Which Hercules DVD season should I start with?

[marycrawford]

Okay, so I reported on the Deep Discount DVD 2-for-1 offer on Hercules DVD sets (seriously, nine bucks for a whole season, including extras. That I paid fifty for, back in the day! Plus shipping! In the snow!), and gryphonrhi asked:

"If I were buying one or two seasons of Hercules for an introduction to the fandom, which ones would you recommend?"

Oh, good question. Because I am likely to wax enthusiastic on this topic, I give you the short answer first: you can't go wrong with Season 1, 2 or 3, and you don't have to start at 1. If you want a shortcut to the fabulousness of the Widow Twanky and the cracktasticness of Porkules, start at season 4 instead.


Intro and disclaimer:
Hercules: the Legendary Journeys isn't really heavy on season-long story arcs and backstory - there is certainly backstory, but it tends to contradict itself. In my opinion, you don't necessarily have to start at the beginning, though you'd better not start at say, season 5. More about that later. Also: here be spoilers, because I don't know how to talk about Hercules episodes and not mention any spoilers at all. And keep in mind that I fell in love with Iolaus from the moment he first appeared on screen; I'm inevitably biased as to which season is the best.

Season 1: "Mommy, what is Daddy doing to uncle Iolaus?"

Five TV movies and thirteen episodes. The TV movies are fun, but I will admit that I only rewatch the two with Iolaus in. These are Hercules and the Amazon Women and Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur (they lightened up on the titles later on). Both are exceptionally slashy, and Minotaur has the 'Hercules and Iolaus flirt, then wrestle half-naked in the hay' scene, which did not spawn a thousand fanfics but totally should have.

Hercules meets his wife, marries and has kids in the TV movies, but the first episode (The Wrong Path) undoes all that. Iolaus also marries and has kids, but we never hear about them again, except for an allusion in Minotaur, and the consensus is that he lost both.

The series takes a while to find its feet, but the last seven episodes of season 1 are all really entertaining: Pride Comes Before A Brawl (where Iolaus establishes himself as a hero in his own right), The March To Freedom (with Lucy Liu in a major buttkicking role), Gladiator (Gladiators! Sadistic queens who like to strip Hercules naked! Flogging!), The Vanishing Dead and the Xena trilogy, where Xena was introduced as an evil warlord who seduces Iolaus and then tries to use him against Hercules.

There are some nice extras on the first season DVD set; I particularly like the commentaries by Michael Hurst and Kevin Sorbo - they're interesting and funny, especially Michael pointing out all the homoerotic bits in the first Xena episode. (He's not wrong.)

Season 2: “You’re forgetting the part where we fight to the death with a horde of bloodthirsty barbarians.”

Twenty-four episodes. This was a very strong season, IMO: the writers had found the tone of the series, and both Kevin Sorbo and Michael Hurst were available for most episodes. (Unlike Gabrielle in Xena, Iolaus wasn't in every episode.) The emphasis is on adventure stories with plenty of banter, mythical references, h/c and humor.

This season also introduces some great recurring characters like Autolycus, the wisecracking King of Thieves, Hercules' half brother Iphicles (played by Kevin Smith, who also played Ares), Aphrodite, the surfer girl Goddess of Love, Jason of the Argonauts, and Atalanta, a strongwoman with biceps to rival Hercules'.

Particular favorites of mine are The King of Thieves, Siege at Naxos, The Mother of All Monsters, Highway to Hades, The Sword of Veracity, King For A Day, and The Apple. These are all episodes I'd show to someone new to the fandom.

Again, nice extras on the season 2 DVD set, including commentaries and a special effects reel. The best part, though, is the 20 minute blooper reel that covers all six seasons - full of ad-libs, wisecracks, Hercules' naked buns (yes, that's where the shot in my Holding Out For A Hero vid came from, 'cause I'm shameless) and stunts that go wrong. I love it.

Season 3: "Or don't you and Hercules do that, either?"

Twenty-two episodes. A couple of weak eps (Monster Child in the Promised Land, Lady and the Dragon), but otherwise, a strong season, with a slightly darker tone.

This season has the Golden Hind three episode arc, where Ares first makes his appearance (as played by Kevin Smith; in earlier episodes, he was present only as a voice in a pool of blood), as well as his nephew Strife, and Hercules gives up his demigod powers for the woman he loves. (Yeah, if you're thinking that was a bad idea, you'd be right.)

