Showing posts with label Alexander Siddig. Show all posts

Gotham S04E07 "A Day in the Narrows" Recap


The GCPD are sent 44 boxes of pig's heads. It's enough for every officer there except for one. The instructions given to the delivery men was that everyone was to receive a box except for Jim Gordon.

Bruce displays surprisingly aggressive, hostile behaviour while at an event with Alfred. He confesses to Alfred in private that he doesn't feel guilty for killing Ra's and now feels conflicted about his identity. Alfred wants him not to become consumed by anger.

Penguin is determined to collaborate with the GCPD in order to taken down Professor Pyg because he has been killing cops on Penguin's payroll. Jim is outraged by the notion of working with Penguin but Harvey has the final say in the matter and agrees to work with him. When two more officers go missing, GCPD and Penguin's men led by his enforcer Headhunter go together to the Narrows to follow a lead. Harvey orders the men to be aggressive in questioning the residents of the building, tactics Jim strongly objects to. Jim tries to legitimately question a woman about what she saw regarding the kidnapping of the officers but Headhunter forces her sickly husband out of the building and threatens to shoot him and more residents if she doesn't talk. It works and she shares what she saw, which sends the officers and Penguin's men the direction they were headed in. This leads to the discovery of the missing officers. One is dead and the other, Fisoli, is badly wounded. As Fisoli is taken away in an ambulance, he tells Jim he is on of the good ones.

At Bruce's fundraiser, he meets Grace Blomdahl, a former classmate of his. The two strike up a flirtation. They go off and meet some more teens. Bruce is reintroduced to Tommy Elliot, whom Bruce assaulted a while back for insulting his dead parents, and Brant. Brant is rude and arrogant towards Bruce, even insulting Alfred, so Bruce contemplates violently assaulting him but refrains from doing so. Tommy is apologetic, admitting his past wrongs and saying that Brant is a tool. The group decides to go party at a club that Brant claims to have a hookup at.

Selina attacks a biker's club but when she gets trapped she calls Tabitha for help. Tabitha attempts to convince Barbara to come but Barbara isn't interested in helping, saying it's a teachable moment for Selina and that she shouldn't have been caught.

The GCPD tracks down the third missing cop to an abandoned courthouse. Jim doesn't want Penguin's men to be the ones to storm the building but Harvey says it's a win-win since they'll be the ones to be injured if anything goes wrong with infiltrating the building. Pyg calls Jim and warns him to let the others go in and to not go in himself or else he'll die. Pyg also tells Jim he's "one of the good ones", making Jim realise that Pyg is Fisoli, the apparently injured cop.

At the nightclub, Bruce embarrasses Brant, who is no longer able to get in. Brant is rude to Bruce once again and Bruce reveals that he has purchased the nightclub and allows the group to come in with the exception of Brant, who has to leave in humiliation.

Jim tries to warn Harvey to call off the raid of the building and that Fisoli is Pyg. Jim is insistent that raiding will only be a trap but Harvey sides with Penguin and order Jim to stand down. Jim is forced to stay outside as armed men keep watch of him. Harvey and other officers raid the building and shoot whom they believe to be Pyg but it's actually Patel chained up in a disguise, while the apparent hostage was just a decoy dummy. They set off some rigged machine guns that begin firing and injure and kill many officers. Penguin tries to order more of his men to get inside but they refuse to go into the crossfire. Jim snatches one of their large weapons and heads inside where he shoots one of the automatic weapons and rescues those still alive inside, including Harvey.

Barbara change her mind and decides to help Tabitha rescue Selina. The trio are able to get away with a significant amount of money from the biker's club and agree to work together to commit more heists.

Jim is revered by the media while Penguin tries to put all the blame of the botched mission on Harvey. More of the officers now hold Jim in high regard once again. Harvey is distraught over how poorly the mission went and that he is now seen as the cop who shot another cop. Fisoli calls Jim once again and taunts Jim about the saga of what's to come and stresses how Jim is his muse.

Penguin is furious about how poorly his plans have gone and when an injured Headhunter accompanies him back to the club, Penguin kills him.

Gotham airs on Thursdays on FOX at 8/7c.

Gotham S04E05 "The Blade's Path" Recap


In a flashback, we see Butch's body being brought to be dumped in a swamp after having been in a coma for six months due to Barbara shooting him in the head. His body floats and drifts along the surface and toxic waste from Indian Hill is shown to have been dumped into the water and muck.

Jim is determined to stop Ra's, while Bruce is determined to kill Ra's at Blackgate Penitentiary in order to avenge Alex. Bruce has been working hard to decode some text on the knife and believes that the knife may be the only weapon that can kill Ra's which would explain why he wants it so much. Alfred tries to keep Bruce on course and remember his vow to not kill anyone, warning that killing someone will only send him on a darker path and Alfred shares his knowledge of this from personal experience. Bruce claims to agree but the pensive expression on his face suggests otherwise.

Alex has a funeral and there, Jim informs Alfred that extradition papers have been drawn to send Ra's back home and implores Alfred to keep an eye on Bruce and keep him away but Bruce has been listening in on the conversation.

Barbara visits Ra's and he has her put her palm up to the glass of his cell and their hands glow. It's unclear what has just transpired, as Ra's simply tells her she will see eventually what has happened.

Butch emerges from the Slaughter Swamp as Solomon Grundy, complete with new pale skin and hair. He attacks some campers nearby and steals some clothes before walking off with his new name and identity. He later encounters Ed and the two decide to team up, albeit reluctantly. Grundy knocks him out when he recognises Solomon and throws him over his shoulder to carry him off. Ed had just come out of a pharmacy where he had been trying to find something to fix his cognitive trauma from being frozen and thawed from ice. Grundy insists that Ed help him but Ed says he can't help him when he is currently unable to even help himself. When Grundy reveals that the has stolen a hot dog stand, Ed warms to the idea of teaming up.

Sofia returns to Oswald and tries to reason with him, leading to the two of them seemingly beginning to bond and get along, though there may be more scheming underlying Sofia's motives.

Bruce steals the knife and uses his equipment to break into Blackgate Penitentiary, determined to kill Ra's. Bruce is caught by some security guards but they do nothing to help him, as they are on the Ra's payroll. Alfred goes to find Jim when Bruce goes missing and the two head to Blackgate in search of him.

When Bruce wakes, he and Ra's are alone in an underground area in the penitentiary. Ra's reveals that he is cursed and returns the knife to Bruce. He wants Bruce to kill him. Meanwhile, Bruce and Alfred fight off the corrupt security guards and carry on in their search for Bruce.

Ed and Grundy are attacked by some friends of the men Grundy had attacked earlier but Grundy easily fights them off. However, his hand catches on fire in the commotion and Ed runs off to grab a bucket of water to extinguish it. Following this, Grundy assures Ed that he is smart since he knew how to put the fire out and Ed gets a jolt of confidence as a result.

Oswald becomes emotional and upset when Sofia invites him out for a meal and the dish served is identical to one of his mother's recipes. She visits him later at the club to apologise and the two talk about the pain in their upbringing and Sofia massages Oswald's ankle which is flaring up in pain due to the weather. She shares how she broke her ankle as a kid and while her father told her to ice it and toughen up, her mother said that warmth is actually what's needed.

Ra's shows Bruce his true form in the reflection of some water and claims he feels nothing but pain and agony. He warns that if he doesn't kill Ra's, Bruce will follow the path of the light and become a husband and father, perhaps even forget that Ra's existed, and then kill everyone Bruce loves. By goading Bruce, he is able to force him to react and kill Ra's with the blade. Thus begins Bruce's journey into darkness and Ra's rapidly decays into a corpse and fully dies just in time for Jim and Alfred to turn the corner and see. Jim covers the story, saying he doesn't know what he saw, and says the official story will be that men serving Ra's broke in and helped him escape. He assures a tormented Bruce that nothing that has happened has changed Bruce's character.

Ed convinces Grundy to join an underground wrestling/fighting ring. Ed hopes to raise money there that will help him become smart again. Before he can fight, the person in charge sends for the doctor to patch up Grundy's burnt arm. The fighting ring doctor is revealed to be Leslie Thompkins.

Gotham airs on Thursdays on FOX at 8/7c.

Gotham Sends Massive Lead Cast To New York Comic Con


Since it's premiere back in 2014, FOX's "Gotham" has begun to build a universe all its own in the legacy of DC Comics live-action adaptations and continually expanded the scale of its leading cast and narrative. When bringing the show to New York Comic Con, WB pulled no punches as the massive row of chairs to seat all the lead actors (plus the moderator) spanned the vast majority of the space available across the stage. The cast took the opportunity to speak about the show's latest season, what's coming up for these beloved characters, and answered questions from devoted fans that were eager to speak with the actors whom they are passionate in supporting.

