Specific Xena episodes

[strawberrytartt]

So, I am reallllly liking LL acting in Xena, but sometimes it is a bit cheeseball!!

Some of her best acting is when she is upset, crying, in pain, or angry ... anyone notice this?


What are some of her best acting episodes?

A God Fearing Child

Past Imperfect

Bitter Suite

ect... lots of DRAMA, crying, ect.... any other suggestiongs?

[Mini Mia]

:wtw1:
:wtw2: strawberrytartt :wtw3:

[Mini Mia]

I think 'cheesy' is what makes the show so fun. When I saw clips or bits and pieces whenever I flipped through the channels looking for something to watch, I'd roll my eyes at such nonsense. But when I finally caught an episode from the beginning, I decided to watch it for a laugh, and I was hooked.

I do think drama is easier to do than comedy ... however comedy is where Lucy started, if I remember correctly, so you'd think the comedy would just come naturally. Then again, maybe the drama pulls at our heart strings more so than the comedy.

And, gosh, it's been so long since I've watched any eps, I can't think of ones she was best in.

[strawberrytartt]

I do LOVE the comedy, LL is AMAZING on her timing!!!! I just really enjoy the dramatics also....

[Phalon]

Hi, Strawberrytartt. Welcome to Whoosh.

One of the cool things about Xena, I think, is the show did both drama and comedy - I can't think of another television show that does this with any kind of consistency, (granted, I don't watch a whole lot of television, so I'm most likely missing a few). They'd air episodes heavy on the melodrama, then follow it up with slap-stick comedy the following week.

I've got many favorite comedic episodes, but I loved the drama too.

Like Joxie, it's been a long time since I've watched, but a few of my favorite dramatic shows off the top of my head were...

Ides of March (the first episode I ever saw, and the one that got me hooked), and its follow-up, Fallen Angel.

I really liked the blending of cultures and myths in the Ring Trilogy.

[stepper]

There were seveal good shows - my favorites being comedy. I always favored Gabrielle over Xena so I tend to prefer shows where she's highlighted more. It used to aggravate the heck out of me when they'd have Gabrielle be a competent companion until near the end of the show where all of a sudden she'd get in trouble and Xena would have to save the day. Of course Xena was the primary character - and Tonto almost never actually saved The Lone Ranger - but still...
Anyway - shows. I liked Altered States and A Day In The Life for comedy. There were others, but those were my two favorites. On the drama side there was One Against An Army, To Helicon and Back, and others.
I agree with Joxee and Phalon - cheesy was part of the fun - but if you watch all the shows you'll find a good balance of both comedy and drama.

[vickiej]

Like the box of chocolates, with the show you never knew what you were going to get. One week a dark, violent drama, the next week something light and silly, maybe musical.
I didn't care for the eps set in the modern world, except for The Xena Scrolls and maybe Send in the Clones, did love the ending on that one.
Find it hard to pick the best ep, but an easy choice for the worst-Married With Fishsticks.

[xenawp7706]

I love the Indian Arc, and the Ring Trilogy. Ides of March, One Against an Army, When Fates Collide and many others.
I don't like MWF and LB.

[stepper]

We all seem to be spending a lot of time on the off topic board and not much in the Xena area, but there's something that's bugged me a long time. Does anyone besides me feel like the show crashed and burned with the rift arc? Okay, does anyone HERE feel that way too? I know the original boards had several threads about what was happening. Personally, I'm convinced the rift arc was a horrible mistake - it was at that point and during that season where the ratings started to drop off. Now come on - a show about the relationship between two people and what do the writers come up with? Let's mess up the core of the show. Let's spend the better part of an entire season digging the grave of the bond between Gabby and Xena. This struck no one except the writers as a good idea. And what's the resolution? A sing song show and Abra Kadabra, Alakazam, everything's supposed to be okay now. PUH-LEASE! The rift arc was friggin' mistake.

[Meg]

In one of the episodes they addressed the comedy and action and all that. Can't remember the name of the episode, but one of the characters says something like 'ya never know what's gonna happen on that show. One minute they *can't remember said piece* then the next they're the three stooges'.

