2002-2003 |
22 50 minute episodes |
SF elements |
gods and warriors, and very tangled mythologies |
Review |
The season starts off quite darkly, with a triple of episodes about the fall of Lucifer, then off to some trauma in Africa with an accidental killing, followed by a Valkyrie excursion (is there a mythology this series hasn't plundered?). Gabrielle seems to get the worst of it, trauma-wise, this season. The first "comedy" episode isn't until mid-season, but then there are a bunch of them, along with some clever "clips" episodes, working in characters from previous sub-plots. This is because, as we know, the upcoming end-of-season climax is also the end-of-Xena. Which is handled very well: the final two-parter, set in Japan, manages some great scenes in the style of genre films like Zu Warriors and Iron Monkey, whilst still maintaining the Xena style, and managing the culmination without too much mawkish sentimentality. A fitting end to six years of comedy, drama, misplaced vegetation and accents, and hysterically tangled history. |
Rating: 3.5 |
[ unmissable | great stuff | worth watching | mind candy | unwatchable | unfinishable ] |
reviewed 8 May 2005