Lexx - The Complete Third Series

Director: Stephen Manuel, Stefan Ronowicz, Bruce McDonald
Studio: Acorn Media
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Lexx's third year had a predetermined 13 episode run, and in a new direction there's also a predetermined continual storyline. This is teasingly set-up by "Fire and Water"--the names of a binary planet system. The Lexx is stuck in orbit around 4,000 years after the "End of the Universe." We're introduced to the mysterious Prince (Nigel Bennet) who rules the planet Fire, 790 experiences a shift of devotion, and Xev gets a new hairdo. All threads are expanded by "May" (Anna Kathrin Bleuler) who's found on planet Water. All too suddenly, Xev's in love with Prince and Stanley with May. The crew are torn every which way. Even more so when a fleet of new Moths land Kai in "Gametown", where the show's most gratuitous nudity yet reassures fans that this third year will be as dangerous and dirty as it's always been.

Ralph (Withnail & I) Brown's character Duke suddenly comes to the fore in "Boomtown." These towns teach us more and more about the lifestyles on the two planets, and since this one is essentially a nonstop orgy Stan decides Water is the planet for him! (If the nudity seemed gratuitous in "Gametown", that's nothing in comparison.) Ending on a shock appearance by Kai (no spoilers here), a balloon chase leads straight into "Gondola." Lost among the schizophrenic denizens of "K-Town," Stan and Xev are eventually found by the dead assassin whose biomechanical systems are malfunctioning. It takes a shock reappearance of season 2's Universe-destroying Mantrid to make sense of his groin-located repair mechanism. Subsequently split up, Kai suffers the red tape of petty bureaucracy in Hog Town while Stan and Xev descend 39,000 steps to the planet's "Tunnels." Stan bumps into show writer Lex Gigeroff cameoing as insane surgeon Doctor Rainbow, and escape is determined by another death and resurrection from the enigmatic Prince.

Stan has been endlessly teased by Xev. They got it together (in a manner of speaking) in "Love Grows," but here at last they experience the "ultimate in sexual satisfaction." Don't they? "The Key" metaphorically stands for a number of things in this ship-bound episode, which furthers the season's mystery considerably. And as if the sexual tension wasn't high enough already, the lifestyle offered Stan on the Water planet's "Garden" is all too tempting. The biggest lure is the return of beautiful plant gal Lyekka. Following straight on from that cliffhanger ending, "Battle" becomes a game of strategic cat and mouse aboard squadrons of hot air balloons. This season's budget helps return the look of the show to its stunning beginnings, and in this episode there are some of the best-conceived effects shots from the entire run. By now it's obvious that each community on the planet Fire is a thinly veiled satire on an aspect of modern society. A splendidly theatrical cameo from Ellen Dubin as Queen allows the viewer to question feminism, bureaucracy, and why the hell Giggerota has been reincarnated to taunt poor Stan.

Amazon.com

Lexx's third year had a predetermined 13 episode run, and in a new direction there's also a predetermined continual storyline. This is teasingly set-up by "Fire and Water"--the names of a binary planet system. The Lexx is stuck in orbit around 4,000 years after the "End of the Universe." We're introduced to the mysterious Prince (Nigel Bennet) who rules the planet Fire, 790 experiences a shift of devotion, and Xev gets a new hairdo. All threads are expanded by "May" (Anna Kathrin Bleuler) who's found on planet Water. All too suddenly, Xev's in love with Prince and Stanley with May. The crew are torn every which way. Even more so when a fleet of new Moths land Kai in "Gametown", where the show's most gratuitous nudity yet reassures fans that this third year will be as dangerous and dirty as it's always been.

