Medea runs through the woods, chased by Jason. She manages
to hide among the trees and cower from him. He rants his promise of revenge for
her stabbing Ariadne. Jason tries to sell menacing and enraged. It’s kind of
like being menaced by a chinchilla. Mid rant he nearly stabs Hercules (who does
a much better job of acting scared – but means he now looks terrified of the
chinchilla). He’s there to call her back to Ariadne who needs him (Medea you had
a knife to her throat and failed to murder her. The other assassins will now
laugh at you) because they need to get her back to Atlantis – since Jason just
apparently left her to run off after Medea. Medea shakes and cries.
They get Ariadne to the palace and she’s put in bed and
the Oracle called in to work with Pythagoras on Ariadne’s wound. Sad faces
all round. While the Oracle works her ritual to save Ariadne, Hercules comforts
Jason who is beginning to lose his faith that all people are wonderful fluffy
bunnies.
Having done what they can, Jason goes to her side. Hercules
goes home to eat and where they’re hosting Orpheus. Hercules offers his
condolences since he has also lost the woman he love (Medusa) but Orpheus
believes love only dies if you give up on finding your loved one – he’s even
willing to go to Hades for Eurydice. This sounds like a lead in to Hercules
questing for Medusa (please! Medusa was awesome).
Jason spends the night laid next to Ariadne – still in
his zombie-skeleton stained leather, this is not hygienic! Ariadne started
bleeding again during the night. The Oracle makes a vaguely ominous statement
about the wound not healing. Using a ritual she reveals that Medea put a death
curse on the dagger – using Colchean magic that the Oracle can’t undo (do you
know what would have worked better than a death curse? Stabbing Ariadne in the
neck). After dramatically announcing that Ariadne’s going to die and Jason
refusing to accept it, the Oracle decides enough drama has passed for her to
dole out another tiny crumb of information – the Grey Sisters are super
powerful seers who will know a cure. They will also tell you upsetting things –
like Jason is going to listen to any warning.
Of course, being oracles, I predict they will say
ominously vague things without much substance.
Jason and the gang set off on the quest and Pythagoras
notices something is bugging Hercules – he teases him as is his wont and
Hercules loses his temper and snaps at Pythagoras for always making a joke out
of him. More prodding and Hercules reveals his Medusa angst – Orpheus and Jason
are both going to extreme lengths for the women they love and he hasn’t done
anything to help cure Medusa of her curse.
They make their way to the Grey Sisters cave and find the
three – eyeless crones carrying one large eyeball between them in order to see
(the Graiae). They ask what he has brought them and he has nothing but he begs
them to help; as they pass the eye back and forth he grabs it. He threatens to
destroy it if they don’t tell him the cure (Pythagoras and Hercules exchange
startled looks) – the cure is to anoint the wound with Medea’s blood. She’s at
the temple of Hecate in a forest but when Jason mentions how much he wants to
kill Medea, the Gaiae tell him their fates are entwined and everything will
fail without her (vague ominous premonitions! Ah the oracles never cease to not
disappoint). Jason throws the eye at them and leaves
To the bad guys! Pasiphae and Medea are listening to
Pasiphae’s agent Lilix report that Ariadne is dying and to prepare for Pasiphae
to take the throne. Pasiphae is already counting her chickens and realising
that having easily bought traitors in her court may not be a good thing so
ominously threatens Lilix.
Jason & co head to the forest where Medea is lurking
and, naturally, it’s cursed (with Hercules providing useful snark). Just in
case we missed it, Pythagoras and Hercules discuss the ominous warnings. They
work the way to the castle, avoiding blood drinking stymphalian birds that fly
overhead. When they camp, a mosquito bites Hercules – attracting the birds –
though they look more like pterosaurs than birds. They run, killing the birds
that attack Hercules and end up in a gully (there’s always a gully or gorge or
cave on this show) where the birds can’t follow. Hercules has several more
scratches which means he can’t leave until he stops bleeding and attracting the
birds.
