Darien Takle

Darien Takle, voted Miss Enthusiasm
(photo by Lida Verner)

^[130] Next up was Darien Takle. As soon as she heard her name she bounded on stage, causing them to skip the introductory video, I suspect. Her first comment was, "I don't want to go home, I just want to stay here!" She was obviously enjoying her visit to the States. She said this was her first time to mainland America. She had been in Hawaii though. She said it was very different here. "You've got people here." She commented that New Zealanders are shy. They do not tend to approach actors when they see them. But Americans are open, nice, and very approachable.

^[131] She was asked if her new CD was available. She told us that it was not released yet, but that the autobiography CD was out in the dealer's area being sold somewhere.

^[132] Then someone asked her how she felt about how Cyrene ended up on the show. She said that as an actress, she was not satisfied with Cyrene's demise. She said it was hard to tell her kids that she was going off to be burned at the stake. She commented that the role had changed a lot. It started off serious and then got a little silly at times. She enjoyed doing comedy bits with Lucy, like slapping her hand when she was reaching for the fruit. She thought that was a typical mother thing to do. She liked TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE (87/419) because of all the different people she got to work with.

^[133] She said she has played many strong women, like Edith Piaf and Eva Peron. That prepared her to be the mother of Xena, who has to be very strong to raise a kid like her. She said she was honored to be the mother of a warrior. She was disappointed that she did not get to wear leather though, but figures that can be arranged elsewhere. Then she commented that her Dad had died 3 years ago. She said she believes as long as you keep people alive in your heart, they are with you. She said her Dad was a big fan of Lucy Lawless and she thinks he was here with us that day.

^[134] Next she was asked to sing again, so she sang a French song for us. She has a great voice.

^[135] Someone asked her as Cyrene what it was like to raise Xena. She said that women are all great heroines and to have a daughter like Xena is fabulous. She said that Xena was always collecting things, building huts in trees, and staying in them for a week, but was overall a good girl.

^[136] Then she was asked about HAUNTING OF AMPHIPOLIS (114/602). She said it was an incredible episode and that she believes in ghosts. She commented that it was a harrowing episode for her because her marriage had just broken up and it was going to be her last episode. She does, however, like being a ghost now.

^[137] Earlier in her time someone had asked her who Xena's father was. At that time, she had refused to answer. However, just before she wrapped things up, she told us that Xena's father was the milkman.

Rob Field

Rob Field with the goods
(photo by Marilyn Cristiano)

^[138] Next up was Rob Field who is one of the two main editors of the show. He was asked how he felt about the show ending, and he said that perhaps he would get a chance to take a real vacation. The last one he had had was three hours and fifteen minutes because RenPics was feeling generous at the time.

^[139] Someone asked him if it was true that they had used wire removal artists across the United States for FALLEN ANGEL (91/501). He said that there were many wire removal artists involved in that episode, but that most of them are in New Zealand. Then he explained that wire removal artists are the ones who paint out the wires that are used to make it look like people are flying and doing incredible stunts.

^[140] Next he was asked if we would ever get to see longer versions of the episodes that had the scenes that had been left on the cutting room floor. He said that first off, everything was digital, so there was no film to cut. Also, no one has mentioned to him if they are going to do longer versions of the episodes at a later time.

^[141] Then Rob showed us a 6-year retrospective of the show that the other editor, Tim Batts, had put together. It rocked. After that, he called two young fans on stage who were dressed in costumes and gave them posters that had been signed by Lucy Lawless. Then after much persuasion, he ran the sixth season bloopers. They were great and I hope that we will see them in an upcoming fanclub kit, since Sharon indicated that they would be doing another one for us.

Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor

Renee O'Connor
(photo by Heather Perkins)

^[142] Finally it was time for the event that everyone had been waiting for. After they got everyone seated, they ran the video salute to Xena and Gabrielle, which was to the song "Time of Your Life". Then Renee O'Connor came onstage to the great cheers from the crowd. She was obviously nervous, but Sharon Delaney jumped right in and said that she had heard that even though they were not going to get to do the Sappho musical episode, she had heard that Renee and Lucy had been practicing some of the songs. She then asked if Renee would be willing to share with us. Of course the music was cued, so when Renee agreed, they started up "Last Dance". Renee sang the first verse and it was easy to see that she was somewhat nervous about that but gamely doing her best. Then we heard Lucy Lawless join in, and she walked on to the stage to another round of thunderous applause and cheering. Despite everything Renee has said, she can carry a tune, but she just has a bit of a time finding the tune. It was clear that they both were a bit overwhelmed at the reception they got though.

^[143] After they were done, Lucy said that she had wanted to sing "Wind Beneath My Wings" with Renee doing ballet around her in a tutu. But, Renee told her that she was pregnant and would not be appearing in any tights. Lucy was dressed in her punk outfit from her Spider-Man cameo, though she did not have the wig on. Renee was wearing black slacks and a sky blue translucent long-sleeved top. Both were looking gorgeous and relaxed, and Renee was practically glowing. Lucy commented that she has sworn off stiletto heels after HEART OF DARKNESS (115/603) and was enjoying wearing whatever she wanted to. She went on to say that for the dance in HEART OF DARKNESS they had her in 6-inch high heels and Renee was in flats. Then they asked her to sort of scrunch down so they could get them both in the shot. So she walked around like a preying mantis, which she proceeded to demonstrate for us. She said it would have been okay if they had just used the close-up camera but they had a wide camera on them also. So in the shot you see her stalking around Renee. Renee commented that she had had to fight in those heels and was amazed that Lucy could do it. Sharon asked them where the comments about Renee being taller than Lucy had come from, and Lucy said that sometimes they sort of joke around in interviews and say things that are silly like that.

^[144] Sharon asked Renee how she got hooked up with the show. Renee said that even though she had worked for RenPics before, she had had to go through the auditioning process. Lucy piped in and said that even though Renee had to audition for the part, Gabrielle had been written with Renee specifically in mind. Sharon asked Renee when she had first met Lucy. Renee commented that she had initially met Lucy when she was in Los Angeles getting some training in martial arts. Lucy said that she did not remember that meeting. Sharon commented that there were many things that Lucy seemed to forget, like kissing Kevin Smith. Lucy said that she does not remember nibbling on Kevin's chest or kissing him because it is all choreographed and does not make that big of an impression on her.

^[145] Sharon asked Renee what she had thought initially of playing Gabrielle. Renee said that she did not expect the role to continue more than that first season. She figured she would give it her best and then she would be back in the States after a year. Sharon asked Lucy if she would have been willing to come to the States if the role had been offered to her but it was filmed over here. Lucy said that she knew that it was the role of a lifetime, and if that was the only way for her to get it, she would have been willing to uproot and come to the States to have it.

^[146] Renee was asked about her first experiences on the set. She said that things were quite hectic and that Lucy apologized for not having a chance to get to know her when she first got there. After about a month, Lucy invited her over for dinner and they spent quite a bit of time catching up and getting to know each other. Lucy commented that she remembered that meeting. Then Lucy said that it was her responsibility to hold it all together and Renee agreed, saying that Lucy set the tone for everyone on set. Lucy then said that she could not have done it without Renee.

^[147] Sharon asked Renee what she thought about her character's evolution. Renee chuckled and said she certainly did not expect Gabrielle to become the battling bard. Then Lucy said that she felt it would be horrible to be stuck in a never changing role as the sidekick, so she had pushed for them to develop the role more. She wanted to make sure that everyone's needs were being met.

^[148] Sharon commented that Renee had worked with James Garner in one of her earlier roles and that Lucy had worked with Anthony Quinn. What had it been like to work with such greats early in their careers? Renee said that James Garner had a dry wit and was wonderful to work with. Lucy said that she had enjoyed working with Anthony Quinn, but did not understand how big his reputation was when she was working with him. Sharon asked how Renee got started acting and she said she had gone to a performing arts school when she was younger and that rather set her on the road. Then Lucy commented that she had seen Renee in one of those crime shows she had done where she was playing a hooker. Renee was a bit embarrassed by that and they laughed about it. Lucy asked her what it was about WITH her playing a hooker all the time when she looked so innocent.

