#xabrielle

As always, I want to use Xena and Gabrielle as the example as I consider them the representation of yin-yang. The human representation of yin-yang.

I mean I could talk about the yin-yang chakram that Xena carries around with her following the episode ‘Chakram’ in Season 5 but really, that’s just the symbolism for what Xena and Gabrielle already thematically represent in their dynamic.

Plus I’ve gone into the lore of the chakram before and what I interpret it to mean in the storytelling.

No. It’s the lead characters themselves and the dynamic between them where this makes the most sense for what I want to explain about it.

So if you’ve read my character study thesis or you have studied either Taoism/Buddhism/Hinduism, you will know that yin-yang represents opposing forces that have contrast to it like Light/Dark, Hot/Cold, Black/White, Peace/War, On/Off. You get the idea. There’s thousands upon thousands of these contrasting forces in the Universe that nature itself practically forms itself and runs itself off of them. Yin-yang in religion text is thought of like nature’s way of doing everything and it’s a philosophy many people in the world follow for living their life. It is like a guide for how to live. Some even think of yin-yang like the true “God”, which is very difficult to understand because it’s not any kind of omnipotent being like Christianity or Judaism teaches. These are just forces that exist in the Universe like how the sciences teach.

The laws that govern the Universe like gravity and electromagnetism and thermodynamics - they all work off of contrasting forces. But don’t be so quick to confuse Universal scientific laws with Universal spiritual laws because there is a lot about both that are not thoroughly understood.

Metaphysics is still a very difficult thing to convey in science and science itself doesn’t have the full picture to what is going on in our world - let alone the entire Universe. The Big Bang Theory is still very much only just a theory after all as much as it is the leading scientific theory of the past century.

There is much about life and reality that we miss and likely will do so as long as the laws of science and spirituality do not agree with each other. For me personally, that just all the more proves that they are one and the same because - once again - it is a contrast and a contradiction and yin-yang is that. That’s how it functions. Things contrast. Things contradict. If they don’t they don’t move, they don’t shift, they don’t evolve. That’s the point to it, right? Evolution.

What Xena and Gabrielle are all about both as individual characters and as a dynamic together is contrasting forces and the laws that govern them for the ultimate goal of evolution of a fully realized self and this is why yin-yang works so well for me in explaining their individual arcs and the arcing of their relationship. They are total opposites all the way through the entire show even when they role-reverse because they role-reverse in the opposite directions from each other. Gabrielle gets harder, Xena gets softer. Gabrielle gets quieter, Xena gets louder. Gabrielle gets darker, Xena gets lighter. They never meet in the middle with this.

But all the while this is happening, they comfort each other through it. They help navigate each other through it. They provide the other’s anchor through it. All this transitioning for the both of them is difficult and scary and painful BUT they can take it because they have each other in it.

Yin-yang can be enemies. They can bite each other’s tails. They can consume each other. They can swallow each other.

But it’s the whole point of why it even exists at all.

There’s very few character dynamics in TV art/entertainment that truly represent yin-yang like Xena and Gabrielle do. Yeah, you might have two characters that role-reverse, that contrast each other, that are opposites from each other, but you won’t really have the underlying factor that they fundamentally are inseparable from each other because that’s what yin-yang is. It’s already whole. It’s already one.

Yin-yang are contrasting forces because they make up the whole by constantly being in opposition together.

By eternally opposing each other, they are one whole.

This is what Xena and Gabrielle represents thematically.

They ultimately represent the eternal duality of the fully realized self in a perpetual evolution and that’s why AU and reincarnation episodes really work for showing the profound dynamic that they have when you truly understand why they are there. What their purpose is.

I’ve written about yin-yang so many times and I love when TV art/entertainment uses it like ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ for example. But I’ve never seen it used as well as it is used in Xena between Xena and Gabrielle.

Because everything about them as individual lead characters comes right back to what they are as a dynamic. As two sides of a whole. As one soul in two bodies. It’s a theme in the show I’ll always appreciate.

And the very fact they made it work romantically is impressive because usually in TV art/entertainment…

It’s not. In fact it’s usually between mortal enemies whenever yin-yang is represented to any significant degree at all in TV art/entertainment. And I suppose that’s why ‘The Bitter Suite’ works as well as it does.

