By Jenny Stewart
After six wildly successful years, "Xena: Warrior Princess," will air it's final episode next weekend, and rumors surrounding the outcome of the series finale have been running rampant on the Internet and in gossip columns around the world. There are two rumors in particular which have gotten "Xena" fans in a tizzy. The first rumor has Xena (Lucy Lawless) dying in the series finale; the second rumor is that after six seasons of avoiding the true nature of their relationship, Xena and her trusted companion Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) will finally reveal their lesbian relationship.
Naturally, everyone involved with the show is keeping mum, including "Xena" star herself, Lucy Lawless. When asked if her character will die, or if Xena and Gabrielle will share a meaningful kiss, Lawless told reporter Ian Spelling that the series strove to leave Xena and Gabrielle's relationship as open to interpretation as possible, but added, "I love how the show ends. I love what the ending means to Xena and to Gabrielle, particularly to Gabrielle." Also according to Lawless, the finale promises to be the biggest "Xena" show ever, and she dropped a hint about how fans will regard the finale. "The finale is enormously ambitious - it's our most expensive episode. I'd also say it's the most defiant episode we've done. My husband is afraid of nothing, nobody tells him, 'You can't do that.' They might try, but he'll do it his way."
The husband Lawless is referring to is "Xena" executive producer Rob Tapert, who has been at the helm of "Xena" since day one. Tapert was under an enormous amount of pressure to keep the millions of "Xena" fans happy with the series finale. On one hand, he had to try to please the millions of lesbian fans (known as "lesbian subtexters"), who've waited patiently for six years for their beloved heroines, Xena and Gabrielle, to finally consummate their love. Then, he's got to try to please the millions of other "Xena" fans - the ones who don't see the Xena/Gabrielle lesbian subtext at all - who wouldn't like to see the two come out as lesbians. So how does Tapert plan on pleasing both sides? Even he admits he can't. "There's no way we can satisfy everybody with the finale," he said, but he does promise the resolution will "surprise and entertain" viewers. Hmmm..
Xena and Gabrielle
Tapert's and Lawless' vague revelations regarding the outcome of the show have spawned an endless debate amongst "Xena" experts on the Internet, where there are literally hundreds of websites devoted to the show. Perhaps the most popular of those websites is "Whoosh: The Journal Of The International Association of Xena Studies," where executive editor Kym Taborn has her own theories on the series finale. Although Taborn is confident the show will end "satisfactorily," she admits it's a long shot that Xena and Gabrielle will finally consummate their love. "I think the chances of Xena and Gabrielle riding off into the sunset together are about the same as an ice cream cone's chance in hell," she told Queery.com, "but if it happens, I will be extremely happy for the lucky couple." Regarding the death of Xena, Taborn says, "I think she will enter the spirit world, do what she has to do, and then return to her best pal and confidant, Gabrielle. But then again, I'm a faithful thang."
Rumors and theories aside, there are at least some concrete details regarding the finale. The two-part episode, "Friend in Need," opens with Xena being summoned to the city of Higuchi, where a samurai ghost is fighting to enslave 20,000 people. It's revealed that Xena's dark past inadvertently caused the warrior to become the evil "Lord of the Dark Land." So, with Gabrielle by her side, Xena vows to stop the slaughter in order to make amends for past misdeeds.
Regardless of the show's outcome, rumors are already spreading that a "Xena" movie will someday hit theaters, which even Taborn admits is possible. "It's not a sure thing, but I am positive there will be people working overtime towards it. Then it is up to chance and luck whether it gets done. A lot of hoops have to be jumped through before it could happen. But stranger things have happened," she says.
Fans would no doubt love that, but in the meantime, they'll have to wait and see what the producers of "Xena" have in store for them when the finale airs the week of June 18th.* Rule on, Xena, it's been a pleasure.
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"Xena" Lesbian Subtext
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* TV Gay Guide Note: Some stations will be showing part 1 of the two-part series finale on the weekend of June16 - 17. Other stations will be showing parts 1 and 2 on the weekend of June 23 - 24 and of those some may be showing the episodes together as a two-hour movie, while others may split the episodes between Saturday and Sunday. Check your local listings for the air times in your area.
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