Xena: Warrior Podcast
168 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 260 ratingsXena: Warrior Podcast is a weekly show where three film school grads (Vera, Katie, and Livy) over-analyze the Hades out of Xena: Warrior Princess. This 90’s classic deserves more critical attention and appreciation within the television canon, and that’s where we come in. Watch along with us as we revisit Xena from the beginning.
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Episodes
Minisode 42: Motherland: Fort Salem
October 13, 2022 19:24 - 1 hour - 115 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, in Alder we trust! Vera, Katie, and Livy are witchbombing in Minisode 42: Motherland: Fort Salem. We discuss the rich worldbuilding of this underseen Freeform gem, its huge cast of complex female and non-binary characters, its unique take on witchcraft tropes, awesome sound design, and unabashed queerness. TLDR we’re all General Alder’s biddies! SKA! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Spotify: https:/...
Minisode 41: Twin Peaks
July 01, 2022 14:41 - 2 hours - 201 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, the owls are not what they seem! Vera, Katie, and Livy are rocking out at the Roadhouse for Minisode 41: Twin Peaks. We discuss the original 1990 show, David Lynch’s unjustly maligned follow-up film Fire Walk With Me (which just might be the key to everything), and the remarkable anti-revival revival, the Showtime series Twin Peaks: The Return. Plus: the long shadow of Laura Palmer, the primal images and sound design of David Lynch, visions of BOB in a New...
Minisode 40: Xenite Retreat 2022!
June 02, 2022 21:38 - 1 hour - 111 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST: bow down, bitches! Vera, Katie, and Livy are back from camp in Minisode 40: Xenite Retreat 2022! We discuss the long-awaited return of this unique Xena-themed gathering and give a rundown of our many adventures there, including meeting crusader for better queer storytelling Katherine Fugate, attending the West Coast premiere of Xena: Warrior Musical, and best of all, getting to hang out with so many amazing Xenites. Plus: Vera becomes Hades 2, Katie discov...
Minisode 39: Yellowjackets
March 10, 2022 15:00 - 1 hour - 124 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, buzz buzz buzz! Vera, Katie, and Livy are talking about one of our favorite new TV shows in Minisode 39: Yellowjackets. We discuss the unique storytelling of Showtime’s blockbuster genre hybrid, the tremendous performances, the vivid evocation of high school in the 90s, the note-perfect needle drops, and how deftly this show avoids falling into the mystery box trap. Plus: our own high school sports careers, Vera finally appreciates Melanie Lynskey and Chri...
Minisode 38: Xena Did It First
February 02, 2022 13:40 - 41 minutes - 62.6 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, move over necessity, Xena is the new mother of invention! Vera, Katie, and Livy discuss Xena’s many historic accomplishments in Minisode 38: Xena Did It First. We pick our favorite Xena inventions, from TV CPR to centaur cesarean sections to Caesar himself (maybe not her proudest moment). Even Gabs gets in on the action, inventing tap dancing and writing both the Iliad and the Bible. We have these ladies to thank for basically all of world history! Plus: w...
Minisode 37: My Life is Murder (The One With Renee)
November 23, 2021 04:59 - 53 minutes - 41.9 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, reunited and it feels so good! Vera, Katie, and Livy are very thankful for Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor in Minisode 37: My Life is Murder (The One With Renee). We’re discussing the big episode, you know the one! It’s a family affair, with Michael Hurst in the director’s seat, Renee’s son joining his mom in front of the camera, and a whole lot of cameos, subtext references, and secret messages just for us! Plus: we’re also talking about Lucy and Renee on...
Minisode 36: Xena vs. Buffy Deathmatch!
October 25, 2021 21:53This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, it’s the match of the century! Vera, Katie, and Livy enter the ring for Minisode 36: Xena vs. Buffy Deathmatch! Join us as we referee a series of match-ups that will test our fannish loyalties and our hearts! Who will win when Joxer meets Xander? When Callisto meets Faith? When Gabs meets Willow? Waaaaaah, don’t make us choose! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/...
