he final season of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys may have been short—just eight episodes comprise season six, since star Sorbo chose not to renew his contract—but the series didn't let its truncated wind-down constrain its unique voice. This season is as self-aware, irreverent and campy as ever, following the adventures of the intrepid Hercules (Sorbo) and his loyal companion, Iolaus (Hurst), as they protect innocents from harm. All while incorporating familiar names and themes from Greek mythology.
In some ways, this reasonably solid mix of episodes feels as if the writers were finding eight different ways to send off Hercules. Each episode is packed with the usual blend of superbly choreographed action sequences and B-movie special effects, and all but one feature Hercules and Iolaus' witty, familiar repartee.
The season starts with "Be Deviled," in which Hercules becomes a demon (the first episode in the series' run that allowed Sorbo to play a character other than straight-up Hercules); in "Love, Amazon Style," Hercules must intervene with Aphrodite; in "Rebel With a Cause," we get a new take on Oedipus and his daughter Antigone; in "City of the Dead," Herc is off to Egypt and Queen Nefertiti's realm. "Darkness Visible" and "Hercules, Tramps & Thieves" (technically, the final episode filmed) each give us a chance to revisit old characters ("Thieves" spotlights frequent recurring guest star Bruce Campbell, plus a drop-in appearance by Traci Lords), as do the final two episodes, "A Wicked Good Time" and "Full Circle."
"Full Circle" is actually anticlimactic for a series finale, but it is nonetheless an apt farewell for Hercules. The episode, one of the best in the season, is well written, and it has a certain poetic resonance in its underlying Zeus vs. Hera plot.
Great content, poor presentation
With its audio commentaries, inclusion of footage from the series' wrap party, an entire disc devoted to behind-the-scenes material and a CD-ROM packed with series minutiae, this box set is clearly intended for fans. Knowing this from the outset only makes it all the more surprising that the presentation of the supplemental material is so worthy of criticism.
In most cases, the supplemental material simply lacks polish and finesse. For example, the audio commentary for "Full Circle"—which could have been a terrific opportunity to get insight on the final episode from Sorbo and Hurst—devolves into a disorganized, unprepared mishmash of random comments not worth listening to (though the final few minutes actually offer some good concluding perspectives). The monster-centric featurette on disc four is as informative as it is repetitive (it would clearly benefit from tighter editing). The inclusion of an alternate title sequence lacks any context (What year? Why wasn't it used?) from a producer.
Likewise, the 43-minute "It's a Wrap" on disc three brings the show's wrap party—an unusual but very welcome inclusion on a series set—to your living room; however, the grainy, poorly lit video leaves much to be desired (watch it for no other reason than to see Sorbo, Hurst and producer Eric Gruendemann belting out a hilarious version of "My Way" on stage). The nearly 20-minute "Final Episode: Behind the Scenes" suffers from similarly mediocre production values; however, for fans it offers an invaluable glimpse behind the curtain, capturing the final minutes of a television series once the last take is completed.
