mad ramblings of a mad rambler

Day 10: A show you thought you wouldn’t like (or hated) but ended up loving

There was a show that for a short time in college, even though I’d never seen it,  made up the bulk of my comedy fodder. A friend of mine would go on and on about this amazing show and how smart and funny it was. I was jut waiting for her to tell me it had a good personality and offer to set me up on a blind date. Really, me on a date with Xena: The Warrior Princess? What would Gabrielle think? 

So, here’s how it happened: Every time Di would mention Xena, I would bring up the subtext issue. It was strange how a person didn’t need to watch the show to know about the “are they/aren’t they” Xena/Gabrielle relationship. She firmly believed that they were best friends; so, I, of course, took the opposing side and insisted that these characters were lovers. Debates were had. Arguments and possibly a tiny food fight ensued.

It was super fun!

I often lost these debates because I only had limited knowledge of the show. I’m a competitive person by nature; so, that wasn’t working for me. I started watching the show and calling Di during commercials to share with her examples that supported my hypothesis.

[Phone rings once]
Di: Ye-e-e-s?
Jessie: So, they just bathed together.
Di: …
Jessie: You know, I like you a lot and think you’re a good friend. But I don’t want to bathe with you.
Di: Understood.
Jessie: I win.

Then something weird happened. I stopped calling to shout “implausible!” or to provide more quips about pride parades, Sapphic poetry (which was actually in the show, thank you very much!) and shared bedrolls.

As it turns out, Di was right. Xena was a funny show. And it was smart. Sure, it was campy as all hell, but that was part of its charm.

Oh, but I was right, too [warning: girls smooching!]:

I couldn’t find a good video of the opening sequence. Boo.

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