Written by Richard McBrien
Directed by Alice Troughton
Medusa (to Jason, re Oedipus): “Poor thing. He’d probably have more chance in the mountains than with you three.”
Keeping it simple, this is the Three Men And A Baby edition of the show this week. The one where a cute little baby was found by our three heroes and was destined to die because the father of the baby was told some horrible stuff about his son’s future by the Oracle (who once again was a no show in this episode).
I guess it should’ve been obvious that the baby in question was going to turn out to be Oedipus but I was genuinely surprised until Tiresias literally spelled it out in front of a desperate Jocasta and three heroes of the show.
Needless to say, despite the many obstacles that came in the way, there was never any danger of Oedipus actually being killed in this episode, mainly because Hercules was the one who protected him throughout the episode. Predictably he had also been the one that wasn’t initially keen on rescuing the baby before Jason made it his business to do.
I’m quite enjoying the dynamic between Jason, Pythagoras and Hercules in the show but while Jason has a destiny and Hercules has started to improve as a character and both he and Jason have respective love interests with both Ariadne and Medusa, there’s also the issue of Pythagoras.
Now Pythagoras happens to be my favourite of the three but right now he doesn’t seem to be as involved as much as I thought he would be. I mean, it was great that he was able to deduce from broken things that Oedipus was left with a rattler out in the woods but aside from that, he hasn’t done a great deal to affect the overall plot really. Even Ariadne kind of had more to do in this episode to be honest.
Keeping with Ariadne, while she definitely needs more development as a character, her bitchy comments to Pasiphae did manage to be amusing enough, if somewhat passive aggressive. I do like that she’s able to see her stepmother for the power hungry schemer that she is but Ariadne needs to do more than make sly digs at Pasiphae to really engage viewers now.
As for Pasiphae – I’m not entirely sure that she needed to be involved in Laius’s plot to have his son killed but I did find it interesting that she seemed a tad unconvinced at the end that Oedipus was actually killed. I have a feeling we’ll probably see the likes of Laius, Jocasta and Tiresias at some point again, especially given Pasiphae’s bond with the former.
Last but not least – I like Medusa. Okay, so I’ve mentioned in my last two reviews but so far the character remains the best written female on the show and the romance with her and Hercules is coming across a lot better than I expected it to be. It also helped that she did slightly make the overall baby plot a little more interesting just by being in certain scenes with the lads and little Oedipus.
Also in “Twist Of Fate”
It probably wasn’t the best idea to have seen that 50th anniversary trailer for Doctor Who before this episode. It did distract me at times.
Hercules: “Why does it always have to be me?”
Pythagoras: “A question we ask ourselves every morning.”
Pasiphae and Laius were dealing with Oedipus behind Minos’s back. Does that mean he would’ve sided with Jocasta had he been privy?
Pasiphae (to Laius): “Was Artemis herself not a woman?”
Ariadne: “Of course but her prey had four legs, did it not?”
Jason: “Give me the boy.”
Hercules: “You’ll never make it.”
Jason: “Do you have a better idea?”
I liked that this episode had both Hercules and Pythagoras realise and discuss that Jason was a bit special.
Jocasta (re Oedipus): “No, I will not part with him again.”
Tiresias: “Jocasta, you have to.”
Hercules (re kiss): “What was that for?”
Medusa: “For being a good man.”
Medusa had overheard Hercules telling Oedipus about his feelings for her. I think it’s safe to assume that Medusa feels the same way too.
Hercules (re Jason): “He’s young, that’s all.”
Pythagoras: “No, Hercules, that is not all and you know it. Jason is different, special.”
Chronology: Not long since “A Boy Of No Consequence” has aired.
I have to admit that while there were some nice moments and a few funny bits, “Twist Of Fate” wasn’t the best episode we had. In fact, it did meander a bit in parts and despite the reveal of the baby’s identity, the episode just didn’t engage as much as it should’ve done.
Rating: 6 out of 10
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