From: davideml@bellsouth.net   
      
   "Gail Futoran"  wrote in message   
   news:G1MQj.131089$D_3.5756@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...   
   > "David E. Milligan"  wrote in message   
   > news:AT8Qj.54136$rC6.2222@bignews4.bellsouth.net...   
   >>   
   >> "Gail Futoran"  wrote in message   
   >> news:K65Qj.242597$cQ1.86450@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...   
   >>> "David E. Milligan"  wrote in message   
   >>> news:WJNOj.33632$%15.32566@bignews7.bellsouth.net...   
   >>>> 5-15    Married With Fishsticks   
   >>>>   
   >>>> First airing was Feb. 21, 2000.   
   >>> [snip]   
   >>>> For a straight Xena episode, a generous 5.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> For a kind of humorous and   
   >>>> pass-the-time-episode-that-doesn't-make-me-feel-like-I-actu   
   lly-wasted-an-hour episode, a 7.   
   >>>> So, an average 6 out of 10.   
   >>>   
   >>> I liked this one, on first viewing and every   
   >>> viewing thereafter.  (I'm one of the very   
   >>> few who can say that.)   Why?  I dunno.  I   
   >>> can barely figure out why I like one drama   
   >>> over another, much less a comedy.   
   >>>   
   >>> Normally I strongly dislike underwater-themed,   
   >>> fishy shows.  Most slapstick doesn't do much   
   >>> for me.  And a Xena-light episode - argh.  But   
   >>> still...   
   >>>   
   >>> Ah, the subtext:  Joxer/Hagar as a stand-in for   
   >>> Xena, at first manipulating Gabrielle/Crustacea   
   >>> for his own purposes, later learning her value   
   >>> and becoming a decent human in the process.   
   >>> (One could argue Xena never manipulated   
   >>> Gabrielle, but in early episodes there wasn't   
   >>> the respect we saw in later episodes.)   
   >>>   
   >>> Renee' and Ted stretching their comedic wings.   
   >>> Not many opportunities in XWP for that.  And   
   >>> both did a grand job, individually and while   
   >>> interacting with each other.   
   >>>   
   >>> Discord and 'Dite were pitch perfect in their   
   >>> ditziness (sp?? ).  Even the stupid cake   
   >>> scene worked for me.   
   >>>   
   >>> *The* moment, during the wedding, when   
   >>> Gab/Crus starts to remember Xena and   
   >>> her life with Xena (maintext, not subtext) -   
   >>> chilling in a good way, as those moments   
   >>> always are.  Can't remember how many times   
   >>> I re-ran that scene.   
   >>>   
   >>> And at the end, Gab has learned how to be   
   >>> a mom.  Cool.   
   >>>   
   >>> What's not to like?   
   >>>   
   >>> I give it a 7.   
   >>>   
   >>> Gail   
   >>> Warrior Gardener   
   >>>   
   >>   
   >>        I really don't remember my reaction when I first saw it, or the   
   second time, or possibly   
   >> a third time. It seems like there was a time I kind of liked it, maybe when   
   I watched it when I   
   >> first got the DVDs.  I'm not sure if I would rate as the very worst one   
   (not sure what it would   
   >> be. For a long long time I hated 'A Good Day', but now not so much; still   
   don't like 'The   
   >> Furies'.) but it's pretty close to the bottom.   
   >>        But it's hard to compare the serious eps with the humorous ones. As   
   far as a strictly   
   >> comedy ep, it wasn't THAT bad, but compared to something like 'When Fates   
   Collide', or any of   
   >> the Callisto episodes, well down she goes.   
   >>        Except for the insults, which were pretty good, I had a hard time   
   listening to Crabella   
   >> and Sturgina's accents.   
   >> David   
   >   
   > You make a good point.  I suspect I have a   
   > sliding standard when it comes to XWP eps.   
   > Since they tend to go all over the map (dead   
   > serious drama, slapstick comedy, & everything   
   > in between), I suppose I learned to take each ep   
   > as it came.  And I really don't compare the nutsy   
   > comedies (however good they may be) with the   
   > dead serious dramas (e.g., Maternal Instincts -   
   > talk about depressing...).  And the magnificent   
   > The Debts, One Against An Army, When Fates   
   > Collide are in a class all by themselves.  As   
   > The Bitter Suite is in a class all by itself.   
   >   
   > (And thanks for reminding me of Crabella   
   > & Sturgina's accents ... they'll be ringing in   
   > my ears all day long, like a bad song!)   
   >   
   > Gail   
   > Xenite   
       As another example -- The Furies.  It started out as a comedy, with Xena   
   acting out the 3   
   Stooges and her arm flailing away. Then it went darker when she was going to   
   kill Cyrene. It was so   
   uneven - back and forth between comedy and drama!  If it had been one or the   
   other, I think would   
   have liked it more (I am leaning toward the darker side).   
      
   David   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)