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54 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, but leaves a few things to be desired..., August 2, 2004
Season 5 is probably my second favorite Xena season, after Season 3. Xena and Gabrielle literally go to hell and back, and that's just in the season opener. Xena has a mystery child and is hunted by the gods -- and then, after a miraculous 25-year sleep, has to face both her own grown daughter and the gods as adversaries. In the meantime, Gabrielle grows into a warrior and Ares grows a heart.
There are a lot of fan complaints about this season. Yes, it had its share of duds like ANIMAL ATTRACTION, PURITY/BACK IN THE BOTTLE, and LIFEBLOOD/KINDRED SPIRITS, and Xena's discovery of her pregnancy was handled rather badly (there really should have been more suspicion that the mystery baby could be evil). However, I thought the Twilight of the Gods arc was excellent, even if aspects of it could have been done better. I loved the Livia/Eve story and the interaction between Xena and Ares. The late, lamented Kevin Smith did a great job playing Ares with greater layers of complexity, as the God of War confronts both the specter of mortality and his feelings for Xena. There was also a great new character, Athena, wonderfully played by Paris Jefferson. CHAKRAM, SEEDS OF FAITH, AMPHIPOLIS UNDER SIEGE, and LOOKING DEATH IN THE EYE/LIVIA/EVE/MOTHERHOOD are among my favorite Xena eps.
So, I love the season. Now, the DVD set (which I have had a chance to view because I pre-ordered it directly from Davis-Anderson).
The sound/picture quality is great, no complaints there. The extras, though, don't quite measure up to Season 3. Some of the season's best episodes such as AMPHIPOLIS UNDER SIEGE and LOOKING DEATH IN THE EYE have no extras (interviews or commentary) at all. As in Season 4 only four of the episodes have audio/video commentary, compared to seven in S3. I was particularly disappointed that there were no interviews with Steve Sears (he did leave early in the season but I would have liked to hear his insights on SUCCESSION), nothing with Paris Jefferson, and only one little tidbit from Ted Raimi -- I would have loved to see him talk about playing old Joxer.
On the plus side, the commentaries were a lot of fun. No earth-shattering insights perhaps, but some very interesting observations about the show and the characters and some very enjoyable banter betwen Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor and Rob Tapert, and also between producers Eric Gruendemann and R.J. Stewart on FALLEN ANGEL. Some of the interviews are great as well; I especially enjoyed the comments from Hudson Leick (Callisto), Adrienne Wilkinson (Livia/Eve), and writer/producer Chris Manheim.
Unfortunately there are no bloopers with this season set. There was some interesting deleted footage from MOTHERHOOD, but I can't for the life of me understand why they'd choose to show deleted/alternate footage from ANIMAL ATTRACTION rather than a much better episode such as SEEDS OF FAITH (which apparently had a very interesting scene of Ares training Gabrielle) or CHAKRAM. We do, however, get a 100th ep B-roll for SOF with good behind the scenes footage.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dramatic, Ground-Breaking, a must have set., October 3, 2004
Season five was set to be ground-breaking from the very first episode, "Fallen Angel" which continued on from the climatic fourth season episode "The Ides of March" which left our heroines dead, crucified by the Romans. "Fallen Angel" puts Xena and Gabrielle through heaven and hell, literally!! Angels, Demons, heavenly realms, beautiful costumes and effects, not to mention the powerful script make the episode soar. It's hard to believe that the Xena producers could possibly follow a season opener like that but they continue to amaze the audience with a season that does just that. Season five sees Xena pregnant, carrying a baby that is said to bring about the end of the Olympian gods - another trip to China - the death of two beloved characters: Joxer and Eli - a new chakram - a 25year time skip and then there's the legendary fifth season musical "Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire". This musical extravaganza has the cast singing and dancing up a storm, especially Ted Raimi as Joxer's larger-than-life twin brother Jace. Including versions of `Dancing in The Moonlight' `Sisters Are Doing It For themselves' `War' and Joseph Lo Duca's incredible musical talent; "Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire" makes for some incredibly entertaining viewing. The episode is topped off with an outtake of a very pregnant Lucy Lawless dancing in Gabrielle's go-go outfit, during the credits.
As with every Xena season, season five follows Xena and Gabrielle's friendship and has many touching moments, as well as some hilarious ones. We once again witness Gabrielle's character progression, as she embarks upon her new warrior path; protecting Xena and her baby daughter Eve from the dangers they find themselves in almost everyday of their action-packed lives. We follow them as they travel from Italy to Greece, China, Egypt and in the case of "Married With Fishsticks" to an underwater fantasy world where Gabrielle is a fish wife, literally!!
The season concludes in the innovative way in which it began with the immensely dramatic episode "Motherhood". In which Xena receives the power to kill gods - Gabrielle is plagued by the Furies - Xena kills most of the Olympian gods - Gabrielle stabs Eve - Xena cuts open Gabrielle's head with her chakram - Ares kills his sister Athena and gives up his immortality to save Gabrielle and Eve...now if that isn't drama then I don't know what is!!
Season five is possibly the most dramatic, astonishing season of Xena to be realesed onto DVD to date. A must Buy set!!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Xena Season 5: A Wonderful and Amazing Journey, May 30, 2002
Ah, the Xena Season 5 Videos have finally hit the public. After ordering all six seasons on customized, catalog videos,it is nice to see them available to the average people.Okay, so let's get started. Season five of Xena: Warrior Princess was an amazing ride. From the dark opener "Fallen Angel" to the light hearted "Kindred Spirits" we saw many emotions of joy and sadness. Xena's child was born and hunted down by the God's. Kevin Sorbo, a.k.a. Hercules, made one last appearance as the Son of Zeus in "God Fearing Child," where he tried to save Xena's child, Eve, from death. The season ended with the dramatic "Motherhood," one of my personal favourites. Eve is hunted down by the gods, is reformed and entered into the religion of Eli, and Gabrielle is nearly murdered by Xena. With a landmark 22 episodes filled with laugter, joy, and sadness, this is a video set that you do not want to miss. Order it today from Amazon.com!...
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