Way back in November 2013, I took a brief look at the first series of Atlantis when it was on its mid-season hiatus (for this see my BLOG ARCHIVE). Broadly speaking, I quite liked it. Now (following the halting of the second series late last year) once again we are in a mid-series break and I thought I would do the same. Most things haven't changed with my view on the show, and in some cases they have improved, but a couple of alterations have not gone a miss.
Firstly, as with any returning series, I think we are now used to the basic formula of Atlantis, thus I can focus on the positive elements that are able to make themselves known above the day-to-day workings of this BBC One show.
I'm used to the action, the fast pace, the heavily stylized, powerful nature and feel of the show; all of which is left over from the last series and has indeed got better over time. I have even got used to the many mythical mash-ups each episode dollops up and (whilst the classicist in me is still reeling) I do appreciate that it is now a tried and tested method of moving the whole plot along and I do recognize it works for the show. What I was not ready for, was the darker feel to the show. Again quite a few returning TV shows (particularly from the BBC in recent years) claim to have a "new darker feel" to them, and sometimes the expected results fall flat. Here however, Atlantis has not been too subtle in instilling this new element, and it kind of has worked. Complete cutting of the fantastical title sequence, a dialing down of the comedy (though don't worry-bits are still present), a few timely character deaths, and pumped up injections of powerhouse drama. All of which make for a distinct new undercurrent to Atlantis and I do approve. My only worry, is that this "darker side" to the show may just be a quick fix to keep/attract audiences. I may be mistaken, in fact I hope I am but I just get the feeling that this level cannot and will not be kept up, and that Atlantis, far from reverting back to its lighter fantasy of series one, will become a bit of a mish-mash in terms of its overall outlook.
If you are going to "go darker" with a returning prime time show, I just feel you should follow it through properly and commit completely; and I fear Atlantis may have fallen short.
Aside from the feel of Atlantis, there are resolute positives and a few tweaks in the casting too. Gone are the characters of King Minos and Heptarian (though the latter is replaced by the villainous though slightly more interesting Clive Standen as Telemon) and broadly speaking I do not miss them. New characters are not really filling me with confidence though; Dion was an interesting enough character but he was killed off early on (though this was probably essential for the aforementioned "darker feel") and a major cast addition, Amy Manson as Medea, started promisingly but quickly fell through due to lack of screen time, poor acting and lack of character dimension and consistency. I see what they were doing in bringing in a new young female character (and a starting villain at that) but they had better have something massive planned for Medea to resurrect her character's standing. Happily, one gem of a new addition comes in the form of Ron Pickup as Orpheus; he is a joy to watch and I hope we have not seen the last of him.
One casting cut that I am greatly affronted over is the lack of the beautiful and brilliant Jemima Rooper as Medusa. Hers was a fantastically conceived and executed character arc in series one and whilst I know there are plans to bring her back in the second half of series two, hers is a presence that has been sorely missed.
Now turning to old faces held onto. Main man Jack Donnelly has improved steadily as hero Jason but, like last time I wrote of Atlantis, I still feel he is too one-dimensional. The fact that he is a leading man and that he is well supported by his fellow cast has probably saved him, yet when watching him you never once feel surprised at anything he does - rendering the main character all too predictable which I feel can be both a potentially boring and dangerous thing.
Robert Emms is consistently good as Pythagoras and Mark Addy (despite being toned down a few notches) is still a stand out star by miles for me as Hercules. Sarah Parish as Pasiphae, whilst still being the main antagonist, has somehow apparently been dealt a slightly meaner share of action and plot development. Despite the obvious best efforts of the writers to embroil her character in a web of suspense and intrigue, neither her performances nor her involvement in the plot is quite up to scratch yet this series.
Also worth a mention is Aiysha Hart as Ariadne. Last year I found her to be painfully unconvincing, transparent and shallow to watch; both as an actress and a character. This year however, I am happy to report that she seems to be doing her best to turn that around. Whilst you may not like the direction Ariadne's character is heading and the decisions she is making - the important thing is there are decisions made, directions taken and tangible character noticed.
So yes, again one series on and Atlantis is still going strong. Yes I still happily tune in each week and yes I do hope we get more and more, as I do feel there is a lot of potential in the show. However I must inject a note of caution and even doubt. Indeed there are many noticeable and powerful changes, directions and tones to this new series of Atlantis, however I think we must wait to see if these changes are executed well enough, and if they will pay dividends.
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