^[149] Sharon said that they had both commented on how their acting styles were different, and asked how they had learned to work with each other's styles. Lucy said that what they had figured out was that they could support each other by talking to each other and listening to what the other said.

^[150] Sharon asked them about how they worked through all the stuff that their characters had been through. Renee said that the important thing was that they had to relate it to what it would mean for them personally and keep it as real as possible, even when the circumstances were out of this world.

^[151] Since they were talking about acting and how they related, they proceeded to show us ways that actors can detract from the other instead of supporting. These included gesturing behind the actor when they are speaking their lines or shifting when they are speaking to each other so that the other actor's back is to the camera. It was very cute watching them demonstrate these things since Lucy was hamming it up quite a bit. Then they mentioned that they always tried to be there to do the off lines for each other. They also did a lot of off lines for the other actors in the episodes, but sometimes it was easier for the supporting actors not to have the leads reading those lines for them, since they would get nervous. The thing that was important though was to be there for each other so they could get the best performance for the show.

Lucy Lawless
(photo by Marilyn Cristiano)

^[152] Sharon asked them if there was ever a time when they had thought of quitting acting. Renee commented that two years before starting Xena, she had thought briefly of giving up acting, but she is glad that she did not. Lucy mentioned that she had also had a crisis of faith a few years before Xena, but she saw Whoopi Goldberg on the Oscars when she told aspiring actors to stick with it, and she was encouraged to continue. Then Renee asked Lucy if she had gotten her nose pierced, and Lucy said sure, after all it was a discrete hole. I think she was just kidding actually, since she had an impish tone when she said it.

^[153] I do not remember what prompted it, but Lucy said it was around the 8th episode when they began to get letters about the subtext. They had had no idea that was how it was being viewed and they had a bit of a laugh about it. Renee said that it took them a while to become the close friends that they are. Lucy said that it was around the 5th season when they started to try to blend their acting styles a bit. They found out that by listening to each other, they were able to find bits of each other's style that worked.

^[154] Lucy mentioned that Renee has been working on her acting skills with an actor's group. Renee said that she could not ask Lucy to help her with that because she cannot do a flat reading to save her life. She would tell Lucy to read it flat and Lucy would always start acting it out. Then she said that Lucy always uses her instincts. Lucy said that she acts from a place where she tries to just be it. It is all about getting to a place of true listening. Lucy said that she could not imagine a part that she could not play, especially after all the things that Xena has done. She did say that doing Just Shoot Me was quite a different experience for her. She was used to having the camera be up close, and she knows how to act effectively for that camera placement. Because Just Shot Me is such an ensemble show and is shot with stationary cameras, it was very difficult for her to adjust and figure out how to act to those cameras effectively.

^[155] Sharon asked Renee about her experiences being a director. She said the scheduling was the biggest thing that caught her by surprise. Making sure that everything stayed on schedule was a challenge. The first time it was hard because she was so new, and learning a lot of things as she went. The second time the scheduling was hard because of all the stunts and effects they had in the episode. Sharon asked her if she thought that being an actor helped her as a director. Renee said she did not think it did. Lucy commented though that Renee being an actor helped her pass on her knowledge about tenses and motivations to the actors. She said that directors who have been actors understand how actors have to doublethink. They have to think both about the outcome and the emotions and motivations they are trying to portray. Directors with acting experience are better at giving the motivations and letting the actor figure out how to achieve the outcome. Directors who do not have that perspective tend to only talk about what actions they want to see and it is harder for the actors to figure out what is driving them there.

^[156] Sharon asked Lucy about the band that she had mentioned being involved with and whether she was planning to do anything more with that. Lucy said that she just mucks around with her friends with the band. She would like to keep singing and maybe playing some instruments, but does not think it will be anything serious.

