Hercules is asked to intervene in the fight between two brothers over who will rule the kingdom of Thebes. Hercules is waylaid by the seductive queen Omphale and loses his memory. He eventually remembers who he is and resolves the conflicts.
The Episode[]
Host Segments[]
Steve-O-Meter
Prologue: It's Wash and Wax day on the Satellite of Love, a fate worse than death if Tom and Crow are to be believed.
Segment One: While Crow is slightly more worse for wear after his go in the wash and wax, down in Deep 13Frank and Dr. F's invention of decorator cockroaches gets an unintended boost from the star of today's movie "Steve Reeves". Joel's invention is the Steve-O-meter, which can tell if something's already been thought of by Steve Allen.
Segment Two: Gypsy constructs a set to allow her to show her to be the Hellenistic ideal, but her ability in playing a harp brings this into question.
Segment Three: After partaking of the Water of Forgetfulness, Joel & the Bots try other foodstuffs and drinks which trigger other mental and emotional states: the Carob Shake of Pretentiousness, the Blizzard of Loneliness, the Fruit-Striped Gum of Stability, and the Green Bean & French Onion Casserole of Happiness.
Segment Four: Tom and Crow try to get Joel to explain what Hercules and Queen Omphale are doing all day when they're cuddling and kissing, but he refuses to divulge.
Gypsy's set
Closing (Segment Five): The SOL crew attempt to discuss why the Hercules series and other fantasy films became popular and the meaning behind them. In Deep 13, Steve is unable to provide any insight. Frank continues to gush over Steve.
Stinger: When Queen Omphale remembers the good times with Hercules, her eyes get very big.
Obscure References[]
"The board game Blow Your Own Horn!"
Tom seems to be referring to the board game Ego Trip:[1] "The Game That Lets You Blow Your Own Horn".
Narcissus is another figure from Greek mythology. He saw his reflection in a pool of water and was so hypnotized by his own good looks he was unable to ever look away.
"Headin' out to Eden... yea, brother!"
Tom and Crow sing the first lyric of one of Adam's songs in the Star Trek episode "The Way to Eden".
"This place looks like a Maxfield Parrish painting."
Joel is imitating Madeline Kahn's lisp in a scene from the film Blazing Saddles in which her character is delighted by the scale of her new lover's masculine equipment.
"Bend it! If you can't you'll convince me!" "If you can, you're Uri Geller."
Uri Geller is a performer with reputed psychic and telekinetic powers, mostly demonstrated through the ability to bend spoons.
"It's Madame Trousseaus!"
Crow is mispronouncing the name of Madame Tussauds, the well-known wax museum located in London.
"Hobbes, get off me!"
Said while Hercules is wrestling tigers in an arena, this refers to the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes about a boy who imagines his stuffed tiger is alive.
"It's the Smurfs vs the Skins."
The Smurfs are a race of small blue creatures created by the Belgian artist Peyo. They have appeared in comics, TV shows and several films. The evil minions in the scene are wearing hats that resemble the Smurfs' signature headgear.
This episode aired twelfth during Turkey Day '92 and 21st during the 1995Midnight MST Summer Countdown, where it ranked 36th.
The first episode of the The Mystery Science Theater Hour presentation has a longer take of Tom Servo crying at the end of the prologue (instead of the globe bumper), and a riff about the dancer's "webbed crotch" 44 minutes in, which was censored out of the common version.
Video Releases[]
Commercially released on DVD by Rhino in April 2005 as part of The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Volume 7, a 4-DVD set with Hercules Against the Moon Men, Prince of Space, and The Killer Shrews. The packaging accidentally swapped the photos between the two Hercules films.
Re-released on DVD by Shout! Factory in February 2018 as part of Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume VII.
