“Revenge of the Gods” is episode seven of season one of The Time Tunnel.
At the end of the previous episode, “Crack of Doom”, Doug and Tony had ended up on a battlefield between two sides. An ancient battlefield; Tik-Toc dated it to 1200 BC. They took shelter behind some rocks, as two sides clashed in some definitely reused footage, only to have soldiers jump out at them and their leader shouting ‘Die, Trojan!’ They explain they are not Trojans, but the soldier says they are not Greeks either, so who are they. From another country, visiting cities What are they doing outside the walls of Troy, the soldier asks, indicating a city. Ulysses will decide what to do with them.
Ulysses is currently arguing with another, Sardis, who wants a handful of men to burn Troy to the ground rather than fighting the Trojans on their own terms. Always the same plane and always the same answer – no. They were sent here to rescue Helen and if they set fire to the city, she will die too. And burning is too good a death for Paris.
Doug and Tony are brought before Ulysses. Sardis wants to question them – painfully. When they explain where they came from, and that it’s a place where time has no beginning or end, Ulysses decides that they are gods from Olympus. Something he’s happy about. Do they know the future? They do. It will end with victory and the return of Helen, though Ulysses will never breach the walls. He will find another way to win the war. It’s fortunate the Ancient Greeks speak and understand modern English.
Sardis doesn’t believe them to be gods and wants to test them. Testing meaning ‘fight Tony with a sword.’ Tik-Toc manage to tune into them as Tony is fighting. Rather surprisingly, he wins, despite likely having no previous knowledge of swordplay. He lets Sardis go, so Sardis tries to throw a spear in his back. Ulysses is not happy with that. Sardis thinks Ulysses is a fool, and his military blunders have cost them 10 years. He storms off in a mood.
According to Ulysses, another of his generals went off to sulk once. Achilles. Command decisions are not easy. But maybe Sardis is right. Sardis used force but Ulysses wants to use another weapon. He sent a question to the Oracle and Delphi who returned with answers. If they are gods, they must know the answers. They do, and what caused the war, though it’s fortunate the Ancient Greeks recognise the Roman names of the gods that they won’t be given for centuries.
Sardis heads to Troy to see Paris. Paris is currently boasting to Helen, who is not impressed. She thinks she didn’t come with him of her own will, but he used something that destroyed her will. Poison, perhaps; Paris used poison on the arrow that killed Achilles. No, he used only love, and she will learn to love him. Helen doubts she will, given that she hasn’t in the past ten years, she never will.
Sardis is shown in and Helen isn’t impressed with him being a traitor. In war, according to Sardis, one side must win and one lose. Ulysses will lose and he doesn’t want to lose with him. For years, Ulysses ignored Sardis’s advice, fighting on the plains where the Trojans had the advantage. Sardis explains Doug and Tony. Paris wants them capturing and Sardis says they can be, by him, if Paris gives him some men.
Tony is surprised that he and Doug have been drafted into the army. Doug tells him that the gods took sides. But, when everyone is asleep, they will get out. Tony wants to see if the Trojan Horse is real after all, and heads to see Ulysses. Ulysses is conferring with another, Epeios, wanting to know if it can be done. The gods are on the side of those who win and two have already joined. Tony arrives at this point and realises that they are working on the plan for the wooden horse. Tony says that Ulysses’ strategy will become legendary.
With Tony away, Doug is seized by Sardis and the Trojans, and taken to see Paris. Paris tests him on something; a claim by Cassandra that Troy would be burnt to the grown. Which is a prophecy that Doug knows. Paris doesn’t believe it to be true.
Tony now wants to try and get Doug free from the Trojans, which means he will get a very good look at the wooden horse once it is built. Tik-Toc try to help, and run into problems. It really doesn’t look as if they know what they are doing.