LIST OF HERCULES EPISODES WITH HERMES IN THEM
SEASON 1
01 - Hercules and the Apollo Mission
Hermes's attitude in this episode is great, and he has a bit of interaction with Hades as well! Hades steals the sun and makes everything look like Zeus's fault and the other gods almost vote for Hades to lead them instead. Hilariously, Hermes does not seem at all bothered by this; he almost seems to be enjoying Zeus's predicament. Overall, most of this episode is pretty darn fun, with a less satisfying ending. I'd still recommend it.
09 - Hercules and the Pool Party
Hermes has a few super small appearances in this one! Not very many, but the episode itself is really fun. Hera seems surprisingly supportive of Hades. And Trivia is great! Also, Trivia was a Roman goddess so I like to imagine that she's a trans woman in the cartoon (and Hecate's twin, since Trivia was the equivalent to Hecate; IDK why Disney did this except that they really really wanted Ben Stein to voice a character called Trivia). Also also, I'm pretty sure Hades proposes to Trivia at the end of the episode. Trivia doesn't say no.
11 - Hercules and the Tapestry of Fate
Oh my god Hermes as a naked imp. I mean, he's endearing as hell in this episode just in general, but. This episode is amazing just for the imp-switch. There are some ehhhh moments (STOP FLIRTING WITH HERCULES WHEN HE'S LIKE 16, FATES!) but overall it's a fun ep. Hades and Hermes are the real stars, and seriously, while I keep going on about Hermes being naked (I find it as baffling and hilarious a design choice as them deciding he needed constant pantyshots in the movie), I really do love his overall design as an imp; it's just so pointy.
16 - Hercules and the Bacchanal
There is a lot of Hermes in this one, since he's babysitting Hercules (unsuccessfully...) throughout the entire episode! He is also completely amazing in this episode. Some interactions with Phil, none with Hades unfortunately, there's a crappy crossdressing joke in this one, egh. The song is really mind-numbing which is NOT what I should be saying about a song about Bacchanals. Still, overall, there is so much good Hermes in this ep, I highly recommend it.
28 - Hercules and the Big Games
Whoa, surprise, I had to add this one in because there's actually quite a few little bits with Hermes! He doesn't play a big role but he does show an interest in the Olympics ("human athletic events"), which is a great little nod to the fact that in mythology Hermes is the patron of athletes. There's also a repeat of the situation in "the Apollo Mission" where he and Hades interact and it looks like he's trying to wink-nod at Hades and Hades totally misreads him, so that's fun. Also, hey, a bit more support for my theory that Hermes used to be mortal! ("M-M-M-Mother-- ah--" "Hermes, don't call for your mommy. It's ungodly." "No. The Mother of All Monsters!")
31 - Hercules and the Golden Touch
Okay this episode is PRETTY BAD but in a kind of hilarious way. It's an awful James Bond parody. Absolutely nothing makes sense. I have no idea why Hermes hands over his sandals or how he gets captured. They forget for like five full seconds of animation that they shouldn't be drawing Hermes flying. But hey, Hermes is in this episode, and his scenes are cute, so go for it! And if you go into it expecting an entertaining clusterfuck, you will not be disappointed.
43 - Hercules and the Long Nightmare
HERMES IN A NIGHTGOWN AND SLEEPING CAP. He has a few little scenes in this one, including some bits where he's in the same scene as Hades (though they don't actually interact) and a surprisingly cute interaction with Phil! Overall the episode was kind of boring -- Phantasos vs Morpheus is like a retread of the same plots between Hades and Zeus, only between less interesting characters with more boring voices -- but was for the most part pretty cute. And if you're into Hermes (I assume you are if you're reading this post!), I found him the highlight of this episode as usual, so give it a go!
47 - Hercules and the Yearbook
I mean, Hermes does make an appearance at the very very end of this episode, but he has like one line and is only in it for a few seconds. This is a post-movie, Hercules/Megara, series-recap ep with a song from Meg about how she loves Hercules at the end, so if you're into that, you might find it fun? I'm really not a Hercules/Megara person and clipshow episodes bore me 99% of the time, so I personally would advise skipping. Even Hermes's appearance isn't that interesting, he just delivers Meg's yearbook and says "special delivery" and nothing else.
