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'''Falafel: But it's fast!\\
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* MetaphoricallyTrue: When Hercules asks why Persephone was abducted, Demeter simply says that Hades hates her. We later learn that she left out the part where she has been interfering in Hades and Persephone's relationship, thus causing a good deal of tension. Presumably, this was deliberate on her part, given Hercules's later sympathy for Hades after finding out the whole truth.
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* SacredHospitality: As the blizzard spreads across Greece, a family gives Hercules some shelter and a place by the fire. Before departing for the Underworld, he gives them what little food he has so that they can ride out the situation in the meantime.
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->Written by Robert Bielak
->Directed by George Mendeluk
----
!!This episode provides examples of:
* AccidentalHero: Herc's kids offer Persephone an apple, and she's so hungry that she can't help but eat half of it. Though this complicates taking Persephone out of the Underworld outright, it actually gives Hercules the opportunity to negotiate a deal so that Hades won't be left completely alone.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Hades is not a bad guy and Persephone knows it, but she's still turned on by a guy who dresses in black leather and rides around in a badass chariot.
* AllLovingHero: During the blizzard, Hercules gives a struggling family have what little food he has. He later lets a starving man in Tartarus have an apple that was just out of reach, not caring one damn bit about Hades saying the punishment is deserved. The end credits confirm this was indeed the infamous Tantalus, but Hercules still showed him mercy.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe:
** Hercules lets a starving Tantalus get a bite of the apple. Tantalus responds by giving him advice about how to get to Persephone.
** No one ever gets past Cerberus, except for the half-god who once showed him kindness.
* BeingGoodSucks: Hades offers to let Hercules take his wife and children out of the Underworld in exchange for leaving Persephone there. Hercules admits it's so tempting, but he knows he can't let others suffer as a result.
* BittersweetEnding: Hercules works out a deal to give Persephone what she wants and humanity is saved from a devastating blizzard, but he has to leave his family behind. Hades gets to be with Persephone in the long run, though he has to say goodbye to her for now.
* CallBack:
** Cerberus lets Hercules pass without incident, as thanks for the kindness the half-god previously showed him in the ''Underworld'' TV-Movie. Charon is also weary of dealing with Hercules because of the same outing, still bemoaning losing his lantern and not getting paid for the last trip across the River Styx.
** The family being unaware that they're dead appears to be the result of what Iolaus said in the first episode about them deeply missing Hercules.
* CrapsackWorld: During the blizzard, Hercules takes shelter with a struggling family. The patriarch acknowledges how there's literally nothing mortals can do when one of the gods turns against them like this.
* TheCynic: Hercules observes that Charon has a negative outlook. Charon retorts that he lives in dreary place with no sunlight or [[AllMenArePerverts dancing girls]].
* DarkIsNotEvil: Persephone points out that Hades has plenty of good qualities and gets a bad rap because of his job. The man himself bemoans how simply dressing in all-black causes people to be scared of him and how he's considered too much of a downer to visit the Elysian Fields.
* DidntSeeThatComing: Hercules over Persephone actually loving Hades.
* EveryoneHatesHades: Subverted. It initially appears that Hades will be portrayed as an outright villain, as we see him abducting Persephone (who is pleading with him to stop). However, he's shown to be much like his first appearance (a benevolent figure just doing his job, albeit snarkier), and he acknowledges how he's considered a bad guy on the basis of his job and clothing. His relationship to Persephone is also portrayed in a far more sympathetic light than other versions, establishing that they were already an item before the abduction and that he only abducted her because Demeter forbid their relationship. Persephone's earlier objection is thus only out of concern for how Demeter will react and how it makes a bad situation worse.
* ExplainExplainOhCrap: When Deianeira admits she has an unexplainable feeling that Hercules doesn't belong with the family anymore.
-->'''Hercules:''' I don't. I have been gone a long time, but you and the children have been gone a long time, as well.\\
'''Deianeira:''' What are you saying?\\
'''Hercules:''' This isn't my home. I'm not dead yet.\\
'''Deianeira:''' ''[realizing]'' And we are?
* {{Foreshadowing}}: On Hades abducting Persephone, Charon cautions Hercules that there are "two sides to every coin."
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Persephone meets a swineherd who absolutely adores his two pigs (Phil and Sal) and finds this very endearing. Both pigs end up in the Underworld during the abduction, and Persephone convinces Hercules to ensure both are returned to the guy.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: How Hades justifies abducting Persephone. He later tells Hercules that he did literally everything he could think of to get Demeter's blessing before trying this.
* IWarnedYou: When Hercules tries to OptOut, Demeter warns him that there will be consequences for his refusal. Hercules takes his chances, unaware of how far she intends to take this.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: Klonus and Aeson talking about what they want to do when they grow up hit Hercules where it hurts.
* LethalChef: Falafel makes his first appearance, and Hercules will no doubt never forget it. One free bite of Falafel's fast food is more than enough.
