#bisexual narratives

[girl4music]

Everybody I've talked to about this episode have always said they hated it. But I loved it. I loved it because it made me feel validated. I mean this scene especially. You're watching this extremely powerful but sexual woman just going at it with a man in front of her female partner and you see the affect it has on everybody in the room and when you're bisexual you feel validated in your sexual attraction to both gender identities even though there's clearly nothing real there as far as emotional attachment. It's just an empowering scene to me because, again, I just interpret it as a very valid bisexual narrative.

The song played is 'Carnival' by Natalie Merchant by the way. I have the album this song is from and it's one of the greatest albums ever and it's only because of Xena I even discovered this song and album. But because of the copyrights to the song, this episode cannot be found on any of the streaming services. It's always removed from it so a lot of new watchers don't know that this episode even exists.

I suppose it wouldn't be much of a loss given the fans' opinion on it but it's a shame to me because I do really like this episode. It's one of the better episodes from Season 5 which most fans don't like either.

[girl4music]

The really clever thing about 'The Debt' that I always paid attention to is that none of the characters surrounding Xena in her backstory are actually evil no matter what Xena goes through. They all seem to hold a "weakness" or a place of compassion in their heart somewhere and it's mainly more so the circumstances that cause them to act or behave one way or another to each other. In fact the only character that seems to be really so far gone in terms of emotional connection is Xena. That's really why the juxtaposition from Borias to Lao Ma works as well as it does because she goes from a relationship that's completely about taking and having power - using and abusing each other in order to just get what they want out of their environment regardless of the way they treat each other within it to a relationship filled with care and compassion and tolerance and love in all kinds of ways. Lao Ma always puts Xena first despite how Xena's treated her and even though Xena doesn't understand why she would help her or how she could be nice to her after what she's done to her, Lao Ma is consistent in trying to get Xena to understand that a self-serving desire does not benefit either the giver or the taker in the longterm. That she's merely just poisoning her soul all the more the more she lives for herself in this very hateful, vengeful, wilful, destructive way against humanity. Xena says it's about survival why she behaves like this. That she's only dealing out the brutality that she's been dealt back. But Lao Ma rightly points out... she's already dead spiritually, emotionally, mentally. She's really lost the will to live in the sense of allowing the world to show her that it can be kind and beautiful too. That she's not even giving it the chance to be good to her back. To treat her better because she's already resigned herself to its pains.

'The Debt' story arc is so cleverly, carefully and intentionally crafted to show you that that path Xena's carved out for herself because of Julius Caesar's betrayal in the breaking of both her legs and her spirit simultaneously is only one that will forever destroy Xena even more and in order to become the person that Lao Ma knows she's capable of being, Xena had to let go of all of that anger within so she could correct and heal not just her body but her entire soul and it's karma because if she could do that - if she allowed that to happen - then she'd finally come to the person that would provide her it all back without asking for anything in return. At the time - Xena thinks this person is Lao Ma. But no, Lao Ma is only preparing her for Gabrielle.

Then for the creators to bookend all of this with the present day betrayal of Gabrielle just makes this story arc all the more powerful because then Xena proves she's truly put aside her past and a life of death and destruction by forgiving her, by understanding her, by loving her even though Gabrielle has done an awful thing to her. She's realized that even though hurt people hurt people - there is still a choice that the individual can make if their ego can allow them to see and get passed the anguish. To choose to comfort instead. That's what 'The Debt' is about. That's what Xena and Lao Ma is about. Watch it again and notice how every character is human and shows their humanity somewhere. Even if it's not to Xena. But they show you that every character in Xena's backstory is not a monster besides one. Ming Tien - who is too young to learn any such lesson and had to be put down because his influence of power would cause far more chaos and pain than his own life was worth and Xena makes the choice to kill him - without telling Gabrielle - because she knows that she created that monster so she knows that he is beyond the pale. He cannot be saved and he cannot be left to his own devices. She makes that judgement call not out of vengeance, but mercy because at the end of the day her cause was for the greater good and the person that originally instilled that conviction into her - that even named her 'the warrior princess' - is not a man, but a woman and the only person that can keep her in that conviction and on that right path that is truly destined for Xena, is also a woman. Gabrielle. Gabrielle is her destiny. Her cornerstone to living. Her future. Her way forward in life and love.

That's the story there. That's what they're really saying in 'The Debt'.

As I've said before... this is not a TV show about heroes vs villains. It's about actions vs consequences. It's about the human conditions and circumstances. It's about doing what we can when and where we believe we should. There is no inherent good or evil, right or wrong..., it all just depends on who we are and how we react in the moment and all the people surrounding us are there to bring that out in us whether we know it at the time or not. That's how life even works. To provide that much reality and truth in an action fantasy show... wow.

I love these episodes so fucking much. I love the characters, the themes, the arcs, the sets. I love the contrasting tones of edginess and grittiness with gentleness and smoothness. I love the LIFE in it when it's otherwise showing you the lead character at her deadest because the point is for her to realize and understand it's not the end for her but she has to make those choices and take those actions and ultimately allow LIFE in again. To allow her spirit to take flight and stop corrupting and sabotaging her own goodness and beauty by constantly choosing hate and revenge and rage and destruction because there's just as much power and control in the opposite.

