This review contains spoilers.
The Dahak story-line comes to an end in this reasonable episode. While it is a perfectly good episode, it suffers in trying to live up to the great premise that has built it up.
It reminds me a lot of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation''s classic third season cliff-hanger 'The Best of Both Worlds', with Captain Picard turned into Locutus of Borg. It had such a great build up in that whatever the conclusion, it couldn't live up to the first part. And much is the same here. We've had a great story about the evil demon Dahak possessing Iolaus' dead body, now how on earth do they finish it?
The sub-plot, with Nebula and Morrigan sent to keep an eye on Ares, is little more than padding, and didn't seem to make all that much sense to me.
And when Ares suddenly double-crosses the pair and turns them in to the followers of Dahak... I didn't understand that much at all.
Meanwhile, back in the temple, Zarathastra, the only person of carrying out the exorcism, is killed by Dahak's powers, leaving Hercules having to try and find a way to free Iolaus.
The climatic scenes are rather surreal, as Iolaus' hand comes out of the Dahak / dead Iolaus' chest. And then, Hercules leaps inside! Weird.
Then its time for the final showdown with Dahak, who we finally get to see, in the form of an 'Alien' sort of monster. I personally think it would have been better to leave it up to the imagination as to what he looks like, but anyway...
There is the final duel, as Herc and Iolaus outmaneuver Dahak and send him falling off into some deep chasm. Seeing as it's all built up to this moment, I found this climatic scene over a bit too quickly.
Either way, Iolaus is finally free of Dahak, and Herc says goodbye to his old friend, before he ascends into the light.
This is a satisfactory conclusion to the Dahak story arc, and well directed by Bruce Campbell, but as I say, its biggest problem is to living up to everything that previous episodes have shown.moreless
Episode Summary
EDIT
Dahak, chained to the altar in the body of Iolaus, hatched a plan to kill Ares, which would give him the power to break his bonds. Meanwhile, the demon showed Hercules how he had seduced Iolaus at the moment of death. Appearing as Hercules, Dahak promised Iolaus the power to set everything right in the world. With time running out, Hercules was sucked into the spiritual world, where he found the real Iolaus. The two friends fought side-by-side once more, sending Dahak into a fiery chasm. Then they said good-bye, and Iolaus disappeared into a shaft of light.moreless
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GUEST STAR
George Henare, OBE, CNZMZarathustra
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GUEST STAR
Daniel LoganZaylan
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GUEST STAR
Bruce AllpressSkouras
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Kevin Sorbo
Hercules
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Michael Hurst O.N.Z.M.
Iolaus
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
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TRIVIA (2)
ADD TRIVIA-
Ares marks the first appearance of the Greek gods on Hercules or Xena since Xena's season four episode "Adventures in the Sin Trade I", which featured Hades.
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Nitpick The sun should not be able to shine through the same window from sunrise to sunset, but should travel across the sky from east to west. That means Dahak shouldn't be imprisoned for more than four hours or so!
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QUOTES (4)
ADD QUOTES-
Zarathustra: Deception is the Will and the Way of Darkness, Hercules. The Demon will say anything to break us down. I would not have the strength to do this without you. Hercules: Something's watching over us, Zarathustra. I can't explain it, but I feel we're not in this battle alone.
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Ares: (as he runs away from Dahak's followers) You're all on my list!
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Iolaus: (seeing Dahak in Hercules' form) Dahak? Hercules/Dahak: Oh, I've been called many things. Iolaus: Yeah, I can think of a few right now!
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Hercules: (fighting Dahak inside Iolaus) You took something that didn't belong to you, Dahak. I'm here to repossess!
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NOTES (4)
ADD NOTES-
This episode is also known as 'Retribution'.
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Ares' temple is full of statues in unusual poses. They were created for the Xena episode "Paradise Found", in which they represented people turned into statues while doing yoga.
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Michael Hurst thought that this was going to be his last episode of Hercules, so he cut his hair after the shoot. He was stunned when he got a call weeks later asking him to come back as Iolaus 2.
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Disclaimer: Finally, the demon Dahak was destroyed during the production of this motion picture.
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ALLUSIONS (2)
ADD ALLUSIONS-
Iolaus/Dahak: I brought the serpent of temptation into man's garden. Dahak refers to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and the snake whose temptation led the humans to the Tree of Knowledge and their being cast out of Paradise.
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Morrigan: (searching for Ares) I'm starting to think we'd have more luck finding a virgin in Caligula's palace. Caligula was a Roman Emperor famed for his depravity, including having an incestuous relationship with both of his sisters. There was also a movie made by Penthouse loosely based on his life in 1979 that is famous for it's orgy scenes. Caligula would later be featured in the sixth season Xena episode "The God You Know".
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