Xena-Gabrielle relationship

Xena & Gabrielle in the hot tub, "A Day in the Life"

Xena & Gabrielle in the hot tub, "A Day in the Life"

Xena & Gabrielle: The Quest kiss

Xena & Gabrielle: Kiss

The Xena-Gabrielle relationship

Episode guide

• The Prodigal - Xena's sadness & joy when G leaves & comes back
• Altared States (1x19) - first real subtextual sexual tension between X&G
• Ties That Bind (1x20) - Xena's purported father, trying to split up X&G, says you two are a team; I wouldn't want to come between you.
• The Greater Good (1x21) - Gabrielle's grief at Xena's apparent death
• Callisto - X & G share a moment of closeness, and acknowledge their closeness, when G tells X not to turn into a monster if G is killed.
• Death Mask (1x23) - Xena tries to send Gabrielle off, and Gabrielle resists, telling Xena off. Xena watches amused. G tells X's brother, "I'm sorry you had to witness that," giving it the perfect air of a domestic quarrel.
• Is There a Doctor in the House? (1x24) Xena panicked when Gabrielle almost dies (and invents CPR).
• Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (2x04) - lesbian vampire; lesbian bar-type scene; bacchae Gabrielle bites Xena very sexily
• Return of Callisto (2x05) - Xena does not appear very happy that Gabrielle is getting married
• Destiny (2x12) - Xena on verge of dying; Gabrielle's grief
• The Quest (2x13) (dreamscape Xena kisses Gabrielle; Gabrielle's grief at Xena's death)
• A Day in the Life (2x15) (domestic bickering; hot tub scene; Man: Would Xena think about getting married & settling down? Gabrielle: "Oh, she likes what I do." (X tosses a fish at G & hits her in the mouth)
• Blind Faith (2x18) - X risks permanent blindness to save G
• The Lost Mariner (2x21) - X is ready to condemn herself to eternity to save Gabrielle
• A Comedy of Eros (2x22) - Draco suggests to X that G is the "woman you love"
• Been There, Done That (3x02) - G huddling into X to go to sleep; very intimate; X's great joy when she wakes up & G is alive; X playing with coconuts over G's chest; Joxer: "Is that a hickey?"
• The Deliverer (3x04) - X comforting G at the end of the episode
• The Play's the Thing (4x17) - Minya acknowledges: "Gabrielle, I wanted to thank you. I never would have met Paulina here if it wasn't for you. In fact, the two of you made me realize something deep down about myself that I guess I always knew but just didn't dare admit. Yes. I'm a ... thespian!"
• You Are There (6x13) - X&G's relationship

Xena relationships with women

• Lao Ma: "The Debt" and The Debt II
• Akemi
• Anokin
• Callisto - No relationship b/w X&C is implied, but there was sexual tension and attraction. See, e.g., The Bitter Suite (Callisto kisses Xena to wake her up); "Sacrifice 2" (Callisto touches Xena sensually as she is dying)

References

• Jeanne E. Hamming, "Whatever Turns You On: Becoming-Lesbian and the Production of Desire in the Xenaverse", at http://www.genders.org/g34/g34_hamming.txt
• Diane Silver, Xena Subtext FAQ (no longer available online; 2003 April version at Internet Archive)