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Touched by the Gods

Part 1 and 2
Episodes 12 and 13, Series 1

Touched by the Gods
Broadcast: 21st December 2013 (part 1)

28th December 2013 (part 2)

Starring: Hercules : Mark Addy (2 parts)

Pasiphae : Sarah Parish (2 parts)
Jason : Jack Donnelly (2 parts)
Pythagoras : Robert Emms (2 parts)
Minos : Alexander Siddig (2 parts)
Ariadne : Aiysha Hart (2 parts)
Heptarian : Oliver Walker (2 parts)
Ramos : Joe Dixon (2 parts)
Ione : Lou Broadbent (2 parts)
Circe : Lucy Cohu (part 1 only)
The Oracle : Juliet Stevenson (part 2 only)
Melas : Ken Bones (part 2 only)
Aeson : John Hannah (part 2 only)

Writer: Howard Overman
Director: Jeremy Webb
Viewers: 6.36million (part 1)

4.87million (part 2)

Previous: Hunger Pangs
Following: A New Dawn Part 1
 	Touched_by_the_Gods_-_Part_1_Next_Time_Trailer_-_Atlantis_Episode_12_-_BBC_One 	 			  

Touched by the Gods is the two-part finale, consisting of episodes twelve and thirteen, of Series One of Atlantis. Both episodes were written by head writer Howard Overman and directed by Jeremy Webb.

Synopsis[]

Part 1[]

Jason is reminded of his promise to Circe and her grim warning should he fail to honour their pact. With her threat hanging over him, he has no choice but to act; he must kill the queen. Infiltrating the palace will not only be mortally dangerous but also nigh on impossible. The heroes set out under the cover of night, but soon Jason's intentions start to unravel. As the alarm is raised, it will take more than just courage and chemistry to save his life - he needs the help of someone on the inside.

Part 2[]

Minos' health continues to fade as the tyrannical Pasiphae's scheming reaches its zenith. She sentences Ariadne to a gruesome execution not even the worst of enemies would deserve. Now that the court's loyalty is with the Queen, Jason is Ariadne's last hope. He'll need all the help he can get if he and his friends are to save her life, but fortunately there are a few in Atlantis who remain loyal to the King. The battle lines are drawn in Atlantis once and for all but just as the odds seem stacked against Jason, a shocking revelation is made that exposes the past and changes the course of the future forever.

Plot[]

Part 1[]

Jason encounters Circe as he drinks from the water well, her face startling him as it appears suddenly in the water's reflection. A sound alerts him to movement behind him, and he follows the hunched shadow only to find that it is Circe herself, come to remind Jason of the oath he swore to kill her sister, Pasiphae. She demands evidence of the act within three days and, when Jason attempts to refuse, she threatens him by saying it is not only his life that she will take if he fails. Jason moves to apprehend her but she flees, resulting in him searching for her. As he looks further for the witch, he comes across a corpse covered in white cloth. He slowly approaches and lifts off the cloth -  only to find a pale, frozen Hercules staring blindly in his death.

Upon recognising Hercules, Jason wakes up abruptly and snaps out of his dream. He goes to check on Hercules and finds his friend to be alive and sleeping, allowing him to reassure himself that it was only a dream. However, when he goes to drink a glass of water, a mark burnt on the table catches his eye. He looks at it in growing terror as he recognises the mark - it is exactly the same as the Circe had put on his wrist to remind him of his oath, thus proving that the dream actually was a warning from the witch herself.

As morning comes around, the three friends stare at the mark left by Circe on the table. Pythagoras and Hercules acknowledge the mark as Circe's, and the latter manages to remain outraged at the mark left on the table that he fondly recalls as stolen. Pythagoras directs the conversation back on track and asks Jason what he intends to do - Jason despairingly states that there is nothing else he can do but honour the oath he had made. And to do that, he has to kill the queen. Hercules sombrely admits that it was all his fault that Jason had to make that pact, and promises to help his friend along with Pythagoras.

