Xena "Sins of the Past" #1.1 (1995) (TV)

"Shut up! I hate chatty food.", 4 January 2018

I suppose that Episode 1 does exactly what a first episode should do - set-up the series for the episodes to come. I had forgotten all about Xena's introduction. We first see her coming over a misty hill on her horse, framed by two trees. Nice shot. We quickly learn that Xena has experienced a change of heart and wants to go home and right old wrongs. In wrestling terms, it's a face turn. Gabrielle's introduction isn't so memorable. She's been taken hostage by some baddies. When we first see her, she's uber-annoying. In fact, she's annoyingly needy throughout this episode. Like I said, it's not the best introduction.

As for the rest of Sins of the Past, if it weren't the first episode, it would hardly be memorable. Xena is pitted against what we are told is an old foe / would-be lover named Draco. He wants her to join him and his army. He threatens her home with destruction if she doesn't. The final fight scene is good, but not great. We are, however, introduced to the Xena style of fighting that carries forward throughout the series. It's a fighting style where physics hardly matter. Xena and Draco are both shown walking on the townspeople's heads. In the real world, this would undoubtedly cause injury to the people doing the walking or the people being walked on. Not here. Xena even uses a couple of people as springboards, doing a flip off their heads. You have to accept it or you'll have problems with a lot of what's to come. 


Anyway, a decent start to a fantastic series. It's not as spectacular as most of the rest of the series, so I feel comfortable giving it a slightly above average 6/10.

6/10