"I Could Get Up There Behind You"

The first taste is free. That's the logic behind this bonus episode of Buffering the Vampire Slayer, which drops into the main feed as a teaser for a new Patreon-exclusive series: Kristen and Jenny watching Xena: Warrior Princess for the first time together. Jenny has seen the show before—it's a formative part of her childhood viewing. Kristen has not. And the contrast is immediate and joyful. "I'm having the time of my life," Kristen says, rating her enjoyment at "100 million out of 10 million." Jenny, who introduced Kristen to Buffy years ago, now finds herself in the role of guide again, and the dynamic has shifted: "Give two girls a decade and see what happens."

The Hercules Prelude and Xena's Redemption Arc

Before the Xena pilot, Kristen watched three episodes of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys to understand Xena's origin. Her first impression of Hercules was immediate: "This is porn. This is gay porn." She describes the opening scene of episode nine as Hercules and Iolaus forging a sword together, both shirtless and sweating. "Is it gay to forge a sword with your bro?" she asks. Jenny confirms that this is the universe's blueprint: a tall dark-haired man and a short blonde man, which Kristen reinterprets as a lesbian relationship.