51 - Hercules and the Big Show
Hey, another episode where Hermes is far and away the highlight of the ep! Weirdly, this seems to act almost like another clipshow episode? Why did they need two clipshows in the span of five episodes? Also it has like four songs including just... replaying the song from "Hercules and the River Styx" for some reason? Other than Hermes's cute scene near the very beginning, it's really, really skippable. (Nearer the end Hades actually calls Hermes Hercules's uncle, as a side note, which is weird and literally the only time it's ever even implied that Hermes is related to either Hercules or Zeus, so I tend to decanonize that anyway. Especially since "uncle" makes like no sense. If he was Zeus's son he'd be Hercules's half-brother. And he's obviously not Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades's fourth brother or anything. Is it an honorary title? Is he Hera's brother, with Hera and Zeus not being related because Disney? Like, what?)
52 - Hercules and the Tiff on Olympus
REALLY GOOD EPISODE FOR HERMES. He has two scenes and they're both really good. One of them is a weirdly adorable interaction with Hades (Hermes is totally happy to see him on Olympus! Hades gets really touchy feely and calls him "babe"!). The episode itself is pretty fun, Hades is kinda super brilliant in it, and I really like Hera and her relationship with Hades, which seems just as good as in the Pool Party episode. I'd definitely recommend this one.
SEASON 2
53 - Hercules and the First Day of School
Hermes visits Hercules and Phil at the very beginning of the episode and it is weirdly hilarious. It's a pretty lackluster episode besides that, imo, but it does show how Hercules first meets and makes friends with Icarus and Cassandra, if you're interested in that. Mostly, eh. Not exactly a painful episode to sit through (except one or two moments, Icarus fawning all over Cassandra and embarrassing himself included), but the high point of the episode is over when Hercules runs for the school barge, imo.
54 - Hercules and the Visit from Zeus
THIS EPISODE IS OVERALL HILARIOUS. Hercules is upset about being bullied at school and Zeus doesn't get it, so Zeus turns himself into a mortal human teenager to prove he can handle it, and then can't handle it. There's an entire Muses song about how upsetting he's finding it to be bullied. It seems to last for 20 years. Hades is charming in this episode but of course we're officially here for Hermes, and Hermes is A-MA-ZING in this ep. Holy shit. Also Zeus's Normal Human Teen disguise ("let us go do not bring weapons") looks like a serial killer to me. Something about the eyes and teeth. Please watch this episode.
55 - Hercules and the Driving Test
This one's a fairly cute ep! Again, Hermes is the best in it, though Hades is also aces. They have a bit of interaction, and Hermes interacts a bit with Phil, too. Honestly, though, Hermes just has some of the absolute cutest expressions in this episode, and imo it's worth it for that alone.
60 - Hercules and the Epic Adventure
Ehhhh this one isn't bad but I found it mostly skippable. I think I just don't find Orthos interesting? There's a scene between Hermes and Hephaestus about halfway through that's cute, though, and the episode itself isn't awful or anything. If you're watching just for Hermes there's nowhere near enough of him and you'll probably be disappointed, but otherwise, give it a go.
BONUS EPISODE SUGGESTIONS
06 - Hercules and the River Styx
This one's just hilarious; Hercules insults shop class (and Icarus's father, Daedalus, in the bargain) and then Hades takes over Greece and punishes all the heroes "with what they hate most." Hercules's personal hell is apparently shop class. Then of course he and Daedalus have to work together to save the day, blah blah blah, Hercules gains an appreciation for shop class, it's ridiculous and great, but the best part is that Hades has his one and only song in the series in this episode. James Woods can't sing at all. I love it. Please watch it.
