Episode no. Season 3
Episode 315 Written by Robert Bielak | Directed by Gus Trikonis Original air date 17 February 1997 | |
"Judgement Day" is the 15th episode of the third season of the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
Contents
Overview
Hercules is framed for the murder of Serena, and it is up to Iolaus, Xena and Gabrielle to save the day.
Plot synopsis
Hercules and Serena are enjoying their new married life together. They head off to meet Iolaus. Elsewhere, Xena overhears two old men talking about Hercules getting married and that he gave up his powers to be with her. Xena and Gabrielle head off to find Hercules. After they leave the tavern, the two old men follow and reveal themselves to be Ares and Strife.
Meanwhile, Hercules and Serena are walking through the marketplace, when they are mocked by a group of thugs. A fight breaks out between Hercules and thugs; without his powers Hercules takes a severe beating and one of them asks how it feels to be like them.
Iolaus and Serena help out a little and Hercules is annoyed that they intervened, saying that he did not need their help.
Elsewhere, Strife and Ares talk about their plan. On a battlefield, Ares explains to Strife what happened and informs him that the warrior was Xena. Ares says he will get her back into his fold. Meanwhile, Hercules, Serena and Iolaus enjoy a drink in the tavern and Hercules apologizes for his outburst earlier.
In the village square the people decide they want to dedicate their new water system to Hercules, but Strife zaps one of the villagers, who gets angry and the other villagers decide to tell Hercules to leave.
Later, while Hercules and Serena sleep, Strife asks Morpheus to work his evil; Hercules wakes from a nightmare to find Serena dead. Hercules screams and Iolaus, who was on his way to meet Hercules, runs and finds Hercules and the dead Serena.
Ares talks with the Fates, and fondles Hercules' life-line. Atropos tells him another god cannot kill him; it is forbidden. Zeus appears and questions Ares, who tells him that Hercules killed a mortal, and Zeus decides he will be tried as a mortal.
The villagers, now convinced that Hercules killed Serena, form a lynch mob and come after Hercules. Hercules flees from the mob and hides out in an old man's house. As Hercules hides from the mob, he cradles Serena's necklace in his hands and asks why. The man knows that Hercules grief is real and he could not have killed his wife.
Hercules thanks the man for giving him shelter from the mob, the man tells him not to trust anyone. As Hercules tries to evade the mob, Strife zaps one of the villagers and they all gang up on Hercules and a fight breaks out. Iolaus comes to his friends aid, but the people turn on him too. Just as Hercules and Iolaus are getting a ruthless pounding, Xena and Gabrielle appear and help out. They win the fight and Xena tends to Hercules' wounds. In a daze Hercules says that he killed Serena and Xena is shocked and confused at the confession.
Xena questions him and he explains the nightmares to her and then concludes that Serena's death is the work of Ares. That night, Hercules has violent nightmares again. In the nightmares, he sees himself kill Serena. While Gabrielle is absent, Hercules finds Xena sword and runs off with it. Iolaus reasons that Hercules has gone to stand up to the mob and die a warrior's death.
Hercules prepares to battle with the mob, but the other three arrive in time to stop him. Iolaus and Hercules begin arguing about who killed Serena and they begin a fight, which results in Iolaus killing Hercules. Infuriated, Xena attacks Iolaus and kills him. Ares and Strife appear so that Ares can bring Xena back to her evil ways. She asks how they forced Hercules to kill Serena. The young god, Strife, tells Xena about their plan.
With this revelation, Hercules and Iolaus come back to life, they had only faked their death in order for Xena to find the real culprit. Strife looks worried and then Hercules being beating him up. Strife then remembers that he is a god and turns the tables on Hercules and begins beating him savagely.
The old man who gave Hercules shelter earlier on appears and tells Ares to "play fair". He then takes Hercules' hands and gives him his powers back and reveals himself to be Zeus. Hercules goes after Strife again, after a while, Strife vanishes, with Ares close behind.
Hercules notices Zeus walking away, Hercules catches up with him and tells him to bring Serena back. Zeus says he cannot undo what the other gods have done, and Hercules reminds him that this is the second time Zeus has turned his back on him and his family. Hercules tells Iolaus that he did kill Serena; if he had not loved her she would be alive. Later, Xena sings at Serena's grave and Hercules embeds Serena's necklace into her gravestone and says goodbye to Serena.