SYNOPSIS:
Synopsis by Hawk.
We pick up from last week with Dahak (in the form of Iolaus) strapped to an alter in his own temple. This was accomplished because Herc had
retrieved the Gem of creation and its power forced Dahak down. Unfortunately the chains appeared for all the world to be simple bicycle chains, but apparently this was enough because Dahak cannot get up from the alter.
Hercules is there along with Jason, Nebula, Morrigan, and Zarathastra. They intend to exorcise Iolaus from Dahak and must hurry to do so
because when the sun sets, the power of the Gem is broken. The problem
is that only Zarathastra knows how to perform the exorcism, and he'd
seen it done only once in his 1000 year life. Dahak knows this and
immediately begins to work on his enemies. He gives Jason a vision of
worms crawling just under his skin. Jason panics and begins to hack at
his hand with a dagger. Herc calms him down and tells Jason to leave.
Now there are only four.
Michael Hurst does a good job playing the demon-possessed Iolus and it is obvious he studied Linda Blair's role in the Exorcist before filming
this episode. Though chained up, Dahak is far from weak and he proves
it, using his powers to play havoc with the minds of those around him or
physically throwing the observers around the room. All the while,
Dahak is cracking jokes.
He uses his powers to summon his priests and sends them off in search of Ares. His plan is to kill the God of War and thus capture his godly
might. This would make Dahak powerful enough to break the chains which
bind him and then he can deal with Hercules. Herc realizes this and
sends Nebula and Morrigan off in search of Ares to find and protect
him. Now there are two.
One interesting thing I noticed here is that Zarathastra points out that Dahak will lie or say anything to wear him and Hercules down, but Herc
points out that he gets the feeling that they are not alone in this
struggle; that "Something is watching over them". He can't explain it,
but he feels that they are not alone in this battle. Could he be
referring to Iolaus? Or maybe something far more powerful?
We switch scenes and Nebula and Morrigan have found Ares cowering in his very own temple. He retains little of his godly powers and it shows.
He tries to throw a fireball at them, but it sputters out, moving Nebula
to remark that this sort of thing happens to all men eventually. Then
Ares tries one of those acrobatic flips that Xena's always doing, only
this time he twists his ankle. Truly Ares has seen better days.
Dahak's priests show up and try to break in, so he decides to run.
Back at Dahak's temple, Zarathastra begins the exorcism and we learn that he was given power by Dahak long ago, but he turned against the
demon. Dahak taunts Zarathastra and Hercules, trying everything he can
think of to get them to kill Iolaus' body. I never understood that part
because I thought Iolaus was already dead. Apparently this didn't matter
though because Dahak keeps going on and on about it. Both Zarathastra
and Herc have moments of weakness and each time the other bolsters his
morale. Dahak summons forth a vision of Zarathastra's long dead son.
They talk and he keeps asking his daddy why he can't come be with them.
Zarathastra tells him that he's sorry and asks forgiveness, but the son
morphs into a sort of creature and tosses Zarathastra across the room
before disappearing. Dahak laughs and levitates Zarathastra, tossing
him around and slashing at his face with invisible talons. Herc
threatens to kill Dahak, placing a dagger to Iolaus' throat; but that's
what Dahak wants Herc to do, so he simply laughs. Dahak should have
kept his mouth shut for a second or two longer, because I've little
doubt Herc would have gone through with it and slit Iolaus' throat. But
I guess villains don't know when to leave well enough alone.
So anyway, Zarathastra ends up being slashed to ribbons and he dies in Herc's arms. Pitiful death scene. Too bad too because I was just
beginning to like the guy.
Now, back at Ares' temple, the priests have managed to get inside Ares' temple and they are fighting them as best they can. This isn't too
difficult as the priests appear to be Power-Rangers rejects and are
tumbling all over the place without really doing much fighting.
Eventually though, the trio must flee, Ares taunting the priests as they
leave through a back door.
Later, when Ares learns from the women that Dahak is chained up, he immediately wants to go to the temple and kill him. Nebula and Morrigan
are against it, but Ares, in his silky serpent-like manner makes a good
case and begins to create a little doubt in Morrigan's mind. Nebula is
dead set against going back to Dahak's temple because she sees that
Ares intends to kill him. This would mean the end for Iolaus as well and
she can't deal with that. She threatens physical violence if Ares tries
to leave and this thrills the God of War. He begins to hit on her like
a lounge lizard.
