
Hosted by Vera, Katie, and Livy · EN

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we live to sin! Vera, Katie, and Livy wrangle with the infernal 6x03 "Heart of Darkness." We discuss our problems with this episode, its wonky take on Xena's character, its reductive moral determinism, and the total lack of chemistry between Xena and her new beau, Lucifer a.k.a. Lucy (?) a.k.a. Big L (???). Really? Him?? Plus: pegging, what's in the box?, lazy angels, the male gaze, so many lewks, go away Virgil, and that dance, you know the one! The power, the passion, the podcast! Support us on: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast 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/

Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST! This week, Vera, Katie, and Livy ain't afraid of no ghost in 6x02 "The Haunting of Amphipolis," the show's Halloweeniest Halloween episode. We discuss its many horror homages including Evil Dead, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, and The Haunting of Hill House; the effective use of sound design and editing to craft a freaky atmosphere; and the real darkness and psychological terrors underpinning the silly ghosts, the foremost being Cyrene's truly awful ending. Justice for Cyrene! Plus: this ep as a thematic bookend with the series finale, Renée gets her Deadite on again, Eve does Dreamworker, blood innocence symbolism is totally there, everyone's hair is blowing nicely in the hellwind; and Gabrielle learns half the Pinch! The power, the passion, the podcast! Support us on: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast 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, we're baaaaaaack! Vera, Katie, and Livy are kicking off Season Six with 6x01 "Coming Home." We discuss the show's weird decision to change its credit sequence so late in the game, screenwriter and fan-turned-pro Melissa Good and the fandom phenomenon of BNFs, Tsianina Joelson (aka Darcy from Bring It On) kicking butt as Varia, and Ares' toxic masculinity meltdown. Plus: TV CPR is back to save the day, our new ship Evaria, the chakram takes a lunch break, the flippidy-flippidy doo, Lucy and Renée wrote a thing, and slo-mo mouth blood fisticuffs. The Bees is buzzing! The power, the passion, the podcast! Support us on: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast 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 question time again! Vera, Katie, and Livy weigh in on the Xena reboot, favorite OTPs, Gabrielle's hair, and so much more in Hermes Mailbag 4 (Part 2) – Starring Vera Farmiga as Joxer! Join us as we answer such questions as 'What color lightsaber would Xena have?' and 'At what point in the series did Xena and Gabrielle definitely become ancient Greek wives?' Plus: problematic ships; how to treat celebrities; Argochokes; and watch your back, Alanis, you've got a rival! The power, the passion, the podcast! Support us on: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast 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, we've got mail! Vera, Katie, and Livy are taking your questions in Part One of our supersized Hermes Mailbag. This week, we're only answering questions directly to related to Season 5, so get ready as we discuss our favorite and least favorite episodes, Kurtzman and Orci's alternate vision for the show including Xena on the Russian steppes and Gabs as Luke Skywalker, Eve spinoff ideas, Callisto and Xena as the yin-yang, how a sympathetic Ares becomes problematic (coin!), and why Xena should have been responsible for the fall of the Roman Empire. Just do it™! The power, the passion, the podcast! Support us on: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast 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, Hope springs eternal! Vera, Katie, and Livy have reached the season finale, 5x22 "Motherhood," which fulfills our Hopes by ending the often-lackluster Season 5 with a bang—actually many, many bangs. We discuss Athena as a sympathetic figure doing her best while everyone around her screws up; the tremendous pathos of the usually comic Aphrodite finding herself in a tragedy; the good, the bad, and the ugly god deaths; the importance of Gabrielle's quiet seething rage, how editor Rob Field's use of cross cutting builds narrative tension, why that chakram throw was the best mistake Rick Jacobson ever made, and the plot twist we always Hoped for but never dreamed we'd get! Plus: Questionable desert lewks, Fury Faces, Nor Beast, Gaphrodite returns, so much dragging, Eve's favorite cocktail, why Artemis why, and we Hope you love pain cuz we sure do! Support us on: patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast Instagram: instagram.com/xenawarriorpodcast Website: xenawarriorpodcast.com ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we have seen the light! Vera, Katie, and Livy experience a revelation with 5x21 "Eve," the emotional continuation of Season 5's final story arc. We discuss director Mark Beesley's masterful use of camera movement; the dense tangle of thematic callbacks to "Callisto," "Return of Callisto," "Fallen Angel," and The Rift; Xena's moral dilemma and the complexity of indirect responsibility; the biblical overtones of Eve's redemption; the importance of naming; Joxer's quiet death scene; and what Livia's drinking reveals about her mental state. Plus: Gin martinis that aren't paid product placement we swear, cry faces galore, best supporting actor: the wind, Ares talks to John Cena?, one of the coolest fight moves in all of Xena, and Gabs gives Xena so! Many! Pep talks! Support us on: patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast Instagram: instagram.com/xenawarriorpodcast Website: xenawarriorpodcast.com ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, all roads lead to drama! Vera, Katie, and Livy continue our journey through the final arc of Season 5 with 5x20 "Livia." The show makes a time jump and (surprise!) the future ain't great, as we're reintroduced to Eve, now enfant terrible Livia, and her two creepy boyfriends. We rank the many amazing zoom-ins on Xena's distraught face, plus we discuss Chris Manheim's last gasp of heterosexuality, how Livia allows the show to re-examine its core themes of trauma and redemption, whether Augustus can be both a good man and a gross-o, Ares ruins everything yet again, and Virgil, the perfect man, ugh. Also: our new favorite character Info Dump Lady, did Joxer fail Eve?, excellent eye makeup, Callisto callbacks, Meg's Tavern a.k.a. Xena: Warrior Podcast HQ, and Katie really REALLY wants to rewatch Spartacus! Support us on: patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast Instagram: instagram.com/xenawarriorpodcast Website: xenawarriorpodcast.com ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, it's a trap! Vera, Katie, and Livy take on 5x19 "Looking Death in the Eye," the tricky kickoff of the four-episode arc that ends the season. We discuss this episode's long con and whether it works on second viewing, the framing story and its use of Old Man Joxer's point-of-view, how authentic are the emotions in a scene where the characters themselves are acting, and the challenge of portraying powerful gods in a story that depends on them failing. Plus: Hades is the best-dressed god but also the ultimate flop, Athena takes charge, Xena's many arm wounds, Hephaestus's Counting Crows lewk, Ares ruins everything, and how the ending subverts its fairy tale romance imagery. Also: Brad Dourif sex dreams??? Support us on: patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast Instagram: instagram.com/xenawarriorpodcast Website: xenawarriorpodcast.com ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, walk like an Egyptian! Vera, Katie, and Livy are cruising the Nile with 5x18 "Antony & Cleopatra," a sultry and extravagant romance unafraid to show Xena and Gabrielle in a morally ambiguous light. We discuss director Michael Hurst's use of close-ups and slow motion to visually tell a story of manipulation, intimacy, and violence; the importance of Gabrielle's reaction shots; the many nods to Shakespeare and Elizabeth Taylor; the parallels between Gabrielle and Brutus; and the infamous 'Carnival' scene. Because who doesn't love oral fixations paired with Natalie Merchant? Plus: Vera won't shut up about ancient aliens! Patreon: patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Twitter: @xenawarriorpod Tumblr: xenawarriorpodcast.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/xenawarriorpodcast Instagram: instagram.com/xenawarriorpodcast Website: xenawarriorpodcast.com ———————————————————————— Vera: (@hollywoodgrrl) Katie: (@katetocci) Livy: (@PonderousLivy) Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_Hawk_and_a_Hacksaw/