Xena was never my kind of show to begin with. It takes a certain kind of humor or taste to "get it" or get into it right away, and that took me some time. Once I got into it, and eventually realized Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi were behind it, it made sense.
The real humor doesn't come from quirky sound effects, it comes from the actors. When Bruce Campbell pops in as Autolycus, or Ted Raimi has his better moments (or better jokes), or Lucy Lawless gets to dig into new characters (and odd dialects), it can be funny. Not hysterical, but a few laughs for sure. The present day-episodes mostly feel picked from thin air - forced rather than funny.
The drama is a bit on a one-track trail, but it shows hints of real potential. Only rarely, like the humor, does it really come to its right. The show goes from immensely involving to outright absurd and bizarre. Most of the "alternate" episodes are too out there to be really enjoyable, but others are surprisingly good. There are some clear "arcs" so anyone who chooses to see the whole show might most likely have their own favourite part of it.
My very favorite episodes would have to be "Death In Chains" (great emotion), "A Day In The Life" (great comedy) and "The Ides Of March" (fantastic drama and one of the most pivotal episodes in the show as a whole).
The real humor doesn't come from quirky sound effects, it comes from the actors. When Bruce Campbell pops in as Autolycus, or Ted Raimi has his better moments (or better jokes), or Lucy Lawless gets to dig into new characters (and odd dialects), it can be funny. Not hysterical, but a few laughs for sure. The present day-episodes mostly feel picked from thin air - forced rather than funny.
The drama is a bit on a one-track trail, but it shows hints of real potential. Only rarely, like the humor, does it really come to its right. The show goes from immensely involving to outright absurd and bizarre. Most of the "alternate" episodes are too out there to be really enjoyable, but others are surprisingly good. There are some clear "arcs" so anyone who chooses to see the whole show might most likely have their own favourite part of it.
My very favorite episodes would have to be "Death In Chains" (great emotion), "A Day In The Life" (great comedy) and "The Ides Of March" (fantastic drama and one of the most pivotal episodes in the show as a whole).