Warrior... Princess... Tramp
Originally, this episode was meant to air earlier in the season. Although it would have made a lot more sense from a chronological overview of the plot, I think the decision to go after "Return of Callisto" turned out to be a good one, because it needed some humor and lightness after so much darkness and tragedy in the previous episode.
Meg is the absolute heart of this episode. Her appearance is at first a caricature, a woman who looks like Xena, but as soon as she speaks or makes a movement, everything becomes ridiculous and irresistibly clumsy. Her clumsiness in trying to navigate serious situations, her constant need to hide behind simple asides, and her seemingly banal behavior are actually what make the episode come alive. Meg has the kind of raw charisma that captivates, not because she's powerful and brave, but because she's human, imperfect, and in that imperfection genuinely charming. What is particularly interesting is that Meg bears a certain resemblance to Xena. Although on the surface she seems like her comedic antithesis, both have a history of making bad choices. Xena built her reputation through bloody campaigns, while Meg chose the easier way of survival, often at the expense of dignity and morality. But the same feature smolders in both, the possibility of redemption. Xena through heroism and the fight for justice, Meg through small moments of kindness and the desire to do something right, even clumsily, like when she decides to save the king in this episode. It is this parallel that makes Meg so much more than just a humorous imitation, she is an essential reflection of Xena's journey, only in a completely different key. The humor that Meg brings cannot be overlooked. Her unfiltered nature, exaggerated facial expressions and funny situations she finds herself in (a chakram that ends up on the ceiling 😂) bring a lot of laughs. When she tries to imitate Xena's seriousness, the result is hilariously opposite, instead of authority, she radiates awkwardness and a naive attempt to be bigger than she is. But that's exactly where her charm lies. Of course, not to forget to mention Maggie's interaction with Joxer. These two are the most underrated couple of the show to me and I would have preferred the focus to have been given to them instead of Joxer's later obsession with Gabrielle. But back to this episode. Joxer and Meg are incredibly funny and have chemistry. Joxer also brings a lot of comical situations in the episode, either with Meg, or with Gabrielle in the dungeon when he offers her that he and "Xena" adopt her, or with Xena when he thinks that Meg tries to grab her chest 🤣 On the other hand, Princess Diana in this episode seems inferior compared to her earlier appearance in "Warrior… Princess". There, her character had weight, a balance between comic situations and the seriousness of the duties she bore as a royal figure. Her struggle between personal insecurity, fear for life and responsibility for the people gave the character a layered dimension. Here, however, Diana is reduced to a secondary figure, almost a decoration, without the inner conflict that made her interesting. Compared to Meg, who commands attention and dominates every scene, Diana fades into the background, which leaves me feeling like the episode could have gotten more out of her presence, and that's the only thing that disappointed me about this episode. I understand that the writers wanted to put the focus on Meg, but it remains a shame that Diana was so forgotten after this episode.
Posted Oct 3, 2025, 5:09 PM UTC