Morton's fork

Morton's fork was the name Gatherer Hade gave to the plan with which he intended to draw out the outlaws living in the undercity. It involved sending in a group of the Inner Retinue guard that would force them out into the open where they could be picked off. Hade named it after Morton, an "illustrious predecessor". (TV: The Sun Makers)

Behind the scenes

In reality, "Morton's fork" is a term for a forced choice between two lines of reasoning which lead to the same unpleasant conclusion. It derives from John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor under Henry VII, who argued that a man living frugally must have money to spare and therefore could afford to pay taxes, and that a man living opulently must be rich and therefore could afford to pay taxes — a conclusion that dovetails with The Sun Makers' anti-tax message.