At the palace, Minos is lying bed-ridden as he talks to Pasiphae and a distraught Ariadne, saying his time is drawing near and their enemies will seek to exploit his passing. He tells his wife and daughter that the only way to overcome their enemies is through the two of them standing united together - that is his only wish and he makes them swear to it. Ariadne departs and Pasiphae gets up to get get her husband a drink, pouring the poison into his chalice before he drinks. He says to Pasiphae that there will be no one to care for Ariadne after his death, but she reassures him by saying she will care for the princess as if she were her own daughter. She then proceeds to feed him the poisoned drink.

Jason and Pythagoras are looking over the layout of the palace, trying to determine where the Queen's bedchambers are. They are interrupted by a drunk Hercules who announces that he has managed to gain them passage into the palace with the help of Idas, the wine merchant. They start to plot ways they can kill Pasiphae and Hercules suggest the latrine as she is most vulnerable then. He trails off after he gets very blank looks from his two friends, with Jason completely dismissing the idea. Pythagoras suggest killing her whilst she sleeps which is accepted. He also shows them the way he found to knock out the palace guards. Fishermen, when cooking seaweed to eat, discovered that the fumes can act as a powerful sedative. He says that he has measured the concentration exactly as if it is too weak it won't work, but if it's too strong it could kill a man. He suggests that they should test it first, but Hercules interrupts him before he can get any further, asking if he is confident of his calculations. Pythagoras scoffs, saying everyone can agree he is not an idiot which leads Hercules to turn it on him first, since he was so confident it would work.

As the trio are getting their equipment ready, Jason starts to doubt whether or not he can go through with it. Pythagoras sees and asks him whether or not he thinks he can take the Queen's life in cold blood, regardless of how evil she may be. Jason avoids a direct answer, saying how if he doesn't kill her, then Circe will take their lives. Pythagoras argues back saying that he would (at the very least) die with a clear conscience but Jason disagrees, saying that he would die knowing that he failed his friends. And to him, that is unthinkable.The trio then start to make their way towards the palace as dusk falls.

At the palace, Pasiphae walks with Heptarian telling him how Minos has only a matter of days before he passes. He senses something off with his aunt's tone of voice and asks that it is surely a good thing that the king will pass. Pasiphae retorts that it would be if he had succeeded in winning Ariadne's hand in marriage, to which and abashed Heptarian says he did all he could. She says how Ariadne is next in line to inherit the throne and something has to be done to neutralise her, to which Heptarian asks if she wants him to kill her. Pasiphae angers at that, saying is she was to retain her respect and position at court, they'd have to be fa more subtle than that.

Jason, Pythagoras and Hercules manage to infiltrate the palace, knocking out three guards before they are able to do so. They then run to the roof, where Hercules lowers Jason down into the palace grounds. After a brief moment where the guards nearly discovered Jason, he steals away to Pasiphae's chambers and raises the knife to kill her. He stops, just short of driving the knife through her but she wakes causing him to flee. The palace bells are rung, and Pythagoras and Hercules flee, believing they'd be more help to Jason alive than dead through treason for execution. The guards chase Jason, with Heptarian leading the chase for the assassin. One guard manages to shoot Jason with an arrow, wounding him as he runs to ask for Hercules and Pythagoras' help; however they aren't there.

A desperate Jason knocks out a guard and runs towards Ariadne's room; having no idea what's going on in the palace, the princess steps out of her room only for Jason to muffle her and drags her back in. Ariadne bites her assailant, steps on his foot and draw a dagger on him, only to find it is Jason. A knock on the door interrupts the two and Jason hides behind it as Heptarian informs her of the assassin's presence and asks her if she knows anything, to which she says no. He leaves, telling her to stay in her chambers and lock the door, allowing Jason to breathe in relief.

Ariadne turns to Jason, saying it was him that attempted to kill the Queen so Jason explains that her death was the only way that his friends could live. Ariadne notices his wound and starts to tend to it. Meanwhile, Pythagoras and Hercules are at a loss as to how they can escape from the palace. Hercules spots the rubbish chute and pushes his friend down the chute to test it's safety, following suit soon after. 

Ariadne tends to Jason's wound, apologising that her care wouldn't be too good as she is no nurse. She asks why Pasiphae remains unharmed if he meant to kill her to which he says something stopped him before he could. Ariadne admits that she often has come close to killing the Queen herself, but for the same reasons as Jason, she couldn't. After Ariadne finishes wrapping his wounds, Jason starts to escape from her window, but Ariadne stops him, saying it's unsafe. Jason protests, saying if he is found in her chambers they would both be executed and he will not risk her life that way. Ariadne stops him and says she would gladly risk her life for him, as he has done for her many times. She insists that he stay in her chambers until sunrise, at which time she will smuggle him out.

Pythagoras and Hercules arrive home, calling out for Jason. When no answer comes, the two despair as their friend has not returned. As dawn breaks over the city, Jason sleeps by Ariadne's side as she watches on in silence. He soon wakes, and readies himself for leaving the castle, but sees her staring forlornly out of window. When he asks her what is wrong, she tells him that although there are many privileges to being the king's daughter, she often wishes she weren't as she would lead a normal life and be free to meet a boy of her own choosing. Jason admits that he likes listening to her, and that the night he spent with her was the best he had ever spent in Atlantis. She in turn admits that although the circumstances are very bad, when she is with him all seems right with the world. They lean in to kiss but before they can, a sound from outside her chambers break them apart. Ariadne then leads Jason out from her chamber and towards the exit. She leads him to a secret door that leads towards the temple. Jason thanks her and says that he will not let any harm come to her upon her father's passing, and the two share a quick but passionate kiss before he flees.

Pasiphae is angered by the lack of results that the search for the assassin has brought forth. Ramos assures her that everything was searched but she wants a more extensive search to be conducted. Jason returns home and surprises his friends, but shares the news with them that he was unable to kill her. Although the trio despair, they try to find another way to keep from dying as a result of the oath. Jason, however, has other plans as he sedates Pythagoras and Hercules and sets out to Circe's cave alone.

At the palace, Jason's blood is discovered near the passageway that he fled through. As only members of the royal court know of the door, Pasiphae realises that there is a traitor within the court. She walks in on Ariadne begging her father to stay alive and shares her own tales of when her father died. Ariadne replies that her father is not yet gone and starts to leave until Pasiphae shares the news of the traitor with her, much to the princesses shock.

Jason arrives at the cave where Circe resides and tells her to kill him as he offers himself freely, but not his friends. Circe eventually agrees but Jason outmanoeuvres the weapons that she sends his way and stabs her, only to watch as her cloak flutters to the ground since she is no longer there. Jason turns only to find that the witch is behind him, threefold. He throws his knife at one of them, but it goes straight through her. The witches taunt him, saying he would never be able to kill her as he cannot even tell which one is real. Jason however, does as the three had unwittingly been standing over a well, and the real Circe was the only one with a reflection. He throws a knife at her and it hits it's aim, killing Circe. As she dies, she casts a spell and throws two stones behind Jason. However nothing happens, so Jason sets off to leave just as Pythagoras and Hercules enter. They all start to leave when the place where Circe cast the stones start to rumble and three skeletons arise from the ground, ready to fight the trio. After much difficulty, the trio overcome them and leave in peace.

Back at the palace, Ione is cleaning the princesses chambers when she encounters a cloth full of Jason's blood. Ariadne walks in and finds her with, and as Ione goes to bring a physician to her mistress, the princess stops her and admits it is the intruder's. Ione tells her that it must be burnt straight away, lest any suspicion is brought on her and Ariadne eventually agrees, thanking her servant for being such a good friend. However, this is not the case as Ione takes the cloth straight to Pasiphae and it is revealed that she was secretly a spy for the Queen. She is thanked for her services and Heptarian is sent to bring Ariadne to the council chambers. Ariadne is brought forth and is charged with treason, leading her to be sentenced to death.

Jason, blissfully unaware of these events, returns from the market bearing food in a chipper mood. However, Pythagoras and Hercules sadly share the news of the sentence with him. At the court, Ariadne is found guilty of treason and officially sentenced to death by the Brazen Bull. Ariadne pleads with the court, saying she would never betray the king or the people of Atlantis, and in truth it is Pasiphae who covets the throne. She demands to speak to her father who she knows won't stand for this, but the Queen reveals he has been in a coma for the last two days. Ariadne's pleas fall on deaf ears at the court and Pythagoras runs back to reveal the news to a distraught Jason and Hercules..