34 - Hercules and the Twilight of the Gods
This fucks up Norse mythology so badly but it's also really, really fun. This show's Loki is SO MUCH FUN, he's so friendly and charismatic and has amazing patter -- there's definitely similarities between him and Hades but he's also very much his own unique character, and I really wish we could have seen more of him because he's wonderful. Besides Loki, Odin and Thor are shockingly enjoyable, Fenrir is a BIG BABY, the Norns are literally just the Fates (lol), and Hermod is a carbon copy of Hermes. Really. I'm actually gonna call that Hermes is "double dipping" just like the Fates are and working both pantheons, only with the Norse gods he's got a paper-thin disguise and a really, really bad fake accent. It's great, I highly recommend it.
MY TOP TEN (HERMES) EPISODES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
54 - Hercules and the Visit from Zeus
55 - Hercules and the Driving Test
01 - Hercules and the Apollo Mission
09 - Hercules and the Pool Party
11 - Hercules and the Tapestry of Fate
16 - Hercules and the Bacchanal
28 - Hercules and the Big Games
31 - Hercules and the Golden Touch (simply because it's hilariously bad)
43 - Hercules and the Long Nightmare
52 - Hercules and the Tiff on Olympus
BEST EPISODES IF YOU LIKE HERMES/HADES
55 - Hercules and the Driving Test
01 - Hercules and the Apollo Mission
11 - Hercules and the Tapestry of Fate (they don't interact but I think Hermes as an imp counts)
28 - Hercules and the Big Games
52 - Hercules and the Tiff on Olympus
BEST EPISODES IF YOU LIKE HERMES/PHIL
53 - Hercules and the First Day of School
55 - Hercules and the Driving Test
16 - Hercules and the Bacchanal
43 - Hercules and the Long Nightmare
MY TOP TEN THIRTEEN FAVORITE EPISODES, PERIOD
54 - Hercules and the Visit From Zeus
06 - Hercules and the River Styx
08 - Hercules and the World's First Doctor
09 - Hercules and the Pool Party
11 - Hercules and the Tapestry of Fate
16 - Hercules and the Bacchanal
23 - Hercules and the Phil Factor
28 - Hercules and the Big Games
34 - Hercules and the Twilight of the Gods
37 - Hercules and the Pegasus Incident
38 - Hercules and the Big Sink
52 - Hercules and the Tiff on Olympus
64 - Hercules and the Gorgon
01 - Hercules and the Apollo Mission
Hermes's attitude in this episode is great, and he has a bit of interaction with Hades as well! Hades steals the sun and makes everything look like Zeus's fault and the other gods almost vote for Hades to lead them instead. Hilariously, Hermes does not seem at all bothered by this; he almost seems to be enjoying Zeus's predicament. Overall, most of this episode is pretty darn fun, with a less satisfying ending. I'd still recommend it.
09 - Hercules and the Pool Party
Hermes has a few super small appearances in this one! Not very many, but the episode itself is really fun. Hera seems surprisingly supportive of Hades. And Trivia is great! Also, Trivia was a Roman goddess so I like to imagine that she's a trans woman in the cartoon (and Hecate's twin, since Trivia was the equivalent to Hecate; IDK why Disney did this except that they really really wanted Ben Stein to voice a character called Trivia). Also also, I'm pretty sure Hades proposes to Trivia at the end of the episode. Trivia doesn't say no.
11 - Hercules and the Tapestry of Fate
Oh my god Hermes as a naked imp. I mean, he's endearing as hell in this episode just in general, but. This episode is amazing just for the imp-switch. There are some ehhhh moments (STOP FLIRTING WITH HERCULES WHEN HE'S LIKE 16, FATES!) but overall it's a fun ep. Hades and Hermes are the real stars, and seriously, while I keep going on about Hermes being naked (I find it as baffling and hilarious a design choice as them deciding he needed constant pantyshots in the movie), I really do love his overall design as an imp; it's just so pointy.
16 - Hercules and the Bacchanal
There is a lot of Hermes in this one, since he's babysitting Hercules (unsuccessfully...) throughout the entire episode! He is also completely amazing in this episode. Some interactions with Phil, none with Hades unfortunately, there's a crappy crossdressing joke in this one, egh. The song is really mind-numbing which is NOT what I should be saying about a song about Bacchanals. Still, overall, there is so much good Hermes in this ep, I highly recommend it.
