KAOS: Superb Netflix Series is a Wry Contemporary Greek-God Soap Opera with Human Relevancy
By Karen Gordon
Rating A
They had me at Jeff Goldblum starring as Zeus.
Well, to be fair, they had my attention. A single casting choice does not guarantee a great series. But Goldblum as the King of the Greek gods living in ultimate luxury on Mt. Olympus, is just the beginning of what makes the new eight-part Netflix series KAOS superb.
The series is based in Greek mythology, gods and goddesses that form some of the archetypes in Western psychology. KAOS isn’t a retelling of anything, but rather uses the attributes of each god as a jumping off point for an entertaining and busy patchwork of ideas from the ancient world and that are, not surprisingly, very relevant today.
Jeff Goldblum is the paranoid king of the gods, Zeus, in Netflix’s KAOS.
KAOS is set in an alternate modern world and has an intertwining plot that takes place in three different locations, Mt. Olympus, the modern city state of Krete, and the Underworld (as in the afterlife).
The first clue that we're heading for, um, complications is when we meet our guide through the story: Prometheus (Stephen Dillane). He speaks directly to camera, guiding us through the various characters, relationships and ultimately the conspiracies.
He characterizes Zeus as a malignant, intolerable bastard, and he’d know.
Prometheus is Zeus’ oldest and best friend, the one who will tell Zeus the truth. That’s a true friend, but a bad move. Prometheus likes people. He stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity. That royally angered Zeus.
As punishment, Prometheus is eternally chained to a cliff where every day an eagle pecks out his liver, which grows back to be pecked out again. This hasn't diminished Zeus' affection for his old friend. When Zeus is feeling insecure, off base, or needs an ear, he zaps Prometheus to his gardens for a chat.
Zeus is becoming increasingly paranoid. The humans in Krete still mostly revere him. He doesn’t have much respect for humans, but he needs their adoration, and as we find out, he needs more. But respect? Nope.
The series opens on Olympia Day, when humans celebrate the gods and him in particular. But there is growing disillusionment in the population: a movement of people who have strayed from the old religion, and blasphemy comes with consequences, administered without mercy by Minos (Stanley Townsend), the President of Krete who dedicates his allegiance to the gods. He also dotes on Ari (Leila Farzad), his daughter and the person who will be his successor, who is also devoted to the gods.
All humans are given a prophecy when they are born, just a few lines like a little couplet, but it defines their lives in various ways. Uncharacteristically for a god, Zeus also has a prophecy that starts with “a line appears,” and ends with “and chaos reigns.” He sees what he thinks is a new line on his forehead, and wonders whether the resistance on Krete is the start of this prophecy.
Zeus’s fellow Gods, mostly his family, are fed up with him as well. HIs wife Hera (Janet McTeer), is having a hot and heavy affair with Zeus’ younger brother Poseidon (Cliff Curtis). Zeus’ son Dionysus (Nabhaan Rizwan), god of pleasure, madness and wild frenzy, and the only one of Zeus’s many children/gods, who will pick up his phone calls, wants his father’s respect.
Dionysus decides he’s going to do something good by getting involved in human affairs.
Little does he know what he’s stepping into.
There’s also an absorbing subplot involving Eurydice (Aurora Perrineau), Orpheus (Killian Scott), a car accident, Hades (David Thewlis) his wife Persophone (Rakie Ayola) and Medusa (Debi Mazar). And still more stories about people tied to Zeus and his destiny.
Also watch for the Furies, visible only to someone who is about to meet their fate, or, generally die, and The Fates, including Suzy Eddie Izzard.
KAOS is beautifully realized, and gets so much right in terms of casting, character, pacing and tone, that it’s a feast from the design to art direction, to the costumes to the music choices. It’s modern in all the right ways.
The series, created and written by Charlie Covell, an admitted Greek mythology nerd, manages to juggle all of these characters and scenarios (there are many more!) seamlessly, keeping the storylines and the character’s arc clear and coherent, and interesting. They've reimagined the lives of these archetypal gods and creatures in the most intriguing ways.
It's also complex in terms of story, emotions, tone. It starts in a lighthearted way and is often fun,
But as KAOS unfolds, it becomes darker, and the references to the modern world become more pointed, and also richer and more interesting. There’s subtext here that asks some big and relevant questions. And through it all, it also manages to have a deep well of empathy.
There is sorrow, disillusionment, heartbreak, love, and finding meaning and purpose-- or at least the beginning of same. Over its eight episodes, KAOS sets up a series of dilemmas and points us in a direction, but not in finality.
We must wait to see if there is a season 2. Sign me up.
KAOS. Created and written by Charlie Covell, directed by Georgi Banks-Davies, Runyarao Mapfumo. Stars Jeff Goldblum, Janet McTeer, Stephen Dillane, Nabhaan Rizwan, David Thewlis, Cliff Curtis, Debi Mazar, Suzy Eddie-Izzard. On Netflix, August 29.