I received a huge spoiler about the ending and now I'm kind of discouraged from continuing to watch.

[-]

Please don't be discouraged. For all I despise the ending and it still makes me mad/sad...I wouldn't give up the rest of the show for anything.
When you get to S6, there are some alternate viewing orders you could try if you did want to watch the finale, but there are plenty of fans out in the world who have never watched it at all. It's entirely up to you. But please give the rest of the series a chance.

[-]

IseQween@reddit

Some stopped watching the show after seeing spoilers for season 3 or hearing about developments affecting season 5. A few returned to watch select eps from season 6. I've regularly rewatched the whole series since it started. I have favorites I pick out to view by themselves. Of 134 eps, there are only three I don't mind missing and they don't include the finale.

[-]

ImprovementDry273@reddit

The show aired over 30 years ago; I can’t imagine how you expected to avoid spoilers. Whether we like or dislike the ending, as fans we accept it for what it is. If it matters that much to you, then don’t watch any more. At least you found out now before watching all 6 seasons.

[-]

Strange_Ad5594@reddit (OP)

But at no point did I say I was avoiding spoilers??? What I said was that knowing about Xena's unsatisfactory death discouraged me... Did you even read my post???

[-]

ImprovementDry273@reddit

I absolutely did. But the fact is that you were going to read a spoiler at some point in your Xena journey that gave away the ending. That was completely inevitable. If you are only three episodes in and the spoiler has made you that discouraged, then the series clearly isn’t for you. And “unsatisfactory death” is a matter of opinion. I don’t think you are in a position to decide if her death was satisfactory (or otherwise) after only three episodes.

[-]

freyalorelei@reddit

"Let's pretend it never happened!" -- direct quote from one Lucille Frances Lawless that I witnessed her say on stage with my own two eyes.

Seriously, if Lucy herself disavowed the ending, I think you can safely ignore it.

[-]

IseQween@reddit

Lucy said she was proud at first, that the show ended with "bold" choices it had always made. She later learned about negative fan reactions, how devastated many were. Ultimately, her (often spotty) recollections and changing opinions may be influenced by a combination of factors -- respect for her producer husband, for her own and the production staff's "give it everything" to the end, for the cinema-like beauty of the ep, for loyal fans who personally identified with the characters.

I love Lucy and have followed her evolution over the decades. I'm always interested in her take on various topics, but certainly not as all knowing or set in stone.

[-]

Strange_Ad5594@reddit (OP)

Ironically, it was while researching the actress that I found out about the ending spoiler, lol. But thank you for your kind words, that's definitely encouraging me to watch it again.

[-]

detectivesilva@reddit

It’s about the journey not the destination

[-]

Bulky-Summer86@reddit

I felt this way too. I grew up watching Xena when it originally aired but never caught the last season. So this sub had me dreading it, but honestly it didn't destroy me because Xena was still there the whole time explaining her choice. I hope that wasn't a spoiler, but I say all that to say keep going and keep watching. There are so many great episodes you're missing out on if you quit in season 3. So many laughs 'un-lauged'. Lol. Keep going!

[-]

Lakinther@reddit

He is on episode 3, not season 3!

[-]

Bulky-Summer86@reddit

Omg. Thank you for correcting me. This somehow makes it worse.

[-]

Bulky-Summer86@reddit

And her death was her choice not some baddie getting the better of her. That's what I dreaded.

[-]

Tonglentoo@reddit

Probably shouldn't.

[-]

Feisty-Self-948@reddit

This is one of those shows, to me, where the journey matters more than the destination. The finale is absolute trash, but there are so many good moments and arcs before then.

Maybe think about it how I'm approaching Game of Thrones, I already know the broad strokes. But there's tons of characters and plots that I don't know how they end. Xena is obviously less complex, but there's still so many good journeys. Maybe even moreso due to the serial nature of the show.

[-]

Lakinther@reddit

I wouldnt worry about it. Its not the kind of series you watch for a huge overarching plot anyways

[-]

Bloodygoodwossname@reddit

lol, I hated the ending so I just pretend it doesn’t exist. Just enjoy the episodes for what they are, it’s Xena warrior princess it’s not that serious.

[-]

RiversSecondWife@reddit

If you don't want to watch the Friend in Need episodes, I do have a handy solution. When you get to episode 17, you're going to stop and change the order a bit. So it'll be:

S6.E17 ∙ Last of the Centaurs
S6.E20 ∙ Soul Possession
S6.E18 ∙ When Fates Collide

And finally:
S6.E19 ∙ Many Happy Returns

In my opinion the last half of season 6 can be viewed in any order.