Minisode 36: Xena vs. Buffy Deathmatch!
October 25, 2021 21:53This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, it’s the match of the century! Vera, Katie, and Livy enter the ring for Minisode 36: Xena vs. Buffy Deathmatch! Join us as we referee a series of match-ups that will test our fannish loyalties and our hearts! Who will win when Joxer meets Xander? When Callisto meets Faith? When Gabs meets Willow? Waaaaaah, don’t make us choose! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast iTunes: http://apple.co/2f0NAIM Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/...
Minisode 35: Recs Roundup!
September 03, 2021 18:07 - 56 minutes - 44.4 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we’ve got recs! Vera, Katie, and Livy are talking fave summer entertainment in Minisode 35: Recs Roundup! It’s been a busy summer and we’ve watched and read many things! Join us as we discuss For All Mankind, Girls5Eva, Gideon the Ninth, Cruel Summer, Evil, Fear Street, and more. Plus: a sneak peek at upcoming minisode topics Black Widow, Motherland: Fort Salem, and of course, My Life is Murder! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xenawarriorpodcast iTun...
Minisode 34: Wynonna Earp
July 22, 2021 16:40 - 1 hour - 52 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, clear eyes, full bra, can’t lose! Vera, Katie, and Livy are off to the Ghost River Triangle for Minisode 34: Wynonna Earp, the little Syfy show that could. We discuss this Weird Western’s indebtedness to Xena and Buffy, its commitment to putting a happy queer relationship onscreen, and the obstacles it overcame with the help of its fervent fandom. Plus: Canadian production values, that time Lucy Lawless was almost cast as Mama Earp, never forget Doc Hollid...
Minisode 33: Star Trek: Discovery
May 17, 2021 13:29 - 1 hour - 70.2 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, Black Alert! Vera, Katie, and Livy journey into the unknown with Minisode 33: Star Trek: Discovery. We discuss the production troubles that led to successive showrunner changes and reboots, and the fascinatingly divergent iterations of the Star Trek universe that resulted, from Season 1’s explorations of imperialist warmongering and fascism to Season 3’s celebration of diversity and empathy, all of it built around the fascinating main character of Michael ...
Minisode 32: Xena Fanfiction
March 30, 2021 19:38 - 1 hour - 68.8 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, it’s a bard’s tale! Vera, Katie, and Livy have their quills out and ready for Minisode 32: Xena Fanfiction. First we discuss our own fanfic histories as both readers and writers, and unpack the vital role fanfiction plays in fandom. Then we dive into Xena fic: its evolution as the show aired; its many genres and subgenres including alt, gen, Uber, Conqueror, and FIN fix-its, and the profound effects fanfic had on the TV show’s production, the lesbian eroti...
Minisode 31: Coming Out of the Corset
March 03, 2021 19:10 - 1 hour - 69.6 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, care to join us for a Clandestine Glove Lunch? Vera, Katie, and Livy are pining and yearning in Minisode 31: Coming Out of the Corset, a discussion of Hollywood’s hottest new genre: Lesbian Period Dramas! We take five recent examples: The Handmaiden, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Ammonite, The Favourite, and Carol, and explore their similarities in structure, tone, symbols, and themes, as we wrestle with some burning questions like, why are these women alway...
Minisode 30: Whoosh.org!
February 07, 2021 20:38 - 41 minutes - 33.6 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, what’s that sound? It’s Minisode 30: Whoosh.org! Vera, Katie, and Livy talk about the sprawling Xena website central to the fandom when the show was airing, and which continues to be an information hub today for fans both old and new. We discuss our own experiences using Whoosh.org to research our podcasts, and we also share the experiences of Whoosh webmistress Kym Taborn, who has seen everything there is to see in Xena fandom! Plus: the breadth and balan...
