marycrawford | Hercules: the Legendary Journeys screencaps: "Darkness Visible"

I've updated my website with a bunch of screencaps for the sixth season Hercules: the Legendary Journeys episode Darkness Visible. This is the episode where they are asked for help by their old friend, Vlad.

Yes. That Vlad. Needless to say, things are not quite what they seem.

Hercules teaches some kids basketball. Love Iolaus' exasperated look in the background.

This litlte fotostrip is Hercules and Iolaus' reactions on first meeting Vlad. They do this in pretty much every episode, and I don't always take caps of such moments, but I thought it would be fun to have the whole sequence here. I'm a sucker for that quick, silent communication.

They're getting close to the castle; Vlad is there, looking imposing. Hercules and Iolaus look wary and dubious; they exchange looks, a very quick glance, a silent "Are you having a bad feeling about this?" "Uh-huh." Face forward again, now looking even more wary. Then - Vlad smiles! He's all welcoming and friendly! Huh. Okay. They smile, though not wholeheartedly, and not really at Vlad - they're looking at each other again, another silent exchange. "Are we falling for this?" "Yeah, I guess we are. For now." Then they smile more broadly, prepared to say hello to their old friend.

Darkness Visible is one of the best season six episodes, IMO - but that's not really saying much, as I was disappointed by season six, after waiting for so long to see it; it never aired here, so I didn't see it until the DVD set came out. And then, too, I had already read

ltlj's infinitely more satisfying version of this episode - Darkness Visible Revisited - in which our heroes don't go camping in a field of impaled dead guys, to name just one implausible plot point.

On the other hand, I quite like Vlad: his imposing looks, the way he clearly believes himself to be the hero of the story, even his terrible lines like "I just had an old friend for dinner". And I love the way he kisses Hercules and Iolaus hello. *g*

Some fun banter in this episode - my favorite being a little sleight-of-hand slashy bit that I'd been told about beforehand. It's where Herc and Iolaus have just finished dinner with Vlad, and have retired to their bedroom, full of deeply ominous furniture and things like a huge bed strewn with furs. Iolaus is investigating the creepy gargoyles on the bed, and Hercules says matter-of-factly, "Don't worry, you won't be getting any sleep tonight." Iolaus sits down comfortably on the bed, bounces up and down to test the springs, and then says "Huh? I thought you were tired."

A beat, another beat, and then he looks up and goes, "Oh..." and you can see the effort it takes to get his mind back on track. "Oh. You were being-- oh." And they go back to discussing vampires.
*Love* that. Heeeee.

Also this bit aboard the ship, with Hercules at his most deadpan and all but monosyllabic:

Iolaus: "So, that's Dacia, huh? Well, it doesn't look very inviting."
Hercules: "It's not really known as a vacation spot."
Iolaus: "Yeah. If I know Vlad, his castle is way at the top of those mountains and it's gonna take us days of pain and crippling physical effort to get there."
Hercules: "Probably."
Iolaus: "Typical Vlad. He always did like to capture the high ground."
Hercules: "Yep."
Iolaus: "What, have we got any horses, or-- ?"
Hercules: "Nope."
Iolaus: "It's never easy, is it?"
(pause)
Hercules: "...Nope."

And of course this is one of those episodes where the bad guy tries to get Hercules to do what he wants by threatening Iolaus.

Which I admit I am a total sucker for. *g*

It's just that the potential of this storyline - Iolaus being turned into a vampire against his will, trying to resist Vlad's mental influence, fighting at Hercules' side even though he's a vampire and starving for a taste of his best friend - is so much better than the reality.

I want more stories set during or after this episode. *looks at you imploringly*

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nice caps! And thanks for the mention of DV Revisited, that's still one of my favorite stories. Yeah, that episode had so much potential that they just didn't seem to see at all.

Hey, thanks! And it's still one of my favorites too. I really, really wish we could have seen that version as an episode.

I love Iolaus' expression in the last photo of the photostrip. It's all, "Here we go again. Such joy. Why us. Sigh"

And do explain why I have this strange urge to put Herc in a one-on-one with Shaq O'Neal. And I didn't even watch the damn NBA Finals!!

Iolaus as a vamp does NOT look good. Even for a vamp.

I really liked this episode as well. A lot like what they normally did, but with a slightly darker edge, I thought.

And you know that if Herc hadn't been able to turn Iolaus back, he still would have accepted him and loved him and not rejected him, even though he was a vamp. Just because he's Iolaus and Herc loves him, even though there are times he wants to strangle him.

