Season 3 part 1 on DVD 20th May 2002
UK Release
| 
Top Ten Renee O'Connor Moments
Over the years XENA was on the air, the Renee O'Connor fans got more and more vocal! Renee was an equally large part of the success of the show. So, this is MY selection of her top ten moments on XENA.
10. My vote for Renee's best comic performance is for Fins Femme's and Gems. This is a favourite comedy for most of us, but Gabrielle's self obsession was hilarious. I still think Renee is the better comic actress, she has wonderful timing - the secret to good comedy.
9. It seems like a small thing - a hair cut - but Gabrielle's trim in Between the Lines was initially greeted with howls of protest from Gab fans..."not the golden fleece!!" However, most agreed that Renee actually looked better with short hair. It certainly helped in character development terms.
8. Ides of March was a pretty momentous episode, but especially for Gabrielle. She abandons her way of peace to go on the rampage to defend Xena, we then have that touching jail cell scene with Gabrielle and Xena facing death by crucifixion. An important episode for Gabrielle, and great work by Renee.
7. Callisto introduced two crucial characters. Callisto, of course, and also Joxer, and for many years after Joxer and Gabrielle's relationship was fun to watch. This first ep saw Gabrielle beat him up in almost every way possible! Renee and Ted always worked well together.
6. The Deliverer saw Gabrielle lose her blood innocence, and one of Renee's most dramatic performances. I thought she did an amazong job of showing Gabrielle's trauma at killing for the first time. I believe they had a closed set that day for filming as Renee found the raw bearing of emotions quite tough. It certainly was effective.
5. Sacrifice 2. So much happened to the characters in Season 3, but this episode saw Renee do double duty for the first time - playing Gabrielle AND daughter Hope. Who can forget that S1 cliffhanger with Hope emerging from the cocoon. And talking of cliffhangers, Gabrielle's sacrifice at the end of part 2 was a real shocker!! It certainly had considerable impact throughout the beginning of Season 4.
4. Hooves and Harlots was a crucial episode for Gabrielle in Season 1. Gabrielle was not just the comic relief or damsel in distress, she became Amazon Royalty. The beginning of her character development. Also significant for being the episode where the Mighty Abs make their first proper appearance thanks to those Amazon leathers :)
3. Sins of the Past was a cracker of an opening episode, and Rob Tapert and co deserve huge praise for making the choice of Renee to play Gabrielle. From the first she was a wonderful character. For the first half of the season she was mainly the chatty comic sidekick - a role Renee had trialled in Hercules and the Lost Kingsdom. She wasn't even that popular with fans, so three EXTRA cheers to Rob for having the foresight to realise how popular and successful she WOULD be!
2. Renee, the director! While Deja Vu All Over Again and Dangerous Prey aren't top of the favourites list, Renee went from young experienced actress at the start of S1 to handling a pretty ambitious ep like Dangerous Prey.
1. To Helicon and Back. In my opinion, Renee's best acting over the 6 years of the show. I thought she was fantastic in this episode, showing Gabrielle's dilemma. Can she be a leader in battle when its against her nature. Gabrielle proves herself, and Renee did a fabulous job of showing Gab's emotions.
View Lucy Lawless top ten
|
Email Me to let me know what you think of the old place...