Eyes of Wakanda – Legends and Lies review S1 E2
Legends and Lies was an excellent second episode of Eyes of Wakanda, fully showing how vast the reach of this series can be and the opportunities for more exploration of Wakanda.
While an anthology series, so far the first two episodes have followed a linear path. Legends and Lies picks up the story several decades from Into the Lion’s Den. Wakandan agent Memnon (Larry Herron) — not to be confused with Agamemnon, is part of the Greek army fighting alongside Achilles (Adam Gold). The Trojan War is nearing its conclusion with Hector presumably already dead and the Trojan army fortified behind its vast walls.
Achilles is tired of the battles and ready to end the war with a decisive, final victory while Memnon tries to keep his close friend from falling prey to his reckless nature. Screenwriter Marc Bernardin makes some clever choices in Legends and Lies. While Achilles and his men exclaim “For Greece!” while in battle or rallying, Memnon distinctly says “For Home!” It’s a subtle nod that for Memnon, he doesn’t care about this conflict so much as completing his true mission.
That involves retrieving a medallion currently around the neck of Helen. It’s one of the lost Wakandan artifacts that the War Dogs — The Hatut Zeraze — have been tracking down. Since Memnon can’t get to Helen without helping the Greeks win the war, he’s honor bound to do so to get the medallion although he does have some reservations about not being totally upfront with Achilles.
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Legends and Lies doesn’t dwell on race, but Bernardin doesn’t completely ignore how a black man fighting alongside the Greeks could raise some eyebrows. He handles it a smart manner, but not glossing over it while not making it a key aspect of Legends and Lies either.
Bernardin largely sticks to The Iliad with a few tweaks in service of this story. Odysseus does come up with the idea for the Trojan Horse, which gets the Greek Army past the walls of Troy but it’s Memnon who confronts Paris and Helen. That leads to Achilles feeling betrayed and battling his former brother in arms.
Bernardin does an impressive job of using 25 minutes of storytelling to give this battle some legit emotional stakes similar to an Obi-Wan vs Anakin feel. With Legends and Lies, the betrayal stings different as the hero of the story betrays his friend for the greater good. Not for Greek, but for Wakanda and by proxy, the world itself.
In two episodes of Eyes of Wakanda, the tone is somewhat jarring. There are some more typical comedic moments found in the standard Disney cartoon while other moments have battles with serious (albeit bloodless) violence. Paris is portrayed like a bumbling goof who is talked down to by Helen for comedic effect while the Greeks murder Trojan soldiers in their sleep. Legends and Lies director John Fang shifts the camera off from these less glamorous realities of the Trojan Horse attack in an artful way that’s more effective than just showing the bloodshed.
Back in Wakanda, Memnon going by his actual name of B’Kai, is speaking to the leader of the Hatut Zeraze — a much older Noni (Lynn Whitfield). He’d given up so much of his life in service of Wakanda, but he feels like a stranger within its borders now. Touching on wartime PTSD was a very solid touch to what was a surprisingly layered story.
Legends and Lies certainly made great use of the format to tell a complex story in a condensed amount of time. We’re halfway through this series and Eyes of Wakanda has proven to be a welcome surprise. This series definitely feels like this has more potential than just being limited to four episodes.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Enjoyed Legends and Lies and want to check out another take on The Trojan War? Check out Troy on Blu-Ray now on Amazon.
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