Meanwhile Hercules is still trying to get through to Iolaus. The banter continues and Dahak shows Herc a vision of how he tempted Iolaus and
tricked him into committing murder. In the vision, Iolaus is confronted
with a vision of his father, who welcomes him to the afterlife. Iolaus
isn't buying it though saying that this cannot be the Elysian Fields
since he didn't die in Greece. The figure morphs into Nebula, and then
into his friend Hercules. So now we know this is Dahak and he's blown
his cover once again.
He offers Iolaus god-like powers and entices him by giving him the opportunity to help mankind. He shows Iolaus a vision of a man crossing
a chasm using a rope. The rope frays and he tells Iolaus that he can
save the man if he likes using his new god-like powers. Iolaus begins to
repair the rope and then Dahak shows him a vision of the immediate
future. The man is going to meet up with a man, his wife and a little
girl and he intends to murder them. Then he asks Iolaus what he will
do. Iolus lets the man fall to his death and Dahak congratulates him
on committing murder. He explains that now Iolaus has executed a man for
a crime he has yet to commit.
So now Herc and Dahak begin to argue over whether this was murder or not and Herc begins this thing about Iolaus' character and what a good
man Iolaus was. He tells Dahak that he cannot imagine what his life
would've been like without Iolaus there. This must have touched a nerve
because it sends spasms of pain through Dahak. His chest opens up and
an arm, Iolaus' arm, reaches through and begs Hercules to help him. Herc
reaches for his hand but Dahak uses his powers to rip a loose stone
from the temple wall and hurl it at Hercules. Then the arm slides back
into Dahak's chest and the wound closes. Dahak smiles and looks
around as if nothing happened. (Not really. Dahak looks like he's
been ridden hard and put up wet).
Ares, Morrigan and Nebula have now found a hiding place behind a waterfall. He's still hitting on Nebula and she's still threatening to
kill him. In between their crude flirtations, he manages to convince
Morrigan that maybe they should return and check on Hercules. So they
set off.
Back at Dahak's temple, the banter continues. Herc is hoping that Iolaus will continue to resist Dahak and fight his way free. Dahak is
merely biding his time until the sun sets, the gem loses its power and he will be released from the chains which bind him.
In the town where Dahak's temple is, there are priests everywhere. Ares and the women warriors are trying to figure out how exactly to slip
by the priests and get inside the temple. Ares tells them that he has
just enough godly power left to create a diversion and allow them to
slip past the priests. He mugs a priest and steals his robes, then uses
his power to manifest himself high above the people. They think he's
Dahak the God of Light and kneel to him. The women try to slip by and
just as they do so, Ares betrays them and points them out to the
priests. Ares then laughs while the women fight for their lives.
Now the sun is setting. Hercules and Dahak still engage in their verbal swordplay and Iolaus begins to fight to be free again. Dahak's
chest opens up and Iolaus' arm reaches out. Hercules reaches for it just
as Ares walks into the temple. This diverts Hercules' attention, Iolaus
screams "He's too strong.." and the arm again recedes back into the
chest. Ares tells Herc that he's had his chance and now its his turn.
He intends to kill Dayak/Iolaus. Knowing that this will doom Iolaus and
make Dahak even more powerful, Hercules tosses Ares across the room.
Dahak chuckles and uses his power to strangle Ares. (Remember, Ares'
death makes him extremely powerful, so Dahak has nothing to lose at
this point).
Nebula and Morrigan rush into the chamber just in time to slam the doors and hold the priests at bay. The sun sets, Dahak laughs and says
"Time's up" and Hercules leaps into the opening in Dayhak's chest. This
sends him into the spiritual realm where Dahak has trapped Iolaus.
Apparently this gives Dahak a severe case of heartburn because he
convulses and thrashes around on the alter when Herc does this.
So Hercules and Iolaus meet once again, shake hands and begin to talk about their friendship. I guess Herc forgot that the sun was setting, I
don't know. But he certainly seems to be in no hurry at this point.
