DARKNESS VISIBLE

PROMO TRANSCRIPTION
TV GUIDE PROMO
WHERE HAVE I SEEN YOU BEFORE?
TALES OF THE HERCAVERSE
TRANSCRIPT
DISCLAIMER

PROMO TRANSCRIPTION

HERCULES MUST BATTLE THE LORD OF THE VAMPIRES.
(Vlad disappears in smoke.)
(Vlad swings a sword at Hercules and barely misses his throat.)
(Nadia is interrupted while sucking Iolaus' blood.)
Hercules (to Nadia): Hey! That's my friend you're sucking on!
(Vlad lifts Hercules off the ground, choking him.)
Vlad (to Hercules): Decision time! Join me, or die now!
ON AN ALL NEW--
Iolaus: No!
HERCULES!

ON AN ALL NEW HERCULES--
A DEADLY SECRET LIES HIDDEN BEHIND CASTLE WALLS.
(Hercules turns a wall-mounted candle and opens a secret passage.)
(Iolaus peers into a doorway and is shocked when bats fly out.)
(Nadia is interrupted while sucking Iolaus' blood.)
Hercules (to Nadia): Hey! That's my friend you're sucking on!
NOW, HERCULES MUST BATTLE THE LORD OF THE VAMPIRES.
(Vlad disappears in smoke.)
(Vlad swings a sword at Hercules and barely misses his throat.)
(Hercules punches Vlad in the stomach and tosses him over his shoulder.)
BUT HOW DO YOU KILL SOMETHING--
Iolaus: He's in my head!
Hercules: Fight him! Come on!
THAT'S ALREADY DEAD?
(Vlad lifts Hercules of the ground, choking him.)
Vlad (to Hercules): Decision time! Join me, or die now!
ON AN ALL NEW--
Iolaus: No!
HERCULES! TV GUIDE PROMO
Prince Vlad, Hercules' old friend-turned-vampire, transforms his subjects into an army of the undead.

Hercules and Iolaus are duped into fighting vampires.

Hercules and Iolaus are asked by their old friend Vlad to fight some unusually blood-thirsty foes.

Hercules and Iolaus are summoned by an old friend, Vlad, to fight vampires only to discover that they are to be his next victims.

WHERE HAVE I SEEN YOU BEFORE?

By Xorys.

So, who was who in Darkness Visible?

Friendly old Prince Vlad (just call me The Impaler...), that well know comrade-in-arms of Hercules' at the Battle of Antioch, was played by Jeffrey Meek. Jeffrey has never appeared in the Xenaverse before, but he's kept pretty busy, mostly working in the USA. He played Lord Rayden in the TV series Mortal Kombat: Conquest, and Jonathan Raven in the series Raven. He was also in a TV production called Babyraub - Kinder fremder Mächte, which I'd have to assume was German. He was in Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story, in the 1995 TV movie of Judith Krantz's Dazzle, and in the 1991 series The Exile. His first major TV role appears to have been as Quinn McCleary in the long running Search For Tomorrow. Jeffrey has also made guest appearances on Pacific Blue and Alright Already.

Jeffrey is often credited as Jeff Meek - but that somehow doesn't sound right for a vampire, does it? (Actually, I don't mean to be rude, but it sounds like a super-hero's alternate identity to me - "meanwhile, elsewhere Megopolis, unassuming Jeff Meek went about his daily business...")

At the movies, Jeffrey can be seen in Timelock, The St. Tammany Miracle, Heart Condition, Night Of The Cyclone (aka Perfume Of The Cyclone - I think they should've stuck with "Night", myself), Johnny Handsome (with Micky Rourke and Ellen Barkin - quite an interesting movie), and Winter People.

Galen the Vampire Hunter (no relation to Galen the Healer) was played by Stephen Lovatt. Did he look familiar? Well he's never appeared on HTLJ before, but over on XWP he played the not so successful warlord Kirilus in Ties That Bind, and more recently the thoughtful mercenary Phlanagus in A Good Day.

Stephen played the regular role of Dr. Tom Shawcross on the Australian series Medivac (aka Adrenalin Junkies). Also a regular as a doctor on this series was Simone Kessell (Havetia in We'll Always Have Cyprus, Kayla in Love Amazon Style, Jana in Hercules And The Amazon Women, Rena in What's In A Name, Miss Mesini in Here She Comes...Miss Amphipolis).

