Entertainment
How Xena: Warrior Princess Turned An Overused Trope Into Its Funniest Episode Ever
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
At the height of 90s syndication, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess dominated the airwaves, proving that there was a massive need for campy, light shows that didn’t take themselves seriously. Both shows would adapt movies, other shows, and legends throughout their runs, but none were as fun as Xena Season 3, Episode 2 “Been There, Done That.” It’s a time loop episode, it’s also Romeo and Juliet, but more importantly, Xena murders Joxer, and it’s played for laughs.
Another Time Loop Episode
“Been There, Done That” starts off as any other episode, with Xena (Lucy Lawless), Gabrielle (Renee O’Conner), and Joxer (Ted Raimi) heading into town when a fight breaks out between feuding families. Joxer is tragically killed in the scuffle and honored with a warrior’s funeral that night as Xena and Gabrielle comfort each other. Then the day starts over again, and quickly, Xena realizes she’s the only one aware that they are reliving the same day over and over and over and over again.
Over the next few loops, Xena tries to prevent as many deaths as she can by getting Joxer out of the fight, but then her horse ends up being burned alive. Stopping an elder of one family from being run over by a wagon causes Gabrielle to be killed in the ensuing melee. Frustrated, Xena kills Joxer with her chakram the next morning, and while Gabrielle is screaming, she rolls over and goes back to bed. She’ll rise, but she refuses to shine.
No one plays annoyed quite like Lucy Lawless. “Been There, Done That” lets her portray a grumpy, frustrated Xena who can’t help trying to do the right thing, even if it never quite works out. Finally, she discovers the source of the time loop and spends an entire day doing nothing but measuring every angle, nook, and cranny of the village while the massive brawl goes on around her. With the greatest chakram throw of her life, Xena breaks the loop, and honestly, it’s a bit surprising she only murdered Joxer once.
Two Overdone Tropes In One Episode
If a show is on the air long enough, it’s going to have a time loop episode. Stargate SG-1 did it (“Window of Opportunity”), Star Trek: The Next Generation had one (“Cause and Effect”), and after the success of Happy Death Day, Edge of Tomorrow, and Palm Springs, we’re due for another Groundhog Day movie any day now. When “Been There, Done That” aired in 1997, the trope wasn’t as well-worn as it is today, but it was already so cliche that the writing team knew exactly what the audience expected the moment the loop began.
Adding the Romeo and Juliet plot to a time loop combines two overdone stories into one overstuffed episode that, against the odds, works. Adapting Shakespeare’s tragic love story of two teenagers who end up causing widespread murder and mayhem is another plot that every show has done, including the Super Mario Bros. Super Show and every single procedural you can think of. Xena’s encounter with the story puts more of the focus on the feuding family part of the story and less on the star-crossed lovers, but her reaction, a frustrated sigh, matches how most viewers react to yet another retelling.
Xena: Warrior Princess is filled with references to other movies, shows, and stories, including an entire episode that adapts Footloose. Pay attention, and you’ll catch shots lifted straight from John Wayne movies, lines from Dumb & Dumber, and, since it’s a Sam Raimi production, there are more than a few Evil Dead allusions. 30 years later, the cheesy series that gave us an action icon is still as popular as ever, and it’s in large part thanks to episodes like “Been There, Done That” that aren’t afraid to wink at the audience, throw out any expectations this will be a serious story, and lets viewers sit back, relax, and have mindless fun.
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for March 22, 2026
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
Parasite.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
LEECH
Hurdle Word 2 hint
A memorial.
Mashable Top Stories
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
VIGIL
Hurdle Word 3 hint
To fret.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
PANIC
Hurdle Word 4 hint
Came to life.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
AWOKE
Final Hurdle hint
The source.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
CAUSE
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Entertainment
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on March 22
After several nights of near darkness, the Moon is finally illuminated enough that keen sky gazers can start to spot some features on the surface again. Keep reading to find out what you may be able to see tonight.
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Sunday, March 22, the Moon phase is Waxing Crescent. According to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide, 14% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.
Tonight marks the return of enough of the Moon’s surface to see some exciting features. For example, without any visual aids NASA tells us you can spot the Mare Fecunditatis and the Mare Crisium. These are situated on the middle right of the moon, or middle left if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere.
With binoculars or a telescope, you’ll see these and also the Edymion Crater, positioned at the top right, or bottom left.
When is the next Full Moon?
In North America, the next Full Moon is predicted to take place on April 1.
What are Moon phases?
NASA says the Moon takes about 29.5 days to orbit Earth, going through eight different phases. We always see the same side, but the Sun lights up different portions as it moves, which is why it can look full, half, or just a thin sliver. These changing shapes are called the lunar phases, and there are eight in total:
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New Moon – The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it’s invisible to the eye).
Waxing Crescent – A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter – Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.
Waxing Gibbous – More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon – The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous – The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)
Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) – Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent – A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
Entertainment
This $430 MacBook Pro deal wont stick around for long — act fast to save
TL;DR: Get a near-mint Apple MacBook Pro (2020) for $429.97 (reg. $1,999) — featuring a Retina display, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD while stock lasts.
$429.97
$1,999
Save $1,569.03
MacBook Pros are known for their performance and build quality, but they’re also known for their price tags. That’s why refurbished deals can be worth paying attention to, especially when they involve higher-end models.
Right now, a near-mint Apple MacBook Pro (2020) is available for $429.97 (reg. $1,999) for a limited time. With Grade A refurbished condition, it arrives in like-new condition, while delivering the same performance the MacBook Pro line is known for.
Key features:
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2GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz
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16GB RAM for smooth multitasking and demanding workloads
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13.3″ Retina display (2560×1600) with Apple’s True Tone technology
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Intel Iris Plus Graphics for creative work and streaming
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Touch Bar for shortcuts
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Touch ID fingerprint login
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Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports
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Up to 10 hours of battery life for working on the go
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Optimized for the latest macOS
If you’ve been waiting for a reasonably priced MacBook Pro, this refurbished 2020 model is on sale for just $429.97 (reg. $1,999) while stock lasts.
Mashable Deals
Want to see more deals? Visit the shop and use code MARCH15 to save an extra 15% sitewide through March 29. Exclusions apply.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
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