Minisode 29: Wonder Woman
January 07, 2021 19:01 - 2 hours - 94.3 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, the world of men do not deserve her! Break out your Lasso of Truth for Minisode 29: Wonder Woman. Vera, Katie, and Livy are talking about both of director Patty Jenkins’s big screen takes: Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984. We discuss the original film’s unique WWI setting, its mythic depiction of Amazons and their secret island of Themyscira, and the character-driven storytelling so rare in a superhero film. Then we move on to WW84, debating whether its ...
Minisode 28: Sorry Buffy, Xena Did It First!
December 10, 2020 04:51 - 51 minutes - 40.7 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, she saved the (known) world a lot! This week, Vera, Katie, and Livy return to Sunnydale in Minisode 28: Sorry Buffy, Xena Did It First! We explore the many thematic elements shared by these two series in an attempt to solve the ultimate mystery: was Joss Whedon watching Xena and just how much stuff did he steal from it? Our evidence includes: Faith as Buffy’s dark mirror much like Callisto is Xena’s, Ares and Spike as reformed baddies in leather pants, sho...
Minisode 27: Fins, Femmes, and Fractions
November 17, 2020 23:35 - 1 hour - 49.3 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, the data tells the story! Vera, Katie, and Livy are crunching the numbers in Minisode 27: Fins, Femmes, and Fractions. We re-evaluate an episode of Xena we’ve never given many kudos to, based on the rating system devised by two of our generous patrons! Will we appreciate it more if the data supports it? We’ll see! Plus: objectivity and subjectivity, cold nineties lipstick, how does math work?, are we evaluating Xena or are we evaluating ourselves?, Xena fo...
Minisode 26: Resident Evil
October 30, 2020 23:24 - 52 minutes - 41.3 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, ZOMBIIEEE-EEEE-EEE! Vera, Katie, and Livy sink their teeth into Minisode 26: Resident Evil. We discuss the video games that started it all, the surprisingly still good original film, the fantastic early aughts trend of mid-budget female asskicker movies, all the iconic setpieces, lewks, characters, and femslash ships. Then: we talk about some of the horror films and TV we’ve been watching this spooky season! Plus: under my umbrellaaaa, our little hellhound...
Minisode 25: Spartacus
October 07, 2020 00:23 - 1 hour - 62.1 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, kill them all! Vera, Katie, and Livy enter the arena with Minisode 25: Spartacus. Don’t judge this Starz show by its bawdy bloody reputation -- it’s a modern TV classic that combines the best of Xena and Buffy. We discuss Spartacus’s grand ambitions, its distinctive visual look, its deeply human characters, and its playful use of language to evoke the past. Also: did we mention Lucy Lawless is there, giving her most indelible performance since Xena? Plus: ...
Minisode 24: Our 25 Favorite Xena Things!
September 04, 2020 22:28 - 51 minutes - 40.4 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, Happy Xenaversary!!! Vera, Katie, and Livy are celebrating the 25th anniversary of Sins of the Past in Minisode 24: Our 25 Favorite Xena Things! In which we make a very scientific list of all things we love about Xena, including Xena’s murder smile, Gabrielle’s plot-motivated haircut, SPLISH SPLASH, patented soft voice, BOOB TOUCHES, doppelgangers, ABS, the way Xena says ‘Ares,’ flipping it out, and GOONS! Happy 25th!!! The power, the passion, the podcas...
Minisode 23: Killing Eve
August 18, 2020 23:33 - 1 hour - 52.8 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, sorry baby! Vera, Katie, and Livy are dressed to kill in Minisode 23: Killing Eve. We discuss all three seasons of the hit BBC America series, a genre-bending boundary-busting queer feminist comedy thriller, the galaxy-brain ideas of head writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, stars Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer’s career trajectories, and our fave scenes, lewks, and kills. Plus: the dame-off that never happened, Livy’s least favorite trope, “British hot,” do villains ne...