Part 2[]

The Brazen Bull is being prepared for Ariadne's execution as Jason, Pythagoras and Hercules come to the palace. Jason looks on and realises that the intention is to put Ariadne in the metal bull and have her roasted to death, the fire being lit under the huge metal structure. Jason starts to go and confess in the hope that the Queen will release Ariadne from her fate and put Jason in her place. Pythagoras, however, tells him that even if he confesses the Queen will kill her still as Ariadne is all that stands between Pasiphae and the throne. Jason says that it is his fault and that he will not abandon Ariadne to her fate, but an angered Hercules stops him, saying that he has grown fond of Jason after all they have been through together, and that he will not allow him to do this. Hercules goes on to say that they will stop her death or die trying, but they will not die in the belly of the bull.

In the palace dungeons, Melas goes to visit the princess and she admits that she is afraid. She also says she has been a fool as she has given the Queen all she wanted and that the people of Atlantis will suffer under her reign. Melas says that there is still hope and that the two of them should pray together, but Ariadne replies that she no longer seeks comfort from the gods as she feels they have abandoned her. She says her fate is sealed, but asks one final thing of Melas - that he tend to her father and make his last days as comfortable as can be, to which he agrees.

At the temple of Poseidon, Pasiphae's prayers are interrupted by the Oracle who says the death sentence is a violation of everything that they hold most sacred.  Pasiphae brushes off her defence of Ariadne and says she has done it for the good of the King - but the Oracle swiftly stops her, saying many people find it suspicious that the King has fallen ill so swiftly. She also goes on to say that there will be someone who will stand in the Queen's way and will attempt to stop her. Pasiphae retorts that she will kill whoever her 'nemesis' is, whether he has been touched by the gods or otherwise, but again the Oracle reprimands her telling her not to make the mistake of thinking it would be so easy to kill him. Pasiphae is shaken and asks who the person the Oracle speaks of is, but she leaves after saying she will find out soon enough.

As night falls, a hooded figure makes his way to Pythagoras' house, and the trio are startled as he knocks on the door. With the weapons that they had been readying beforehand, they start to defend themselves as Pythagoras opens the door, only to find Ramos aiming a knife at his throat. He asks if they intend to rescue the princess, which Hercules vehemently denies though the weapon in his hand proves him false. Jason realises that Ramos intends to help them save Ariadne, and accepts his help as the grounds would be heavily guarded.

Jason goes to visit the Oracle and finds her praying for Ariadne. She says she senses that Jason has other plans for the princess, to which he admits that he has as he will try to save her. She smiles at him and tells him he has come a long way, since there was once a time when he would be asking her what to do but now he just does it of his own volition. He tells her that he is grateful for everything she has done for them, but he doesn't know if they'll succeed, or where they'll go if they do. The Oracle responds that it is she that should be grateful as he prayers have been answered and as Jason goes to leave, she tells him there is a place they could go - the old silver mines of Pangeon in the mountains of Galena - as it is a possibility that they will not be looked for among the dead.

Back at the palace, a terrified Ariadne is led to the Brazen Bull where crowds have gathered to witness her execution. Jason steals into the palace, armed with a bow and arrow and watches as Hercules stumbles 'drunk' around the courtyard, an inflammant dripping from the pitcher he carries. Ramos pushes him back into the crowd, but not before Hercules drops the pitcher onto the wood below the Bull, allowing the liquid to flow all over the courtyard. As Ariadne is led down the steps, she tries to resist but the guards drag her towards the Bull. Jason lights his arrow and shoots the burning weapon at the statue, igniting the wood and everything else the inflammant touched. He tells her to trust her friends and hands her over to Jason who gives her a blanket to cover herself and the two run. The crowds go wild as the flames spread and Ramos takes Ariadne from her guards, saying he will take the prisoner. The guards see that Ramos has let the Princess flee and fight him, though Ramos overpowers them both easily. He runs himself when Heptarian and a band of men come running after him.

Jason and Ariadne run through the streets of Atlantis, but her blanket slips off revealing her face. A guard recognises her and tries to stop the two but Jason hurls a knife at him, killing him instantly. They eventually run to the town square where they meet a relieved Pythagoras and Hercules, but their relief is brought to an end when a severely wounded Ramos joins them. He leads them down the sewers and to the forest at the end, were they cannot be found under the cover of the trees. Ramos' health starts to deteriorate fast and the hear guards coming for them from the mouth of the sewer; Ramos volunteers to hold them off and a reluctant Ariadne runs into the forest with the trio.

