The warrior Xena (Lucy Lawless) and her companion Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) were sisters-in-arms -- but were they more than that? Tens of thousands of lesbian fans seemed to think so.
But the syndicated "Xena: Warrior Princess," which airs its two-hour series finale at 8 p.m. Saturday on WPIX Ch. 11, was important to a broad audience that included feminists, wrestling fans and 12-year-olds of both genders.
"For those who don't pick up on (the lesbian context) on their radar, it went right over their head," said Libby Post, president of the Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community Council. "For little girls who are not going to get the lesbian thing, it showed that women can be strong and independent and take care of themselves."
"Xena" debuted in September 1995, a spinoff to "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys." (For trivia buffs: The show joined "The X-Files" and "The Xavier Cugat Show" as the only regular prime-time television shows to begin with the letter X.) Like "Hercules," it was a show rooted in mythology but infused with kick-butt action, contemporary dialogue and campy humor.
There were men on the show, such as Joxer (Ted Raimi), Autolycus (Bruce Campbell), Ares (Kevin Smith) and even Herc himself (Kevin Sorbo). But most were either guest gods-of-the-week, assorted villains or spear carriers -- literally. At bottom, the show was all about two strong women and their close relationship, regardless of how you define "close."
Although there are hundreds of Web sites dedicated to the lesbian subtext of "Xena," the show's creators never intended to portray the two as lovers, and worked hard to keep the relationship at least ambiguous.
"It was always subtext, it was always code, it was always up to conjecture," Post said. "It was more of a result of what people read into it, which doesn't mean it's bad."
But because it remained nothing more than subtext, there's a debate over where "Xena" should rank in the pantheon -- make that a small pantheon -- of important gay-themed shows. "I don't think it played a major role," Post said. "Billy Crystal (as the first openly gay prime time television character) in 'Soap' had more of an impact."
But this is a show that debuted before Ellen came out, and long before the mainstream popularity of "Will & Grace." Showtime's "Queer as Folk" and, more recently, "Six Feet Under" have certainly taken the concept of homosexuality on television to previously unseen levels of reality and detail. But "Xena" should still be acknowledged as one of the first shows to give lesbians a role model they can at least claim as their own.
For the rest of us, it was fun popcorn mayhem, at the very least.
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