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Recap / Hercules The Legendary Journeys S 2 E 21 The Wedding Of Alcmene

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Written by John Schulian
Directed by Timothy Bond


This episode provides examples of:

  • Accidental Misnaming: Receiving Salmoneus's wedding present, Alcmene isn't sure how to pronounce his name and had thought it was "Salmonella."
  • All Men Are Perverts: Domesticles is only too happy to introduce himself to the 50 Daughters of King Thespius.
  • All Women Are Lustful: The 50 Daughters of King Thespius just can't help themselves around Hercules, asking if he's changed his mind about them yet and getting a bit grabby. Heliotrope and Micah also give him quite a greeting.
  • Actually Pretty Funny: Arriving at the very end, Salmoneus asks if he missed anything. Everyone else just starts laughing, much to his confusion.
  • Ambition Is Evil: Patronius dreams of taking over Corinth and then conquering Phlegra next. The Blue Priest commends his ambition, but he warns him to not get distracted from the more pressing goal of killing Hercules.
  • Back from the Dead: The Blue Priest is back to wreak havoc once again.
    Iolaus: Aren't you supposed to be dead? Hercules chopped your head off!
    Blue Priest: Hera didn't approve.
  • Bait the Dog: A pleasant young woman named Sera bumps into Alcmene at the market and offers to show her a place for the wedding. Hercules finds himself interested in her, which Alcmene gladly pushes. She's actually a servant of Hera and provided the location as part of the Blue Priest's plan.
  • Call-Back: The Blue Priest returns and references his fatal encounter with Hercules. He also summons an even larger Sea Monster, and Hercules owes his prior experience to knowing how to deal with it.
  • Chekhov's Gag: Salmoneus's wedding present is dismissed as just plain weird. It gets swallowed by the sea monster along with Hercules and Jason, and it proves surprisingly useful in attacking the monster.
    Jason: I never thought that wedding gift would be good for anything.
    Hercules: You can always count on Salmoneus!
  • Dirty Coward: As the fight at the pool area turns in the heroes' favor, the Blue Priest makes a run for it. He pleads for Hera to protect him before jumping off a cliff, but she doesn't, and he falls to his death.
  • Early-Installment Weirdness: Alcmene says her romantic interest in Jason began shortly after Herc's stepfather died (which occurred before Hercules was even born). This, of course, doesn't jive at all with flashback episodes and Young Hercules, where Herc and Jason are portrayed as contemporaries roughly the same age.
  • Five-Second Foreshadowing: The hooded figure having blue hands.
  • Getting Eaten Is Harmless: Hercules and Jason survive their stay in the sea monster's stomach.
  • Have We Met?: Deric asks this of Sera, but she insists they haven't. This doesn't quite dissuade Deric, and he keeps looking at her suspiciously. During the wedding, Deric realizes they have met and that she participated in the Slaughter of Biblos on behalf of Hera.
  • Humble Hero: The tavern owner attempts to pay Hercules and Iolaus for saving him from some thugs, but they insist he keep the money and put it back into his business. The tavern owner thanks them for this humbleness and commends Alcmene for teaching Hercules good values.
  • Is It Always Like This?: Walking in on a brawl in a tavern, Alcmene asks Hercules if this is a regular occurrence. He remarks it just can't be avoided sometimes.
  • It's Personal: The resurrected Blue Priest wants serious payback against the man who beheaded him.
  • Jerkass Realization: Hercules lets go of his resentment over the wedding upon learning that Jason is going to step down as king.
  • Kill It Through Its Stomach: When Jason and Hercules find themselves in the sea monsters stomach they tear their way out into the creatures body cavity. Then they make there way to its spinal column and sever it, killing the monster.
  • Lethal Chef: Dirce gets a taste of Falafel's fast food and later throws up. Averted during the wedding, however, where he makes more traditional food.
  • Little "No": Alcmene when the sea monster ensnares Jason.
  • Mama Bear: After learning that Sera is working for Hera and out to kill Hercules, Alcmene punches her out.
  • Man Hug: Hercules and Iolaus when greeting their old Argonaut buddies.
  • Mass "Oh, Crap!": Onlookers' reactions when Hercules gets swallowed by the sea monster.
  • The Mole: Sera, the gentle young woman Alcmene befriended, is really a spy for Hera.
  • The Needs of the Many: Hercules turns down the chance to replace Jason as king because it means he wouldn't be able to help as many people.
  • Noodle Incident: The Slaughter of Biblos that Deric refers to and Sera participated in.
  • Pass the Popcorn: After Alcmene reveals mid-fight that she's getting married, Hercules really starts going at it with the thugs in order to wrap this up and talk to her. With it getting so intense, Iolaus sees little point in continuing himself, gets a drink, and observes the rest of the fight.
  • The Power of Love: Jason is fully prepared to step down as king in order to marry the woman he loves. His only concern is that the next in line for the throne is a corrupt official.
  • Race Against the Clock: Jason has three days to name his successor before a corrupt official takes over and runs Corinth into the ground.
  • Retcon: Jason is the king of Corinth when his previous appearance said he was the king of Argos. This change would stick for all future appearances on the show and Young Hercules, but it would cause a Continuity Snarl over episodes that featured Sisyphus.
  • Sea Monster:
    • The Blue Priest summons an even larger monster than last time to attack the wedding.
      Hercules: Y'know, I've been inside one of these before.
      Jason: Yeah? Well, this is my first time.
    • A second monster later shows up to engage the first one in a fight, only departing after Hercules takes care of things on the inside.
  • Secret Relationship: Alcmene says she and Jason had their flings in the past, but the timing was never quite right for an actual commitment until now.
  • Ship Tease: Iolaus and Dirce pick up right where they left off.
  • Shipper on Deck: Alcmene immediately pushes Hercules to settle down with Sera, and he lampshades how he just met the woman.
  • Shrouded in Myth: Patronius notes all the legends say that Hercules is impossible to kill.
  • So Proud of You: Alcmene tells Iphicles she's always been proud to call him her son and is pleased he'll be succeeding Jason as king.
  • Swallowed Whole: The sea monster manages to ensnare Jason with its tongue and reel him in for a meal. Hercules responds by jumping right in to get him out.
  • This Is Gonna Suck: Hercules over once again being inside a sea monster's stomach.
  • Title Drop: "All we have to do is wait until tomorrow and then we get to see the wedding of Alcmene turn into the death of Hercules."
  • Wedding Smashers: A sea monster interrupts Alcemene and Jason's wedding where it swallows both Jason and Hercules.
  • Wham Episode: Alcmene gets married, Jason steps down as king, and Iphicles takes over.
  • Wham Line: Alcmene announcing she's getting married is one in itself, but the real whammy is her telling Hercules and Iolaus the name of the groom.
  • Wham Shot:
    • The hooded individual revealing himself to be the resurrected Blue Priest.
    • Sera stepping forward at the pool, revealing she's working for Hera and the Blue Priest.
    • Jason's second pick for king being Iphicles.
  • Witch with a Capital "B": Alcmene's description of Sera after punching her out.
  • Written-In Absence:
    • Lila and Kefor are not with Deric when he arrives. He says they stayed at home to greet a cousin of his that promised to visit.
    • Echidna and Typhon were invited, but they can't make it because she's with child.
  • Xanatos Speed Chess: Hera and her forces immediately scheme to co-opt Jason and Alcmene's wedding as a new attempt to kill Hercules.

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