Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Xena episode)

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun  is the fourth episode of the second season of the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess. Its title alludes to the feminist anthem made famous by Cyndi Lauper. This is also the title of a multipath adventure game by Slingshot Entertainment which is based upon this episode.

Overview
Xena and Gabrielle join forces with Joxer and Orpheus to defeat Bacchus, who is transforming innocent girls into bloodsucking bacchae. The episode has a strong lesbian theme.

Plot
Xena and Gabrielle talk to a man who says that six girls had suddenly disappeared from his village. They continue their journey through the Forest of Maenads. Gabrielle tells stories about the maenads who are young and innocent girls, transformed if bitten by another maenad. If they drink the blood of Bacchus, the god of wine, they can no longer be saved and thus become bacchae forever.

Joxer then enters, fleeing from two wolves. He brings a message to Xena from Orpheus which is in a bag. Xena removes from the bag a screaming head! This is the living head of Orpheus who wishes revenge upon Bacchus for killing his wife Eurydice and beheading him. The party then goes in search of Orpheus' lyre - the only way to combat the bacchae - but find that two bacchae have stolen it.

Meanwhile, Gabrielle goes to a party being held to scare away the maenads and dances with two girls. The music is anachronistically modern. Joxer says that the girls are already bacchae and so Gabrielle leaves with him.

Meanwhile, the two bacchae who stole the lira, which they love, are two men, who attacked. At that time appears Xena, which is fighting with them, but could not prevent them from bearing the lira. After the fight, Xena meets with Gabrielle, Joxer and the head of Orpheus, who communicates who should go kill Bacchus his lair, where he led the lira, but it must first go through another site. Xena decides not to Joxer with them, because it is dangerous, but when they start to go without him, Joxer tells them they will need someone to tap lira, and he knows touching because small studied music, a fact not feel embarrassed because he sees it compatible with the life of a warrior. Xena agree that accompany them, but at that time Joxer sees that Xena has blood on his neck. It says to Gabrielle, which is not given importance, as it may be due to the fight, and not a bite of bacchae. Joxer ensures that not sleep throughout the night, fearful of Xena, but in the end just sleeping deeply. Meanwhile, Bacchus plan that meneidas drink his blood, thus becoming meneidas eternal, which may not save. His intention is that its new meneidas is Xena. In the morning, the four are moving towards a cemetery dríades, the enemy of meneidas. The only way to kill a meneida is clavarle bone of dríade at heart. By the way, Joxer tells Xena that Gabrielle believes that the meneidas the mordieron. Xena not pay much attention.

Finally, arriving at the cemetery. There, Joxer begins to sink, because something inside one of the graves he grabs the leg. Sink completely, but Xena achieved out, but lost a boot. However, it must cope with an attack-dríade skeleton, which also threatens the head of Orpheus, which shatters, thereby bones you need, which can also kill Bacchus. When it appears that everything is over, discovered that Gabrielle has become bacchae, and although Xena tries relying on it goes. Xena, Joxer and Orfeo arrive at the cave on the lives Bacchus. While toured the galleries, Orpheus convinces Joxer that Gabrielle is now dangerous and sooner or later bite to Xena and become meneida, so if it occurs, should kill her with bone dríade. Before coming to the big room where is Bacchus, with Gabrielle and are struggling with it, but again escape. Start the initiation ceremony of the meneidas, in which Gabrielle is the second in line to drink the blood of Bacchus. Just when you are about to drink blood, animated by Bacchus, Xena prevents spilling the contents of the cup with the chakram. Then Bacchus realizes the presence of his enemies and the fight begins.

Xena discovers that the lira of Orpheus is close to the throne of Bacchus, located in a high, and shouts at Joxer going to pick it up. While Xena kills two bacchae with dríade bones, which are destroyed in an explosion, Joxer, carrying under his arm the head of Orpheus, reaches accidentadamente and pursued by the meneidas up the lira. So begins to play a song while Orpheus entona. The Bacchae, who could not endure the melody, stop fighting, and even Bacchus shows its vulnerability to this sound. It is the same Bacchus who comes flying up Joxer to prevent further touching. Xena tries to kill Bacchus clavándole bone of dríade, but said that it survives and can only kill one meneida. Xena Gabrielle decides to let the bite; thus becomes a bacchae and flying to Bacchus, he kills. The meneidas again be innocent girls, who do not remember anything. Orpheus recover his body and disappears. Xena, Gabrielle and Joxer walk in the woods, having released the meneidas. They listen to a piece of music. Xena says that was the favorite song of Eurydice and Orpheus which now stands beside her. The girls will spend a joke to Joxer, saying that they will be able to cope with the Medusa, which can petrificar with my eyes. Joxer "remembers" which is the birthday of his mother, and departs. Xena and Gabrielle laugh, as Joxer can become really heavy.

From night, Xena and Gabrielle continue walking. While away, we can hear the laughter of Bacchus.

Theme Musical
In this episode, is sung to music Bacchae Rap, during the bacchae's celebrations, however, that music was not available on CD with the songs of the second 2.

Reception
A Hollywood Reporter article cited the winged skeletons in "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" as one of the television show's special effects highlights.

Awards
Supervising sound editor Jason Schmid won the one-hour series sound editing award at the Motion Picture Sound Editors' Golden Reel Awards for "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."