28 - Hercules and the Big Games
Whoa, surprise, I had to add this one in because there's actually quite a few little bits with Hermes! He doesn't play a big role but he does show an interest in the Olympics ("human athletic events"), which is a great little nod to the fact that in mythology Hermes is the patron of athletes. There's also a repeat of the situation in "the Apollo Mission" where he and Hades interact and it looks like he's trying to wink-nod at Hades and Hades totally misreads him, so that's fun. Also, hey, a bit more support for my theory that Hermes used to be mortal! ("M-M-M-Mother-- ah--" "Hermes, don't call for your mommy. It's ungodly." "No. The Mother of All Monsters!")
31 - Hercules and the Golden Touch
Okay this episode is PRETTY BAD but in a kind of hilarious way. It's an awful James Bond parody. Absolutely nothing makes sense. I have no idea why Hermes hands over his sandals or how he gets captured. They forget for like five full seconds of animation that they shouldn't be drawing Hermes flying. But hey, Hermes is in this episode, and his scenes are cute, so go for it! And if you go into it expecting an entertaining clusterfuck, you will not be disappointed.
43 - Hercules and the Long Nightmare
HERMES IN A NIGHTGOWN AND SLEEPING CAP. He has a few little scenes in this one, including some bits where he's in the same scene as Hades (though they don't actually interact) and a surprisingly cute interaction with Phil! Overall the episode was kind of boring -- Phantasos vs Morpheus is like a retread of the same plots between Hades and Zeus, only between less interesting characters with more boring voices -- but was for the most part pretty cute. And if you're into Hermes (I assume you are if you're reading this post!), I found him the highlight of this episode as usual, so give it a go!
47 - Hercules and the Yearbook
I mean, Hermes does make an appearance at the very very end of this episode, but he has like one line and is only in it for a few seconds. This is a post-movie, Hercules/Megara, series-recap ep with a song from Meg about how she loves Hercules at the end, so if you're into that, you might find it fun? I'm really not a Hercules/Megara person and clipshow episodes bore me 99% of the time, so I personally would advise skipping. Even Hermes's appearance isn't that interesting, he just delivers Meg's yearbook and says "special delivery" and nothing else.
51 - Hercules and the Big Show
Hey, another episode where Hermes is far and away the highlight of the ep! Weirdly, this seems to act almost like another clipshow episode? Why did they need two clipshows in the span of five episodes? Also it has like four songs including just... replaying the song from "Hercules and the River Styx" for some reason? Other than Hermes's cute scene near the very beginning, it's really, really skippable. (Nearer the end Hades actually calls Hermes Hercules's uncle, as a side note, which is weird and literally the only time it's ever even implied that Hermes is related to either Hercules or Zeus, so I tend to decanonize that anyway. Especially since "uncle" makes like no sense. If he was Zeus's son he'd be Hercules's half-brother. And he's obviously not Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades's fourth brother or anything. Is it an honorary title? Is he Hera's brother, with Hera and Zeus not being related because Disney? Like, what?)
52 - Hercules and the Tiff on Olympus
REALLY GOOD EPISODE FOR HERMES. He has two scenes and they're both really good. One of them is a weirdly adorable interaction with Hades (Hermes is totally happy to see him on Olympus! Hades gets really touchy feely and calls him "babe"!). The episode itself is pretty fun, Hades is kinda super brilliant in it, and I really like Hera and her relationship with Hades, which seems just as good as in the Pool Party episode. I'd definitely recommend this one.
SEASON 2
53 - Hercules and the First Day of School
Hermes visits Hercules and Phil at the very beginning of the episode and it is weirdly hilarious. It's a pretty lackluster episode besides that, imo, but it does show how Hercules first meets and makes friends with Icarus and Cassandra, if you're interested in that. Mostly, eh. Not exactly a painful episode to sit through (except one or two moments, Icarus fawning all over Cassandra and embarrassing himself included), but the high point of the episode is over when Hercules runs for the school barge, imo.
