Xena: Warrior Princess (TV Series) The Xena Scrolls (1997) User Reviews

The Xena Scrolls

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 25 August 2020]

With Lucy Lawless still recovering from her injuries. This is by and large a clips episode framed around a pastiche of Indiana Jones.

Janice Covington is a no nonsense archaeologist in 1940 Macedonia. She is digging up the tomb of Ares. She also looks a lot like Gabrielle.

Mel Pappas is the daughter of a late world famous archeologist. She has come to help Janice in translating ancient writings but first she needs to be rescued by Janice. Melinda looks a lot like Xena.

Together they find clues to the Xena scrolls which might harbour special mystical powers that the Nazis might want.

Jacques S'er is an inept French military officer who also has an interest in the scrolls. He comes across as Inspector Clouseau and looks a lot like Joxer.

It seems they are all descendants of Gabrielle, Xena and Joxer. They need to hold off Nazis and Ares.

Is it real or just a pitch to a Hollywood producer?

Usually a clip show is done because the production is behind schedule, actors are unavailable or the budget has run out. This was done well and it was fun especially as Lucy Lawless and Renne O'Connor swap roles.

Salute to Xena - A 25th Anniversary Review

[skullface2020 · 7/10 · 26 April 2020]

The year is 1940, and the setting is an archeological dig in Macedonia. Three strangers suddenly find themselves working together to discover the ancient mysteries regarding Xena, Warrior Princess. They must use all of their skills to get to the bottom of this ancient story before some bad dudes get there first and unlock a lot of trouble for the world.

SYNOPSIS

Dr. Janice Covington (Renne O'Connor) is an American archeologist working to discover the ancient secrets regarding Xena at this site in Macedonia. She gets a visit from Mel Pappas (Lucy Lawless) who has arrived to help her. Covington wrote Pappa's late father for help since he was an expert in this field, and instead Mel has shown up in order to offer her services. Pappas realizes that Covington is the daughter of a controversial deceased archeologist who allegedly sold his treasures to the highest bidder. He was often called a grave robber, but Dr. Janice Covington wants to distance herself from this claim and help the world with her work. Suddenly the digging site falls into chaos, and the workers flee. A fancy French military officer named Jacques S'Er (Ted Raimi) shows up to help the two women. He's here to make sure any powerful discoveries they make don't fall into the hands of the Nazi's who are currently waging war against much of Europe.

A shady businessman by the name of Smythe arrives on the scene with his goons and is seeking to purchase the discoveries that Dr. Covington makes. Covington doesn't trust him, but Mel Pappas is too trusting and just straight up helps him decipher an ancient script that gets all of them access to an under ground tunnel system. Artifacts and writings on the wall tell the stories of Xena, Warrior Princess, and how she along with Gabrielle fought evil forces for good. Smythe and his men are evil punks, and a chase scene chaos erupts and the members of the group get separated. Pappas finds half of an item that used to be Xena's chakram, and they end up in a room with a coffin. From the coffin arises Ares, god of war! He knows all about the people whom he meets. For example, Jacques S'Er is actually an American named Jack Kleinman who was only posing as a French officer. He had heard about the Xena treasures from a family history, and he also wanted to keep them from falling into the wrong hands. One of the group is actually descended from Xena herself. Dr Covington thinks it might be her, but it's actually Mel Pappas who is a descendant of Xena. Covington is a descendant of Xena's sidekick and friend Gabrielle.

So basically Ares wants to escape and reign terror on the world once again, but he's stuck in the cavern unless Xena's descendant uses the chakram to activate a crystal that can get him out. Even though he's stuck here, he's not without options. He ties up Covington and Kleinman, and threatens to crush them with a large swinging ball unless Pappas releases him. She transforms into Xena, uses the chakram to free Covington and Kleinman, and saves the day. The good guys escape the cave system, and Covington even offers Kleinman a post in her next project. He declines since it's time for him to go his own way. Maybe Pappas and Dr Covington will work together. They had both been living in the shadows of their famed fathers, but they have great skill in their own right. Plus they also share a desire to use their abilities to help others.

NOTES

The stories of Xena, Gabrielle, and even Joxer will last for millennia, and they are very powerful indeed. All of the actors did a great job of portraying colorful 20th century personalities. This episode may have been hastily made in order to accommodate Lucy Lawless as she recovered from a serious injury.

Enter: Dr Janice Covington, Mel Pappas, Jack Kleinman, John Smythe

content review episode

[jazz_age_red_hot_mama · 5/10 · 19 January 2010]

I dislike content review episodes in general. This one was perhaps somewhat better crafted than the rest. It takes place in the 1940s with the actors who play Xena, Gabrielle and Juxxeur playing their future descents, who incidentally look exactly like them. It is simply review of previous episodes. but the highlight for me is Gabrielle is dressed up to look like a female Indiana Jones. it's the cutest thing I've ever seen, i would watch it again just for that! Of course this episode while being a review episode, has its own plot, which i wouldn't ordinarily review for you, hence I might spoil it. but as I need 10 lines to submit this... I'll review it anyway. the descendants are looking for the "Xena scrolls" which, it must be Gabrielle's writings of Xena's many adventures. The descendants all meet together and join in the effort to find the scrolls, while some bandits almost beat them to it. Through combined effort of many forces, a tomb is opened that contains the scrolls, plus Xena's chakram. The chakram was disassembled, but once put back together, Ares, god of war, who was entombed is then freed. Xena possesses the body of her descendants and does battle with Ares. She manages to trap ares in the tomb and then she goes away and the 3 descendants rush out of the castle.