-->'''Hercules:''' It's awful. The bread tastes like chalk and the meat... whatever it is, is overcooked.\\
'''Falafel: But it's fast!\\
'''Hercules:''' And so is road kill.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: When Persephone expresses a fondness for mortals, Demeter laments that she sounds just like her father. Though not said on screen, Persephone's father in the myths is Zeus, whose fondness for humanity is well-established.
* ManlyTears: Hercules upon being reunited with his children.
* MyBelovedSmother: Demeter is certainly overly protective towards Persephone, such as chastising her consorting with mortals, questioning her being outside by herself, and explicitly forbidding her relationship with Hades. Persephone is well-aware she's this trope, but she knows it's done out of love and dislikes the idea of being permanently separated from her.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: Hades appeals to Hercules to leave Persephone in the Underworld, saying he'll feel the same despair that Herc felt when his family died. It's more persuasive than Hercules wants to admit.
* OptOut: When Demeter asks for his help, Hercules tries to do this, feeling that this matter is between gods and not something he has to get involved in. Demeter quickly forces his hand by causing a devastating blizzard.
* PetTheDog: Hades thanks Hercules for being fair in all this and erases his family's memories of his visit so that they can be at peace.
* ProperlyParanoid: Deianeira can't shake the feeling that Hercules doesn't belong with the family anymore.
* RulesLawyer: Hades, which no doubt comes with the territory.
-->'''Demeter:''' She belongs to me. You know the rules. Hercules made it back.\\
'''Hades:''' I know the rules. ''[holds up the half-eaten apple]'' Eat it and weep!
* SandInMyEyes: Hercules after being reunited with his youngest child.
-->'''Ilea:''' Daddy, I missed you.\\
'''Hercules:''' [[ManlyTears I missed you, too, Ilea. I missed you all so much.]]\\
'''Ilea:''' Are you crying, Daddy?\\
'''Hercules:''' No. No, it's the wind... just blew something in my eye.
* ShoutOut: Music from the cemetery scene in ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'' is reused when Hades abducts Persephone and later when Hercules gets past the gate to his castle.
* StatingTheSimpleSolution: For all the arguing and citing of rules, Hercules points out that the only real way to solve this problem is asking what Persephone wants and abiding by that.
* TakeAThirdOption: After everyone's feuding and his own heroics, Hercules finally asks Persephone who she wants to stay with, and she says both. When Hades and Demeter demand she make a real decision, Hercules yells at them both to be quiet and says eating half the apple means she can split the year between them.
* WhamShot:
** Hades and Persephone kissing, revealing they're an actual item.
** The half-eaten apple on the table.
* WhatTheHellHero: Hercules doesn't have a lot of sympathy for Demeter's grief, due to what she's putting humanity through. Before heading into the Underworld, he denounces her.
* WorthyOpponent: Hercules and Hades engage in GoodOldFisticuffs. Both are impressed with each other, as well as dazed from all the punches they each took.
->Directed by George Mendeluk
----
!!This episode provides examples of:
* AccidentalHero: Herc's kids offer Persephone an apple, and she's so hungry that she can't help but eat half of it. Though this complicates taking Persephone out of the Underworld outright, it actually gives Hercules the opportunity to negotiate a deal so that Hades won't be left completely alone.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Hades is not a bad guy and Persephone knows it, but she's still turned on by a guy who dresses in black leather and rides around in a badass chariot.
* AllLovingHero: During the blizzard, Hercules gives a struggling family have what little food he has. He later lets a starving man in Tartarus have an apple that was just out of reach, not caring one damn bit about Hades saying the punishment is deserved. The end credits confirm this was indeed the infamous Tantalus, but Hercules still showed him mercy.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe:
** Hercules lets a starving Tantalus get a bite of the apple. Tantalus responds by giving him advice about how to get to Persephone.
** No one ever gets past Cerberus, except for the half-god who once showed him kindness.
* BeingGoodSucks: Hades offers to let Hercules take his wife and children out of the Underworld in exchange for leaving Persephone there. Hercules admits it's so tempting, but he knows he can't let others suffer as a result.
* BittersweetEnding: Hercules works out a deal to give Persephone what she wants and humanity is saved from a devastating blizzard, but he has to leave his family behind. Hades gets to be with Persephone in the long run, though he has to say goodbye to her for now.
* CallBack:
** Cerberus lets Hercules pass without incident, as thanks for the kindness the half-god previously showed him in the ''Underworld'' TV-Movie. Charon is also weary of dealing with Hercules because of the same outing, still bemoaning losing his lantern and not getting paid for the last trip across the River Styx.
** The family being unaware that they're dead appears to be the result of what Iolaus said in the first episode about them deeply missing Hercules.
* CrapsackWorld: During the blizzard, Hercules takes shelter with a struggling family. The patriarch acknowledges how there's literally nothing mortals can do when one of the gods turns against them like this.
* TheCynic: Hercules observes that Charon has a negative outlook. Charon retorts that he lives in dreary place with no sunlight or [[AllMenArePerverts dancing girls]].
