YOU GIRLS RULE!
Thanks for the six years! Thanks for the laughs and tears! Thank you so very, very much for being who you are; an inspiration!

I seriously can't choose between these two ladies when it comes to which one of them I like the best. I admire them both. When it comes to their characters, I also have a difficult time chosing my favorite. Ok, I yield. My favorite is Gabrielle, I simply adore the character and find her changes throughout the show to be intriguing. But I did start out as a Xena fan the first minutes of the episode. I'm of course talking about Sins of the Past.

But really... I find that the two characters complete each other and that makes it hard to choose one over the other. If they have changed, it's because of the influence they have had on each other. Xena have gone softer, her insight and compassion has grown bigger, deeper, since the start. She has always been a big softie, though. She may not agree on that, but she is, was and will always be.
She's capable of so much love, and that is what Gabrielle always has seen. The problem with Xena is just that she's confused about emotional stuff, as well as Gabrielle can be confused and rethink practical actions, events and such. They both needed someone who could channel their other side and make it prosper. And hands down, they found that someone.

The characters inspired people to take a good look inside themselves, of course. When persons find a television series they like, they identify with the characters on a great amount of levels. It's not at all that complicated, it's just a question or more...a belief that there's something of them in their favorite heroes, and vice versa. Xena and Gabrielle were so real because they basically were really simple people to begin with. We all have our demons and nobody's perfect. We are very well aware of that. But we also want to be accepted for who we are, for our good sides as well as the bad. The unforced and (almost;)) unconditional love and friendship between the warrior and the bard made us think and surrender with a small smile on our lips. Here they were; placed in a world of confusion, with manipulating gods, violence, big bad monsters, evil warlords, etc, etc...and the thing that made them survive was their humanity. And their acceptance of each other as human beeings with flaws and scars.

Well...then there was the actresses behind the characters. :)
Never has any more fan protected women existed in the world of television. The fans of XWP has always been careful with their two cherished fave leading ladies. Fake photos and stories on the internet and in the press has been banned, protested against and discussed into infinity. The protectiveness of the fans has a really, really good explanation; -Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor are two great women. Their personalities are admirable and warming. They are very human (thank gods!), they have a great sense of humor and has managed to both do, and inspire other people to do, a lot of good. Charity and political questions among others. They are very much respected, even more off character than in character sometimes.

I have the utmost respect for both LL and ROC. If either of them should go nuts and growl at the press or statements, etc. it's just because they are human. Imagine how it would feel for you if you were dogged by press and hundreds of thousands of fans discussed you every day? Kinda heavy, huh? I think they've handled themselves good in many pressed and stressed situations. It aint easy being a warrior princess and a battling bard! ;)

Well. How do one cut this short and finish up? Probably by saying that I'll be forever grateful to have been a fan of the XWP show plus LL and ROC. I will continue to be that for a looooong time, thanks to the ladies. 'Cause they are real and made magic happen three quarters of an hour every weekend. As a fan you live on borrowed time. Time borrowed from the actresses personal life. And the more time they bring to you, the greater gift it is. And these two fine actresses gave us six years. SIX YEARS. Years of tears, hurt, joy, happiness, understanding, shock, warmth, life, death, strength, weakness, truth, lies and so much more. All feelings and moments that made XWP feel real was brought to us by Lucy and Renee time and time again.

I miss the show. I miss meeting my favorite characters; the ones that inspired me to quit a job and follow my dreams and be truly happy. I miss analyzing their actions and lines, while searching through myself for answers to what things are about. I miss the action and the drama, the comedy and the simple and quiet looks; moments that made the time stand still for a while and tell the world to go mind it's own business elsewhere. But the time I borrowed is over and now it's time for Lucy and Renee to catch up for all those personal hours they gave to us. They truly deserve their private time, relaxation and rest with their families and friends.

We can continue to debate, love them, watch reruns and follow their future careers. Whether it be to the fans or the work; I believe they truly care, and that feels good. After all, they gave us the greatest gift a fan can get; -they gave us their devotion.

And we gave them ours.

Sooo...good luck in the future, Lucy and Renee! Health and joy to you both and thanks for a terrific ride! I owe ya! :)


/Johanna