Minisode 22: Subsext and Soultext
July 29, 2020 16:42 - 1 hour - 54.7 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, the subtext here is rapidly becoming text! Vera, Katie, and Livy are rounding up all our favorite Xena/Gabrielle moments in Minisode 22: Subsext and Soultext. We discuss the fan terms “subtext” and “maintext,” the differences between these two forms of queer storytelling, and how the show evolved over time until it became the big gay poem of our dreams. Plus: the return of Lil Prawn, fisting a fish, forgiveness threesomes, Callisto slips in a kiss, and how...
Minisode 21: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Mount Doom
July 15, 2020 22:09 - 48 minutes - 38.5 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, Volcano Maaaaaan! Vera, Katie, and Livy are watching an episode of *record scratch* Hercules?! It’s Minisode 21: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Mount Doom, in which we discuss 5x12 “Sky High” with special guest star Ephiny! We celebrate our favorite centaur-loving lady, her magnificent hair, and her new reed-dart throwing powers. Then Vera has an announcement to make: she has finally watched an Indiana Jones movie that isn’t Kingdom of the Crystal Skull! ...
Minisode 20: Legend of the Seeker
July 01, 2020 22:53 - 1 hour - 48.5 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, command us, mistress! Vera, Katie, and Livy journey to the Midlands in Minisode 20: Legend of the Seeker. We deep-dive into RenPix’s mid-aughts return to syndicated fantasy television, discussing our favorite episodes, the Ayn Randian source material, the gorgeous visuals (especially SLO-MO KAHLAN HAIR) and the many Xena actors and directors involved in bringing Seeker to the screen. Plus: you always need a funny wizard, Panis Rahl is a dick, Cara confessi...
Minisode 19: The Power of Vidding
June 16, 2020 22:22 - 1 hour - 69.3 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we live to vid! Vera, Katie, and Livy are exploring every aspect of fanvids and vidding in Minisode 19: The Power of Vidding. We journey through the history of vidding from Star Trek slideshows to VCR vidding to the digital revolution to Instagram edits, not to mention our own vidding histories (or in Livy’s case, lack thereof). We discuss how a good vid combines source video and a song to create a brand-new art object with its own argument and narrative. ...
Minisode 18: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
May 19, 2020 21:15 - 1 hour - 49 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, malakas! Vera, Katie, and Livy explore Ancient Greece through the eyes of superhuman assassin Kassandra in Minisode 18: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the video game with major Xena vibes that is helping us survive quarantine. We discuss the queer romances, the historical realism, the immersive worldbuilding, the unexpected bursts of comedy, and the woman at the center of it all whose muscular arms can move mountains, mountains she climbs and jumps off. Plus: w...
Minisode 17: Xena Comics (Road Warrior)
May 06, 2020 22:23 - 56 minutes - 43.7 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, it’s time for some comic relief! Vera, Katie, and Livy are dipping their toes into the exciting world of Xena comics in Minisode 17: Xena Comics (Road Warrior), in which we talk about the new run of Dynamite comics and the VERY IMPORTANT PANELS the fandom wholeheartedly embraced. We discuss our own (limited!) history with comics, how supplementary media factors into the ‘what is canon’ debate, and the awesomeness of opening up the world of Xena to female a...
Minisode 16: Gentleman Jack
April 21, 2020 20:26 - 47 minutes - 37.4 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, put on your top hats, sink your coal pits, and be sure to pack your largest thermometers! Vera, Katie, and Livy are off to Yorkshire in Minisode 16: Gentleman Jack. We discuss all things Anne Lister: the historical figure, her coded diaries, the academic who decrypted them, and the HBO/BBC period drama that brought her trailblazing story to life. Plus: Anne the capitalist, what a time this was for lewks, so many Ann(e)s, the swagger, crumpet acting, queer ...
Minisode 15: Seven of Nine
April 07, 2020 23:00 - 1 hour - 54.8 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, resistance is futile! Vera, Katie, and Livy are assimilated and loving it in Minisode 15: Seven of Nine. In another of our special minisodes no one asked for, we discuss our newest obsession, our fannish histories with the Star Trek franchise, how Seven is the quarantine heroine we deserve, and the evolution of the character from Voyager to Picard. Plus: the many parallels between Janeway/Seven and Xena/Gabs, is Seven’s catsuit problematic?, Janeway’s ‘up ...