Because they essentially are enemies in that episode.

But yet they still represent the card of The Lovers in it.

It’s just something I love talking about when it comes to Xena and Gabrielle’s dynamic because I feel like it’s something a lot of people who watch the show don’t know about it or about them. Don’t pick up about them. But it runs around in my head on a daily basis how well yin-yang is represented in the show and how profound Xena and Gabrielle’s dynamic is because of it. People love that they are an “opposites attract” dynamic but I don’t think they realize how deep that actually goes.

But that’s why I’m here. To explain the depth of their absolutely profound opposites attract dynamic. To put it in writing what you’re actually seeing and engaging in when you watch the show and you feel captured by it.

What you are watching is the eternal yin-yang itself and if you’re a believer in the ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism, it will affect you in a way your mind is not ready for just yet because these characters are phenomenally written, directed and performed that you will feel like there’s no other ship in TV art/entertainment that quite matches up to what Xena and Gabrielle have together.

My goodness this was a fascinating analysis. I didn’t resonate with much of it personally but I know many would. It confirms what I’ve been saying about queer media not being permitted specifically if it’s WLW in TV art/entertainment because it’s not just homophobia or queerphobia that’s the issue. It’s feminism vs misogyny.

Also, because this never personally resonated for me I was just thinking of this cute baby gay the whole time:

Gabrielle is definitely a comphet lesbian and I love that she was intentionally written that way by Steven L. Sears and R.J. Stewart to the point where she never had a coming out story as such (of course she wouldn’t with the show being censored) - she just sort of naturally fell into her queerness when she left heteronormativity by actively choosing to follow a woman she was attracted to into the unknowns of action/fantasy and romance.

So much of her representation screams queerness on several levels - not just the sexuality aspect - and that’s why she’s such a beloved character even to this day in regards to women-led and WLW TV art/entertainment.

She’s the only female character that I know that went the complete opposite way from what society expects in TV art/entertainment. From feminine to masculine. From perceived straight to ambiguously queer or gay.

Every other female character - especially lead or main ones - have done the total opposite of that and that’s why she stands out among the masses and Renee is constantly being asked questions about her character in terms of discovering her sexuality and her identity.

And while she never states anything for Gabrielle in terms of what her sexuality is or tries to define her in sexuality, you can tell she 100% supports the notion.

She just doesn’t like labels.

Fair enough. Many of us don’t.

But yes, the greater point to this analysis is something I have written about on here a few times now. That being queer seems to be much more permitted if it’s a male in a relationship with another male and not if it’s WLW and the reason for that has less to do with the queerness factor and much more to do with the feminism factor.

And you can look at Xena and Gabrielle as the example because Lucy has even said herself that people in the lesbian community had a problem with Gabrielle having short hair and looking or presenting as “butch” and that that takes away from their dynamic - which is just absolutely bullshit. If anything it makes it even stronger because it’s not only subverting gender stereotypes, roles and positions for women, but also validating them and specifically if they’re in a romantic relationship or are romantically involved in some way, shape or form.

Xena and Gabrielle is the golden standard for all of that but specifically Gabrielle in Season 5 and 6 especially - which is when Renee starts rejecting love interests for Gabrielle be it whether they’re men or women and only wants to validate anything romantic/sexual with Xena and you do not have to take my word for it. You can just watch some behind-the-scenes commentary where it’s clearly stated and confirmed to be the truth of Gabrielle in her later character representation and development.

The fact she’s more masculine, active and butch does nothing but benefit the relationship she has with Xena.

It makes it less power-gappy as it puts them on equal footing as warriors and it establishes that Gabrielle is Xena’s successor as well as partner too in warriorship.

She’s less “Oh, Xena I’m so helpless. Come save me like the heteronormative knight-in-shining armor you are” and more “Xena, you can’t protect me or yourself all the time. Sometimes I need to be the one to save you!”

She challenges her in a way she has never done before and that’s her demanding respect from her as a warrior.

How does this help their relationship or make it more romantic? It doesn’t other than to say that I find that incredibly romantic personally instead of the other shit because it’s not inherently heteronormative and stating that only Xena can be the warrior and the hero either in their relationship or in other interpersonal relationships that they both have across the whole show because of being the only lead characters in all 6 fucking seasons!

