Atlantis S1E8 - "The Furies" Recap

The trio are tasked with transporting some precious cargo as a bride price, by the father of the groom, to Helios. The journey is expected to be highly dangerous but Hercules chooses to take it when the payment is shown to tremendously high. Outside, the group realises they are being followed but find that it is Pythagoras' younger brother, Arcas.

Arcas decides to join the group on their journey to Helios and Pythagoras seems less than pleased about this. He visits the Oracle in secret and asks what will befall the group. She warns him that he is about to go on a journey of the soul and that the time of reckoning is upon him. She tells him that she senses a darkness in his heart but he will not share his burden.

When the group is convening and preparing to travel, Arcas throws a fit when one of the other crew bears the mark of a murderer. Pythagoras reveals that their father was killed when Arcas was very young and the death affected him very poorly. Pythagoras also reveals that Arcas was very young and never knew what their father was really like. Among their group is the son set to be married, who leads them, a woman and everyone except Jason mistrusts her, even going so far as to think that she will bring misfortune to them all. That night, the group is attacked by bandits and head into a cave in which the bandits don't follow because the cave is sacred to the furies. Hercules still doesn't trust the woman of their group, as she displayed tremendous fighting skills.

Jason asks about the furies, and the group begins to tell him the mythology of them. They are spirits formed from the blood of the murdered and once summoned, show no mercy. They will pursue a murderer to the ends of the earth and sense what lies within a murderer's heart. Later that night, Arcas summons the furies. That morning, they find a dead bird and some of the group are paranoid and see it as a warning, while others ignore that paranoia and are solely concerned with continuing their journey. After riding for some time, a mysterious entity rises from the sand, spooking one of the horses. It happens yet again, but the leader of the group dismisses it as wind.

Later, the woman rides off with the chest and Hercules hollers that he was right about her. Jason reveals that he swapped the gold out so she has none of the precious cargo in her possessions. The mysterious force rises from the sand yet again and Jason attempts to go towards it and see what it is but the leader insists that it was just dust. The group continues on after Hercules proclaims that it was more than dust. They come across a dead body and also the woman who was set upon by thieves. She begs them for a horse but one of the crew offers to let her ride with him. The leader wants to leave her there but Jason convinces him to take her with them, stating that they're no better than her if they leave her behind.

That night, the furies makes themselves known and being picking off the members of their crew. Arcas reveals that he summoned them and Pythagoras reveals that he was the one who killed their father. He reveals that he was drunk and beating their mother. A struggle ensued and he accidentally killed him. Arcas is hurt and betrayed over Pythagoras' lie. The group must now make it through the night, as the furies will not attack during the day. Jason reminds Arcas that he can call them off but he angrily storms off, intending to leave. Pythagoras keeps trying to get the group to leave him since he is the one the furies want. Jason and the others refuse to leave him behind.

Members of the crew ride after Arcas, trying to convince him to forgive his brother but he will not be swayed. Pythagoras attempts to sacrifice himself to the furies but Jason tackles him to stop him from doing so. Arcas returns and attempts to call off the furies but initially it doesn't work, as he doesn't mean it deep down in his heart. Jason pleads with Arcas, saying that Pythagoras is the kindest man he's ever known. Pythagoras apologises to Arcas, who then tries to save his brother, thus stopping the wrath of the furies.

The following morning, the group continues on their journey to Helios and Arcas states that he won't be coming back to Atlantis but parts on good terms with his brother. The leader of their group reveals that he no longer intends to be married, as it was arranged and he wishes to make his own decision. He is also revealed to have struck up a relationship with the woman in the group. The trio will not be paid for their perilous journey, and must now make it again to return the cargo to Atlantis. Hercules is upset, given that he was most keen on receiving the hefty payday.

Atlantis airs on Saturdays on BBC One.