*sigh* I miss this show...

Aw! Thanks for the comments, and I miss the show too. I wish there was a seventh season that they shot and then somehow forgot to air. (And that all the good writers, set designers and costumers had returned, and the budget increased tenfold.)

And yeah, Iolaus the vamp isn't very pretty. The other vamps weren't either - was Buffy airing by this time? There's a definite 'pretty person, ugly vamp-face' thing going on in this episode, and the vamp-faces look similar to Buffy's.

And you know that if Herc hadn't been able to turn Iolaus back, he still would have accepted him and loved him and not rejected him, even though he was a vamp. Just because he's Iolaus and Herc loves him, even though there are times he wants to strangle him.

Oh, absolutely. I played with that a bit here (http://marycrawford.livejournal.com/121408.html#cutid1), and I really think Hercules would deal with it pretty well. Probably better than Iolaus. *g*

A 7th season, wouldn't that be wonderful *dreams* TPTB always seem to kill off or end the good shows too soon.

was Buffy airing by this time? There's a definite 'pretty person, ugly vamp-face' thing going on in this episode, and the vamp-faces look similar to Buffy's.

This aired in what 99, 2000? If so, Buffy was on the air by then. Doing my math, Buffy ended in 04 I think, so yeah, the dates do add up.

I loved that '5 things..' You put them in really plausible situations that could have happened, depending on how the writers wanted to go. And you're right, Herc would have dealt with it better than Iolaus, who would have sulked majorly and totally despised it cause hey, turned into a vampire=not a really good thing.

It definitely looks like they took the vampire look from Buffy. *nods*

And ee, thank you for the kind words about the Five Things! Doing those was a lot of fun, and I'm still working on a sequel to one of them.

I LOVE the bed bouncing scene. They knew, they SO knew. . .My dvds arrived yesterday but I can't get to them until next week! ARGH!!!!! Is there commentary on seasons 4,5 & 6? Worth listening to?

AMorette

I don't remember offhand everything that's on those discs, but there's some commentary by Michael Hurst on episodes he directed and/or starred in that I just loved - a great one on 'Hero's Heart', and one on 'Faith' (where we learn that, frex, he dropped his scripted dying speech and chose to die saying Hercules' name and smiling). And there's Sorbo-and-Hurst commentary on at least one of the Twanky episodes, where they're just falling about laughing. Great stuff.

These are fabulous! Yayness!!

And of course this is one of those episodes where the bad guy tries to get Hercules to do what he wants by threatening Iolaus.

Oh yes, I'm a sucker for those as well. *looks sheepish*

Yayy, thanks, and glad you liked 'em!

So you're a sucker for those as well, hmm? This is very good news. *eg*

Ohhhh, yesh. I am indeed. I'm also kinda big on angst and hurt/comfort, too, when the muse strikes me. One of the reasons I signed up for

100_situations, actually, is because there are several plot bunnies nibbling that are demanding more than 100 words to satisfy them. Quite a few of those plot bunnies are the 'threaten Iolaus to get to Herc' kind. Plus one that will be my take on the first day they met, which is going to have some angst in it as well.

*sigh* There's something to that, 'you always hurt the one(s) you love.'

Oo, angst and h/c. Music to my ears. *g* Drabbles are fun, but sometimes you just want to read (or write!) a story you can really sink your teeth into. Happy writing!

And yeah, Iolaus being hurt/fighting against impossible odds/in deep, deep trouble will always work for me. Especially when he can be witty, sexy and deeply badass doing it. *g*

Especially when he can be witty, sexy and deeply badass doing it./i>

Absolutely! That's our Golden Hunter. :)

Which brings to mind a question that I hope you might be able to answer. Was there ever an ep of Young Hercules that touched on the day Herc & Iolaus met? I know in the original telemovie one of Herc's flashbacks shows them as pre-teen boys wrestling, then YH has them as teens in Cheiron's Academy. There's also the brief glimpse Herc has of the day they met in the Hall of Time when he takes Zeus up on going to Olympus. But was there ever a story done in show canon about the day they met?

Ack, sorry, I saw this late. It's a good question, I just wish I had the answers! *g*

I'm not really up on YH - I haven't seen all that many episodes, but it does start out with them already at the Academy, as you say. And IIRC, at the opening of the YH movie Iolaus is still a gang member and not really a friend of Hercules'. But the canon contradicts itself, so I think you can make up the version that suits you best. *g*

Hercules: the Legendary Journeys screencaps: "Darkness Visible"

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