Retro Review: The Odyssey (1997)

So, time for a compare and contrast! After seeing Nolan’s blockbuster, we realized we had never watched this version. Made in 1997, it originally aired on NBC.

One thing authors and creators are often accused of is presentism – applying the values of the present to the past. I’ve been accused of it myself, and not in a good way (somebody objected to queer people in Medieval England).

Comparing this version to Nolan’s…I will say Nolan is also guilty of presentism, but not in a bad way. His Odyssey looks at things we’re concerned with today. PTSD plays a major role, and Odysseus’ curse comes out of the things he did during the sack of Troy, not his arrogance. Nolan, in other words, is taking the story and asking what we can learn from it. This is not a bad thing.

But Michael Ellis, who directed this version, is only interested in bringing the story to an audience that might be too intimidated to read an epic poem. And while Armand Assante didn’t look much like Odysseus, he had a script that seemed to understand who the character is.

The sex is not sanitized. His affair with Circe (Bernadette Peters) and his relationship with Penelope (Greta Scacchi) thus ring far more true. The one weird choice made was to cut the siren sequence for length. Nolan instead chose to cut Aeolus and the journey with the Phoenicians. I thought this was a better choice simply because the siren sequence is so iconic.

Oh, and on a TV budget, these people could find ships that looked like they belonged in the Mediterranean, not a fjord.

As a side note, the casting of Lupita N’yongo as Helen (who remains off camera in this version) actually follows a bit of a tradition. Calypso was played by Vanessa Williams, a very gorgeous Black woman. So, hey, we have to have a Black woman somewhere in the Odyssey.

As another side note, I was incredibly impressed with Isabella Rossellini as Athena. Not to knock Zendaya, but Isabella really convinced me she was a goddess. (Side note to side note, she’s the daughter of Ingrid Bergman).

Here’s the thing. I enjoyed Nolan’s rendering, although not as much as the hype led me to believe I should. It was beautifully made, visually spectacular, and featured some really good casting and acting.

But it lacked two things that this version possessed in spades: Heart and fun.

Sorry, Mr. Nolan. You have, in fact, lost the Odyssey-off.

The Avengers 3.18 “Mandrake”

This episode begins with a classic British funeral scene. It’s raining. Everyone has umbrellas.

Having already used “The Undertakers” for another episode, they gave this one a title that’s a bit of a stretch.

This is another ongoing murder scheme. An aging doctor helps people bump off relatives or spouses for inheritance, then gets them buried in St. Alban’s church, in a ghost town in Cornwall where the soil is so full of arsenic the arsenic poisoning won’t be found if the bodies are exhumed.

This is their big mistake. Their bigger mistake is murdering somebody Steed knows and getting his attention.

But really, this should have attracted suspicion sooner…

The bad guys in this show tend to have great schemes…then make ONE big mistake.

The Avengers 3.19 “The Secret Broker”

One way to pass secrets? Coded messages during a séance. To arrange a murder, of course.

This episode features a cat. And wine. With some really good wine (Cathy accuses Steed of having no palate to appreciate it. We know he doesn’t).

There’s also, of course, sex…an affair. A darkroom in a wine casket. And a secret project to better track submarines gives a little bit of SF here.

Plenty of banter here, of course.

“Wilson, Mrs. Wilson” was particularly entertaining. We never do find out her first name.

I want wine now.

The Avengers 3.20 “Trojan Horse”

They could only afford one horse in this racing-focused episode, and he didn’t look much like a race horse. (His name was Sebastian and he was adorable).

This is one of the most…ridiculous…episodes. Race jockeys assassinating people with poison binoculars? Cathy turns out to be a good handicapper because there’s nothing that woman can’t do.

Nobody makes any steed jokes. Come on. The steed jokes write themselves here.

And Steed ends up owning the horse…but he’s four, which is over the hill for a flat racehorse. (And no doubt the horse will never be seen again).

I just wanted more horses.

Daredevil 2.3 "New York's Finest"

This is, surprisingly, not really about cops. Instead, it focuses on the philosophical differences between Frank and Matt. Each trying to sway the other to their viewpoint on the best way to deal with criminals.

Foggy, meanwhile, demonstrates violence interruption in his own distinctive way. And the DA is kind of evil. Because of course she is. Kind of like StarFleet admirals.

Lots of violence in this, and lots of blown up motorbikes.

The tricky question here, couched slightly in Catholicism: Who deserves redemption? Is anyone beyond it? When is the death penalty justified? We know who's side we're supposed to be on, but Frank is actually presented as somewhat sympathetic here. There's nuance.