Hercules and the Caledonian Boar is an episode of Hercules: The Animated Series, written by Don Gillies and directed by Bob Kline. It aired on October 31, 1998.
Summary[]
Hercules and Phil join Meleager, Nestor and Chiron in Caledonia to hunt boars for the weekend. However, when Hercules sees one, he cannot bring himself to kill it, and deserts the others. While out on his own, he meets Artemis (Reba McEntire), goddess of the wild, who is impressed by his mercy toward the boars and appoints him their protector. Phil meanwhile searches for Hercules and also encounters Artemis, who transforms him into a boar to teach him a lesson. He is then hunted by Meleager, Nestor and Chiron, who are constantly foiled by Hercules (all unaware of his true identity). After Hercules has tied all three heroes up, Artemis returns and changes Phil back, cautioning that the next time they hunt, their prey might be one of their own.
Trivia[]
- When being attacked by the giant boar, Hercules says: "We're gonna need a bigger wagon."; a reference to the line: "We're gonna need a bigger boat." from Steven Spielberg's horror movie, Jaws.
- This episode takes place before Hercules and the Disappearing Heroes and Hercules and the Phil Factor, because they introduce Nestor & Meleager and Chiron in this episode. This is due to the fact that his episode was produced before the previous.
- A gag joke that Artemis and Hercules suffer is that they both end up desperate because of the affection that the animals show to both of them by hugging them.
- Artemis sarcastically tells Phil that if his lies were children, he would be Ecuba, who is known in Greek culture for having fathered more than 50 children.
- Part of the plot of this episode is based on the myth of Actaeon. In the myth, Actaeon spied upon Artemis while she was bathing and she punished him by turning him into a deer. Actaeon, unable to speak, was torn apart by his hunting dogs.
