Tuesday 8 October 2013

Atlantis Series 1 Episode 2 "A Girl By Any Other Name" Review


I was really looking forward to this series before it came out, as having a strong interest in mythology I was hoping for a very fun series to come out of the Atlantis myth, and I wasn't disappointed, as although not that accurate, the first episode was still brilliant being extremely fun and entertaining, showing great promise for the series as a whole.

Plot


As word about Jason's slaying of the Minotaur spread through the city, an old man comes in search of his aid in finding his daughter who's went missing.

Review


This was a very good episode, and a brilliant continuation to the series, as although it wasn't as good as last weeks opening episode, it was still very good. It had some really entertaining and humorous moments throughout, and the character interaction was yet again one of the strongest parts about it. It was however at quite a slower pace compared with the opening episode, also being a slightly laggy, with the story feeling stretched and forced to last the length of the episode. It also lacked a bit in the excitement department, as although it had it's moments I was hoping for a few more than we got. In saying that it was still very enjoyable, and although the myths weren't completely accurate, it was nice to see them added, and the series continues to show a lot of promise, even if this episode didn't deliver as much on that.

The story of the episode revolves around a elderly man asking for Jason, Pythagoras and Hercules' help in finding his daughter, Demetria. I was really happy to see that the events of the opening episode give Jason and the group some notoriety, as it's an easy way of setting up future storylines. On top of this I found the differences in attitude over this possible quest to be rather interesting, and quite amusing, as with them being penniless Hercules is rather reluctant to go on such a trip without being properly paid, and Jason sees it as his duty to do the right thing. I also really enjoyed the interaction between Jason and the old man, and how the old man was so emotional over the possible outcomes of this quest.

During the episode Jason and the group would come across a group known as Maenads, who worship the god  Dionysus. They thus believe that this group is where Demetria is, and go through Nysa to find their temple, and rescue her. Now I must admit that I'm not overly familiar with the Maenads, as besides knowing that they worship Dionysus, I don't really know anything else, and thus can't say how accurate their depiction was in this episode. I will however say that I found them to be rather interesting, adding a lot of suspense and tension throughout the episode, with them being the perfect type of villains for this episode.

The Maenads

The Maenads wouldn't be alone in this episode, as they'd have Satyrs to take care of any intruders. Now the Satyrs in this episode weren't like the common ones that you find throughout Greek mythology, as instead of being goat like, they were more like monkeys, as they have been described as at certain periods in time. I personally would have rather they kept closer to the original myths, as although this is technically accurate, it would have felt even more accurate if they'd been goat like. I did however like the way that they reacted to Jason, and how they added a bit of threat to the episode.

Another well known character from Greek mythology would also be introduced in this episode, with Medusa being introduced in this episode, being an unwilling member of the Maenads. I really liked how this episode introduced Medusa to the series, as although she's a part of Perseus' legend rather than Jason's, I felt that she's been used in a brilliant way, allowing the ability to work on her legend throughout the series. I also liked Jason's reaction to Medusa, as having known all the legends that he's read he knows her fate, and wonders how the person he's interacting with can be this same person. I do however look forward to seeing what role she'll have in the future of this series, and hope that I'm not disappointed.

Medusa

Final Verdict


Although not quite as good as the opening episode this was still a very enjoyable episode, having some very entertaining moments. It also had brilliant character interaction, and was very funny at times. I also loved seeing some more myths shown in this episode, as although there were some inaccuracies it was nice to see them. The story was however slightly slow, being dull and laggy at times, but apart from that I'd highly recommend watching this episode, though I wouldn't judge the series based on this one episode, as the opening episode was brilliant, and the series as a whole shows a lot of promise.

Rating: 7/10

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