Lao Ma is known to be hard and soft at the same time like water because she's mastered the ability to silence her ego and will. She's so powerful and influential and disciplined in the way of her being because she's learned how to conquer herself rather than others and we all should honestly learn from her example, not just Xena because humans do get in their own way. We're made that way because we have free will. But then that means that we can choose the opposite. We can freely choose whether to perpetuate our own self-serving goals or look in the mirror and change our life by changing ourselves.

[girl4music]

Love how they put Gabrielle at the end there. Of course she’s much more than a mere love interest. As is Ares.

But still. The fact they’re both in here. The acknowledgement that they are romantic. Also obviously validating Xena as a bisexual character.

Would have been nice if they included Lao Ma because out of all of Xena’s other female love interests, she was quite a significant one too. Even if it was in Xena’s past.

[girl4music]

Rewatching the early episodes of Xena is one hell of an experience after you hadn’t seen them for a while and you now know what you know from watching all of it.

In particular the use of the “Man-Inserted” trope.

Most TV shows use the “Man-Inserted” trope to take away from WLW. But Xena use it to validate WLW.

I suppose that’s why I don’t find it all that annoying.

Although ‘Ulysses’ especially does have its problems as far as horribly inconsistent characterization. And I do mean that for the character Ulysses as well. But… regardless, even with that episode, they still make it clear that there’s a romantic tension between X&G.

And to be honest - most, if not all the “Man-Insert”episodes do. Hell… even the “Woman-Inserts” do.

In other words: they’re just bisexual narratives in that they really work to represent that there’s more there.

More than friendship. More than platonance.

More than what the censorship will pick up on.

To me it was cleverly and carefully done to still represent WLW organically and authentically.

And I honestly enjoy it. I enjoy watching them.

As I said - maybe not ‘Ulysses’… but most of them.

I especially enjoy and love ‘Chariots Of War’.

I think Josh Becker was so brilliant for that one.

It’s the Season 1 slew of BOTWs with both Xena and Gabrielle. On a first watch you’d be frustrated by it. But wait it out and get to the end of the show - rewatch them back over. Then you realize how clever they were. How they were intentionally sneaking the romantic arcing between Xena and Gabrielle via substituting for their male equivalents and other clever writing tricks. Every other episode they would pair them up and off with a once or twice-only male character - but the absence of each other as a dynamic is immediately felt through it because all they’ll talk about is each other.

They have Gabrielle go off to that Performing Bards academy and the only thing she’ll talk about is Xena. All about her heroic deeds and then that becomes a major thing. A major narrative turning point. A major part of what the show is about and how it even works. Its foundation, its structure - the reason why it EXISTS.

It’s clear to me that they knew exactly what they were doing with all of this. And if they somehow didn’t - then they were at least manifesting it out of desiring for it because as I said - they wouldn’t have made both leads. Gabrielle wouldn’t have became as significant of a character as she did if they did not want for Xena and Gabrielle to be the lead romantic dynamic of the show. Of course they carry on with the romantic interests - both male and female - but in the end, the real romance was them because how else could the show function?

The writers can say that they never initially saw it that way or intentionally made it that way. But they clearly wanted it to be that way otherwise it never would be.

I don’t know. Maybe it’s a Law of Attraction thing. They subconsciously manifested an EPIC WLW love story.

Because that’s what it ends up as. A WLW love story.

And Gabrielle was a lead character all throughout. She just wasn’t credited as a lead character until Season 2.

[girl4music]

You can be annoyed and frustrated by the man-inserts and Beards in ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ or you can choose to see them as bisexual narratives that serve to deepen Xena and Gabrielle and their unwavering love and loyalty to and endearing faith in each other.

The way these man-inserts and Beard moments are written in this show, there’s always room to interpret it as unresolved romantic tension or conflict between the leads who both identify as female and as queer.

Man-inserts and Beards aren’t a problem in this show. They’re a solution to avoid censorship while telling a beautifully layered and EPIC WLW romance/love story.

There’s no need to be bothered by it when the creators/cast/crew agrees with you and ultimately ships the two female leads with each other too.

Only in shows like Supergirl or ONCE or Supernatural is this annoying and frustrating because you know they’re actively against the queer narrative while still queerbaiting the shit out of the same-sex leads for their own benefit and have no interest in represention.

Xena is not that. It has never been that. It never will be.

The showrunners are on your side. In your queer corner. Believe me - they didn’t want any of this shit either. So calm down and enjoy a bisexual narrative.

👍🏳️‍🌈👌

[girl4music]

As much as I love Xena and Gabrielle I really need to find more videos that depict Xena as a bisexual character. Detailing the bisexual narratives which so many people seem to dislike but I think it’s fucking incredible and one of the most groundbreaking things.

Always felt seen and validated watching those scenes. But I think people dislike them because they don’t interpret them that way. They just think it’s the show’s way of throwing in the Beard. And I mean,.. it is,… but only for the studio network’s sake. The showrunners and writers for the show certainly didn’t want that.

They were straightbaiting. Intentionally and blatantly.

Except Ares.

Ares was the only one they were serious with because it made the most sense to because Xena always had to have that conflict in her heart to know her nature.

The writers knew how important Ares was to Xena and XENA and I agree. I completely agree with that because if not for that Tapert would have just bit the bullet and made Xena and Gabrielle fully canon. Fuck the censors. He would have done it if not for Ares.

[girl4music]

Now that’s what I’m talking about! Bisexual characters in constant bisexual narratives. Fantastic editing here!