Gotham S04E04 "The Demon's Head" Recap


Bruce and Alfred bring the knife purchased from Penguin's auction to antiquist Niles Winthrop and his grandson Alex so they can dig up historical research on it but implore him to keep their custody of the knife secret. Bruce promises to come back the next morning to check on their progress. That night, Niles translates scripture from the knife that speaks of a legend of Ra's al Ghul who is said to be an immortal being with a destiny. Niles shares his findings with Alex and his suspicions that Bruce has stumbled into something far more complex and dangerous than he imagined. When someone knocks on the door, Niles tells Alex that no one should be there so he sends him into his office with the knife before answering the door. Ra's has come to claim the knife and kills Niles when he refuses to give up the location of the knife. Alex remains hidden with the knife and cries quietly at the loss of his grandfather.

The following day, the GCPD are investigating the scene when Bruce arrives and tells Jim about the knife. They have yet to locate Alex or the knife, which Ra's sends an animalistic man called "Anubis" to track down. He also tells Anubis he is free to kill the boy in the process.

Sofia visits Penguin and claims that she has no interest in her father's business and is only in Gotham to help with some charitable causes. Penguin remains firm in his suspicions of her, despite remaining oblivious about Ra's al Ghul's existence.

Jim visits Barbara to question her about the death of Niles and the disappearance of Alex. Bruce arrives to interrupt the line of questioning and asks about Ra's al Ghul but Barbara pretends to be ignorant of who that is. Jim is furious at Bruce and berates him outside for not telling him about Ra's. They eventually decide to work together and are able to track down Alex, who still has the knife. They are attacked by some of Ra's's other-worldly henchmen but are able to fight them off. Bruce and Alex escape together while Jim heads back to the GCPD. There he is visited by Ra's al Ghul who claims to be an academic official from Nanda Parbat. They do a bit of posturing towards each other since Jim is sizing up this new opponent and Ra's has a timid persona to play. Alfred arrives and attacks Ra's, who later slips out while Alfred angrily tells Jim about all that Ra's has done.

Penguin had only set up a meeting with Sofia so that word would get out into the city about her return to Gotham and lure out Falcone loyalists. He arrives with Zsasz when she is meeting with some of them and has Zsasz execute the men. He claims to now trust Sofia's word despite her explanation to him that his strategy was bullish and sloppy when he could've used her to bait those men to be loyal to him instead of just killing them and throwing away what they could've offered him.

Alex and Bruce are back at Niles' museum, which is where Alex had hid the knife but they are forced to hide once more when Ra's' men come back looking of them. Jim shows up and able to kill one while luring the other one away. Ra's arrives shortly afterward and demands the return of the knife while holding Alex at knifepoint. Bruce says the knife is too important and Ra's appears impressed by the statement before slitting Alex's throat. Ra's is arrested and Bruce is left devastated, blaming himself for Alex's death. Alfred and Jim assure him that Ra's is a psychopath.

Ed spends the bulk of the episode trying to come up with clever riddles to send a message to Oswald. This culminates in Ed showing up at the club to confront Oswald, who merely laughs at Ed and points out how Ed's number one fan was right about him losing his intelligence. Ed pleads to be let go without being refrozen, but when he admits he's no longer the Riddler then Oswald says he'll let Ed go because the better revenge is to let Ed live knowing that he's only Ed Nygma now, a regular man and a shell of the genius super villain he once was.

Sofia admits to Jim that she has a takeover plan in store for Gotham, while Ra's is implied to have allowed himself to be arrested as part of a larger plan as well.

Gotham airs on Thursdays on FOX at 8/7c.

Gotham S04E03 "They Who Hide Behind Masks" Recap


Flashback to 125AD. An unknown man rides a horse through a battlefield covered with dead soldiers. He spots a man we know to be Ra's al Ghul and brings his body to the Lazarus Pit, which he uses to resurrect him. He informs Ra's that he is his new hair and bestows upon him a special dagger which he will use to take on the mantle of Ra's al Ghul.

In the present, Bruce works with Alfred to spy on a boat that has arrived at the docks with some illicit merchandise. Bruce spots a thief heading to the boat and Alfred advises him not to go after him, as the mask he is using is not bulletproof - only the suit Lucius Fox designed is. The new merchandise is for Penguin and Bruce finds himself cornered by guards, alerting the other thief to run off and escape. The other thief is revealed to be Selina. Bruce is able to use his skills to fight off the guards and get away, after which Alfred patches up a wound on his hand.

Jim goes to Miami where Falcone has retired. There he also meets Falcone's only daughter, Sofia. He informs Falcone about Penguin's rise to power and asks for his help to take him down. Falcone reveals that he's dying and the doctors have advised him to stay out of Gotham for his health. Sofia offers to go with Jim but Falcone tells her not to, saying she isn't ready for Gotham.

While Oswald and Zsasz are out of the club, an unknown woman breaks in and uses a blowtorch to free Nygma from the block of ice and let him out. She brings him back to her hideout and when he wakes, he learns that she is obsessed with him. Her name is Myrtle Jenkins and she proclaims herself to be his number one fan. She wants to help nurse him back to health so he can become Gotham's greatest villain once more, with her acting as his sidekick, "The Riddlette".

Bruce continues his investigation into the new merchandise. He finds that the merchandise is being sold on a black market auction in Cobblepot's club. Bruce is once again confronted by guards but Alfred arrives and beats them up, helping Bruce to get away. Barbara is shown to be after a particular knife before the auction commences but Oswald refuses to sell it to her.

Sofia offers to stay with Jim in Miami and the two talk about her life growing up there, also saying that Jim did what he had to do after her brother Mario was infected with the virus. She later kisses him when the two are walking on the beach.

Myrtle's attempts to heal Ed physically are unsuccessful so she tries to heal his brain by testing him with some riddles. He begins to display signs of brain damage when he is unable to answer the most simple riddles.

Bruce and Alfred research the knife and discover it was used to embalm King Balahsi, who ruled over ancient Mesopotamia in the first century. While researching it they discover a picture of Ra's from 2,000 years ago. They decide that the best plan is to obtain the knife is for Bruce to bid on it at the auction. Alfred advises Bruce to take on the persona of 'billionaire brat' so as to hide his true intentions. At the auction, Bruce goes on a spending spree so as to deflect suspicion that might have manifested if he were to only bid on the knife. Bruce plays the role to a tee and is surprised to see Barbara at the auction, not having known that she was back from the dead. Bruce and Alfred are suspicious when Barbara begins to bid on the knife. Bruce outbids Barbara by paying 2 million dollars for it and successfully wins the auction for the knife. Alfred warns Bruce that by winning the knife, Ra's will come after it and Penguin separately advises Bruce that Barbara will likely come after the knife.

Ed continues to struggle with answering riddles and reveals that his body has recovered enough to knock Myrtle out and escape.

That night, Selina sneaks into Wayne Manor to try to retrieve the knife. Bruce correctly deduces that Selina has been tasked to get the knife on Barbara's behalf. Bruce refuses to give up the knife, despite Selina's pleas to do him this favour so Barbara will see her as an equal. He tells her to leave empty-handed.

Jim returns to Gotham but is shocked when he learns that Sofia has followed him back, claiming to want to help him.

Oswald and Zsasz track down Myrtle and interrogate her on Ed whereabouts. He is long gone from her apartment but they are intrigued to learn that Ed is suffering from brain damage. Oswald orders Zsasz to kill her, while Ed is shown to be wandering the streets and becomes disgruntled upon seeing more posters for Oswald's club that display Ed in the background frozen in ice.

Ra's confronts Barbara about the knife, briefly fighting with her. But he is intrigued to learn that Bruce has it and is no longer upset to not have it just yet. He tells Barbara she has become a competent ally and that the knife is the key to everything. The two kiss.

Gotham airs on Thursdays on FOX at 8/7c.

Gotham S04E02 "The Fear Reaper" Recap


Jim and Harvey arrive at the Crane house with other GCPD officers in search of Jonathan Crane. They find evidence of the experiments that had taken place and the work Jonathan had been forced to do to make more of the toxin. When they go out back, they find a moving scarecrow tied up and upon removing the mask, see that it's the crew member Grady, show is terrified and yelling that "The Scarecrow" is coming. When Jim return to the station, he finds that Bruce is in the holding cell after being caught at the scene of a robbery. Bruce claims that he simply fell in from the roof because he was looking for Selina, so Jim agrees to release him back over to Alfred despite suspecting that there is more to the story.

Jonathan returns to Arkham Asylum and discovers Warden Reed destroying some files. Jonathan has fully embraced the Scarecrow persona and claims that Jonathan Crane is no more. Reed tries to get a gun to pull on Scarecrow but gets sprayed with fear gas and is quickly overcome by its effects. Scarecrow commands him to face his fears and overcome them. Reed begins to hallucinate clowns and runs out through the halls with his gun, shooting the people he encounters, believing them to be the clowns that he fears. Scarecrow then goes out into the infirmary and sprays other patients, claiming they will be his army to use in the fight against the GCPD for killing his father.