^[157] Then Sharon asked about how the show had affected each of them. Renee said that the growth of Gabrielle goes hand in hand with her own growth. When she first arrived on set, she was a naive young girl from Texas. "I've grown up on the show." Sharon asked them whether they had taken away anything from their characters. They were both a bit stymied by that. Lucy said that everything has changed for both of them. Then Renee commented that she has taken more from Xena than Gabrielle, and Lucy agreed that she had gotten more from Gabrielle than Xena since it is the character you are acting against that affects you the most. She said that Renee's become more assured and willing to take charge, and that she has become more sympathetic and flexible. Sharon asked if Renee had been calling home a lot about decisions when she first got to New Zealand. Lucy laughed and said that Renee always makes all of her decisions. Renee agreed and said that she has always made decisions for herself.

^[158] Renee mentioned that it took them a while to get used to each other's styles. Lucy would ask Renee about doing something and she had wanted to go off and think about it. Lucy was much more about being spontaneous. Then she told a story about a time there were some gatecrashers hanging around the set. She looked up and there was Lucy wearing a ball cap and beard and wearing androgynous clothes. She was walking like a man and at first Renee did not recognize her. Lucy went up to the folks and challenged them about being on the set. At first they were taken aback until they figured out that it was Lucy and then everyone got a good chuckle about that.

^[159] Then Sharon asked Lucy to sing something in the style of Stevie Nicks, so Lucy sang her Burrito song from Saturday Night Live, which was a lot of fun.

^[160] Next Sharon asked them what their favorite costumes were. Lucy said it was the stringed bikini from LYRE, LYRE HEARTS ON FIRE (100/510). She was too tall to fit into Renee's costume, but Renee's double was taller so she could wear that one. Renee commented that it had shocked Ted, and Lucy said that yes, they had shocked Ted many times. She said he did not quite know how to react when his best friend's pregnant wife was coming on to him, and laughed. Renee said that the costume she liked was the one from IF THE SHOE FITS (80/412) when she was playing the ugly barmaid with the blacked out teeth. She said that was a lot of fun to do. Then Lucy commented that she loved all the costumes. Renee said though that whenever they brought out the crucifixion rags they knew they were in trouble, and it always seemed like those were coming back. Lucy commented that Renee had abs of steel and that the baby must be having a hard time finding space in there. Renee confirmed that she was five months pregnant. Then she commented that every time they changed the costume, she could move more. Every stage of the costume reflected a change in Gabrielle. Lucy commented that her breats did not get smaller though. Renee laughed and said it was natural because of the pregnancy.

Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor
(photo by Heather Perkins)

^[161] Sharon asked them about practical jokes on the set. Lucy said that Renee was always trying to pull lame jokes on her, like putting crumbs in her chair, greasing the door knob, or putting cling wrap in the toilet. Renee said yeah, and you always managed to ruin them. They never worked. She said that she thought it was Rob who grabbed the doorknob, and Lucy just brushed the crumbs off before sitting down. Lucy said that she had taken the fishnet costume from THE GOD YOU KNOW (123/612) and worn it while bowling. She said, "I looked cool in the bowling shoes bowling my heart out." Then Renee commented that the rope dance was the hardest she had done with all the twisting and stuff. She had never been that sore before. Sharon asked her if she was dancing on shields and she said yes with a bunch of strong men holding her up.

^[162] Next Sharon asked Renee what her middle name was. Renee said it was Renee, which rather stymied Sharon for a minute. Then Lucy mischievously said that her first name was Evelyn. Renee sort of shot her a glance for letting the cat out of the bag, and then explained that her full name was Evelyn Renee O'Connor and she was named after her grandmother. However, in order to keep it from getting confusing, everyone always referred to her as Renee.

^[163] Sharon asked if either of them had taken anything home from the set on the final day, like their costumes. Renee said she took her bathrobe and the moon boots because they were so comfortable. She loved wandering around her house in the moon boots. Lucy said that she had taken her costume home and the original chakram, because she liked that one better.

^[164] Then Sharon asked what were Xena and Gabrielle's pet peeves about each other. Renee said that for Gabrielle it was that Xena never brushed her teeth. Lucy said that Xena was upset about Gabrielle using her chakram to cut eel.

^[165] Sharon asked Renee whether the pregnancy had affected any of the final shooting. Renee said that they had adjusted the costume at her request so that it came up a little higher in the middle, but they had not made any other changes. She said she had been worried that she would have to do reshoots of scenes and that they would not match up. When Sharon asked them if they would keep up their physical fitness, both of them said that they were planning on staying fit. Sharon asked them about whether they were going to change their hair styles now that the show was over. Renee said she was not worried about her hair and that she liked it short. Lucy said that she would probably let it return to her natural color because she did not want to mess with dying it every six weeks. She did not feel the need to dissociate herself from the character and had gotten used to the look after all these years. She said she had had it cut a bit recently because it was getting a little ragged.

^[166] Sharon asked them what they would miss most about not being on the show. Lucy said it would be not having someone to cook for her all the time. She hates having to feed herself. Renee said she would miss having someone managing her schedule for the day and telling her where she needed to be. Then she rather ribbed Lucy about how she would probably be shopping at Martha Stewart's website now that she had time to be more domestic. Lucy laughed and admitted that she had actually bought Martha's kit for crystallizing flowers but had never used it. Then she said that she should have kept her mouth shut since the kit was going to be Renee's shower present.

^[167] Lucy went on to say that Renee was a great present buyer. When she first was on the show she was always buying presents for everyone's birthday and things, and all the folks were quite confused by that. In New Zealand apparently, everyone is horrible about presents. They are not big on giving gifts. Then she and Renee joked a bit about some of the presents that Lucy had gotten for Christmas, including the hole-punch that her father had given her one year. Lucy said that one time she had pulled out a wound and slapped it on Renee's back, which led them into talking about the guy that Lucy always sent her prosthetic wounds to.

^[168] Renee commented that they could not recreate Xena, that it was too surreal. Lucy said that they loved being able to make people laugh and cry. Sharon asked them about the scene from THE ABYSS (118/606), saying that it had affected her profoundly. Lucy said that they had sort of adlibbed most of the cave scene and that when she had seen the dailies she had teared up. Renee said that all she remembered was being cold and wet during the whole thing.

^[169] Then Lucy and Renee wished all of the fans that had a birthday that day Happy Birthday. Lucy said that she wanted to thank the fans for being such a force for good with all the money they raised for charity. She said that it was heartening to everyone involved with the show, how much the fans were always looking for ways to help others.

^[170] Then Sharon asked about Lucy carrying Hal Sparks and David Spade at the Comedy Awards. Lucy said that at 150 pounds Hal Sparks weighed more than she does and that she was only able to do that recently because she had been doing her Pilates. Sharon asked if there were ever times when Lucy actually carried Renee or if it was always rigged. Lucy said she thought it was always rigged because of the problems she had with her back, but Renee said there were a few times when Lucy had carried her without a rig.

^[171] Then they were asked about the scene in OLD ARES HAD A FARM (122/610) where the three were in bed together. Renee said that was a tough scene to film because she actually ended up hitting Kevin in a tender place. Lucy started kidding her, saying that Renee had been flopping her arm over and was hitting him in the face or the chest. Then they told her that for it to be funny she had to be lower and when she tried she actually nailed him. Renee looked quite embarrassed about that, but Lucy thought it was hilarious. Then Lucy said that it was nice to fight against Renee in that episode because she is so good at the fights.

^[172] Sharon asked what it was like doing HAUNTING OF AMPHIPOLIS (114/602). Lucy said it was fun. She has watched Evil Dead 1000 times and so it was a great time to be doing an episode that was like it. But she felt sorry for Renee having to be in that horrible water. Renee said it was pretty bad. There were rotting artichokes, asparagus, vegemite, and mayonnaise in the water. After a while she got used to the stench because she was immersed in it, but everyone else on the set was retching and would not come near her after she got out of the tank.