This means, after an argument, Pythagoras has to stay and
treat Hercules and Jason has to go on alone. He infiltrates the temple,
sneaking past some guards, taking out some others (which comes to Pasiphae’s
forces attention) until he finds Medea and he hesitates, which Medea puts down
to them both being touched by the gods. She talks about how connected they are and
Jason decides to knock her unconscious.
(And then she dies of brain damage. What? TV keeps having
all these people knocked out for quite lengthly periods of time with no ill
effects).
He doesn’t kill her, but takes blood from her arm. Then
Pasiphae and her guards arrive and knock him out (more brain damage!) Jason is
imprisoned and Pasiphae asks Medea why Jason spared her; Medea claims
ignorance. Pasiphae shares that Jason is her son so she’d rather not kill him
Jason wakes up and lunges for Pasiphae who has wisely chained him up. Pasiphae tries for a peaceful mother/son bondage session and telling Jason was a terribad Queen Ariadne will be (she’s also not impressed with claims that Ariadne is true heir because Minos himself usurped the throne) and how she is a totally awesome queen who will protect Atlantis from all the many many enemies (though the only enemy we’ve actually seen is Pasiphae herself) unlike weak and feeble Ariadne who is even DYING the weakling (because Pasiphae tried to have her killed…) and her repeated attempts to invade/destabilise Atlantis are all for the city’s good.
I am not convinced by her sales’ pitch. Jason seems to be which is just depressing.
Pasiphae asks lots of questions about Jason’s family and
learns Jason doesn’t know a thing about his mother. She wants peace and she
knows how but she’s not telling, not yet
Personally I don’t think “I’m your long absent mother you don’t even remember” overcomes the “I like to use black magic and armies and assassins to destroy Atlantis”. That would take some pretty epic mummy issues for that to work.
She hesitates on leaving and Jason manages to strangle
her with his chains – until the guards intervene. She then goes to Medea and is
super-duper sad because Jason doesn’t like her. Really? She’s upset because
Jason will only ever see her as an enemy (because of the whole being his enemy
thing?). She decides she’s being far too emotional and she needs to poison
Jason (or have the guards stab him? Aaargh my pet hate is when people choose
unnecessarily convoluted means to kill their enemies) and Medea protests – that’s
her son, Pasiphae says he was dead to her a long time ago – when his father
took him.
Hercules has stopped bleeding so he and Pythagoras sneak
into the temple to free Jason (killing some guards and generally being very
sneaky and surprisingly competent). They run, fighting their way out, killing
several more guards and escaping – but not before Jason and Medea have an
implausibly long eye contact moment.
As they run Hercules and Pythagoras would like to know
why Medea is not currently minced into itty bitty pieces and Jason admits he
couldn’t do it because of his mystical woo-woo bond. Also he’s curious as to
why Pasiphae didn’t kill him, cue shifty looks.
They hurry to the palace and assure her chief whatever
they have the blood (which is amusing since he shouldn’t know blood is the cure
– did they phone ahead?)
And lo, Ariadne is alive and well(ish) and she and Jason can be all sappy together. Ariadne also asks Jason to marry her.
I know I’m a mythology geek but I do so love the
references – the Gaiae are straight out of Greek Mythology and Jason has
stepped into Perseus’s shoes by holding the eye for ransom. It does make me
wonder more about Jason and Medea
I really liked Ariadne being much more active this season
after so many episodes of her being a decorative token to be won or someone who
hangs in the background cheering Jason on or hoping for Jason or, at best,
making snide remarks at Pasiphae. And then she gets stabbed and needs a magical
cure finding for her. That’ll learn her.
I think this show has forgotten that Jason is supposed to
be from the 21st century – he doesn’t seem to talk or think like
that any more.
I also don’t have a lot of time for the Pasiphae/Jason
family drama – Pasiphae may be his mother but he hasn’t seen her his whole
life, the idea that this complete stranger, this enemy, who gave birth to him
needs to be embraced and welcomed boggles me.
