Iolaus tells his friends he has a date with Kora but none of them believe him. This turns into a bet between the three about who can get out of the school gates first. While running they knock over the administrator, Fiducus, and it cause the three of them to get in trouble. Losing their time off. Iolaus is beside himself.

​He admits that he doesn't have a date with Kora, instead he is a bus boy and needs the job in order to afford the school. Herc and Jason agree to cover for him so that he can get to work. Now not only do Jason and Herc have to do all the bullshit work that Fiducus puts on them, they also have to cover for Iolaus so that all three of them don't get in trouble and end up kicked out of school.

​They pretend that Iolaus is in the rafters of the barn and keeps dropping hay bails on him "by mistake". It is a very funny scene and just one of the many reasons that the Xenaverse is so great. Iolaus shows up late for work and Kora is not happy. They are under staffed and Iolaus is thrown into the role of waiter. His first customer? Cheiron, the headmaster of the academy. He has to take his order, serve his food and collect his payment all without being seen.

​Back at the academy Fiducus is giving Jason and Herc more work and once again asks where Iolaus is. Jason tells him that he is taking care of the hogs. Fiducus goes to check on him, which bothers Jason because he didn't believe him. Herc rushes to try and get there first to once again cover for his friend. Iolaus gets through collecting the order without being caught but Cheiron starts to suspect something. Herc dives into the mud with a mop on his head, it works in fooling Fiducus. This is getting to be more of a pain than any of them thought it would be.

​Kora finds Iolaus behavior to be extremely odd. She demands to know what is going on with Iolaus but he tries to avoid the question. Kora is not happy. The whole episode is physical comedy from start to finish. They don't make shows like this anymore.

​The whole episode Fiducus goes on and on about how great his son is and how none of them are as good as his son. Jason finds his records and they learn that his son failed all his classes and never finished the program. They get caught where as Iolaus doesn't. Cheiron leaves Kora's without catching Iolaus. Kora lets him keep his job but he loses his pay for the day. It's a small victory.

​Fiducus tells Herc and Jason all about his son and how he tried to cover for him but he just kept getting worse and worse until he ran off. It's a nice touching moment that teaches us about Fiducus and why he is such a hardass. I love episodes like this, where you get to learn the back stories of supporting characters. Herc relates to him how being a son without a father, he wishes he had a father like him. The touching moment is ruined by Iolaus showing up and being caught by Fiducus. Herc tells him everything and Fiducus covers for them with Cheiron. It all works out for our heroes in the end. They think they got away with it until Cheiron gives Iolaus a tip. Lucky it comes with a smile so he knows he isn't in trouble. And before you leave here thinking Iolaus made any money, Jason took it as payment for covering for him. Very funny episode.

Here we go with episode 4 of young Hercules that takes place after episode 5 of young Hercules because, Fox. This episode was written by John Loy. Lilith is already in good with Herc,, Jason and Iolaus, dispite the fact that her first apperence is in the next episode. Only Fox.. The cadets have planned a big party for everyone at  Kora's. Everyone heads down to her inn while Iolaus stays and waits for the money. A gang waits for this moment to rob the place, and they aren't just any gang, they are Iolaus's old gang. They capture Lilith and Iolaus as they get ready to steal all the school's money. Lucky Herc and Jason see them. Jason runs for help as Herc goes in to distract them.

Herc takes out one of them as Jason returns with the rest of the class. The gang locks themselves inside and secure the building, luckily Herc already made it inside. ​They tell Jason if he comes inside they will kill Iolaus and Kora, Jason agrees not to come inside. The gang is getting restless, they are worried about how they are going to get out of there. The gang moved the three hostages to different rooms. The third  hostage is the money man for the school. The leader of the gang reminds Iolaus of how he saved him back in the day and that he owes him. Iolaus is torn but isn't torn to the point of betraying his friends. Herc tries to give him a warning but Iolaus almost blows it. Herc tells him what to say and he says it. The bad guys now think that Iolaus is on their side. We learn that as they escape out of the back they plan to light the school on fire.

