For the last two years or so, I have been watching Xena: Warrior Princess with my fellow Fringe-editor Sarah. It all started for me when I had my first detached retina in August 2005. I was low on energy and had a dilated pupil for almost three weeks, so it felt good to watch the comforting first season in the dim light of my apartment. After that, I was hooked, scoring the remaining seasons off eBay.

When I learned that Sarah also loved Xena, it was a revelation. I am a geek for Xena, and it’s rare to encounter others who share the mania. We love Xena for its strong women characters, positive portrayal of lesbians (there’s a fun drinking game where you quaff for lesbian innuendo), and most of all for its feminist pastiche of myths and screwball plots. Did you know that Xena…

… invented CPR? And inspired Hippocrates to write the famous oath?
…tempted Lucifer from heaven?
…has returned from the dead three times?
…was besties with Cleopatra and Helen of Troy?
…was a Valkyrie? made Grendel and Grendel’s mother?
…was responsible for David’s victory over Goliath?
…helped an enfeebled Ulysses draw his bow?
…has three doppelgangers?
…can perform a field tracheotomy in about one minute?
The list goes on and on…

One year ago Monday, Sarah and I made it up to the very final double-episode of Xena — A Friend in Need. But we couldn’t bring ourselves to watch it. The thought of no-more-Xena was too terrible to bear. So we went back to the beginning and re-watched our favorite episodes from the series, and now we’re up to the FINAL episode. On Tuesday, we’re taking off work, steeling ourselves, and making a multi-course Asian style meal (reflecting the episode’s Japanese setting) to celebrate. Since we have to part ways, we’re sending Xena off with an Ay-yi-yi-yi!