Oswald turns up at the GCPD to confront Jim and claim that their entire office is incompetent for not being able to catch Jonathan, with all the media in attendance to document the showdown. But Oswald is also teased for his cowardly behaviour during his club opening. The two then strike a deal that Jim has 24 hours to catch Jonathan or else he needs to stand down and let Penguin carry on his system of licensing crime.

Selina and Tabitha arrive at the same building after having both received cards bearing the message "An Opportunity Awaits. When they go inside, they are shocked to find that Barbara is still alive and has a proposal for them. She apologises to Tabitha for what she did out of jealousy and stupidity. She wants to start a new criminal empire as a trio and shows them an armory of weapons she has in the building. She wants to be the main suppliers for the criminal low-lives that are going to Penguin for licenses. Tabitha refuses to forgive her for the loss of Butch so she leaves. Barbara asks Selina to talk to Tabitha to convince her that this will be good for all of them.

Harvey informs Jim of what is going on at Arkham Asylum and prepare to head out. Jim asks the other officers to help him but they refuse, wanting simply to go along with Penguin's plan. Even Harvey refuses to go with him, saying if he helps Jim, all the other officers will turn against him too and then the new captain will be someone Penguin chooses, which is an even worse scenario for them. So Jim heads to Arkham alone.

Barbara meets with Penguin, who is bothered that she didn't seek his approval sooner. He is willing to allow her to open her weapons shop but she will have to get a license through him, pay a weapons tax, and is warned that he will have his people keeping a close eye on her for any sign that she plans to betray him again. He also asks who paid for this supply of weapons but she remains tight-lipped on the matter.

Jim is attacked at Arkham by some of the infected patients and is chased down by Jonathan, who sprays him with the toxin to induce fear visions. Jim hallucinates Lee committing suicide and Jonathan tries to use these delusions to make him take his own life but Jim is able to fight it off. Jonathan is shaken by this, demanding to know how Jim could do the impossible and Jim claims he overcame his fear. Jim tries to reason with Jonathan but struggles to reach him through all the trauma and toxin. Jim is again attacked by some of the poisoned patients of Arkham but in the commotion, he accidentally discovers that water dissolves the gas and brings the patients out of their poisoned state. He promptly sets off a ceiling sprayer to help the people effected but Jonathan flees during all of this.

A GCPD staff member, Fox, has been suspicious of Bruce taking on vigilante activities. Bruce goes after the gang that had been involved in the robbery but they know he is following them so they attack him after luring him into their clutches. Bruce has trained enough that he's able to beat them and get away but upon returning home he gets into another argument with Alfred. They disagree about Bruce's approach in doing this vigilantism. But they are visited by Fox, who not only reveals his awareness of Bruce's late-night activities, but has brought a gift - a special suit that he developed for Wayne Enterprises for military purposes.

Tabitha and Selina agree to work with Barbara but first Tabitha demands to chop off Barbara's hand in the same manner that she and Butch had lost their hands because of Oswald. Barbara agrees but then Tabitha reveals that this was only a test of whether she could be trusted so she lets Barbara keep her hand and says she'll start on Monday.

Jim returns to the GCPD where Oswald once again demeans him and this time offers the other officers there the opportunity to come work for him. Later, Harvey reaffirms his loyalty to Jim and the side of good and notes that it would require an army to take down Penguin. Jim decides that he should go visit Falcone, since he would have the manpower needed for their cause. Harvey warns him that doing so is dangerous, particularly since Jim killed his son.

Ivy goes to a shop to retrieve some chemicals and uses her special perfume to interrogate answers out of the man working there, determined to find the right potions that will increase her strength. He implores her not to do so, saying it it too dangerous. She ignores his warnings and takes them, prompting him to flee. Ivy's face beings to morph and mutate.

With the help of Alfred, Bruce begins to train with his new tactical suit and mask.

Gotham airs on Thursdays on FOX at 8/7c.

Gotham S04E01 "Pax Penguina" Recap


A couple is about to be robbed but Bruce intervenes in his black, vigilante outfit. One of the men tells Bruce he has a license to rob, which Bruce takes for himself to study. As he walks away, Ra's al Ghul peers out from a corner to look at him.

A wedding takes place until armed criminals march in with guns and begin to rob everyone of their wealthy items. Victor Zsasz interrupts the robbery and declares that the men aren't permitted to commit a crime without a license from Penguin. Zsasz shoots the finger off the leader of the group and orders them to leave, before another gang of robbers comes in that Zsasz announces do have a license to rob.

Penguin has a meeting with the new mayor. Through the new system, Penguin has cut down violent crime by 57% but his proposal is one that unionises crime. Penguin is set to profit from this new means of organisation. The commissioner of the police is there and is informed that if any of his men encounter someone committing a crime, they must be let go if they have a license. The law enforcement will take a 1% profit from the system.

Jim walks in on a robbery and despite the man having a license, Jim arrests him anyway. Harvey tries to implore him to go along with the system because the word has come down from the commissioner and the only reason Gotham survived after the city spun out of control was because of Penguin. Jim doesn't want to give over the city to Penguin but Harvey is insistent that this is the only way, for the time being. They can arrest and stop Penguin another day.

Bruce feels guilty for being the one to press the button that unleashed the virus on Gotham and now he feels he must do what he can to stop Penguin's new system of crime licenses. Alfred wants him to focus instead on his necessary training to take on Ra's al Ghul. Bruce remains determined that he can do both simultaneously.

The criminals that Zsasz stopped go to Arkham Asylum and break out Jonathan Crane, who has spoken about having the formula his father used to create extreme fear in those that are infected with it. Jonathan is suffering from a shaky constitution due to the experiments his father performed on him by repeatedly injecting him with the formula as he developed it. Jonathan leads them to a house in the woods where some more of the supplies are hidden under the floorboard along with some notebooks of the formula. They also torture him by bringing a scarecrow that he hallucinates of being alive and terrifying, and demand that he make as much of the formula as they want. They then use a batch of the formula to rob a bank, spraying everyone with it that tries to get in their way.

Jim and Harvey realise that someone else must be trying to send a message to Penguin. Jim wants to go after these criminals himself and quickly determines that the formula must be from Jonathan Crane's work. Jim and Harvey go to interrogate the warden of the asylum, who tries to feign ignorance on how the formula could've gotten out and be used in a bank robbery. They threaten to leak his name to Victor Zsasz so the warden gives up the names of the men that came to get the formula from Jonathan. Jim and Harvey track down the hideout of the criminals and are promptly held at gunpoint. They exchange words about their disagreement regarding the men committing robberies but seem to both agree that Penguin is a shared enemy. The men leave Jim and Harvey in the apartment and head out to commit more crime.

Selina and Tabitha beat up some men in an alley, as part of Tabitha's ongoing training of Selina. When they return to their small apartment, Zsasz pays them a visit to invite them to a party Penguin is throwing. They are expected to arrive, kiss the ring, and they'll be issued a license. Tabitha doesn't want to work with Penguin, but Selina is more open to the idea as she wants to better her circumstances instead of continuing to live in squalor.

Bruce pays a visit to Jim at the station and suggests that there must be a registry of all the names of criminals Penguin has issued a license for and what crimes they are for - including ones that have yet to be committed. Jim still wants to take down Penguin but still has to work the system of his job, while Bruce is implied to have decided to hunt down the list himself.

Penguin invites some journalists to his club, that was formerly Barbara's, and dodges their questions about Barbara's disappearance and the criminal licenses. He chooses to show them the frozen block of ice he has on display with Ed Nygma trapped inside but Jim arrives to make a power-move against Penguin. He informs him that the criminals that robbed the bank with Crane's fear toxin aren't working for Penguin. Penguin says they will be hunted down promptly and that Jim has become irrelevant in Gotham.

Penguin talks to Ed frozen in the ice while Ivy continues to be his second-in-command, though he still sends her away when he wants to wax poetic to his ex-BFF.

Jim had deliberately goaded Penguin into making threats against the gang in the hopes that they would attack his club-opening so the GCPD would be able to arrest them. Jim is later attacked by fellow officers that want him to stop making waves against the licensing system.

Bruce and Alfred attend the club-opening and Bruce gets Penguin to reveal his henchman that's responsible for the organisation of the licensing system. He plans to go after it but is momentarily distracted when he sees Selina arrive. She's ready to take Penguin up on his offer, and Tabitha shows up shortly thereafter, as she was worried about Selina's well-being.