Iolaus tries to stall but they don't give him the chance. The gang wants to split up the money but now it is all gone and Herc goes to save Lilith. They take out another gang member. Lilith goes to warn Jason about the fire and the gang now learns that someone is inside the school. They know that Iolaus sold them out. Turns out that the other prisoner is gone as well and the only one they still have is Iolaus. The gang calls out to Herc and tells him that it is the money for Iolaus's life.

Jason readies the men while the gang splits up looking for Herc and asking Iolaus why he picked this school over the gang. They tie Iolaus up as and get the school ready to burn to the ground. They plan on killing him. They use to be friends but it seems that means nothing anymore. Herc takes out another gang member and signals the others to come in. He then takes on the gang. He is out numbered and drops the fire. The school starts to burn as he takes on the gang and Jason leads the others inside. Iolaus is seconds away from burning to death. Hercules saves him at the last moment while Jason and the others continue the fight.

Jason captures the leader as they put out the fire. He tells Iolaus that he owes him and Iolaus tells him he doesn't owe him a thing. Hercules returns the money but counts it this time so that they don't have to wait forever and can get to the damn party.

Another fun episode. That's why I love this universe so much. It's fun and doesn't take itself so seriously. It knows what it is and enjoys itself.

So like with Firefly and Sliders Fox aired some of this show out of order as well. Episode 5 has to go before episode 4 because in episode 4 we know who Lilith is and we meet her for the first time in episode 5. This episode was written by Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster.

We start on a ship full of guys who throw another person down into the lower decks to be eaten by something that is not human. Herc, Iolaus and Jason are enjoying their lunch when they see a girl enter the academy. Jason and Iolaus start to fight over her, it is almost as if a girl has never been in the academy before but in the movie that started this series they had a girl join, Yvenna.

Iolaus knocks out the man who was supposed to find a new cook and so Cheiron sends the 3 friends to Athens to go find them one. Iolaus talks the guys into hiring a boat because it will get them there and back faster. Iolaus gets them jobs working the deck of a boat where they are ordered to avoid the cargo hold. Something dangerous is in there and Iolaus wants to find out what. He always gets the others into trouble, it is almost his duty. While everyone else is sleeping he steals the keys to the cargo hold and opens it. Herc wakes up just in time and wakes Jason up as well so they can stop him.

Too late, Iolaus opens it and it sets off an alarm that wakes everyone up. I like how the whole crew was sleeping during the day. Now Iolaus, Jason and Herc have to fight the rest of the crew who wants their heads. The three friends end up in cargo hold and get locked in by the crew. It seems that they will finally find out what is down there. It seems the crew has a group of Amazons prisoner down there. The Amazons tell them that they don't hurt boys and that is why they haven't done anything to them. Their leader, Cyane tells them they are taking over the ship. She tells them she is in charge and Hercules points out that without them they can't do anything. They come to an uneasy truce.

Cyane tells Hercules that they don't hate men, they just live without them. This is the Telaquire tribe and that there are 12 tribes in all. They hate Centaurs because of the great war. She also tells Hercules that Zeus is the one who tricked her people into becoming slaves. He doesn't want to believe it.

They ready their attack just as the people above spot land. Iolaus tries to trick the people above but they spot him and pull him out. Hercules uses this moment to lead the Amazons out of the hold and into battle. It isn't long before they take the ship. Hercules saving Cyane's life at the last minute, before the two of them team up to take out the captain.

They get off the ship and go their own ways but not before Iolaus messes up a kiss between Cyane and Hercules. This whole adventure teaches the 3 of them an important lesion that woman can be just as great a warrior as any man. Something they all needed to learn.

Episode 3 of the show finishes off the first storyline in the journey of Young Hercules, well unless you count the movie which we do so the second storyline. Hey who is writing this! Well if your talking about the episode it is a story by Rob Tapert & Liz Friedman while Hilary J. Bader wrote the episode itself.