Ralph (Withnail & I) Brown's character Duke suddenly comes to the fore in "Boomtown." These towns teach us more and more about the lifestyles on the two planets, and since this one is essentially a nonstop orgy Stan decides Water is the planet for him! (If the nudity seemed gratuitous in "Gametown", that's nothing in comparison.) Ending on a shock appearance by Kai (no spoilers here), a balloon chase leads straight into "Gondola." Lost among the schizophrenic denizens of "K-Town," Stan and Xev are eventually found by the dead assassin whose biomechanical systems are malfunctioning. It takes a shock reappearance of season 2's Universe-destroying Mantrid to make sense of his groin-located repair mechanism. Subsequently split up, Kai suffers the red tape of petty bureaucracy in Hog Town while Stan and Xev descend 39,000 steps to the planet's "Tunnels." Stan bumps into show writer Lex Gigeroff cameoing as insane surgeon Doctor Rainbow, and escape is determined by another death and resurrection from the enigmatic Prince.

Customer Reviews:

Trial by Fire and Water.......2007-06-21

The end of season 2 saw the cast in the Dark Zone far away form any good planets. They put themselves into cryo chambers with 790 watching the bridge. As the season opens, four-thousand years have passed and the Lexx is very hungry and unable to fly. They are stuck between two planets that share a common atmosphere. These are the planets Fire and Water. Fire is a roasting desert with tower cities and Water is a ball of water with floating cities. The only apparent source of food for Lexx is one of the planets. Travel to either planet is easy using a moth or a balloon.

But these two planets are strange in other ways as well. People, particularly the ruler of Fire, don't stay dead. There are no children and no one seems to know what they are. Fire keeps trying to conquer Water as it has all of the resources. Prince, the leader of Fire, is particularly interested in the crew and keeps trying to get them to blow up Water. Eventually the true nature of the planets is revealed and the crew need to make some tough decisions on how to handle things. The final episode ends with the crew heading for their next adventure.

This season is a single story in thirteen parts. This can make it seem like things are not moving very fast at times. Two episodes, Gametown and Boomtown, have huge amounts of nudity but most are similar to the previous season. The strange nature of the planets, and some flashbacks, enable us to see many characters we thought were long gone from the show (you have to watch to find out who). Our main characters also undergo some changes. Right at the start 790 switches its affection from Zev/Xev to Kai. Kai is colder, more machine-like, and rather indestructible. Xev goes through quite a few mood changes. Stanley is the most stable although he does manage to get lucky in a couple of episodes.

All in all it was an interesting season but quite different from what has gone before. Fire is populated by very industrial images (even the balloon gondolas seem to be heavy steel) which is a change from the more organic look of previous seasons. Overall I felt it was a little slow in parts and too much time seemed to be spent with part of the crew looking for a missing member. I think the Fire and Water story could probably have been done in five or six episodes but then I was not in charge. Each disk contains part of a Making Of special for the season. This can provide spoilers so you may want to wait to watch them. Also included on each dis are trivia, interviews and production designs. Check it out.

The Balance of Good and Evil .......2006-04-14

Let's face it. Making an original AND entertaining sci-fi series is no small feat. LEXX excelled those standards in its 3rd year of stories, or rather, the third adventure. Whereas the four television movies established the origins of the Lexx and crew, and the 2nd series was a typical year of science fiction television, year 3 delved into a strong, never-disappointing subject matter - the elemental rules of good and evil and cause and effect.

Thousands of years adrift, the Lexx has almost no power and cannot escape the shared orbit of planets Fire and Water. The inhabitants of both planets have opposing ideals and ways of life, and some of them look familiar. Both planets would also make a good snack for the Lexx - but which one? Here is where our favorite motley crew will come face to face with who they really are, and what they really want.

This show has got it all, and the actors are PERFECT for these characters. Xev looks as sexy and as gorgeous as ever, Stanley still longs for acceptance, Kai is one bad mo-fo, and 790 gets a bit reprogrammed, which introduces a whole new level of irony. The introduction of Prince solidifies the cast and brings the show to a new level of class, (while remaining crude as always!)
Series 3 stands out as the showcase of LEXX.

