Whoosh! Issue 50 - November 2000
Letters to the Editor




Season Five

From: PSh6249790@aol.com
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000
Subject: Letter to the Editor

How can I wage an e-mail extravaganza to the powers that be, and reverse the decision they made to cancel Xena after season 6. From what I understand, Lucy and Renee want to do another season. I have the address for the folks who will reverse their huge misunderstanding on what great quality in television they are pulling the plug on. Can your site do a mass e-mailing, or can you mention this address for a letter campaign? A simple written word of support, pleading to put it back on, maybe an address, and a stamp. Real easy.

Here's address.....
Jim Benson
Studios USA
8800 Sunset Blvd., 5th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90069 USA






Date: Wed, 04 Oct 2000
From: Eniko Gondocz
Subject: Wonderin?

Hello -- I enjoy your Whoosh site. However, I wish you would lay off criticizing Season 5 (it's the second favourite season behind season 3 on many Xena sites and I agree, loved the trilogy and getting more Xena/Ares and Gabi/Joxer stuff happening) and lay off any criticisms of Joxer (one of my fave characters -- very sad to have seen him killed).

Other than that, what a great site, great idea, great going :-)





16 Episode Crisis

From: Jasper Hedger
Subject: Re: Letter to the Editor: PS to Season Six 16 Episode Crisis.
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000

We may never know if the recent crisis was a hoax, or a case of Chinese whispers, or some cynical attempt by some "suit" to drum up publicity, or even that there was serious consideration of only having sixteen episodes in season six, and that the fan response brought about a change of heart. Whatever the truth proves to be though, I do believe that Kym's action in rallying the fans to the flag was the correct one.

I am very sorry if this has lead to any negative fall out on her personally or on to Whoosh! in general.

Yet wasn't it great to see fans in an Xenaverse, which has of late been all too divided, all pulling together?

Here's to Whoosh! And here's to hoping that Season Six makes us really glad that there are twenty-two episodes in it.

All the best,
Jasper.





Ares and Xena

From: Anonymous
Subject: Letters to the Editor
Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2000

I basically wanted to make this letter short and to the point - Ares and Xena should definitely get together, Eve needs to stop acting like such a wimp, and Gabrielle needs to stop being the tool for bad guys to hurt Eve and Xena.

I am very disappointed in Xena's attitude towards Ares. I think Ares has paid his dues and deserves to get Xena. Come on, lets face it, only a one-time god is strong enough to be Xena's equal. I wouldn't settle for anything less. Now that he's been stripped of his immortality, I think he has the ability to change and to be what Xena needs in a man. Yes, there is bad blood between them, and that whole Livia thing was icky, but hey, water under the bridge. What more does the man have to do to say he loves her, throw himself on a sword? (which he probably has already done.) I think Xena is being way too harsh and unforgiving. Besides, wasn't she the one who needed redemption not so long ago? Xena is always so quick to forgive those who have a darkside and wish to change. She recognizes the similarities in herself and thus feels it her duty to help them change the way she has. I am very upset that she won't do the same for Ares. The least she could do is forgive a fellow ex-baddy when he needs it.

Ares is selfish, egotistical, capricious and powerhungry. I've seen every bad thing, every manipulative attempt, every jealous act, and every callous regard Ares has done. And of everything, there has always been one underlying motive, his need to have Xena with him. As a villian, one wouldn't have called it something so pure as love, but more like obsession. But in the last season, Ares showed that he wanted Xena on any terms, even when that meant giving up his very livelyhood. That is love. He's in love and has been for some time. Yes, I'm sure that the god of war has been worse than any mere mortal can ever be, but now that he has made such a huge sacrifice for her, that he has left himself so vulnerable, I think it behooves Xena to take him seriously. He is her equal in strength, ability, cunning, and now, in the need for redemption. He deserves Xena's understanding and forgiveness, and I think I see a glint of a little love from her too. He didn't ask for anything in return when he gave up his immortality, he didn't run after her and whine and demand she be with him, he didn't even approach her with it when he mistook the furies for her (in that case, it was the furies who did the proposing). He only brought it up at the end, when all was said and done, to remind Xena he was still interested. So, I say the writers should definitely make it so that they end up together sometime soon (preferably before the season ends so us happily-ever-after buffs get a chance to see the couple in action)

Secondly, what's with Eve's pathetic mouse attitude? She can't even help herself. I have to say, I liked the little bit of fire she showed when she helped the Amazons fight off those Romans in the beginning of Coming Home. If she could become the destroyer of whole cities, she should be able to take care of herself and wipe that helpless look off her face. Also, that whole "mother" thing is driving me crazy. She isn't a two-year-old who needs to cry for Mommy every two seconds. The 25 years that she was on her own makes her an adult and Xena's equal. She doesn't need Xena's protection. And, guilt is good, but it shouldn't make her helpless - atone where she can, help Xena the rest of the time. She's turning into a drag.