Minisode 14: Modern AU Pitch-a-thon!
March 24, 2020 22:17 - 53 minutes - 41.6 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we’re breaking into showbiz! Join us for Minisode 14: Modern AU Pitch-a-thon! where Vera and Livy role-play as a Hollywood writing team pitching a truckload of modern-set Xena stories to development executive Katie. Will she greenlight the show about Xena and Gabs as members of the US Women’s National Soccer Team who find love on the path to Olympic glory? Or will she give the go-ahead to the show where Xena is a moody teen with dyed black hair who must fi...
Minisode 13: Best Xena Eps of Xena (a.k.a. We Hate Lists!)
March 03, 2020 18:57 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, Vera, Katie, and Livy’s friendship is sorely tested as we force ourselves to pick the ten best Xena episodes of Xena (as opposed to the best Gabs eps, which we picked in the previous podcast). Join us for Minisode 13: Best Xena Eps of Xena (a.k.a. We Hate Lists!) as we argue over what makes a Xena episode a Xena episode, why fake trilogies are not allowed, and why any episode with Cyrene is automatically best. Plus: are bunny teeth an automatic disqualifie...
Minisode 12: Greatest Gabsisodes
February 06, 2020 16:04 - 57 minutes - 44.3 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, you can’t spell GABS without ABS! Vera, Katie, and Livy are going through our favorite Gabrielle episodes in Minisode 12: Greatest Gabsisodes. We not only discuss all the famous, beloved Gabs stories, we also talk about some deep-cut eps that people don’t often list even though they’re key (anyone hungry for some fishsticks?) Plus: we talk about the Xena fandom’s many charitable initiatives and how the fans model the show’s central ethos by coming together...
Minisode 11: Farscape
January 28, 2020 21:37 - 59 minutes - 45.3 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we’ll have pizza, and margarita shooters! Vera, Katie, and Livy are having a frelling good time with Minisode 11: Farscape, the crazy-balls puppet-heavy sci-fi show with even more tonal shifts than Xena! We discuss the creative freedom of this Australian co-production, its use of fanfic tropes, and the ways in which its sweeping love story challenged the very 90’s idea of the UST slow burn. Plus: the time Vera tricked Cate Blanchett into discussing Farscap...
Minisode 10: Reboot or Revival Extravaganza!
January 14, 2020 21:12 - 1 hour - 52.1 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, all this has happened before, and all this will happen again! Vera, Katie, and Livy tackle one of the trickiest Xena fan questions in Minisode 10: Reboot or Revival Extravaganza! We discuss successful TV examples of both formats, and debate what version of Xena: Warrior Princess best suits our cultural moment. The answer to that question is ours, of course! Join us as we pitch you on our proposed reboot concept, Xena: Warrior Podcast’s Xena: Warrior Prince...
Minisode 09: While You Were Sleeping
December 20, 2019 23:57 - 55 minutes - 42.6 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we’re spending the holidays with the person we love… Sandra Bullock!! Vera, Katie, and Livy are talking about one of our favorite Christmas movies in Minisode 09: While You Were Sleeping! Join us as re-experience this cozy ‘90s rom-com, complete with pointy bangs, cozy sweaters, long skirts, and terrible misunderstandings! Plus we talk about our fond memories of early Sandy movies, Chicago hot dogs, is Joe Jr. problematic? (coin!), and Vera’s first movie i...
Minisode 08 - The Amazon Wiggle
December 09, 2019 23:14 - 30 minutes - 25.5 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, when did they do the deed? In Minisode 08 - The Amazon Wiggle, Vera, Katie, and Livy are speculating wildy about exactly when Xena and Gabrielle began a romantic relationship. First we offer up our hypothesis (which involves Vera’s favorite episode, “The Quest”) before digging into a deeper question -- weren’t Xena and Gabs romantic from the start? Plus: in honor of Winter Solstice, we talk about some of the things making us happy right now, including Hall...
