(Contains portions of my reviews of previous sets) Who would have thought that a character that had three-episode appearance on a popular syndicated TV series would go on to become a huge cultural icon? Well, that’s exactly what happened back in 1995 when Xena appeared on the hit TV series “Hercules, The Legendary Journeys.” Initially she was depicted as a villain who was out for blood on a vicious vendetta. Through the course of these episodes, Xena saw the error of her ways and spun off that same year into an incredibly popular series of her own that would last six seasons. The series has since spawned fan clubs, websites and conventions, with more fans that you could possibly imagine.

I’ve always been a huge fan of any project that had Sam Raimi’s name on it. Whether it was as the director of movies like the “Evil Dead” series, “Darkman”, and “The Quick and the Dead” (to name a few), cameo appearances in Stephen King’s TV “The Stand” and “The Shining”, or his full-fledged comedic acting turn in “Indian Summer”… I have to watch. So when the new “Action Pack” series of TV movies that he produced back in 1994 premiered, you know I was there. This series marked the birth of the long-running “Hercules”, and eventually “Xena.”

Raimi’s style has always been that of inventive cinematography, extreme camera shots and borderline cheesy material. But I’m not talking bad cheesy, I’m talking intelligent cheese ball. His earlier works were almost parodies on popular genres, taking every stereotype to the extreme. His style is unmistakable. Some people get it, others… well, I feel sorry for those who miss out. Now that he’s made a name with mainstream audiences by directing “Spider-Man”, perhaps they’ll start checking it out.

Well, now that I’ve admitted my admiration for Raimi’s work, I can admit that though I originally caught the Action Pack, I didn’t continue to watch once “Hercules”, and later “Xena”, became regular TV series. I know, I know… some of you don’t care, but there are going to be those hardcore fans who will shake their heads in sadness, believing me to be ignorant of the some of Raimi’s most popular creations. To you I say, “Be sad for me no longer.”

Thanks to the folks at Anchor Bay Entertainment, those of us who are “Xena” deprived have had the chance to make up for the sin of not watching. They’ve been releasing all full season sets of the series on DVD, starting off last year with (appropriately enough) Season 1. And you know with Anchor Bay the quality is going to be top-notch. That first DVD set was a massive 7-disc collection, offering up all 24 episodes of the 1st Season.

My wife and I were pretty excited when we first sat down to start watching the series. Being Raimi fans and having some familiarity with the show, we felt we knew what to expect. We made late night of it and shot thorugh through several episodes getting exactly what we hoped for. “Xena” is extremely cheesy (but that good kind of cheesy), full of anachronistic dialogue, over-the top action, and weekend Renaissance Faire costuming. But we loved every minute of it. It was pure entertainment.

I will say that the very first episode, “Sins of the Past” was the hardest one to get through. Like most first episodes of really creative shows, they sometimes need to get their footing. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but not having really taken the time to watch the show before, this was where we had to get into the “Xena” mind set. You know, the ‘seeing two people fight while standing on other people’s heads’ type of mind set. (You’ll understand it when you see it!)

The show did get it’s footing quickly however, as we noticed improvement which each subsequent episode. The stories rapidly got better, and we really started getting into the show. The more we watched, we started to see why it was so wildly popular. It was well produced, and utilized a colorful fantasy element full of mythology and legend. “Xena” also became the heroine that TV really lacked. She is strong, powerful and doesn’t take guff from anyone. She is by no means meek. Seeing her strength, women viewers could feel empowered, and some I imagine could live a life of adventure vicariously through her. (Boy I sound like a psychoanalyst.) Aside from that, the show’s just pretty darn fun.

I would be remiss if I failed to point out Lucy Lawless’ performance as “Xena.” She does a wonderful job of taking this tortured character, and putting her through the paces of her redemption. Though she is working hard to be good, there always seems to be an undercurrent of emotions just beneath the surface. You can sometimes see her fighting to keep it in check. Lawless’ ability to play this emotion within the confines of a series that doesn’t take itself too seriously is a credit to her talent.

