How Xena: Warrior Princess Turned An Overused Trope Into Its Funniest Episode Ever

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 2 minutes ago

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.