XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS: SEASON 6 - DVD review

Note: "Xena: Warrior Princess", like "Highlander: The Series" and "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys", is being released jointly by the Davis-Anderson Merchandising Corporation and Anchor Bay. Unlike "Highlander", which was released in a bewildering number of package variations, the "Xena" and "Hercules" box sets are basically the same regardless of how you buy them ("official" releases from www.davis-panzer.com or commercial releases from Anchor Bay). Best Buy carries limited editions that include bonus discs with additional extras.

"Xena: Warrior Princess", now considered a pop-culture success that championed "close bonds" between women, was born under trying circumstances. Universal had a syndicated hit with the campy "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" (starring Kevin Sorbo and executive-produced by Sam Raimi, eventually the helmer of the big-screen "Spider-man" franchise). However, the studio had a bomb with "Vanishing Son" (starring Russell Wong). Therefore, in order to keep TV stations buying its wares, Universal decided to see if a "female Hercules" could maintain viewer interest better than a chop-socky show.

Xena (Lucy Lawless) was originally envisioned as a villain. However, the character was very popular with fans of "Hercules", so writers gave her a journey of redemption for her own show. While "Hercules" is now a mostly-forgotten affair due to its disposable assemblage of laughable stunts and lame, goofy stories, "Xena" is recognized as a pioneering effort that portrayed an "are they or aren't they?" woman-woman relationship right under the public's nose. Sure, there were lesbian characters before "Xena", but the most important contribution that "Xena" made to lesbian cinema may be that it treated the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor)--lesbian or not--as nothing that warranted fuss. By keeping the characters' private relationship private, viewers were told to keep their noses out of others' personal lives. In time, as viewers got used to the idea of Xena and Gabrielle being very close, it really didn't matter whether or not the heroines were lesbians, so long as their friendship was depicted with warmth and conviction. (Still, there are people who whoop and holler when they see Xena and Gabrielle together in various states of undress. I, for one, don't condemn them as Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor are both very attractive ladies.)

The series took a turn for the (very) dark during Season Three. Xena and Gabrielle became mothers who had to kill/sacrifice their children for the greater good. Season Six has several light-hearted moments that seem to indicate that the heroines have stumbled upon good times. However, as the show's last year winds down, Xena faces the fate that was prescribed by the show's conception--she must pay the price for all the innocent lives that she destroyed. In a sense, that she accepts full responsibility for her deeds means that her personal journey is complete, but her sacrifice must be "for real", too. Xena and Gabrielle end up in Japan, where, like Duncan MacLeod, they get to use Japanese swords. For the most part, Gabrielle succeeds in not getting any blood on her hands, remaining the pure, sweet girl that Xena wants her to be. The finale is rather violent and unnecessarily over-the-top, but it does give "Xena" a satisfying sense of closure.

Disc 1--"Coming Home", "The Haunting of Amphipolis", "Heart of Darkness".

Disc 2--"Who's Gurkhan?", "Legacy", "The Abyss".

Disc 3--"The Rheingold", "The Ring", "Return of the Valkyrie".

Disc 4--"Old Ares Had a Farm", "Dangerous Prey", "The God You Know".

Disc 5--"You Are There", "Path of Vengeance", "To Helicon and Back".

Disc 6--"Send in the Clones", "Last of the Centaurs", "When Fates Collide".

Disc 7--"Many Happy Returns", "Soul Possession", "A Friend in Need, Part 1".

Disc 8--"A Friend in Need, Part 2".

Video:
The 1.33:1 (full frame on 4:3 monitors) image looks better than what we saw with Season One, though the picture is a tad soft most of the time. Like most TV shows prior to the 21st Century, "Xena" was probably shot with 16mm film. 16mm film is grainier than 35mm film, so the picture can be a bit "rough" sometimes.

Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 English tracks are very robust. They were rejigged from what were presumably stereo or stereo surround stems. There's a lot of bass presence, and the tracks are very good at dispersing the Emmy-winning music. Dialogue gets buried sometimes due to action effects or due to careless engineering, but this doesn't happen frequently.

Optional closed captions support the audio.

Extras:
The Season Six box set probably has the most extras of all the "Xena" releases. They show you how "Xena" was produced, and it's obvious that a lot of resources were spent on these bonuses. You get a Photo Gallery, a weblink, and DVD credits on Disc 1. There are various interviews and video and audio commentaries for several episodes. The video commentaries are abridged versions of the audio commentaries.

Disc 8 offers the "Bringing Monsters to Life at K.N.B. EFX Group", dailies of "To Helicon and Back", and an extended cut of "A Friend in Need", the series finale. Disc 9 offers alternate cuts of "Dangerous Prey", "Legacy", and "To Helicon and Back". Also on Disc 9 are footage from a 2004 "Xena" convention, promos and interviews shot for Season One when the show was first being sold to TV stations, behind-the-scenes footage for the final episode, and bloopers.

All of the other extras are on a tenth disc--a CD-ROM, to be exact. On that tenth disc, you'll find bios for directors, writers, and actors, a trivia game, "Xena Chronicles" (information about various minutiae), information about Greek mythology, and production drawings/sketches.

--Miscellaneous--
A DigiPak foldout package houses the discs. There are various pieces of information regarding collectible "Xena" coins. Everything fits inside a cardboard slipcase.

Film Value:
I have to admit that "Xena", like "Highlander: The Series", is something of a guilty pleasure for me. "Xena" isn't a commendable artistic achievement in the conventional sense. At least a third of the episodes are boring or lame. Yet, there are a lot of charming performances, heartfelt moments, and exciting fights to enjoy. If you're in the right frame of mind, then "Xena" can give you a couple of big grins.