Hercules/Xena (Spoilers)

[Timewalker]

I watched both series on TV. Though I was a kid when I watched it, it was quite fun.

Spoiler: a character you may not be familiar with.

Joxer the Mighty rules.

Oh, thanks. Now that song is running through my head and won't leave.

I'm reminded of a clip I saw once where they filmed the orchestra and singers recording "Joxer the Mighty." Everyone was so professional and dignified, and not one person burst out laughing at the ridiculous lyrics they had to sing.

there was a groundhog day episode of Xena that was pretty funny.

"Gabrielle woke with a jerk."

OVerall, I enjoyed Season 1 of Hercules. The TV movies were hit or miss, but overall its been a fun experience with some entertaining adventures and good characters. I have the second season of hercules and the 1st and 2nd seasons of Xena to watch now. I'm not quite sure how I'll go about it, since I'm eager to get to Xena. I'll probably mix it up and watch a few episodes of Hercules and then a few episodes of Xena. I'm excited for both of them. Xena was pretty interesting, especially in the last two episodes, and I'm sure I'll enjoy her show a lot. I'm hoping Hercules and Iolaus get to adventure a bit more in Season 2. They teamed up a good deal in Season 1, but I think Iolaus would work well as a consistent sidekick. Its not like he has reasons to not travel around with Hercules, since I've come to terms with the fact that they are just ignoring his marriage from the first TV movie. I'm also hopiung we get some Zeus/Hercules interaction. I know the TV Movie version of Zeus doesn't return, but I'd like to see Hercules confront Zeus eventually.

Iolaus is my favorite character in Hercules, and while he doesn't get as much character development compared to Gabrielle in Xena, he does get some very interesting episodes that focus on him.

Watched the first episode of the second season of Hercules, and the first episode of Xena.

King of Thieves was very good. I was a bit iffy about the whole "innocent person gets blamed for crime thing", but it was saved by not taking itself too seriously. Bruce Campbell was amazing as Autolycus, which was to be expected. He was just entertaining the whole time, and having him yodeling while swinging away was great. Iolaus's parts were also good, since the kind of standard story was made a lot better with humor. His three tests were great, as were his explanations as to how he beat each one of them. Hercules's interactions with Autolycus were just great. While the episode ended about how I expected it to, it was still great. I like the character of Autolycus, and I hope we see more of him in the future.

Sins of the Past (Xena) was a pretty good episode. It was interesting to see Xena's home village, and the fight at the end between Xena and the warlord was fun. Seeing them step on peoples heads as the fought was great. Gabrielle was somewhat annoying, but I'm not going to hold it against her, its only the first episode (and she wasn't that bad). Overall I liked this episode, even if Gabrielle didn't make a great first impression.

Autolycus is a fun character, and he does show up some more.

Of the two shows, I prefer Xena. The stories are generally richer and more complex as the seasons go by, and the characters - even the recurring ones like Ares, Aphrodite, Callisto, and Joxer - get some great development.

Hercules has some great stories too, but one thing to keep in mind: Don't get too far ahead with one or the other series, because there are occasional crossovers, and sometimes what happens in one series has an effect on events in the other.

 

[JanewayRulz!]

I watched both series on TV. Though I was a kid when I watched it, it was quite fun.

Spoiler: a character you may not be familiar with.

Joxer the Mighty rules.

Oh, thanks. Now that song is running through my head and won't leave.

I'm reminded of a clip I saw once where they filmed the orchestra and singers recording "Joxer the Mighty." Everyone was so professional and dignified, and not one person burst out laughing at the ridiculous lyrics they had to sing.

there was a groundhog day episode of Xena that was pretty funny.

"Gabrielle woke with a jerk."

"I don't get it."

If you want to get that tune out of your head, start humming Gabrielle's song. "Let me tell you a story about ..."

Timewalker, I searched for that orchestral version and found this parody video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afc4QEhtqRc

I know the video isn't right, but is this the music you remember?

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afc4QEhtqRc[/yt]

 

[Timewalker]

Yep, that's the music.

 

[Forbin]

Callisto has got to have the most interesting character arc of any TV villain, start to finish. And Hudson plays her SO well.

