Recap / Atlantis S 1 E 10 The Price Of Hope

Hercules receives news from Crios that Medusa is hiding in a distant cave in Cisthene. Hercules goes to tell Jason and Pythagoras that the time has come to find her and cure her. Hercules goes off to take a bath before he sees Medusa, but Pythagoras confides in Jason that he still hasn’t found anyway to cure Medusa. Pythagoras hasn’t told Hercules this yet because he can’t bear to destroy his hope. Pythagoras asks Jason to speak to the Oracle again, though Jason is reluctant to do so.

The Oracle is happy to see Jason again until he explains that he needs Pandora’s box. Pythagoras is hoping that studying the box might give them some clue as to how to cure Medusa. The Oracle refuses, saying the temptation to open the box is too great, but Jason says he never felt any temptation from it.

Oracle: You’re only just beginning to understand the extent of your gifts.

Jason: How can I understand them when you won’t tell me where they come from? Do they come from my mother? You’ve not told me anything about her.

The Oracle won’t give Jason any answers, but she does give him the box.

Pythagoras plans to show the box to Daedalus, a genius scientist and inventor who might be able to help. Daedalus is rather annoyed when he sees Jason poking around at his inventions, but he is fascinated by the box and tempted to open it. Pythagoras quickly explains that the box is too dangerous to open, and Daedalus chains it shut. Jason takes the key and Daedalus shoos him away by bleating like a goat. By studying the box, Daedalus translates a message written on it in an ancient language. When mirrored, the message reads: “When all seems lost, hope still remains.” Pythagoras asks if this means there is hope for Medusa.

Daedalus: Well, you have hope for her. Your stupid fat friend Hercules, he has hope for her. I even have hope for my foolish son Icarus. There’s no shortage of hope in this world, just shortage of brains.

Looking more closely at the writing, Daedalus realizes that the story of Alcestis and Admetus is written on the box. Admetus was a king who was blessed so that he would not die if someone else was willing to take his place. When the time came for Admetus to die, his wife Queen Alcestis chose to die in Admetus’ place so that he would live. From this story, Daedalus concludes that Medusa might be cured if Hercules were to sacrifice his own life for her.

Pythagoras returns home but lies to Hercules that the markings on the box were decorative and that he is no closer to finding a cure for Medusa. Hercules suggests that Pythagoras should get more sleep and maybe he’ll find the answer in a flash of inspiration, just like how he dreamed about triangles. Pythagoras tells Hercules that there’s nothing more he can do.

That night, Hercules leaves to find Medusa. Pythagoras and Jason find out from Crios where Hercules has gone, but Crios warns them that enemy Scythians are in the forest, and it’s quite likely that Hercules will be attacked on the road. Jason threatens Crios for sending Hercules into danger, but Crios is quicker than expected, and has a thug to protect him. Crios’ thug shrugs off every blow from Jason and Pythagoras, and they are forced to run away.

While walking on the road, Pythagoras and Jason come across a grove sacred to Artemis. Close by they see what appears to be a woman lying on the road, but when Jason goes close to see if she needs help, the figure turns out to be a Scythian robber. As the heroes are captured by the Scythians, a mysterious woman with a bow is seen in the background amongst the trees.

Pythagoras and Jason are locked in a wooden cage which also contains Hercules. The Scythians tell them that they will be subjected to a manhunt, but the last one to survive will be spared.The hunt begins. Jason tells his friends to split up and meet back at the clearing they passed earlier. Jason draws away most of the Scythians, while Hercules wrestles two of them.Pythagoras and Jason join up and fight two Scythians. Jason kills the Scythians but is wounded.

By night, Jason and Pythagoras make it back to the grove of Artemis, but the Scythians soon find them. Jason is too injured to fight, so Pythagoras takes his sword. Pythagoras attempts to intimidate the Scythians into leaving, but it doesn’t work. Suddenly, arrows fly through the air, and one by one the Scythians fall. The woman with a bow steps forward, introducing herself as Atalanta. She makes a poultice for Jason’s wounded leg.

Jason: Why did you save us?

Atalanta: My goddess came to me. She told me that I must protect you from harm.

Jason: Why?

Atalanta: It seems that our paths are destined to cross again in the future.

