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