One should also pay attention to Renee O’Connor, who plays Xena’s best friend Gabrielle. In the 1st season, you could see she was a little green in the acting department, but as the character has grown each season so has her talent. In this season O’Connor even goes so far as to make her directorial debut with the comedic episode “Déjà Vu All Over Again.” (More on that episode later) The relationship the two share onscreen is so strong, and as the storyline that has carried over from the last season continues it is even more so. I understand that the two have become heroines of a sort for Gay and Lesbian groups around the world and that is all well and fine, but I think it’s a little wacky. I think more is read into their relationship that is intended by the representation of the characters. I don’t ‘read between the lines’, because doing so you open it to your own personal interpretation. And by pigeonholing the character’s relationship, I think you lessen its impact. The relationship between the two transcends any label put on it.

Over all the 4th season became one of the strongest for the series. The tragic events of cliffhanger from the 3rd season are resolved within the first few episodes, but as this season moved forward, even more shocking and heartbreaking storylines emerged. I couldn’t believe the season finale and could only imagine what was to come in the 5th. I wish I could get into it without giving away too many spoilers. What was unusual was that the ‘season finale’ was actually followed up by an odd little episode “Déjà Vu All Over Again”, was directed by O’Connor. It takes place in the present and involves a woman who believes she is the reincarnation of Xena. It’s hysterically funny, but there is an interesting level of poignancy that creeps in.

(Season 5 Spoiler Alert)

The 5th season, now that I have had the opportunity to watch it, is probably one of the darkest so far. If you already know what happened at the end of the 4th season, you should know that Xena and Gabrielle do return (otherwise how would we still have a show). But Xena is changed, and soon we find that she is with child. Her emotions are in turmoil as she has already lost one child at the hands of Gabrielle’s ‘daughter’ Hope. The eventual birth of the child, Eve wreaks all manner of havoc and even causes a war between the Gods and humans. Those who are familiar with the heartbreak involving Hope, will find even more tragedy in this season. As for the season finale “Motherhood”, it tops all the other finales in terms of sheer scope.

(End of Season 5 Spoiler Alert)

I only had two disappointments with the 5th season of “Xena.” It was the absence of two characters that were, in part, a very big factor in what made the series so popular. One was Autolycus, who was originally carried over from “Hercules.” Why is this disappointing? Autolycus was played by none other than Bruce Campbell. (If you’re asking yourself who that is right now… shame on you). Throngs of Campbell fans flocked to the series, wanting to see their hero from the aforementioned “Evil Dead” series. He is a cult figure to thousands of fans worldwide (myself included) for his stature in the B-Movie industry. He is simply, the BEST B-Movie actor in the business, though it’s not necessarily fair to pigeonhole him in that acting arena. He’s actually had roles in numerous mainstream TV shows like “Ellen” and “Homicide”, was the lead in the unfortunately short-lived “Adventures in Briscoe County” and “Jack of All Trades”, and has done a bit of directing (including some episodes of “Xena”). And to top it all off, he’s an all around nice guy.
The other was Callisto, who was played by Hudson Leick. She was one of the series’ most ruthless villains, driven completely insane by the butchering of her family by Xena during her evil years. Leick played the role with a wicked glint in her eye, making her frighteningly unpredictable. She eventually died in the series, only to be resurrected as a God, making her more dangerous than ever before. She only shows up in this (and the 6th) season in flashbacks, and that’s about it.

(Season 6 Spoiler Alert)

Now that Anchor Bay has released the 6th an final season of the “Xena” Saga, those of us who weren’t fans before can finally see the fate of the warrior princess. Coming off of the dark season that was the 5th, we are given the opportunity to breathe a little easier as we are given the impression that Xena and Gabrielle may have finally found themselves out of the bleakest of times. A lot of the humor finds it way back into the series, but it is to be short-lived. The spoiler here is minor, because as usual I hate giving away too much information to those new to the series. Suffice to say as the season winds its way to a close, Xena’s demons do indeed catch up to her and their vengeance is fulfilled. In spite of all of the good she has done, she still has to atone for her crimes… and the price she pays (whether we agree with it or not), is the highest.

