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UPDATE: The missing words have been filled in :)
Here's this weeks teasers, any guesses on the missing words? As usual I will fill them in later in the week, and my thoughts are in the comments below.
* There are two kings in Atlantis this week; Pasiphae seems to share her darker side with one more than the other
* “The child is obviously from a wealthy family”
* “The city is already sealed, there can be no escape”
* “Jason is different, special”
* “I went back to the place, just as you said to make sure”
* For the second week running the Oracle is not seen, but half of a famous prophesy of hers is mentioned
* “I’m too old for this, look after him. Go, now!”
* “Sometimes one must follow ones conscious, not ones duty”
* Someone overhears Hercules's true intentions towards them
* “I told you, I know nothing about babies, I’d just drop it or something”
I think the episodes are improving as we get further into the series, though I do still have a few little niggles about it that I can’t quite put my finger on. Mark Addy is still the ‘star’ of the show for me, my early fear that he would be too one-dimensional has been averted as once again he works wonders with what he is given and really brings more depth to the role.
ReplyDeleteAnother character that stand outs for me is definitely Donald Sumpter guest spot, he is as fantastic and ambiguous as ever and I find myself wishing he was a more permanent character in this. I also enjoyed Sarah Parish this week, it would have been easy for her to have become a bit of a pantomime villain but she brings more subtle undertones to Pasiphae's evil deeds which I find works better for me than, say, dark Morgana.
One of the downsides for me is the sheer amount of fart jokes this week; they never played well for me in Merlin either and Atlantis is supposed to be more adult/dark. There is one scene towards the end in which it does work very well, but the earlier uses in the episode mean that by this point I’m just a bit fed up of them. It also relies on too many a Three Men and Baby gags (as my good friend Debs over at Grid Spy put it) rather than the myth/play it is trying to tell, which is a shame as this could have been so much more.
Overall this week's fare is a filler episode, albeit a satisfying one for most I feel. The show
desperately needs more of an arc to it in my opinion, which according to an interview with Jack Donnelly on BBC Radio last week (http://tinyurl.com/nhpm7hl) should be on the way from episode 5. So I guess that these first 4 are mainly used to introduce the players, so to speak. I’m personally hoping that this means that Heptarian will be utilised more, I loved his baddie last week and it’s a shame that he is just a face in the background in this episode. I could see him working out Jason’s secret identity maybe, and then scheming with the queen.
You know what. I just realized that I do not really know the names of some of the characters. I really think I have to pay attention better! That makes filling in the teasers a lot harder.
ReplyDeleteI assume that No 4 could be "Jason is different, special."
The last one sound like something Pythagoras might say.
The second last one must refer to the queen and her intentions?
For the second week running "the oracle" is not seen.....
Did I see the actor who played the Fisher KIng in Merlin?
Some good guesses there, 3 are right ;)
ReplyDeleteYeah, Sumpter played the Fisher King, he's been in just about everything I think, fantastic actor imo!
I couldn't agree more with you about Pasiphae! I'm also really looking forward to seeing Donald Sumpter in the next episode!
ReplyDeleteOh darn! Fat jokes and fart jokes always get into my nerves! I think they are so cliche and I wish they would come up with more original jokes.
It's a shame they didn't utilize the first 4 episodes to bring the main characters to life and make them more fleshed out, especially Jason and Pythagoras. Instead, they opted for more action and adventure. And despite enjoying the episodes I find myself not caring much about the main trio. I really hope Jack Donnelly is right about episode 5, I need to see some real character development and a serious story arc. Also, I think the trio's friendship needs to be tested in some way because the audience would want to know what they think of each other. To get a glimpse into their feelings, thoughts, fears, what makes them tick...etc would make us WANT to invest emotionally more in their story.
Thanks for giving us an idea about the upcoming episodes every week, I really enjoy reading your thoughts :-)
Totally agree with you about the lack of character development so far.
ReplyDeleteI am also not sure if we have been given really totally convincing reasons WHY the main trio have become such firm friends.
You're welcome, glad you enjoy my take on them, and it's great to be able to discuss the show with other fans, which ultimately is why I do these :)
ReplyDeleteI agree that one of the main problems is why the main thee stay together, especially as they would probably fare better alone...without Hercules ruining their guarding of warehouses or by Pythagoras offering writing/maths lessons instead of attempting to be a 'hero' for example. I think the relationship between the three royals is probably better understood and explained as it stands atm, and they have had barely any screen time compared to them.
Sorry to keep going back to Merlin for a comparison, but one of the strengths it had early on was the open relationship between Gaius and Merlin. We as an audience could relate to Merlin much more easily for it because he could be himself and question his secret safely, which did wonders with being able to connect with him. I feel that Jason needs a companion like this in order to do the same, but instead his friends know nothing about him or how he feels about being in Atlantis. All we're had is a few sessions with the Oracle where she just warned him to stay schtum; without him opening up and having proper discussions about his issues it's very hard for me to feel any kind of empathy with him at all.
It's all a bit odd isn't it, if anything we have been shown why the *shouldn't* be friends due to all the scrapes and near misses they have had together. Like I mention above, Pythagoras would surely be better off using his brain and maths skills to earn money. I can't see why the character is there if you aren't actually going to use him as 'the clever one', he could just be a random character as it stands at the moment rather than one of the most famous mathematicians the world has ever seen.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you regarding the comparison with Merlin, it's absolutely true. I remember that by episode 3 I knew how Merlin felt, the great danger he's in because of his powers, and understood his eagerness to use his magic for good.
ReplyDeleteI think it's very important to establish these things first when you're introducing a new story/new characters to the audience IMHO, instead of jumping immediately towards swashbuckling and bull-leaping..etc.
Yeah. That is exactly it.
ReplyDeleteGlad I am not alone, drawn to compare the two shows. :)))
Mind, then again, that was unavoidable, wasn't it?
I also thought that Pythagoras (just by looks) suggested to provide some nerdy quality to the show - bright, but comic, more brain than brawn ....but so far that has not really happened.
Exactly. I think it was extremely easy for us to like Merlin (the character) right from the first episode. Even after his meeting with Arthur and Gaius we knew so much more of him than we do now of Jason.
ReplyDeleteWe knew he was honest and trying to do the right things. That he was funny and innocent and all in all a bit 'green'. That he would try to help people against better judgement. That he had powers he needed to explore and that he had a destiny that had been laid out for him we were going to be part of. And most of all - it had us guessing how his early uneasy relationship with Arthur would develop into what we knew it had to become.
That drew us in to watch.
I think it was inevitable coming from the J's and Overman who also wrote many Merlin episodes...it was Overman that made me check out Merlin in the first place because I generally really like his work, and is the reason why I want to like this! The familiar sets of the first two episodes also didn't help with the comparison either imo, though part of this does take place in the woods (as seen in the promo) it at least doesn't look very Merlin forest which does help to separate the two I think.
ReplyDelete