Taxes. And serial kilers. And a king for a day.

[marycrawford]

This weekend will be the Weekend of Taxes - not just this year's, I might actually ask for an extension on those so I can get the ones from the past three years done. (Yeah, just don't ask. Being an adult is hard sometimes.) I've got all the preliminary work done, I just need to fill out the electronic forms and cross my fingers a lot.

Also, my brain is slightly frazzled and full of scary-beautiful-omgscaryhelp images left by mainlining all 12 episodes of Dexter in about a week - I'm pretty sure this is all therienne's fault, as usual, and holy wow. What a show. I recommend the books too, though I think the show improves on the plotting by about 200% - I just really like the voice of the books, and the audacity of a story told in first-person present POV, a serial killer POV, yet, in a way that works. And, um, both the show and the books leave me rooting for the serial killer, yes. (But he only kills bad guys! And he tries so hard, in his own completely fucked-up way! Snf.)

So to unfrazzle my brain, I watched a favorite Hercules episode, King For A Day.

I love how much this episode is a 'make Iolaus fans happy' bonanza. There's Iolaus' doppelgänger Orestes providing twice the usual amount of eyecandy, there's the silky robes and the sleeping with nothing on, there's the waking up with nothing on and then wrestling a potential assassin, there is the swordfight with the sneering villain who uses foils, historical accuracy be damned, yay swordfight! -- damn. I need screencaps here.

















I love how Iolaus does a doubletake when he picks up the foil, a 'wtf is this?' and then moments later he's dueling the bad guy in true Elizabethan style. *g*

And then there's the aborted romance with Niobe. I like Niobe, though not quite as much as I adore Nebula or Dirce or Lydia - Iolaus does have amazing girlfriends - but most of all, I admit, I like the doomed part of their romance, especially in the ending of King For A Day, because. Snf. Look!









My screencaps are bit crap here, but that red-eyed look to Iolaus is real. He has to go and leave his Niobe behind, woe. Not to mention his henchmen and his kingdom. Well, not really his, but you know he could have taken it over in a heartbeat, and Hector and Linus wouldn't have minded in the least.

And after Orestes asks Iolaus if there's nothing they can do to make him stay, he says, "No. I've got a friend waiting at the Delphi crossroads."

That friend being Hercules, of course, and aw. Also, I grinned a lot at this because when I named the Delphi Archive, I couldn't remember if they'd ever used the location in the series or not. Now, at least, I know that the Delphi crossroads is where Hercules waited for Iolaus to rescue him from a lovesick maiden.





More screencaps for King For A Day here.

(Hey, if you're not doing taxes this weekend, please go upload some of your Hercules: the Legendary Journeys fanfic at the Delphi Archive? Pleease?)

Comments

[dragovianknight.livejournal.com]

Ohh, I love this episode SO MUCH! And when has something silly like accuracy ever stood in the way of H:tlj having fun? :D

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

Hee, no, I know! But it cracks me up that nine times out of ten, Iolaus will carry his own vaguely period-appropriate sword around and not use it, or hit people with the scabbard, and then when he does get into a long swordfight it's with foils.

[dragovianknight.livejournal.com]

The REAL reason he was all WTF about the foil was because he was going to have to, you know, FIGHT with it instead of thumping people with it. Hee.

[mickeymvt.livejournal.com]

Twice the prettiness!! *stares and stares some more*

I always imagined Iolaus' arguement with himself went something like this...

'I love Niobe'..'But I love Herc'..'But, Niobe, so sweet and pretty'...'She's married to my cousin, plus, HERC'...'Yeah, but..'....

Heart-wrenching discussion, but in the end- Yay for Herc winning out!

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

Hee, yeah. Yay Herc!

And you know, Hector and Linus are taking a huge chance here - here's a guy who looks like the king, so let's put him on the throne, marry him to a gorgeous woman and give him a taste of power. The real king is useless, his scheming brother is dead, and we're the only people who know the truth. Uh-oh...

[mickeymvt.livejournal.com]

So if a certain someone winds up having a terrible accident, no one would be the wiser...

Although other parties would object me thinks...