Ramos is apprehended by Heptarian and his guard, and is soon killed after he delivers a passionate speech about serving the King, not the Queen. At the forest, day has broken and Ariadne is handed a change of clothes by Jason. After changing, she admits that she fears she will never be able to return to Atlantis, but Jason gently reminds her of her wish to lead a normal life, leading her to burn the dress that she wore in Atlantis. The two talk fondly together and Hercules looks on forlorn - Pythagoras asks him what is wrong and he responds that at least one of the three of them gets to be with the woman he loves. Pythagoras reassures Hercules that there is still hope for Medusa and that they will not rest until they find a way to lift the curse. They start to make their way to the mines of Pangeon as Heptarian finds the remnants of Ariadne's burnt dress and shows it to the Queen. She orders his men to find them before sundown and the regiment moves in the direction of the footprints they found leading west to the mines.

Back at the palace, Ione is mixing in the poison into Minos' drink, unaware that Melas can see her doing so through a crack in the door. He reports back to the Oracle who says that they must do all they can to ensure he gets his health back. Melas is perplexed and states that she always said he had no right to the throne but the Oracle responds that it is better than allowing Pasiphae to seize the throne as it is the lesser of two evils. She notices that something is troubling Melas and he asks if she is certain that it was a good idea to send Jason into the mines. The Oracle nods and asks Melas "Who better to protect him than his own father?"

Jason, Pythagoras, Hercules and Ariadne reach the mines and are soon surrounded by lepers dressed in rags. They say they are shunned from society because of their disease, and Pythagoras realises that when the Oracle said they would not be looked for among the dead, she meant the living dead. After Jason says they are running from Pasiphae, the spokesperson of the lepers, Aeson, steps forward and looks at the necklace around Jason's throat. He asks his name and Jason answers, also asking if they would help him and his friends. The leper assents, telling them that their home is here. Jason explains their story to Aeson, who in turn explains that he has had his disease for many years. Jason says he is sorry, but Aeson replies that he has made more loyal friends amongst the lepers than he ever had before. Aeson picks up on Jason's feelings for Ariadne and asks him about them, to which Jason smiles and says his feeling for her are more than he can express.

At the palace, Melas sends a reluctant Ione away from 'tending' to the King, saying it is his duty as a priest to be with the King alone at this time. As soon as Ione leaves, Melas starts to feed Minos the antidote.

Heptarian finds tracks leading right to the entrance of the mines, and promptly tells Pasiphae. She instructs him to flush out the lepers and that Ariadne should be taken alive so she can be executed in front of her own people. Heptarian asks of them men that helped her escape; Pasiphae says that they should be killed where they stand. They aren't aware of a lone leper watching as they make their way to the mines. He runs back to the community and informs Jason that he has been found. Aeson leads them though the back of the mines where another entrance is hidden; he stays back, however, to help his people.

Heptarian and his men infiltrate the caves but the leper community are ready, his men are attacked and Heptarian himself is stabbed. Jason, Pythagoras, Hercules and Ariadne escape the caves, but they split up as they head into the cover of the trees. Pythagoras is on his own and terrified, and is promptly pulled into a ditch by Hercules where the two hide from the guards. Jason and Ariadne are less lucky, as Pasiphae finds them and the guards soon storm after them as they escape. Jason sends Ariadne away as he fights the soldiers coming after them, telling her that that is their best chance of survival. He kills one guard and spars with another as Ariadne falls and is helped up by a soldier who she promptly stabs. As she escapes, she runs straight into the arms of an awaiting soldier, leading her to scream Jason's name. Jason looks towards her screams and is knocked out by the guards.

