The second episode of Eyes of Wakanda, “Legends and Lies,” capitalizes on the unique ideas and compelling story of the first episode, in addition to diving deeper into the potential of a show of this nature. Given the show being both a period piece and a work of in-universe legend, the adaptation of Achilles and the Trojan War worked extremely well. Despite the immense skills of B’Kai (“Memnon”) and Achilles, the invasion of the Trojan Palace keeps failing. Tension brews in the camps due to suspicions surrounding B’Kai’s true identity, as some soldiers believe him to be a Trojan spy. Still, Achilles stands up for him, Odysseys begins construction of the Trojan Horse, and B’Kai continues his secret mission of retrieving a Wakandan jewel. The episode reaches an exciting climax when the Greeks burst out of the Trojan horse, and B’Kai leaves Achilles for dead to pursue his secret mission. He ends up retrieving the jewel, but Achilles survives and confronts him about his lies. Their fight results in B’Kai remorsefully killing Achilles, slicing his famous heel, and stabbing his heart. The episode concludes with an injured B’Kai in Wakanda, feeling like an outsider within his own home as he talks with an old Noni (the protagonist of the pilot).

While most people are familiar with Achilles and Odysseus, the added element of B’Kai makes this already famous and recognizable story all the more compelling. This episode remains relatively thin in terms of plot details, but this does not harm the episode very much. Rather than introducing an intricate plot, the episode 

relies on the familiar story of the Trojan War to act as a base for the real story between Achilles and B’Kai. Despite the secret reveal playing out predictably, weaving B’Kai and Wakanda into such a familiar story made the relationship as a whole extremely engaging. 

In keeping with the pilot, this episode has a gripping visual identity, with heavily detailed, painterly clouds, creative action sequences that play out in shadow, and enough blood to make fights dramatic without being gratuitous. Overall, “Legends and Lies” is a great improvement on the first episode, having its own advantages and sharing some disadvantages. While the story is thin and relies a bit heavily on the Trojan War, this ultimately serves as a compelling enough base to build a powerful story about B’Kai and Achilles while exploring the more potentially negative consequences of being an agent of Wakanda. While relatively thin in its plotting (the jewel is uninteresting on its own), “Legends and Lies” works extremely well given its length. Considering the fact that the story of B’Kai, Achilles, and the Wakandan jewel is a short, standalone tale in a short season, the issues fade into the background while the compelling uniqueness shines through.

Rating: 8/10