Atlantis - 'A Fate Worse than Death'

Juliet Stephenson is reminded that she is an Olivier Award winner.

Now that The Musketeers are off to war, but with some time to wait for the return of the good Doctor, its time to get back to the parallel world of Atlantis and the machinations of Pasiphae.

You may recall that Jason previously hunted down Medea for a vial of blood to save Ariadne's life. I didn't review that episode, 'The Grey Sisters', but it ended with Ariadne proposing to Jason and stuff the whole 'must be of royal blood' thing. We pick up with Ariadne's advisers warning that she risks revolution, and thus she and Jason go to the Oracle to learn if the gods bless their union. The magic eight ball is kind, but before she can announce the results, the Oracle is shoved into a sack by ninjas and spirited out of the city to be murdered.

It's no small thing, and just as Jason is shocked by the loss of his mentor, so we are shocked by the departure of the acting muscle, but it's far from the most affecting thing in the episode. In a cruel twist, Atlantis takes this moment to bring back Medusa, a favourite from Season 1, only to have her used as a weapon to destroy the Oracle and avoid divine justice (because the Greek gods, unlike Cenobites, are famously lax in asking after motives.) I liked Medusa, and I'm sad that it looks like she's here to die tragically.

Atlantis is no Musketeers; it isn't even Merlin, but it has its charms. Sadly, Ariadne and Jason remain weak links, and anything which hinges on their love struggles to involve. I would much rather watch the Hercules and Pythagoras show.