Hercules and the Return of Typhon
Whoo-Hoo! I think I found the other end of the quality specturm! :-) :-) :-)
*********** Spoilers: Beware! *****************
Yep!, before today, my favorite episodes were "Pool Party", "River Styx" and even the "First Day of School" (the later primarily because of the inclusion of Echidna). However, almost immediately this episode grabbed me and kept me glued to the screen. I dunno if I thought it was the funniest episode (I think that record still belongs to "Pool Party"), but script-wise I loved the "Return of Typon."
HIGH POINTS:
The gag 3-Day holiday "Titan Smitin' Day" :-) I liked the Amusement park with all the Disneyland-esque rides and buildings ("The Haunted Forum", etc.).
The gathering of the gods to the exclusive "Cloud 33" (anyone else get that "Disneyland" joke :-)). (Those gathered appeared to be: Zeus, Hera, Hermes, Hades, Athena, Ares, Artemis, Cupid, Aphrodite, Demeter, Apollo, Amphitrite, Poseidon, Bacchus, Narcissus (wrong color btw), and some bulky purple god with a large nose. If Cupid (Eros) was the little blue cherub passing out drinks, then I'm not sure who the snooty red cherub maitre d' was (perhaps Anteros?).
The casual way the gods seem to interact with mortals (Disney has really caught on to an element of Mythology that is quite funny when you actually see it... I mean when you read the works of Homer and and others they really do paint a picture where mortals and gods interacted constantly and almost as casually as they are portrayed in the series...Good job!).
And this time, not only did we get more airtime with Echidna (Kathy Lee Gifford), but her husband, Typhon (voiced by none other than... yep, you guessed it, Regis Philbin... when he started speaking I fell out of my chair... it was one of those great moments in animation comedy).
Perhaps one of the best treats was the resolution of the episode in which we find out that Zeus really isn't *all that!* That his reputation for defeating the Typhon is, as they say, a "Myth." Zeus' response, "Myth happens!" (great line). And best of all, that it was actually HERA who was the hero of the fabled "Titanomachy." Without her intervention Zeus could have never defeated Typhon the first time... or as it seems, the second time either.
It was nice to see that Zeus played a big role in this episode as well.
I was glad to see that Typhon was not returned to his prison under Mount Aetna, thereby leaving open the possiblity of seeing him (and Echidna) again (hint, hint).
The baby Cod...err Ladon was very reminiscent of "Baby" from the series "Dinosaurs" and I think that he would make for some cute gags if they use him that way some more (even with a frying pan: "Not da momma!").
The scene where Hercules calls upon Zeus in Zeus's temple seems to takes us back to the feature film when Herc first met Zeus... was this the same temple? The statue was a monolith of Zeus sitting down... which was humorous to note that the sculpters and architechs didn't take into account that he might wish to stand up some day (heh-heh).
The appearance of Homer (Dan Castellaneta) as a Reporter, and the final whining session from Typhon at the end. Actually, Typhon was right, since in the myth of the Titanomachy ALL the gods were engaged in battle, and it did take more than Zeus to defeat Typhon. Typhon is traditionally said to have been the son of Gaia (Mother Earth) and Tartarus (The Underworld), though at least one tradition makes him Hera's immaculately birthed son. In the ensuing battle, Typhon originally defeated Zeus, who was badly wounded by Typhon and imprisoned in a cave until Hermes and Pan rescued him. Finally Zeus did succeed in imprisoning Typon beneath Mt. Aetna (where Hephaestus' forge is supposedly located, btw). Apparently this episode picks up after the Titanomachy.
Did you see the marquee for "MiB" (Minotaurs in Black)?
Echidna reprises the "Cheerleader" gag originally done by Genie (Robin Williams) in "Aladdin," but it was still cute.
It was nice to see Herc & Zues fighting Typhon in tandem.
Perhaps the most intriguing moment was the mysterious tension between Echidna and Hera. I wanna know why Echidna backed down so quickly... Hera's countenance wasn't that omninous, so there is something else going on here... Inquiring minds want to know.
Perhaps next time we see Echidna this mystery will be revealed. I noticed that the baby Ladon is the same monster seen in the Opening Jingle where he pulls Herc from his mouth covered with drool, which obviously wasn't in this episode ...sooooo.
LOW POINTS:
I'm not sure if I cared for the western ballad sung by Hermes, even though it was nice to see the tale of Zeus' battle with Tyhon told. I think I would have preferred the Muses singing it.
Some others have pointed out that Disney is pursuing "gross out gags" lately, and I too have noticed this trend. There seems to be at least one pre-requisite gross-out gag each episode. One of them here was the fleas on Typhon's butt.
Overall, I really liked this episode and until another surpasses it, I think I'll use it to measure the rest (with "Living Legend" as an example of the worst).
Rich