The rouge group of criminals shows up and prepares to disrupt the party and go after Penguin, but both he and Zsasz reveal themselves with other henchmen in tow to take the men captive instead and make an example of them. He brings them out to all the guests and media in attendance and tells them to spread the word that he is the one that is keeping Gotham safe, not the GCPD.

Bruce meets Selina up on the rooftop and apologises to her for lashing out when she came to visit Alfred at the hospital. He later asks Penguin, in front of everyone, about what he's going to do with the criminals he has in captivity. He implores Penguin to turn the men over to the police, hoping that having an audience will make him more compliant, but Penguin refuses. Ivy, feeling annoyed with Penguin, shuts off the lights and the disruption gives the men opportunity to regain their weapons and attack Penguin who is sprayed with the chemical toxin and hallucinates an icy Ed tormenting him. Tabitha is shown to take up a weapon to protect Penguin, while Alfred takes up a weapon to protect Bruce and holds Zsasz at gunpoint. The standoff is interrupted by the arrival of Harvey and Jim, who ends up with Penguin in his arms due to his fearful state. They arrest the men and the picture of Jim holding Penguin is printed in the newspaper.

Bruce dons his masked suit and steals the registry. He spots a robbery taking place but accidentally falls through the glass. The alarm is going off and the men escape but the GCPD arrive and Bruce is caught in the middle of the scene.

One of the lone men from the criminal group that had gotten away returns to the hideout and tries to order Jonathan Crane to make more of the toxin so a plan can be formulated to get the gang out of prison but Jonathan has donned a new scarecrow suit and assumed the role of the iconic villain, spraying the man and declaring that Crane is gone and only Scarecrow remains.

Gotham airs on Thursdays on FOX at 8/7c.

Atlantis S1E13 - "Touched by the Gods: Part Two" Recap

The Brazen Bull is being prepared for Ariadne's execution. She will be placed inside the metal bull, a fire will be lit beneath it, the metal will be heated, she will roast inside, and her screams will be amplified by the acoustics of the bull. Jason is horrified by it and is extremely guilt-ridden. He wants to go confess his crimes but Pythagoras warns him that Ariadne is all that stands between Pasiphae and the throne, so she will never spare Ariadne's life. Jason doesn't want to let Ariadne die alone and Hercules berates him for being so willing to throw his life away. He tells him he is fond of him and that they will either stop the execution or die trying. He refuses to have themselves be killed unless they die fighting. Jason questions Hercules on his being fond of him, saying he's never even admitted to liking him, and Hercules humourously retorts that he's marginally less fond of him than he is of Pythagoras and that he's less fond of Pythagoras than wine and pies. Pythagoras cheerfully proclaims that this is probably the nicest thing Hercules has ever said to him.

Ariadne is visited by a temple priest in her prison cell. She is scared and regrets blames herself for all the suffering Pasiphae will inflict on the people once she is ruler. He tells her to not lose faith and that they should pray to the gods. She asks him to tend to her father and make his final days as comfortable as can be. He promises to do all that he can.

The Oracle warns Pasiphae while she is praying at the temple that the gods will not forgive her for putting Ariadne to death, as killing her is a violation of the most sacred laws. Pasiphae insists that she is fulfilling her duties while the King is ill and the Oracle notes that the swiftness with which the King has fallen ill has taken all by surprise. Pasiphae warns her it would be unwise to try to stop her but the Oracles says that it is not she who will stop Pasiphae. She says that Pasiphae's nemesis draws near and Pasiphae says that her riddles do not scare her. The Oracle says that like Pasiphae, her nemesis is touched by the Gods. She warns that it won't be so easy to kill this person. Pasiphae questions who this person is and the Oracle replies that she'll find out soon enough.

The trio are visited by the Head Guard of the palace who offers up his help to rescue Ariadne. He says that he serves the King. Jason visits the Oracle and says he'll rescue Ariadne or die trying. She is proud of how he now chooses his own path instead of relying on her for guidance. He thanks her for all she has done for him and she says that he was the answer to their prayers. She tells him to go to the silver mines in Pangean and says that perhaps they'll not think to look for him among the dead. Strange, cryptic message. Typical Oracle.

Ariadne's execution draws near and Hercules feigns drunk to get near the bull and spill more flammable liquor in a trail that leads from it through the crowd. Jason shoots a flaming arrow and a fire rages that sends the crowd into a frenzy. In the commotion, the guard conspiring with the trio takes Ariadne and sends her off to meet her friends. The guard eventually catches back up to the trio and Ariadne and is now injured. They escape through underground tunnels and the guard stay behind to fight off the pursuing party while the others continue on their escape. In the end, Heptarian is the one to kill him.

The trio escapes into the forest and Ariadne changes into more simple clothing before burning the gown she was originally wearing. She tells Jason that she fears she may never return to Atlantis. He reminds her of the time she said she wished for a simple life and perhaps this is her chance at it. The group heads for the mines as recommended by the Oracle while Pasiphae, Heptarian, and guards hunt them.

Back at the palace, Ariadne's traitorous servant poisons the King on the Queen's behalf and the priest witnesses this in secret. He relays the news to the Oracle, who insists that they must save him. The priest reveals to the viewers that the Oracle has always said that he never had a right to the throne and the Oracle states that he is the lesser of two evils when compared to Pasiphae. She also says that Jason will be safe in the mines because, "Who better to protect him than his own father?" What.

The group arrives at the mines and are met by a hooded group of lepers, led by a man named Tychon. Jason tells Tychon that he was sent there by the Oracle to escape Pasiphae and the man questions Jason on his name after seeing his necklace. Tychon allows them to stay. Tychon recognises that Ariadne is the princess of Atlantis and Jason tells him that she had been sentenced to death. Tychon comments that Minos would never allow such a thing and Jason relays the news of his falling ill and Pasiphae seeking to claim the throne. Tychon notes the dangers of desiring power. Jason asks him how long he has had his disease and Tychon says it's been many years and he's almost forgotten what it was like before having it. He also notices that Jason has feelings for Ariadne.

The priest visits the King as the treacherous servant is poisoning him yet again. When he says he must pray with the King, she says the Queen had ordered her to stay by his side at all times but he tells her that royal death rights are a sacred ritual and questions her as to whether she would dare defy the gods. After she leaves, the priest drops a vial of some healing remedy into King Minos' mouth.

The search party has tracked the group to the silver mines and Pasiphae orders that Ariadne be taken alive so she may be executed in front of her people, and orders that the others be killed. One leper spots them and warns the others of the impending threat. The soldiers come storming into the cave but the others manage to get away. Heptarian is stabbed in the initial invasion. Tychon stays behind to fight alongside his people and Jason feels guilty leaving him but continues running with the group.

Pasiphae and some soldiers spot Jason and Ariadne in the forest and Jason tells Ariadne to run while he fights off some soldiers. At one point, a soldier catches up to Ariadne when she trips and falls but she feigns hurt and stabsh im when he helps her up. She is caught shortly thereafter and Jason is knocked to the ground with a blow to the head when distracted by the sound of her screaming for him. Pasiphae sends the soldiers after Ariadne and prepares to kill Jason herself while he is still passed out on the ground. Tychon catches up to her and stops her, saying that though she doesn't recognise him, she is the one who made him this way. She then recognises him and calls him by a different name. He tells her that she has the girl, which is what she came for, and to leave Jason alive. When she questions him as to why Jason is of importance to him, he drops the ultimate series-finale-bomb: "He is our son." She looks upon him amazed as Tychon says that Jason is touched by the gods as she is. She says that she had believed him to be dead. Tychon says that when Pasiphae betrayed him and usurped the throne with Minos, he had taken Jason somewhere safe where she would never find him. She asks Tychon if Jason knows of his own identity and whether she is his mother. Tychon says he doesn't and she asks why he didn't tell him. Tychon replies that he doesn't want Jason to be corrupted by this quest for power and that he doesn't believe Pasiphae can kill her own son. She tells him to promise that he will never tell Jason of the truth and he does so. Pasiphae leaves and Tychon wakes Jason, helping him to walk through the forest, during which Pythagoras and Hercules catch up to them. Unbeknownst to them, Heptarian is following them.

Jason wakes later that night and asks where Ariadne leaves. He wants to go after her but Tychon tells him he'll be of no use to her if he cannot lift a sword. Pythagoras seeks out some herbs to pack Jason's wounds while Jason rests. Tychon later tries to convince Jason to not return to Atlantis but Jason refuses to carry on without trying to save Ariadne. Tychon tells JAson that there was a time that he was like him but before he can continue the story, Heptarian springs out and attacks Jason. They fight with their swords and combat and eventually, Jason manages to get the upper hand and kill Heptarian.

