Armageddon Now, Part 1

Infobox Television episode
Title= Armageddon Now, Part 1
Series=


Season=4
Episode=413
Airdate=9 February, 1998
Production=
Writer=Paul Robert Coyle
Director=Mark Beesley
Guests=Hudson Leick (Callisto)
Amy Morrison (Hope)
Kevin Smith as (Ares)
Joel Tobeck (Strife)
Prev=Men in Pink
Next=Armageddon Now, Part 2

Overview

Hope frees Callisto from her prison and sends her back through time in order to prevent Hercules from being born. Iolaus convinces Ares to send him back to stop her.

Plot synopsis

During the funerals of Solan and Hope,cite episode|title=Maternal Instincts|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|serieslink=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1998-01-26] some of Hope's ashes rise from the pyre and travel to a nearby town, where they coalesce to form the charred body of Hope. She reaches out to an old man in the street and drains the life from him and steals his cloak. Meanwhile, Hercules and Iolaus are helping Alcmene build a wall at her house, when she gives them some news about King Tyndareus, who has been making offerings to Ares, because his daughter has gotten married, Hercules promises Alcmene that his next visit will be longer.

Hope travels to the cave where Callisto is trapped and releases her. Callisto tells Hope to leave her alone, Hope tells Callisto that she wants her to rid the world of Hercules once and for all. At Ares' temple, Tyndareus speaks with Ares and Strife. Ares gives him a new weapon designed by Hephaestus, the king only wants his daughter back, but Ares convinces him to start a war. Hercules and Iolaus arrive and Hercules collapses part of the temple over the weapons.

Back at the caves, Hope and Callisto talk. Callisto tells her to go away, Hope tells her she can get her life back. Elsewhere Hercules and Iolaus talk sense into the king and tell him he should celebrate his daughter's wedding. Back at his temple, Ares bitches to Strife, about Hercules and Iolaus. While they talk, Callisto appears and she and Ares talk about her past, when Xena killed her family. Callisto tells Ares about the plan to get rid of Hercules and Strife tries to warn him about Callisto. Outside the temple, the two gods open the portal releasing the Sovereign from limbo. Ares takes the Hind's Blood pendant from him and disappears, Callisto close behind.

While Hercules and Iolaus are having a meal, they bump into a villager who says that he had seen Hercules in Arcadia that morning, smashing the place up. He describes the clothes he was wearing and that he had a beard. Hercules and Iolaus realize that it is the Sovereign and rush off. They arrive to see the Sovereign beating up the villagers, Hercules tells him to stop and they begin fighting. Iolaus manages to use some gas to knock the Sovereign out and he takes him back to Ares temple.

Ares and Callisto appear and open the portal, Hercules ad the Sovereign get sucked in leaving Iolaus alone as the gods vanish. Hercules and the Sovereign appear in the limbo between the two worlds. The Sovereign plans to kill Hercules so they can both die and they begin fighting. Iolaus, left alone, does not know what to do. In the temple, the gods celebrate getting rid of Hercules. Callisto tries to take the Hind's Blood from Ares, but he stops her and the two start to fight. Callisto snatches the pendant from Ares and Ares orders Strife to go stop her, but she uses a dagger dipped in Hind's Blood and kills him.

Hope appears in the temple and Callisto leaves with her. Iolaus convinces Ares that if they get Hercules back they may be able to stop Hope and Callisto. In the woods, Hope sends Callisto back through time, Ares and Iolaus arrive and Hope tells them she has gone back to stop Hercules from ever being born. Iolaus realizes she has gone to kill Hercules' mother.

Iolaus tells Ares to go back and get her, but he says he has things to do in this time. Iolaus says he will go instead, Ares agrees, telling him he can only travel where Callisto goes. Iolaus arrives back in the past and finds out from some women that Alcmene is "with child." In the limbo world, Hercules tries to talk to the Sovereign. Hercules asks him how he watched him in limbo, the Sovereign says he was thinking about him and a window opened in a pool of water.

Hercules tells him that Ares and Callisto had help putting them in the limbo world. The Sovereign tells Hercules they have no way out, but Hercules says there is always a way out. Meanwhile, Iolaus races to get to Alcmene before Callisto. Iolaus arrives at Alcmene's house and tells her that they need to get away, as she turns from Iolaus, she sees Callisto. As she shoots a fire ball at Alcmene, Iolaus runs towards her as the screen fades to black.

Continuity and notes

*This episode continues directly on from the events of the "Xena" episode "Maternal Instincts."
*The episode also continues events and storylines from a previous "Hercules" episode, "Stranger in a Strange World."

Cultural references

*Ares: You're not in Neverland now, pal.
**This is a reference to the home of Peter Pan in the children's books by J. M. Barrie.

Main cast

*Kevin Sorbo as Hercules
*Michael Hurst as Iolaus

References

External links

*Tv.com episode|id=38997