Written by Gene O'Neill & Noreen Tobin
Directed by Charles Siebert
This episode provides examples of:
- The Ace: In addition to his heroics, Hercules can play a lute flawlessly without ever having tried before. Iolaus is not amused, having been certain this was the one thing he couldn't do.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Upon being convinced that the curse is real, Autolycus immediately starts begging the heroes for help.
- All Women Are Lustful: The women in Ipithia swarm Hercules upon his arrival. They later chase him through the streets during a musical number. They get quite grabby with Autolycus when thinking he's the big hero, but he's naturally far more into it than Herc was.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: In a world of gods and monsters, Autolycus openly dismisses the idea of a statue coming to life and killing someone. He insists the locals' belief in the curse is superstituous nonsense, at least until Hercules and Iolaus casually talk about the gruesome fate ahead of him.
- Batman Gambit: After the villager explains the situation, Hercules says him he'll be in Ipithia soon, but he also tells him to assure the locals that a gold shipment will arrive at noon. Herc had already guessed that Autolycus stole the ruby, and he knew the possibility of stealing some gold would convince the King of Thieves to stay in town long enough for the heroes to arrive.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Realizing Iolaus is right, Autolycus repents, gets on his knees, and asks to be shown the light. A lightning bolt immediately strikes the hospital.
- Brick Joke: All those prunes that Autolycus ate do eventually take a toll on him.
- Chekhov's Gag:
- The lute is an impulse buy from Iolaus, and we later see Hercules prove quite adept at it. It's later used to briefly stall the panther.
- On the way to Ipithia, Hercules and Iolaus use rocks to play a round of Pinball Projectile. Hercules later recreates the game to safely get the ruby back to the panther.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Lucretiana to the point of shoving other admirers away from Hercules. She almost ropes him into marriage through sheer persistence.
- Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like: The Spoiled Brat balks at Iolaus saving him from the hospital fire, saying he'd rather it'd be Hercules. After kicking Iolaus in the leg, he immediately rushes back into the burning building. Hercules does save him soon afterwards.
- Curse: Stealing the Sacred Ruby of Ipithia causes the panther statue to come to life and hunt down the thief in bloody fashion (as well as slash anyone in-between it and said thief). The locals all know this curse and abide by the rule, but Autolycus thought it was just a superstition.
- Cutting the Knot: When Hercules says there is one way to get the ruby out of Autolycus, Iolaus immediately draws his sword. Hercules was thinking of prunes, though.
- Cynic–Idealist Duo: Thinking he's soon to die, Autolycus starts appreciating everything around him. Iolaus finds himself the cynic to Autolycus's extreme idealist.Autolycus: [marveling at a small flower] Words can't describe it.
Iolaus: Try "weed." - Dark and Troubled Past: Iolaus II notes that the Sovereign expected a lot of his jester on a daily basis, such as new routines. He also alludes to how he had his share of dreams growing up and saw them fall apart. As far as he's concerned, Other World was a place he longed to escape.
- Don't Ask: Iolaus's response to Hercules asking about Autolycus becoming The Pollyanna.
- Due to the Dead: In the final scene, it's revealed that Hercules was taking Iolaus II to our Iolaus's grave and that he's spent a good bit of time there already paying his respects. Iolaus II gives his counterpart a little speech about coming to terms with being his own man instead of having to worry about trying and failing to replace him.
- "Eureka!" Moment: The panther reacts to the sound the lute makes after being stepped on. Hercules thinks to see if Music Soothes the Savage Beast.
- Everyone Has Standards: Zig zagged in the hospital. Autolycus can't help but swindle an old man out of an inheritance, saying the guy mistook him for his grandson. However, during the fire, Autolycus personally carries the old man to safety.
- Extreme Doormat: Hercules is so completely incapable of saying no to Lucretiana that he almost ends up married. Iolaus is incredulous that Greece's most famous hero struggles with simply telling someone no and how he lucks into not having to actually go through with the wedding.
- Fake Ultimate Hero: When it's all over, the women fawn all over Autolycus for helping save the day. Iolaus asks if he'll point out that he caused the whole mess in the first place, to which Autolycus remarks he doesn't want to spoil the women's fun.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Iolaus has to remind Autolycus that they have not, in fact, always been the best of friends.
- Forging the Will: The old man at the hospital mistook Autolycus for his grandson and wants to leave him an inheritance. Autolycus makes sure to get it in writing.
- Friendless Background: Iolaus II never had the kind of friendship that Hercules and Iolaus enjoyed, so he finds aspects of it confusing and feels out of place. He notes he had long since given up on the idea of having a close friend before finally getting the chance to leave his world behind.
- Friendship Moment:
- Iolaus assures a depressed Autolycus that he and Hercules would never let him die.
- Hercules reveals he knitted Iolaus an afghan blanket that he had earlier said he wanted.
- The whole point of this trip was Hercules helping Iolaus II becoming more comfortable in this world and with being himself.
- Funny Background Event: After a fall in the museum, Autolycus is flat on his back and literally choking on the ruby. While Hercules tries to keep the panther busy, Iolaus tries to get the ruby out by punching Autolycus.
- Gadgeteer Genius: Iolaus II's original dream was to be an inventor. He came up with Ancient Greek equivalents of a lighter and glasses, just making the former too large and the latter needing to be held by hand. Hercules gives him the appropriate suggestions on how to refine these ideas.
- The Gadfly: Before heading out, Iolaus when prodding Hercules about Lucretiana.Iolaus: Isn't that where your girlfriend lives?
- Greed: Autolycus cops to this.Hercules: You didn't have to steal it in the first place.
