The Obligatory Subtext Essay

There is probably no subject that gets fans more hot and bothered than the nature of Xena and Gabrielle's relationship. The fan base is divided into several camps, each of which defends their position with ferocity that would make the Warrior Princess herself blush in admiration. It is an issue that has been debated endlessly, and seldom is any conclusion reached aside from agreeing to disagree.

Personally, I see and acknowledge the subtext in the relationship. I even enjoy it. However, I don't watch the show exclusively for it, nor do I miss it when it isn't there. It seems clear to me that Xena and Gabrielle love each other dearly, but is their relationship sexual? I don't think so.

I have no problem with people interpreting their relationship in that way -- it's one of the beauties of the show that there are multiple ways to interpret the various themes that run throughout the episodes. Indeed, if it weren't for the subtext of the show in general (that is, the things that aren't explicitly stated) being a fan of the show would certainly be a lot duller than it is.

So if I don't have a problem with people who see lesbian undertones to Xena and Gabrielle's relationship, what does bother me? Well it is people who I think misread the intentions of Rob Tapert and the rest of the production staff. Allow me to explain.

This whole subject came up because a fan I was talking with on-line said she felt that Rob Tapert and the rest of the production staff were "intentionally sabotaging" the show by cutting back on the subtext, and that this was some sort of betrayal of the fan base that had made the show the success it was.

Upset fans were nothing new in the Xenaverse. I remember the uproar during the Rift Arc of the third season, and the disapproval some fans expressed over Gabrielle's spiritual quest in season four (at one point I was even one of them). But talking with this particular fan seemed to indicate her ire was more than just that of a fan who wasn't thrilled with some character changes. There seemed to be something much deeper at work here.

After some discussion where I tried to pin down just where she was coming from, I figured it out. She had interpreted the lesbian subtext as some sort of socio-political statement, and that reining it in was betraying a trust established with the lesbian community. I don't agree, primarily because I never believed that such a trust existed.

I admit I came into the series late. I got hooked during the third season at the height of the Rift Arc. But I've bought the videos and watched all the episodes at least twice. I like to think I know the show pretty well. I've seen the lesbian subtext and like I said, I've enjoyed it when it's there.

But I never interpreted any of it as a political statement on Rob Tapert's part. In fact, if you'll indulge me, I have a theory on how the whole thorny issue came to be the beast it is. This theory is, incidentally, supported by some comments made in interviews by many people associated with the show.

My theory is that the whole lesbian subtext initially developed from Renee and Lucy fooling around on set during rehearsal. I've done quite a bit theater myself, and there is something fiercely intimate that develops between actors when they work together quite a bit. Often actors will fool around in rehearsal, and sometimes really good stuff will come out of this play.

My guess is that some bit the pair came up with in rehearsal got a good laugh, and the director (as a good director will often do) said, "That's great. Let's keep that in." It got caught on film, everybody thought it was amusing, and it became a sort of "in-joke" on set. Indeed, it may have enhanced the bond between the actresses, and that bond carried over into their performances.

Then something mysterious and strange happened. The small fan base the show had at the time picked up on the chemistry, and thought it was great too. Popularity of the show snowballed, picking up more and more fans that were into the whole subtext issue. The show started getting attention in the media because of this, and people who might have otherwise given the show a miss decided to at least check it out and see what all the fuss was about. Some watched an episode and moved on. Others -- like me -- got hooked and stayed, not because of the subtext, but because in general it was a great show.

As the fan base grew, more and more press was devoted to the whole subtext issue. So much so that it came to be known as a "lesbian show" when in fact it had never explicitly come out one way or another. At that point, the subtext was still a fun thing the producers played with.

Then came The Way. A Hindu extremist group protested the fourth season episode because it depicted Krishna offering advice to Xena. One of the reasons given for the protest was the lesbian nature of the show. The popular perception of the show, which had worked so well for them up to that point had, in a sense, come back and bitten them.

I think the flak over The Way was a wake-up call for the staff at RenPic. I think Tapert realized just how seriously some people took the whole subtext issue -- an issue that was never meant to be taken so seriously. I don't think Rob is homophobic or anything of the sort, but I think he also doesn't want his show to be a sort of political manifesto. Hence they cut back on the subtext during season five.

This is all just my theory, of course. But that's still the way I see the issue. If fans are disappointed by the reduction in the subtext, that is their right as fans, and they certainly have a right to express that opinion. However, I think it dangerous, not too mention irresponsible, to assume the worst about Rob Tapert's motives for the change. After all, Xena is just an action-adventure television show, not a socio-political manifesto.

Perhaps we should take our example from Xena herself, who is changing the world a little bit at a time, rather than trying to conquer it all at once.

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