Like this is a massive deal and you can’t reduce it just because it doesn’t fit in with your queer fantasy ideals.

And the show itself won’t let you anyway. It refuses to.

This is Xena. This is Gabrielle. This is Xena and Gabrielle.

And so much of what their dynamic is flies in the face of heteronormativity and comphet and that’s why we won’t get it again. Not with any other lead WLW ship.

It’s not just because they’re queer. It’s because they’re queer and unapologetically feminist at the same time.

Sure Gabrielle has a kid. Sure Xena has a kid.

But do they involve male reproduction in that?

Not unless they want to depict it as evil or dark.

There is much about this show heteronormatives don’t like and it goes far beyond the queerness factor of it - which is very much ingrained into the DNA of what it is.

The fact that there’s people even within the queer community that have a problem with that speaks volumes of what they thought Xena was in theory.

And it’s not. It’s nowhere near that and never will be.

“There are a lot of strong characters in television and a lot of partnerships that are fine. But very few where you watch them and think ‘they’re not saying it but they don’t need to’. That was always the thing with Xena and Gabrielle. It’s never fully explained, not really. Never quite clearly defined, but it’s always there. In the way they look at each other, in the way they choose each other again and again. And somehow that’s exactly why it works.

Xena isn’t introduced as a hero. She has a past, a very violent one, and the show doesn’t let you forget that. She’s not trying to prove she’s strong, that would be completely unnecessary. But she is trying to be better, which is harder. What makes her interesting is how controlled she is. She doesn’t waste words. She doesn’t explain herself unless she has to, and that’s usually at the end of a sword. And when she fights, it’s quick, precise, and efficient, and generally fatal. No dramatic speeches, no showing off, just pointy sword, job done. There’s also a kind of dryness to her, a quiet sarcasm. The sort of person who will save your life and then look mildly annoyed about it. And that restraint is what makes her feel rather normal.

Then you have Gabrielle. At the start, she is almost the complete opposite. She talks a lot. She asks questions a lot. She believes people can be better, which standing next to Xena is quite a bold position to take. But she’s not just there to admire Xena, she challenges her as well. Not aggressively, just very persistently. She asks the questions that Xena would rather not answer. She pushes in small ways, and she brings something into the story that Xena doesn’t naturally have. Hope. Not blind optimism, but a belief that things can change, including Xena herself.

What makes the show work isn’t just who they are, it’s who they are together. Xena protects Gabrielle, that part is obvious. But Gabrielle does something just as important. She reminds her that the world isn’t just something to survive. And over time that dynamic shifts in interesting ways. Gabrielle becomes stronger, more capable, less likely to stand behind Xena, and more likely to stand beside her. And Xena softens slightly. Not in an overly dramatic way, she’s still Xena, but she lets someone in, which for her is quite a big deal.

And then there’s the part that everyone noticed, even if the show never quite said it out loud. The relationship between Xena and Gabrielle was always written in a kind of in-between space. You can watch it as a friendship, you can watch it as a partnership, or you can watch it and think ‘that. is. so. gay’. And once the writers realized people were seeing that, they didn’t shut it down. In fact, they leaned into it carefully. It was the 90’s after all. They took it as far as they could go, and with a lot of fun. And that’s why it works, because it wasn’t forced, it wasn’t explained, or you know, there wasn’t any terrible coming out scenes and all that kind of stuff. It was just there.

What makes this work isn’t that they grow, it’s how they grow. It’s in those small moments, the quiet conversations that invariably involved fish for some reason, the times when nothing dramatic is happening, but everything important is. It’s the way Gabrielle looks at Xena when she’s trying, really trying to be better, and the way that Xena, who trusts almost no one, but chooses to trust her, not once, but again and again. That’s the part that stays with you because it feels human, because it’s not rushed or forced. It grows naturally over time. And somewhere along the way it stops being about a warrior and her chatty companion and starts being about two people who have chosen each other through everything, day after day, through the good things and the bad things, through the light and the darkness. And that’s why it lasts, because it feels like a real relationship.

Xena is strength, Gabrielle is hope.

On their own, they’re compelling.

Together, they feel complete.

