Atlantis S1E3 - "A Boy of No Consequence" Recap

Jason defends an old man whom Heptarian has struck for "getting in his way." The trio is thrown into prison and called before the King. Jason tells the King what happened but Heptarian lies. Hercules implores the King to understand that Jason is not accustomed to the ways of Atlantis. Heptarian is believed to be under the protection of Poseidon. The trio are called before the bulls.

Pasiphae questions Ariadne on her feelings for Jason. She reminds Ariadne that she is betrothed to Heptarian, who is also Pasiphae's nephew. Pasiphae conspires with Heptarian to ensure that Jason not survive in the bull court and for Heptarian to gain Ariadne's affection.

The trio train for the bull leaping and Jason displays tremendous skill at it though he has never done it before. This is seen by Pasiphae and Heptarian, and Pasiphe is determined to sabotage him. Jason comments to Pythagoras that he has noticed Pasiphae's harsh gaze towards him. Pythagoras replies that she's rumoured to have abilities in witchcraft. In the middle of the night, a girl who is also one of the bull leapers steals a lock of Jason's hair and Heptarian delivers it to the Queen. She is determined to have Jason's death happen in front of the King and appear to be an offering to the Gods.

During training, Jason shouts at the bull as it goes after Hercules. When it runs towards him, he attempts to leap over it and lands on his arm, injuring himself. However, his selflessness inspires the others to begin hollering at the bull to distract it. Pythagoras and Hercules bring him inside and Jason reveals that he faked the injury to get the others to work together.

Pasiphae begins performing a ritual against Jason. The girl who stole the hair appears to regret giving the hair to Pasiphae and is confronted by one of the other bull leapers, who saw her steal it. A guard asks him why he was questioning her and when he reveals what he saw, the guard kills him. His body is found in the bull pen, to make everyone believe that he was gored by a bull. The servant girl knows that she is responsible and when Jason speaks to her, she confesses what she has done. Jason speaks with Pythagoras and Hercules about what he has learned. Hercules correctly guesses that the Queen is angry about Ariadne's affection for Jason.

Heptarian attempts to woo Ariadne but she is not interested. The bull leapers help to conspire with the trio on how to save Jason's life. They have Hercules speak to a former lover in order to deliver a message to Medusa to get her to sneak into the palace and steal back the lock of Jason's hair.

During the bull leaping, Medusa watches in secret as Pasiphae sticks pins in the figure of Jason. He is repeatedly feeling pain from this and the other bull leapers rally to ensure jason is safe. Hercules is even able to leap over the bull, though he lands on his gut, much to the enjoyment of the crowd. A noise distracts Pasiphae from continuing the ritual and she leaves momentarily, giving Medusa time to steal the figurine. Pasiphae finds a small fire, which she puts out before returning and finding that the mini-Jason is gone. She is furious.

Jason immediately feels better and he leaps over the bull. The entire group survives the bull leaping and they are released from the bull court with their freedom. The king is delighted since they all offered their lives up to Poseidon and survived while also entertaining everyone in attendance. The group leaves and cheerfully exchange stories about where they will head next.

Atlantis airs on Saturdays on BBC One at 8.30 PM.