54 - Hercules and the Visit from Zeus
THIS EPISODE IS OVERALL HILARIOUS. Hercules is upset about being bullied at school and Zeus doesn't get it, so Zeus turns himself into a mortal human teenager to prove he can handle it, and then can't handle it. There's an entire Muses song about how upsetting he's finding it to be bullied. It seems to last for 20 years. Hades is charming in this episode but of course we're officially here for Hermes, and Hermes is A-MA-ZING in this ep. Holy shit. Also Zeus's Normal Human Teen disguise ("let us go do not bring weapons") looks like a serial killer to me. Something about the eyes and teeth. Please watch this episode.
55 - Hercules and the Driving Test
This one's a fairly cute ep! Again, Hermes is the best in it, though Hades is also aces. They have a bit of interaction, and Hermes interacts a bit with Phil, too. Honestly, though, Hermes just has some of the absolute cutest expressions in this episode, and imo it's worth it for that alone.
60 - Hercules and the Epic Adventure
Ehhhh this one isn't bad but I found it mostly skippable. I think I just don't find Orthos interesting? There's a scene between Hermes and Hephaestus about halfway through that's cute, though, and the episode itself isn't awful or anything. If you're watching just for Hermes there's nowhere near enough of him and you'll probably be disappointed, but otherwise, give it a go.
BONUS EPISODE SUGGESTIONS
06 - Hercules and the River Styx
This one's just hilarious; Hercules insults shop class (and Icarus's father, Daedalus, in the bargain) and then Hades takes over Greece and punishes all the heroes "with what they hate most." Hercules's personal hell is apparently shop class. Then of course he and Daedalus have to work together to save the day, blah blah blah, Hercules gains an appreciation for shop class, it's ridiculous and great, but the best part is that Hades has his one and only song in the series in this episode. James Woods can't sing at all. I love it. Please watch it.
34 - Hercules and the Twilight of the Gods
This fucks up Norse mythology so badly but it's also really, really fun. This show's Loki is SO MUCH FUN, he's so friendly and charismatic and has amazing patter -- there's definitely similarities between him and Hades but he's also very much his own unique character, and I really wish we could have seen more of him because he's wonderful. Besides Loki, Odin and Thor are shockingly enjoyable, Fenrir is a BIG BABY, the Norns are literally just the Fates (lol), and Hermod is a carbon copy of Hermes. Really. I'm actually gonna call that Hermes is "double dipping" just like the Fates are and working both pantheons, only with the Norse gods he's got a paper-thin disguise and a really, really bad fake accent. It's great, I highly recommend it.
MY TOP TEN (HERMES) EPISODES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
54 - Hercules and the Visit from Zeus
55 - Hercules and the Driving Test
01 - Hercules and the Apollo Mission
09 - Hercules and the Pool Party
11 - Hercules and the Tapestry of Fate
16 - Hercules and the Bacchanal
28 - Hercules and the Big Games
31 - Hercules and the Golden Touch (simply because it's hilariously bad)
43 - Hercules and the Long Nightmare
52 - Hercules and the Tiff on Olympus
BEST EPISODES IF YOU LIKE HERMES/HADES
55 - Hercules and the Driving Test
01 - Hercules and the Apollo Mission
11 - Hercules and the Tapestry of Fate (they don't interact but I think Hermes as an imp counts)
28 - Hercules and the Big Games
52 - Hercules and the Tiff on Olympus
BEST EPISODES IF YOU LIKE HERMES/PHIL
53 - Hercules and the First Day of School
55 - Hercules and the Driving Test
16 - Hercules and the Bacchanal
43 - Hercules and the Long Nightmare
MY TOP TEN THIRTEEN FAVORITE EPISODES, PERIOD
54 - Hercules and the Visit From Zeus
06 - Hercules and the River Styx
08 - Hercules and the World's First Doctor
09 - Hercules and the Pool Party
11 - Hercules and the Tapestry of Fate
16 - Hercules and the Bacchanal
23 - Hercules and the Phil Factor
28 - Hercules and the Big Games
34 - Hercules and the Twilight of the Gods
37 - Hercules and the Pegasus Incident
38 - Hercules and the Big Sink
52 - Hercules and the Tiff on Olympus
64 - Hercules and the Gorgon