Minisode 08: The Amazon Wiggle
December 09, 2019 23:14 - 30 minutes - 25.5 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, when did they do the deed? In Minisode 08: The Amazon Wiggle, Vera, Katie, and Livy are speculating wildy about exactly when Xena and Gabrielle began a romantic relationship. First we offer up our hypothesis (which involves Vera’s favorite episode, “The Quest”) before digging into a deeper question -- weren’t Xena and Gabs romantic from the start? Plus: in honor of Winter Solstice, we talk about some of the things making us happy right now, including Hallm...
Minisode 07: Episode Commentary Shenanigans
November 25, 2019 23:25 - 1 hour - 72.9 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we’re partying like it’s 1999... B.C.! Vera, Katie, and Livy are doing the weirdest double feature with Minisode 07: Episode Commentary Shenanigans, the first of our Patron-selected minisodes! With the help of copious amounts of whiskey, we provide a watch-along commentary for our least favorite episode, ULYSSES, so get ready for lots of screaming about Ulysses’ chest hair, Gabrielle’s belly dancing, and Xena’s terrible taste in men! Then, to get the taste...
Minisode 07 - Episode Commentary Shenanigans
November 25, 2019 23:25 - 1 hour - 72.9 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we’re partying like it’s 1999... B.C.! Vera, Katie, and Livy are doing the weirdest double feature with Minisode 07: Episode Commentary Shenanigans, the first of our Patron-selected minisodes! With the help of copious amounts of whiskey, we provide a watch-along commentary for our least favorite episode, ULYSSES, so get ready for lots of screaming about Ulysses’ chest hair, Gabrielle’s belly dancing, and Xena’s terrible taste in men! Then, to get the taste...
Hermes Mailbag 06 (Part 2) - Splish Splash, Bish
November 04, 2019 22:07 - 1 hour - 47.2 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, the postman always rings twice! Vera, Katie, and Livy (not so jet-lagged now) pick up where they left off in our Hermes Mailbag! Once again we’re answering your questions, including what would Gabrielle’s theme song be, what aspects of the show did we appreciate more on the rewatch, and the all-important question, who is the horniest character in all of Xena? Plus: Vera gets appreciated, Xena’s secret blacksmithing past, Virtual Season 7, the comics, the C...
Hermes Mailbag 06 (Part 1) - The Jet Lag is Real
October 29, 2019 16:21 - 1 hour - 68.5 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we’re BAAAAAAAACK! Vera, Katie, and Livy return from their Greco-Roman adventures and answer your questions on all things Xena in the first part of our AFIN Mailbag! After chatting about our trip (So! Many! Old! Things!) we discuss such topics as best and worst finales of all time, would we have had a different reaction to the finale if we’d watched it live, how fanon changes fandom’s relationship with canon, metatextual shenanigans, and Gabrielle as the P...
Minisode 06 - The Great Unpinning!
October 07, 2019 18:58 - 1 hour - 85.2 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, the pins are coming out! It’s time for The Great Unpinning, in which Vera, Katie, and Livy wrap up “A Friend in Need” by picking up all the conversations we’ve shelved since the beginning of the podcast. We discuss the fan response to the finale, the history of the harmful trope Bury Your Gays, and how Xena’s ending both does and doesn’t fit the trope. Also: brutal violence, misogyny, anti-heroes, and how Walter White is the worst. Plus: a very helpful spr...
Minisode 06: The Great Unpinning!
October 07, 2019 18:58 - 1 hour - 85.2 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, the pins are coming out! It’s time for The Great Unpinning, in which Vera, Katie, and Livy wrap up “A Friend in Need” by picking up all the conversations we’ve shelved since the beginning of the podcast. We discuss the fan response to the finale, the history of the harmful trope Bury Your Gays, and how Xena’s ending both does and doesn’t fit the trope. Also: brutal violence, misogyny, anti-heroes, and how Walter White is the worst. Plus: a very helpful spr...
