Atlantis: Review: Series 2 Episode 7: A Fate Worse Than Death

Pasiphae makes her move against the Oracle…

After a three month gap, we’re back in Atlantis for the final seven episodes, and I know I’m not the only one who considers that the decision to axe the show was premature: the quality of the acting, the scripting and the production is so much better than it was during its first year that it’s barely recognisable. (And when you compare it with the much vaunted Olympus – on Syfy in the US and Spike in the UK – you realise just how far it has come.)

The proposed marriage of Ariadne and Jason forces Pasiphae’s hand, since she realises that any chance of regaining Atlantis will disappear. Ariadne is warned off by her own guard (In the Flesh’s Emmett J. Scanlan making a welcome appearance), and the depth of feeling against her marrying someone not of the nobility is palpable. But it still comes as a shock when Pasiphae and Medea unveil their weapon against the Oracle, someone whose role in proceedings immediately sets Hercules at odds with his friends, with the stakes raised even higher by the unsubtle framing of Jason at the end of the episode.

There are some deft directorial touches in this episode, particularly in the final trial scene, where, for once, silence is allowed to reign as parties consider their position. And given the surprise death of one character this episode, I’m not sure that even Jason is safe…

Verdict: Maintaining the standard it has set for its second season, Atlantis is back in fine form. 7/10

Paul Simpson