In these three very different episodes, we get the second sequel to “The Debt,” a comedy episode, and the next instalment of the seasonal arc, in which Eli returns and the Twilight of the Gods is teased. Highlights include the last episode set in Chin, a very young Rose McIver, Alex Tydings in a blooper so funny they left it in the episode, an answer to what’s going on with Xena’s pregnancy, and the swansong of both Eli and Callisto.
Let’s get to it…
Oh dear, it’s been almost a whole year since my last post on Xena Warrior Princess, so I’ll understand if you’ve forgotten I was even doing this. And looking back, I can see that I started these posts way back in 2018!
But hey, that’s what tags are for. Just press a single button and you can see all my posts on this subject as though I wrote them over the course of a single weekend instead of a number of years.
We’re still at the beginning of season five, in which Xena and Gabrielle have just been resurrected for what feels like the dozenth time – although this time around, Xena has come back from the dead with a little something extra in the oven…
My thoughts on this grand finale are super late, but that’s because a dozen other things (including Christmas and New Year) got in the way. Ah well, it’s an excuse to watch the episode for a second time, just to refresh my memory.
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We start with Robin waking up in the forest next to Marian, having had a dream/nightmare about Adric and his father’s voice, encouraging him to fight to the bitter end. Mkay? Robin has spent this entire season prevaricating over what he’s going to do, how he’s doing to do it, and whether or not it’s the right thing to do, and it seems he still needs guidance from beyond the grave.
It’s Christmas Eve-Eve, so I’m going to have to try and keep this one short. That shouldn’t be too difficult, as this episode is mostly table-setting for the season’s grand finale (and possibly the show’s grand finale, as there’s been no word on a renewal just yet, and that’s never a good sign).
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Here we are with just three episodes left to go, and somehow this show feels like it’s still warming up. Time certainly flies!
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As per the previous episode, the Saxon Elders (including Robin’s Uncle Gamewell) are locked up in Nottingham dungeons, awaiting their fate. The Sheriff states that he’s going to pull the old “you’ll all be executed unless Robin turns himself in” ploy, though after freeing one of the prisoners to deliver the message, he divulges to his new captain that this isn’t the real plan. It would appear that scheming and plotting has finally entered the chat…
You know, I thought the title “Thieves With a Purpose” was promising, one that suggested Robin and the outlaws would finally hone in on what they stand for and what they want to achieve – but instead, the writers decide that it’s time for more love triangles!
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Small consolation is that they don’t waste any time when it comes to Marian confronting Robin with what she knows about his involvement in her brother’s death. He knows straight away what she’s referring to, which means he’s been feeling guilty about it, which also means that he knows damn well he should have fessed up when he had the chance (preferably before they slept together). I’m glad Marian also mentions Priscilla’s injury and other collateral damage that the outlaws have left in their wake – at the end of the day, she’s still a Norman, and it’s her people that Robin has been maiming and killing.
Any resistance, no matter how justified, will see innocent people caught in the crossfire, and that’s the reality all stories dealing with this subject matter should keep harking back to. What is the cost of revolution? Currently, it’s Robin’s relationship with Marian.
The last episode was obviously very outlaw-heavy, and now we turn to court politics. Marian once more comes to the fore, and we learn about what Queen Eleanor is actually attempting to achieve with her various manipulations – and unsurprisingly, it doesn’t make a heck of a lot of sense.
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We are now halfway through the season, and what to make of it so far? I’ve found myself comparing it to the BBC’s Robin Hood a lot, mostly because that show looms so large in my imagination, but it strikes me that the biggest difference between long-form storytelling and a series of standalone episodes is how it effects the overall quality of any given project.
When you’re watching episodes that each have a beginning, middle and end (even if they plug into an overarching storyline) then it doesn’t really matter if there are a couple of duds. You know there are going to be ups and downs, and a solid episode usually makes up for a few weaker ones.
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But in long-form storytelling, it’s either all good or all bad (or all average) since it’s all part and parcel of a single story. There’s no room for comparison, as the run-on effect makes it difficult to discern one episode from another.
That’s probably the most crucial structural difference between this show and the BBC’s version (and Robin of Sherwood, and The Adventures of Robin Hood, and any other show based on these legends), making it impossible to tell if it’ll be worth our while until it’s over. Right now it’s levelling out at “it’s fine, I guess.”
This is a bit of a patchy episode, the goal of which seems to be moving pieces around the board so that everyone is in place for the second half of the season. And introducing Friar Tuck, of course.
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It’s also a Four Lines, All Waiting situation, as the writers’ room is now juggling a fairly massive cast of characters, all of whom are off in their own plotlines that barely intersect.
In which Robin’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (or Week) continues, and Marian kickstarts her own plot at the court of Queen Eleanor. The showrunners promised us something like this for her, and I’m glad it looks like they’re going to try and deliver.
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This second episode of Robin Hood (which aired on the same night as the first, it’s just taken a while for me to write about) isn’t quite as good as the premiere. That was better structured, being bookended either side with scenes of Hugh: opening with him telling stories to his son, and ending with his death.