Stephen has another thing in common with Simone - they both guested on the series High Tide, although not in the same episode.

Stephen was also a regular on the (presumably fairly short-lived) NZ TV series Typhon's People. Also on this show was someone called Lucy Lawless, credited as "Mink Tertius". Yvonne Lawley (the Norn in Norse by Norsevest and Somewhere Over Rainbow Bridge, Gryphia the old nurse in Key To The Kingdom) was also on this show, which was, I believe, a comedy of some sort (Kiwis feel free to correct me...)

Stephen has something else in common with Lucy Lawless, too - they both guested (as did quite a few other Xenaverse actors) on The Ray Bradbury Theatre, though again, not in the same episode.

Stephen was also in the regular cast of the TV series Mysterious Island, which was apparently a Canada / NZ co-production, although I don't recall its showing up here in Canada.

The only movie credit I found for Stephen was in the 1992 NZ / US co-production Absent Without Leave, in which he appeared along with quite a few other Xenaverse regulars - Katrina Hobbs (Lover Girl in Hercules In The Maze Of The Minotaur, Marysa in The Festival Of Dionysus, Glaphyra in The Dirty Half Dozen), Margaret Blay (the rather bad witness in LUATD), Rebecca Hobbs (Woman #1 in Ares, Elora in The Siege At Naxos, Katrina in Doomsday), Murray Keane (Hower in ADITL, Tiber in Hercules And The Amazon Women, Hermes in Porkules), and Mark Hadlow (Zera's unctuous sidekick Milo in The Play's The Thing).

Galen's afflicted sister, Nadia, was played by Tiffany De Castro. Despite her rather old-time-Hollywood-star name, I haven't been able to find any other credits for Tiffany.

Likewise, Galen's ill-fated sidekick Darius. He was given to us by Rafe Battiste, about whom I could find nothing.

Vlad's messenger boy, Mateus, on the other hand, is quite a different story. He was played by Jon Brazier, who should be very familiar to regular viewers. Jon first appeared as Second Mercenary in The Vanishing Dead. OK, perhaps not the most stunning debut role. But he went on to play Jakar in The Outcast, the Slave Trader in The Fire Down Below, Trinculos in A Star To Guide Them, and, over on XWP, Walsim in TDHD, and Tarsis in Vanishing Act.

Jon also has quite a few movie credits, mostly, it seems, in films with lots of other Xenaverse denizens featuring.

Most recently he was in Scarfies (a reference, apparently, to NZ rugger fans, in point of the coloured team scarves they wear), which starred Willa O'Neill (Phoebe, Gabrielle's sister Lila).

Jon was also in the NZ horror / psycho-killer movie The Ugly (a strange film, actually), in which you can also see Darien Takle (Xena's mom, Cyrene), Jennifer Ward-Lealand (Boadicea in The Deliverer, Zera in The Play's The Thing, Voluptua in The King Of Thieves), Beth Allen (Vanessa/Pilee in DOP), Katrina Browne (Mendala in WIR, Thelassa in LUATD, Siri in Prodigal Sister), Rebecca Hobbs (Woman #1 in Ares, Elora in The Siege At Naxos, Katrina in Doomsday), Paul Glover (Menticles in The Price, Josephus in What's in A Name, Brontus in Let the Games Begin, Roberto Orci in Yes Virginia There is A Hercules, Danaeus in Descent), Christopher Graham (Toxeus in DIC and MB, Slave Boss in RN, Colchis in Porkules), and Michael Dwyer (Theodorus in The Warrior Princess, Ruffian #1 in The Quest, Thug #2 in The Festival of Dionysus)... so, another one with a *lot* of familiar faces for Xenites.

Another film in which Jon played was 1996's Every Woman's Dream, in which he appeared along with Bruce Allpress (Enos in Unchained Heart, an Old Man in The Road to Calydon, Septus in Cast A Giant Shadow, Skouros in Not Fade Away, Phidias in War Wounds, and Stouras in Redemption), Lisa Crittenden (Hecuba in AFA), Mark Ferguson (Krykus in H&H and RN, Dagnine in OOW and PI, John Smythe in TXS, Prometheus in Hercules And The Circle of Fire, Hades in Hercules In The Underworld, Craesus in As Darkness Falls), Anthony Ray Parker (The Minotaur in Hercules In The Maze Of The Minotaur, Ipicles in The Gauntlet, Valerus in Once A Hero, Bacchus in Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Pinullus in A Comedy Of Eros, The Deliverer in The Deliverer), Jay Saussey (Dead Amazon in AITST, Village Girl in Hercules and the Lost Kingdom, Oena in And Fancy Free and Greece Is Burning), John Sumner (Inn Owner in Hercules And The Lost Kingdom, Broteas in The Road To Calydon, Domesticles in Once A Hero and The Wedding Of Alcmene, the Judge in Hercules On Trial, Lord Clairon in Here She Comes...Miss Amphipolis), and Grant Tilly (Toth in The Lady and the Dragon)

Jon was also in Jane Campion's film The Piano, where he was joined by a whole bunch of Xenaverse habitués - Hori Ahipene (the zany thug leader Brutus in Love On The Rocks), Stephen Hall (Hector in SOTP, Thelonius in TQIM, the Captain in Tsunami, Therax in The Play's The Thing, Purces in The Fire Down Below), Ian Mune (Menas Maxius in Gladiator, King Sidon in The Apple), Bruce Allpress (Enos in Unchained Heart, an Old Man in The Road to Calydon, Septus in Cast A Giant Shadow, Skouros in Not Fade Away, Phidias in War Wounds, and Stouras in Redemption), Gordon Hatfield (the Lieutenant in Unchained Heart, Seerus in Death in Chains, Rufinus in The Furies, Minion #1 in Hercules In The Underworld, Temple Guard in The Wrong Path, Freedom Fighter in Not Fade Away), Tamati Rice (Garel in The Price, Vercinix in When in Rome), and Stephen Papps (Pylendor in Unchained Heart, Seer in OOW, Teles in The Road to Calydon, Trilos in Protean Challenge, The Darkness in Norse by Norsevest and Somewhere Over Rainbow Bridge).

One final movie of Jon's in which you can play "spot the Xenaverse actor" is The Grasscutter - besides Jon, look for Joel Tobeck (Strife, Deimos), Stephen Hall (Hector, Thelonius, Therax), and Peter Vere-Jones (King Silvas in A Solstice Carol, Zeus in Judgement Day).

Another familiar figure in this ep was the headmaster of the orphanage in the teaser - he was played by Norman Fairley. We've previously seen Norman give us Aurelius in Atlantis, Angus in Render Unto Caesar, and Lord Lycost in Been There, Done That.

Norman is another one who seems to turn up, whether at the movies or on TV, in company with other Xenaverse habitués ("they come not single spies..."). He was in the TV series Greenstone, where he was joined by Norman Forsey (King Lias in W.P and W.P.T1, Casca in BTDT, Megas the old prisoner in Key To The Kingdom, Tiresias in The Road To Calydon, The Festival Of Dionysus and The Outcast, Old Merlin in Once Upon A Future King), George Henare (Hidsim in LM, Zarathustra in Let There Be Light and Redemption), Simone Kessell (Havetia in We'll Always Have Cyprus, Kayla in Love Amazon Style, Jana in Hercules And The Amazon Women, Rena in What's In A Name, Miss Mesini in Here She Comes...Miss Amphipolis), and Alison Wall (Minya).

He was also in the 1988 film The Navigator (a strange, and rather fascinating piece of work), in which Jay Saussey (Dead Amazon in AITST, Village Girl in Hercules and the Lost Kingdom, Oena in And Fancy Free and Greece Is Burning) featured as a little girl.

Norman can also be seen in 1986's Mesmerized, which stars Jodie Foster and John Lithgow, but just to give Xenites someone else to look for, also features Beryl Te Wiata (the old Psyche in The Green-Eyed Monster, Cynara the Seer in Cradle Of Hope, the old sick woman in Death In Chains, one of the Sisters of Gaia from the orphanage in The Quill Is Mightier).

In 1985's Death Warmed Up Norman was joined by Michael Hurst, and Geoff Snell (Herodotus, Gab and Lila's dad, in SOTP and AFA, Ellis [Willa O'Neill's dad again] in And Fancy Free, Peasant #2 in Hercules and the Circle of Fire, and Clytus in The Enforcer) .

In 1984's Second Time Lucky, you can see Norman and also Darien Takle (Xena's mom, Cyrene).

