Xena: Warrior Podcast

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, love is in the air -- and so is Xena, flipping like she's never flipped before. Vera, Katie, and Livy are flipping, too, because this is the final podcast for Season 2! First we take to the high seas with 2x21 "Lost Mariner," which, with its nautical setting and dashing hero, plays like a much-needed do-over of the worst episode ever, "Ulysses." We discuss sexy Cecrops' moral complexity, Gabrielle's unfortunate love of calamari, and Xena's flip to end all flips. Then it's on to the unconventional finale, 2x22 "A Comedy of Eros." We talk about this sex farce's hetero agenda, fruit-based innuendoes, Draco as a romantic lead and object of the female gaze, and Joxer, the mighty tragic third wheel. So long, Season 2!

The power, the passion, the podcast!

iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM

Twitter: @xenawarriorpod

Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com

Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast

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Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl)

Katie: (@katetocci)

Livy: (@PonderousLivy)

Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, the horror, the horror! Vera, Katie, and Livy plunge into the heart of darkness with 2x20 "The Price." We discuss the anti-imperialist war films that inspired this very ambitious episode, the subtlety of Xena's inexorable slide into evil, the problematic *coin in jar* presentation of the Horde, and pretty braided hairdos. Who let the Gabs out? [who, who, who, who?]

The power, the passion, the podcast!

iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM

Twitter: @xenawarriorpod

Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com

Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast

————————————————————————

Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl)

Katie: (@katetocci)

Livy: (@PonderousLivy)

Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

'Til death do us part this week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! Vera, Katie, and Livy tackle a couple of Season 1 throwbacks: the entertaining standalone 2x18 "Blind Faith" and maybe the worst episode ever??? 2x19 "Ulysses." Both episodes feature our leading ladies contemplating marriages to men: Gabrielle against her will to King Solus, who's just dying to be her husband (*wink*), and Xena to Ulysses, who is The Actual Worst. We discuss the mixed signals of Xena's punky nemesis/junior gunslinger Palaemon, Gabrielle as a boobalicious Pygmalion, the eternal debate of "them" vs. "him," the suspenseful conveyor belt climax, and the many reasons why Ulysses is the absolute WORST, did we mention? He sucks so much he can't even string his own bow. But at least we're on a boat, motherf*ckers!

The power, the passion, the podcast!

iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM

Twitter: @xenawarriorpod

Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com

Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast

————————————————————————

Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl)

Katie: (@katetocci)

Livy: (@PonderousLivy)

Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

Ring a bell and flip it out for XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! This week Vera, Katie, and Livy talk love and war and Law & Order. First it's 2x16 "For Him the Bell Tolls," in which Ted Raimi is way sexier than he has any right to be. We discuss Joxer's self-awareness or lack thereof, Gabrielle's insecurities about being a sidekick, and the delightful introduction of The Californians (a.k.a. Aphrodite and Cupid). Then it's on to (DUNN DUNN) 2x17 "The Execution," the return of washed-up warrior Maleager. We discuss the way this episode's clever plot challenges the audience's loyalties; Xena's favorite coping mechanism, flipping; and why court fandom is the scariest. Galeager Forever!!!

The power, the passion, the podcast!

iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM

Twitter: @xenawarriorpod

Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com

Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast

————————————————————————

Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl)

Katie: (@katetocci)

Livy: (@PonderousLivy)

Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

The subtext is text this week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST. Vera, Katie, and Livy let it all hang out in 2x15 "A Day in the Life." We discuss this beloved episode's break from formula: its handheld camerawork, fearlessly goofball performances, and self-referential dialogue creating a new level of intimacy not only between Xena and Gabrielle -- and my goodness what a level of intimacy that is!! -- but also between the audience and the show itself. That's why this ep is the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time)!!! Plus: the male gaze as it applies to hot tubs and hair flips, relationship advice for Minya, Vera's favorite goon returns from the dead (sort of), and Xena's completely unforgivable choice of toilet paper -- that's a DEALBREAKER, ladies!

