ENTERTAINMENT
Breakout Hit “Oedipus” Renewed For Another Season
Story of prophecy, murder, and incest proves irresistible to viewers
There once lived a man named Oedipus Rex, You may have heard about his odd complex. His name appears in Freud’s index ’Cause he loved his mother. ~ Tom Lehrer
Sometimes you just can’t outrun your fate. Or your mom.
Summer TV isn’t known for depth, so a year ago it was a surprise the runaway hit in the hot months was the hot-but-gritty drama Oedipus. Season two didn’t cool down at all.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
If you’re one of the tens of people who still haven’t seen this hit show, stop reading and start bingeing!
This collaboration between all-star screenwriter Sophocles and showrunner J.J. Abrams follows a man who began life abandoned on a hillside — with a spike driven though his ankles for good measure, in one of the first season’s most shocking and controversial moments — after a prophecy foretold he’d kill his father and marry his mother.
Not exactly escapist fare.
As you recall, season one ended with Oedipus saving the city of Thebes from the Sphinx. They’d recently lost their king, so the new hero was rewarded with his crown and his widow’s hand. Everything was finally coming up roses for a guy who’d had it rough!
Just kidding. This is Oedipus, after all.
In a flashback inserted after the season finale credits, we returned to an earlier scene in which he killed an unknown man during an altercation. Only this time, the victim is revealed to be the king of Thebes!
Oedipus hasn’t just committed murder. Unbeknownst to him, he’s now sitting on the victim’s throne and making love — frequently and graphically — to the victim’s wife.
Oops.
The new season opened with Thebes in the grip of a plague that was, according to the oracle at Delphi, punishment for the previous king’s murderer remaining at large. Oedipus vowed to track down and punish the killer.
Double oops.
Regular readers know I think hubris is an overused plot device, but it works beautifully here. Even as evidence mounts that he is the guilty party and the prophecy may be coming true, he just can’t let it go.
Of course, rooting for this guy wouldn’t be exactly, well, right. Right?
But therein lies the genius of the show — viewers find themselves hoping this forbidden love survives.
Even Jocasta has bought into the relationship with her former husband’s murderer and desperately tries to discourage him from seeking the truth. She’s committed to making this work no matter how hard she has to close her eyes.
Which is very hard indeed, because remember, the prophecy was Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother.
That’s more than an oops, it’s a bomb ready to blow up her life. But she loves her husband and their children so much she’s willing to pretend they aren’t half-siblings.
And fans approved. Loudly. You know you have a hit when millions of viewers worldwide are screaming “stop the investigation!” at their screens to protect the marriage of a murderer and his mother.
On one point, at least, it’s hard to blame Oedipus. Jocasta is played by Hollywood’s most inexplicably ignored actress, the delectable Cassandra O’Troy. Can I say her sultry presence would be enough to tempt any man into a little risky family business? Ask the Oracle. I’m not telling.
Unfortunately, Jocasta’s death in the final episode left her legion of fans heartbroken. But never fear, her extended contract means we’ll see plenty of her in the new season by way of flashbacks — and word is, the emphasis is on plenty!
So what can we expect going forward? Let’s say I wouldn’t expect the tone to lighten. In this season’s finale, Oedipus learns beyond a doubt he’s committed patricide and incest. His beloved Jocasta hangs herself, and he gouges out his own eyes in despair. As the screen fades to black, the chorus sings, “count no man happy who is not dead!”
Bachelor in Paradise this ain’t.
Rated TV-MA for violence, strong sexual content, adult themes, and unjust punishment from the gods.
John Werth is a Medium Top Writer in Humor and Satire. He’s not a real person, merely a sufficiently large number of monkeys typing randomly to string together a few coherent sentences. Please read “his” stories. Our credit with the fruit stand is running out, and we need the bananas.
If by some miracle you have room in your inbox, consider filling it with a subscription to get his stories. Even better, if you use this link to sign up for Medium yourself, we’ll get a commission. The monkeys thAnjk you!
More in MuddyUm:
