Xena: Warrior Princess - Season 05  (1999)

Theatrical Release Information:
Xena: Warrior Princess - Season 05

It sure looked like curtains for Xena: Warrior Princess at the end of the series' fourth season, what with both Xena (Lucy Lawless) and her traveling companion, Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), being crucified by the Romans, the fulfillment of a prophecy by the evil shamaness Alti (Claire Stansfield). But given the amazing recuperative power of our heroines, both of whom had spectacularly arisen from the dead on previous occasions, it came as no surprise during season five that reports of their permanent demise were highly exaggerated. But though Xena and Gabrielle are eventually restored to the land of the living, they still have their share of trials and tribulations. Impregnated under mysterious circumstances, Xena gives birth to a daughter named Eve, an "immaculate conception" tied in with Gabrielle's devotion to the martyred prophet Eli (Tim Omundson). It soon develops that Eve has been targeted for extermination by the Olympian Gods, the result of a prophecy that the girl's birth would be the beginning of the end of the Gods' rule over Earth. As for Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), she is afforded the opportunity to ascend to the throne of Queen of the Amazons -- but this honor may require her to inflict heavy and horrible punishment upon her old friend Joxer (Ted Raimi). Joxer truly becomes "old" rather suddenly two-thirds of the way through the fifth season -- in fact, in one fell swoop 25 years pass by, during which both Xena and Gabrielle are in a state of suspended animation, frozen in a block of ice. Upon thawing out, the ladies discover that their old adversary Ares (Kevin Smith), God of War, has a powerful new ally: Fierce female warrior Livia, "The Bitch of Rome." Xena is disheartened to learn that Livia is none other than her own, grown-up daughter Eve (Adrienne Wilkinson), with whom she may be forced into mortal combat for the good of humankind. As in past years, season five bade goodbye to some familiar characters while introducing new ones. The most significant farewell was that of Joxer, who dies at Livia/Eve's hands. But the spirit of Joxer lives on, figuratively speaking, in the form of his stalwart son, Virgil (William Gregory Lee). Also in the tradition of previous seasons, the fifth-year run of Xena: Warrior Princess ended with a cliffhanger. This time around, Xena engaged in hand-to-hand combat against the Olympian Gods, with the fate of all the combatants remaining in the balance until the beginning of season six. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide