Xena: The Heroine Princess Turns An Overused Trope Into Its Funniest Episode
Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Published
At the height of the 90s sales, Hercules: Legendary Journeys again Xena: Princess Warrior he’s celebrating in the air, proving that there’s a huge demand for campy, simple shows that don’t take themselves too seriously. Both shows would adapt movies, other shows, and legends throughout their runs, but none were as fun as Xena Season 3, episode 2 “Been There, Done That.” It’s a time loop episode, too Romeo and Julietbut most importantly, Xena kills Joxer, and it’s played for laughs.
Another episode of Time Loop
“Been There, Done That” begins like any other episode, with Xena (Lucy Lawless), Gabrielle (Renee O’Conner), and Joxer (Ted Raimi) heading to town when a war breaks out between feuding families. Joxer is tragically killed in the conflict and is given a hero’s funeral that night as Xena and Gabrielle comfort each other. Then the day starts all over again, and soon, Xena realizes that she is the only one who knows that they are living the same day over and over again.
For the next few rounds, Xena tries to prevent as many deaths as possible by taking Joxer out of the fight, but later her horse ends up being burned alive. Preventing the elder of one family from being run over by a cart causes Gabrielle to be killed in the ensuing chaos. Frustrated, Xena kills Joxer with her chakram the next morning, and as Gabrielle screams, she rolls back into bed. He will wake up, but he refuses to light up.
No one plays angry like Lucy Lawless. “Been There, Done That” allows her to portray a sad, frustrated Xena who can’t help but try to do the right thing, even if it’s impossible. Eventually, he finds the source of the time loop and spends the rest of the day doing nothing but measuring every nook, cranny, and cranny of the town while a massive conflict rages around him. With the biggest chakram throw of her life, Xena breaks the loop, and to be honest, it’s a wonder she only killed Joxer once.
Two Too Many Tropes in One Episode
If a show is on the air long enough, it will have a time loop episode. Stargate SG-1 did it (“Window of Opportunity”), Star Trek: The Next Generation had a single (“Cause and Effect”), and after the success of A Good Day to Die, The Limit of Tomorrowagain Palm Springswe are waiting for another one Groundhog Day movie any day now. When “Been There, Done That” aired in 1997, the trope wasn’t as well-worn as it is today, but it was already so popular that the writing team knew exactly what the audience was expecting when the loop started.
to add a Romeo and Juliet the time loop arrangement combines two redundant stories into one redundant episode, which, against the odds, works. Adapting Shakespeare’s tragic love story of two teenagers that ends up causing mass murder and mayhem is another plot that the entire show, including Super Mario Bros. Super show and every single process imaginable. Xena’s encounter with the story puts more focus on the feuding family part of the story and less on the estranged lovers, but her reaction, a frustrated sigh, is similar to how many viewers react to the retelling.
Xena: Princess Warrior it’s full of references to other movies, shows, and stories, including every episode that adapts To untie the feet. Pay attention, and you’ll capture shots straight out of John Wayne movies, lines from Dumb & Dumberand, since it’s a Sam Raimi product, there are more than a few Evil Dead lectures. After 30 years, the cheesy series that gave us an icon of action is still as popular as ever, and in large part thanks to episodes like “Been There, Done That” that are not afraid to wink at the audience, remove any expectation that this will be a serious story, and allow the viewers to sit back, relax, and have silly fun.
