If you want to get people excited about a mystery, here’s three words that never fail: “The Holy Grail”.
The cup that Jesus Christ is meant to have drunk from the night before his crucifixion has inspired quests, driven people to madness, resulted in a pretty good Monty Python movie, and has become the literal definition of an object people will do anything to find (yes, the Holy Grail is the Holy Grail of historical relics). In Labyrinth, 800 years separates two women who find themselves entangled in a search for the grail, but across time one thing hasn’t changed: the people who want it won’t let anything stand in their way.
Alice Tanner (Vanessa Kirby) at the dig in France. Credit: StudioCanal
When Alice Tanner (Vanessa Kirby) volunteers at an archaeological dig in 2012 France, she expects to uncover nothing more the usual mix of relics and bones. And when an earthquake uncovers a long-lost cave, relics and bones are exactly what she finds. But when she tries on one of those relics – a ring with a mysterious labyrinth symbol carved into it – she finds herself in a vision so vivid it might as well be real, with people being cast into a fire and a woman holding out a book to her.
Then the woman wakes up. Suddenly we’re in 1209, where Alaïs Pelletier du Mas (Jessica Brown Findlay) has plenty of troubles of her own. Will her connection to a woman 800 years in the future be her salvation, or will this link across time end up dooming Alice as well?
Alaïs Pelletier du Mas (Jessica Brown Findlay). Credit: StudioCanal
Based on the best-selling novel by Kate Mosse, this series is epic both in scope and in casting. Is that John Hurt planting a garden at the very beginning of the story? Yes it is; other big names include Sebastian Shaw, Tony Curran, Tom Felton, and Katie McGrath. And with a story that’s big on evil scheming, treachery, and dialogue like “kill the heretics, make their priest watch,” pretty much everyone gets a chance to shine (though in John Hurt’s case, you have to wait a while for him to properly show up).
John Hurt in 'Labyrinth'. Credit: StudioCanal
There’s a bit more to the twin timelines than simply Game of Thrones meets The Da Vinci Code, but fans of either (or both) will find a lot to enjoy here. As will history buffs and conspiracy theorists: the Cathar heresy and the Albigensian Crusade has something for just about everyone, in part because the Cathars were so thoroughly wiped out by Pope Innocent III’s forces that we barely know anything about their beliefs.
That means there’s plenty of gaps for speculation, and this series sticks to what facts we do know while also having fun playing around with the more fantastical elements of the Grail myth. And with much of the 1209 scenes filmed in the medieval hilltop town of Carcassonne, there’s always the stunning settings to take in.
Not that Alaïs has much time herself to enjoy the view. Living in a region full of heretics, she’s fully aware that the Pope’s forces are set to move against those of her Cathar faith. To make matters worse, her husband (Emun Elliott), who’s a member of the local governing council (and therefore first against the wall when the Pope’s crusade arrives) is having an affair with her evil sister Oriane (Katie McGrath), and she’s more than happy to sell her out if it’ll give her a chance to move up in the world.
Books and ancient relics cause trouble across the centuries in 'Labyrinth'. Credit: StudioCanal
If her impending doom from at least two different directions wasn’t enough for Alaïs to worry about, she discovers her father is part of a secret Cathar sect guarding a trio of books that contain the secrets of the Holy Grail. Now staying one step ahead of the Crusaders isn’t just about staying alive, but about protecting a secret that could change the course of the world – and give those who uncover it the secret of living forever.
That’s a secret that might come in handy for Alice, who back in the present day finds herself being interviewed by some pretty suspicious types who want to know exactly what drew her to the archaeological site. As her visions of the past grow, and her connection to Alaïs becomes more compelling, that’s a question she’d like answered herself.
Soon she’s on a grail quest of her own; fingers crossed she has better luck than the Cathars before her.
Two-part series Labyrinth is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
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Labyrinth