And that’s why it still works today, not just because of the battles, but because of the bond, because of those quiet moments, because of that choice to stay day after day, in the darkness and in the light. And maybe that’s the real reason people come back to the show, not for the action, but for them.”

Nailed it! And that’s exactly why I refer to them as ‘the human representation of yin-yang’. They are so much apart of each other as soulmates - as chosen destinies to meet and to follow and to revolve around each other into every lifetime, timeline, dimension or afterlife - that they may as well share the exact same body as well as soul. And that’s just what the true nature of what ‘yin-yang’ is. It’s easier to conceive of its meaning being two contrary, separate and distinct parts of one whole but those parts could never function properly without being one and the same fundamentally. It appears to be dual but it is actually nondual at its core because there could never be two parts in the first place if it really wasn’t. I like that the TV show tries to teach this profound lesson through Ares and Aphrodite as the respective God of War and Goddess of Love. Being perfectly in balance because they are bound together in existence. That is also how Xena and Gabrielle’s dynamic functions too.

RENEE: “I think for me there are so many that it became more of a stream like you know how you connect the dots, right? It just became so strong as again like this, you know, sense of the fates, like that you have to just take that into consideration and then wonder, well, what more could we have done, you know? I mean, like we could have, you know, if had we gone on for years, I just think there’s so much more that can be told through these two characters even now. Some are poignant and beautiful and loving and wonderful and with the marriage and children and everything they ever wanted. And some are really sad, you know, like just the feeling of like the isolation or the fear, you know? And this show brought out all of that. And so, I think just through the years I just kind of connect all those dots and go, “Wow, that’s pretty fucking profound”, you know? And how lovely and wonderful and I feel very fortunate to be a part of it all. And I wish there were more opportunities to tell that kind of love story more.”

ALEXI: “Yeah, so do we. Still, even,… it’s 2026 and I can’t really think of a series that really sort of impacted people in the community the way that Xena did, which I mean, we need more. And, you know, another thing I’m curious about is what if it was made today, you know, in 2026? Would it have been that different?”

RENEE: “If it could happen again and it would be made right now, I think that you just lock into the truthfulness. I don’t even know how to say it. Just that’s exactly what I want to see, you know? I want to see that it’s just about - that it doesn’t - I want it to be more than it was, you know, to show like the love between them, right? Physically, but without like - ‘cause I felt like they were always trying to like curb it around or like at the end, you know Gabrielle’s giving the water of life to Xena. You know what I mean? Like Lucy’s like, “What are you drooling on me?” I’m like, “Give me, you know, come on!” But I mean like, you know, like you wouldn’t have to be so ridiculous, right? But at the same time, I agree, Katherine. I don’t think it needs to be graphic, you know what I mean? Because I want to see that pure love and so unapologetic that can just kind of keep moving forward. Sorry.”

ALEXI: “Yeah. I just think that yes, it would be different. And yes, it could potentially be a little bit more obvious. You know, with like they wouldn’t have to - like you said - excuses. We wouldn’t have to have the excuses so much, but would it sort of have the reach that Xena had in that time? I don’t know. You know, like I’m still trying to get certain sapphic stories made and it doesn’t happen. So even though there were kind of obstacles during that time, you know, obviously with the storytelling of it and thanks to the actors, thanks to Katherine, you know, it came across in a way that I don’t think any other real sapphic TV show or film has done.”

I mean, yeah. That woman has some unresolved tension in her regarding Xena and the note the show was left on.

She wanted it to do more. She still wants it to do more.

But the only way that’s going to happen is if she does it and direct it where she wants it to be today. A full focus on the love story between Xena and Gabrielle. I mean I think the show did very well with that as it is. Especially compared to more recent offerings. But I do agree that it needed to be more obvious that the deep profound love that was between them was a romantic love. Even if they weren’t actually a couple or confirmed as being in a romantic relationship. I do agree with her that they could have had more of a focus on their WLW love story without the ridiculous plausible deniability factors for the straight crowd that didn’t want to see that in them.

But what could they do? It was the 90’s/early 2000’s.

By the gods that was a heavy conversation. There was laughs but ultimately they got down to the real shit and there was no way they could keep it so lighthearted. It required addressing it for the seriousness it really was.