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

I can't see your screen caps.. *cry* Makes me a sad kitty, it does. :-(

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

Aw, that is sad! Hmm, and you're right, they're down. I think probably Squidge, the site that hosts my pics (as well as the rest of my site and the Delphi Archive) is down. Not for long, I hope.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

Wohoo! They are back. Guess I checked your post at a bad time then. :-)

[muccamukk]

I couldn't see the pictures earlier, but they seem to be there now. Yay! and Thank you!

There was a second when I saw they foils where I was like, "but the metallurgy involved in... ah fuck it, never mind, look! Shiny!

I love everyone's expressions in the last shot.

Where do you fall in the Iolaus did/did not tell Hercules after the second one debate?

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

Oof, I'm glad it was just a momentary server blip at Squidge. I don't want the archive offline just after I've been poking people to upload. *g*

There was a second when I saw they foils where I was like, "but the metallurgy involved in... ah fuck it, never mind, look! Shiny!

Hee! Yeah. I like what maenad says below, too, that Iolaus falls face first into a Dumas novel. And it fits him, much more than it would fit Hercules.

Where do you fall in the Iolaus did/did not tell Hercules after the second one debate?

You mean after Long Live The King, right? I think he probably did tell Herc at some point. At the end of King For A Day, he doesn't tell Hercules anything either in the episode, but by the beginning of Long Live The King Hercules clearly knows all about the situation. And I think Hercules could tell that there was more to the story after Long Live The King - they're very understated about it all, very "How was Niobe?" "Very...royal," and I tend to read Hercules' response as "Okay, why don't you take your vest off and help me dig this ditch, I'll get the story out of you over some ale later."

I really want a story where Hercules goes back with Iolaus to Attica, just to see his reaction when everyone tries to hand Iolaus the kingdom again. And so Niobe can have an awkward meeting with the guy who has so much of Iolaus' heart.

[muccamukk]

Oh God. You just reminded me of the Scarlet Pimpernel clip show, and then my brain melted (which tends to happen when I think of that episode).

So you're not ever going to make a "Cosmopolitan Girl" vid for Hercules, are you? -g-

There isn't that fic. I've looked. All the ones I've found (excepting the odd passing reference), Hercules knows little or nothing about the situation, and I never believed that.

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

I do love the bad French accents one. (I can't remember the actual name of the ep, but my brain insists it's Les Inconceivables. Heh.)

And no, no Cosmopolitan Girl vid, sorry - but don't let that stop you from making your own! *waves pompoms*

The only story that fits and that I can think of at the moment is Seeds Of Strife, (http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~humeca/SeedsofStrife.htm) by Angela Field, where Hercules is definitely aware of what has happened before and concerned for Iolaus as they go back to Attica.

[suchthefangirl.livejournal.com]

He is so pretty. Thank you. I so love that episode. And your right she is wonderful, but he has to leave her to go back to his true love. Waiting at the crossroads, how symbolic is that.

(We were years late with our taxes for a while, but we eventually got caught up. It's not fun, but it is doable- good luck)

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I appreciate the good wishes for the taxes. *crosses fingers*

I know, I love the 'waiting at the crossroads' bit - it really is symbolic.

And then I adore the running gag that Hercules just doesn't know how to deal with women who fling themselves on him, and needs Iolaus to save him. Hee.

[maenad.livejournal.com]

It really is an adorable episode. How does he do that? Just going along, minding his own business (though, all right, possibly poaching, but it's not as though Orestes was using those deer anyway) and BAM! he falls face first into a Dumas novel. And it's very charming, watching Hector and Linus progress from 'Well, he's conscious. That has to be an improvement on the other guy, right?' to 'Explain to me again why we can't keep him?' The best kings are easy to pick. They're always the ones who are firmly pushing the circlets and seal rings back into your hands and running off to rescue their friends from fairly frightening lovesick girls. Or to help their friends dig a hole. Or-- okay, maybe it's just Iolaus who does that. :)

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

I love how you put that; it really is a Dumas novel, and that kind of adventure just fits Iolaus so well. (Much better than Hercules, I think.)

And I'm very charmed by Hector and Linus too - by the time Iolaus deals with a couple years' worth of jurisprudence in a day, it's clear that they just want to keep him, and they're way more worried about his safety than Orestes' when the rescuing and general mayhem starts.

[cyloran.livejournal.com]

*happy sigh*