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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Season Two--Getting Better, But..., July 28, 2003
Like most of the above reviewers, I too thoroughly enjoyed Season Two's episodes. The introductory scene in "The Return of Callisto" may be the best six minutes of female "kick butt" ever seen on television; I was surprised by its violence when I first saw it...and still am. "Charlie's Angels...," and "Laura Croft...," to say nothing of Jennifer Garner's character in "Alias," have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING on Hudson Leick as Callisto in this episode. When she is BAD, she is REALLY BAD!!Still, the Xena series DVDs have a ways to go to match the sound and picture quality of other TV series. For example, the "La Femme Nikita" Year 1, recently purchased, is far superior in terms of both color rendition and sound, particularly in color(blues and reds)and stereo separation and bass reproduction. As a Xena fan since the first year, I'm still waiting for the DVD quality to match the quality of the acting, scenery and storylines. Of note, I purchased the final Xena episode DVD more than a year ago, and its quality is top drawer, so I don't think it has to do with any of the series production values. Regardless, the Warrior Princess truly rocks!...and I'm still buying Year 2 (again), but hoping for better quality in years 3-6. Update as of 03 Sep 03. Had the oportunity to watch four episodes and the interview with Tapert, Lawless and O'Conner on the new (02 Sep) Anchor Bay release. Agree with tgsbch's comments regarding audio and video quality and thinness of the DVDs themselves. I would add that while the interviews contained nothing particularly "new" if you are a long time fan of XWP and have the numrous books that have been written about the series, the audio and video commentary options on two particular episodes, "A Day in the Life," and "Return of Callisto," are particularly rewarding. Each option is edited differently. With the "audio" commentary you see the entire episode, with Lucy and Renee commenting (voiced over) on particular scenes. With the "video" commentary selected, you see a significantly edited episode, cutting to visuals of Lucy and Renee sitting in director's chairs (along with Tapert in "A Day...") and commenting. Lots of interesting observations by all three, including discussion of the lesbian subtext issue, "comedic" versus "violent" episodes, (Lucy prefers the former, Renee the latter--it's clear she's the athlete of this pair!),the skills of particular directors, cameramen and stunt personnel, the real skill of Hudson Leick (Callisto)with a sword, Leick's adlibbing some of her dialogue to create the memorable character of Callisto (Lucy notes that to have a really good hero requires a villan that is REALLY bad, and Leick's Callisto fit the bill!),Gabby's change in clothes, bust, weight, etc. throughout the years. Lots of comments and discussion transcend just Year Two and reflect on all six years of the series. I found these two episodes, particularly with "video" commentary selected, to be particularly interesting, and worth purchasing the Anchor Bay edition even if you had already purchased the previous Year 2 issue.
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