The Return of Subtext?

There are certain Xena-related subjects that pop up time and again in fan discussions. None are more heated -- and more irresolvable -- than the infamous subtext debate.

One of the major complaints about Xena's fifth season was that the producers had "killed the subtext." To some people it seemed as though Xena and Gabrielle barely liked one another, let alone being deeply (and some would hope passionately) in love.

Anybody who has been in a long-term romantic relationship will admit life isn't always starshine and fireworks, though. Is it unusual that Xena and Gabrielle would go through a rocky period of their own? Gabrielle spent much of season four and five on a spiritual quest, looking for the light she seemed to have lost. Xena found her own life in turmoil with the arrival of a new baby -- is it any wonder the relationship between the two women was a little on the strained side?

The credibility of that particular storyline is a subject for another time, however.

The season-long subtext drought came to an end with the so-called Ring Arc. The devotion and love Xena and Gabrielle demonstrated for one another revitalized the debate, and many fans who watched the show for that "special something" found their love for the show rekindled.

Indeed, the final episode of the arc, Return of the Valkyrie, contained "the kiss" -- an event that many subtext devotees felt confirmed their reading of the series.

What I personally find most intriguing about this most recent turn of the subtext debate was how sedate and civilized it was (at least on the Chakram mailing list). Fans put forward their opinions, points were argued back and forth, but I never needed to break out my asbestos underwear.

Of course, Chakram was a moderated mailing list. I'm sure that for every cogent and articulate post authorized by the fair-minded list owner, half a dozen explosive diatribes were dumped into the circular file.

Frankly, I didn't miss them one bit. I don't think anybody else on the list did either.

Of course, it is possible that the "subtext drought" of season five drove away the really hard-core subtexters. These are the fans who felt Tapert and Company were betraying the gay community by downplaying the show's lesbian undertones. If the result of lower ratings is a more rational and polite discussion about certain aspects of the show, we're well rid of that more radical element (whichever side of the debate they happen to be on).

Here's my own personal take on the issue: It has never been denied that Xena and Gabrielle are soul mates, completely and totally devoted to one another. You can take that concept in any direction you choose, but what matters is not whether they are straight, gay, or other. Ultimately their love and devotion transcends any sort of physical limitations we may want to place on it.

I have mentioned in the past how I believe Xena: Warrior Princess is modern myth. I'll go back to exploring that concept in more depth in the future, but I would like to take this opportunity to summarize the ultimate point of my "Hero's Journey" obsession.

The ultimate purpose of the hero is to serve as an example. The Hero's Journey is a metaphor for our own life. If Xena and Gabrielle are heroes then their relationship -- their unrivaled love and devotion for one another -- should serve as a model for our own relationships, romantic and otherwise.

Xena and Gabrielle are heroic archetypes. By labeling them -- by trying to fit them into a specific box -- we limit their applicability as models for human behavior.

Towards the end of that round of debate on Chakram, Jackie Young posted the following comment, which I believe very neatly sums up my point.

"I think it's far more valuable for XWP to be accepted as a more general role model for all people, both straight and gay, than only as a gay role model."
-- Jackie Young to the Chakram Mailing List December 8, 2000

That says it all, doesn't it?

If you ask a hundred Xenites why they love the show, you're likely to get a hundred different reasons. There is one thing we all agree on, however. The relationship between Xena and Gabrielle is one of the characteristics that set Xena: Warrior Princess ahead of the pack.

You can interpret the specifics of that relationship however you choose, but the ultimate lesson we should take away from the series is how love and friendship can change the world. That lesson is applicable to everybody, regardless of race, gender, or romantic persuasion.

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