Many thanks to SLK for the transcript & Maria for the scan
Adelaide Advertiser Newspaper
(Australia)
20 June 2001
Xena fans in shock over grisly series end for warrior princess
ROB Tapert, executive producer of TV's Xena: Warrior
Princess may have to lie low for a while after the final episode of his popular cult
series, shown in 115 countries, aired in the US this week. So how did it all end for the
butt-kicking Warrior Princess who made leather an attitude and fashion statement?
Did she ride into the sunset with her faithful partner Gabrielle after six long seasons or, perhaps, resolve the are-they or aren't-they question about their ``close'' friendship? No, Tapert and his writers had Xena (played by Tapert's wife Lucy Lawless) beheaded in Japan, while a horrified Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) throws up as she retrieves the mutilated body. It's a bit hard to do a Xena comeback as her body is cremated, making the fans not just unhappy but seething. Rumours of a Xena movie have not stemmed the fury.
It goes down in history as one of the most hated finales. One Xena Net site promises ``group therapy'' sessions for fans (www.whoosh.org). An unrepentant Tapert apparently said he knew the ending ``wouldn't please everyone''. Try no one.
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(Caption) BEHEADED: Actor Lucy Lawless in her television role of Xena in Xena: Warrior Princess.