Just Passing Through

Facing difficulty with his new life, Iolaus 2 feels the need to leave Hercules to escape his double's shadow. Hercules hopes to convince him to stay by taking him to a special place. Along the way, he tells Iolaus 2 a story about an adventure he and Iolaus once had. Per the story, Autolycus steals the sacred ruby of the cursed panther of Ipithia, which will come to life by sundown as a result. The panther will then hunt down and kill whoever stole its ruby (including anyone that gets in its way). The only remedy is returning it, but Autolycus swallowed it. While Hercules and Iolaus try to resolve this situation in time, much of their daily routine and friendship are seen.

Summary
SUMMARY

Disclaimer

 * Autolycus' intestinal tract was well lubricated and, consequently, was not harm or blocked during the production of this motion picture.

Background Information

 * It is never stated when the flashbacks occur chronologically, but they would've had to have been at least somewhere in between "One Fowl Day" and "Faith". (The former being the conclusion of a two-parter that saw Iolaus and Autolycus together for the first time since "The King of Thieves", and the latter showing Iolaus' death.)
 * Iolaus 2 mentions seeing Iolaus "in passing" – a reference to their brief encounter at the beginning of "Stranger in a Strange World".
 * When Autolycus says, "Iolaus, we've always been the best of friends," Iolaus replies, "No, we haven't." This may be a reference to the "Porkules" / "One Fowl Day" two-parter, which saw the two characters constantly arguing.

Guest Stars

 * Bruce Campbell as Autolycus

Other Cast

 * Paul Norell as Falafel
 * Jodie Dorday as Lucretiana
 * Russell Dixon as Astrovo
 * Nicholas Baker as Dardo
 * Tim Biggs as Leandrus
 * Sarah Faris as Groupie #1
 * [[Sarah-Jane George as Groupie #2
 * Simon Gomez as Temple Guard
 * Lance Cheshire as Old Man
 * David Coddington as Villager