Episode review and reaction post for Atlantis 1.8 - The Furies
Okay, so it’s no secret that I’ve been looking forward to that episode ever since we heard there was going to be a Pythagoras-centric episode. Having watched it a few times (actually, four times in three days at this point!), I thought I’d share a few thoughts about the episode and the characters in general. Oh, and there might be a little bit of
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My first main complaint about this episode is the scene in which Pythagoras goes to visit the Oracle. Why?
I think that Pythagoras is well and truly thrown by his brother showing up. Clearly Arcas does not live in Atlantis so my first question - and probably the reason Pythagoras is concerned - is why? Why did he come to visit? Whatever the “outer” reason given (or not) Pythagoras is suspicious of his brother’s motives. Perhaps that is what led him to seek out the Oracle, but once there he can’t quite bring himself to voice his concerns and turns it into a generic, non-specific “are we going to be safe” question.
And to give us blatant foreshadowing and angsty Pythagoras tears, of course!
It’s unfortunate that we get so little time with most of these extras, especially Nilas the caravan leader, because they are all quite interesting characters. That said, the entire sub-plot with Baucis attempting to steal the treasure seems fairly nonsensical (where exactly was she going to go on her own in the desert with no supplies and a big chest full of treasure that she probably couldn’t carry by herself?), and detracts from the main plot for no obvious purpose. If they had spent less time faffing around in the desert, they could have spent more time in the caves ramping up the tension with the Furies and dealing with Pythagoras’s story, rather than cramming all the important stuff into the last ten minutes of the episode.
Agreed!
Pythagoras tells Jason early on that he and Arcas ‘don’t always see eye to eye’, and Pythagoras is obviously unhappy with Arcas accompanying them. In fact, throughout the episode from the moment Arcas arrives, Pythagoras withdraws into himself and there is a complete lack of his usual banter and sarcasm with his friends.
I definitely got the vibe that Pythagoras was feeling a bit left out, a bit overshadowed by his brother in that very first scene with the gambling.
Jason at least makes an attempt to find out what is troubling his friend. Bromance FTW!
I really liked Jason’s (and Hercules') concern for Pythagoras throughout the episode. He catches on to the tension right away and even though he only inquires about it the once, I definitely got the impression that Jason had been quietly watching his friend since Arcus arrived.
Why does Pythagoras give Arcas all the information he needs in order to invoke the Furies, given what we later learn to be the truth about their father’s death, and the fact that we have already seen Arcas to be bitter and angry about it, even after all this time? ...
I agree with the rest of this comment below as well - with one exception. It is very true that Pythagoras feels deeply guilty over what happened to his father, but I’m not sure he truly believes he *murdered* him. It was an accident. So perhaps he didn’t feel the Furies would come after him since it wasn’t technically murder? IDK. Maybe his worries about his brother's motives had abated the longer time went on. I have to keep reminding myself that the actions on the screen aren't in "real time" - we have no way of knowing exactly how long the journey was from Atlantis to Helios, or how far into the journey they were when they reached those caves.
The Big Reveal, when it eventually comes, is a shocking one, even if it isn’t entirely a surprise. Having one of the main characters revealed to have accidentally killed his father while trying to protect his mother from a beating is an unexpectedly dark and mature twist, especially considering that Pythagoras has always been played as a kind and gentle man in what can frequently be a violent world. It’s another great and believable performance from Emms, combining fear, despair, guilt and genuine anguish in a short but powerful scene.
It is such a brilliant episode and Emms is perfect in it! Mark Addy was brilliant as well.
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Perhaps that is what led him to seek out the Oracle, but once there he can’t quite bring himself to voice his concerns and turns it into a generic, non-specific “are we going to be safe” question.
Good point. He does seem to dither and change his mind a few times about what he actually wants to ask, so that tallies well with the idea that he actually went intending to ask something completely different, and then bottled it when the moment came.
I really liked Jason’s (and Hercules') concern for Pythagoras throughout the episode. He catches on to the tension right away and even though he only inquires about it the once, I definitely got the impression that Jason had been quietly watching his friend since Arcus arrived.
Yep, Jason particularly seemed to be concerned for Pythagoras almost from the start. He commented to Hercules the morning after that Pythagoras obviously wasn't pleased to see his brother, so he had obviously noticed the tension. They do have a bit of a talk before they set off, where Py tells Jason about his father being killed, and then Jason tries again later because can see something isn't right. And quite honestly, the fact that Pythagoras is being so evasive about it is practically a neon sign announcing there is something seriously wrong.
It is very true that Pythagoras feels deeply guilty over what happened to his father, but I’m not sure he truly believes he *murdered* him. It was an accident. So perhaps he didn’t feel the Furies would come after him since it wasn’t technically murder?
Good point. But he does say something about the Furies responding to what is in the heart of the person who summons them, so it might be more about the intentions of the summoner rather than the specific circumstances of the death. I don't know, it wasn't clear, and maybe even Pythagoras didn't exactly know how it worked.
I think I just felt that bit of plot info-dumping could have been better done by one of the other characters, as I think Pythagoras might feel uncomfortable talking about such things with his brother present, because it's a little too close to home, as it were.
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I totally agree! I think the info/plot dumping is so tricky in an intense episode like this. I really think they would have done better to have this as a two parter - ramp up the tension between the brothers in part 1, cutting the ep maybe just after Arcus invokes the Furies.
Part 2 could be the rest of the ep & journey to Helios, with Arcus' forgiveness coming maybe the next night. And lots of hurt/comfort sex!
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