The Enforcer (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)

"The Enforcer" is the 13th episode of the second season of the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

Overview

Nemesis is made mortal and Hera sends her Enforcer to kill Hercules.

Plot synopsis

As Hercules and Iolaus are on their way to a festival they are ambushed by a gang of men, they fight and Hercules and Iolaus beat them. Elsewhere, Nemesis is standing on a cliff top talking to Hera. Hera tells her that she will be punished for refusing to kill Hercules by making her mortal. At the beach, worshippers of Hera gather making offerings and asking for the goddesses help. One man tosses a dinar into the water and a beautiful woman with black eyes rises out of the surf. He believes Hera answered his prayers for a wife, but the woman kills him. As she walks off, a man, Gnatius follows her saying he can help. The woman asks where Hercules is, the man says he knows, she replies, "Must kill Hercules."

Hercules and Iolaus are helping at the festival, Iolaus complains that festivals are meant to be fun, not for work. Hercules says they should repay them for coming to the festival each year and eating the food and drinking the wine. On the road, the woman and Gnatius meet a group of people, she knocks the two men unconscious and takes the clothes of one of the women.

Meanwhile, Nemesis is sitting in an inn eating, when a man comes and offers to "protect" her. She says if she had his bow and arrow, she could protect herself. She challenges him to a contest; if she wins, she keeps his bow. They set a target of a chain on the wall of the inn, Nemesis says, "if I hit the bottom link dead center, I win." She fires but now being mortal misses the link by an inch, shocked, she says, "I have never missed that badly." The man takes his shot and misses by a greater distance and Nemesis leaves with the weapon.

At the festival, Hercules meets Nemesis. Gnatius and the woman enter the inn and the man who lost the contest to Nemesis tries to chat her up. She fights him and his friend and Gnatius thinks Hercules does not stand a chance. Nemesis tells Hercules that she is now mortal because she refused to kill him. She tells Hercules that Hera has sent someone new to kill him: The Enforcer.

Outside the inn, the Enforcer and Gnatius acquire a chariot and go after Hercules. Hercules introduces Iolaus to Nemesis, but he thinks because he can see her that she is there to kill him. Hercules explains that she is not going to kill him. On the road, Hercules meets a woman who fled from the inn when the fight broke out. She tells him a monster is killing people and is after Hercules.

Hercules and the Enforcer meet on a cliff top and start fighting. In the ensuing fight, the Enforcer falls off the cliff and splashes onto the rocks below and Hercules returns to the festival. While Gnatius sits on the shore side, the Enforcer reforms out of the sea. As Hercules and Nemesis enjoy the day at the festival, they begin falling for each other all over again.

The Enforcer looks for Hercules at the inn, but she meets Iolaus instead. He tries to stop her but she fights him, knocks him unconscious and goes in search of Hercules. After having slept together, Hercules and Nemesis are interrupted by Iolaus, who tells them the Enforcer is still alive. Nemesis says she will help Hercules in his fight against the Enforcer, but he forbids her, saying as a mortal she may be killed.

While Hercules talks with Iolaus, Nemesis sneaks off to fight the Enforcer. Causing trouble in the village, the Enforcer is shot in the side with an arrow. Nemesis tricks the Enforcer into following her into the forge, saying Hercules is there. The Enforcer is about to kill Nemesis, when Hercules comes in and the two start fighting. Hercules manages to defeat her when part of the flooring gives way and she falls into the furnace and is turned to steam.

Later, Nemesis tells Hercules that she needs to go alone for some time to figure out her new life as a mortal, they kiss and she leaves.

Cultural references

• This episode is an homage to Arnold Schwarzenegger's film character, The Terminator.

Continuity and notes

• Hercules references events in "Pride Comes Before a Brawl", where Nemesis was sent to kill Iolaus for being too proud.
• Nemesis says that when they first met she spared Iolaus' life, but in that episode, Iolaus redeems himself.

Main cast

• Kevin Sorbo as Hercules
• Michael Hurst as Iolaus

External links

• "The Enforcer" at TV.com