Xena the Warrior Princess: The Complete Second Season (7 Discs)

 

 

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[Summary: Just over 4.5 stars; a big step up from Season One's DVD collection]

Note: Just in case you haven't already watched X:WP Season Two, this review contains NO SPOILERS.

Xena: Warrior Princess Season Two DVD collection summary:
- 6 DVDs, with 4 episodes each except for 2 in the last; 22 total episodes.
- 1 CD-ROM, with largely useless content.
- Video: MUCH less grainy than the 16mm film transfer of Season One.
- Audio: Dolby Digital throughout (a big step up from the Dolby Stereo of Season One).
- DVD Extras: Good-quality stills, plus audio and video commentary on three episodes. Season One included zip - nada - bupkus. MUCH better!
- CD-ROM: Same old junk as was included for Season One. Why?
- Price: Lower than Season One, for better quality. Yay!
- Episodes: 22. Season One had 24. The only comparative downside.

Season One rated just over 3.5 stars. Season Two is worth a bit over 4.5 stars -- a major step up.

Disc 1: Portrait of Gabrielle on label
- Orphan of War
- Remember Nothing
- The Giant Killer
- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Disc Extras:
- Still Gallery
- Weblink to Hercules/Xena site

Disc 2: Portrait of Joxer on label
- Return of Callisto
"Return of Callisto" extras: Audio and video commentary by Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor
- Warrior ... Princess ... Tramp
- Intimate Strangers
- Ten Little Warlords

Disc 3: Picture of Xena on label
- A Solstice Carol
- The Xena Scrolls
- Here She Comes ... Miss Amphipolis
- Destiny
"Destiny" extras: Audio and video commentary by Rob Tapert

Disc 4: Picture of Xena (as "Miss Amphipolis") on label
- The Quest
- A Necessary Evil
- A Day in the Life
"A Day in the Life" extras: Audio and video commentary by Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, and Rob Tapert
- For Him the Bell Tolls

Disc 5: Picture of Xena and Draco on label
- The Execution
- Blind Faith
- Ulysses
- The Price
(No extras.)

Disc 6: Picture of Cupid on label
- Lost Mariner
- A Comedy of Eros
(No extras.)

Disc 7 (CD-ROM): Picture of Xena and Gabrielle on label
- Screensaver
- Cast & Director bios
- "Scrolls" - episode cast lists, guest stars ("mortals" and "gods"), search through the scrolls text
- Season Two trivia game

The audio commentaries are the usual option, easily available through the menu for each of the three episodes. The video commentaries are a subset (about 40% in each case) of the audio commentaries, with images of the commentators sitting in front of a wide-screen TV watching the episodes. The same set (except for number of chairs) is used in all three video commentaries.

X:WP Season Two contains performances by the following recurring characters from the Hercules/Xena world:
- Ted Raimi as Joxer, bumbling would-be warrior
- Hudson Leick as Callisto, nemesis extraordinaire
- Kevin Smith as Ares, God of War
- Robert Trebor as Salmoneus, mercurial merchant
- Bruce Campbell as Autolycus, King of Thieves
- Danielle Cormack as Ephiny, Amazon warrior
- Michael Hurst as Iolaus (Hercules' sidekick)
- Tim Thomerson as Meleager the Mighty
- Alexandra Tydings as Aphrodite, Goddess of Love
- Karl Urban as both Julius Caesar and Cupid (son of Aphrodite) (should actually be "Eros"; "Cupid" is his Roman name)
- Jay Laga'aia as Draco

More notable one-shot guest stars from Season Two included:
- Lisa Zane as Miss Skiros
- Mindy (Melinda) Clarke as Velasca
- Rachel Blakely as Penelope
- Tony Todd as Cecrops

More [] fun in the Hercules/Xena world. Get your copy, make some popcorn, and have a party!

I love Xena Warrior Princess and Hercules Legendary Journeys, and season 2 is Xena at her best. Destiny is one of the five best episodes of Xena ever; it reveals what made Xena into the Warrior Princess rather than just another petty warlord, and it has that great Gaelic song. I didn't pay much attention to Remember Nothing when it aired on television, but after watching it twice on dvd, I've realized how important it is to the series. However, the quality of the dvd did not match the quality of the show. It's very grainy; actually, it's the poorest quality of any dvd I've ever seen.

