Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Eye of the Beholder

Season 1, Episode 2, Aired 1/23/95

Episode Summary

An entire village was terrorized by a giant Cyclops, prompting a visit from Hercules. The Cyclops was diverting the village's water supply to irrigate Hera's sacred vineyard and leaving none for the villagers. Each time they tried to get any of the water, the Cyclops was known to start killing.moreless

7.9

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Cast & Crew

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Kevin Sorbo

Hercules
Robert Trebor

Salmoneus
Derek Ward

The Ferret

Fan Episode Reviews (6)

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hercules helps a village who had problems with a cyclops.

9.0

"Superb"

By doukakis, Jul 10, 2010 Report Abuse

what an underated episode by the users.This episode was really entertaining,at this episode hercules meets salmoneus for the first time and is interesting to see their first met,the episode has humor and adventure creating you a bright atmosphere,it didnt bothers me that iolaus was missing,the star is hercules so it doesnt bothers me if his sidekick doesnt plays at every episode and after all salmoneus is a great sidekick and i really like his humor.Also i like very much the woman villager,she is very beautiful,dont you think?The only thing that irritates me is that hera plays again the rule of the evil god,i think that hera might be bad only concerning hercules.At the first season we can see that ares and hera has the rule of the evil,that doesnt fits especially to hera.Glad for changing this later and put deihak to play this role.I think that this episode was superb cause it gives you this bright atmosphere and it fits so much to the show,no need to see the develop on every episode,the show really needs relaxing episodes like this to get more in at hercules life.Dont forget the message this episode has dont hate and behave with a bad way to a person cause is not like you,so i think that this episode deserves my ratingmoreless

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Meet Salmoneus...

6.0

"Fair"

By rhondaweasley, Dec 04, 2008 Report Abuse

The next episode "Eye of the Beholder" doesn't have Herc's best bud Iolaus, but brings Robert Trebor from "Lost Kingdom" back into the fold in a role he would occupy for the rest of the series, as Salmoneus. It also plays on another Herc myth, the impregnation of the 50 daughters of King Thespias. In Action Packs' version though, Hercules runs from the women instead of performing the act. While running from the horny lot, he ends up in a town terrorized by a Cyclops who happens to be in the employ of.. guess guess... who's our villain HERA! Of course, Herc can't have that, so of course he jumps in to help out.

An attractive young woman named Scilla is our "girl of the week" this week, but we're again not playing a romance angle yet. Her connection, instead, is in her sympathies with the Cyclops (who it turns out is just a big softie who hates being teased by the towns people). Because she and Hercules show sympathy for him, he's able to change for the good. And it turns out the real villain is a small time swindler named Castor (no, not Zeus' son Castor) who gets a proper villains end.

But the winning part of "Beholder" is not the villains, it's in introducing the character of Salmoneus who livens up every scene he's in. You can't help but grin every time he's around and if someone who's not Iolaus has to play sidekick to Herc, this is your man. But this does start preachy Hercules. I mean there's the "not judging people on the surface" thing with the Cyclops, but there's also this long speech with the 50 daughters about how because he respects them as individuals he could never use them as sex objects. Salmoneus however, proves to have no such objections.moreless

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Hercules is perused by 50 virgin girls, meets travelling salesman Salmoneus, and comes to the rescue of a village being terrorised by a Cyclops, whom it emerges is being manipulated by a small-time villain, in this enjoyable adventure...moreless

9.2

"Superb"

By Jay-Spacedust, Sep 27, 2007 Report Abuse

With the first episode, 'The Wrong Path', serving as a transition between the five Action Pack movies and the regular series, this is the first 'standard' episode.

Things start off with shots of Hercules running along a beach. At first we think he might be pursued by some terrible monster, but it turns out he is being chased by fifty young women, who all want to breed with him.

Meanwhile, nearby, Salmoneus the travelling salesman has an encounter with a giant that is terrorising a local village and has blocked off their river.

This is the first time we and Hercules - encounter Salmoneus. Robert Trebor had played Waylin the happy slave in the second TV movie, 'Hercules and the Lost Kingdom'. Apparently that character was considered to become recurring, but the writers felt that he had run his course in that story and created the role of wheeler dealer Salmoneus for Trebor instead.

Although the paring of Hercules and Iolaus is favoured by many, the character of Salmoneus is also very good, and Trebor plays the part perfectly, making a very good comic foil and keeping it just the right side of out-and-out irritating. In this episode, Salmoneus is selling togas, although in nearly every future appearance he would be selling something different. Although many fans hoped for Hercules-Iolaus paired episodes, I personally was never disappointed when Salmoneus appeared instead. Like Michael Hurst's Iolaus, Trebor's Salmoneus bounces well off of Kevin Sorbo as Hercules.

In fact, the moments with Salmoneus and Hercules, and those of Hercules being persuaded by the fifty virgins, provide the episode's best moments.

