Love Takes a Holiday

Infobox Television episode
Title= Love Takes a Holiday
Series=


Season=3
Episode=303
Airdate=14 October, 1996
Production=
Writer=Gene O'Neill
Noreen Tobin
Director=Charlie Haskell
Guests=Sarah Smuts-Kennedy (Leandra)
Mervyn Smith (Iagos)
Fiona Mogrdige (Evanthea)
Alexandra Tydings (Aphrodite)
Julian Garner (Hephaestus)
Prev=Doomsday
Next=Mummy Dearest

Overview

Aphrodite quits as the Goddess of Love and tries out a new career. Meanwhile there is a plot to kidnap Iolaus' grandmother, Leandra.

Plot synopsis

Aphrodite is fed up with being the goddess of Love because it bores her. Elsewhere, Hephaestus is yearning for Aphrodite. Iagos tells him that he must get over his obsession by working. He suggests Hephaestus set his sight on someone more attainable: the mortal woman, Leandra. Hephaestus says she also rejected him over fifty years ago. Iagos says she may have changed her mind after all this time. He tells Iagos that he will lift the curse on the village of Syllabus but will not force Leandra.

Meanwhile, Hercules has gone to Corinth to visit Iphicles and his wife, as they are due to have a baby, so Iolaus is traveling by himself. He meets a friend, Mykonos, who tells him that the women are behaving strangely. When Iolaus meets Evanthea, she greets him by smashing a pot over his head.

When he regains conscious, Evanthea says she never wants to see his face again. In the marketplace, Iolaus hears etheric laughter and recognizes it as Aphrodite's. he calls for her to show herself and she appears in the market. She tells Iolaus that she has given up being the Goddess of Love and is looking for a new career. Iolaus tries to inform her of the consequences of having no love in the world. She says, "Tell someone who cares" and vanishes.

Later on, Iolaus finds Aphrodite in the forest attempting to be the Goddess of the Hunt. Iolaus shows her how to fire a bow correctly and she enjoys having a personal trainer. In the village of Syllabus, Iagos demands that they give up Leandra or the village will disappear forever. Iolaus and Aphrodite are hunting a boar, when he hears a woman scream and runs off to see what is happening.

Iolaus finds Iagos and some other men have taken Leandra by force and he orders them to let her go. They tell him not to interfere, but they fight and he saves Leandra. She takes Iolaus back to her village. At the village, the elder tells Iolaus that because of his actions, they will be cursed by Hephaestus again.

While trying to find out about the curse, Aphrodite appears and tells Iolaus that Hephaestus put a curse on the village. Meanwhile, Iagos breaks into the tavern telling the people to enjoy themselves because it is their last day on earth. The elder asks if they can find Leandra can they have another chance; Iagos says they have until sunset.

While, Leandra is packing clothes she tells Iolaus that Hephaestus has chosen her to be his wife. She says her husband was killed in the Punic Wars, two years earlier. Iolaus says his grandfather fought in the same war, over fifty years ago; Leandra says he must be mistaken. When the villagers come to take her, she asks Iolaus to find her son. Iolaus is taken by the villagers and later discovers that Leandra's missing son is his father, who escaped the curse because he was playing by the brook.

Iagos take Leandra to Hephaestus and she lies to him saying that she is there by her own free will. Meanwhile, Iolaus and Aphrodite go to rescue Leandra. Iolaus says it would be easier if she made Hephaestus fall in love with someone else. When they enter Hephaestus' forge they are attacked by one of Hephaestus' creations, Aphrodite throws her spear to Iolaus and vanishes.

Aphrodite appears in the forge and Hephaestus says he has not seen her for centuries. She tells him to give up Leandra but he captures her in one of his traps. She tries to escape but he tells her, "Zeus himself couldn’t get out of that chair." While trapped, Aphrodite finds out that Hephaestus is in love with her.

Elsewhere, Iolaus finds Leandra and tells him about her son escaping the curse. He says that her son is his father, she does not believe him but he shows her a medallion that his father was wearing when they found him. She tells Iolaus that the medallion belonged to her husband. They escape from Hephaestus' forge while Iagos tells him about their escape.

He sends Iagos with some of his armor. While escaping, Iolaus tells Leandra that her son is dead. He says she grew up to be a great general. Iagos and the warriors arrive and as they fight Iolaus, they take Leandra prisoner again. Aphrodite says that Iagos is not Hephaestus' friend if he calls him "ugly" to his face. He says that Hera threw him out of Olympus because he was too ugly. Aphrodite says, "beauty is not just what you look like, it's also on the inside." She says they share the fact that they are judge only by their appearance.

Iolaus gives chase after Iagos and Leandra. He risks his life to save Leandra and she thanks him, he replies that they are family. Leandra says that if Skouros had not wandered off, Iolaus would not be alive. He replies that sometimes things work out the way they are supposed to. Leandra tells him she is proud of him. He leaves her to go to Syllabus alone, while he goes after Iagos.

Back at the forge, Aphrodite asks Hephaestus if he is in love with her, he replies, "For centuries," and the two share a kiss. Iolaus catches up with Iagos but he uses a shield to become invisible. Iagos begins fighting with Iolaus, who has a hard time trying to find Iagos, but finally manages to detain him.

After defeating him, Iolaus runs into Hephaestus who thanks him for bringing Aphrodite to him, and she apologizes for leaving him earlier and reveals that she and Hephaestus are now a couple. Iolaus asks if everything is back to normal and she says that she is going to leave the "action business" to Hercules. Aphrodite also tells Iolaus that she'll go back to being the Goddess of Love.

Trivia

*This is the first episode in which Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) is not present.

Cultural references

*This episode contains elements from the musical Brigadoon, which was later made into a film starring Gene Kelly.
*The character of Iagos is a reference to the character Iago in the William Shakespeare play, "Othello".

Main cast

*Michael Hurst as Iolaus

External links

*Tv.com episode|id=38965