REVIEW: Kaos
Netflix’s Kaos and Greek Mythology
By George Leggett, 3rd year Ancient History
Spoiler warning!
The newly released Netflix show Kaos is a fascinating case of ancient mythology being adapted into a more accessible piece of media. As opposed to making a modern adaptation of specific mythological events, the show decides to incorporate numerous myths into one original plot, in a deliciously unique blend of creativity and, well, chaos.
There are certain details which might irk a mythology scholar or enthusiast, but overall the first series is a solid and highly enjoyable piece of television, with excellent performances (in particular, Jeff Goldbloom as the accurately detestable Zeus) and dark humour.
If you explained to someone the plot of Kaos with no context, they would probably stare at you, very concerned, or really want to watch this show. So, a brief synopsis of the beginning:
Prometheus narrates while chained to a cliff as Zeus worries a line appearing on his forehead will mean he is overthrown,
Dionysus tries to impress Zeus by helping the famous musician Orpheus bring his wife back from hell,
And ‘President’ Minos of Crete attempts to deal with a suspected Trojan vandalism of a sacred site (graffiti saying ‘f**k the gods’ next to a giant excrement).
Wild as it may seem, as is the case with any chaotic-yet-brilliant TV show, its strength comes from being aware of how ridiculous it is being and persisting with the madness.
It’s impossible to get inside the heads of the surprisingly shrewd writers of Kaos. However, to any mythology enthusiast it is clear that some tweaks were to make the show better suited to TV, whilst some appear to be creative choices. Some surprise with how well their departure from established lore functions while some fall flat.
For example, The Minotaur is made a human child locked up and so detached from humanity that he becomes animalistic. This provides an interesting departure from the half-bull, half-man monster we are accustomed to knowing. It instead creates a more sympathetic figure who had no real choice in his savagery.
Caeneus being a transgender-identifying character, rather than being transformed into a man having been born a girl (Caenis), is another change that provides more depth to his character, particularly in Amazonian society.
Other changes will rub a mythology purist the wrong way. Some things are small: the Latinised chanting in supposedly Greek settings, or the odd affair between Hera and Poseidon. Others are less easy to brush off as mere interpretive aspects, and are more disappointing. This is perhaps most apparent with the plot involving Orpheus and Eurydice.
Although ‘Riddy’ is given more agency in enacting something of a rebellion against the gods, her relationship with Orpheus is far more fractured than in the original myth. Their original love story is heartfelt and emotional due to its doomed and tragic nature. A grief-stricken Orpheus looks back to Eurydice before exiting the Underworld, ensuring she remains dead forever. In the show, Orpheus is co-dependent and possessive. Furthermore, he goes through tortuous challenges to get to Eurydice in the Underworld only to discover she does not love him anymore. While it is unique, the choice to make their love story tragic because of lost love, rather than separation, isn’t justified. ‘Riddy’ comes across as cold and indifferent towards her husband. Meanwhile, her love story with Caeneus in the Underworld fails to strike an emotional chord due to their underdeveloped relationship.
Nonetheless, what is arguably the most important aspect of Greek mythology adaptations is the characterisation of key Greek mythological figures, not the events. This is due to widespread misconceptions about the reliability of adaptations that prioritise entertainment over, if not word-for-word accuracy, at least vaguely faithful re-interpretations of classical works.
We raise our eyebrows at Troy, in particular, for being fundamentally an action/war movie without the substance or complex characters of the Iliad. Even Hercules, renowned for being popular among classics lovers, sanitises characters to keep the film child-friendly. Of course, this is understandable, but the idea of Zeus being a warm and loyal husband and father is laughable if you’ve read anything about Greek mythology.
In Kaos, however, characterisation is largely done very well. Most of the irritations one might have about Orpheus and Eurydice, the Minotaur being Minos’ son, and the bizarre affair between Poseidon and Hera can be justified by the argument that the creators of Kaos understand their source material. At least enough to morph it into entertaining modern TV.
Dionysus is appropriately aloof.
Orpheus is the world’s most brooding romantic.
Hades (often villainised in popular culture) is overworked and dissatisfied with Zeus’ tyranny.
Hera is cold, calculating but at least attempts to soothe Zeus in their marriage.
And Zeus? Zeus is a narcissistic, paranoid megalomaniac, and Jeff Goldbloom nails the performance of him as a monstrous tyrant with the ego of a fragile child.
Zeus was, of course, never overthrown in Greek mythology, which means the plot in itself is a departure from the norm. It is, however, a laudable irony that Kaos is darker (in an albeit flippant manner) than many myths yet offers a more hopeful message than most. Whilst you usually find that the moral of the story in Greek myths is ‘we are at the whim of the gods, and that’s just how it is, we can’t do anything about it’, Kaos argues ‘we are at the whim of the gods, and that’s not fair, we should do something about it’.
If nothing else, the show is an excellent binge watch. It provides a mainstream platform to enjoy aspects of classical mythology, which evidently can be reshaped into something that remains entertaining today. It’s not a perfect show, but it’s an accessible and enjoyable watch for mythology novices and experts alike.