| Sibling Rivalry | |
| Season One, Episode 9 | |
 | |
| Air date | February 18, 2006 |
| Episode Guide | |
| previous See You at the Crossroads |
next Mazed and Confused |
Summary
After Neil single-handedly captures Medusa, he can't stop bragging to the gang while hiding how it truly happened. Things get out of hand when Medusa's sisters seek revenge.
Plot
At the city zoo, construction is taking place and uncovers a mysterious hole where the gorgon Medusa has been sealed away and is now free.
Not far from the construction area, Neil is engaged in a jungle theme photo shoot but is suffering interruptions from the monkeys in the cage with him. However, he continues with the shoot for the charity related to the zoo expansion. In a different area of the zoo, Medusa is wrecking havoc as she explores the area. A bear escapes from a cage she destroys but she quickly uses her magic to petrify it.
Back at the shoot, Neil finally gets a break from being around the monkeys and runs to a secluded area to collect himself. Wandering into the construction area, Neil quickly finds the bear now made of stone but thinks it's a sculpted piece of art. He begins trying to fix his hair when he hears something behind him. Spooked, he drops his mirror and rushes off, tripping over materials in the process that lead to a chain event ending in Medusa's capture under the bear. Feeling this was one of his luckiest moments, Neil quickly calls Jay to inform him of the situation.
A short while later, the rest of the chosen heroes arrive and are having a hard time believing Neil defeated Medusa alone. However, they have no choice but to believe it and decide to transport Medusa before she awakens while taking all precautions necessary considering her legacy.
In a special prison under the school, Medusa is heavily restrained and kept behind special glass that neutralizes her powers toward anyone who looks at her. Chiron compliments Neil on having apprehended Medusa and notes how she is one of the deadliest creatures of the ancient times. Odie asks if there is a way to reverse the effects of her petrification magic but Chiron sadly confirms that the effects are permanent.
Theresa asks if it is safe to keep Medusa so close but Hera assures her the heavily secure area will keep her contained and that Hera is the only one able to access the specified area. Chiron voices another concern when he mentions how Medusa's snakes are said to be telepathic and may try to reach Medusa's sisters. Hearing that there may be other gorgons immediately concerns Jay but Hera assures him that there will be no need to worry and she will find a more secure prison for Medusa when she returns from business in the Underworld. Before departing, she compliments the teens on their work in securing Medusa. She especially praises Neil for catching Medusa and the attention immediately goes to Neil's head. As Hera locks up the area and dismisses the teens, Odie takes the chance to observe and admire the different levels of security between the entrance and Medusa. As the seven enter the elevator, Archie is unable to keep quiet any longer and questions Neil on how he caught Medusa. Although Neil tries to avoid telling the story, he does give an exaggerated version claiming he fought Medusa hand to hand and eventually beat her.
Elsewhere in a garden-like area behind a mansion, two gorgons are relaxing when they suddenly hear from their snakes that Medusa was captured. They right away dislike hearing their sister has been captured but actually show more concern over what this will do for the reputation of the gorgons. Deciding they must preserve their legacy, the two gorgons decide they must leave their sanctuary and find Medusa while punishing the one who caught her.
At school, Atlanta and Archie are telling stories behind scars they received and become annoyed when Neil continues to brag about catching Medusa while not sustaining any damage, thereby remaining scar free. As Neil walks off, Jay appears and shares in his friends annoyance and desire to get back at Neil. Herry soon wishes to join this plan when Neil is showered with praise by Hercules and Aphrodite for his bravery and skill to keep his appearance maintained.
The deities leave and Jay rushes over while calling for Neil to help with a creature that has been sighted in the park. Neil believes the claim and hurries off. Once he is gone, the boys begin laughing and the others take this as the sign Neil fell for the trap. That night, Neil is walking through the woods and doesn't see any sign of a creature. He is about to leave when he is startled by a satyr who had been brought into the plan to scare him. The satyr is amused at Neil's frightened reaction but is cut short when he suddenly turns to stone. Realizing what happened, Neil takes out his mirror and right away spots Medusa's sisters behind him.
Outside the park, the other heroes are just arriving and quickly make their way to the area the prank is suppose to take place. They quickly find the satyr Derk but become concerned when they realize that he has been petrified. Spotting a note, Jay reads how the gorgons have Neil and will return him if they get Medusa in exchange. Realizing things have gotten out of hand, Jay quickly formulates a plan to save Neil. He starts by having Atlanta track down the gorgon sisters while the rest of them release Medusa for the trade. While most of them fear this is impossible, Odie points out how they may be able to bypass the security since they will be breaking in instead of breaking out.
After a short while to get everything they need, Jay leads Theresa, Archie and Herry into the prison. They immediately encounter the first problem when they must disable invisible lasers. Archie releases a smoke grenade that makes the lasers visible and allow Theresa to skillfully cross through using gymnastics. Reaching a specified point, Theresa then uses a crystal to reflects numerous lasers back to their origin and be destroyed. Next, Archie uses his whip to break a row of bars and they finally make their way to Medusa's cell. Jay prepares the device to unlock the cell but worries Herry when he mentions that it will not only take a little time to work but that there is no guarantee that it will work at all.