Oh, and in the "Haunting of Amphipolis," when did she become a Priestess of Eli? How come she suddenly knows how to exorcise demons from haunted houses and possessed people? I think the jump from huntress for the followers of Eli to all-knowing messenger of Eli was much too abrupt, not to mention that it was way too close to the Exorcist. I think Eve needs to get some of Livia's strength back, to kind of blend Eve's repent and goodness with Livia's determination and ability. She's way too wimpish now.

Lastly, why is Gabrielle getting picked on so much now? or rather, why do they always put her as the bad guy? It started with The Debt, when she betrayed Xena. Then with Hope, and the whole Zolan thing made it worse. India didn't help much, what with her getting possessed by some Indian goddess. Oh, and the scene after they die where Xena sacrifices herself for Callisto and then plans to take over paradise. Gabrielle was much too quick to say "hey, great idea, lets use me as bait!" And then having her try to kill Eve because the furies drove her crazy. I have to say, i'm not feeling the love from her as much as I see Xena giving it to her. She's letting us down way too much. So, now in Haunting, she gets possessed by demons and then tries to argue with Xena about the plan. More no-no's. I 'm getting disappointed in all this.

Here's the gist of what i'm saying - I'm a devoted fan, been watching from the very beginning, since before there even was a warrior princess. I think I've come to know the characters pretty well. I'm not liking the way I see things going, haven't been liking it for some time now. So, before it's too late and the whole show ends, I want to at least tell someone what i'm thinking so far. And then, hopefully, this thing can end with a happy ending. So, to wrap it up - no more wishy-washy Eve, no more double-crossing Gabrielle, and lets let Xena finally have someone to love, even if he was the no-good God of War.

Now that I said my shpeal about the Xena/Ares thing in my own words, I also wanted to mention that I read the letter by Thomas Robertson regarding the Sexual Imagery in Xena Article and have to say that I totally agree with him regarding Ares' character. I think by my previous comments it is plain to see that I think Xena should go one step further than what Thomas suggests and they should get together, but I think Thomas was on the right track regarding Ares' character and motivations.

Well, thanks for letting me have my say. I know this ended up being longer and less to the point than what my opening would have suggested.

Sincerely,
Anonymous






From: Bocatsmom@aol.com
Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2000
Subject: Defending Ares? He Doesn't Need It.

I don't visit the site often, but I did want to comment on Erica E. Li's comments in defense of Ares, and on the Ares character in general.

Let me preface this with a simple statement of fact: I am hopelessly smitten with Ares; he fascinates me and a lot of other women I know. So if I am to be completely truthful, I will have to admit that I get annoyed when it seems to me, in my prejudiced view, that he is being underutilized, overlooked and given less screen time than he deserves. I'm also tired of the "get away come here" stuff with Xena. My frustration is the product of a purely personal desire on my part to watch the man make love! (If I had my way, of course, he'd be HERE, not on screen, but I'll take what I can get.)

I get discouraged when he and Xena share some extremely passionate kisses, only to have a building blow up or Gabrielle come in or the whole thing turn out to be a dream-anything to keep them apart. This seems to me to be very unfair to Ares fans.

I think that Xena has treated him so very badly that I'm no longer sure they should be together; there is a nasty name for women who treat men the way she has treated him. Yes, I know he's mean and manipulative and violent (and charming and funny and wildly seductive), but isn't that what he was born to be? Please stop and think about this for a moment: in classical mythology, Ares is the spirit of war and battle. It's not what he *does*, it's what he *is*. To be angry or upset with Ares for being warlike is as pointless as being upset with a cat for hunting its prey or sharpening its claws.

That said, I think that Ares, of all the characters, has probably changed the most. Xena, in my big-mouthed opinion, is no longer capable of change. But consider: although he tried to win her back through various methods, in the final analysis, he made a tremendous sacrifice for her. He turned his back on the other gods and on his family, gave up his godhood and his immortality, to save-not just Xena-but Gabrielle and Eve, because he knew how important they are to her. He has spent the entire series trying to gain power and become top god, and now he has given it up for the woman he loves. Her reaction: "thank you." THANK YOU?? Oh, puh-leeze.

I think Xena's treatment of Ares is questionable at best, and despicable at worst. I see nothing honorable in the way she manipulates him and uses his feelings for her against him. I would be much more of a Xena fan if she dealt with him openly and honestly, rather than pretending to seduce him ("Amphipolis Under Siege" and "Livia"). As it is, I'm afraid that her face is going to freeze into a permanent and extremely unattractive sneer.

Someone wrote that "Coming Home" balanced the scales and they were now even. Sorry, but I don't buy it. He has given up more than life, he has given up *immortality*. And he had true immortality. He wasn't facing the uncertainty of all mortals-do we go on or not? He knew, because he had eternal life and he sacrificed it. I don't know if I would have been able to do the same. Furthermore, Xena does not have the power to give life, only to take it. She still has a way to go to pay off that debt, in my opinion.

