Season 2: The Golden Age?

For many fans, the second season of Xena: Warrior Princess is the high-water mark; it is the season by which all others are judged. In some respects I agree with them -- the tone of the show that was developed in the first season is honed to perfection in these twenty-two episodes. Later seasons would bring a sharper divide between the dramatic and comic episodes, focusing more on multi-episode "arcs" instead of the episodic adventures in the previous years.

I must admit that the second season is not my favorite -- there are many excellent episodes, to be sure - but I have always been partial to epics, and later seasons embody that flavor much more effectively than anything in the second.

I do feel, however, that the second season ranks as the most creative Renaissance Pictures has ever produced. Lucy's accident while rehearsing a stunt for the Tonight Show resulted in a mad scramble to fill the time she spent recuperating. Episodes were rewritten -- or scrapped entirely -- to accommodate the disaster. In fact, I suspect in some ways the accident was a blessing in disguise, as it allowed the production staff to take risks they otherwise might never have entertained.

While this season is not an arc-heavy spectacle, many of the later story arcs (and episode seeds) can trace their origins to the second season. Solan makes his first appearance in Orphan of War. The first references to Borias are made in this episode -- references that would be more fully examined in later years.

Remember Nothing is one of the first "alternate reality" episodes to appear in the Xenaverse. In a Xenaverse version of It's a Wonderful Life, Xena sees what would have happened had she not taken up the sword in defense of her village. While we have yet to learn of the earth-scorching havoc she wrought as a warlord, this episode shows that taking up the sword was (at least, in the grand scheme of things) the right choice. The alternate universe theme would appear again in the "Bizarro World" episodes of Hercules (Stranger in a Strange World and Stranger and Stranger, among others), the Armageddon Now two-part arc, and other episodes.

The definitive (and Xenaverse-expanding) clip show The Xena Scrolls presented the idea of Xena and Gabrielle continuing their battle down through the ages. It also established that - whatever the history books may tell us - what we see on Xena is the "true story" of the mythic world. Other episodes deal with this idea as well -- Déjà Vu All Over Again, Between the Lines and the "RenPic Episodes" of Hercules (Yes, Virginia… and For Those Of You Just Joining Us).

If there is a story arc to be found in this season, it is found in the series of episodes dealing with Callisto. Her constant presence as a thorn in Xena's side, and her eventual ascension to divine status forms the backbone of many episodes. Indeed, many long-time fans of the show see this season as Callisto's "golden age", and feel that in later years the writers didn't really know what to do with her (her predilection for getting buried in avalanches is the primary evidence they give in this argument).

Three major story developments occur in this season. The first bit of darkness enters Gabrielle's soul in The Return of Callisto. The rage and sorrow Renee conveys as Gabrielle are gut wrenching, and in some ways this marks her first steps down the path that leads to the rift, her spiritual quest, and independence. This is, in my opinion, one of the finest episodes in the second season.

Destiny marks the beginning of the "Evil Xena" story line, and is the first solid "flashback" episode. While this episode is one of the most critically acclaimed in the series by both fans and critics, I find it interesting that the very same fans who dislike the murderous, amoral character we meet in episodes like The Debt and Adventures in the Sin Trade praise the first step on Xena's dark path presented here.

This episode introduces Caesar who, like Callisto and Ares, is one of the few serious opponents Xena has to deal with. Karl Urban turns in a wonderful performance as the would-be global conqueror, and would return several times as the arrogant Roman. In many ways, everything that Xena becomes can be laid at his feet -- and it is all laid out in this episode.

The other major story development I see in this season is the introduction of Joxer's unrequited love for Gabrielle in A Comedy of Eros. I believe that this episode does more to define the character of Joxer than any other in the entire series. While many fans found Joxer's crush pathetic, unsettling -- or even threatening -- it provides the motivation for almost everything Joxer does in later episodes. Certainly at times those emotions are sometimes dealt with in crude -- even juvenile -- fashion, but the shining moments in Joxer's life are all driven by his love for Gabrielle. If anything, his heroism is evidence of the power love has to change the world.

It is very difficult for me to choose a favorite episode in the second season. After much consideration, I would have to say that it boils down to a toss-up between The Return of Callisto, the Quest (starring the irrepressible Bruce Campbell as a Xena "body double"), and Destiny. I know that many fans point to A Day in the Life as one of the finest episodes in the series, but after hearing the hype for a year and a half I felt let down by the experience. It was good - but not, I think, the finest the second season has to offer.

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