The following morning, Jason parts ways with Tychon, who tells him he should be proud of the man he has become. Ariadne and Pasiphae return to Atlantis, and Minos comes out right as Pasiphae is telling the guards to take Ariadne to the cells. Pasiphae is shocked to see him seemingly recovered and Minos is furious to learn that Pasiphae would sentence his daughter to death. Pasiphae tries to say that she has been tried in accordance with the laws and that his judgement is clouded by his illness but Minos will have none of it. He insists that Ariadne be released and berates the guards when they hesitate. Ariadne hugs her father and Pasiphae is less than pleased.

The trio reach Atlantis and prepare to head to the palace but are met by the priest, Melas, who delivers a note to Jason from Ariadne. Upon reaching the palace, King Minos thanks Jason for saving his daughter and attempts to give Jason a reward for his bravery but when Jason refuses, saying that her safety is reward enough, Minos politely but firmly tells Jason to forget whatever feelings he has for Ariadne - as she is of royal blood and nothing can ever happen between the two of them.

Pasiphae visits the Oracle and questions her about Jason and his future. The Oracle tells her she should be more concerned with her own future and that the day will come when Jason will destroy her.

Pythagoras and Hercules are annoyed to know that Jason turned down a pouch of gold and the trio engage in their signature banter while Pasiphae spies on Jason in secret.

Atlantis will return in Series 2.

Atlantis S1E12 - "Touched by the Gods: Part One" Recap

Jason is visited by Circe in a dream and she reminds him of the oath he swore to kill Pasiphae. The nightmare ends with him finding Hercules dead. Jason feels he has no choice and with the help of Pythagoras and Hercules, begins plotting his breaking into the palace to kill the queen. Pythagoras has developed a way to use seaweed as a sedative. Pasiphae continues to plot the king's death and Heptarian's marriage to Ariadne as part of her rise to the throne.

The trio sneaks into the palace and knock out some guards using Pythagoras' seaweed sedative. Jason must go alone into the main part and when he reaches Pasiphae's bedroom, he cannot bring himself to kill her. She wakes and sees that there is an intruder in the dark and shouts for the guards. Jason ends up shot with an arrow by one of the guards but is able to stay hidden by hiding in Ariadne's room. The queen demands that the hunt continue but wonders why the intruder didn't kill her when they had the chance.

Heptarian visits Ariadne with guards and alerts her of the intruder and the attempt on Pasiphae's life. After he leaves, Ariadne questions Jason on why he tried to kill Pasiphae and he says that it was either that or see his friends die. Meanwhile, Pythagoras and Hercules are able to escape through the rubbish shoot.

Ariadne tends to Jason's wound and patches him up. She questions him as to why Pasiphae is still alive and he says that something stopped him when he tried to kill her. He could not bring himself to do it. Ariadne confesses that she has thought about killing Pasiphae for all she has done. Jason asks why she hasn't done it and Ariadne says that taking a life is not an easy thing to do, though Pasiphe wouldn't think twice about killing them if the tables were turned. Jason attempts to leave, not wanting to put Ariadne's life in danger, but she refuses to let him leave till dawn when she will sneak him out. She says that she will risk her life for him as he done numerous times for her. Back home, Pythagoras and Hercules are in a panic since Jason has not returned. They must sit and wait till he either returns or they hear news of his capture.

Ariadne watches Jason sleep and when he wakes, he begins to dress. Ariadne confesses that despite the perks of being born royal, sometimes she wishes she'd been born the daughter of a smith or carpenter so she'd be free to meet a simple boy of her own choosing. Jason questions as to whether she's calling him simple (stupid) and when she becomes apologetic, he smiles, showing he's only teasing her. Ariadne says that she has said too much and Jason replies that he likes listening to her and that he enjoyed the last night more than any other of his time in Atlantis. Ariadne tells him that when she's with him, all feels right with the world. Ariadne sneaks Jason through the palace and leads him to a secret passageway that leads to the temple. Jason thanks her and promises that he won't let any harm come to her. They share a kiss before he leaves.

Pasiphae wants to know how the intruder could have escaped when every exit was sealed. She demands the guards to search the palace yet again and question every servant. Jason returns home to find Pythagoras and Hercules asleep at the table. He confesses that he couldn't kill Pasiphae and apologises for failing them. They only have one day till Circe will seek her vengeance. Back at the palace, Pasiphae and the guards determine the escape route of the intruder and narrow down their pool of suspects since only members of the royal court are aware of the passageway.

The following morning, Pythagoras wakes and finds Jason gone. He wakes Hercules and realises that Jason sedated them so he can face Circe alone. They decide to go after him. Ariadne visits her sleeping father and tearfully pleads for him to get better. Pasiphae walks in and tells Ariadne that she cried for days when her own father passed. As Ariadne leaves, Pasiphae tells her that they have figured out how the intruder escaped and questions her as to whether or not she told anyone about the passageway. Ariadne denies it and leaves. The king wakes and asks whether or not Ariadne was just there, and Pasiphae lies, saying that she has not been in that day.

Jason reaches Circe and asks her to kill him and spare his friends. He attempts to attack her but she uses her witchcraft to make two extra copies of herself. Jason is able to throw a knife into the guy of the real one due to seeing her reflection in the water. As she dies, she mutters a spell and tosses some bones that sink into the dirt. Pythagoras and Hercules arrive and three skeletons rise from the ground and attack them with swords. They fight them off, at first concerned over not knowing how to kill them, but they're eventually able to smash them.

Back at the palace, one of the servants finds a bloody rag in Ariadne's room. Ariadne confesses that she sheltered the intruder and the servant insists upon taking it to burn it to keep Ariadne's secret. In actuality, she brings it to Pasiphae and tells her what she has learned. Pasiphae has Ariadne summoned to the council chamber and tries her for treason.

When Jason returns home, Hercules and Pythagoras deliver the news of Ariadne's arrest.

Pasiphae sentences Ariadne to death and Ariadne finds herself alone and without allies. No one will listen to her when she accuses the queen of coveting the throne. Ariadne refuses to hand over the name of the intruder. Pythagoras delivers the bad news of Ariadne's sentencing to Jason.

Atlantis airs on BBC One on Saturdays.

Atlantis S1E11 - "Hunger Pangs" Recap

Jason steals a scrap of bread out of starvation and a lack of money. He is chased by the merchant and he still keeps the bread with him even after it has fallen into a fountain. He escapes into a mysterious shack and stumbles across a giant slab of meat near what appears to be some sort of ritual. Jason returns home with the slab of meat intending to share it but when he finds the others aren't there, his hunger gets the best of him and he devours the whole thing himself.

Hercules is drowning his sorrows in liquor and Pythagoras tells him he can't keep wallowing like this. They have a big of a tiff and Pythagoras leaves, telling him he can walk home alone. Jason feels guilty over the leg and hides the bone and dish when Pythagoras returns home. Pythagoras nearly finds out about the meat, but Jason is saved when Hercules stumbles home drunk.

The following morning, Pythagoras finds Jason on the floor where he appears to have slept. Jason is confused, not remembering choosing to sleep on the floor. The trio discuss that they need food and money, and Pythagoras tells them he's found them a job killing rats to prevent them from chewing through a man's supply of grains and other possessions. At one point, Jason sniffs out a rat wand chases it while Pythagoras and Hercule feed on one of the man's watermelons. The man comes in and is enraged by what he sees and Jason snaps, knocking the man down. The trio run and Jason apologises, saying he doesn't know what came over him.

The following morning, Jason awakes in a chicken coop, with feathers all over himself and completely nude. He returns home and is questioned by Pythagoras and Hercules. He tells them he doesn't remember what happened or how he ended up in the chicken coop. Pythagoras points out that this incident, combined with the increased aggression in his behaviour, indicate that something has happened to him. Pythagoras questions Jason on whether he has been anywhere or done anything out of the ordinary. Jason tells Pythagoras about the shrine, and Pythagoras goes to check it out before returning home, not realising that a mysterious man with razor sharp teeth has seen him visit. He tells Jason that the shrine was for a goddess and when Jason confesses about taking and eating the meat, Pythagoras leaves to find answers regarding Jason, leaving Hercules to guard Jason. Pythagoras finds some scrolls and looks alarmed by what he finds, and hurries home concerned for Hercules' well-being. He finds Hercules passed out on the floor and wakes him, sharing his suspicion that Jason has been cursed into turning into a beast each night - think of it as an Atlantis version of lycanthropy.

Wolf-Jason attacks someone and returns home where he is knocked out by Hercules, who is scolded by Pythagoras, who tells him he's only dangerous at night. After Pythagoras leaves in search of more answers, Hercules stores Jason under the floorboard, and piles the table on top of it before beginning to drink.

The attack is reported to the palace, where Heptarian becomes determined to find and kill the beast. The king is still ill, as Pasiphae continues to poison him.