They talk about how frustrating it is to not have WLW/queer representation like Xena and Gabrielle today and queer stories not being given what they need to flourish and how epic WLW stories like Katherine’s ‘When Fates Collide’ episode are not being allowed to be shown on TV even to this day. There was a lot that they talked about that revolved around the constant censorship and silencing of love and romance between 2 women.

Renee was explaining how she wishes they could have done more with Xena and Gabrielle in a way that didn’t come with plausible deniability factors and excuses while still being ambiguous enough to still have that freedom to interpret their love any which way you want.

And I agree. It is fucking frustrating. But at the same time, it was also the only way we could keep the depth otherwise it would have just sank like a stone back then and I can see that she knows and understands that as frustrated as she may feel by it today. She’s right but it just wasn’t going to be possible to explicitly show that.

You could see her tearing up as Katherine was talking about how hard it’s been for her as a bisexual woman to live her life the way she chose to live it and love who she wanted to love. Especially the domestic violence stuff.

It was just a heavy talk for the most part but I am very grateful that they chose to address all of this because it’s not going to change. In fact in some ways it’s worse now than it ever has been with so many people in power that want us dead. Queer people and queer allies. It’s not safe for us right now but that’s why we need to stick together even closer than ever before. Hopefully we will have the backing of amazing straight people like Renee who has done so much for us in the queer community and continues to do so knowing the legacy Xena holds.

I hope to see Renee and Katherine do more work together in TV art/entertainment at some point.

Maybe Renee won’t feel so frustrated that way because she doesn’t deserve to feel like she’s not doing enough just because she’s not of the queer community herself.

At this point it’s just as important to have queer allies as well as other queer people around us to feel safer.

Yo. I didn’t know they made Xena and Gabrielle into a wildlife documentary. There’s an uncanny resemblance.

Don’t you think?

You know, I’ve said this before but I really do think Xena and Gabrielle would do poly, however I think Gabrielle would only be okay with it being fully romantic if it was with another woman. Not with a man. Yes, because I interpret her as a lesbian (especially by Season 5 and 6) but also because she’s much more invested in Xena’s lovers if they’re women and therefore more concerned.

Ares - Ares is an outlier because with him, it’s more about him being bad for Xena in a nature sense. Like she opposes him the most because he constantly tries to tempt Xena into her evil ways instead of cultivating the goodness in her. That’s a whole other thing entirely.

But in general, I just think Gabrielle has much more of a concern if Xena’s attracted to other women because she knows how much more emotionally affected she is there and so she’s more protective of Xena because of it. So she’d want to be in with that relationship as much as possible. Of course, if that other woman happens to be Aphrodite, then the tables turn somewhat but Xena wouldn’t be opposed to poly coupling with Aphrodite I don’t think. I’m merely basing this off the “girlfriends” line in ‘The God You Know’. She’d be protective of both.

But yeah, I don’t think poly coupling is off the cards for Xena and Gabrielle. I really don’t. I think it makes sense.

Again - Ares is a much different prospect but there’s potential there. Definitely. Especially if he is a mortal.

I think the toxic or danger factor lessons slightly if he happens to be mortal too and not an all-powerful god.

Like he is in ‘Old Ares Had A Farm’ or ‘Ten Little Warlords’. Xena still says that he is bad for her in ‘Coming Home’ but I think he is significantly less bad for her when ‘war’ isn’t something he does anymore.

When he has to get by the same as all the mortals do. I do think Gabrielle would be okay with that happening but she personally wouldn’t get involved romantically.

Unless - you know - she’s under a spell and she hasn’t consented to whatever’s going on for whatever reason and hasn’t any control over her own actions - which, of course, would cancel out it being romantic altogether.

But I’ve always said that it’s much more interesting of a debate whether they were monogamous/polygamous than it is whether they were/weren’t ever in a romance because I think that’s just boring and arbitrary at this point because it’s not even a debate in the actual show when they have whole ass episodes that are main text.

So yes, poly shipping is definitely an avenue of the Xena/Gabrielle relationship that I would love to talk more about because I think there’s a potential for it.

And I think even the creators/cast/crew would agree as much as they wanted Xena and Gabrielle to be the ship.