Atlantis: Review: Series 2 Episode 12: The Queen Must Die

Jason and Ariadne retake Atlantis – but Pasiphae has one last card to play…

And so it concludes, with a throwforward to scenes that we’re almost certain never to see from the cancelled third season with Jason finally getting to fill his place in mythology on board the Argo, and Medea waiting for him to arrive on the shores of Colchis. Given how much the series has improved, it’s surely not too late for wiser counsels to prevail and we get a TV movie, at the very least, to wrap things up? (Equally, I’m still waiting for the movie that sorts out the ending of the second season of the Survivors reboot…)

You almost wonder if in the circumstances, it might have made sense for this closing feature-length two-parter to be re-edited to remove some of the “set up the third season” scenes which permeate the episode. The self-contained elements – the redemption of Icarus and his relationship with Pythagoras (with both Joseph Timms and Robert Emms pitching it just right), and the downfall of those like Cilix who are clearly only in it for themselves – worked well, so it was unfortunate that basically the episode had to end back where it started, with Jason, Ariadne and friends on the run from Pasiphae.

Sarah Parish dominated much of the story – her wavering before her downfall, her scenes with Jason before her execution, and then her subsequent resurrection all provided the actress with great material to work with, but you do have to wonder where the series would take her from here. Jack Donnelly also gave one of his best performances as Jason, even if director Julian Murphy did succumb to the temptation to allow the character to use his “superhuman” fighting skills once more. Mark Addy and Aiysha Hart were both given moments to shine while Robert Lindsay once again stole any scene he was featured in!

Verdict: Some epic moments in this finale send Atlantis out on a much higher note than many would ever have expected. 8/10

Paul Simpson