u/RotaVitae

The wonderful YouTube re-enactment series The Victorian Way features a head cook in an upper class household. Sometimes she prepares dishes for a "savouries" course. Here is one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj-sDXbMphQ

Savouries were served with or before dessert as an alternative to sweets. Flavours and textures were mainly based on salt and fat instead of sugar, and nutritionally contained more protein. They included recipes featuring cheese (sliced or cooked), sardines, anchovies, olives, patés, eggs, oysters, and shrimp. They were often served in bite-sized portions and small cups, disguising the labour of preparing them.

Savoury foods as post-entrees seem to have survived in European cuisine, such as cheese boards. As a North American who tries to avoid sugar, savouries would be a fantastic way to end a meal. But the dishes above would more likely be served as hors d'oeuvres or with a charcuterie platter today, not at the end of dinner. Unless you're at a restaurant with a specific European focus you're unlikely to be offered these for dessert.

Even if not as expensive or labour-intensive presentations as the Victorian savouries, why didn't non-sweet desserts catch on?

I think this would be a great career trajectory for Mako’s character. 

Japan’s agriculture is dominated by small family farms, and Japanese women farmers have historically outnumbered men. It could give Mako a sustainable career in a happy marriage she dreams of.

It obviously connects with her Jupiter powers. She would probably love growing and selling her own fresh flowers. Mamoru threw all his roses? Mako’s got him covered.

Mako would know how to grow the best vegetables and fruit to sell and to use her Masterchef skills on. She would take great pride in feeding her family and friends off her own produce.

Farming benefits from Mako’s physical strength. The work balances the traditionally masculine associations of raw strength with traditionally feminine associations of food plants and flowers. Mako is sometimes troubled about finding her strength undesirable for a potential wife, but this would be put towards something practical that provides health and beauty for her family and others.

A restaurant with food cooked from the in-house fresh produce.

Come in! The menu’s on the board, and today’s special is Vegetable Medley.

In the VIP seating, Farmer Elena will surprise her wife Leah with her favourite foods!

(Expanded Mod + Photoshop edits of characters, Character Creator by Jazzybee)

Herc Season 6’s premiere episode Be Deviled parallels Xena’s Season 5 premiere Fallen Angel, that aired with it. Like Xena’s Ides of March, it continues the major theme that pseudo-Christian monotheism was taking over Greece as those higher powers begin to have influence in Herc’s life. He had previously met Archangel Michael and defeated the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the Season 5 finale Revelations. 

As originally conceived, Be Deviled would have featured Demon Callisto, as well as Callisto’s sister who apparently survived Cirra without our knowledge. As plans evolved to have Callisto redeemed to be part of Xena’s child, this changed the story. Be Deviled was retooled with a new character Xerxos, played by Jeremy Roberts in a short blonde wig like Hudson’s hair. It’s not clear how much of the script was edited to fit him, but we see similar beats to Callisto and a plausible story about her sister. She’s named Arciana, after the mythical Callisto’s brother Arcus, and it was kept despite changing Callisto to Xerxos.

Promo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSmpcpFsFnc 

Synopsis

Hercules is visited by a spirit who resembles his deceased wife Serena, also played by Sam Sorbo. She calls herself “Sin” but is clearly meant to be the Devil. Sin explains that when Hades receives an exceptionally evil person, they don’t merit Tartarus but are sent to Sin’s domain, somewhere far worse (Hell). One of the souls, the powerful demon Xerxos, has escaped and is roaming Earth, and only Herc, who originally stopped him, can stop him now. 

Xerxos was a notorious serial killer whose first victims were his own parents in childhood. He also left his sister Arciana to die in a fire, but she survived. Arciana grew up moving between orphanages and was physically abused. She ran away from the last one and became a criminal like her brother, with a band of petty thugs. As an adult, Xerxos was finally put down by Herc and went to Hell for years until his escape. Now that Xerxos is a demon, Herc must accept Sin’s power to match him. He does so reluctantly, but the power warps him and turns him demonic, threatening to kill Arciana and Iolaus. 

This is Sin’s real plan: to have Herc murder a criminal who deserves prison, and Iolaus, an innocent. Doing so would have him go to Hell when Xerxos defeats him. Xerxos didn’t actually escape but agreed to come up to help get Herc to Hell, in return for being able to meet his sister, who is becoming more powerful and will soon become a killer herself. 

It turns out Xerxos wants to warn Arciana not to continue down her criminal path. He shows her horrifying visions of Hell that await her if she dies before she reforms. Herc overcomes his murderous impulses but fights and defeats Xerxos. Having lost Arciana and Herc, an enraged Sin returns to Hell with only Xerxos. Arciana is ready to accept a prison sentence, but Herc believes she’s seen enough to convince her to go free.

Putting Callisto back in

Xerxos and Callisto’s origins don’t match, but Cal was definitely one of the worst people on Earth to merit Hell. How Arciana survived Cirra’s fire isn’t clear, but she didn’t fixate on Xena like Callisto did. Instead, her childhood abuse in orphanages influences her to become a criminal thug.

Callisto already fought Herc so she knows his strength, and would be ideal to help her Lord win him to Hell. She had also been murdered by Xena and knew how much that guilted her, so getting noble hero Herc to execute Iolaus in his rage would be just as sweet. She secretly doesn't want Herc to execute her sister, but goes along with the plan so they can reunite. Callisto would return to Hell, but Arciana would reform and be good.

The Twilight of the Gods story was originally intended for Herc, and transferred to Xena when Kevin quit ahead of Herc Season 6. If Lucy hadn’t been pregnant and there was no Eve storyline, we still could have seen a possible redemption for Callisto, on a much more believable scale. The opportunity to convince her sister not to become the monster she was implies that there is some small latent goodness inside her.

Callisto wouldn’t be the completely evil soul that Xena had to forcibly redeem in Fallen Angel, but at least one small, good deed could merit her chance to leave Hell. She might return to Tartarus where Xena would have an easier chance of liberating her. Mirroring Xena’s own journey, Xena could be convinced that Callisto has Arciana to help each other carry their guilt and work for good, as Xena has Gab.

Notice someone missing?

Not only was Gab not allowed to appear with Xena in footage of any version of the opening credits, she's also nowhere in these cards after each promo. But Iolaus got to be shown with Hercules in the early one.

Rob Tapert mentioned somewhere that the suits forbid Gab to appear with Xena in on screen promotion. There are certain things I don't miss about the 90s.

This historical re-enactment cooking video features "improved rock chocolate." I've never heard this before, what is it?

Since the setting is an affluent household, the chocolate is meant to be high quality. But I'm assuming, since it has plenty of bloom, that it's something like baker's chocolate that doesn't need to look attractive before it's cooked into food, rather than for eating?