(End of Season 6 Spoiler Alert)

Anchor Bay has always released exceptional Special Editions DVDs, but has really raised the bar as far as the inclusion of extra features on their “Xena”, “Hercules” and “Highlander” DVD sets. The earlier DVD sets of “Xena” had 7 discs, but as each season has been released, they keep upping the ante. More extra features and more discs.

This, of course has carried over onto the new 6th season release. So much so that with the last couple of DVD collections had to be expanded to an even bigger 10-disc set. (Of course, as in the case of all these sets, the final disc is actually a CD-Rom with Trivia, Bios, Production Designs, Sketches, Storyboards and the like.) I didn’t actually time all the extras, but there is no doubt in my mind that the claim of ‘hours and hours’ worth is by no means an exaggeration. There are several audio/video commentaries by Lawless, O’Connor and various members of the crew, and even after having done so many of these are able to make the discussions sound fresh.

Once you make it through the multiple viewings of all 22 episodes you can turn your attention to the multiple interviews with the cast and crew. Almost every episode has a link to these interviews. For major fans, you can also find director’s cut of the finale, “Friend in Need, Parts 1 & 2” in addition to the original edits. We also get a ‘Part 3’ as it were of a feature that started in the last set which takes a very in-depth look at some of the creature making by KNB Effects (personally one of my favorite special effects houses).

But the extra features don’t stop there. This final set has even more than what was available in previous sets. You’ll also find versions of “Dangerous Prey”, “Legacy” and “To Helicon and Back.” Add to this some bloopers, a ton of behind the scenes footage, and a look at a 2004 ‘Xena’ Convention and you can plan to spend a full weekend with this set.

The packaging for the 6th season is similar to the previous sets, and carries over the one major change they made with the 4th season set in order to make room for the additional discs. They wanted to keep the set package the same size, so they doubled up discs on each panel of the foldout disc holder. One overlaps the other, which can be a little bit of a pain as you have to take out one disc to get to the one underneath, but admittedly it does save room.

I’ve mentioned before that shows like “Xena”, “Hercules” or even “Highlander” won’t appeal to everyone, and it’s true. These shows are so steeped in mythology, and try to maintain a high entertainment level using a lot of camp humor that only those with a lot of imagination seem to enjoy them. I used to worry about this hurting the popularity of these shows, but I’ve been pleased to see that these shows were huge successes because there were actually enough imaginative people out there.

Episodes:
Coming Home
The Haunting of Amphipolis
Heart of Darkness
Who’s Gurkhan?
Legacy
The Abyss
The Rheingold
The Ring
Return of the Valkyrie
Old Ares Had a Farm
Dangerous Prey
The God You Know
You Are There
Path of Vengeance
To Helicon and Back
Send in the Clones
Last of the Centaurs
When Fates Collide
Many Happy Returns
Soul Possession
A Friend in Need, Part 1
A Friend in Need, Part 2

Starring: Lucy Lawless, Renee O’Connor
Extras: Interviews with Liz Friedman, Eric Gruendemann, Jane Holland, Michael Hurst, Lucy Lawless, William Gregory Lee, Joel Metzger, Renee O'Connor, RJ Stewart, Rob Tapert, Adrienne Wilkinson and more, Audio commentaries with Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, Rob Tapert and Joel Metzger, Alternate Director's Cuts and deleted scenes, Featurettes: To Helicon and Back Dailies, Bringing Monsters To Life At KNB EFX Group - Part 3, Xena Live - Fan Convention, In the Beginnin, A Fond Farewell - On the set of the final episode, Director's Cut version of A Friend In Need 1 & 2, Xena Season One Promo, Bloopers, Never-before-seen on set footage, Production drawings and sketches, Photo Gallery, CD-ROM: Actor, Writer and Director Bios, Series Trivia, Chronicles, Extensive original production designs and sketches
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
Release Date: 3/8/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Xena: Season 6 an A.