^[173] Sharon asked them if there were any storylines that either of them wanted to develop that they had not had a chance to do. Lucy said that she wanted to do the Helen Keller story and Renee said she had an idea to have the seven virtues at war. Lucy said, however, that they both got so busy with the show and their other interests that they did not have time to pursue their own stories. There was another question that prompted Renee to comment that Gabrielle wanted Xena's breastplate and that she was trying on the boots at night. To which, Lucy commented that "We share everything."

^[174] This led very naturally into Sharon asking them about the subtext. Both Lucy and Renee said that the relationship was all about Love. Then Renee said that the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle has been amazing. Both of them seemed to struggle a bit to put their thoughts into words. Then Lucy said that once they were aware of the subtext and what it meant to the fans there were times when she felt they played too lightly with it, and she stated a couple of times that they had not wanted to make the subtext a grubby little joke. To her, these were two characters that love and respect each other and that was what was important. Renee said that they did not want to label the characters. They just wanted to work on the relationship and that was what their focus always was. One of them brought up the poem that Gabrielle reads to Xena in an upcoming episode [MANY HAPPY RETURNS (131/619)]. Renee said that it was a beautiful poem that is attributed to Sappho and Lucy said that it brought tears to her eyes when it was read during the scene.

^[175] Then Sharon asked about what they could tell us of the final episode. Renee commented, "Live by the sword, die by the sword." Lucy said that she had seen tiny bits and they were heart-wrenchingly, beautiful scenes. Renee then said that the characters come full circle. Lucy added that it was not easy shooting the final episode and Renee said it was beautifully shot and that she also cried. Then Lucy added that if it did not kick *ss to the end it would nOt alter the last six years. She said, "I don't know if I liked it, but I loved the way it ends.

^[176] Then Sharon asked them both if they would do it all again if they had a chance. Lucy said that if they could go back in time, of course she would do it again. If they had to pick up and do it now, it just would not work. They have all changed and it would be impossible to capture that magic again. There would never be a way of getting that synergy back that they had. Renee commented that ignorance was bliss and Lucy reemphasized that it had been magic.

^[177] Finally, Sharon asked them if they would be willing to sing again. They both agreed and sang "Last Dance" one more time. When it was over Lucy hugged Renee and kissed her on the forehead. Then Rob Tapert's head popped up between the two of them and he proceeded to hug them both. After that the rest of the guests came out and joined them on-stage, minus Hudson Leick who apparently had already left. There was thunderous applause and cheering from the crowd that was on their feet. After a bit everyone waved and left the stage.

Debrief

The last call
(photo by Marilyn Cristiano)

^[178] It was fascinating to watch the way Lucy and Renee interact. Renee was obviously the shyer of the two and tended to focus on Sharon as she asked the questions. Sharon was on the floor below the stage so as not to detract from Lucy or Renee, and she kept shifting to either side of the stage to help keep them moving. Lucy tended to pace around the stage and to step back from Renee when the questions were directed to Renee. I think this was to allow Renee to answer without being distracted. There were times when Lucy almost disappeared because she had stepped out of the light. But she never hesitated to jump in to the discussion to back Renee up or tease her a bit. Lucy also on several occasions led Renee to either side of the stage so that everyone would get a good chance to see them. There were times when Renee jumped into the conversation to help Lucy as well. It was very obvious from the way the two interacted that they were very comfortable with each other. It was also clear that they were a bit protective of each other and kept an eye on how the other was doing.

^[179] Another thing that came through was Lucy's quirky sense of humor. There were times when she was like a big kid having a blast with getting all that attention. The discussion of the nose ring especially comes to mind, along with letting the cat out of the bag about Renee's full name. Renee tended to put more thought into her answers while most of the time, Lucy answered from her gut. On the occasions when the answers hit close to home though, it was clear when Lucy was feeling it. These were the times when Renee tended to sort of cover Lucy's hesitation by answering until Lucy was ready to share her thoughts. In some ways it was like watching a pair of Ubers on stage since the bond between the two was so clear. I am looking forward to the release of this tape since it would be fascinating to watch it and savor the experience all over again.