* DarkIsNotEvil: Persephone points out that Hades has plenty of good qualities and gets a bad rap because of his job. The man himself bemoans how simply dressing in all-black causes people to be scared of him and how he's considered too much of a downer to visit the Elysian Fields.
* DidntSeeThatComing: Hercules over Persephone actually loving Hades.
* EveryoneHatesHades: Subverted. It initially appears that Hades will be portrayed as an outright villain, as we see him abducting Persephone (who is pleading with him to stop). However, he's shown to be much like his first appearance (a benevolent figure just doing his job, albeit snarkier), and he acknowledges how he's considered a bad guy on the basis of his job and clothing. His relationship to Persephone is also portrayed in a far more sympathetic light than other versions, establishing that they were already an item before the abduction and that he only abducted her because Demeter forbid their relationship. Persephone's earlier objection is thus only out of concern for how Demeter will react and how it makes a bad situation worse.
* ExplainExplainOhCrap: When Deianeira admits she has an unexplainable feeling that Hercules doesn't belong with the family anymore.
-->'''Hercules:''' I don't. I have been gone a long time, but you and the children have been gone a long time, as well.\\
'''Deianeira:''' What are you saying?\\
'''Hercules:''' This isn't my home. I'm not dead yet.\\
'''Deianeira:''' ''[realizing]'' And we are?
* {{Foreshadowing}}: On Hades abducting Persephone, Charon cautions Hercules that there are "two sides to every coin."
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Persephone meets a swineherd who absolutely adores his two pigs (Phil and Sal) and finds this very endearing. Both pigs end up in the Underworld during the abduction, and Persephone convinces Hercules to ensure both are returned to the guy.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: How Hades justifies abducting Persephone. He later tells Hercules that he did literally everything he could think of to get Demeter's blessing before trying this.
* IWarnedYou: When Hercules tries to OptOut, Demeter warns him that there will be consequences for his refusal. Hercules takes his chances, unaware of how far she intends to take this.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: Klonus and Aeson talking about what they want to do when they grow up hit Hercules where it hurts.
* LethalChef: Falafel makes his first appearance, and Hercules will no doubt never forget it. One free bite of Falafel's fast food is more than enough.
-->'''Hercules:''' It's awful. The bread tastes like chalk and the meat... whatever it is, is overcooked.\\
'''Falafel: But it's fast!\\
'''Hercules:''' And so is road kill.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: When Persephone expresses a fondness for mortals, Demeter laments that she sounds just like her father. Though not said on screen, Persephone's father in the myths is Zeus, whose fondness for humanity is well-established.
* ManlyTears: Hercules upon being reunited with his children.
* MyBelovedSmother: Demeter is certainly overly protective towards Persephone, such as chastising her consorting with mortals, questioning her being outside by herself, and explicitly forbidding her relationship with Hades. Persephone is well-aware she's this trope, but she knows it's done out of love and dislikes the idea of being permanently separated from her.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: Hades appeals to Hercules to leave Persephone in the Underworld, saying he'll feel the same despair that Herc felt when his family died. It's more persuasive than Hercules wants to admit.
* OptOut: When Demeter asks for his help, Hercules tries to do this, feeling that this matter is between gods and not something he has to get involved in. Demeter quickly forces his hand by causing a devastating blizzard.
* PetTheDog: Hades thanks Hercules for being fair in all this and erases his family's memories of his visit so that they can be at peace.
* ProperlyParanoid: Deianeira can't shake the feeling that Hercules doesn't belong with the family anymore.
* RulesLawyer: Hades, which no doubt comes with the territory.
-->'''Demeter:''' She belongs to me. You know the rules. Hercules made it back.\\
'''Hades:''' I know the rules. ''[holds up the half-eaten apple]'' Eat it and weep!
* SandInMyEyes: Hercules after being reunited with his youngest child.
-->'''Ilea:''' Daddy, I missed you.\\
'''Hercules:''' [[ManlyTears I missed you, too, Ilea. I missed you all so much.]]\\
'''Ilea:''' Are you crying, Daddy?\\
'''Hercules:''' No. No, it's the wind... just blew something in my eye.
* ShoutOut: Music from the cemetery scene in ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'' is reused when Hades abducts Persephone and later when Hercules gets past the gate to his castle.
* StatingTheSimpleSolution: For all the arguing and citing of rules, Hercules points out that the only real way to solve this problem is asking what Persephone wants and abiding by that.
* TakeAThirdOption: After everyone's feuding and his own heroics, Hercules finally asks Persephone who she wants to stay with, and she says both. When Hades and Demeter demand she make a real decision, Hercules yells at them both to be quiet and says eating half the apple means she can split the year between them.
* WhamShot:
** Hades and Persephone kissing, revealing they're an actual item.
** The half-eaten apple on the table.
* WhatTheHellHero: Hercules doesn't have a lot of sympathy for Demeter's grief, due to what she's putting humanity through. Before heading into the Underworld, he denounces her.
* WorthyOpponent: Hercules and Hades engage in GoodOldFisticuffs. Both are impressed with each other, as well as dazed from all the punches they each took.
