So, does the Smithsonian Institution get dibs on the breastplate? Or does it wind up on eBay?
"Xena: Warrior Princess," the syndicated fantasy action series about the leather-clad Amazon who put the broad in broadsword, is ending its six-year run with a two-hour finale June 23 on WGN-Channel 9.
The show--which can be seen this weekend at 4 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 p.m. Sunday on WGN--served as an important step forward for strong women characters in entertainment, struck a blow against sexual stereotypes and perhaps (though we've seen no conclusive proof yet one way or another) gave us TV's first lesbian hero.
But with Lucy Lawless' defender of all things good facing just a few more battles before she rides off into the sunset in her thigh-highs--and klutzy, very close pal Gabrielle presumably alongside on foot--some will dismiss it as little more than kitschy pulp fiction that's worn out its welcome.
Whatever your perspective, there's no denying that Xena, the all-New Zealand heroine, could be a lot of fun.
There was always a sense of humor to Xena's ongoing saga, which crossed many centuries and left thousands dead in her wake. She could kick. She could hit. She often administered what looked like the Vulcan nerve pinch from "Star Trek."
She lived hard, occasionally died hard and lived again. Sometimes she sang and danced. Sometimes she flew through the air, a la "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." And she often rewrote history as we know it.
"Xena" definitely rewrote TV history.
Had Xena not found success slaying nearly all comers since her 1995 debut--spinning off of Kevin Sorbo's now retired "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys," whose popularity it ultimately would eclipse--it's doubtful the WB would have cast its lot in 1997 with a series based on the '92 flick "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
Lawless' warrior also was a precursor to Jessica Alba's genetically enhanced superhuman battler in "Dark Angel" on Fox, which last season had a character on its short-lived soap "The $treet" obsessed with "Xena" to an almost debilitating degree.
Most people aren't that gung-ho.
"Xena" has lost some of its punch, and Lawless has given way as a high-kicking heroine to another Lucy--Lucy Liu--and the rest of the new "Charlie's Angels" crew.
Still, there is curiosity among the faithful about how the final episode will play itself out. Forget how the conflict between good and evil plays out atop Japan's Mt. Fuji. They're abuzz about whether Xena and Gabby will convert all those meaningful glances into something more.
In any case, it's time to kiss "Xena" goodbye. We'll just have to get our kicks, punches and serious wounds elsewhere.
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