RIGHT OR WRONG
THAT is indeed the question. Was the end of this six-year-old a worthy one?
A majority says no, some people say yes and a large amount of people just doesn't know. The reason I gather the majority as the naysayers, is the fact that even if they did like the finale, they were reluctant to accept the way it ended. And some of them refuse to have it ended this way. I will write my thoughts and include theories made from all around the place. First of all, I'd like to make it perfectly clear that I'm still hopelessly devoted to XWP, in spite of my differences with accepting the end as an end.

My analysis: it's damn incomplete
What's the big deal, one may ask? Well. Xena is dead. Permanently. And her death is made even more ambiguous than the obvious subtext flirting. All loose ends left untied after the second part of FIN, makes one wonder what 's still to come. Surely this can't be the end of Xena. Nobody can be so stupid that they don't finish their story with style. But apparently someone has decided to do so here. Or else the loose threads are there for a reason, for the creators to pick up and use in a future project. I can't get the feeling out of my guts that the threads have been deliberately left there.
Why? Maybe it's because I never would end something like XWP the way TPTB did. And maybe I still have faith in them. It's like I've said before; FIN I & II is a prelude to a finale. THAT is my instinct. I would've wrapped the show up with Gabrielle struggling against Xena's wishes to bring her back to life, while Xena discovered that Akemi had lied to her. (Ok; I confess! I'd NEVER had them go to some far off country. I would have done two 2hr finale episodes a la WFC.) I won't get into any script thoughts any further here, but someday I'll post it on this part of the site. Short summary: The end felt incomplete and the elephant they forced through the plotholes have not yet recovered.

wrongs, questions and ramblings
Was Xena wronged to be killed, mutilated and have her head cut off? Well...if one is to follow some research and the redemption arc, the answer will have to be no. Was it wrong in a modern sense to kill her off the way she went? Yes. Hell yes.

We are living in a modern world. That is very important. We are modern people, or rather; we are becoming modern people. Prejudice must stop, bashing against individuals who happen to be strong and stand for what they believe in, must stop. And the brutal, humiliating kind of killing and afterlife treatment Xena suffered, (remember; this killing is sickening in a MODERN sense, that is my point here), sure as hell doesn't help. If I'd lived in THAT particular millenium, I would probably have accepted it as just one more cruelty among hundreds. As a modern individual, I can't. For moral, historical and political reasons. And for my own, selfish reasons as a fan and an admirer.

One can respect a writer's wish and ambition to work towards/with his own vision. But one may not EVER forget the audience that will watch the vision be fulfilled. And a main part of the audience of XWP would have crawled through the desert drinking sand in absence of water, to watch the finale that would crown their six years as fans of a syndicated, debated, mocked, praised and very, very, very much loved tv-show. Because of the message that once was bestowed upon them; love is stronger than death, the way of understanding is the way of knowing an inner peace, to be brave can be to care and to stand up for oneself or a friend against a larger force/foe can be ever so rewarding. The fans of XWP did understand. We all found something beyond the cheesy special effects and the sometimes ridiculous plotholes and explanations given. We found humanity wrapped in a fantasy disguise. And so we expected a humane ending, which would confirm our beliefs.

But somebody in the line screwed up. Or didn't. The finale is a work of intense, painful art. And sometimes agony and angst are the most beatiful things found in art history. And in storytelling as well. I've always loved the tragedies, especially the bittersweet ones. Because they bother the mind and makes the heart ache. A stabbing, relentless pain is what the end of XWP has left me with. And oddly I'm not fond of the feeling. It's actually ok that Xena died. But the circumstances presented due to that death are preposterous! The loose ends wiggle their strings and none of the two finale parts makes sense. Why present such a poor conclusion? Why use the word 'poor'? Because the table of contents is a friggin' mess. That's why. With great power comes great responsibility. And that is what has been forgotten, sorted out and left behind. Or has it?


ch-ch-ch-changes?
Was season six a line of episodes sucking up to the fans, in order to justify a slaughter of their beloved icon? And the wronged new and unfulfilled hero who once was called a sidekick? Was it all a step-by-step process to the gavotte? You tell me. I'm only speculating. If one does take a look at season six, one clearly discover a positive turn back to what made the show a success. The amazons were finally back as hard and just women who didn't negotiate if unnecessary. Ares' godhood was restored, as well as Aphrodite's. The story arcs began coming around again. Xena and Gabrielle actually seemed to know each other. Eve was sent off on her hippie happy-happy-joy-joy quest (don't like Eve, but I like Adrienne, though. She's allright!). And the subtext went maintext, finally taking that logical next step. Some hated the last fact, but a myriad loved it, myself included. And then; WHAMMO! Surprise; Mme le Guilliotine strikes in the form oa non-dubbed moron and Xena is humiliated by mr Yodoshi (aka the playdoughhead), villains nobody could care less about.

Finally changes were made in writing, one might interrupt to comment. Xena's death did not come as a shock, but the worn out The Debt-concept came as a bored groan. The first time I saw the text "Japan I and II" over at Whoosh, I just sighed, shook my head and mumbled that this never would end well. It never does when they go to China or any other oriental country. Somehow the focus on the characters and the plot is limited by the overwhelming joy of what great sceneries and props one can use, alongside with the cheesy special effects and the recycling of old HongKong action storylines. I was prepared for her death, even though I'll never fully acknowledge the writing of the events.

