Episode Two List: Conditions. Conversations. Conflict.
Top Five Fav moments. So many feels.
Not surprisingly, they're all talkie scenes..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Menelaus discovers his wife is gone; his bro, Agamemnon, gathers an army. (That accelerated quickly.)
Odysseus recommends making a sacrifice to Artemis so that the winds will work in their favor.
Artemis demands that Agamemnon kill his daughter. (That accelerated VERY quickly.)
Agamemnon, clearly tormented: Please. Help me get out of this.
Odysseus, softly: Sorry. I don't know how.
Heartbreaking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Agamemnon and his daughter ...
... at the altar:
Agamemnon, crying: The wind blows against us. The goddess gave me no choice
Iphigenia: But I am your daughter.
(Having grown up with the Abraham and Isaac story, I was expecting this goddess to provide an alternate sacrificial lamb just like the God of the Bible does. Errrhm, this was not so.)
Gutwrenching.
The cries of anguished pain from both Agamemnon and his wife are haunting.
So much suffering in the Greek camp and they haven't even gone to war yet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Menelaus and his squad meet The Trojans.
And Menelaus has a face-to-face with his wife.
Menelaus: Talk to me...
Helen: About what?
Menelaus: I'm your husband, your King...
Helen shrugs and stares.
Menelaus, softly: Did that boy force you?
Helen: No.
Menelaus, confused: What did I do to deserve such treatment?
Helen: Nothing. I found love. That is all.
Helen: One day you'll get it.
Menelaus: I will never understand.
Raw, intense pain just oozes from Menelaus's pores.
Rejection; it's a deep cut. And it hurts y'know.
(We are just past the half-way mark of this episode and I've wished, three times, that it would slow down. ALL these conversations (a child sacrifice, a marriage ending) need more than just 2 - 3 lines. It's a good thing that coupled with these lines are actors who deliver them with emotion and skill so while I am left wanting more, they really have communicated well.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Negotiations:
King Priam: We'll keep Helen. No harm, no foul. Let's not shed any blood over this.
Odysseus: Too late. Agamemnon has sacrificed his daughter... So you'll understand, our conditions are non-negotiable. Helen is to be returned to Sparta.
King Priam: But she doesn't want to go back.
Odysseus: What she wants is of little interest to us.
King Priam: OK Fine. She's yours.
Odysseus: Oh and there's one more thing ... (money from taxes on shipments yadda yadda)
King Priam: NO. And I changed my mind about Helen. She stays here.
Menelaus, pissed off: WE WILL BRING THE RAGE OF THE GODS DOWN ON YOUR ASIATIC HEADS.
He swaggers off in a self-righteous huff, and thus - the war begins.
(Brilliant. A ten year war begins because a 3 minute conversation goes sideways.This is true in myths and real life. Egos are dangerous things.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. End of battle, day one:
Agamemnon: I know she's dead. Why do I keep seeing her? Why did I do it? What was the point?
Odysseus: It was demanded.
Agamemnon: What's my reward? More death? More blood? Where is justice?
Odysseus: We will prevail...
Agamemnon, quietly desperate: Tell me what to do.
These Greek Guys are complicated characters, with faults and failings as well as strengths and charisma. I love that we're getting a peek into their insecurities and struggles. Leadership is not easy. And neither is bowing to demands of fickle gods. (Jonas Armstrong, Johnny Harris and Joseph Mawle- strong performances in this episode.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Noticeably, none of my favorite scenes involved Paris or Helen. I'm still not convinced they are madly in love.
But there's still time.
We're only 1/4 way through the series.
LOVED this episode. So looking forward to next week. Feeling very confident that this adapted version of the Trojan War myth, written by a creative, gifted story-teller , will continue to be very entertaining.
Not surprisingly, they're all talkie scenes..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Menelaus discovers his wife is gone; his bro, Agamemnon, gathers an army. (That accelerated quickly.)
Odysseus recommends making a sacrifice to Artemis so that the winds will work in their favor.
 |
Artemis demands that Agamemnon kill his daughter. (That accelerated VERY quickly.)
Agamemnon, clearly tormented: Please. Help me get out of this.
Odysseus, softly: Sorry. I don't know how.
Heartbreaking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Agamemnon and his daughter ...
... at the altar:
Agamemnon, crying: The wind blows against us. The goddess gave me no choice
Iphigenia: But I am your daughter.
(Having grown up with the Abraham and Isaac story, I was expecting this goddess to provide an alternate sacrificial lamb just like the God of the Bible does. Errrhm, this was not so.)
Gutwrenching.
The cries of anguished pain from both Agamemnon and his wife are haunting.
So much suffering in the Greek camp and they haven't even gone to war yet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Menelaus and his squad meet The Trojans.
And Menelaus has a face-to-face with his wife.
Menelaus: Talk to me...
Helen: About what?
Menelaus: I'm your husband, your King...
Helen shrugs and stares.
Menelaus, softly: Did that boy force you?
Helen: No.
Menelaus, confused: What did I do to deserve such treatment?
Helen: Nothing. I found love. That is all.
Helen: One day you'll get it.
Menelaus: I will never understand.
Raw, intense pain just oozes from Menelaus's pores.
Rejection; it's a deep cut. And it hurts y'know.
(We are just past the half-way mark of this episode and I've wished, three times, that it would slow down. ALL these conversations (a child sacrifice, a marriage ending) need more than just 2 - 3 lines. It's a good thing that coupled with these lines are actors who deliver them with emotion and skill so while I am left wanting more, they really have communicated well.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Negotiations:
 |
| Erhmmm. That's a whole lotta manspreading. |
King Priam: We'll keep Helen. No harm, no foul. Let's not shed any blood over this.
Odysseus: Too late. Agamemnon has sacrificed his daughter... So you'll understand, our conditions are non-negotiable. Helen is to be returned to Sparta.
King Priam: But she doesn't want to go back.
Odysseus: What she wants is of little interest to us.
King Priam: OK Fine. She's yours.
Odysseus: Oh and there's one more thing ... (money from taxes on shipments yadda yadda)
King Priam: NO. And I changed my mind about Helen. She stays here.
Menelaus, pissed off: WE WILL BRING THE RAGE OF THE GODS DOWN ON YOUR ASIATIC HEADS.
He swaggers off in a self-righteous huff, and thus - the war begins.
(Brilliant. A ten year war begins because a 3 minute conversation goes sideways.This is true in myths and real life. Egos are dangerous things.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. End of battle, day one:
Agamemnon: I know she's dead. Why do I keep seeing her? Why did I do it? What was the point?
Odysseus: It was demanded.
Agamemnon: What's my reward? More death? More blood? Where is justice?
Odysseus: We will prevail...
Agamemnon, quietly desperate: Tell me what to do.
These Greek Guys are complicated characters, with faults and failings as well as strengths and charisma. I love that we're getting a peek into their insecurities and struggles. Leadership is not easy. And neither is bowing to demands of fickle gods. (Jonas Armstrong, Johnny Harris and Joseph Mawle- strong performances in this episode.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Noticeably, none of my favorite scenes involved Paris or Helen. I'm still not convinced they are madly in love.
But there's still time.
We're only 1/4 way through the series.
LOVED this episode. So looking forward to next week. Feeling very confident that this adapted version of the Trojan War myth, written by a creative, gifted story-teller , will continue to be very entertaining.
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