Written by John Schulian
Directed by Bruce Seth Green
Darphus and Graegus return to target Ares' enemeis, forcing old friends and old enemies to unite.
Tropes
- Armor-Piercing Response: Albeit not because of the words themselves, but because of who is saying them.Xena: Hello, Iolaus.
- Call-Back: Hercules cites the battle against Nemis when assuring Salmeonus that he isn't a coward.
- Characterization Marches On: As this is Xena’s first episode as a good guy it’s notable her personality and demeanor is completely different than how she will be on her own show. She’s far more feminine and apologetic here. Swooning over Hercules more than anything. Important to note two things. 1. She was intended to be killed off in this episode, which is likely why the script leaned on her being Hercules love interest 2. This episode was written by Hercules head writer John Schulian who had no involvement with Xena’s own tv series.
- Claustrophobia: Implied to be why Salmoneus completely froze up during the heroes' struggle to get out from under the rocks.
- Everyone Has Standards: Salmoneus was captured by Darphus, but Iolaus only saw him sitting at the same dinner table and thus assumes he's a traitor. Hercules asserts that Salmoneus, for all his faults, is no traitor.
- The Gadfly: Iolaus goes out of his way to annoy Salmoneus when they bump into each other, including acting like a starstruck fan when supposedly meeting Hercules for the first time.
- Hidden Depths: Salmoneus comes from a family of quail hunters. He ends up bringing in quite a sizable dinner, and Iolaus (a hunter himself) is most impressed.
- Irony: Iolaus accuses of Hercules of falling into the same trap he did and of sleeping with Xena. Later, after everyone is all straightened out among the heroes, Hercules and Xena do start going at it. Walking in on the aftermath, Iolaus is admittedly amused and asks if he got back too soon.
- Rock–Paper–Scissors: Iolaus suggests playing rock-parchment-dagger to see who gets the last quail.
- Shipper on Deck: In his diary, Salmoneus admits he thinks about the prospect of Hercules and Xena starting a family.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Iolaus initially towards Xena, as he doesn't believe she truly changed. Her saving his life during a fight goes a long way towards burying the hatchet.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Hercules over having to tell Iolaus that Xena has changed and is now traveling with him.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Hercules assures Salmoneus that he's not a coward, citing the help he gave him during the recent fight with the Centaurs.
- You Have Failed Me: Darphus sends Quintus to Graegus, as punishment for running from a fight with Xena. Quintus's insistence that he was trying to warn him about her whereabouts falls on deaf ears.