Autolycus: Don't ya see, man?! I've got a problem! It's a sickness. If I were the last man on Earth, I'd steal from myself. - Hidden Depths:
- Hercules knows how to sew. Iolaus is surprised, but Herc simply says that Alcmene taught him years ago.
- Iolaus II is a skilled cook and came up with some useful inventions.
- Happy Ending Override: Downplayed. Iolaus II is contemplating going his own way, due to the perceived pressure of having to replace his mainstream counterpart. He nonetheless acknowledges how he's still in a much better place literally an figuratively than he was before the previous episode.
- Hypocritical Humor: Hercules is indignant about Iolaus saying he needs to learn to say no, given his buddy's history of Really Gets Around.
- Ignored Aesop:
- Iolaus keeps trying to get Autolycus to understand that being a thief got him into this mess and that he has to change his ways for his own good. Autolycus starts to see the logic of that, as time runs out, only to later insist he didn't actually mean it. He's even pretty certain that he can still get the ruby so long as he steals the entire panther statue along with it.
- Iolaus notes how, despite almost getting roped into marrying Lucretiana, Hercules still hasn't learned to say no to someone.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold:
- Autolycus can't resist trying to con an old man into giving him an inheritance, but during a fire, he carries the guy to safety.
- The kid at the hospital is obnoxious to Iolaus, but he later helps Hercules evade the amorous women.
- Lampshade Hanging: Falafel expresses confusion over how a guy that looks like Iolaus and has the same name is not actually the same guy. Given Iolaus's exploits, Iolaus II acknowledges how this will likely be a common occurrence going forward.
- Laughing at Your Own Jokes: Hercules points out that Iolaus tends to do this and says his jokes would get a better reception if he kept a straight face.
- Lethal Chef: Iolaus II learns the hard way that our Falafel is this and not the Supreme Chef that Falafel II was.
- Mistaken Identity:
- The old man at the hospital was prepared to make his grandson his beneficiary. The problem is that he mistakes Autolycus for said grandson.
- Falafel naturally confuses Iolaus II for the guy he knows.
- Music Soothes the Savage Beast: Hoping for this, Hercules tries stalling the panther by playing Iolaus's new lute and singing an improvised song (with accompaniment by Iolaus and Autolycus). The panther actually becomes quite docile in response, at least until the lute's string suddenly breaks.
- No Sympathy: When the Spoiled Brat trips and falls flat on his face, Iolaus openly laughs.
- Noodle Incident: Lucretiana is infatuated with Hercules, due to an adventure the heroes previously had in Ipithia. Herc had saved her from falling off a bridge.
- Not a Morning Person: Iolaus would rather sleep through the morning workout than take part. By contrast, Iolaus II is up at the crack of dawn, due to his history of working for the Sovereign.
- "Not So Different" Remark: As Iolaus II frets about not being able to live up to his counterpart, Hercules notes that Iolaus was always concerned about being Overshadowed by Awesome, too.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: At the end of the flashbacks, Hercules starts to suspect that Iolaus merely pretends to not be good at assorted tasks (e.g. cooking) so that he doesn't have to do the work. Iolaus claims to have no idea what he's talking about.
- Overshadowed by Awesome: Iolaus II struggles with living in the shadow of his dead counterpart.
- Pinball Projectile: On the way to town, Hercules challenges Iolaus to a variation of the famed Larry Bird/Michael Jordan commercial
: a rock landing in a lake with "nothing but splash" after bouncing off a spruce's branch, ricocheting off an oak tree, going through a stump, and passing over a bird's nest. Hercules manages it just fine, but Iolaus hits himself in the face after the rock bounces off the spruce. - The Pollyanna: Thinking he's only got hours to live, Autolycus adopts an extremely cheery attitude about life and all its creatures. It annoys Iolaus to no end.Autolycus: Hello, Mr. Catepillar.
- Potty Emergency: Autolycus by way of prunes, though it takes until the very end of the flashback to truly kick in.
- Race Against the Clock: If the ruby's not returned by dusk, the panther statue will come to life and get back its property in bloody fashion. Hercules tries to buy more time by getting a net forged by Hephaestus, but this fails because of the below.
- Saved by Canon: Autolycus worries he's soon to die, but the flashbacks take place at some point before Iolaus was killed in Sumeria. Autolycus would appear shortly after that, as well as a couple times over on Xena: Warrior Princess.
- Spanner in the Works: The net plan goes awry when Lucretiana shows up at the museum and accidentally stumbles into it after getting startled by Autolycus.
- Swallowed Whole: Autolycus swallowed the ruby because the guards were searching everyone.
- Tempting Fate: After the net trap goes off prematurely, an annoyed Autolycus asks, "Now, what?" It's at that moment the panther springs to life.
- This Is Gonna Suck: The heroes when the panther comes to life.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: After hearing the first part of the story, Iolaus II says the volleying snark and the kick into the lake make it sound like Hercules and Iolaus just hated each other. Hercules says teasing each other was basically their way of I "Uh" You, Too.
- Whole Episode Flashback: Hercules tells Iolaus II a story of a past adventure that he feels highlights the differents between him and his mainstream counterpart.
- Who's on First?: With Hercules facing getting roped into marriage, Iolaus tries to get him to learn how to say the magic word.Iolaus: Repeat after me: "No."
Hercules: "No."
Iolaus: Don't argue with me on this, Hercules. Just say, "No."
Hercules: "No."
Iolaus: This is for your own good! Can't ya see that?! Say, "No!"
Hercules: Iolaus, I said, "No!"
Iolaus: Okay, fine! If that's how you wanna be, just don't expect me to hold the ring!
