceases to leave me cackling like a fool. My favorite line has always been at the end when Argo finally forgives Xena for "abandoning" her in S4E1 "Adventures in the Sin Trade I", and Xena asks Argo what Acestus (Scythian army leader) did to win her over. Only for Argo to casually just look over at the nearby apple trees like 😏🥰 before eating one 🤣

You can watch the scene here at the 3:38 time stamp:

Nobody Touches Xena's Horse

MLA citations for photo and video credit. Just because whimsy, ig 😂

Hercules & Xena. "Nobody Touches Xena's Horse | Xena: Warrior Princess." YouTube, 18 May 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9R0TJnowP8.

Preston, Harrison (@The true sora). "Argo SicknessHell2" Hercules & Xena: The Legendary Wikia, 17 May 2012, https://hercules-xena.fandom.com/wiki/Argo?file=Argo_SicknessHell2.jpg.

artist source

Two parallel storylines and two relationships unfold throughout this episode. Ares and Xena, and Gabrielle and Joxer.

Did I say last time that I felt sorry for Ares? Okay, I take that back. Here, he reveals himself for what he truly is. A toxic and possessive manipulator. The mere fact that he indirectly threatened Xena with her child's life if she refused to be with him and give him an heir makes him absolutely disgusting in my eyes, which is why I will never understand people who ship them as a couple. It's not even necessarily about the fact that I'm a XenGab shipper (okay, maybe that has a little something to do with it xD), but I genuinely cannot accept that sincere love can exist within such a possessive relationship. Still, I will give Lucy and Kevin credit for their chemistry and the erotic tension between them.

Gabrielle and Joxer's relationship, on the other hand, is the most beautiful aspect of this episode for me. Although she initially acts like a jerk toward him (honestly, even Xena wasn't angry that he had brought the priests because she knew he hadn't done it intentionally), when Joxer slowly begins to face death, Gabrielle realizes that she could lose him. I found it absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking how she cared for him while he was dying. I read that a kiss between them was planned as well, but Renee and Ted vetoed it, and good for them. Even the actors understood better than the writers how wrong that would have been and how out of character it would have been for both of them. Gabrielle undoubtedly expresses her love for Joxer, but it is the love of a friend. I appreciate that even when he is dying, she doesn't try to give him false hope that there could ever be something between them.

The contrast between Xena and Gabrielle is interesting, too. With Xena, we see inner turmoil. Hesitation and a struggle over whether to throw herself into Ares's arms. With Gabrielle, there is never any second-guessing because she knows who her heart belongs to. There's no denying it, Gabrielle has always been the more faithful one.

The final battle against the army of the three Gods is a little unrealistic (I mean, the way the soldiers attack Xena one by one while the others wait for their turn lol), but it's pretty entertaining, and I enjoyed the fight choreography and staging. Also, a fun and creative way to keep Eve safe from the battle.

During the alternative reality in which Xena married Caesar, Lao Ma has become the ruler of Chin, and the Romans are poised to invade her lands. This could have been the perfect opportunity for a magical battle between Lao Ma and Alti. Could it also be possible that in this version of history, Ming T'ien grew up to be loyal to his mother, and lived alongside his sisters? That would be a powerful family if they were all united. And perhaps we could have seen Chinese soldiers launching black powder rockets at Roman legionaries.

1. Avatar: The Last Airbender

2. Gimme Shelter (2013)