Yet again we have Universal re-releasing the Xena series on their own(it was Anchor Bay last time)here in season two,but again there are NO extras at all-contrary to some previous reviews who seem to be reviewing the Anchor Bay issues;go figure!
In this season the cast,its great directors and its producers Tapert and Raimi,really hit their stride and take the show to a new and better level where it would remain until the last.They brilliantly combined drama,comedy and even pathos to produce some funny yet hard hitting stories,and as such remains one of my favourite seasons of all.If you want to see a prefect example of all three in action,watch the last ep A Comedy of Eros.The drama heats up as Draco(Jay D'Gaia,perfect in that role)plans to capture the Hestian virgins and turn them into slaves.On the comedy side we have Cupid's son(Cupid played wonderfully by Karl Urban,who would also play the juicy role of Caesar)running amok shooting love arrows into the unsuspecting.In the end we have pathos enter the ring with the unrequited love of a crying Joxer.Great stuff.This season sports some of my favourite eps like the comedy/drama A Day in the Life.On the intense side came The Price where Xena and Gabrielle have to fend off the Horde.The intensity and mood is set right from the first few frames of the film and never lets up throughout.There would be few eps of this intensity until the India trilogy later in the series.
This season also sees the return of Callisto(played to perfection by Hudson Leick) and we are introduced to the Goddess of Love herself Aphrodite played by the beautiful Alexandra Tydings in her wonderful Valley girl affectation.Another of my faves is the ep The Lost Mariner which finds one of my favourite actors Tony Todd playing the damned Cecrops.Mr Todd in any role I have ever seen him play in comes to the plate with an intensity and seriousness that few other actors can muster.I don't know why his this totally underrated actor isn't more well known.Of course Kevin Smith as Ares is back;could there ever have been a better person in such a role? I do not think so.
All 22 eps are included in this season and as I said with NO extras.However the sound and picture have improved with season two.The sound is in Dolby 2(as with season one)but it seems much better in separation.The picture is now up to the quality it should be.As I noted in my first season review,that season seems to have been shot for the most part in 16mm because of so much grain in evidence.This season you find it clearer and crisper,as one would expect.And THAT,is a good thing.
All in all I give this season/series a two thumbs up.Everything seems to gel together and the show is off and running and doesn't stop until the end ep.It is one of the best(some would say THE best)seasons the series ever produced.No matter where your personal feelings lay,you will enjoy the proceedings here immensely.Top talent all around,not to mention the consistently high caliber of stunt work,gives us a ride that would never be repeated.Highly recommended.
Addendum:The releases of this series by Universal seem to be getting slower and slower.I hope they do not go the way of the Leave it to Beaver series.With that one,after just two seasons,they decided to let Shout Factory have the honours of finishing off the entire series.Time will tell.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Just the DVD facts (ma'am)
[Summary: Just over 4.5 stars; a big step up from Season One's DVD collection]

Note: Just in case you haven't already watched X:WP Season Two, this review contains NO... Read more

Published on Mar 29 2004 by Henry Perkins

5.0 out of 5 stars Great season of a great show!
A unique mix of action, drama, and humor, of fantasy, history and myth, made X:WP a unique show. All these qualities are on display in Xena's Season 2, probably the show's second... Read more

Published on Jan 20 2004 by Cathy Young

2.0 out of 5 stars really disappointing quality
video glitches - sound glitches - very disappointing quality

the much too brief and inconsequential commentary was also a let down - I expected much more from LL, RT & ROC... Read more

Published on Jan 18 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
All I can say is if you like midevil stories and books like that then this is the series for you. Lucy is excellent.

Published on Jan 13 2004 by samanthabotelho

5.0 out of 5 stars CLASSIC
XENAS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER THE FINEST ACTION SERIES EVER GETS ON ITS FEET VERY HERIOCEPISODES CALLISTOS SHOWN THE MOST IN THIS SEASON THAN ANY OTHER SHES BAD TOI THE BONE

Published on Dec 6 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Xena Addict
This is a must have for the fans who can't see the show anymore. I loved seeing the audio/video on some of the episodes. Read more

Published on Nov 10 2003 by purplehawke

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great Birthday present....
First off let me say I have had none of the technical problems that some of the other reviewers had and it would be a shame if someone who is a fan didn't buy this set because of... Read more

Published on Nov 8 2003 by pjink11

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
This season is better than the first. Every time I watch it something touches my soul.

Published on Oct 17 2003 by Carrie

5.0 out of 5 stars Okay, many fans of XWP have spoken out ...
...about Anchor Bay's latest offering of Season Two. It was alot better than the first season in terms of picture quality and offerings. Read more

Published on Oct 11 2003 by Robert Matthews

5.0 out of 5 stars xena........gone but not forgotten
another in the xena series.......excellent episodes.....can't wait for season three to come out.

Published on Oct 6 2003 by Leonard Anseaume Jr.

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