Pythagoras returns home and tells Hercules that they'll need a great deal of silver to cure Jason of his curse. They head to the temple to recruit Ariadne's help, but she is guarded so Pythagoras lights a part of his cloak on fire and panics, asking for help, and while the guard chases after him trying to put the fire out, Hercules runs up to Ariadne and gives her a note, saying it is for Jason. The note asks her to bring a pouch of silver and meet them in the temple at desk in order to help Jason. On the way home, Pythagoras and Hercules are reprimanded by the man from earlier with the rat problem and locked back into his storage facility. Jason wakes and begins trying to break out of his imprisonment beneath the floor.

A servant catches Ariadne leaving her room with the silver. Ariadne says that she must go do something for a friend and that she will be back later. After cleaning up the storage space and catching the rats, Pythagoras and Hercules are released. They head to the temple, where Ariadne has already left after waiting for them. They realise she might have gone to the house and head off after her as the sun begins to set. Jason breaks out of the floor just in time for Ariadne to knock on the door. He panics when he opens the door (naked) and slams the door in her face. He covers himself and is about to let her in but then begins to refuse as he sees the sun is setting. He wants her to leave, saying that it's dangerous for her. He finally lets her in, not wanting to be rude, but he is panicking as he sees he is beginning to change. Ariadne is concerned for him and heads to the kitchen to get him some water. While her back is turned, Jason is about to pounce on her but Pythagoras and Hercules arrive home in time to grab him and shove him into another room where he cannot reach Ariadne. She questions them on what is wrong with Jason, but they are evasive. She gives them the silver and returns to the palace. They find that Jason has escaped.

At the palace, Heptarian and his men are preparing to hunt down the beast. Pythagoras and Hercules melt the silver down and prepare to get Jason back, after which he must drink the silver. They manage to find wolf-Jason and get him locked up, prepared to keep him in there before the sun comes up. Pythagoras voices his desire to be able to measure the passage of time for situations such as this or any other time, and Hercules goes to sleep, bored by his intellectual ramblings. The following morning, Pythagoras wakes Hercules, saying that a swinging pendulum could be used to measure the passage of time, and when they head inside, they find Jason. Right as they prepare to leave, Jason is attacked by the man with the razor sharp teeth previously seen spying on Pythagoras. As the trio fights the snarling man, Pythagoras says that wolfsbane and mountain ash have been used to fight these creatures but eventually knocks one of the stone statues over to kill their attacker.

When they return home, they give Jason the silver and Jason's first words after finishing gagging over the concoction are, "Please tell me Ariadne doesn't know I was a dog." Pythagoras says she probably won't remember and Hercules retorts that womyn have longer memories than the gods. Pythagoras scolds him, saying he's trying to not make Jason worry. Jason shares his concerns, saying that he virtually slammed the door in her face, might have sniffed her, and that he growled at her. Leave it to Jason to be more concerned about embarrassing himself in front of the girl of his dreams than the fact that he nearly just died. Again.

Atlantis airs on Saturdays on BBC One.

Atlantis S1E10 - "The Price of Hope" Recap

Following Medusa's disappearance, Hercules meets with a shady man named Crios who tells him of a cave in which she has sought refuge. When he relays the news to the boys, they warn him that Crios is not to be trusted but Hercules is determined to rescue her and cure her. Pythagoras doesn't have the heart to tell him that he hasn't been able to create a cure and Jason tells him he needs to be honest with Hercules. Pythagoras asks him to visit the Oracle.

Jason visits her in the temple and asks for Pandora's Box so Pythagoras may examine it to find a cure for Medusa. She says the temptation is too great and denies his request but he tells her that he was never tempted. It would seem that he is immune to it. Jason believes that she is still keeping secrets from his regarding his origins and she says she cannot give him more information. She relents and allows him to take the box.

Pythagoras brings Jason to visit an inventor named Daedalus. He is eccentric, to say the least and Jason insists that he doesn't open the box, before leaving. He examines the markings on the outside and deciphers them to find a cure - Hercules must sacrifice his own life. Pythagoras returns home dejected and tells the others there is no cure and that Jason should return the box to the Oracle. That night, Hercules is locked up in his room, upset, and Pythagoras tells Jason that he is worried about him and the fact that he'd do just about anything to get Medusa back. They decide to try to cheer him up but when they go to his room, Hercules is gone along with his sword and bag. They visit Crios to get the location he gave to Hercules. After telling them where he's headed, he lets them know that there is danger on the journey to Medusa and Jason becomes angry, threatening Crios. Crios' thug gets into a fight with the duo and they find themselves outmatched, with no choice but to flee.

On the journey, the duo finds themselves captured by bandits and placed into captivity where they find Hercules already a prisoner. They're released by their captors, but are told that they shall be hunted. They take off running and Jason tells them to find a place to hide while he will lead them away, after which he'll meet them in a clearing. Eventually, Pythagoras is separated from Hercules and reunited with Jason. They're ambushed by some of the hunters but Jason fights them off, but is injured in the scuffle. That night, the hunters find them yet again and just as they're about to be killed, a woman named Atalanta comes to the rescue, shooting each of the hunters dead with her bow. She prepares a remedy for Jason's leg wound. She tells them that her goddess Artemis came to her and told her she must save them and that they are destined to meet again in the future. While Jason sleeps, Pythagoras points out to Atalanta that she used witchcraft to save Jason and she replies that she is a child of the earth. She questions him on what they are doing, and he tells her about their quest, the box, and the story on it which reveals that Hercules could cure Medusa if he sacrificed his life. Hercules overhears this and runs off after hearing Pythagoras' confession. Atalanta catches up to him and he returns to the campsite.

The next morning, Jason is happy to see that Hercules has found them. Atalanta has left them but watches from afar as they continue on their journey. They reach the cave and find creatures turned to stone at the entrance. Hercules asks to go in first alone and Jason reminds him to not look at her. He thanks them for all they've done for him. Inside, Medusa speaks to him but stay hidden so Hercules will not be turned to stone. Outside, Pythagoras confesses to Jason about the cure and Jason realises that Hercules' "thank you"s were his way of saying goodbye and that he knows about the cure.

Hercules tells Medusa that he has found a cure and asks her to trust him. He turns to face her but she turns away, not wanting to turn him to stone. They profess their love for each other and he tells her that nothing will happen to him. Right as she turns to reveal herself, Jason jumps in and pushes Hercules' face into the cave wall and surprise, surprise, Jason and Medusa look upon each other yet he doesn't turn to stone! Jason tells her that Hercules was about to sacrifice his life for her and she tearfully tells him that she would rather stay cursed than hurt Hercules.

Pythagoras apologises to Hercules for lying to him, and Hercules thanks him for being such a good friend. The trio prepare to leave and Hercules promises Medusa that he won't stop searching till he finds a cure. She tells him it will be her reason to live and bids him adieu.

Atlantis airs on Saturdays on BBC One.

Atlantis S1E9 - "Pandora's Box" Recap

Hercules and Medusa bond and appear to have mended their relationship entirely. She tells him all she wants from him is the truth and he confesses that he has had womyn and debts but that it's all in past. Hercules is knocked out with a blow to the head and brought forth to a man named Kyros. Hercules owes him money and Kyros threatens to kill him if he doesn't travel to the underworld and retrieve a box on his behalf to wipe out his debt. He also threatens to kill Medusa first or even send her to complete the task. Hercules charges Kyros but ends up knocked to the ground yet again.

The next morning, Jason and Pythagoras come across Hercules, bound and gagged. He tells them he must retrieve the box before midnight or Kyros will kill Medusa. They go to consult Eunapias on how to visit the underworld without dying. He refuses until Jason displays his borderline-magical athleticism and threatens to kill him if he does not help them. First, they cleanse themselves, then they offer a lock of hair to the gods, drink a substance that will slow their heart, and sound the horn when they wish to return. Pythagoras will stay with Jason and Hercules' bodies and will be alerted by the crows when it is time to wake them, using his blood to do so.

Not long after Jason and Hercules have entered the underworld, Pythagoras climbs out a window after hearing some cawing birds to check if they are crows. After seeing that they're not, he falls to the ground with relatively little injuries. However, a piece of wood from the balcony falls and knocks him unconscious and then a fire begins to break out upstairs in the room in which Jason and Hercules' bodies are. In the underworld, Hercules and Jason meet their dead friend, Cyrus who offers his services to be their guide, following the help and hope they provided in the bull court.

Pythagoras wakes and panics when he learns of the fire. Much to his shock, their bodies are gone and he learns that the bodies have been taken to be buried. He runs off to save them from a permanent death. Jason battles a monster guarding the box that warns him that the box once belonged to Pandora and must not open it. He tells hims he cannot be permitted to leave the underworld and that the box must stay. They run away and Cyrus and Hercules tell Jason he must blow the horn. He does so and Pythagoras begins to panic even more as crows around him begin to caw. The group runs towards a trap door and Jason continues to blow the horn. Pythagoras comes across where the bodies are buried and scrambles to dig them out. He tears open the cloth covering each of their faces and slices his hand, dropping blood onto each of their lips. Hercules questions why they're in a grave and Pythagoras says that it's a long story involving a lot of running and digging.