One episode I remember and really like when they went through that again was Punch Lines.
I also love Married With Fishsticks. It's so colorful, and fun! At the end Gabby still has the ring on her finger so was it a dream like she thought?

Never really did like the whole going to India thing. To me it made no sense for these Greek girls to be in India and soak up the culture. The reincarnation thing was a little odd to me also.

Any episode that has Joxer in it I usually like because Joxer is one of my favorite characters.

So, off hand of what I like is:

Comedy Of Eros
Married With Fishsticks
Punch Lines
Warrior...Princess...Tramp
Been There, Done That
The Quill Is Mightier
Fins, Femmes, And Gems
If The Shoe Fits
In Sickness And In Hell
Takes One To Know One
A Family Affair (though when I was little it scared the pants off me)
Little Problems
Lyre, Lyre, Hearts On Fire
A Day In The Life
Many Happy Returns
For Him The Bell Tolls
Remember Nothing
Hooves And Harlots
Athens City Academy Of The Performing Bards
Coming Home
Dangerous Prey
Who's Gurkhan?
The Rheingold (if I did not get the eppie confused)
Last Of The Centaurs
Old Ares Had A Farm

I also think any episode that had Callisto was pretty good too. That character reminds me of The Joker. She's insane!

Now, all of the eppies listed I listed in random order. Ones that popped into my head first.

[Mini Mia]

Sept 6, 2010 20:04:48 GMT -6 stepper said:

We all seem to be spending a lot of time on the off topic board and not much in the Xena area, but there's something that's bugged me a long time. Does anyone besides me feel like the show crashed and burned with the rift arc? Okay, does anyone HERE feel that way too? I know the original boards had several threads about what was happening. Personally, I'm convinced the rift arc was a horrible mistake - it was at that point and during that season where the ratings started to drop off. Now come on - a show about the relationship between two people and what do the writers come up with? Let's mess up the core of the show. Let's spend the better part of an entire season digging the grave of the bond between Gabby and Xena. This struck no one except the writers as a good idea. And what's the resolution? A sing song show and Abra Kadabra, Alakazam, everything's supposed to be okay now. PUH-LEASE! The rift arc was friggin' mistake.

I know that a lot of fans who saw X&G as a couple quit watching the show because of the GabDrag. Honestly, how can a friendship survive that, let alone a romance. (Which is why I started my dysfunctional relationship thread.) If I had been inclined to view them as a couple, I would have dropped that thought after the rift. No way would I entertain fantasies of a romance after such a horrid act.

I think the musical kept their rift from getting too dark. It kept them from going past the point of no return. (Although I think the drag was a bit much.) I think that Dahak knew what would push Xena over the edge of madness, and she played into his hands quite nicely. I loved the Bitter Suite, so I overlooked the easy-peasy way in which they made up. If I hadn't liked that ep, or the Warrior/Bard relationship before/after that, I'd have quit the show then too. (Note: I think a friendship can survive things a romance can't/won't ... and that is another reason I don't think they were a couple. Plus, Renee & Lucy both have said they played their roles straight for the most part, so why wouldn't I get a straight vibe? YMMV)

But yeah. I had a problem with the rift. I just chose to overlook it. The GabChak too. Another bad mistake. Actually, there are several times I think Xena proves she isn't as loyal to Gabrielle as Gabrielle is to her. Not to say that there weren't a couple of times Gabrielle also betrayed Xena. But I can understand that better, since she obviously could sense that she wasn't as important to Xena as Xena is to her. Dysfunctional.

However, I think the good outweighed the bad, and that is why I am still a fan.

---

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary.

[stepper]

Sept 6, 2010 20:50:13 GMT -6 Meg said:

In one of the episodes they addressed the comedy and action and all that. Can't remember the name of the episode, but one of the characters says something like 'ya never know what's gonna happen on that show. One minute they *can't remember said piece* then the next they're the three stooges'.