I'm sorry someone spoiled it for you, but this is the order to watch if you want to see the girls ride off into the sunset together. The last two episodes were written in a rush after Kevin Smith died. In my opinion, they should have gone for something shorter and lighter. Happily, you don't ever have to watch it.

[-]

WarAgile9519@reddit

I get it . There is a certain story arc near the end of the show that I just loath so I usally just stop watching at that point during re-watches . I will say for what it's worth that within the context of her story Xena's fate feels very fitting , if bittersweet.

[-]

sjcs1@reddit

uhhhhh, the ending is so separate from the rest of the series - i can’t imagine that this would ruin the watching experience. season 3 is good and has its own arc. season 4 ties up some of the aftermath of 3 but also really has its own arc (one of the strongest and most well planned storylines in all of the show). and then seasons 5 and 6 happen and at that point if you wanna stop, go for it (it’s still worth watching, but 3 and 4 are some of the best tv from that time)

[-]

sjcs1@reddit

also i don’t necessarily hate the ending the way that a lot of people do. i do think seasons 5and 6 overall aren’t as strong an i only own the prior dvd sets

[-]

River_806@reddit

I just did my first full watch too. I finished it last week. Unfortunately I found this group somewhere around season 3 and I too saw the spoiler for the end. I have loved this group and the posts though. When I first read what happens I wasn’t sure I could finish it either, but I talked myself into it late one night. It’s worth it you should definitely watch it just be semi prepared. You can’t be fully prepared you’ll think you are but you really aren’t. I cried like a baby for the first time in over decade it was actually probably good for me.

[-]

takkun169@reddit

You don't watch a 5 season show for the ending. Your watch it to see everything else.

[-]

Individual-Pay7430@reddit

Keep watching it. You've barely scratched the surface here. Watch ALL of Xena, even the finale. I don't think you will regret it.

[-]

Evilbuffy14@reddit

Aww, don't be discouraged. A lot of us don't watch or recognise AFIN for that reason, as I'm sure you've gathered from some of the discussions on here. You don't have to watch it. It won't make any difference to the preceding episodes. The series is so worth watching. There are so many fun elements and important lessons along the way. Don't stop watching.

[-]

Cruise1313@reddit

Absolutely watch the show but don’t watch the finale.

[-]

Fuzzy_Ability8284@reddit

Oh, silly! A Friend in Need isn't even canon! Everyone knows the true finale of the series is When Fates Collide. Don't let this simple misunderstanding deprive you of experiencing one the greatest television series of all time.

You haven't even gotten to Callisto yet! I truly envy you.

[-]

plasticlover95@reddit

J'aime bien "Many Happy Returns" , j'ai l'impression qu'on retrouve l'ambiance fun et absurde de la première saison (et en plus avec Aphrodite!)

[-]

QuothTheRaventh@reddit

There's so much more left to watch. Even if you already know how Xena's story ends, you've barely seen any of it as of S01E03. If you want to just skip the finale, then do so, but you'll be missing out if you stop so soon. You haven't even seen most of the stuff people really love about the show.

[-]

ZvsGrgs@reddit

🤷‍♂️ many wonderful moments until the finale.

[-]

Overall-Ask-8305@reddit

I don’t hate it like many. I think it ties back into season four. Xena chose her way and the ending was always going to be what it was because that was her path. I don’t want to spoil anymore for you, but keep watching the show and decide how you feel about the ending for yourself.

[-]

SakuraTacos@reddit

I love the finale (for the most part) and I hold firm that if it wasnt the last episode and aired before When Fates Collide, it would be highly regarded up there with The Debt and Ides of March.

I think about as happy of an ending that Xena could’ve had was a death on her terms where she could have some closure with Gabrielle.

Anyway, we saw Xena die and resurrect so many times, it’s so easy to imagine that’s not the end for her.

[-]

MercifulExistential@reddit

Nice to see someone here not jumping on "the ending isn't canon!" bandwagon.

[-]

Pop_Stensbold@reddit

yes very refreshing to see. I personally don't have a problem with the final episode.

[-]

FirefighterThink1556@reddit

The last season of XWP doesn’t have an arc to it so you can stop watching at any point and call it the end. You aren’t actually missing much if you don’t watch the last two episodes. Personally, I think they’re pretty good episodes, just a terrible ending. A lot of people will even watch the last season out of order. Also, the way the world building works, it’s extremely soft fantasy, so basically anything you can imagine could be possible. So the end of the series really doesn’t have to be the end of the story for you.

Though I will warn that the ending is not the only time the show gets very dark, and some of the other points are actually important to the serialised plot. Personally, I love the show getting dark, but if you’re wanting the show to stay what it is as of early season 1, you may be right to be wary. Though the comedic elements are also present throughout the entire run. And with the exception of the ending, the difficult plots do get more or less resolved.

[-]