So, Doctor Foster is based on the myth of Medea? Here are 5 other Greek endings that would fit too

Suranne Jones starring as Gemma Foster in the BBC drama
Beware of doctors bearing drinks: Suranne Jones starring as Gemma Foster in the BBC drama Credit:  Nick Briggs/BBC

It has reeled in viewers with its dark tale of adultery and revenge, and kept them watching to see whether it can possibly end well. But has the writer of Doctor Foster just dropped a colossal spoiler, revealing the show’s ending before the audience has actually got there? In an interview with the Radio Times this week, Mike Bartlett mentions that the hit BBC One show is based on the Greek myth of Medea. For anyone well-versed in ancient mythology, this could prove something of a big fat Greek giveaway. And it doesn’t bode well for Simon, Doctor Foster’s cheating ex-husband.

Although you’re no doubt up to speed with all Medea’s deeds and misdeeds, here’s a reminder . The wife of the hero Jason (he of Argonauts fame), Medea, like Gemma Foster, was no wallflower. When Jason abandoned her to marry another woman, called Glauce, an incensed Medea sent a dress and coronet covered in poison, which killed both Glauce and her father. The Fosters’ son Tom may have a sticky end coming too, as Medea also killed her children. She later remarried, to Aegeus, but then tried to kill her stepson Theseus with a cup of poison. The characters of Doctor Foster would be well advised to beware of doctors bearing drinks.

Simon Foster, played by Bertie Carvel
Simon Foster, played by Bertie Carvel Credit: Drama Republic

Unless, of course, Doctor Foster was based on a different Greek myth. Here’s how it could pan out if Gemma were a modern-day incarnation of any of the following:

Penelope

If the Ancient Greek heroine Penelope was instead the muse for Bartlett, Doctor Foster could end very differently. Instead of resorting to multiple poisonings, Gemma would end up reunited with cheating Simon after forcing him to prove himself in a series of near-impossible tasks. Like Penelope’s husband Odysseus, Simon would return from his estrangement but in disguise, to test whether Gemma had remained faithful to him. (Slight problem here, in that Simon already knows he's the one with the track record of infidelity but we’ll gloss over that for now.) To satisfy herself that he really was Simon, Gemma would set him challenges only he could possibly perform. Having succeeded at these, he would finally be welcomed back into the family home - an ending unlikely to satisfy many viewers.

The other woman: Kate Parks, played by Jodie Comer, in Doctor Foster
The other woman: Kate Parks, played by Jodie Comer, in Doctor Foster Credit: Laurence Cendrowicz/BBC

Medusa

Things could take a fantastical turn if the Gorgon Medusa were the inspiration for Gemma’s character. Leaving aside the snake-hair (not sure the BBC special effects budget stretches to this), Gemma would become a repulsive creature as punishment by the Gods for having married Simon. She would proceed to wander about, shunned by the rest of the world, petrifying anyone unlucky enough to fall under her gaze. Her deliverance would come only when she was finally killed by another man, as Medusa was by Perseus.

Persephone

Were Persephone the Greek heroine on which Gemma was based, the story would cast her as an innocent victim kidnapped by Simon, as was Persephone by her suitor Hades, the God of the Underworld. Through her marriage to Simon, Gemma would become queen of the dead. Gemma’s mother would try and rescue her from evil Simon, as did Persephone’s mother Demeter; but Gemma, under Simon's spell, would insist she wished to continue living with him, effectively taking on the role of abused wife determined to stay by her husband’s side. An eventual compromise would see her spend half her time with Simon and half with her mother. Seems unlikely somehow.

Gemma Foster: unleashing hell on everyone?
Gemma Foster: unleashing hell on everyone? Credit: Laurence Cendrowicz/BBC/PA

Hera

Hera’s husband Zeus (who is also her brother, but never mind) has a relationship with another woman, Leto, who gets pregnant as a result. Sound more familiar? When Hera finds out Leto is carrying Zeus’s children, she puts a curse on Leto so the latter won’t find anywhere to give birth. Zeus eventually saves Leto by helpfully providing an island where she can have her children safely. But jealous Hera continues to harass Leto and her son and daughter afterwards. So Gemma, in this version, would pursue a campaign of hate against Kate and her child. Quite realistic as a plot development, this one.

Pandora

A modern-day version of this one would see Gemma opening a wine bottle and unleashing hell on everyone. This is pretty much what has happened so far, so perhaps the Medea reference was in fact a red herring.

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