 

[kirk55555]

Dreamworker (Xena) - This was really bad. Gabrielle was insufferable most of the time, and Xena's dream segments were pretty predictable. It also felt like it was hammering in the idea of Gabrielle not fighting way too hard. I spent a good portion of the episode wishing Xena would just give Gabrielle over to the dream god

Cradle of Hope (Xena) - This was decent. It had a few problems, but having Pandora's box involved was interesting. Xena's method of entering the castle seemed kind of stupid (how could they not tell who she was, the veil didn't cover her face that well, especially since the guard captain only saw her a few hours ago, and would probably be expecting her to try something). I had the ending predicted less than half way in, but it was still ok. Overall, this wasn't a bad episode, and definitely better than the one right before it. Gabrielle didn't even make me want to break my DVD player this episode.

 

[Sparkle Fabulosa]

Xena is my favourite show! She and Gabrielle were the sweetest couple. And who can forget Joxer, Autolycus, Ares, Aphrodite, and Minya! Such great characters.

 

[OmahaStar]

Dreamworker (Xena) - This was really bad. Gabrielle was insufferable most of the time, and Xena's dream segments were pretty predictable. It also felt like it was hammering in the idea of Gabrielle not fighting way too hard. I spent a good portion of the episode wishing Xena would just give Gabrielle over to the dream god

I hope I'm not giving anything major away here. Gabrielle does start off as the "annoying tagalong teenager" (a description I remember seeing in other reviews), but grows remarkably as a character.

The first season is absolutely the worst for her. Xena's story, as you've seen so far, is one of redemption. She started out (on screen) as this evil warlord, and is trying to change, to atone for her wicked ways. In much the same way, Gabrielle goes through her own changes.

It will take time, but the payoff is absolutely worth it. The only downside is that after watching the later episodes, it's almost painful to go back and rewatch the early episodes where she is such a whiny one-dimensional character.

She gets better.

You have already seen the actress. She was in one of the Hercules movies, playing another character. So, you've already seen that she does have some range. As with the character, the actress gets better over time too.

 

[kirk55555]

She gets better.

You have already seen the actress. She was in one of the Hercules movies, playing another character. So, you've already seen that she does have some range. As with the character, the actress gets better over time too.

I'm hoping she gets better. But, I should say that I knew Renee O'Connor was in a hercules tV movie. She was Deianeira (but not the one who marries Hercules, I have no idea why they used the name) in Hercules and the Lost Kingdom, which wasn't very good. I hated her there too, and thinking about it she was basically just playing Gabrielle under a different name. She was a stubborn, annoying sidekick who was basically useless and got in the way. By the end of the movie, I was cheering for Hera to take her

I'm not anywhere close to giving up on the show. I like Xena, and I'll cling to hope that Gabrielle gets better. A lot of shows have rough first seasons, so right now I just consider Gabrielle one of the things that will hopefully grow a bit as the show goes on.

 

[JanewayRulz!]

Actually both Lucy and Renee played other characters in the Hercules telemovies before Xena:WP was even planned. It was one of the reasons why TPTB didn't want Lucy in the first place since she had "just" been seen as another character.

Not every one loves Gabrielle, but those of us who do are quite boisterous in our praise of the character.

I actually like the season 1's annoying tagalong version because it shows just how far her character has jouneyed from the pilot to the finale.

 

[Forbin]

Not only a fine actress, but I was especially impressed with Renee's obvious devotion to becoming as good a martial artist as she could for the role in later seasons.

 

[kirk55555]

All That Glitters (Hercules) - This wasn't very good. I liked seeing Salmoneus, but all the casino stuff wasn't very original and the whole story was predictable. Not bad, but for an episode with King Midas owning casino I expected something a bit more interesting.

 

[wulfio]

I think xena and callisto would have made a more intriguing show than xena and gabrielle.

 

[kirk55555]

The Path Not Taken (Xena) - This was a decent episode. In order to save a kidnapped princess, Xena has to pretend to be her old evil self to infiltrate the weapons dealer that stole the princess. The stuff with Xena pretending to be bad was interesting, and Gabrielle barely got any screen time, which was nice. Her former love interest was a decent character. Overall, this was ok.

What's In a Name (Hercules) - This was a good episode. Hercules had Iolaus go to find an imposter who has been using hercules's name, and it turns out its Hercules's half brother Iphicles. The stuff between Iphicles and his love interest was pretty standard, but the episode was still entertaining. The CG lizard Hercules fights looked better than the CG dog he fought. I also liked the character of Iphicles, Hercules having a half brother from his mother is interesting.