Outside the school, Odie receives a call from Atlanta that she has honed in on the gorgon's lair which put her back at the zoo where she sees numerous beings have been turned to stone. In the cave, the sisters Euryale and Stheno voice how it might be best to do away with Neil regardless if they get Medusa or not.
At the prison, Odie's device has finally unlocked Medusa's cell. The famed gorgon voices how she will make the teens pay for her captivity but Jay points out how this will not be possible considering they are each wearing special mirror reflective eye goggles that will keep them safe from her gaze. Theresa quickly places a sack over Medusa's head for further protection from her gaze and snakes. Securing her to a dolly, they begin leaving when they suddenly encounter a chimera.
The group begins doing what they can to stop the beast but find themselves easily outmatched. Just as the chimera seems sure of victory, Theresa senses that the animal is not actually real and is a virtual creature that has been enhanced to the point of taking solid form. The only way to stop the chimera is to not fight it. Fortunately, the plan works and the chimera vanishes while leaving the teens mildly bruised. They continue to the elevator but first strap gas masks on everyone but Medusa since the elevator will be filled with knock out gas and this will make it easier for them to handle her.
The group quickly load into Herry's truck and make their way to the zoo where Atlanta has found the cave entrance. As Herry is lowering Medusa into the entrance, he asks Jay if it is a good idea he stays behind. Jay informs Herry that he will be needed on the surface to block the entrance if needed.
With Herry and Odie staying behind, the rest take Medusa into the cave where they find Neil chained to a pillar. Giving Neil his own pair of goggles, the blond teen warns Jay the Euryale and Stheno will not keep their end of the deal regardless if Medusa is returned or not. Proving Neil's warning correct, the two gorgons appear just as Medusa is waking.
To the teens surprise, the sisters appear to be on bickering terms as Medusa claims she does not want to be around the two and they show more concern about the gorgon's reputation. They try to free Medusa to have her join them but Atlanta and Theresa keep them apart. During the fight, Jay tries to free Neil but the task proves challenging.
On the surface, Herry is struggling to get a truck full of rocks ready to close the case just as the gorgon sisters are starting to take advantage of the fight with their enhanced strength and brute force. With her goggles off, Atlanta has to rely on Odie to guide her to attack. Unleashing her bolos, she frees Archie from one of the sisters grasp and he uses his whip to break a stalactite to fall from above.
The third sister nearly crushes a helpless Jay when Theresa kicks her away. She lands next to Medusa and frees her thinking Medusa will join in trying to beat the heroes only for Medusa to turn on them for how they felt she is weak and giving their reputation a bad name. As the sisters begin to argue, Archie frees Neil and uses his whip to block the entrance. Heading to the surface, Herry unloads the rocks to further slow down the gorgons until a more permanent solution can be found.
Returning to the school, the six teens receive a scolding from Hera for having gotten Medusa from the prison as it could have been incredibly bad for the city had it not worked out. Fortunately, she is willing to let it slide since they did save Neil and lock away the gorgons. As Odie stays to offer help for upgrades on the security system, the others leave hoping that Neil will be more humble but find their friend now claiming he fought all of the gorgons.
Trivia
- When Jay's coin hits the floor after being shot by the targeting lasers, you can see the picture of an antlered animal. It's the caribou featured on the Canadian quarter.
- When Atlanta says that they left quite a trail of breadcrumbs, this is a reference to the popular children book, Hansel and Gretel They main Characters in this book, Hansel and Gretel, left a trail of breadcrumbs behind them in the forest so that they wouldn't get lost. When Atlanta mentions it, she is referring to all of the zoo animals that the Gorgons turned to stone
- When Jay says "She's not just another pretty face." is a reference to the song by Shania Twain "She's not just another pretty face."
- Neil is not shy about his body, as he was photographed wearing nothing but a loincloth.
- Medusa should not have been alive at all, having been beheaded and killed by Perseus.
Mythology
- In most myths, Medusa is stated to have been a beautiful virgin priestess dedicated to serving Athena. However, her position as a priestess came to an end when Poseidon had sexually assaulted Medusa in Athena's temple. Because women were not considered their own selves and their situations not considered by society on the same level as men, Athena saw Poseidon as doing what was set upon male deities and Medusa was faulted for his actions as it was her beautiful appearance that caught Poseidon's attention, hence Athena turning her into a gorgon so her human beauty would not draw another man's attention. Even if Athena had not turned Medusa into a gorgon, Medusa was considered by Greek standards to no longer be eligible for traditional marriage since she was no longer a virgin due to the assault.
- In several myths, Athena was the one who bestowed onto Perseus the mirror shield he used to see Medusa's reflection.
- There are a variety of myth's that have different origins as some myths claim they are children of the sea and others claim they are children of a gorgon and a mortal mother. Some of those myths also claim that the women were not turned into complete gorgons as they mainly kept their original human appearances and only their hair and eyes changed. These myths were changed since it was considered unheroic for a hero to kill a human, especially a woman.
- According to Ovid, in northwest Africa, Perseus flew past the Titan Atlas, who stood holding the sky aloft, and transformed Atlas into stone when Atlas tried to attack him.
- While Medusa was pregnant by Poseidon, she was beheaded by Perseus, and from her body sprung Pegasus and Chrysaor, her two offspring.
Quotes
Archie: You really didn't use a weapon? Not even a little one?
Neil: What can I say Arch, I'm really that good!
Cast
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Main Cast |
Recurring Cast |