Xena: Warrior Princess 3x16 "When in Rome" Reaction
Added 2022-03-21 00:03:34 +0000 UTC
Comments
In a lot of ways, I think what makes 'Xena: Warrior Princess' work is because Xena is an anti-hero rather than a hero. 'When In Rome... ' is a great example of Xena using the greater good for self-gain. And Gabrielle even points it out. She wasn't there to do the 'right' thing. She wanted vengeance. Plain and simple. And I'm not saying Xena only did things for self-gain. Hell, most of the time she asked for nothing in return for her good deeds. But she doesn't carry the 'heroism' of Hercules or even Wonder Woman come to think of it... Similar to how Callisto isn't just a typical by-the-book villain, Xena isn't a typical hero. She's an anti-hero. John Laing (Director of 'When In Rome...') perfectly encapsulates why I consider Xena an anti-hero rather than a hero. "The stories I did with Lucy, they were very active roles. That was the whole point of Xena. She was an action heroine. So that was the essence of everything that she did. She was a character that basically pushed aside her emotion and remained quite impassive and she'd be passionate about things but mainly just to fuel the necessary anger that she needed. Motivation isn't really a word that you would apply to Xena's character a great deal other than the fact that she fights for... She'll basically have a crack at anyone who uses their power arrogantly, so she's on the side of good, more-or-less... except of course when it's her evil twin sister or one of her other alteregos." And that's why a show with a female-led protagonist works so well. It's because she's not all good. And she doesn't have to be. Think of who Xena and Hercules would be as Marvel and DC characters. Hercules would be Spiderman. Xena would be Batman. It's the classic argument of: "I was given these abilities because I was made this way." VS "I earned these abilities through tough circumstances." Xena hated being referred to as a hero. She avoided reading Gabrielle's Scrolls for the longest time because of this. She didn't want to see herself as a hero. As a saviour. What does it prove? Nobody truly wants someone to look up to and idolise. They want someone to relate to and resonate with to better understand themselves. Nobody truly wants a perfect person. Everybody wants a flawed but evolving human being. A human being that fluctuates between good and evil. That just toes the line between heroism and self-gain. Nobody wants a hero. Everybody wants an anti-hero. I can fully see why now why the perspective of Xena being a demi-god, and especially Ares' daughter, is not a commonly liked one. Even though she wouldn't necessarily be on the side of good, everything that earns her that title would be null and void... like it is with Hercules. So what truly sets Xena apart from the heroism of Hercules? "Hercules is the hero we all hope is out there. Xena is the hero we all hope is within ourselves." - Liz Friedman
Girl4Music
2023-11-14 12:22:35 +0000 UTC“Throughout the course of the series so far, Gabrielle had been the sympathetic character and finally she had come to this point where she was going to be the judge, jury and executioner…It’s so strange for me to believe that this character could just decide that somebody could be executed in such a cold manner. That she would be responsible for that…It pushed Gabrielle further towards being more like Xena, the warrior.” - Renee O’Connor More evidence to go along with my character study thesis that said they permeated into each other so much that became each other as one soul.
Girl4Music
2023-11-14 12:06:00 +0000 UTCAnother episode where no one really cares about the Xena/Caesar fued. This episode belongs to Gabrielle and her struggle to betray her ideals by personally sending Crassus to the executioner. Commissioned and expected to by Xena, no less. She's the heart of the whole story here. Just like 'The Deliverer', without what's going on with Gabrielle, it's just another cat-and-mouse Xena VS Caesar game. And while that's interesting and entertaining to watch too,... It is nowhere near as captivating and enlightening without Gabrielle's internal struggles alongside it. And that does more than compliment this episode. I would say it is the very epitome of the episode. The reason why it is one of the best written and acted episodes of the whole show. And like 'The Deliverer, while it doesn't make it in my TOP 20 favourite episodes, it is still a huge part of the reason season 3 is without a doubt my favourite season of the show. Everything in an episode is just a little bit more enrapturing when Gabrielle's evolution is involved. ... Okay... A LOT more 😂
Girl4Music
2023-11-14 11:57:06 +0000 UTCDefinitely an improvement on the last two episodes and its always great to see Karl Urban as Caesar but at the same time I'm not happy to see Gabrielle being put into yet another position that will challenge her morals by a Xena who should be a little more sensitive to her feelings after what happened previously in this season.
Tony Tenser
2022-03-26 16:17:51 +0000 UTCThis is a very good episode; Xena and Caesar are always interesting, and the focus on Gabrielle is impactful and even troubling.
Koz
2022-03-22 01:33:05 +0000 UTCThis is very nearly at the halfway point of the whole series. How fitting that it showcases Xena having the chance to kill someone (the mounted gladiator) but choosing not to, alongside Gabrielle having the chance to save someone but choosing not to. After all these years, I am still ambivalent on how I feel about those story beats. But no one can deny that it is an important episode, and I'd take this over a filler episode any day. Steven L Sears, the writer of this episode describes their overall journeys quite elegantly. He said that Xena's heroism is clear because she fights her darkness to be a better person. But, with Gabrielle, she is heroic because she had to allow herself to step into the darkness in order to become a better force for good. Btw, did you recognise Pompey? It's the same actor who played Palaemon from Blind Faith last season.
Judson
2022-03-21 01:38:33 +0000 UTC