Great!.......2005-09-12

Everything I expected it to be! One of the best purchases I've made, no regrets or complaints at all. I recommend this to any Lexx fan and to any sci-fi fan for that matter!

Great Season.......2004-09-21

This was a big change from the campy season before and the surreal set of movies that happened in the season one. The episodes in season 2 were like Red Dwarf. Where they seemed to bounce randomly from one spot to another, and had little in realm of a long running plot until the later seasons. Season two was a random bunch of episodes with only Mantrid and the Lexx crew binding them together.

This season not only had a long running story arc, but the humor was more subdued and focused on the surreal imagery and spiritual idealogies it presented.

The crew was shot into the dark zone after the destruction of the light zone. You find that they were stranded in an empty area with no planets nearby, and no fuel for their ship. So they go into sleep and drift until they find a decent planet. But they are found before they have a chance to wake, but a strange individual named Prince. He and his roadwarrior like lackeys take Stan prisoner and becomes interested in Xev. He takes them to Princetown, his town on Fire.

Fire and Water are a pair of planets that circle each other and share atmosphere that can be traversed by balloons. Fire is hot and unable to sustain life on the surface. So the towns are tall stacks that lift them high enough to make it livable. The areas below are filled with devices to keep the city cool by using slave labor. Water is all water, dotted with towns on the surface. The inhabitants are all living in luxury, giving little thought to the world around them, the future, or the past. They seem to live for the moment and whatever passion drives them. The towns on both planets are named for their leaders or their obsession, Gametown is filled with sports fanatics, Garden with the plant obsessed, Girltown is a matriarchy, and Boomtown where everyone has sex all the time.

But that isn't the end of the weirdness. People seem to have little recallation of the past or who they are. No one is born, they just remember when they were and nothing else. The two planets have been fighting for ages but don't know why. The crew see quite a few people that they knew in the Light Universe that are all dead, some with the same names. They see Bunny, Schlemi, Mantrid, and Gigarotta that have no memories of their previous lives. Plus Prince seems to know the most, but has his own agenda and is obsessed with getting the crew to fullfill this.

I didn't like this season when I first saw it, but it grew on me. The humor was more subtle, darker, and surreal than the first one. It was also more philosphical and spiritual than the previous series. Dealing with re incarnation, planetary genocide, damnation, and eternal paradise. The big bad wasn't standard as he wasn't out to kill the crew or the universe. But he admitted repeatedly that he was neither good nor trustworthy, but wanted to make a deal. plus he was harder to figure out than the other two, and even by the time the series is over you still don't know for certain what he is.

This was a great season that tends to grow on you. The imagery and well thought out plot was worth the price alone.

A Sci-fi adventure in 13 parts........2004-05-30

This third season was where I was initiated with "The Lexx." I came in completely bewildered and at the same time fascinated by what I was seeing. I consider this show to be one of the most original sci-fi programs ever created, and this third series continues that tradition with some excellent computer graphics and bizarre yet mesmerizing scenarios. What is different in this series as compared to the last is that while the second series was a collection of twenty singular episodes with a through-line plot, this third series is more like a single, long adventure story in 13 parts. There are very few moments in this series that I thought the story was meandering or losing focus of the motivations of the main characters. Also, many of the new character actors are superb. All give memorable performances, with a particularly enthralling performance from Nigel Bennett who plays the character "Prince." While the surreal, often nightmarish, story unfolds there is an underlying mystery that is gradually revealed. The "Making of..." section on the DVDs are both informative and entertaining with shots taken from filming on location in Berlin, as well as on the sound stages in Nova Scotia. This third series is an epic adventure that stands on its own once the main characters become familiar. Newcomers to "The Lexx" should start with the original first series which consists of four 2-hour-long films for a more detailed backstory. The second series also has some great moments and is certainly worth obtaining, as well. This third series should be watched as a whole, and that is why I chose not to write reviews for each particular volume. Let the journey begin...

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