Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur

Infobox Television episode
Title= Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur


Series=
Season=0
Episode=H05
Airdate=November 14, 1994
Production=
Writer=Andrew Dettmann
Daniel Truly
Director=Josh Becker
Guests=Tawny Kitaen (Deianeira)
Anthony Quinn (Zeus)
Michael Hurst (Iolaus)
Anthony Ray Parker
(Minotaur)
Prev=Hercules in the Underworld
Next=The Wrong Path

Overview

Hercules has given up his days of traveling, and amazing adventures, and has settled down to spend some time with his family. When a distant village is threatened by an unseen monster, Hercules is called upon to help save the village from the monster.

Plot synopsis

In a sun-dappled forest two men are searching for buried treasure. They pace out the step given with the map, and discover a cave overgrown with bushes. The two men break through the plants and enter the cave. In the cave they find a huge wooden door, as they try to get through the door, a monster breaks through the door and chases after them. One man is captured and the other flees as the monster tells him to bring Hercules. Meanwhile Hercules works on his farms, he sees his sons fighting and tells them that they should not fight. The says that Hercules fights, Hercules explains that he only fights when he has to and only to prevent other people from being harmed. He tells about the time when he had to fight Eryx the boxer to stop him from killing anymore people. He asks the boys if they understand, and they say they do. Later that evening, Hercules is working in the stable, Zeus appears and they chat. Hercules tells Zeus that there have been no monsters for a while, which is good as he has now settled down with Deianeira to raise the children. Zeus gives him a scale from a sea serpent, and Hercules remembers the time when he and Deianeira were swallowed by a sea serpent while looking for the lost city of Troy. While day-dreaming he snaps back to reality at the dinner table to find the dog eating his dinner. Back in the cave the Minotaur broods in wait for Hercules.

At night the children ask their father to tell them a story, Ilea asks for Hercules to tell her about when he and Deianeira first met. Hercules begins relating how the fire had vanished from the Earth and that Deianeira's village needed fire, and how he got the fire back from Hera's temple. Halfway through the story Hercules realises the children are asleep. He and Deianeira retire to bed and she asks him if he misses his adventures and battling monsters, he says truthfully that he does miss it. The following day, Hercules is working in the stables and sees something flit past the door, he goes to look but sees nothing. As he walks back into the stable a man jumps down upon him, Hercules turns to see it is Iolaus. They begin talking about their adventures and the time when they had to fight the Hydra that Hera had sent to kill them. The two men go inside to get a drink, Iolaus tells Hercules that he met a man who taught him some new moves that allow smaller men to overpower a bigger man. Hercules says he won't fight Iolaus, but he is eventually persuaded. The two men strip off their tops and prepare to spar. When Hercules attacks Iolaus he is overpowered by the smaller man, but after a short while Hercules gets the best of Iolaus as he sees Deianeira and Ilea standing in the doorway. Deianeira tells Iolaus that since Hercules gave up his adventures he has become depressed. A man arrives at the stable looking for Hercules, he tells him that he must help his village and that a monster has taken his brother. Hercules says he can't go and the man says he has to because he is Hercules. Later that evening Deianeria asks him why he refused to help and he tells her that he promised to stay and raise the children with her. She tells him that he shouldn't try to stop being Hercules, not for her or the children. She tells him to go and the next day her and Iolaus set off for Alturia. As they travel to Alturia a young couple are looking for somewhere quiet, they find the cave and enter. While they are making out the Minotaur comes and attacks them.

When Hercules and Iolaus arrive in Alturia they ask a woman where the monster is and she tells Hercules that there isn't any monster. Underneath the village the Minotaur swears that Hercules will pay, Zeus appears and tells the Minotaur that he still has not learned his lesson, he replies that he has been feeding on hate. Minotaur taunts Zeus because he was unable to kill the Minotaur. Hercules and Iolaus are in a tavern and end up fighting some men because they don’t believe that he is really Hercules. Outside the tavern two men are killed and Hercules goes to investigate, only to be found by the villagers. They think he killed the men and chase him and Iolaus. The man who had asked for Hercules's help comes and takes Hercules to the cave where his brother was captured. Zeus appears and tells Hercules what the monster is and why he wants Hercules. He asks Hercules to kill the Minotaur, and he enters the cave. In the centre of the cave he finds the Minotaur, who challenges Hercules. They begin fighting and as Hercules is about to kill the Minotaur, the creature reveals that he is really Hercules' brother and Hercules cannot kill him. The Minotaur then attacks Hercules and Hercules ends up killing him, as the Minotaur lies dying he reverts to his natural human form and Zeus tells him that it didn't have to end that way. Hercules helps Iolaus and the other people being held by the Minotaur and the two brothers are reunited. With the people of the village now safe and Iolaus freed, the two men journey back home.

Rating information

*First Airing: November 14, 1994
*Second Airing: Unknown

Quotes and trivia

*After the four previous movies, this fifth one was commissioned when another of the Action Pack films (in which is was a series) dropped out. To enable it to be ready in time for broadcast, much of the story is a 'clip show'.
*Iolaus remembers the fight he and Hercules had with the Amazon women in "Hercules and the Amazon Women", but at the end of that movie Hercules got Zeus to turn back time so the fight never actually happened.
* The origin of the title monster combines the actual Greek myth plus the myths of Tantalus and Lycaon.
*In the myth, it was Theseus and not Hercules who kills the Minotaur.

Cultural references

The movie is very loosely based on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.

Main cast

*Kevin Sorbo as Hercules
*Anthony Quinn as Zeus

External links

*Tv.com episode|id=110634