Xena and Gabrielle - First half of season 1

Same episode:

3.12/5.01

...is that they tried to make her into some mix of Lao Ma and Gabrielle. Which only served to cheapen those two relationships as it implies that Xena was drawn to Gabrielle and Lao Ma because of Akemi. Because of how she felt for Akemi at one time.

Which... why did I then watch six seasons of the soulmate-connection that Gabrielle and Xena had? If Gabrielle was merely Xena's type? Why did we make such a big deal of the importance of Lao Ma if she was also just a pseudo-Akemi in the end?

I really can't stand when shows/games/movies do this. Shoehorn something in at the last minute that writers think will "tie everything together", but only serves to make everything worse. Gabrielle and Xena had six seasons. Sure, Lao Ma was only in two episodes but her presence was felt throughout.

Akemi though? Just some random that showed up in the last two episodes that the show tries to convince us was oh-so-important to Xena.

Meanwhile I just sat there the entire time wondering when Xena would realize that Akemi was manipulating her. Because I got villain-vibes something fierce from her. Which at first was cool, because a Xena-villain that does more scheming than fighting would be cool. But then the show tries to make it seem like Akemi was good. That her lies were totally ok. That she could totally be believed. And... what?

She was a liar. At the very least she is withholding information to get Xena to do what she wants. Xena even says as much. Why are we acting like we can trust anything she says? Why are we acting like she was one of the good guys? Like Lao Ma and Gabrielle?

She clearly isn't.

I guess they thought she’d just be another Callisto.

But let’s be honest. The plot would have been better if she was never there at all. She was not necessary.

Xena and Gabrielle - First half of season 5

Maryam Çilingiryan and Khanum Ketenciyan are two women who, during the Armenian Genocide of 1915, founded a group of twenty-five women to protect their people, and thus organised the resistance. After the first days of the genocide — when on April 24th, intellectuals in Istanbul were torn from their homes and deported into the unknown — resistance movements began in many places across Anatolia. One of these places was Urfa, and the organisers of the resistance were women. Khanum and Maryam, with the women’s group they had founded, sprang into action to prevent soldiers from entering the residential quarters. Their first action was directed against an Ottoman military station. When they had collected all the weapons from the station and returned to the neighbourhood, the action spread like a wave through the city and gave the population hope. At precisely this time, the Germans intervened and — through a so-called international aid organisation — called upon the population to surrender, announcing: “Those who surrender will be spared their lives.” Since Khanum and Maryam knew this was a trap, they reinforced their resistance positions with the words: “This is a trap, we will not surrender.” The resistance in Urfa was broken by local militias under the command of Ottoman officer Nedim Bey and German Captain Wolffskeel. German artillery units began to destroy the Armenian neighbourhoods. Maryam lost her life during the resistance; Khanum and four of her companions were taken alive. The following dialogue between the Ottoman officer and Khanum is, in these days, like a refreshing of memory.

Ottoman Officer: How would you show your gratitude if I spared your life? Khanum: I would return and keep fighting. Ottoman Officer: Your cause is hopeless. What will you do? Khanum: We will die in resistance. Ottoman Officer: You will be taken by force. If you wish, you can become my wife. The other girls may choose whichever man they wish to marry. No force will be used; everyone will regain their freedom. Khanum: You mean with dishonour. At the end of this dialogue, Khanum draws the pistol she had concealed in her pocket and kills the Ottoman officer. She is then shot, along with her four companions.

One- Your characters can be bad people, they can do bad things. There doesn't have to be a reason or a moral. You can make them bad if you want to. No other reason needed.

Two- it doesn't have to be good, it just needs to be written. On my last book i literally wrote the words "dumbest version" on the top of the page because I had seen some advice to do that. It changed everything. I stopped trying to make it perfect, I just tried to make it. Period. Full stop. You can edit bad writing. You can't edit a blank page.