One episode I remember and really like when they went through that again was Punch Lines.
I also love Married With Fishsticks. It's so colorful, and fun! At the end Gabby still has the ring on her finger so was it a dream like she thought?

Never really did like the whole going to India thing. To me it made no sense for these Greek girls to be in India and soak up the culture. The reincarnation thing was a little odd to me also.

Any episode that has Joxer in it I usually like because Joxer is one of my favorite characters.

I also think any episode that had Callisto was pretty good too. That character reminds me of The Joker. She's insane!

Now, all of the eppies listed I listed in random order. Ones that popped into my head first.

I liked most of the shows you mentioned Meg. Quite a few people didn't like Married With Fishsticks but I never really got why.
I didn't mind the India shows, but they didn't really fit in with the rest of the X:WP series as far as I was concerned. I guess at the time the producers were trying to do something new to keep up interest and maybe it worked. The show was being seen in several countries at the time and it's possible the India shows attracted a wider viewership.
Hooves and Harlot's was the first show where Gabby was allowed to have any fighting prowess so it was an important turning point in the shows for me. (I am and have always been a serious Gabrielle fan.)

[Meg]

You're right, it's possible that those shows attracted a wider viewership. That was probally why I didn't like them as they didn't really fit with the rest of the series. Of course some might have a different opinion and I'm fine with that. Free will and all that jazz.

For the episode Hooves And Harlots, I made my parents sit and watch it. Dad got me all the seasons for Christmas last year. I agree with you about it being an important turning point in the show. Till then most of the show rounded around Xena, even Dreamworker which was supposed to be more Gabby than Xena, but in my opinion it didn't exactly turn out all that way.

Oh, and I just now fully understood your other post. Yeah, I'm a little slow on things at times. Brain fog.

I must agree with everything our dear admin said.

[Phalon]

My take on the Rift Arc differs some with what both Stepper and Joxie had to say. I had to go back and refresh myself with what episodes were included because it's been years since I've seen them.

The Deliverer
Gabrielle's Hope
The Debt I
The Debt II
Maternal Instincts
The Bitter Suite

I absolutely loved The Debt I & II. Watching the struggle within Xena was some of Lucy's best acting, I thought, and the Lao Ma character was one of my favorite supporting roles in the series (I wish it would have been a reoccurring character). And both episodes also had Borias - swoon.

As much as I loved the Debt, I disliked the episodes with Hope. Gabrielle irritated me to no end when it came to Hope. Come on, Gabs - you were raped by a demon, had a demon's spawn, and sorry, Mommy, but your kid isn't going to grow up (within weeks) to be a very nice, sweet little girl. Neither is she going to turn into a responsible adult with upstanding morals. But....

It is interesting that Gabrielle the Good had a child that was evil, and Xena who struggled with her evil past continually had a child, Solan, that was good. Evil, in this case wins, and kills good. Which brings us to...

The Gabdrag. Was it hard to watch? Yes. Necessary? Could be. Plausible? Most definitely. Gabrielle is Xena's light - a guiding light, you could say. With Gab's betrayal, Xena's light is gone. She's left in the dark, with nowhere to turn but but her Dark side, which she continually struggles with throughout the whole series. Her child is dead, essentially because of Gabrielle. Would that not cause a mother, (especially one with a history of violence), to go over the edge?

I disagree with you, Step, on this one. Though the show was about the relationship between two people, a great deal of it was also about the struggle within each of them to evolve and grow as people in their own right: Gabrielle's growth as a young woman full of naivete to a strong woman capable of taking care of herself, and Xena's struggle to overcome her past and the monster she was, and could easily be again. Just as they struggle to find themselves, their relationship must have struggles, or it would not be believable, in my opinion.

I probably have more to say, but I gotta go - Prince Poppycock is on, and....say, don't you think he'd fit in the land of Illusia quite nicely.

[stepper]

My take on the Rift Arc differs some with what both Stepper and Joxie had to say. I had to go back and refresh myself with what episodes were included because it's been years since I've seen them.

Good! We have something to discuss!

I disliked the episodes with Hope. Gabrielle irritated me to no end when it came to Hope.

