Is Xena going 'soft'? <><

****Note****

I've referred to God and Christianity in this post, so
y'all don't all 'freak out' on me here cuz this has little to do with
religion.
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I got into a great discussion under an unrelated topic about this and it
has caused me to wonder how realistic this warrior princess is?
I've long felt that the Xena we are watching lately is one which
seems to be geared toward a much younger audience. She's not as
light as Herc, yet Xena has indeed lightened up considerably.
Perhaps it's due to the ratings on tv...I dunno.

(Shameless plug). I am trying to write some fan fic for those of us
who see Xena as a bit darker than what we have seen of late and these
are my thoughts on why a 'Real' Xena would be different. ; )

When I see Xena (and we know of her background), sure,
I can see how she can be a changed person and do good deeds and all
that. But when I speak of her having a dark side I don't mean that she's
gonna go out and do bad things again. We all struggle against our
former selves. (Especially we Christians). And in some cases, the
old Xena (who knows nothing of God) will occasionally rear it's ugly
and dangerous head for all to see. (Gasp! I mentioned Christianity
AND God in the same paragraph)!!! Oooooooooo.......

We've seen many episodes where she's had to pay a pretty humiliating
price for the deeds she's done in the past. (Her apology to the
villagers with Callisto watching). We've also seen where Xena can
become a pretty grim and determined warrior when people's lives are
on the line. (Sorry I can't remember the episode titles...but then
I 'AM' getting old).

I'm reminded of the episode where Xena and Gabby are
trapped in a Roman or Greek fort and are surrounded by Barbarians.
Xena had to make some really tough decisions then. It was a very
dark and very Grim (and determined) Xena we saw that night. THAT'S
what I mean when I speak of the 'dark side'. That's the Xena I
like to watch and/or read about. Sometimes I fear that the show is
moving closer toward the cartoonish Hercules show.

Occassional light-heartedness and fun are cool once in awhile, but
in my mind's eye, that's not how Xena would act "most" of the time.
She is a warrior, hardened by years of fighting, treachery and life
on the run. Gabby has made a difference in her life of course, (and
hopefully I can bring this difference to life on paper), but
still, underneath it all, Xena is a hardened warrior akin to a
piece of steel tempered by a white-hot flame.

I don't want to give the impression that I think Xena is mean!
But she is coldly efficient, and yes...brutal when necessary.
Her 'neck-pinch' shows her potential toward brutality. Though
she always releases the pinch before the poor guy dies, it is
obvious that being interrogated via that method is excruciating.

Does anyone out there see her in the same way as I? Does everyone
think Xena is a 'Goody goody'? I think she has the 'Heart of a
Raging Lion' and without Gabby to help her, she might very well go
off on a village or two. Just what 'would' happen if Gabby left?
Hmmm......

For those who wanna get an idea of how I see someone of Xena's
caliber, read some of Robert E. Howard's books on Conan. (Not the
laim tv series or the Arnold movies. Those were as different from
Howard's Conan as night and day). I think Xena might be more akin to
Conan than what we are seeing. She'd be more grim, and less light
hearted.

Rest assured, Xena has a dark side. It's just that we viewers of
the 90's rarely get to see it. More than likely, her guilt weighs
heavily upon her and perhaps I can work on that part. It would be
interesting to know what goes on in her head during those 'quiet
times' eh?

= )

Hawk †