Dahak shows up in the form of a hideous monster that looks strangely
like the monster that gave Loki that poisoned blood. They begin to
fight and the monster is able to move far more swiftly than either Herc
of Iolaus. The duo is hard pressed to stay alive with this thing bearing
down on them and Herc has to save Iolaus' life more than once. It begins
to back them toward a precipice.
Meanwhile the women are still fighting to keep the priests outside and Dahak/Iolaus is thrashing about on the alter due to the ongoing battle
that is raging inside him. Hercules then remembers a trick they had
used in Thermopile. They perform a sort of tag-team wrestling maneuver,
using Dahak's' momentum and sheer weight to throw him over the cliff
and into the fiery pit below. The spell is now broken! The priests
wander off, Iolaus' body ceases to thrash about and Ares can now
breathe. He regains his divine power and disappears. Dahak is no
more.
Hercules and Iolaus talk a little about their old times and friendship and how they never gave up on one another. Then Zarathastra appears in
a radiant glow and calls Iolaus, saying that he was always a champion of
the light and has earned his place in the light. Herc and Iolaus say
their good byes and then Iolaus ascends into the light and fades out with
Zarathastra.
Now Herc wakes up in the arms of Morrigan and Nebula stands nearby. Apparently Hercules fought this battle in the spiritual realm but his
body remained behind. They smile, put their arms around one another and
walk out of the temple in search of other adventures.
COMMENTARY:
This commentary is by Xorys.
Well at least they *finally* got rid of Dahak. And let's really hope he's
gone for good!
Perhaps inevitably, his final defeat seemed a little cheesy... I mean come
on! All we've been through with this nonsense, and it comes down to Mark
Newnham in a budget monster suit being flipped off a ledge? I don't really
have any sympathy with TPTB though - they should never have started the
whole Dahak thread at all.
In general I found the demon / exorcist trappings odious. I don't think it
was a good idea dragging the Manichean principles of Zoroastrianism into
the show in the first place, and I thought what they actually did with
Zarathustra as a character was in rather doubtful taste.
OTOH, to give credit where it's due, they did push the exorcism business
rather to one side, and concentrated instead on the conflict more in terms
of the relationship between Hercules and Iolaus, which was much more true
to the show's own roots and better traditions... it's humanism that this
show draws its strength from, not hocus-pocus about ultimate forces of evil
and demonic possession.
And it was nice to see Ares again... in many ways I preferred the scenes
from his strand of the plot. The business with Herc contacting Iolaus, and
Iolaus' decision was ok, but the exorcism parts up until Zarathustra died
had little to be said in their favour, and I'm afraid I found Michael
Hurst's rendering of Dahak fairly tedious... demons are *boring*!
WHERE HAVE I SEEN YOU BEFORE?
By Xorys.
As mentioned last week, when he appeared in Let There Be Light, George
Henare, who played Zarathustra, has previously been seen on XWP as Hidsim
in Lost Mariner. He was also in Rapa Nui, the (rather dreadful) epic about
young lovers on ancient Easter Island, and in the (vastly better) Once Were
Warriors, a NZ film focussing on the Maori people - both these are
available on video... but if you rent Rapa Nui, don't say I didn't warn
you! George also did an episode of the Ray Bradbury Theatre (like many
Xenaverse actors, including Lucy), appearing in Here There Be Tygers.
Bruce Allpress, who played Stouras (well, I *think* that was the
spelling...) has appeared in The Road to Calydon (as "Old Man"), Unchained
Heart (as Enos), Cast A Giant Shadow (as Septus), Not Fade Away (as
Skouros) and War Wounds (as Phidias)... sort of one of the omnipresent
"character" actors of the Hercverse!
Stephanie Liebert, who played Antibius, appeared as a Young Woman in Reunions.
Mark Newnham was credited as Dahak - I'm assuming this means that it was
him inside the monster suit, which would seem to fit with his previous
roles, as Ares, in the ep of that name (when Ares was a hideous monster,
rather than the suave Kevin Smith...) and the Mummy, in Mummy Dearest; Mark
also played Antaeus in Hercules And The Circle of Fire. He has never
appeared on Xena - but then XWP has its own regular monster (Anthony Ray
Parker - Bacchus, The Deliverer).