Ares tells Hera that Hercules is the one who stole the chalice. It turns out that Zeus told Hera that anyone who touched the chalice is condemned to death so since Herc has it, his protection from Zeus is off. He is fair game for Ares to kill. Ares calls Strife to his temple. Strife is annoying, you can tell that Ares feels that way more than most. Ares and Strife have to stop Hercules and kill him before the chalice is put in Zeus temple or it is put back in her cave. Ares sends Strife to stop Hercules. Now if Ares wanted him dead wouldn't he have a better chance at completing that task?

Herc, Iolaus and Jason head to Zesu temple but take a break to play ball. It doesn't last long since they are playing with fruit for the ball and it hits the ground and explodes. Strife steals the chalice and threatens that Hera will kill Hercs mom if he doesn't get it back in time.

Ares shows up at Herc's moms house as a hurt man and gives Alcmene the chalice she doesn't accept it and Herc shows up. The two brother fight while Jason and Iolaus take the chalice back to the temple. Herc stays at his mom's side and tries to protect him. She tells Hercules to run, that he can't beat the god of war. He doesn't listen. He goes to fight his big brother. She is worried about him.

Jason and Iolaus make it back to the cave just fine as Herc challenges his brother to a fight. Ares makes quick work of his little brother while Strife watches on cheering. Iolaus and Jason's path is blocked by statue men. It comes out that Ares is jealous that Zeus likes Hercules more That is why he is trying to kill him. Jason gives Iolaus the chalice to protect while he fights the two statue men. They kick his ass and he takes the chalice from Iolaus and tells him to run. He throws the chalice to Iolaus, early in the episode Iolaus missed the pass from Jason but this time he catches it and puts it back where it belongs just as Ares is about to kill Hercules. Zeus stops him, he doesn't show up or anything just stops the attack and warns him with thunder. Ares pretty much starts freaking out like a little kid and tells Hercules he will be back. Herc says he will be waiting.

Everything is back to normal and Hercules tells his friends how much they mean to him. It's a sweet ending that is soon over shadowed by a food fight. They are kids after all.

Episode two of the adventures of young Hercules and Iolaus! Written by Rob Tapert & Liz Friedman and Michael Edens. It takes place right where the last one left off, with Hercules holding onto to the Phoenix as it flies high over head. Jason and Iolaus watch on from below, unable to do anything but watch.

As Herc starts to fall they rush to get some hay under him. They manage to get it to the right spot as he lands. It isn't a soft landing. We see that Iolaus is having a hard time paying for classes. This is something that will pop up from time to time. Strife is training with Iolaus and Jason and is trying to turn them against Herc. It seems to be working.

Once more Iolaus gets shot down dirty by Kora. Jason takes care of the tap at the store since Iolaus is, well poor. I can relate. Strife steals Iolaus money and starts to put thoughts in his head, turning him against Jason as well. Who knew that Strife would like to create so much strife between friends.

Iolaus heads back to the store to look for his money. He finds it on the floor, his one coin inside. In front of him, left alone by Kora is a stack of coins so high it would make even the richest of men double take.

The next day he pays off his classes and the guards come in to look for who stole the money from the inn. The school clerk tells them that Iolaus just paid off his classes, he tells them he borrowed the money from Strife who says he doesn't have that kind of money. They find his money patch filled with money and arrest him.

Herc and Jason fake a convo in front of Strife taking about how they put money in Kora's inn for her to find so that they will have to let Iolaus go. Strife falls for it and heads to the inn where Herc confronts him. Herc still doesn't know that he is a god. At least not until he attacks him.

The fight is not real physical, at least not at first. Strife just keeps flinging objects at Herc till they end up stacked together with the two men on top of them finally fighting it out. Jason and Iolaus show up as the fight heats up, the guards not far behind. Strife loses the fight and takes off. Herc makes amends with his friends and they forgive him.

