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"War is hell" is one of the resounding themes of Xena. Again and again we watch bloody battle scenes where people die in painful ways (although sometimes they deserve it). Xena and Gab watch people they care for die, as well as innocent strangers. Some episodes where war/battles/fighting are a main theme and what I think they're telling us follows. But for those who like the short and sweet here's a quick summary: War is always bloody, gruesome, and destructive. It is also always evil, but sometimes it is necessary. The difficult part is knowing the difference. Xena always knows the difference, which is why she's a heroine and not an evil warlord. XWP manages to portray war as the complex entity it is, well, in most episodes anyway ;) Sins Of The Past - Xena attempts to live a peaceful lifestyle, but is promptly attacked and forced to fight back. Moral: Sometimes fighting is necessary to protect yourself as well as others. Also, it's best if the leaders fight it out themselves so no one else is forced to fight for a reason they can't control. Chariots of War - Xena saves a peaceful town from a warlord and Gab converts his son to the "side of good." Moral: Attacking civilians is wrong, wrong, wrong. Also, some bad people can be saved, but others are doomed, doomed, doomed. The Path Not Taken - Xena works to prevent a war by rescuing a kidnapped princess. Moral: There are alternatives to war. (I haven't actually seen this one, I just read a synopsis so forgive the brevity.) Hooves and Harlots - Xena works to prevent a war between the centaurs and the amazons. Moral: Sometimes wars can come about because people are prejudiced and declare an entire group of people/whatever "evil." Not to mention having people fall in love helps prevent war. Just try not to think to hard about the physical aspect of Ephiny and her centaur's relationship. Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts - Xena works to end a 10 year war between Greeks and Trojans over Helen of Troy. Moral: After awhile war becomes an end unto itself. People forget what they were fighting over and simply fight because it has become their habit. They need to be kicked out of that habit, forcibly if necessary. The Prodigal - Gab gets help from a drunk old warrior to save her village. Moral: Again, fighting is okay if used to protect people. (Again, not an episode I've actually seen.) The Greater Good - Xena gets poisoned and Gab has to do her job in defeating an evil warlord. Moral: How many damn warlords are there?!? Er, sometimes you have to make a choice between two "good acts" and you should chose the one that will benefit the most people. I mean, it's not like Xena's actually going to die! It's her show for Zeus' sake! Is There a Doctor in the House - Xena works to end a war and ends up saving Gab from near-death. Moral: War sometimes hurts the ones you love. Good thing you can manage to rescue them since this is TV! Orphan of War - Xena helps the centaurs fight an evil warlord intent upon getting an arcane weapon of mass destruction. Moral: Stopping bad people before they get deadly weapons is good. Not to mention that said weapons will turn you into a monster (literally). A Necessary Evil - Xena tricks Velasca and Callisto into fighting each other so she doesn't have to fight them. Moral: "My enemies' enemy is my friend" (or at least potential ally). The Price - There's an excellent article over this particular episode over at Whoosh.org and I reccomend you check it out. The Deliverer - Xena gets help from an old enemy to kick Caesar's ass while Gab gets involved in some unpleasantness. Moral: What sick TPTB! Sickos! Sickos! Leave poor Gab alone! Um, revenge is a bad reason to get involved in a war. And it only ends up hurting those you love. Also, killing someone apparently "changes everything, everything!" One Against an Army - Xena gets the persian army's ass, and still manages to save Gab from a poisoned arrow. Moral: If you're Xena you can do anything. Also, something about the greater good. But who cares? We were too glad to see some subtext after all the rift stuff. In Sickness and In Hell - Xena and Gab get, um, "sick" and defeat an army using Joxer's cooking. Moral: It's okay to hit below the belt (well, more like inside the belt) in war. Go dirty tricks! A Good Day - Xena sets up Caesar's army against Pompey. Moral: Again, getting your enemies to fight each other is a good idea. Not to mention seeing Gab's reacting really makes one understand the sorrow of war. People die; some for a decent reason, but some just because their leaders are assholes. Daughter of Pomira - A child raised by the horde is "returned" to her birth family while the horde and the villagers prepared to face it off until the child solves all their problems. Moral: Understanding other cultures help prevents bloody battles. Oh, and apparently two wrongs do make a right; the girl was kidnapped by the horde (wrong), then kidnapped by Xena (wrong), but she is the key to better understanding between their cultures precisely because of those kidnappings (right). Back in the Bottle - Xena defeats an army using superpowers. Moral: Using advanced weapons against an army is a good idea. (Not an episode I've seen). Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire - A music contest is held instead of a war. Moral: "War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!" Amphipolis Under Siege - Xena saves her home town from Athena. Moral: Man, not even the gods can stop Xena! Altough it was nice to see Athena go to Xena to find another way to try and end it. Also shows how both sides can feel they're doing the right thing. After all, Athena is fighting for what she perceives to be self-preservation. They should all team up against the damn "Twilight of the Gods" writers! Legacy - Gab accidently kills a young man and begins to look at how she has learned how to kill out of reflex. Moral: Morality is tough :-\ Also, saving someone's ass will get you their forgiveness, even if you did kill their son. And sometimes paying the price is a bad idea (Good thing a quick plot quirk saved her!) To Helicon and Back - Gab leads the amazons on a mission to save their queen. Moral: War is bloody, bloody, bloody. But you can save yourself by lending money to someone right before you go to fight! Oh yeah, "war is hell." The Last of the Centaurs - The centaurs are being killed by an angry father. Moral: Why can't we all just get along? Oh, yeah, because we're ignorant bigots. It's a pity we only managed to make up and play nice once daddy killed off the centaurs. FIN 2 - Xena defeats an entire army and gets killed in the process. Moral: TPTB suck. Yeah, not about war, but I'm still bitter :( Well, we have a manifold view of war presented by TPTB. Mostly along the lines of war = bad, unless Xena is the one who's using it for a good cause. Sometimes the human cost is portrayed, while other times it's Xena versus the faceless enemy. Xena seems to approach war in a fairly pragmatic fashion, while Gab prefers to be idealistic. So the characters also present a nice difference of opinion. I liked how Xena is obviously torn between a desire for peace and knowledge that fighting is sometimes the most expedient course of action. As anyone who has ever given the least bit of thought to morality will know, ideals and causes are hard to judge. War is complicated, it's not always clear-cut who are the bad guys and who are the good guys (even Xena was once a bad gal). So maybe XWP isn't the most thought-provoking show about war, at least it has some pretty good ideas. |