Many thanks to Kathleen F for the transcript
"The Gay People's Chronicle”
Ohio's Weekly Newspaper for Gays, Lesbians and Transgender CommunityJuly 6, 2001, p. 11
On the Air/Off the Press By John Graves
Killing Off ‘Xena’ for Finale is a Sad Disappointment
After numerous declarations to spend eternity together, Xena and her beloved Gabrielle were separated by death in the dark, disturbing, and to this writer, disappointing two part finale of Xena: Warrior Princess.
Even after she is shot with arrows and killed, her body mutilated and burned, and her ghost stripped, whipped and humiliated, Gabrielle had a chance to restore her dear Xena, only to have Xena tell her she must remain dead or the 40,000 souls she saved by killing an evil samurai ghost would be doomed to hell.
The show ends with Xena fading out of existence as the two women watch the sundown which only ends Gabrielle's chance to restore her beloved – leaving her to wander the globe with only Xena's spirit to accompany her.
Although some of you may think the ending was cool, in a way, may Xena fans did not. The New York Daily News reported Xena related web sites were besieged with complaints the producers went back on their promise not to kill off the character as the show ended and that the violence laden finale was nothing more than a “snuff’ film.
Commenting before the final show aired, the producers said they ‘couldn't please everybody’ with the ending. Just who were they pleasing anyway? Why couldn't the two women have been shown in their autumn years living together in their own home or, if they had to be killed off, who couldn't they have died together? The end that was chosen will make it painful to watch the show in reruns. It was an ending that didn't have to be.