The trio looks at the box and Jason warns that they cannot open the box nor can they give it over to Kyros. Hercules is angry, wanting to save Medusa, but Jason says that they must make a duplicate to give to Kyros and inside they will plant a surprise that will permit them enough time to get away. Jason promises Hercules that no harm will come to Medusa. They hide the real box under the floorboards in their home. They meet with Kyros and give him the duplicate box. When he opens it, there is a snake inside and the group including Medusa run off. Hercules tells her to go to their home and wait for them there. The trio fight Kyros and his men and are able to kill them all. When Jason asks where Medusa is, Hercules tells him he's back at their home. Jason panics, knowing that she is alone with the box, and runs off with Pythagoras and Hercules following right behind him.

Medusa hears ominous whispering and discovers the box hidden under the floorboard. No surprise here - she opens it before the trio burst in and find the box alone. They hear her scream and run outside to find several stone statues. Jason tells them they're not statues and that she has turned. Hercules runs off after her and Jason warns Pythagoras that whatever he does, he must not look at Medusa, grabbing a shield before chasing after Hercules. When Hercules catches up to Medusa, she is wearing a hood and begs him not to look at her. Jason and Pythagoras reach them and Jason gives Hercules the shield, saying he must only look at her reflection and not directly at her, lest he also turn to stone. She removes her hood and reveals the snakes sprouted from her head. She cries that she is cursed and that she will run away. Hercules vows to never rest until he finds a way to lift the curse.

Jason gives the box to the Oracle, entrusting her to make sure no one else can be harmed by it. He asks if she knew this was going to happen, and she says that they both knew what was to become of Medusa. She also points out that he was warned about the evils of the box but pursued it anyway. She says that none of them can escape their fate and continues to keep secrets from him. She cryptically says that there will come a time that the will have no choice but to kill Medusa. Jason says he would never do that, but the Oracle says that it will be the only way to save thousands of lives. Jason angrily curses the Oracle and the gods before storming out of the temple. He looks to the sky and says, "Do your worst," and thunder booms shortly after.

Atlantis airs on Saturdays on BBC One.

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.

Atlantis S1E7 - "The Rules of Engagement" Recap

The time has come to formally announce Ariadne and Heptarian's engagement. She is less than pleased, though he is trying with all his might to charm her. Pasiphae tells him that she will come around but it doesn't matter even if she doesn't. She believes Ariadne has no friends or allies, nor does she have the strength to defy the will of her father.

Hercules comes home letting them know about the Pancratium - a brutal tournament and celebration at which free food and drink will be provided. Pythagoras warns him to keep quiet and tries to play it off as something Jason wouldn't be interested in. But eventually they've no choice but to admit that it's happening to celebrate Ariadne and Heptarian's engagement. Jason is heart-broken and the next morning, he gives a message to Medusa to give to Korrina who delivers it to Ariadne. Pasiphae catches them and insists on seeing the note.  She takes Korrina captive to punish her and insists to Ariadne that she break things off. She goes to meet Jason that night and though he finally begins to confess his feelings to her, she stops him. She bends under the pressure of Pasiphae's wrath and says that they cannot be together. She tells him that if he truly loves her, he mustn't make things any harder. He gives her his necklace and tells her not to forget him. Ariadne returns to the palace, crying and heartbroken, and is met by Pasiphae who promises to release Korrina.

Jason remains more determined than ever to win Ariadne's love and enters the Pancratium to prove his worth. Pasiphae and Heptarian are less than pleased by his determination. Pythagoras and Hercules also find his entering to be foolish since it's very dangerous and Heptarian remains undefeated. They agree to help him train and teach him to be prepared for opponents who will cheat and play dirty. Pasiphae purchases some poison that will kill someone so gradually that suspicion will be avoided.

The tournament begins and Heptarian proves to be a brutal and effective competitor. The crowd boos him when he kills his opponent despite having already won. The King takes notice of the crowd's low opinion of his actions. Jason wins his first bout by drawing first blood. Pythagoras warns that Jason got lucky and needs to think before he acts if he expects to win. He heads home with an injured shoulder and Medusa visits with ingredients requested by Pythagoras who attempts to treat him until Hercules points out that the herbs will not work. As it turns out, his shoulder is dislocated and he pops in back in.

At the palace, Pasiphae warns him Heptarian to not lose over the crowd and that his actions during the competition were unnecessary. Ariadne runs into them while they are conspiring and she says that she wouldn't miss the next day's competition for the world. We then see that Pasiphae has begun poisoning the King. Hercules and Medusa begin to mend their relationship as Hercules confides in her that Jason is special and the man Hercules always boasted that he was in his glory days. He says that it is his duty to protect Jason and ensure that he stays that way.

The Pancratium continues and though Heptarian still plays dirty by knocking sand into his opponent's eyes, he heeds Pasiphae's advice by showing mercy on his opponents and simply winning by shedding by blood instead of by killing them. Ariadne appears concerned when Jason competes, despite the fact that he wins and appears to be improving. She visits him between bouts and tells him that it is madness for him to compete and that she won't think any less of him if he stops fighting. But he is determined to keep his oath, despite the fact that she has revealed how much she does care for him. Heptarian kills his next opponent and the crowd is less than pleased. Hercules coaches Jason for his next bout much like one would see in a boxing film. Though Jason is knocked down, he gets back up. Things aren't looking good for him, but he manages to win and gain more popularity with the crowd. As to be expected, it finally comes down to Heptarian and Jason, who will fight the next day.

Pythagoras warns Jason that he cannot win, as Heptarian is Poseidon's servant. But the next day when fighting, Jason manages to get the upperhand on Heptarian. He has the opportunity to kill him but doesn't take it, instead throwing his knife to the ground. Heptarian grabs the knife and sneaks up behind Jason, causing the crowd to erupt in a chorus of "boo"s. Jason tells him that if he kills him, the crowd will hate him forever, and Heptarian drops the knife and raises Jason's arm up. He tells Jason that he's lucky but that luck won't last forever.

Ariadne visits Jason and returns his necklace to him, though she admits she'd like to keep it more than anything. She thanks him and he asks why, stating that he has achieved and changed nothing. She says that he has given her strength and she kisses him before heading off. She approaches her father while he is with Pasiphae and Heptarian. She tells him she cannot marry Heptarian as the gods have made their will clear. Given Heptarian's experience in battle and his still managing to be beaten by "some boy," clearly only the gods could have been responsible. The King asks if this is sincerely what she believes, and she says that it is. He says that they must bow to a wisdom "greater than ours." Pasiphae tries to object, but the King says that only a fool would disobey the will of the gods. Heptarian follows after the King to try to change his mind, and Pasiphae attempts to threaten Ariadne yet again. This time however, Ariadne is taking no punches. She tells Pasiphae she's not afraid of her or anyone anymore. Pasiphae is less than pleased. Later, Ariadne learns that Korrina has been found dead and Pasiphae snidely remarks that she is said to have taken her own life. The battle between these two has clearly only just begun.

Atlantis airs on Saturdays on BBC One.

Now boarding: the ship to BBC's "Atlantis"!

Following the end of Merlin, the BBC commissioned a new series, Atlantis, created by Johnny Caps and Julian Murphy (Merlin) and Howard Overman (Misfits). With a strong promotional team utilising social media, the show has already obtained a strong following on Twitter and Tumblr. But the content of the show itself is what warrants admiration.

The show's main protagonist, Jason, is from the 21st century. He boards a submarine to search for his father, the glass cracks, the submarine floods, and he washes up on shore in Atlantis. Not only is he aware of the legend of the long-lost city, he has knowledge of some of the other mythology that begins to pop up during his time there. One such example occurred when Jason nobly defended the life of an abandoned infant, but his expression appeared somewhat distressed when he learned of the infant's identity (Oedipus). However, Jason is not omniscient. Early on in the show, the character of Medusa  was introduced, pre-snake-hair, and Jason did not appear to exhibit that same distress towards her.

Though Jason is heroic, displaying great bravery and selflessness towards those in need and those he cares for, he is not without flaws. In the presence of Princess Ariadne, his love interest, he has occasionally found himself tongue-tied and nervous. This slightly gawky behaviour is highly endearing to viewers, and many have boarded the ship of Jason/Ariadne. With evil forces lurking in the shadows, looking to break them apart before they've even truly joined together, this will likely be an epic love story to behold.

