BBC
by Helen Langdon
“The Madness of Hercules” is a bit of a misleading title for this week’s episode of Atlantis. Given that moniker, we might expect Hercules to be the focus of the episode, maybe drawing on mythological accounts of his insanity. But instead what we get is a fairly solid episode that advances the ongoing plot, and which really shines when it allows itself to have a quiet, character-driven moment.
“The Madness of Hercules” is a bit of a misleading title for this week’s episode of Atlantis. Given that moniker, we might expect Hercules to be the focus of the episode, maybe drawing on mythological accounts of his insanity. But instead what we get is a fairly solid episode that advances the ongoing plot, and which really shines when it allows itself to have a quiet, character-driven moment.
So, after last week’s ending when all seemed to be going against our heroes – pretty much the same happened again. Jason languished in prison as his execution was pushed through by Pasiphae’s spies within the court and Hercules tried to come up with a plan to save him which didn’t involve leading Medusa to her death. Meanwhile, amid much talk of how “the people” feared Poseidon’s wrath, Ariadne struggled between dedication to her city and her love for Jason.
BBC
It’s strange that despite how often “the people” are invoked in this episode, we never really see any of them demanding Jason’s death – the only ordinary person we do get to see is that recurring bloke who helps Hercules with his rescue plan. It’s only really the corrupt Cilix and Melas we see calling for the execution. Maybe this is a set-up so that Pasiphae’s Atlantean coup won't go as smoothly as it appears to in the final scene (Atlantis has been so good this series at tying up its plotholes, so it’d be disappointing if this one was abandoned).
Poor old Jason may have been the narrative centre of the episode – he must die! He must be rescued! – but in all honesty, he could have been unconscious for most of the runtime and it wouldn’t have made a difference. The emotional beats of the episode belonged more to characters like Medusa and Pythagoras. Jemima Rooper only appeared briefly, but every time she was on screen was captivating as she begged Hercules to forgive her for her murder of the Oracle, and told him that she had always loved him.
Poor old Jason may have been the narrative centre of the episode – he must die! He must be rescued! – but in all honesty, he could have been unconscious for most of the runtime and it wouldn’t have made a difference. The emotional beats of the episode belonged more to characters like Medusa and Pythagoras. Jemima Rooper only appeared briefly, but every time she was on screen was captivating as she begged Hercules to forgive her for her murder of the Oracle, and told him that she had always loved him.
BBC
But the real highlight was Pythagoras. Now, Robert Emms hasn’t had much of a chance to shine this season, but here he was incredible. While Ariadne put her plans into motion and drifted around the palace looking pensively at the brazen bull, Pythagoras railed and tried desperately to think of a way to save his friends legally. Forbidden from even seeing them the night before their execution, his slow breakdown into tears was the most affecting moment of the entire episode.
The next time trailer hints at more of these character moments as our heroes try to save Ariadne’s life, with the return of Daedalus and possibly Medusa’s return to the snaky side. But for now, “The Madness of Hercules” ended on a bleak note with the army of Atlantis kneeling to its new queen.
Atlantis has been Pasiphaed.
The next time trailer hints at more of these character moments as our heroes try to save Ariadne’s life, with the return of Daedalus and possibly Medusa’s return to the snaky side. But for now, “The Madness of Hercules” ended on a bleak note with the army of Atlantis kneeling to its new queen.
Atlantis has been Pasiphaed.
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