A good follow up to the first episode. Tune in next week for the next exciting chapter of Young Hercules.

The show that takes place after the movie. It replaces Hercules himself but everyone else is the same actor as the film. Herc is now played by Ryan Gosling.

The episode starts with Ares training as Strife takes a nap. There is a reason while Ares is in charge and Strife is nothing more than a loser. Ares and Strife try to figure out a way to get around Zeus law about hurting Hercules.

Meanwhile Hercules is also training when he is attacked out of nowhere by a mystery man in a mask. He is taken by surprise but quickly gets into the swing of things. Neither he nor the masked man seem to be getting the upper hand on each other until Herc's mom shows up and stops them. It turns out that the masked man is Iolaus and Hercules knew it all along.

His mother warns him that he is trying too hard to be like his father. That he needs to stop trying so hard. That he needs to just accept who he is and to take care of himself. The two friends make their way back to the academy where the run into Jason. In the movie he was just made King but here they are still calling him a prince. They also meet the owner of the inn in the nearby town named Kora. All three friends find her attractive.

Strife shows up at Cheiron's academy as a student and tells Hercules about a chalice that his step mother Hera stole from him. Herc goes to look for it but Iolaus and Jason go with him to help in his quest. The three friends enter the cave and a series of traps try to keep them from getting to the chalice. It just sits there, nothing stopping them from getting it. The chalice has water inside it and Iolaus just dumps it out. the second he does the cave catches on fire and the three friends have to make a run for it to get out alive. It is a close call but they make it.

The wooden Phoenix  comes alive and chases after them, catching Iolaus.Hercules goes after it and frees his friend. Strife watches on, amused. And this is where we leave the first episode! It was a fun first ride. Tune in next week for part two!

Herc's mother sends him to Cheiron's academy to train. She feels that it will help him find a purpose, a place in the world. No sooner does he arrive before he spots his future father-in-law Jason. Minutes later he insults Cheiron and call him the janitor while mocking a training exercises as being ludicrous, he believes that there is no way that would ever happen in real life. Spoiler, the movie ends with him fighting Ares in the same way. Can you say forshadowing?

Hercules and Ioaus are asigned as training partners and they can't stand each other. Aw, nothing says best friend better than hating each other. They can't keep from sabotaging each other until Iolaus has enough and tries to run off. Hercules tries to stop him but their fight is interrupted by the new cadet Yvenna. The next day during training everyone is distracted by her. She is distracting.

After getting whooped by Iolaus on the balancing stumps Hercules started practicing at night. Cheiron tells him to do it blind folded. This will come into play much later in the film. On a side note, nothing really to do with the movie, but in elementary school me and friends use to do this same training, not blind folded but still. The school cut down a couple of trees and we would have to get to the other side while one of our friends would try to knock us off first. It was always a lot of fun!

Hercules goes to take a bath and it turns out Yvenna had the same idea. The flirting is electric between the two. Too bad that bad news had to break it up. Jason's dad the king of Corinth is sick. Jason sets off and tells Iolaus and Hercules to set aside their dislike of one another and come with him. They agree. Boy do they not like each other, and to think growing up I always thought they were the greatest of friends. Origin stories are always a weird jarring change, but it makes it fun finding out how the status quo happens.

Hercules won't tell anyone who his father is. It's too bad because maybe it would help them figure out that his half brother and sister are behind what is happening to Jason's father. It is a small Greek world after all. Oh and can we just mention how beautiful and evil Discord is?

Anyways, as the gang heads towards the castle Jason starts to see his father's men hanging dead. Something is right and the worry is starting to set in.

When they make it to the kings room they find him sick on the bed, not able to wake up. Ares shows up pretending to be Jason's uncle. He comes up with a story about being an escaped POW who got lost at sea. Now he is home to help out his dear sweet brother. He has in writing that he takes over the thrown from his brother. Prince Jason is banished from the kingdom that should be his by birth. Ares is now king.

