The Lotus Eaters
They say that once you have eaten from the lotus plant - you will never want to return home. To outward appearances Erik and Ann Sheppard (Ian Hendry and Wanda Ventham) are typical English ex-pats running a bar on a far-flung Greek island. But appearances can be deceptive - this is an arranged marriage of a different sort - with roots in international espionage. Stefan Gryff gives a great performance as the omniscient local police captain.
The story of Erik and Ann Shepherd continues. Will they return to Aghios Nikolaos and face up to the web of intrigue and mystery in which they find themselves so deeply involved? Before they do, fate has one more trick in store for Erik.
The Shepherds are back in Aghios Nikolaos, and the subject of much interest. A new game is being played out and while Captain Krasakis seeks to identify the players, Erik struggles to understand the rules.
"You see the terrible thing about all this business is that you can no longer trust anyone," says Captain Krasakis. Erik realises how true this is when Ann regains her memory, and the Shepherds learn that even the dead can still spring a surprise.
The first player makes his move and the tensions and pressures increase on the Shepherds, particularly when they lose a very close friend.
"When two people whisper together in a corner they're usually digging a well for a third one to fall into," Erik Shepherd tells Sam Webber. As the masks come off Erik forms an unusual alliance.
With true identities revealed, it is time for Erik to settle a few old scores. Ann comes to a decision and the Shepherds' marriage faces its biggest test …
Erik and Ann Shepherd's marriage is, at best, uneasy - haunted by memories they would both rather forget. Donald Culley's arrival in Aghios Nikolaos stirs up more than even he realises.
David Clive is a weak man, trapped in an unhappy marriage, who takes refuge in Aghios Nikolaos and finally establishes his independence. So why is his wife so confident she can still get him back?
Storm clouds gather over Aghios Nikolaos as Erik Shepherd and his customers await a stranger. "We are all so vulnerable," says Captain Krasakis. "Conscience is every man's cross as shame is his crown of thorns."
"I know what you're thinking. Why all this fuss over a box of groceries? But it's more than that. It's important. You see, it's a touch of home." Major and Mrs Edward Woolley live a perfectly ordered existence on Crete. But when the calm routine is broken, their life explodes into a violent reaction.
Like the goddess Aphrodite, Julie Johnson drifts into Aghios Nikolaos from the sea. And like Aphrodite she disrupts the lives of all she meets, particularly Ann and Erik Shepherd.
Nester Turton's life in Aghios Nikolaos comprises drinking and whoring, which he does in equal measure when funds permit. But when Nestor's past catches up with him the results are hilarious. For Nestor, it seems, has been dead for years …
No Cretan will set foot on the deserted island of Spinalonga. Philip and Leigh Mervish find the powerful atmosphere of this former leper colony perfect for a psychological experiment. They talk Aghios Nikolaos' resident hippies, Kirsten and Mark, into helping them. But things don't go quite according to plan.
Alan Fletcher, Aghios Nikolaos' very own "Ernest Hemmingway", seems to have the perfect life - but as viewers know by now things are seldom the way they seem. Meanwhile, two people return to Aghios, and the marriage of Erik and Ann Shepherd is strained to breaking point.
As the town celebrates the festival of St Nicholas, the tension becomes unbearable. Whether the Shepherd's marriage will survive is no longer the question. Death stalks the streets of Aghios Nikolaos and nothing will ever be the same again.
| Location | |
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| Language | English |
| Release | 1972-04-23 |
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