While Jason rests, Pythagoras and Atalanta talk. Atalanta was abandoned as a child and has lived in the wilderness most of her life. Pythagoras tells Atalanta their reason for traveling through these parts, and confides in her that there might be a way to save Medusa, but only by sacrificing Hercules, which is why he didn’t tell Hercules of it. Unnoticed by the others, Hercules has snuck up and overheard this last part of the conversation. Hercules steals away, but Atalanta hears him and takes him back to the clearing. Hercules talks to Pythagoras and thanks him for being his friend.

The next morning, the heroes awake to find Atalanta gone and Jason’s wound healed. Hercules suggests that the others return to Atlantis, but they insist on staying with him. The heroes soon reach the caves of Cisthene. Jason notices how sad Hercules looks, and Hercules thanks Jason for being his friend. Pythagoras finds a cave full of stone rats and realizes this must be the one that Medusa is hiding in. Hercules asks to go talk to Medusa alone and Jason reminds Hercules not to look at her. Hercules goes into the cave and talks to Medusa.While they wait outside, Pythagoras reveals to Jason that the only way Hercules can cure Medusa is if he sacrifices himself for her. Jason realizes from Hercules’ behavior that he must know about this.

Hercules tells Medusa that he can cure her but that she needs to look at him and not worry about what happens. Before the two can make eye contact Jason jumps into the cave and averts Hercules’ gaze. While doing this, Jason accidentally looks directly at Medusa but to his and Medusa’s amazement, Jason doesn’t turn to stone. Jason explains to Medusa what Hercules was trying to do. Tearfully, Medusa tells Hercules that she would do anything for a cure, but not if it meant killing Hercules.

Hercules: I won’t stop searching until I find another cure. We’ll return as soon as we find one. I promise.

Medusa: I know you will. And that gives me a reason to live.

Tropes

• Balancing Death's Books: Medusa can be saved if Hercules gives his life for her the same way Alcestis gave hers for Admetus.
• Because Destiny Says So: Atalanta’s reason for saving Jason.
• Continuity Nod: Just like the first time Hercules went on a date with Medusa, Hercules asks Jason to smell his armpits. Jason lampshades that this isn’t the first time he’s had to do it. Once again, Jason is surprised to find that Hercules is clean and sweet-smelling.
  • When Jason is unable to fight, Pythagoras lightly teases him by saying he was never very good with a sword anyway, referencing Jason’s failure to use a sword in the first episode, though Jason has improved a lot since then.
• Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Daedalus behaves very oddly, especially around Jason. When Jason annoys him, Deadalus responds by poking Jason or Imitating a goat.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Crios initially appears to just be a weaselly man in the tavern, but he’s surprisingly quick with a knife.
• Drowning My Sorrows: Averted. Jason and Pythagoras attempt to have Hercules do this, but Hercules leaves to see Medusa instead.
• Healing Hands: Atalanta is implied to know a certain amount of healing magic.
• Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: The Scythians enjoy freeing the people they rob so they can hunt them down and kill them.
• It Has Been an Honor: Hercules thanks Jason and Pythagoras for being his friends before he goes to see Medusa. Jason realizes later that Hercules was trying to say goodbye.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Jason and Pythagoras are forced to run away from Crios’ thug.
  Pythagoras: I have often believed that the secret to fighting is to know when you are beaten.
• Married to the Job: Once again, Hercules makes this claim about Pythagoras.
  Hercules: Most men dream about women, you dream about triangles.
• Noodle Incident: Pythagoras mentions how Hercules once set fire to his bed when Pythagoras wouldn’t lend him money to buy a pig, and another time when he dangled him off a balcony after Pythagoras punctured a hole in Hercules’ wine skin.
• No-Sell: Crios’ thug isn’t fazed by being punched, hit on the head with a pitcher, or having a chair broken on his back.
  • Jason makes full eye contact with Medusa but doesn’t turn to stone. It turns out this is due to a special blessing the gods have bestowed on him.
• Punch! Punch! Punch! Uh Oh...: Pythagoras and Jason react this way when Crios’ thug isn’t harmed by their blows.
• Taken for Granite: When the heroes find a cave full of stone rats, they know it must be where Medusa lives.
• Toilet Humor: Hercules gets hit on the head by bird droppings.