Costume Contest

The Costume Contest Judges:
Tsianina Joelson, Darien Takle, and Ebonie Smith
(photo by Marilyn Cristiano)

^[180] Now, on to the conclusion. After the tumult died down, they had the costume contest. Ebonie Smith, Tsianina Joelson, and Darien Takle were the judges. As I had gone out for another break and chatted with some of the Xenites that were outside, I did not see most of this. However, the winning group was a set of three Amazons and a Xena with baby Eve. The Amazon costumes were stunning with exquisitely made Amazon masks (yes, there was a Gabrielle in her queen outfit). Deb Abbott and her Cleopatra/Xena in chains outfit was a runner-up.

^[181] After everything was done, a bunch of us who were in the preferred section hung out in the hope that we might be able to get autographs from Ebonie, Tsianina, and Darien. We had a great time talking about the convention and everything that had happened. At one point the security folks escorted the stars to the restroom and then got them dinner. They had been signing for about two hours at that point. Then after the last of the waiting Gold patrons were lined up we were allowed to get in line as well. The three of them ended up staying until well after 10:30pm, but we all got autographs. It was incredibly nice of them to be willing to do that for the fans that had waited. After that was done, a small group of us went to dinner and finished off our con with a fabulous evening of conversation.

The contestants line up like ducks in a row
(photo by Marilyn Cristiano)

CONCLUSION

^[182] I have to say that this convention was everything I hoped it would be and more. It was great to be walking around Pasadena and to see other Xenites traipsing around with their wristbands and other Xena paraphernalia proudly displayed. Everyone was wonderful and there were many a conversation struck up while waiting on line or sitting outside taking a break. The efforts for charity were astounding and I am blown away by the amount of money that was raised by the fans. The Creation staff were all polite and very helpful. The energy in the place was fabulous. I can say that this is an experience I will never forget, and I am incredibly glad that I got a chance to be there and share it with all the other Xenites. Although the series is ending, I know that the Xenaverse will continue going strong. Battle On!

ARTICLES

Jodi Walton. Why I Love the Fourth Season of Xena: Warrior Princess. WHOOSH #39 (December 1999)
http://whoosh.org/issue39/walton1.html

BIOGRAPHY

Jodi Walton

Currently in my mid-30's, I lead a fairly mundane life with my cat, Tigger. I grew up reading scads of science fiction and fantasy novels and always enjoyed most the ones with strong female heroes and characters. When XWP began airing in 1995, I was a little slow to check it out, figuring that it would probably be silly. But when I finally did, I found that the show was fun, challenging, and had a hero that I just couldn't get enough of. I knew I was hooked when I bought a new VCR because my old one just couldn't tape the eps. the way I wanted it to. Since then, I have become fully immersed in the Xenaverse, finding the internet community in the winter of 1996 (when AOL went to unlimited access), and I haven't turned back since. One look at my work area or apartment clearly shows the breadth of my obsession, since I have many pictures and memorabilia in both. I love trivia about the show and actually got a chance to be on an experts panel at the 1998 Chicago con (great fun!). I continue to enjoy the many journeys that the show takes us on and look forward to what's yet to come. Oh, and I have subsequently switched my voracious reading habits almost exclusively to fan fiction. Love those talented Xenaverse bards!
Favorite episode: A DAY IN THE LIFE (39/215), THE DEBT (52- 53/306-307), THE RING TRILOGY, & WHEN FATES COLLIDE
Favorite line: Xena: "Even in death, Gabrielle, I will never leave you." ONE AGAINST AN ARMY (59/313)
First episode seen: DEATH IN CHAINS (09/109)
Least favorite episode: MARRIED WITH FISHSTICKS

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