The power, the passion, the podcast!

iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM

Twitter: @xenawarriorpod

Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com

Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast

————————————————————————

Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl)

Katie: (@katetocci)

Livy: (@PonderousLivy)

Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

Oh my Goddess, it's time for another episode of XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! This week Vera, Katie, and Livy embark on a quest: 2x13 "The Quest," that is! This integral ep is a wild ride, with tragic soliloquies following right on the heels of screwball silliness. We discuss Autolycus's swaggering return to the Xenaverse, Gabrielle's emerging leadership skills, Xena's lookalike coffin, and most importantly, THE KISS. The plot is so epic it continues into 2x14 "A Necessary Evil." We compare/contrast the ep's two lady villain-gods: the thinly sketched, high camp Amazon autocrat, Velasca, and increasingly complex, self destructive live wire, Callisto. Plus: Gabrielle moves on from dead BFOTW Perd (finally!), Callisto goes full Gollum, and nothing good ever happens near a lava pit!

The power, the passion, the podcast!

iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM

Twitter: @xenawarriorpod

Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com

Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast

————————————————————————

Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl)

Katie: (@katetocci)

Livy: (@PonderousLivy)

Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend your ears to a new episode of XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! This week, Vera, Katie, and Livy flash back to ten winters ago in 2x12 "Destiny," an episode that delves deep into Xena's past and has huge implications for her future. We discuss Rob Tapert's directorial signature (boats! fish! Lucy!); Julius Caesar, a.k.a. world's worst boyfriend, whose introduction kicks off the show's longest and most ambitious narrative arc; Xena/M'Lila, a tragic ship that never sailed because Xena was too enamored with the peen; and sharpened logs, which for some reason are Xena's Kryptonite? Plus Renée O'Connor makes us cry again!

The power, the passion, the podcast!

iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM

Twitter: @xenawarriorpod

Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com

Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast

————————————————————————

Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl)

Katie: (@katetocci)

Livy: (@PonderousLivy)

Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

She's beauty, she's grace, she's XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST. This week Vera, Katie, and Livy get their pageant on in 2x11 "Here She Comes...Miss Amphipolis," a deceptively light episode that has big ambitions, tackling gender and gay culture directly, sometimes successfully, sometimes not so much. We discuss artifice and performativity, why beauty pageants were such a *thing* in the '90s, and what happens to the male gaze when both the writer and director of the episode are female. Plus our french bulldog Phil has strong opinions about human trafficking.

The power, the passion, the podcast!

iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM

Twitter: @xenawarriorpod

Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com

Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast

————————————————————————

Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl)

Katie: (@katetocci)

Livy: (@PonderousLivy)

Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, it's beginning to look a lot like...Solstice? Vera, Katie, and Livy get into the holiday spirit (yes, even though it's April) by watching 2x09 "A Solstice Carol." We chat about our favorite TV Christmas specials, praise the magnificent acting talent of Tobias the donkey, and debate whether or not Julia Child's voice is sexy. *purrs* Boeuf Bourguignon… Then it's on to 2x10 "The Xena Scrolls," a clip show light on clips and heavy on... sets, costumes, and action? Um, guys, I don't think Xena understands what a clip show is, and thank god for that because this episode has a significant impact on the show's mythology. We discuss the gender masquerade of Melinda "Mel" Pappas and Dr. Janice Covington, how the introduction of the Xena Scrolls adds levels of intertextuality and subjectivity to the show's narrative, and the important framework this ep laid down for Xena fanworks. Plus Vera just will not shut up about Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.

The power, the passion, the podcast!

iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM

Twitter: @xenawarriorpod

Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com

Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast

————————————————————————

Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl)

Katie: (@katetocci)

Livy: (@PonderousLivy)

Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, who will be the next God of Waaaaar? /reality show announcer voice. Vera, Katie, and Livy attempt to solve the mystery of 2x08 "Ten Little Warlords." This mediocre ep, with its half-baked Agatha Christie premise (like anyone was clamoring for the return of King Sisyphus and his Haunted Mansion?) would be pretty unremarkable if not for the fact that Hudson Leick is playing Xena to a T. We discuss her heroic, incredibly seamless performance, the psychologically rich implications of this predicament for both Xena and Gabrielle, and the Season 2-that-could-have-been had the producers extended it. Plus we talk about Rob Tapert's favorite boat set, new developments in the Xena/Ares relationship, and Gabrielle the hangry bargain hunter.

The power, the passion, the podcast!

iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM

Twitter: @xenawarriorpod

Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com

Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast

————————————————————————

Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl)

Katie: (@katetocci)

Livy: (@PonderousLivy)

Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/