I do agree that the kiss in "Coming Home", an episode that Kev flat out stole, and which, on subsequent viewings, reveals holes large enough to drive an 18-wheeler through, was indeed a friendly kiss. But simply because they did not wrestle each other to the ground in that one moment doesn't negate the passion that we've already seen between the two.

If TPTB wanted to end any romantic entanglement between them, they had the perfect opportunity. Xena could have said: "You never give up, do you? But you must, because we have absolutely no future. I am grateful to you, but I do not feel anything for you, and I mean this. No tricks, no games. Please forget about us being together and get on with your life." But did she? No. She admitted he's "always" gotten to her (I can relate to that-he gets to me ), then shook her head, laughed-and left the door open.

And that, if you're still with me, brings me to my final point: why the subtext will, I believe, remain subtext. Show business is a business, and it comes down to ratings. I know how badly some of you want to see Xena and Gabrielle as lovers; that's how badly I want to see Xena and Ares together. But I think that if Renaissance actually put the subtext explicitly on screen, they might as well take the show off the next day. Ratings would plummet and complaints would pour in. Never underestimate the number of people who take it upon themselves to "guard" others' morals. People you've never heard of (and who have never seen an episode) would slither out from under their rocks to yell about the way in which the show is "ruining family values". Sponsors would cancel and that, my friends, would be the end of the whole thing.

On the other hand, Xena and Gabrielle have both been shown to be interested in men, and thus TPTB could give Ares fans the scene we are longing to see: the consummation of the Ares/Xena relationship. That would be consistent with the sparks that fly between them now, and would not necessarily negate the subtext that you see.

One final word about Kevin Smith, if I may. Someone said she didn't see Ares' appeal. All I can say is: how can you miss it? I have ogling men for 40+ years now, and THAT is the finest specimen I have ever seen! He's got it all, from those eyes to those lips to that fantastic body. But much more than that, Smithy is a great actor. I think he's by far the most talented member of the cast, but then I have an advantage: I've seen a lot of his other work; if you have only seen him as Ares, you haven't seen a fraction of his range. He has done everything from musical comedy to improvisation to Shakespeare, and he's phenomenal. He is able to lose himself in the role so completely that you are sometimes not sure it's him-not easy to do with his spectacular looks, and a tribute to his immense talent. He brings all of that skill, warmth and charm to his portrayal of Ares, which is why Ares fans love him so much and miss him so badly when he's not in the episode.

And lastly, someone mentioned Angie Dotchin being in a "miniseries". Perhaps you are referring to the three TV-moves she recently filmed: "Lawless", "Lawless: Dead Evidence", and "Lawless: Beyond Justice". They are gritty modern day stories about an undercover cop in Auckland, and they're fantastic. And the lead actor, in the title role of Johnny Lawless, is none other than: Kevin Smith!





Bring Back the Gods

From: David Friedlander
Subject: Letter to the Editor
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000

No wonder fans are leaving Xena in droves (if not legions). The setting was Greek mythology: Now it's all medieval devils and witch hunters and who cares? If you want to bring up the ratings, then bring back the gods!
Jackie Friedlander





Hades is Not a Wuss

Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2000
From: Puck
Subject: Letter to the Editor

I totally disagree with some of the comments about Hades being a wuss. He may not be as intense as some of the other Gods - he has immense power, though he chooses not to use and abuse it the way most other Gods seem to. Look at how many times Ares and other Gods have stuffed about in Xena's and other mortals' lives just because they could. Hades never abused his power in such a fashion.

I doubt anyone could run the underworld as well as he, keeping all those *billions* of souls from running amok - apart from that *one* time in "Mortal Beloved." Hades has to be on the ball all the time - what if he accidentally sent a murderer to the Elysian Fields and the innocent victim to Tartarus? And he has to be excruciatingly fair in his all judgements. He's gentler than most of the other Gods, which is why I love him so much. And he's incredibly, incerdibly sexy ;) (Both Erik and Stephen!) And Gods, does he know how to accessorise! Just look at that red velvet gown ... That thing is to *die* for!

In the Herc episode "The Other Side" you can see the passion in which he fights for Persephone that he genuinely loves her.

In the 5th season, like Xena, Hades is protecting his family, Celesta and Persephone above all. They are the two people he cares most about in the entire Cosmos. It's obvious how much Celesta cares for her brother, saying Hades was the only one to accept her for who she was, proving he loves and cares for her as much as she does for him. Hades doen't revel in destruction or violence and would rather not have to kill Eve or Xena, but he feels he has to, to protect his family - And he died for it. I'd hardly call someone who sacrificed himself for those he loves a wuss. Quite the contorary.

I'm forced to wonder, did he go back to the Underworld because he was dead? Or maybe being Lord of the Dead and Soverign of the Underworld means he can't really die ;) - Hey the job's gotta have some perks! Well until next time, see you in Hades! :)

Queen Titania









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