- Date of Release: 29 August 2024
- Genre: Comedy, Dark, Drama, Fantasy
- Language: English
- Watch On: Netflix
KAOS (Season 1)
KAOS on Netflix probably won’t appeal to everyone, but I couldn’t help but binge it. The first two episodes were dismissible, but the rest of the series offers a decent insight into the philosophy behind Greek (and older European) mythology where gods were not viewed as benevolent, loving beings, but a larger-than-life reflection of human nature. The show definitely rewards those who stick with it until the end and the plot twists are actually good.
The show trusts the audience and doesn’t waste time explaining the plot other than a general narration by the brilliant Stephen Dillane as Prometheus who plays the double agent with ease and perfection. His hatred of the Gods and love of humans is visible in his eyes. The series throws you into a world where Gods are not only real, but they regularly interfere in human matters without any concern about the consequences or impact on their subjects. Prophesies are real and everyone has a pre-written destiny. Realistically, when you are all powerful and mostly immortal, you would behave like an egomaniac who thinks they’re always right. Jeff Goldblum channels this energy perfectly and with an almost Elon Musk like persona, he is vain, vulnerable, and volatile, but also has the power to destroy millions with the wave of his hand.
The three main humans in the series have little to nothing to do in the first season and the writers didn’t bother giving them even a semblance of a personality or relatable attributes. The first one; Aurora Perrineau as Eurydice “Riddy” is troubled because she is beautiful and married to a rich and famous musician who loves her so much he’s willing to travel to the underworld to bring her back from the dead. Her portrayal of a miserable wife is as believable as Trump’s “they’re eating the pets” claim. Misia Butler as Caeneus is better but only because his character is a defeated human who was betrayed by both the humans and the Gods. He plays the human who truly believes he is insignificant possibly a little too well, which makes him almost forgettable. The love that develops between the two seems forced and sudden. These two were the weakest links in the show, unfortunately, they are integral to next season’s plot.
If you are a fan of mythology you would enjoy glimpses into modern day versions of Greek legends. I’ve never seen Debi Mazar do a bad job and her portrayal as Medusa was adorable. The once fierce Medusa is now an office manager in the underworld and she is as jaded as any of us sitting behind our desks. She probably has more reason than anyone to be sick of the gods, she has also lost her ability to turn people into stone in the underworld. She is a frustrated, unpaid employee and it shows. She is also one of the few who is aware of who the Gods truly are and as the plot unravels, we see why she stays in a place she hates.
David Thewlis is back in his Greek God era, this time as Hades. The man can truly do no wrong. This is also one of the few portrayals of Hades where is isn’t a crazed dictator trying to overthrow his more powerful brother. He’s a loving husband and a dutiful sibling who tries to follow his brother’s orders despite knowing it is wrong. He also tries to warn Zeus of the impending danger, but is shown his place by his brother who is slowly unravelling and taking the rest of the world down with him.
Humans in this world, especially those living in Crete under a dictatorship, worship the Gods because they have concrete proof that Gods truly do walk among them. This isn’t myth, but the fanaticism and chaos is supposed to reflect what exists among us, but comes across as showing the religion as barbaric. Ancient Greek practices are portrayed in a far more brutal way than necessary, but that’s possibly because the show stays true to the source material which was obviously written by a British writer who grew up in a post Abraham world. It was only in episode three that the show finally gets interesting with a great help from Leila Farzad as Ariadne “Ari” who’s storyline is gripping and the reason I watched the show till the last episode. She plays a woman who is perpetually tormented by her mother for accidentally killing her brother as an infant. If you do decide to watch, do it for this plot. Thankfully, the show maintains it’s pace for the rest of the episodes and managed to keep me intrigued enough that I am actually looking forward to the next season. Also hoping we get to see more of Zeus’s kids in the next season. Who wouldn’t want Apollo, Athena, Hermes, and Ares fighting against their once all powerful father?
Special mentions: Janet McTeer as Hera does such an amazing depiction of Zeus’s fiery and frustrated wife that I forgot she is an actor and not the Goddess. Nabhaan Rizwan as Dionysus isn’t bad and definitely has the potential to be great. Here’s hoping that this season was just the warm up because the concept of Greeks Gods walking among us in the modern world is too good to mess up.