Then comes the obvious question: Why the hell use characters the audience wouldn't give a damn about? Why rob them of their last encounter with X & G? Since it's a lot of anger and frustration travelling back and forth between the fanbase-TPTB-TPTB-the fanbase, it may take some time to get the feedback, or a decent interview for a while. Insight in the creative mind is of the essence here. Many involved tend to underestimate the value and impact of their own product/fandom/power/words.
If there ever was a way to end the show well, it would've been by using old character input, that was accepted by the audience. To have a nobody-samurai-guy kill Xena is unsatisfying. To have her being mocked by Yodoshi the playdoughead is even more unsatisfying. Why? Because they doesn't have a history with the audience. "Hey! We DID get the background in FIN I!" Yeah, but do we care? Akemi is, I'm sorry to say this, such a dumb character to introduce this far into the show's run. So dumb. And the course of her actions, and the parallels made between her character and Gabrielle to make us sympathize with her/accept her and the mission she sends Xena with her SO into, is even dumber. If she'd had an even bigger part in the episode, (as I heard was intended earlier in the production), I would've looked for someone to strangle. ;) The actress is fine, she does a great job. But the character doesn't belong in the XWPfinale, and not in the series at all. We don't need a character that strips the importance from the X&G relationship and makes that less unique. We don't need a ripoff of Gabrielle when ROC has built the role for six years. And we most certainly do NOT need the Gabrielle-similar line Akemi delivers; "Take me with you, etc..."

The spine of a show is it's returning characters. And the FIN eps hardly had any.

Hm...but they already made Callisto good. And Alti was pulverized in what was the best damn episode ever, (if she now actually was a goner after the loom burning?), as was Caesar stabbed to death. Ares entombement wasn't further explained. They were out of the satisfying and goooood bad grrls/guys. They HAD to use a poor excuse to launch the finale. And that is what made it unbelievable. The thing about this show has been that it always got through to it's audience with a genuine ability to make them FEEL. And the only characters in FIN that are remotely loveable are Xena and Gabrielle. And it was ok to see Borias as well, even though his role in this matter was gambled away a bit, it felt good to have a familiar face to relate to.

I DO buy the demise of Xena. But I do not buy the story behind it. I'd rather have Callisto torturing her to death with preaching or even have Eli return alongside with Perdicus than watch this show go down in a blaze of flawed glory. The finale seems more of a business transaction than a finale to me. I want the final episode that logically has to conclude XWP. And I don't feel it's been given to itself. Yeah. Itself. One will not protest against the beauty found within the FIN episodes, and not against the acting which was superb. But to the irrational dance of the loose ends and lost heads. Ah...and a 40.000 people village is most definately NOT a village. Back in those days 30 to 70 people was called a village. AND I still want to see Gabrielle kick Akemi's ass. ;)


rights, questions and rantings
What went right? The thoughts of the finale, the little things that can be scarcely seen. Things that are overlooked first. There are many symbolic meanings that can be discussed. The episodes sure has a way of making people gather and talk for hours, days, weeks...maybe even months and years? Analyzing the finale is fun, everyone should do it!

That Xena stays with Gabrielle in her spirit form, brings just a little, little light of hope. The story is no longer about the things surrounding these women; it IS about these women. And their changes, heartaches, sorrows, joy and companionship. Gabrielle can still feel Xena. Xena obviously is a very solid ghost, who can touch her soulmate and talk to her. Poor Gabrielle is the one that the outside world does assume to be a loon, though. That could make a great comedy. *VBG*

Redemption. Somehow it's accurate. Not in this way, but the final chance for Xena to redeem herself is a good starting point. Making Gabrielle the hero and come full circle with one of the show's themes is totally right, even though she was given the sidekick treatment by not being allowed to succeed with her mission. The thought might have been to make her the noble melancolic hero, which is interesting. Gabrielle has got every possibility to become the ideal hero. A Xena without the darkness. But still a mini version of Xena, as long as she follows in her soulmate's footsteps. She DOES look damn good with that chakram!

Xena died in battle. That was fitting.

Ok, so the finale was a ripoff of several HK action movies. It was visually wonderful, though. Well...ok, the only scenes I really loved were the ones between Xena and Gabrielle. But everyone knows by now that I wanted a long finale with X&G in focus. :) Well, I got a finale where Xena cut her hair off for a brat that didn't do the honorable thing, I got a finale where the last scene on the ship was useless, and felt like it'd been thrown in just to ease the misplaced angst. I'm grateful for Gabrielle coming full circle, and that's about it. But that she did that with Xena's life as the price, felt so very wrong. But now on with the rights...

The moments between X & G were quite ok. Some were even beautiful and their dialogue on the mountain made me cry my eyes out. ROC ruled when her voice broke and my eyes were flooded by tears. LL's response in looks and hesitating dialogue were beautiful as well. Yeah, LL and ROC certainly brought tears to many eyes. But then, they always have... The duo's chemistry and acting together has spawned copies that clutter the world of television today.

The finale is both a right and a big wrong. One mouth feeds the other, so to speak. One can't say a positive thing without adding a 'but' somewhere. And THAT is what makes it controversial. And THAT is what makes it stupid/brilliant. And THAT is what makes me think we haven't seen the last of the warrior princess and the battling bard.


/Johanna