108: 6x22 “A Friend in Need Part II"
September 24, 2019 21:39 - 4 hours - 175 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, it’s journey’s end. Vera, Katie, and Livy climb the mountain that is 6x22 “A Friend in Need Part II,” the final episode of Xena: Warrior Princess. We discuss the challenge of endings, the visual callbacks and thematic importance of “Sins of the Past” and “The Gauntlet,” the use of sound design and editing in Xena’s last stand, Gabrielle’s hero’s journey and her culture clash with Morimoto, and the episode’s final presentation of personal desire vs. the gre...
107: 6x21 “A Friend in Need Part I”
September 16, 2019 16:54 - 3 hours - 130 MBKILL BILL SIRENS, KILL BILL SIRENS! This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, Vera, Katie, and Livy journey to the Land of the Rising Sun for 6x21 “A Friend in Need Part I,” the first half of the spectacular series finale. HOOOOMG, heavy breathing… We discuss why Japan is an appropriate setting for Xena’s last adventure, the cinematic influences that aren’t just an homage but a full circle of exchange, and divisive new character Akemi, whose compelling mix of innocence and guile keeps us guessing....
Hermes Mailbag 05 - Vera's Virgil Vitriol: On Sale Now!
September 03, 2019 20:41 - 2 hours - 124 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, we’ve got mail! It’s the fifth installment of our fabulous Hermes’ Hermès Mailbag, and Vera, Katie, and Livy are answering your questions! We talk about our favorite episodes and lewks, pitch alternate universe concepts, discuss S6’s use of color, mourn the loss of the When Fates Collide kiss, and examine the big question that started it all, why does Buffy gets more critical attention than Xena? Plus: we give you a behind-the-scenes look at making the pod...
106: 6x20 “Soul Possession”
August 20, 2019 19:58 - 1 hour - 67.6 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, here comes the bride! Vera, Katie, and Livy are pulling a major retcon with 6x20 “Soul Possession,” a weird grab bag of an episode that makes a tangle out of its many loose threads. We discuss Joxer as this episode’s emotional center, its puzzling decision to return to the events of Adventures in the Sin Trade and Déjà Vu All Over Again, Ares’ nonsensical contract, Xena’s last long con, and yet another in-show portrayal of Xena fandom. Plus: Ares’ wig, Xen...
105: 6x19 “Many Happy Returns”
August 05, 2019 21:13 - 1 hour - 83.3 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, things are getting Sapphic! Vera, Katie, and Livy are partying it up with 6x19 “Many Happy Returns,” the show’s final comedy, which also happens to be one of its giddiest and most moving. We discuss this ep as a nonstop nostalgia fest with its many references to A Day in the Life, Callisto, Chariots of War, and more. Then, don your bell bottoms and platform shoes because we’re trapped in the disco inferno of “Last Chance,” Melissa Good’s script for the unp...
104: 6x18 "When Fates Collide"
June 24, 2019 21:45 - 2 hours - 119 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, it’s love at first sight! Vera, Katie, and Livy are stepping into an alternate timeline with 6x18 “When Fates Collide,” one of Xena’s most romantic episodes. We discuss how writer Katherine Fugate found her way to Xena, why alternate realities are such a popular storytelling trope in fandom, the bold revisiting of “The Ides of March” that actually manages to match the original’s intensity, why this villain team-up works so well, predestination vs. free wil...
103: 6x17 "Last of the Centaurs"
June 10, 2019 23:42 - 1 hour - 59.8 MBThis week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, Son of Borias, what have you done? Vera, Katie, and Livy are horsing around with 6x17 “Last of the Centaurs.” We discuss the glorious, nostalgic returns of Marton Csokas and Danielle Cormack, Xena having surrogate sons all over the place, the episode’s parallels to ‘Last of the Mohicans’ and its use of Holocaust imagery, and Gabs going murderous all of a sudden. Plus: Centaur genetics, Marton’s very extra screaming, Xena throws her cane away, does Gabs loo...