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Can this be listed as alterrnate history? Maybe a better word is alternate reality. Whatever this is no one can deny that Greek Mythology provides a wealth of storytelling for us to enjoy no matter the century or the hour. Let me look at the first two episodes. In the meantime, read what Netflix writes about it.
Justin Downing / Netflix: Last year, one of my child’s English assignments was to rewrite a traditional fairy tale with one major plot difference, to see how the story might play out differently. New Netflix series Kaos feels like its creator, Charlie Covell, was given the same instruction for Greek mythology.
He decided to see what would happen if Zeus was a tasteless, egotistical, paranoid and overly controlling deity, whose best friend (and long-time prisoner), Prometheus, was secretly plotting his downfall.
The show’s blend of humour and drama effectively explores the consequences of such a scenario, while also providing a fresh take on classical mythology. Kaos is perhaps the cleverest retelling I have ever consumed (and not to brag, I have read a staggering number of Hades and Persephone retellings).
Within the first 30 seconds of episode one, Prometheus (Stephen Dillane), Kaos’s narrator, assures the audience that it doesn’t matter if they haven’t heard of him – and this directive rings true for the whole show. If you know nothing about Greek mythology, this should still be an enjoyable and thrilling romp of a story of gods and mortals vying for power and influence over the cosmos.
Rob’s take: The Gods are jerks. Well, they were – always bickering amongst themselves. The writer has tried to create a world where the world moved on, advanced, and the Gods remained demanding attention. Modern human sacrifice is reduced to a TV special like covering a ceremony at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, or an episode of The Apprentice? On the show, I noticed a tendency for the technology to be slightly dated. What’s up with that? I don’t know if this is to show MAN is just a little behind the magic of the GODS? Could be. Like Royalty, having actual Gods works best when there is a little mystery behind their existance. In this world we see what they eat, and see more than enough of their foibles. Well, what’s not too different than the stories from mythology; however, I would have liked a story where a protagonist discovers the Greek Gods are behind everything. Zeus fears that his reign will soon come to an end, wouldn’t it have been more biting if he looked down from Mount Olympus and saw how far man/ woman had advanced and he tries to wiggle back into their lives? On this show he becomes paranoid about the end of his reign when he discovers a wrinkle upon his forehead. And maybe he didn’t like a ton of excrement placed upon a statue that was constructed in his honor.
The Greek Gods are a little bit harder to take if you REALLY STUDY their antics. I grew up watching Kevin Sorbo in a TV production of Hercules. Watching it you might think of him as some sort of Zorro marching across Greece doing good deeds. Just listen to the lyrics of a Disney animated movie.
Bless my soul
Herc was on a roll
Person of the week in ev’ry Greek opinion poll
What a pro
Herc could stop a show
Point him at a monster
And you’re talkin’ S.R.O.
He was a no one
A zero, zero
Now he’s a honcho
He’s a hero
Here was a kid with his act down pat
From zero to hero–
In no time flat
Zero to hero–
Just like that
This is all fine and good, but Greek Gods and Heroes are more complicated than a Disney Musical Verse. Hercules killed his wife and children. Yes, in the REAL mythology, Hercules KILLED his wife and children.
I think this show tries to tell the same moral over and over:
The Gods are NO Kevin Sorbo.