You can see Norman in 1983's Nate and Hayes, which stars Tommy Lee Jones, and also features Grant Tilly (Toth in The Lady and the Dragon), Bruce Allpress (Enos in Unchained Heart, an Old Man in The Road to Calydon, Septus in Cast A Giant Shadow, Skouros in Not Fade Away, Phidias in War Wounds, and Stouras in Redemption), and Mark Hadlow (Zera's unctuous sidekick Milo in The Play's The Thing).

And in 1981's Prisoners, which stars Tatum O'Neal, Norman is also joined by Michael Hurst.

Norman can also be seen in Goodbye Pork Pie (1981) and Bridge to Nowhere (1986), in which, so far as I can tell, he was not joined by any other actors who have since appeared in the Xenaverse.

And what about that spooky bald figure on the stake that came to life and sprouted fangs - look familiar to you at all? That was Marcel Kalma, who was most recently seen as a thug in We'll Always Have Cyprus, and previously appeared as Hargus in War Brides, and as Sadus in the XWP ep Ten Little Warlords.

Irene Malone was credited as "Vendor"... I'm assuming she must have been the woman who was robbed in the market-place in the teaser. Irene hasn't been credited in the Xenaverse before, but she does have some credits in common with other Xenaverse actors. She was in 1993's Desperate Remedies, a rather strange film, in which you can also see Michael Hurst, Kevin Smith, Jennifer Ward-Lealand (Boadicea in The Deliverer, Zera in The Play's The Thing, Voluptua in The King Of Thieves), Lisa Chappell (Daughter #1 in Hercules And The Circle of Fire, Lydia in Pride Comes Before A Brawl, Dirce in The King Of Thieves and The Wedding Of Alcmene, Princess Melissa in War Brides, Queen Melissa and Dirce in Hercules On Trial, and Melissa Blake in Yes Virginia There Is A Hercules and For Those Of You Just Joining Us), Bruce Hopkins (Triton in Love On The Rocks, Pylon in Cast A Giant Shadow, Jordis in Heedless Hearts, and Nehemiah in Regrets I've Had A Few, Termin in Dreamworker as Termin, Tegason in Ten Little Warlords, Rahl in Daughter Of Pomira), Ian Hughes (Calimachus in Twilight, Loki in Norse By Norsevest, Diomedes in The Black Wolf, Melas in Callisto), Murray Keane (Hower in ADITL, Tiber in Hercules And The Amazon Women, Hermes in Porkules), Andrew Kovachevich (Berserk Man In Inn in Hercules In The Underworld, Odeon in The Road To Calydon, Sepsus in The Outcast, Proprietor in The Enforcer, Tor in Hooves And Harlots, Inn Keeper in In Sickness And In Hell, Garth in Daughter Of Pomira), and Gordon Hatfield (the Lieutenant in Unchained Heart, Seerus in Death in Chains, Rufinus in The Furies, Minion #1 in Hercules In The Underworld, Temple Guard in The Wrong Path, Freedom Fighter in Not Fade Away).

Irene also played a Nun in the 1992 NZ film The Footstep Man, which also features Michael Hurst, Jennifer Ward-Lealand (Boadicea in The Deliverer, Zera in The Play's The Thing, Voluptua in The King Of Thieves), Sarah Smuts Kennedy (Kara in Mercenary and Hercules On Trial, Leandra in Love Takes A Holiday), and Grant McFarland (Ming Tzu in The Debt, First Ruffian in Cave of Echoes).

Darkness Visible was written by Phyllis Strong, who has never written for HTLJ or XWP before, and whose other work I am not familiar with.

The ep was directed by Phillip Sgriccia (previously credited as Phil), who helmed the earlier eps Hero's Heart, Twilight, and Resurrection.

TALES OF THE HERCAVERSE

10-08-99. DARKNESS VISIBLE is tha Halloween episode of the season. The high concept is Hercules meets Vlad the Impaler.

10-05-99. Although Jeremy Roberts wanted to play Vlad the Impaler and was considered for the role, he did not wind up getting the part.

07-13-99. Jeremy Roberts in an on-line chant stated that he will be in a vampire episode of Hercules where he will play Vlad the Impaler.

TRANSCRIPT

Click here to read a transcript of DARKNESS VISIBLE .

DISCLAIMER

No Blood Sucking Homicidal Vampires were harmed during the production of this motion picture.