Richard Moll plays the role of the Cyclops. The Cyclops make-up is quite good, although personally I think his eye should have been more in the centre of his forehead, and his forehead protrudes too much, almost overshadowing the eye.

The shots of the giant Cyclops opposite normal sized people are nearly all done by age old but trusty tricks or perspective, as opposed to fancy computer graphics, and for the most part they work excellently.
The only real CGI tricks of the episode are later on, when the big villain of the story summons up his soldiers, which he does by cracking his whip first their skeletons appear, then their bodies and armor over the top. The only minor effect that doesn't quite pay off is at the climax of the episode, when Hercules gives the Cyclops a lift to land on some escaping soldiers the shadow that the Cyclops casts over before he crashes down and flattens them, looks like a cheap video effect that you'd have expected about 10 years previously. But it's a blink-and-miss it effect so doesn't matter too much.

Being an early episode, the whole thing is tied in to Hera by a few tenuous links, but it really doesn't need to be, as it works perfectly as a 'stand alone' story. I remember really enjoying this episode when I first saw it, and re-watching it recently, I still liked it.
The story for the bulk is a quite simplistic affair, with the heavy morals of don't judge a book by its cover, and treat others as you wish to be treated yourself, but it doesn't suffer for it; the series is still in its very early days and still finding its footing, and this episode offers a very watchable and enjoyable tale.moreless

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The story didn't do much for me... the moral messages are important, though.

7.4

"Good"

By avondster, Feb 20, 2007 Report Abuse

A good episode, and in the true H:TLJ spirit, but for me personally it didn't do much.

For starters, Iolaus wasn't in it, which usually tends to make my interest wander, as the chemistry between him and Herc is what I like most about this series.
Also it introduces Salmoneus, who for me often straddles the line between being amusing, and being annoying, though he's OK in this one.

I do, however, like the message this is giving, about not judging people just because they're different from you.
Also, I loved the outrageously camp bad guy, he was fun.moreless

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Hercules meets Sarmonius and learns about an evil Cyclops (Richard Moll) terrorizing a village.

8.1

"Great"

By marvelfan89, Jul 25, 2006 Report Abuse

A decent episode. The moral of this episode is not judge a book by it's cover and that hate breeds hate. The villagers who are terrorized by the Cyclops treated him wrongly as a kid. The Cyclops now full grown has his revenge on them and helps out Hera by closing their river gardens.

Hercules comes in to save the day and gives the Cyclops a lot to think about. Meanwhile the being's friend named Castor learns that a bunch of executioners made by Hera will kill the villagers either way.

This was a decent episode, it introduces Sarmonius (who also comes out in one of the movies). Overall it was allright.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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Notes
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- While this is not the first appearance from Robert Trebor (he was in one of the movies), this is the first appearance of Salmoneus. Edit
- Music: In this episode can be heard the track "20 Daughters of Thespius/Nemisis" written for the show by Joseph LoDuca. It is available on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys: Original Television Soundtrack. Edit
Quotes
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- Atreus: But how can we be sure he won't cause more trouble after Hercules leaves.
  Cyclops: If you let me live in peace I promise I'll help you do the same, as long as you treat me with respect.
  Hercules: You're not going to get a better offer than that, Atreus. I'd take him up on it if I were you.
  Edit
- Salmoneus: I can't believe I didn't make a single dinar on this entire trip! I mean, I thought somebody back there would buy a toga! Oh, well, I'm sure we'll do better the next place we stop.
  Hercules: We?
  Salmoneus: Can't break up the team, now. I'm naming a toga after you, remember?
  Hercules: But I told you, I don't wear togas.
  Edit
- (the many daughters of King Thespis arrive, looking for the man to father their children)
  Head Sister: There he is!
  Hercules: I thought we settled this.
  Head Sister: No, not you, Hercules. Your little friend!
  Hercules and Salmoneus: (Together) You're kidding!
  Head Sister: We have decided, he will do just fine.
  Salmoneus: Me?! Yes!
  Head Sister: Come on!
  Hercules: What about that team we had?
  Salmoneus: A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!
  Edit
Allusions
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- Mythology: King Thespius In Greek mythology, King Thespius was the king of Thespiae, Boeotia. It is said he and his wife Megamede had fifty daughters together. He sought out Hercules to father children for all of his daughters and it is said he slept with each one and each of those daughters gave birth to one son. Edit
- Clothing: Toga Salmoneus comes in selling togas. They were a big fashion in Roman nobility and it was in fact not allowed for those not Roman to wear togas. Edit
- Greek Mythology: Androcles Innkeeper: Ah, give him some room, Androcles. Guy had a run-in with a lion a while back, been a wet brain ever since. One of the better known fables of Aesop was the story of Androcles and the Lion, where the man removes a thorn from the lion's paw and is befriended by the beast in gratitude. Edit