Xena Reboot Series to Turn Implied Homoerotic Undertones into Glorious Homoerotic Overtones

[Ubiquitous]

The new show wants to be crystal-clear with its viewers: Xena and
Gabrielle are not just gal-pals.


by Charles Bramesco,



Since time immemorial (the dawn of film, or so), popular fiction has
cloaked its queer characters beneath several layers of innuendo,
insinuation, and subtext. The machinery of Hollywood spent years in
fear of any characters that could slightly rock the mainstream public’s
boat, leaving writers with no choice but to embed subtle hints and
suggestions to homoeroticism in their work that would be identifiable
to the right viewers, but not the hand-wringing censors. (Todd Haynes’
recent, perfect Carol is a feature-length deconstruction of this
practice.) The seminal ’90s TV series Xena: Warrior Princess often
teased viewers with tantalizing implications that the lead (Lucy
Lawless) and her charge Gabrielle (Renee O’Connor) may have shared a
little something more than experiences on the battlefield together, but
with an upcoming reboot of the fantasy-adventure, that will all change.

NBC has ordered a new Xena pilot from writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach,
architect behind the CW’s cult hit The 100, and he plans to be a little
more forthcoming about the undeniable chemistry between Xena and
Gabrielle with this updated iteration. During a Q&A session on Tumblr,
Grillo-Marxuach confirmed that the two women would be lovers, no bones
about it:

i am a very different person with a very different world view
than my employer on the 100 - and my work on the 100 was to
use my skills to bring that vision to life. xena will be a
very different show made for very different reasons. there is
no reason to bring back xena if it is not there for the purpose
of fully exploring a relationship that could only be shown
subtextually in first-run syndication in the 1990s. it will
also express my view of the world - which is only further
informed by what is happening right now - and is not too
difficult to know what that is if you do some digging.

His passing reference to differing worldviews alludes to a minor
kerfuffle among devotees of The 100 following the death of fan-favorite
character Lexa, who was in a relationship with the also-female Clarke
prior to her untimely demise. Fans cried foul and the choice to
extinguish one of the small lights of hope for LGBTQ viewers on
television, and Grillo-Marxuach has evidently heard their pleas loud
and clear. This new series—the fate of which is still something of
question mark, considering that NBC is still far from ordering it to
series—will right past wrongs and placate the fans in one fell swoop.
And best of all, it’ll provide young viewers with a hero with whom they
can identify.

[In other words, it's going to suck.]

--
Which title has a better ring to it?
_ President Hillary
_ Prisoner Hillary

[anim8rfsk]

In article <n00rCZ$bf9$2...@dont-email.me>,

So THE MIDDLEMAN turns out to be a fluke after all.

--
Join your old RAT friends at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1688985234647266/

[Obveeus]

On 3/18/2016 6:51 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
> The new show wants to be crystal-clear with its viewers: Xena and
> Gabrielle are not just gal-pals.
>

> [In other words, it's going to suck.]

It probably will suck because it is a sword and sand type sitcom-y type
show that belongs on Syfy, not NBC. That limitation aside, doing more
than innuendo with respect to the main characters is a reason that it
might not suck. Meanwhile, if you want to stick with a hetero version
of this type of show, you should be watching BEOWULF...known as the
lowest rated scripted show on all of television.

[Ian J. Ball]

In article <anim8rfsk-E347C...@news.easynews.com>,

Yep.


Ian (Remember - dude worked on "Charmed"!!!)

--
"Shall we sit and ponder the futility of caring?" - Morotia M. Black (aka.
Riley Matthews), "Girl Meets Yearbook", "Girl Meets World" (08-07-2015)

[anim8rfsk]

In article <ncgumu$uo1$1...@dont-email.me>, Obveeus <Obv...@aol.com>
wrote:

Shouldn't this be on CBS?

[Ubiquitous]

If it's a good show, the network on whicvh it plays won't matter.
What will make it suck is them pushing the [fanboy] subtext to
the exclusion of everything else.

OK, some guys might like watching them take a hot soapy shower together
every week, but it won't sustain ratings for long.

Besides, remakes rarely, if ever, recapture what made the original work.

---
Hillary received the endorsement from the KKK grand dragon. Odds are
better she'll wear a miniskirt before you hear about it in the
media.

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

In article <ncgumu$uo1$1...@dont-email.me>, Obveeus <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:
>
>

If it feels it has a "mission", it will suck. The original series of course
had some intense and heartbreaking eps, but on the whole it tried not to
take itself too seriously. And I hope they don't airbrush that Xena
is bi -- on the whole they didn't end well for her, but she certainly had
meaningful relations with men in her past.
--
------
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

[anim8rfsk]

In article <dl2m7s...@mid.individual.net>,

Certainly she took a stab at Caesar ...

[Obveeus]

On 3/18/2016 10:36 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
> In article <ncgumu$uo1$1...@dont-email.me>, Obveeus <Obv...@aol.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On 3/18/2016 6:51 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
>>> The new show wants to be crystal-clear with its viewers: Xena and
>>> Gabrielle are not just gal-pals.
>>>
>>> [In other words, it's going to suck.]
>>
>> It probably will suck because it is a sword and sand type sitcom-y type
>> show that belongs on Syfy, not NBC. That limitation aside, doing more
>> than innuendo with respect to the main characters is a reason that it
>> might not suck. Meanwhile, if you want to stick with a hetero version
>> of this type of show, you should be watching BEOWULF...known as the
>> lowest rated scripted show on all of television.
>
> Shouldn't this be on CBS?

