by Helen Langdon
The more things change, the more they stay the same. In Atlantis, there might have been a change in the regime, Pasiphae might be off amassing power for another attempt at attacking, and Hercules might finally know the secret of Jason’s parentage, but in this week’s episode, we’re back to a standard, write-by-numbers episode of the tournament variety. Yes, it’s time for Ariadne’s Coronation Games.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. In Atlantis, there might have been a change in the regime, Pasiphae might be off amassing power for another attempt at attacking, and Hercules might finally know the secret of Jason’s parentage, but in this week’s episode, we’re back to a standard, write-by-numbers episode of the tournament variety. Yes, it’s time for Ariadne’s Coronation Games.
Nothing too much to get excited over here in the main plot, as “Telemon” features plenty of the old standards – sand being thrown in the eyes, agility beating brute strength, lots of slow motion. Although, surprisingly, Jason didn’t get to use his super gymnast powers to win, and after all of Hercules and Pythagoras’ dire predictions that “people die in these Games, Jason!”, not a single person actually died in the arena. Not for want of Telemon trying, of course.
OK, so Telemon was quite an interesting character, potentially lying about everything – is he even really a prince (what would be really shocking would be for that part of his story to be true)? What’s great is that none of the questions around his identity were resolved in this episode. That’s probably next week’s storyline as he reveals his true evil to everyone. But hopefully not. Please keep Clive Standen around a bit longer to be smarmy and charming and pretty, yeah?
But now let’s talk about the women of Atlantis. Get used to that as a topic, given just how few of them there are. First up, Areto, who cause conflicting feelings. On the one hand, great! A female warrior can fight in the games, and get past the first round. But she’s also inevitably the one with information that dooms her to death. Integral to the plot, as opposed to the nameless and interchangeable men Jason and Telemon beat on their way to the final, there’s still a nagging feeling that she could have been replaced by a flashing light pointing at Telemon’s wrist.
But now let’s talk about the women of Atlantis. Get used to that as a topic, given just how few of them there are. First up, Areto, who cause conflicting feelings. On the one hand, great! A female warrior can fight in the games, and get past the first round. But she’s also inevitably the one with information that dooms her to death. Integral to the plot, as opposed to the nameless and interchangeable men Jason and Telemon beat on their way to the final, there’s still a nagging feeling that she could have been replaced by a flashing light pointing at Telemon’s wrist.
And Ariadne. A lot of people seem to be viewing “Telemon” as showcasing a love triangle, with Telemon and Jason competing to win her heart, but that’s kind of missing the point of the character. Her acceptance of Telemon’s proposal is a tactical move. Atlantis needs allies, as they point out in the episode, and for Ariadne, the best way to do that is to marry the strongest contender who can bring in the protection her city needs. It’s Ariadne’s choice to make between her city and her heart, and it’s great to watch. That’s mainly down to Aiysha Hart’s performance. On occasion in the first series, it wasn’t great, but maybe that’s just because all the character had to do was wander around loving Jason and hiding things from Pasiphae. Now that Ariadne’s queen, the character and the actress are one of the highpoints of this season.
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