The Road to Calydon (Hercules episode)

Infobox Television episode
Title= The Road to Calydon
Series=


Caption=Title screen
Season=1
Episode=103
Airdate=January 30, 1995
Production=76602
Writer=Andrew Dettman
Daniel Truly
Director=Doug Lefler
Guests=Norman Forsey (Tiresias)
John Sumner (Broteas)
Portia Dawson (Jana)
Christopher Saunoa (Ixion)
Peter Rowley (Ephadon)
Prev=Eye of the Beholder
Next=The Festival of Dionysus

Overview

A group of refugees fleeing Parthus, a city destroyed by Hera, seek Hercules' help in staving off the attacks of the goddess and her followers. Hercules learns along the way that Broteas, the leader of the refugees, had stolen a cup from Hera, prompting her wrath on the city and continued pursuance of the group.

Plot synopsis

A group of traveling villagers arrive in the deserted town of Parthus, the only thing living there is a lone dog. One of the men of the group tells the others this is what they have been searching for and declare it their new home. Inside a temple, somebody steals a golden chalice. Hera cause a storm to rage over the town. Hercules, who is walking along a road near to the town finds shelter. Inside the building where he takes refuge, he encounters a blind seer. He tells Hercules the storm is bad news, saying "This is evil, my friend, the coming of doom. The rage of almighty Hera herself", and that "there's plenty of suffering on the horizon". The following day Hercules continues on his way, accompanied by the seer. They arrive in the town, Hercules discovers from Broteas that the town suffered some heavy damage due to the storm. The seer tells them that the town is cursed. Hercules introduces himself to the people. The villagers tell her how they had to leave their previous home. Hercules gives the people some food. At night the seer goes into the temple where the chalice was kept and has a vision of a beautiful woman being given the chalice by Zeus. He also sees Hera exact her revenge on the villagers by turning them all to dust. Hercules wakes the next day to find the villagers about to sacrifice the food he had given them to Hera.

The seer tells her about his vision and that Hera had cursed the woman into the form of a dog, and then cursed the ground the village stood on. Hercules tells the villagers to pack up and leave. The people are unsure but Hercules tells them he will lead them to Calydon, a city protected by Apollo, just beyond the Stymphalian swamp. The people agree to go with Hercules to Calydon. As the people travel to Calydon, back at the town the ground begins to quake and the dog, sensing trouble leaves. One of Hera's men springs from the ground, he casts some small skulls upon the ground and more men spring forth. They are able to track Hercules and the other by burrowing through the ground. The dog sets off to follow Hercules and the others. After a storm and rocks begin falling from the sky the group find shelter in a cave.

The next day the people continue toward Calydon, and the seer predicts more gloom and doom. Shortly thereafter Hera's men appear and they attack the villagers. Hercules fights them, after beating the last of the men, the last man says that Hera "won't stop until she has what's hers". Seer tells Hercules that he means the chalice that was stolen from the temple. During the night Broteas convinces some of the people to follow him instead of Hercules. A young woman, Jana, voices her doubts to Hercules, but he reassures her. She goes looking for the chalice, and is caught looking through Broteas' belongings. Although it is revealed that Broteas had not stolen the chalice, he was actually responsible for its theft and had hidden it.

In the morning the people continue to Calydon, while traveling through the swamp they are attacked by a Stymphalian bird. As Broteas attempts to flee the dog, from Parthus appears and trips him. He falls and drops his bag to reveal the chalice concealed within. He tries to explain that he stole the chalice because he wanted it to bring them happiness. Meanwhile Jana and a young boy, Ixion have fallen into a sink-holein the swamp. Hercules battles with the Stymphalian bird and manages to free Jana and Ixion. The people realize that Broteas was the one who brought the curse down on them, he tells them he was going to sell the chalice so that they could have money to build their own city. The people want to sacrifice Broteas for bringing the curse upon them, but Hercules convinces them that living as an idiot would be a worse fate. Hercules takes the chalice and gives an almighty throw and Broteas runs after it, Hercules leads the rest of the people on to Calydon. When they arrive Hercules tells them it is the end of their journey, but it is not the end of his. He leaves with the seer, he tells Hercules he can sense something hairy and a tail, Hercules thinks it is another monster, but then sees the dog and tells the seer he has just found a new traveling companion and leaves the two as he travels on alone.

Cultural references

*Tiresias was a renowned blind seer in Greek myth and played a prominent role in Sophocles play "Oedipus Rex".

Main cast

*Kevin Sorbo as Hercules

External links

*Tv.com episode|id=38928|title=The Road to Calydon