Not to nitpick, I do really love this movie, but why do Jason's men all turn on him. He is the prince, even if the uncle is now king wouldn't they still want to look for him? It just seems a little weird too me, but I think that some of them would at least stick up for him. Maybe it's just me.

Hercules talks Jason and Iolaus into going after the golden fleece. He finally tells them that his father is Zeus but they don't really believe him. Either way he talks them and a few others including Yvenna into going on the quest. Cheiron gives them his blessing and tells Hercules that he can't do this to try and win favor with his father. If that is his real reason than it will not end well for him. It's a message I've always believed in myself, if you do something good to get credit for it than it doesn't count.

Yvenna tells Hercules about how she ran and hid after her village was attacked. He tries to comfort her. The next morning they see women on an island calling for help. All the men except for Hercules rush to their aid. Can you siren? I've always loved mythology and even tho this universe is corny it plays all the right cords for me to fall in love over and over.

So the night gets a bit crazy and everyone has a little too much fun, Hercules and Yvenna start making out while Jason and the other guys go crazy and start fighting. Yvenna joins in the fun and tries to kill Hercules. What a party! The next morning two of their group is dead and Iolaus throws all the blame at Hercules feet. Tension is high among the group. The Argonauts have only just started to deal with the wrath of Ares and Discord.

Hercules screams to the heavens wanting his father to answer him. It's a feeling that I can really relate too. I grew up without a father, never really had one in my life and from time to time I wondered what it would be like to have one. It's not something I think about it a lot but once in a while it does cross my mind.

They finally find the Fleece but are attacked by a giant. A honest to god giant. How do you fight a giant? According to the movie by running a lot. Hercules needs to fight it, he has done it more times than I can count on Legendary journeys, but one punch to the face of the giant shows you Herc isn't the super strong hero yet. He's getting there but gots a long way to go. The rest of the Argonauts join in to help him. After all as a team you can do almost anything, except for finish a film at North Lake, because those people don't understand teamwork. Herc ends up getting beat up by the giants bad breath, how do people not love this? It's the greatest film of all time. Well maybe not greatest but it is so much fun. And really what more does a movie need to be? Sometimes a fun film is all you need to get you out of a funk or make you happy. This one pulls that off in spades. The team take out the giant but Yvenna is dying, but its ok because she didn't run this time. She made up for her mistake. If only there was some way to save her. Oh wait! the Golden Fleece. The whole point of the film! Alas it's they got it too late and the poor girl is dead. She died the hero that she failed to live her life as. It was a warriors death and one that she longed for.

Out of her death a few good things happened. Iolaus finally started to see Hercules for who he really is. The hatred between the two of the is at an end. But more importantly, Hercules stops caring about his father and gods. He finally learns that they don't matter, only doing good and helping the people who need your help matters.

Jason uses the Fleece to save his father only to have Ares snap his neck and stab Jason. Hercules attacks him and finds out that he is Ares, his half brother. He also learns that his father is giving him special protection and Ares is jealous of him. Nice plot twist right? Not nearly as nice as the two half brothers ending up on poles much like the ones that Hercules has been training on every night. The ones that he said would never happen in a real battle. Ironic right? Well wait for it. . . Herc gets blinded and has to battle him without his eyes. It is almost as if Cheiron knew what was going to happen. Lucky this time Herc has Iolaus to help him. It isn't long before Herc gets his sight back and ends the fight.

They get the fleece to Jason in time and save his life. They anoint Jason king and Hercules goes off to fight the good fight with Iolaus at his side. Uh wait, isn't there like 50 episodes of the TV show that takes place at the academy? Oh and what if they fight a three headed monster? That happens in the first movie! Ahh call back, or well call forward, whatever. It's an Easter egg ok.

I love this movie so much, not as much as the Legendary journeys but it is really good. If you haven't seen it please check it out!