 

[kirk55555]

Siege at Naxos (Hercules) - This was a pretty good episode. Hercules and Iolaus have to get a captured barbarian named Goth to Athens to stand trial, but his brother and his gang trap them in an old fort. The fight at the fort was pretty good. The only real flaw was having a woman they meet at the fort coincidentally be the warlord's old girlfriend, who temporarily sides with him until she realises he's completely evil. Overall, this was an entertaining episode.

Outcast (Hercules) - We see the surviving centaur from season 1 again, along with his wife and kid getting harrased by people (his wife gets killed by them in the very beginning). I liked how Hercules and Salmoneus joke that the wife, Lyla, looks like Xena, because they're both played by Lucy Lawless. The episode itself was ok, with the anti-centaur people being defeated. The ending was complete BS. Zeus (who we don't see) just brings Lyla back to life, and to make sure the whole show isn't undermined, Hercules says a line about Zeus being able to fix the evil of man, but not gods, to exp,lain why Lyla can be brought back by Zeus, but not his family. That doesn't explain why he can't bring back Hercules's family (why would Hera killing people be different than a human killing someone?), and it just seemed like a cop out ending anyway. Still, the episode was ok.

 

[Liet]

I watched them both in the day. Xena eventually became this alternately brilliant, alternately ridiculous, tour de force where a show could be some of the most dramatic, heart-wrenching, mind-boggling, daring arc-based adult drama you've ever seen, and the following week be the silliest, lamest over-the-top sophomoric comedy ever.

Herc was always just kinda dumb, sometimes stupid, occasionally childish, rarely anything that made you think. Unless it was a crossover with Xena's Callisto or Hope arcs, which were downright dire.

Can ya tell I preferred Xena? I highly recommend it for serious fantasy fans. And lesbians.

I couldn't agree with this more. Xena was the far superior show. Infinitely better lead acting, and just better storytelling overall. I rewatched Xena a couple of years ago and was surprised by how well it stands up; I then tried to rewatch Hercules but quickly gave up on everything that wasn't a cross-over.

 

[wulfio]

I watched them both in the day. Xena eventually became this alternately brilliant, alternately ridiculous, tour de force where a show could be some of the most dramatic, heart-wrenching, mind-boggling, daring arc-based adult drama you've ever seen, and the following week be the silliest, lamest over-the-top sophomoric comedy ever.

Herc was always just kinda dumb, sometimes stupid, occasionally childish, rarely anything that made you think. Unless it was a crossover with Xena's Callisto or Hope arcs, which were downright dire.

Can ya tell I preferred Xena? I highly recommend it for serious fantasy fans. And lesbians.

I couldn't agree with this more. Xena was the far superior show. Infinitely better lead acting, and just better storytelling overall. I rewatched Xena a couple of years ago and was surprised by how well it stands up; I then tried to rewatch Hercules but quickly gave up on everything that wasn't a cross-over.

if you watch Hercules ironically, it's fantastic. The crappy fight choreo, the colour of life moments, and the after school special lessons. It's a barrel of laughs.

 

[Kelthaz]

Hercules was 66% cheesy fun and 33% quality drama.
Xena was 33% cheesy fun and 66% quality drama.

Hercules had fewer quality dramatic episodes than Xena, but the ones they did have were just as good. Hercules Season 5 is a great example of the show truly embracing the darker stories that made Xena so much more popular. Season 6 was also supposed to be another very dark season, but Kevin Sorbo decided to call it quits. The show was finally realizing it's potential, and then it ended. What a shame.

 

[JD]

I'm even more curious to check out Xena after hearing it is actually darker and more dramatic than Hercules.

 

[JanewayRulz!]

I'm even more curious to check out Xena after hearing it is actually darker and more dramatic than Hercules.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpzhZ-bES2o

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpzhZ-bES2o[/yt]

 

[Forbin]

I made my own boxed set of the Callisto and Hope arcs (they intersect at some points), including both the Xena and Herc eps in the storyline. Burned the episodes onto DVDs and made a nice little set. Someday I'll actually watch it. I think it totaled 20 episodes.