Inside the Head of Friction
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Inside the Head of Friction |
| Interviewer: | Amy Murphy |
| Interviewee: | Friction |
| Date(s): | March 2002 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | Xena: Warrior Princess |
| External Links: | full interview is here, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Inside the Head of Friction is a 2002 Xena: Warrior Princess fan interview at Whoosh!.
Series
For others in this series, see Whoosh! Interview Series.
Some Excerpts
Although the notion of writing always intrigued me, my lack of formal training kept me from trying my hand at it. It was the supportive forum that the Xenaverse provides its bards that gave me the courage to finally give it a go.
I have mixed feelings about the show. To be honest, from the beginning it's been a kind of love/hate relationship. For example:I Loved the notion of Gabrielle as a true innocent but hated that the show often equated her innocence with incompetence.
Loved the early episodes when a naïve Gabrielle looked upon Xena with adoring eyes, yet hated that she was abruptly married off to preserve her heterosexuality.
Loved the villains: Callisto, Alti, Ares and Caesar, but hated every red shirt they ever introduced.
Loved the incredible dynamic that developed between Xena and Gabrielle, but hated the obligatory use of Joxer as a chaperone.
Loved every single intimate scene between the warrior and bard, but hated that the show so often cheapened the depth of their relationship with cheesy comedy.
Loved the occasional glimpse at Xena's dark side, but hated the pregnant Xena story line.
Loved watching the bard pick up a sword to defend her warrior, but hated it when Gabrielle tossed her staff into the river.
Loved that Xena and Gabrielle were eventually depicted as soulmates, but hated the Rift story line.
Loved that the 'powers that be' enlisted the talents of Missy Good to get the characters back on track, but hated that they seemed to learn so very little from the experience.
Loved that for-the-most-part Xena was portrayed as a strong, independent, powerful woman, but hated, and I mean truly HATED, the finale!
But all the hates aside, I love the incredible community that was built around this series. There is no denying how very special the show was. I credit the lead actresses for that. In my mind, it was their talent and chemistry that made this series stand apart. Time and time again, Lucy [Lawless] and Renee [O'Connor] rose above ill-conceived scripts and gave viewers a glimpse of something magical. I'll always believe that it was their insightful portrayals of Xena and Gabrielle that inspired the scores of talented fan fiction writers to create the adventures that so many of us, both wanted, and needed to see. For that, I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
[How do you feel about its end?]: Saddened. I find it tragic that a show, that was in many ways ground-breaking and inspirational, chose to leave its viewers with the same tired message women have been fed throughout the ages. Such a wasted opportunity. Every time I think of it I feel like weeping.