This episode probably should have ended with Robin and Marian parting in the rain given the emphasis on their relationship throughout this episode, but it decides to carry on for a bit longer and conclude with a cliff-hanger instead.
Don’t worry – this will be a much shorter review than the first.
And so it begins, a new Robin Hood show arriving with very little fanfare, virtually no promotion (I counted a teaser, trailer and a couple of interviews with the cast), on a streaming service that no one’s heard of. Still, it did have one very good poster (below), in which Robin holds the bow and Marian pulls the bowstring, which is hopefully an indicator of teamwork and equity in the episodes ahead.
Is there any point in getting invested, or will this be another one-and-done with an unresolved cliff-hanger finish?
After a long hiatus, I’m back with the Xena Warrior Princess reviews.
Ah,
season five. Shit gets weird. I’ve talked before about the grab-bag of world
religions that get thrown into this show, and now it’s Christianity’s turn to
get ticked off the list. I supposed it’s handled a modicum better than
Hinduism, but not by much.
And so we come to it, the season finale of Legend of the Seeker, which ended up being its Grand Finale as well. For those that have been following along with my reviews since the beginning, you’ll recall me saying that I didn’t watch this season back when it first aired on television, simply because I didn’t want it to finish. I wanted these episodes in reserve!
And yet all things must come to an end, and finally I’ve reached the conclusion of this one: fourteen years after its original air-date and four years since I started my rewatch of season one.
With all my grumbling about how shows are always getting cancelled, it’s timely reminder that this is hardly a new phenomenon. Legend of the Seeker was unceremoniously cut down in its prime, when the writers clearly had plenty more steam in their engines, and there were plenty of narrative seeds sown throughout these episodes that were clearly meant to have payoff in a third season.
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Though in saying that, we get forty-four episodes in total. These days cancellation at the end of a second season would probably leave you with only sixteen episodes, if you were lucky.
Let’s get to it then: the very last episode of Legend of the Seeker. I am bereft!
Back to it. I am determined to have this season (and the show in its entirety) finished before the New Year. And here we are at the penultimate episode, with the Boxes of Orden and Jennsen appearing in the “previously on” segment. Ooh. And hey, this episode is directed by Michael Hurst!
If the
finale of season one dealt with time travel, in which Richard was thrown
forward through time and into a Bad Future, then the second season finale
side-steps into alternative timelines, in which a spell is cast that
changes a single element of the past, which subsequently has a butterfly effect
on the present day.
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My rewatch of all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer isn’t exactly going at the steady clip I initially hoped it would, but hey – slow and steady wins the race. Furthermore, my fond memories of this show are very much based on the earlier rather than the later seasons, so it’s not like I’m in any hurry to leave the high school years.
First, the story of how I discovered Buffy in the first place. It’s not profoundly interesting, but the beginning is a very good place to start.
Life is borderline chaotic at the moment, and even though I’m writing furiously at every possible opportunity, I still feel like this blog is stagnating. To tide you over until my review of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s first season, here’s a ranking of all twelve episodes that comprised that season, from worst to best.
I’m currently on leave for two weeks, so let’s get this DONE.
We’re three episodes out from the season’s final episode (which ended up being the final episode of the show in its entirety) and there are a lot of moving parts on the board: a resurrected Darken Rahl, the Sisters of the Dark running around, and our heroes – now with an understanding of what they need to do with the Stone of Tears – using the compass to finally get where they want to go. No more detours, it’s go-time.
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Somewhat unsurprisingly, this is a Cara-centric episode. It brings her season-long arc full circle, what with her being recaptured by her former friends/allies, subjected to Mord Sith “training” (that is, torture and brainwashing) and withstanding the mental and physical pain long enough to secure her own escape. The writers, and actress Tabrett Bethell, have put in the work to make this storyline satisfying, the character having convincingly won the trust of Richard, Kahlan and Zed over the course of the season, and worked through the multitude of Capital-I Issues when it comes to the psychological turmoil she’s undergone since childhood.
In many ways, this episode is the culmination of her journey.
And so we come to the end of season four. I started posting about it back in... holy shit, July 2022! I didn’t think it was that long ago.
These final three episodes provide a pretty decent wrap-up for the themes and storylines of the season – not only returning to Rome and the Ides of March (and fulfilling Xena’s season-long vision of herself and Gabrielle getting crucified) but also touching on reincarnation and bringing Gabrielle’s pacifist arc to a thankful conclusion. Ephiny and the Amazons return, as do Caesar, Pompey, Brutus and Eli, and we’re introduced to Amarice, a character who will continue on into season five.
First of all, I have to express my excitement that Renn reappears in this episode! This came as a total surprise to me, as years ago on a message board I was informed he was never seen again after his first appearance in “Listener” right at the start of season one, and so I had assumed the character (like so many others) was a one-and-done.
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I’ve no idea if the person who told me this was lying on purpose or just misremembering the show in its entirety, but it made for an unexpected treat when he returned – even though he was an awful brat the first time around. Still, I love reappearances from previously-established characters, even more so when it comes as a surprise (or at least it would have been to greater effect if the “previously on” segment hadn’t given the game away).