Lots of good episodes. I love the intense h/c of Not Fade Away, where Iolaus dies fighting against a Hera-sent Enforcer and Hercules does everything he can to get him back, and the intense hotness of Iolaus in Lost City, where he's pretending to be a peace-loving, silk pants wearing lotus eater in between having kickass swordfights. *pause for dreamy contemplation of same* Oh! and also Atlantis, where Hercules flies an ancient Atlantean airplane with Claudia Black and gets zapped by staff weapons a lot. In short, a crossover waiting to happen.

From here on, no comments on the DVD extras: the DVD sets do have interviews and commentaries, but a bit less than the earlier seasons, and nothing that really jumps out.

Season 4: "I don't twirl."

Twenty-two episodes. This season is a bit more uneven; Kevin Sorbo was injured and not available for many episodes, and the writers dealt with that in various ways. Some of them are very entertaining, some are cracktastic, some are both. *g*

This season introduces Her Fabulousness, the Widow Twanky (And Fancy Free...) as the flirty dame who must teach Hercules how to become the best dancer in Rhumba, and also Nebula, the pirate queen who would like to show Iolaus the ropes. Mmmm, Nebula. (Played by Gina Torres, who should just guest star in every series ever made.) Also The Sovereign, Hercules' evil twin in a parallel world, and Porkules, Hercules as a pig. (Seriously.)

Among the serious episodes, the best for my money is Hero's Heart, which I absolutely love to pieces. Iolaus breaks up with Hercules in a fit of guilt, loses his memory and becomes a badass gangster, and Hercules is in denial. It's one of the best relationship eps, and badass!Iolaus makes me go guh. Then there's Armageddon, a two-parter which pulls out all the stops: time travel, alternate timelines, Callisto, the Sovereign again, evil empress Xena, Hercules was never born! Good times.

And, okay, look, Hercules turns into a pig, Autolycus and Salmoneus apply some rouge and join a female dance troupe, the actors play the Hercules writers and producers in a modern day episode, Iolaus and Autolycus are chained together naked, the goddess Discord turns into a chicken... this is the season of crack.

Season 5: "Great. We'll go down in history as the guys who ticked off all the gods."

Twenty-two episodes. The season where Hercules and Iolaus travel to Sumeria and everything goes to Tartarus. Apart from a few fluffy episodes in the middle, this whole season is the Dahak arc, wherein Iolaus dies for the fourth time and Hercules understandably goes off the deep end. He wanders around Eire, Norseland and Sumeria trying to get a grip, Iolaus comes back in demon form, Hercules pals around with the parallel universe Iolaus, and the Four Horsemen show up to round things off. Not a good season to be an Iolaus fan.

Thing is, the first episode, which sets off the whole dark & disturbing Dahak arc, is gorgeous; beautifully shot, genuinely moving, and there are good bits in the next couple episodes too. I love Gilgamesh, I adore Nebula, the goodbye between Hercules and Iolaus breaks my heart, and I love that Hercules doesn't just bounce back in the next episode. But I don't buy Hercules' relationship with Morrigan or the Celtic mysticism , I hate the way that jester!Iolaus was brought back as a replacement for 'our' Iolaus, and the whole Dahak thing was handled so clumsily that it looked like a bad Exorcist parody. Sigh.

For my take on the Dahak arc, watch my vid Do You Dream Of Me? Or, even better, read ltlj's version: Home Is Where The Heart Is and its sequels. (This is a complete AU that takes the early Dahak arc as a starting-off point, and some of the best fan fiction I've ever read.)

The fluffy episodes are fun: Stranger and Stranger, where the parallel universe pops up again (Ares, God of Love in his white Elvis suit remains a favorite), Just Passing Through with all the lovely daily-life bits (Hercules likes to crochet blankets for Iolaus) and Greece Is Burning (more Widow Twanky!).

Season 6: "I thought you were tired?"

Eight episodes. This was a mostly forgettable season, alas. I'm glad I finally got to watch it, but it's just...the good writers were working on Xena, the quality of the costumes/sets/shots went downhill, and there isn't much here that they didn't do much better in earlier seasons. Darkness Visible, the Vlad Dracul episode, is best combined with a read of ltlj's lovely revisited version.

On the upside: the last episode gives the series a lovely sendoff, with Hercules and Iolaus walking off into the sunset together to have more adventures, yay!

