Xena: Warrior Princess is a show that is known for a lot of its characteristics; the great special effects, the great cast and crew, the great amount of action, drama, comedy, and subtext. For all of you who dont know what subtext is let me tell you, subtext, in the case of Xena, can be defined as reading between the lines, is coming to the conclusion that the relationship between certain characters in the series isnt just what it seems to be, that there could be some sexual interest or sexual relationships involved, you can come to that conclusion after analyzing closely the behavior of certain characters in certain situations. Of course subtext is not something that is written in stone, it all depends in whether the viewer decides to see it or not.

Xena and Gabrielle
For all of us who watch the show it is impossible to overlook the great amount of subtext found in the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle. But the funny thing is that the producers first concept of Xena and Gabrielle was to portray them as very close friends, as close as sisters. But it didnt take long for the people to start wandering and start reading between the lines about the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle, the producers of course took advantage of that, they started to nurture that side of the show, to put in some more scenes that dealt with the subject, because they saw that each time more people were tuning in to see for themselves if Xena and Gabrielle were more than just friends. Their idea sure worked, the most watched episode of all time was The Quest, which included the classic first kiss between Xena and Gabrielle(of course they covered it up because Xena was in Autolycus body so he got to finish the kiss).

You definitely got give the producers and the writers credit, for six whole years they have been able to keep us all wandering, because they have always been very smart when it comes to subtext, they have always been able to leave the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle right in the middle, in the fine line that separates them from being lovers or friends. The thing that makes the subtext so complicated and such a delicate matter is that we have proof that backs up both theories. On one side we have the constant struggle of both characters to be together, the constant expressions of love such as hugs, kisses, mouth to mouth resuscitations, certain lines in the dialog that could be cataloged as weird and so on and so on. On the other side we have to say that there is no real evidence, not one scene in which we find Xena and Gabrielle actually doing uh, well you know, that thing, not to mention the fact that they have never said anything confirming one thing or the other. The producers and writers have never told us the truth, and never will because they know that one part of the xenaverse would be disappointed, and we cant have that. So the only thing I can say is that is up to you decide whether to see it or not.

My personal opinion
I, like millions of other people, have seen the great amount of subtext surrounding the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle, but it doesnt bother me, at least not anymore, because in my opinion the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle is not sexual, I think it goes to a higher level, they are best friends, soul mates, and all their struggles and everything they have been through has brought them so close together that they share a bond that nothing and nobody could ever break, not gods or mortals, not hate or pain, not even death, they will love each other forever. Ive have been recently introduced to a new term(I read it in and article from www.guerreraybarda.50megs.com, although the site is in Spanish you should check it out),romantic friendship, this kind of relationship can be defined as a friendship so deep, and so strong that is very similar to a romantic relationship. Both friends love each other so much that they are constantly expressing that love in a lot of different ways, all the time. In my opinion that pretty much describes the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle, their love goes to a higher level, they are soul mates and best friends, but that doesnt make them lovers. But like I said, it all depends in how you decide to look at the facts.

More subtext
Subtext lovers have even found evidence of sexual relationships between Xena and other characters such as Callisto, Alti and Lao Ma. To be honest I have never seen such things, but like I said subtext is open to interpretation. Lets take Callisto, for example, they just cant believe that two women fighting to death in tight leather outfits were not attracted to each other. Besides they have always supported the idea that Callistos interest in Xena was not just to kill her, it was for something a lot more intimate than that. They support those ideas with some dialogs and situations that in their opinions are highly subtextual. Without a doubt Xena: Warrior Princess could never have been what it has always been without the subtext, it has given it a certain mystery and beauty. But like I said subtext is always open to interpretation; but whether you are a subtext lover or not one thing is certain, Xena: Warrior Princess gave the word friendship a whole new meaning.