Only if they have decided to 'fight crime' with lots of coffee drinking,
desk jockeying, and DNA evidence discussion.

Thematically, it would probably fit with CW...but it is NBC that
supposedly is interested.

[Obveeus]

On 3/18/2016 11:47 AM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> In article <ncgumu$uo1$1...@dont-email.me>, Obveeus <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> On 3/18/2016 6:51 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
>>> The new show wants to be crystal-clear with its viewers: Xena and
>>> Gabrielle are not just gal-pals.
>>>
>>> [In other words, it's going to suck.]
>>
>> It probably will suck because it is a sword and sand type sitcom-y type
>> show that belongs on Syfy, not NBC. That limitation aside, doing more
>> than innuendo with respect to the main characters is a reason that it
>> might not suck. Meanwhile, if you want to stick with a hetero version
>> of this type of show, you should be watching BEOWULF...known as the
>> lowest rated scripted show on all of television.
>>
>
> If it feels it has a "mission", it will suck.

Agreed.

> The original series of course
> had some intense and heartbreaking eps, but on the whole it tried not to
> take itself too seriously.

...and for the most part it was silly and juvenile to the point where it
did suck. People liked it anyway. Those people have grown up now, so
if the show is going to work the same way it has to target an entire new
audience of young people.

> And I hope they don't airbrush that Xena
> is bi -- on the whole they didn't end well for her, but she certainly had
> meaningful relations with men in her past.

Actually, I think the only way it might work is if Xena is bi. There
were lots of episodes that revolved around her flirtations with men and
if they are going to ditch that completely they will have to write
entirely new scripts...shudder.

[Obveeus]

Et Tu brunette?

[David Johnston]

On 3/18/2016 4:51 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
> The new show wants to be crystal-clear with its viewers: Xena and
> Gabrielle are not just gal-pals.
>

That boat already done sailed.

[anim8rfsk]

In article <nchdgf$sce$2...@dont-email.me>, Obveeus <Obv...@aol.com>

wrote:

> On 3/18/2016 12:55 PM, anim8rfsk wrote:
> > In article <dl2m7s...@mid.individual.net>,
> > t...@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) wrote:
> >
> >> In article <ncgumu$uo1$1...@dont-email.me>, Obveeus <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On 3/18/2016 6:51 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
> >>>> The new show wants to be crystal-clear with its viewers: Xena and
> >>>> Gabrielle are not just gal-pals.
> >>>>
> >>>> [In other words, it's going to suck.]
> >>>
> >>> It probably will suck because it is a sword and sand type sitcom-y type
> >>> show that belongs on Syfy, not NBC. That limitation aside, doing more
> >>> than innuendo with respect to the main characters is a reason that it
> >>> might not suck. Meanwhile, if you want to stick with a hetero version
> >>> of this type of show, you should be watching BEOWULF...known as the
> >>> lowest rated scripted show on all of television.
> >>>
> >>
> >> If it feels it has a "mission", it will suck. The original series of
> >> course
> >> had some intense and heartbreaking eps, but on the whole it tried not to
> >> take itself too seriously. And I hope they don't airbrush that Xena
> >> is bi -- on the whole they didn't end well for her, but she certainly had
> >> meaningful relations with men in her past.
> >
> > Certainly she took a stab at Caesar ...
>
> Et Tu brunette?

Or possibly Burnett ...

[David]

"anim8rfsk" wrote in message
news:anim8rfsk-4461A...@news.easynews.com...

In article <ncgumu$uo1$1...@dont-email.me>, Obveeus <Obv...@aol.com>
wrote:

> On 3/18/2016 6:51 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
> > The new show wants to be crystal-clear with its viewers: Xena and
> > Gabrielle are not just gal-pals.
> >
> > [In other words, it's going to suck.]
>
> It probably will suck because it is a sword and sand type sitcom-y type
> show that belongs on Syfy, not NBC. That limitation aside, doing more
> than innuendo with respect to the main characters is a reason that it
> might not suck. Meanwhile, if you want to stick with a hetero version
> of this type of show, you should be watching BEOWULF...known as the
> lowest rated scripted show on all of television.
>
>Shouldn't this be on CBS?
>
>

Put it on Starz. Then we can see Xena and Gabrielle as they should
be seen - no holds barred on the violence and blood, and the nudity and love
making (much like Lucy did on the Spartacus series).

[David]

"David Johnston" wrote in message news:nchji2$li2$2...@dont-email.me...

Probably in Fiji already.

[Obveeus]

That might work, though it would most certainly change the childlike
tone of the original series.

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Did you watch much of the original series? It was often lighthearted,
but very rarely "childlike". And because they could always come off
of a comedy ep, or a fun adventure ep, they could do acres of grim like
the amazing season 4 closing.

[Obveeus]

Even kids cartoons have grim moments. Xena was chock full of poorly
done fight sequences and slapsticky comedy and goofy plotlines. It
definitely was not aimed at adults. If you want to claim it wasn't for
children, then I suppose we can say teens...but even then it would skew
towards the younger teens.

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Well, OK, we disagree then, but so be it.

[anim8rfsk]

In article <dl4150...@mid.individual.net>,

t...@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) wrote:

Yeah, I think Xena skewed a lot older than Hercules did.

[Obveeus]

On 3/19/2016 1:20 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:

> Yeah, I think Xena skewed a lot older than Hercules did.

Those two shows were *very* similar in tone, writing, and target
audience, IMO.

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Not at all. The disasterous Season 5 of Xena, when Tapert temporarily
handed off showrunner duties to the Hercules crew is proof of that.
Hercules could never have done something like "Ides Of March".