Just as the guards are about to stab Jason, Pasiphae tells them to go bring her Ariadne alive so she can be taken back to Atlantis. She also tells them that she wants to deal with Jason herself. She moves to stab him but is stopped by Aeson, though she doesn't recognise who he is. After he lowers his hood she recognises him and spits out his name, and Aeson goes on to tell her that Jason is their son. She is shocked and looks down at Jason wonderingly, wording her beliefs that she thought he was dead. She asks if he knows whether or not she is his mother, which Aeson denies, saying it is better for Jason not to know so he doesn't desire throne, come between it and Pasiphae and get caught up in the quest for power that caught his mother, leading her to betray her husband and usurp the throne with Minos. He says he doesn't believe she can kill her own son and she asks for his promise that he will never know that she is his mother, which Aeson gives. Pasiphae bitterly snaps out that they have finally managed to agree on something before stalking off, leaving Aeson to desperately try and bring Jason around. Pasiphae looks back one last time before walking off.

Hercules and Pythagoras helps Aeson bring a barely conscious Jason to safety, unaware that a wounded Heptarian is on their trail. As night falls, Jason gains full consciousness and asks where Ariadne is. Aeson informs him that she has been taken, leading Jason to try and get up to go after her but collapses in the process. Pythagoras and Hercules go off to gather herbs as Aeson tells him it may be too late for him to save Ariadne and that he should leave Atlantis and build a new life. Jason responds that he can't imagine his life without Ariadne and he wouldn't be able to live if he hadn't tried to save her.

Aeson starts to tell him that he was a lot like him when he was Jason's age, but is interrupted by Heptarian who strikes at him.  The two fight and the clang of their swords resounds throughout the forest; Heptarian overpowers Jason and just as he is about to kill him, Jason lashes out and rids Heptarian of his weapon and kills him with it. Aeson watches on in bewilderment as Heptarian falls to the ground.

Aeson leads Hercules, Jason and Pythagoras to the edge of the forest and tells them to head on East until they reach Atlantis. Jason thanks him and tells him that he hopes they will meet again which Aeson says he hopes will happen too, also saying that Jason should be proud of the man he has become. He watches on as the trio head towards Atlantis.

Pasiphae leads Ariadne towards the steps of the palace, telling the guards to take her to the cells. Ariadne catches sight of her father walking down the steps and cries out for him, a shocked Pasiphae watching on as he descends. He angrily states that she would dare to execute his daughter whilst he was on his deathbed, but Pasiphae desperately cries that she had committed treason. Minos retorts that he doesn't believe his daughter capable of such a thing and when the Queen starts to tell him that his sickness has gone to his head, he cuts her off, telling her not to question his judgement. Ariadne is released from her shackles and she hugs her father; Minos hugs her back and glares at Pasiphae over her shoulder.

Night falls and Hercules tries to talk Jason out of going to save Ariadne, but Jason is adamant that he has to try. They reach their home and find Melas standing by their door with a note from the Princess herself. Jason eagerly reads it as Pythagoras and Hercules ask what it says.

Jason runs up to the temple of Poseidon and finds Ariadne there saying her prayers. They share an intimate smile before Minos comes and thanks Jason for all he has done, saying how Ariadne has told him it is to him she owes her life. Jason says she doesn't owe him anything; knowing she is safe and unharmed is enough for him. Minos' face darkens and turns away from the payment he was going to give Jason and approaches him saying that he must forget all feelings he has for Ariadne as she is of royal blood and nothing can ever happen between the two of them. He goes to join his daughter as she prays, leaving Jason distraught.

Pasiphae goes to the Oracle, saying that she knew all along that Jason was her son but said nothing to her. The Oracle responds that everything she has done has been done to protect Jason and when the Queen asks about his future, she retorts that it is her own future that she should be concerned with as Pasiphae's and Jason's paths are one and the day will come when he destroys her.

Jason, Pythagoras and Hercules are at the market, with the latter unable to believe his ears that Jason turned down the purse of gold Minos offered. They walk down the streets of Atlantis engaging in friendly banter, unaware that a cowled figure watches on. Pasiphae looks down the street as Jason and his friends turn away from the market, watching on as her son walks away.

Gallery: Part 1[]

Gallery: Part 2[]

Crew[]

Main Crew[]

Broadcast[]

to be added

Reception[]

to be added

Series 1
The Earth Bull  • A Girl By Any Other Name  • A Boy of No Consequence  • Twist of Fate  • White Lies  • The Song of the Sirens  • The Rules of Engagement  • The Furies  • Pandora's Box  • The Price of Hope  • Hunger Pangs  • Touched by the Gods Part 1  • Touched by the Gods Part 2
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