I take this to mean you took umbrage with Gabrielle's relationship with Hope as opposed to having disaffinity for all shows that included Hope. Yes/No?

The Gabdrag. Was it hard to watch? Yes. Necessary? Could be. Plausible? Most definitely.

Necessary? No. Unforgivable? Assuredly. Xena was so far gone and dangerous Gabrielle had no choice but to take her out by any means possible even if it meant they both were going over the cliff. (A device Gabrielle also used to dispose of Hope.)

Her child is dead, essentially because of Gabrielle.

I think that misplaces the blame. You could just as easily say that Solan was dead because Xena failed to protect Gabrielle from the evil that attacked her - or that Xena failed to adequately teach Gabrielle how to defend herself - or that Xena is to blame for the death of Solan because the choices she made earlier in life set up the circumstances that lead to Solan's demise - but that would be wrong too. Hope killed Solan and Gabrielle killed Hope - and for suffering this horrible circumstance of disposing of her own daughter, instead of sympathy she is accused and abandoned. The person wronged was Gabrielle. The group wronged were all the X:WP fans.

I disagree with you, Step, on this one.

ARGH!! And you are so nearly perfect too! {Picture me getting out the pin to pop any head swelling bubbles in case it's necessary.}

Though the show was about the relationship between two people, a great deal of it was also about the struggle within each of them to evolve and grow as people in their own right

On that, we agree.

More later.

[stepper]

gotta go - Prince Poppycock is on, and....say, don't you think he'd fit in the land of Illusia quite nicely.

He made it to the Fantastic Four! Cool! And yes, he would have been a great character in Illusia.

[xenawp7706]

ahahaha yeah

[stepper]

Buzzed by the bad Brit. Sigh. Who'd a thunk it?

[stepper]

I learned something new today. Okay, I’m not so smart that running into something new is all that much of a challenge, but this is Xena related. It’s about the original script for Fins, Femmes, and Gems. The reason for the super diamond that Aphrodite admired was because of DeBeers. They wanted to run an ad during the Xena show and said they’d pay extra if it included something about diamonds. Now here’s the fun part. The original script called for Xena to obsess about fishing, Joxer to obsess about being a Tarzan like ape man, and Gabrielle was supposed to be looking at Xena when Aph hit her with the stuff, so she was going to obsess over Xena the whole show. Only three days before shooting began the producers were told “No.” They had to change the script. The next thing for Gabrielle to obsess about was the sexual positions depicted on the walls. They even got so far as filming a scene where Gabrielle says “I don’t think that’s physically possible!”, and Xena with only a glance says “Sure it is.” (This scene actually made it into the show.) At the last minute they changed the script to Gabby looking at herself in the mirror when Aph sprays her with the "Obsession" perfume.
I can’t help but think it would have been one heck of a show if they’d let the writers get away with Gabby obsessing over Xena. I’d love to know what the original script called for.

[Mini Mia]

I've even seen it posted that Gabrielle was supposed to be looking at Xena when Bliss hit her with the arrow in, A Comedy of Eros, but they redid the script.

[stepper]

I think they were afraid it would alienate too many viewers.

[stepper]

While watching commentary about Fins, Femmes, and Gems, one of the writers made a comment about the whoosh sound on the show and how they discussed how to use it, how loudly, etc. One of the things she said was very close to "There's even a web site that called itself Whoosh because of the whoosh sound effect." Now, I don't know if it's true or not, and I've looked around a only little to see if I could find a post that mentioned this - but I haven't found it yet if there is one. Anyway, here's the link. The comment is at about the 6:45 mark.

[Mini Mia]

I believe Kym has stated that Whoosh was named for the sound effect. You can search old threads at the YukuWhoosh Xena / RenPics Archives. The info could possibly be in one of the early articles at Whoosh.org.

Try doing these searches:

site:Whoosh.org Whoosh named for whooshing sound effect
site:Whoosh.org How did Whoosh get its name
site:Whoosh.org How did Whoosh.org get its name
site:Whoosh.org Whoosh is named for
site:Whoosh.org Whooshing sound
site:Whoosh.org Whoosh website named for

Let us know if you find anything. Maybe we should have a FAQ thread.

