KAOS: Episode 1
Meet the new Zeus. Same as the old Zeus.
KAOS is a new Netflix series setting all the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology in a vaguely contemporary world. It is part comedy, part drama and part absurdist deconstruction of all of the above.
Homer, Talk To Me: Zeus, king of the gods, is not having a good day. First, some nasty Trojans deface a new monument of his on Krete. Then he discovers a new wrinkle on his forehead, which he believes indicates a prophecy about the end of his reign has begun:
A line appears, the order wanes, the Family falls, and Kaos reigns.
Zeus decides the best way to respond to the threat is to inflict death and destruction upon humanity, only to have Hera, his wife (and sister) talk him out of it. While this is going on, Dionysus, Zeus’ son and pansexual god of partying and pleasure, wishes to do something more fulfilling. He gets Zeus a gift, a wristwatch to symbolize precious time spent together. Zeus callously dismisses the gift, preferring a “lucky” watch given to him by his other son, Hercules. Dionysus, angry, pockets the Hercules watch and departs Olympus. Down on Earth, Eurydice (who prefers to go by “Riddy”) is married to Orpheus, the most popular singer in the world. But she has fallen out of love with him and can’t bring herself to break up with him, even though his devotion to her is stifling. On the way to one of his concerts, she stops at a temple to Hera to see her mother, a mute Tacita who hears confessions to the gods. When her mother offers no solace or advice to Riddy’s quandary, Riddy angrily curses Hera and announces her defiance of the gods. This proves to be a poor decision, as she is run over by a truck and killed once she leaves the temple. Orpheus, grief-stricken, plans to kill himself on a beach but is startled by Dionysus, who he accidentally shoots. Dionysus is unharmed but understandably annoyed. Dionysus has decided to help Orpheus get Riddy back as a way to give his godhood a purpose and deeper meaning. All of this is narrated by Prometheus, who harbors one hell of a grudge against Zeus for chaining him to a rock and having an eagle eat his liver for thousands of years.
The Oracle Says: What a strange show. I came to it after reading a couple of reviews that made it out to be a wacky comedy. Which it isn’t. I mean, it’s funny, sure, but not relentlessly so. And most of the humor is dry and deadpan, reminding me of the absurdist humor found in such films as True Stories and the like. It’s off-kilter, but I’m not convinced it’s off-kilter enough to make it worth my time. Jeff Goldblum is Zeus, oozing arrogance with his head crammed so far up his ass not even Hercules would have the strength to pull it out. To watch his paranoia and neuroses surface as he thinks his rule may be threatened is a thing of beauty. Janet McTeer’s Hera is low-key ruthless, diminishing Dionysus with backhanded compliments that could draw blood. Dionysus, for his part, is eager and earnest to rise above his station but not too keen on thinking through the potential consequences of his actions. The religious aspects of this reality draws fairly heavily on the rituals of Catholicism, and Dionysus not knowing whether to stand, sit or kneel during Riddy’s funeral service is a nice touch. Likewise, having Riddy meet her mother is a literal confessional feels right as well. As Prometheus, Stephen Dillane delivers a wistful/sarcastic voice over worthy of David Tennant, along with a few well-timed fourth-wall-breaking glances to the camera. Finally, Billie Piper makes a couple brief appearances a Cassandra, homeless and mentally ill, whose prophecies are so cryptic it’s no wonder nobody believes her—it’d be darn near impossible to tease sense out of them even if someone were willing to invest the effort.
Overall, KAOS has an intriguing setup but by the end of the episode it remains unrealized potential. I don’t care about any of these characters (except maybe Dionysus). I’m not invested. I’m not laughing, either, although I’ll admit to several grins and a chuckle here and there. I’m not sure what this show wants to be. I think this show does know what it wants to be, but what that is and what is actually making it to the screen may be two different things.