Princess Ariadne is portrayed by Aiysha Hart, whose scenes with Sarah Parish's Pasiphae are some of the strongest of each episode. Pasiphae is Ariadne's (evil) stepmother, but the dynamic between the two is anything but cliched. While Disney princesses often flit about, smiling, and remaining blissfully unaware (or borderline apathetic) of the evil doings of their evil stepmother, Ariadne is perfectly aware of the fact that Pasiphae is up to no good. Every episode brings forth a battle of wits between the two. Sarah Parish has brought to life a cunning villain, with a tremendous appetite for power. Pasiphae is a tremendous foe for the show's heroes, and the war between them is only just beginning.

The progressive casting seen in Merlin, in which Angel Coulby, who is of both black and Anglo descent, was cast to play Guinevere, is yet again seen in Atlantis, since Aiysha Hart is of Anglo and Saudi Arabian descent. The decision of the show runners to prioritise performance ability over simply maintaining a particular "look" is highly praiseworthy. As a biracial female myself, I am especially pleased to know that this generation has more strong female characters to look up to that reach a wider scope of cultural backgrounds.

Atlantis also has an abundance of banter between the main three characters: Jason, Pythagoras, and Hercules. Though Jason is the newcomer of the group, and occasionally finds himself unaware of certain traditions within Atlantis' culture, the group has strong cohesion and the three of them are able to joke with one another and provide a great deal of amusement to viewers. Given the darker nature of many mythologies, and the devastation it will bring to the story arc, the ability to still find things to smile and laugh at is not only important to keep up the mood of viewers; it is symbolic of how finding merriment can help oneself through even the darkest periods of life.

Atlantis is a dynamic show, that blends comedy, drama, fantasy, mythology, and adventure. It has great potential to develop a strong following of its own, given the success of other British fantasy and sci-fi programs, such as Doctor Who, Merlin, Being Human, and Misfits. It is of little surprise that Atlantis has already been renewed for a second series. Filming of Series 1 has already wrapped.

Atlantis debuted on BBC One on September 28 in the UK, Space network on October 12 in Canada,  and is set to begin airing in the States on November 23 on BBC America. Wherever you live, tune in to watch this fantastic new show!

Atlantis S1E5 - "White Lies" Recap

A man sneaks into the palace and delivers a secret message to Ariadne. He is found by guards who chase him through the palace. When cornered, he leaps from the queen's window and lands safely but is shot in the back with an arrow and promptly surrounded by guards.

When questioned, Ariadne lies and says that the man had wanted her jewellery. Pasiphae doesn't believe her, though, and conspires with Heptarian to get the truth. Hercules has taken all of his, Pythagoras and Jason's money and bet it on beetle racing. He and the others celebrate when his beetle wins.

The prisoner is tortured when he refuses to give Pasiphae the answers she seeks. It doesn't work at first but when Pasiphae uses magic to enhance the torture, he reveals that the message he delivered was from Ariadne's brother, Therus. She kills him after he also reveals Therus' location. The Queen visits the Oracle and is furious at her for having made her believe Therus was dead. The Oracle replies that what she had said was that he was lost at sea.

Ariadne sends one of her servants to meet Therus and the servant lies to Jason in order to get him to accompany her. Therus is paranoid and reacts poorly to their party not being Ariadne but begrudgingly allows them all to camp together. In the middle of the night, they hear the horns of the palace soldiers that the Queen has sent after Therus. The party is nearly killed when Hercule goes back to get his beetle, but they manage to escape. Therus reveals that he was accused of plotting to kill his father, the King. Therus is determine to meet with Ariadne and Jason offers his services. He plans for her servant, Karina, to return to the palace and help deliver the message to Ariadne. At night, she sneaks through the palace and Heptarian follows her but when he catches up to her, it is actually Karina, wearing her clothes. Ariadne meets Jason outside the palace who plans to lead her to Therus. Pasiphae is determined that Ariadne not reach her brother, lest she learn the truth.

The city has been sealed to prevent Ariadne from getting out so Jason brings her back to his place. He gives her clothes to change into and self-consciously begins tidying the place while she is in the other  room. Jason stumbles through speaking with Ariadne, making his attraction to her painfully obvious. They sneak back out into the city and Jason brings Ariadne to Therus. The reunion is happy and Jason gives them time alone to speak to one another. Therus reveals that right before he was to come of age, he discovered that Pasiphae had plotted to have him killed. But it turns out, there was no actual plot and it was just a fabrication to discredit him to the King. Pasiphae threatened other men in order to get them to falsely confess to Therus' being a traitor. Therus is worried about how far Pasiphae will go to claim the throne for herself. He doubts the King's ability to protect Ariadne, who refuses to leave Atlantis. However, Therus had drugged her drink and as she passes out, he carries her off in an attempt to protect her.

When the trio returns and finds Ariadne's broken mug, Pythagoras identifies the chemical used to sedate Ariadne. Jason goes after Therus and they fight when he catches up to him. They're both fighting trying to protect Ariadne and Therus is aware of this. Jason declares that he would gladly give his life for Ariadne, who has awoken and breaks up the fight. She declares that it is her duty to stay behind and protect Atlantis and those she cares for. Therus says goodbye to Ariadne in private and even questions her as to whether or not Jason is part of the reason she is staying behind. She stays vague, saying that there are many she cares for. Jason brings her back to the city and when she is about to sneak back in, he calls her back and asks if she heard what he said to Therus during the fight. She says that she did not, since she was still "drowsy," and though she questions him, he says that it was nothing.

When Ariadne sneaks back in, she is confronted by Pasiphae, and she claims that she was in the temple consulting the Oracle. The tension is palpable and it's clear that they're both well aware of wwhat's going on.

In another beetle race, Hercules' beetle loses, leading Hercules to lose both his money and the shirt from his back. He angrily denies any ownership of the beetle, calling it "fat" and "lazy," to which Pythagoras quips, "Then I shall call him Hercules."

Atlantis airs on Saturdays on BBC One.

BBC's Atlantis S1E4 - "Twist of Fate" recap

Jason, Pythagoras, and Hercules are hunting in the woods. They hear a noise in a brush, and move in. Hercules throws a spear, but Jason catches it with superhero-like reflexes before it can hit the source of the noise: an abandoned infant. Jason insists that they take the baby back, though the others protest before eventually caving in. They look after it as best as they can, despite their lack of knowledge. They also notice the baby has a strange foot.

When Jason visits the marketplace looking for food for the baby, he runs into Medusa, who comes back with him to assist the three men. While looking after the baby, Hercules yet again attempts to charm Medusa, but has no luck. She leaves him with the baby to go to work but comes back after forgetting her shawl. She overhears Hercules confessing his feelings for her to the baby and his insecurities that keep him from confessing them, and she is visibly moved before sneaking out unseen.

Jason and Pythagorus return to where they found the baby to look for clues on its origins. They find some pottery shards and grain, and decide to reconstruct the item as best as they can. Unbeknownst to them, they are being watched by an elderly man. They return to find Hercules asleep with the baby on top of him and reconstruct the item and find it to be a rattle.

The next day, they learn that baby is King Laius' son, born out of wedlock. Guards come to their residence, but with the help of Medusa, the three men sneak out with the baby. Tiresias questions Medusa, and lets her leave, despite being suspicious of her. After she is gone, he discovers the rattle. Jason and Pythagorus are separated from Hercules and hide out with the baby but are eventually reunited. Medusa joins them, but has been discovered by the guards who have followed her.

Tiresias has brought with him the baby's mother, who reveals that King Laius took the baby to the Oracle. The Oracle stated that if the baby lived, he would bring about his father's death. Tiresias is ashamed of his role in helping Laius to discard the baby but it looking to make it right now. Jocasta, the baby's mother, does not wish to part with the baby but for his own good, he must leave the city. Jason volunteers to sneak the baby out, and Hercules states that he will join him, and Pythagorus does as well. In secret, Tiresias reveals to Pythagorus that the Oracle also foretold that the baby would also marry his mother. (By now, you should all realise that this is the story of Oedipus).

Final thoughts


Atlantis was created by Johnny Caps & Julian Murphy (Merlin), and Howard Overman (Misfits). Given how these shows built up the emotion and drama as season progressed, one may presume that this show will do the same. Many seeds have already been planted that viewers may look forward to when the time comes for them to blossom. As this latest episode has brought Oedipus into the story arc, this very well may be brought up once more as the show goes on. Jason and Ariadne clearly have a connection, and once they have more time to develop a relationship, we may bear witness to another epic love story. Sarah Parish graces us all with her magnificence as the evil Pasiphae, and the true intentions behind much of her scheming have yet to be revealed. Currently, Jemima Rooper is all warmth and loveliness as Medusa, but audiences know Medusa as a mythological character with snakes for hair and a gaze that turns those who meet it to stone. That will be a feels-enducing tragedy you won't want to miss.

Atlantis airs on Saturdays on BBC One at 8 in the UK, Saturdays at 8 on Space in Canada, and will begin airing on BBC America in the US on November 23.
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