[xenawp7706]

Well it is not the first time Whoosh gets named on Xena, in Soul Possession there is also a Whoosh Staff. I think that's cool actually that this website is so recognised even in a Xena episode

[Meg]

They changed the script because they were afraid it might offend the gay viewers that Gabby's obsession with Xena was only be because of Aphrodite's spell. There's an interview about it on one of the DVDs I have.

Personally I'm glad they cut it and went they way they did as it would offend me, and I'm straight.
I also know for a fact that I would not be aloud to watch the show if they had went that way.
My parents really hate the scene in the eppie where Xena takes over Auto's body and show Xena leaning in to plant one on Gabby. I'm quite thankful they show Auto and Gabby in a lip lock, though Xena is in there.

Sometimes it wasn't the writers or directors that would cut stuff out. Sometimes it was Lucy and Renee as they did not want to offend either 'lifestyle' or they'd get something cut if they felt their character would not do something or behave a certain way.

[stepper]

Oct 3, 2010 2:21:43 GMT -6 xenawp7706 said:

Well it is not the first time Whoosh gets named on Xena, in Soul Possession there is also a Whoosh Staff. I think that's cool actually that this website is so recognised even in a Xena episode

Cool! I have to find that one and watch it again! Thanks!

[stepper]

Oct 3, 2010 10:03:37 GMT -6 Meg said:

They changed the script because they were afraid it might offend the gay viewers that Gabby's obsession with Xena was only be because of Aphrodite's spell. There's an interview about it on one of the DVDs I have.

Whatever the reason, we'll never know what the overall reaction would have been.

Sometimes it wasn't the writers or directors that would cut stuff out. Sometimes it was Lucy and Renee as they did not want to offend either 'lifestyle' or they'd get something cut if they felt their character would not do something or behave a certain way.

I imagine they all had input to some extent. I'm certain they ad-libbed some of the dialogue.

[Mini Mia]

Soul Possession

CAST - Carly Binding (Barb Binder, WHOOSH! webmaster)

Transcript

[/b] “Barb Binder from Whoosh. As webmaster of the official Xena fansite-- I happen to know Xena would never subscribe to the subjugating regime of marriage.”[/ul]
Staff
In Alphabetic Order

Barb Binder - Freelance artist, performer, and bon vivant

Barb Binder is a young, vivacious singer/songwriter/actress and has much in common with Laura Sue Dean (except Barb has gotten much more professional work lately). She is a kiwi who has volunteered her freelance journalism skills to WHOOSH! in the hope this might help her obtain sponsorship and work in the USA someday. When she's not penning feminist articles, she works as a torch singer in Auckland's most exclusive nightclubs, breaking hearts and filling large brandy glasses with tips every night except Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Barb has several certificates in martial arts, which she most often uses on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Favorite episode: SOUL POSSESSION
Favorite line: Barb Binder: "Barb Binder, from WHOOSH!..." SOUL POSSESSION
First episode seen: THE BITTER SUITE
Least favorite episode: Anyone which involves marriage, except SOUL POSSESSION
[/font]

---

CD Baby: Carly Binding

iLike: Carly Binding

New Zealand Musicians & Bands: Carly Binding

MySpace: Carly Binding

IMDb: Carly Binding

WikiPedia: Carly Binding

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Alright With Me



This Is It



I See the World



We Kissed

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Love Will Save Me

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Boh Runga & Carly Binding interview on NZOWN



Tears performed by Boh & Carly

[stepper]

I was trying to remember the first show I thought had a genuinely funny scene. At first I thought Altered States, but then I remembered The Black Wolf. It had a scene in the dungeon..

Gabby: You know, you wouldn’t be in here in the first place if you had kept your hands off my tomatoes.”

Xena looks at Salmoneus like he's in trouble for grabbing her "tomatoes".

Salmoneus: “I can explain that!”