Just a couple of words about the familiar figures...
We're very used to seeing Jeffrey Thomas as Jason now - but he first appeared on HTLJ as Bellicus in the ep Gladiator. Most interestingly of all to me, Danielle pointed out that Jeffrey Thomas,
who plays Jason regularly on HTLJ, first appeared in the Xenaverse in the
XWP ep Chariots Of War... She's absolutely right, and I'd never recognised
him or realised it! He's credited as Jeff Thomas, and he plays Cycnus, the
evil warlord... just shows what a few fake scars, a wig, and some character
acting can do!
Gina Torres, who plays Nebula, of course also appeared in the XWP ep The
King Of Assassins, as Cleopatra. She also appeared in the 1996 movie The
Substance of Fire, and in the 1994 TV movie M.A.N.T.I.S. (an SF thing...
pilot for a series, I believe). She has also appeared on eps of La Femme
Nikita (playing "Jenna Vogler" in episode: "Open Heart"), NYPD Blue
(playing "Dominican Woman" in episode: "E.R."), and Law & Order (playing
"Charlene" in episode: "Purple Heart" and "Laura Elkin" in episode: "Skin
Deep").
Tamara Gorski, who plays Morrigan, was in the 1997 movie Murder at 1600
(but just as a woman in a bar). She also played a woman in a bar in the
1995 movie To Die For. On a different note, she appeared as Jenny Nielson
in the movies The Lost World and Return To The Lost World (not the Jurassic
park sequel...) She was featured in the TV series Psi Factor: Chronicles Of
The Paranormal as Dr. Alexandra Corliss, and she appeared in the TV movie
of Danielle Steel's A Perfect Stranger as Sarah. She has also appeared on
eps of Forever Knight (playing "Claire Gibson" in episode: "Black Buddha")
and Highlander (playing "Peggy McCall" in episode: "Vendetta").
Kevin Smith, known to us all as Ares, can be seen in the TV movie Flatmates
(also featuring various other Xenaverse faces), the NZ movie Desperate
Remedies (ditto), and the TV series "McLeod's Daughters". He's also,
apparently, signed up to do a couple of new shows in NZ, in one of which he
is featured as a detective of some sort... and the name of the show is
"Lawless"! Danielle Walther pointed out to me that McLeod's Daughters (which I noted Kevin Smith had appeared in) was actually a two hour telemovie, rather than
a TV series. She also pointed out that Kevin has also appeared in the NZ
soap Shortland Street (is there a single Kiwi actor who *hasn't* been on
Shortland Street?), and two other series, Gloss and Marlin Bay.
Redemption was directed by Bruce Campbell (most familiar, of course, in the
role of Autoloycus)... quite a change from his last HTLJ directorial
outing, the knockabout spoof, For Those Of You Just Joining Us, and from
last week's XWP, Key To The Kingdom, which he also directed. On X:WP,
Bruce previously directed The King of Assassins, and on HTLJ he also
directed The Vanishing Dead and What's in A Name?
The ep was written by Lisa Klink... she hasn't written for HTLJ before this
season, but she penned Descent and Darkness Rising as well as Redemption -
so she's responsible for a fair chunk of this year's Dahak nonsense. I
shall valiantly try to hold off forming any firm prejudice against her
until she has a chance at an ep that isn't cursed.
TALES OF THE HERCAVERSE
12-31-98a. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman on a RealHollywood on-line chat (12-08-98) stated that the episode REDEMPTION was never named EXORCISM. EXORCISM is either an episode which has been dropped or will show up again on the production calendar. Apparently REDEMPTION was originally called Retribution.
12-31-98a. Bruce Campbell on his website stated in September 1998, "I'm just directing this one gang -- slackin' off. HA! I guess you could say this episode is kind of like 'The Exorcist' meets 'The Last Temptation of Iolaus.'"
DISCLAIMER
Finally the demon Dahak was destroyed during the production of this motion picture.
LINKS:
12-31-98a. Click below for some shots of what I think is REDEMPTION, but I could be wrong.
Click here to see the Herkster in primo-battle mode.
Click here to see Herk and, could it be...DAHAK? I guess we will just have to wait and see.
Click here to see Herk and, could it be...another vortex?