*deep breath* Okay, what did I forget? Which episode is your favorite? What would you recommend to a new fan? Or, if you are a new (potential) fan, what do you want to know?

Comments

[kelleah.livejournal.com]

I have a hang up about recommending things to people I know very little about (because people tend to respond to things differently, and I have a weird palate, if there ever was one), so I'll just answer your other questions instead. ;-)

My favorite season hands down is Season 4. I love it like some great thing that I love. I'm all about the crack and the humor and the "Awwwwww!" quotient. Most of my favorite episodes of the series come from that season, so it's really just a numbers game.

I own Seasons 3 and 4 on DVD, and I just bought Season 5. I'm with you on the Iolaus-love, so I tend to be drawn to the episodes that spotlight his character or where he just does something that I find so darn adorable. Unfortunately, I've never seen The Maze and the Minotaur. So all the Hoyay references only serve to frustrate me. And when I was rediscovering my lust for the show via Netflix, their archive of the series only includes the first 2 movies. :-(

Some of my favorites eps from the show (aka the eps I watch over and over again):

And Fancy Free
Yes, Virginia, There is a Hercules
Pride Comes Before a Brawl -- love MH's commentary on this one
The Mother of all Monsters -- Hoyay for days!
Men in Pink
Love Takes a Holiday
Long Live the King -- Iolaus slips Niobe some tongue when they kiss >:-)
Mercenary
Stranger in a Strange Land
Stranger and Stranger
Faith
Highway to Hades

Interestingly enough, I've never had a desire to own Season 2. I think it's a good season, but I find that a lot of the things I enjoy about those episodes really come to fruition during Season 3. It's like S2 is the first act, but all the goodies are reaped in the second act, S3.

Oh, and just to illustrate how weird I am, I actually enjoy Monster Child in the Promised Land. Why? For one joke. It's established in 2 separate instances that Iolaus doesn't have any pockets. Yet, later in the episode, when he is in the cave comforting Echidna, he reaches behind him and pulls out a handkerchief. If he has no pockets, where did the handkerchief come from? And would you really want to wipe your face with it?

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

Thanks, this was great! I know what you mean, it's tough recommending stuff - but that's what so great about comments like these, this way people get more of a variety of favorite eps and opinions.

Unfortunately, I've never seen The Maze and the Minotaur.

OMG, that is a crime against fannish nature. Email me! We will work something out! (marycrawford at squidge dot org.)

Hee, you reminded me of that Pride commentary, I love it too. Also the bit in the Gladiator commentary where MH goes on and on about the way he just dropped unconscious to the floor: "Like a young David, vulnerable, yet incredibly masculine..." *snickers*

And you know what, I don't think I ever noticed that handkerchief bit in Monster Child before. Heee. I have to rewatch it now and see if I spot it. That's great.

[kelleah.livejournal.com]

OMG, that is a crime against fannish nature. Email me! We will work something out! (marycrawford at squidge dot org.)

Will do! I've seen the screen caps, but that's it. :-)

Also the bit in the Gladiator commentary where MH goes on and on about the way he just dropped unconscious to the floor: "Like a young David, vulnerable, yet incredibly masculine..." *snickers*

Oh, I remember that! At first I thought, "He is so goofy," but then I thought, "Well, he's actually right. That was a pretty good fall."

And just out of curiosity, do you know why the camera work in Revelations looks so wonky? Did they change the type of film they used for that episode or did I just watch a bad copy? It looks very different from any other episode in the series.

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

The thing I find hilarious about MH's commentary (well, one of the things *g*) is that when he's not talking about acting/directing/locations, he's approaching the series pretty much the way a fan would - commenting on things like cleavage, innuendo in the dialogue and how well Iolaus looks lying there on the floor. (Which he does, hee.)

And just out of curiosity, do you know why the camera work in Revelations looks so wonky? Did they change the type of film they used for that episode or did I just watch a bad copy? It looks very different from any other episode in the series.

No, I don't know, but it looks like crap on my DVD too - grainy, out of focus, bad color, you name it. I think ltlj mentioned that they switched over to lower-cost everything at the end of season 5, and it certainly shows in season 6.

It's a damn shame - the source of 'Revelations' is hard to use for vidding, and impossible to make nice screencaps of, while it has such satisfying scenes in it!