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I Have A Subtext Question

(Islander27) writes:
> I'm sure this question has been asked hundreds of times so I apologize to those who have to repeat the answer yet again. The first time I heard about subtext was on this forum so my question is which episode brought it to your attention? Which episode went from Xena and Gab just travelling together to WOW there's a little more than meets the eye here? What little nuance did you see? When was the first time you took notice?
>
> I'm not bashing, making fun of, etc. Honestly, I'm just curious about what it was, or which episode it was. Now that I know about it I admit, at times, I see it (usually when the characters play into it). Most of the time I do not but I do read CN's subtext report to see what I haven't noticed for myself.
>
> Thanks for taking the time to explain.
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Islander27
>
>
>One Saturday afternoon I was bored channel surfing and I came across
this woman dressed in leather beating up guys with a frying pan.

Then I heard:

"I like to be creative in a fight. It gets my juices flowing."

A little adorable blonde replied, "Can we cook with your juices?"

I was hooked after ADITL. I noticed it right off and now I'm the
netforum's Queen of Subtext . So I guess for me it wasn't that
hard to spot it. But I'm glad you read the reports. Keep reading
and soon you'll be spotting things yourself

CN

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I Have A Subtext Question

Islander27--
It's a good question and one I'm happy to address from my personal perspective. I first heard about "subtext" following the first showings of "Is There A Doctor...", but didn't get to actually see an episode until the second season. In the second episode (Remember Nothing) I was struck by the way Xena chose her new life with Gabrielle over her old life and the life of her beloved brother Lyceus. That got me thinking there was more to this subtext thing than just rumor. I've been watching avidly ever since and seeing more of it each time I watched.

When I bought the first season videos, I saw things in the very first episode (Sins of the Past) that struck me as subtextual (such as Xena being so distracted by Gabrielle that she gets knocked down) -- and by the time I got to "Doctor" I was convinced...Xena goes frantic thinking Gabrielle has died.

A couple of other items in Season One eps:
- In "Altared States" the rabble-rousing son (the guy who later played Caesar) talks about Xena and Gabrielle using some of the same words as conservative christians talk about lesbians today -- unnatural, etc. (There's lots more in that episode -- Gabby telling Xena how beautiful she is; fishing naked together, etc.)
- In "The Greater Good" the way Gabrielle acts when everyone thinks Xena is dead.

There are plenty of others just in the first season, and when TPTB began inserting things deliberately, the allusions really picked up momentum.

I would refer you to a fine article by Diane Silver in Whoosh entitled "The Shock of Recognition". It's a fine piece and covers this territory much better than I can. You can find it at:
http://whoosh.org/issue11/silver1.html

Hope that helps,
Marit47


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I Have A Subtext Question

(Chakram712) writes:
> (Islander27) writes:
> > I'm sure this question has been asked hundreds of times so I apologize to those who have to repeat the answer yet again. The first time I heard about subtext was on this forum so my question is which episode brought it to your attention? Which episode went from Xena and Gab just travelling together to WOW there's a little more than meets the eye here? What little nuance did you see? When was the first time you took notice?
> >
> > I'm not bashing, making fun of, etc. Honestly, I'm just curious about what it was, or which episode it was. Now that I know about it I admit, at times, I see it (usually when the characters play into it). Most of the time I do not but I do read CN's subtext report to see what I haven't noticed for myself.
> >
> > Thanks for taking the time to explain.
> >
> > Respectfully,
> >
> > Islander27
>
>
> Hey there.
>
> For me it has to be "The Quest". Before that episode I saw nothing but friendship between
> the two women, but after the kiss I was like "what's going on here, their appears to be a
> little more than friendship here." I think ever since that episode, the writers and the
> actresses have taken it upon themselves to throw in a certain amount of subtext to keep a
> certain group of fans happy. I doubt they will ever come out, but they will always throw a
> little subtext in your face to keep the relationship amiguous and keep everyone happy.
>
> Chakram712
>
>
>>
>
Well, this certain fan in that certain group is certainly happy.

CN

"I. . .uhh. . .hope you two worked things out" - Autolycus, 'The Quest'


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I Have A Subtext Question

Hi ........ I was surfing one Sat..( on the TV ) and saw two women in a tub toether...ummmmmm...spelled that wrong didn't I? well, after I put my eyes back into my head I continued to watch and I've been watching ever since.....Before Xena and for a while after, I never even heard of subtext....not until I came here.....I'm soooo glad I stopped by here that day... Nice talking to you, ~DreamCatcher~


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I Have A Subtext Question

(Islander27) writes:
> I'm sure this question has been asked hundreds of times so I apologize to those who have to repeat the answer yet again. The first time I heard about subtext was on this forum so my question is which episode brought it to your attention? Which episode went from Xena and Gab just travelling together to WOW there's a little more than meets the eye here? What little nuance did you see? When was the first time you took notice?
>
> I'm not bashing, making fun of, etc. Honestly, I'm just curious about what it was, or which episode it was. Now that I know about it I admit, at times, I see it (usually when the characters play into it). Most of the time I do not but I do read CN's subtext report to see what I haven't noticed for myself.
>
> Thanks for taking the time to explain.
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Islander27

The earliest one I remember seeing was in "Is There a Doctor in the House?" I'm not referring to the Gabrielle "near-death" scene where Xena is screaming "Don't you leave me" and is pounding on her chest. This other subtext moment was very, very subtle. But I noticed it because of the look in Xena's eyes. It's very noticable when that steely gazy turns soft.
It was while X & G were tending the wounded men, and the General commented to Xena (about Gab.):
-General: "She's a lovely young woman."
-Xena: "YES SHE IS."
I don't have it on tape, but that's how I remember it. The sparks were sort of shooting from Xena's eyes.
Since then there have been many, many S/T moments, but the most evident ones would have to be the kiss in The Quest and the drowning rescue conversation scene in Fins, Femmes, and Gems.

L.-L.

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