Xena, Warrior Princess has fought both good and evil; but her outer conflicts have always mirrored her inner turmoil. Our timeline traces Xena's rocky journey from bitterness to acceptance, and Gabrielle's journey from innocence to experience.
Warning: This timeline contains spoilers! (although we won't wreck the finale for you)
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Season One 1995 - A change of heart...
Episode IX The Warrior Princess: We first meet Xena, Warrior Princess. She's an evil, devious fighter who plots to kill Hercules - by turning Iolaus against him! This is Herc's show, not hers, so guess how well she succeeds.
Episode XII-XII The Gauntlet/Unchained Heart: Xena's evil army mutinies, and the Warrior Princess joins forces with Hercules to destroy her erstwhile allies. This gives the hero a chance to persuade Xena to reform from her wicked ways...and so a new story can begin...
Xena, Warrior Princess
Season One 1995-96 - Haunted by the past...
Episode I Sins of the Past: Xena sets out on her journey of redemption. One of the first people she saves is an enthusiastic, naive teen named Gabrielle, who quickly tags along.
Episode VI The Reckoning: Xena's first encounter with Ares, the God of War, who tempts her to return to her destructive ways. The famous first campfire chat between Xena and Gabrielle confirms the depth of their friendship.
Episode X Hooves and Harlots: Gabrielle inherits the queenship of the Amazons. This will prove tricky later on...
Episode XXII Callisto: Xena meets her great nemesis, the evil warrior Callisto. A former victim of Xena in her pillaging days, Callisto is the shadow of the past personified. Just so it won't all get too heavy, we also meet Joxer.
Season Two 1996-97 - The battle against Callisto...
Episode V Return of Callisto: Gabrielle's marriage to Perdicus lasts only a few hours, thanks to Callisto. After much begging, a reluctant Xena teaches the grief-stricken Gabrielle how to use a sword.
Episode XII-XIII Destiny/The Quest: Xena's guilt really catches up to her. After she takes a fatal wound, flashback memories detail Xena's betrayal by Caesar which turned her into such a murderous warrior. Xena then dies, but luckily, this is a two-parter. Xena's spirit appears in the body of Autolycus and Gabrielle must get her friend back; at the same time trying to decide whether to take up the queenship of the Amazons.
Episode XV A Day in the Life: A fun story which includes the famous/infamous hot tub scene.
Season Three 1997-98 - Xena and Gabrielle divided...
Episode IV-V The Deliverer/Gabrielle's Hope: Gabrielle is tricked into killing for the first time, not long after, she suffers a very odd, very fast, omen-filled pregnancy, and gives birth to a daughter named Hope. Unfortunately, the baby appears to be evil incarnate and Xena is determined to kill it, while Gabrielle is willing to go to any lengths to save her daughter's life.
Episode XII The Bitter Suite: Xena and Gabrielle work through their estrangement and that fact that Gabrielle's daughter has killed Xena's son in the series' first all-musical episode. Tons of symbolism in an episode designed to draw the series out of a lot of recent doom and gloom.
Episode XXII The Sacrifice II: What a season ender! Xena and Gabrielle agree that Hope must be destroyed, but a revived Callisto and a meddling Ares muddy the waters. Gabrielle finally seizes Hope and makes a suicide plunge into a fiery abyss. A grief-stricken Xena kills Callisto.
Season Four 1998-99 - Xena's haunting vision...
Episode I-II Adventures in the Sin Trade I and II: The evil Alti makes her first appearance as Xena's search for Gabrielle leads the warrior princess into the realm of the Amazon dead and forces her to confront another part of her violent past. Xena also has her first vision of a future in which both she and Gabrielle are crucified.
Episode XIV-XVI Devi/Between the Lines/The Way: A lot happens on a trip to India... Our heroines meet Eli; Gabrielle cuts her hair; Xena has a vision of the future in which she is a peaceful saint; Xena and Gabrielle each accept their own path in life. ("The Way" was pulled from circulation after protests about the portrayal of the Hindu deity Krishna, and was eventually restored in a revised version with a disclaimer at the beginning.)
Episode XXI Ides of March: Callisto once again plots against Xena, while the warrior princess tries to avenge herself on Caesar. This episode was a major turning point for Gabrielle, as a fatal injury to Xena sends the mild-mannered bard into a rage, breaking her vow of peace and killing half a dozen soldiers. Finally, Xena's crucifixion vision becomes appallingly true and both Xena and Gabrielle die. Wow.
Season Five 1999-00 - Ares and Eve...
Episode I-II Fallen Angel/Chakram: Xena sacrifices her right to Paradise to save Callisto from Hell. In return, Callisto, now good, blesses Eli with the power to resurrect Xena and Gabrielle. However, Xena has lost her memory and doesn't know how to fight anymore. It turns out that Xena's chakram has been split into two - light and dark - and the two have to be united to bring Xena back.
Episode IX Seeds of Faith: Ares kills Eli, throwing Xena and Gabrielle into turmoil about the validity of Eli's message. Callisto reveals herself as both the father of Xena's unborn child and the child itself.
Episode XIII Eternal Bonds: Xena struggles to keep her daughter Eve safe from agents of the gods; Joxer nearly dies but Gabrielle saves him; Ares tells Xena he loves her, and we think he means it.
Episode XX-XXI Livia/Eve: Xena and Gabrielle wake up and boom! 25 years have passed. Xena's daughter Eve is now grown but unfortunately, she's evil, and still a threat to the gods. Some very touching moments as Livia kills Joxer, and Xena prays to Eli to turn her daughter away from evil.
Episode XXII Motherhood: The season story arc comes to a climax as Xena battles all the gods to save Eve, but it is Ares who makes the ultimate sacrifice - his immortality - to turn against the gods and save his beloved Xena.
Season Six 2000-01 - Two warriors together...
Episode IV-V Who's Gurkhan/Legacy: An adventure-filled journey to the Sahara desert finds Gabrielle realizing that she has become able to kill without a thought. Distraught, the bard gives herself up for execution, and Xena must go to great lengths to rescue her friend and help her face her demons.
Episode XVIII When Fates Collide: Caesar escapes from Hades and rearranges the Fates' loom...creating a new reality in which Xena is Caesar's unsuspecting wife and Alti the high priestess of Rome. And it's an angry, snarling Gabrielle who saves the day by finding the loom and burning the tangled fatelines.
Episode XXI-XXII Friend in Need I/II: The series finale airs the week of June 16 (Check listings for airtimes in your area). Rumors swirling around fandom include the idea that Xena and Gabrielle will declare their love, or that Xena could die. You'll just have to tune in to find out what really happens...
Read our cover story on Xena, Warrior Princess in the June 16, 2001 issue of TV GUIDE!
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