“Kaos”

A Netflix Retelling by Charlie Covell

Esper Garcia

“Kaos” is Netflix’s modern reimagining of the Greek mythologies of Prometheus (Stephen Dillane), Eurydice (Aurora Perrineau), Caeneus (Misia Butler), and Ariadne (Leila Farzad). These four tales are intertwined into a dooming prophecy for Zeus. The shaking question posed throughout the show: is the king of the gods above fate?

Lovers of Greek myths will not be disappointed. “Kaos” pulls famous figures such as Hippolyta (Selina Jones), queen of the amazons and Theseus (Daniel Lawrence Taylor), slayer of the minotaur. Both are characters also in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

In some cases classic characters are paired with major actors like Cassandra (Billie Piper), Hades (David Thewlis) and Zeus (Jeff Goldblum). Watching Netflix advertise “Kaos” with big posters of Goldblum, I was worried this would be another show packed with big names and nothing to show for it, but every actor pulls off extraordinary performances. I was thrilled by Goldblum’s performance of Zeus: a believable himbo and terrifying, merciless god. 

With well loved tales, retellings especially in a modernized setting can be difficult, but “Kaos” excels at keeping characters accurate to their legends. The story of Eurydice and Orpheus is changed so drastically, yet remains satisfactory. Charlie Covell’s version sustains the feeling of loss crucial to the myth.

My one stipulation with “Kaos” was the finale. It ends on a dramatic cliffhanger, setting up for an exciting second season but not concluding the hyped story arc. As of right now, there is no confirmation of renewal from Netflix, so I recommend people watch because it should be allowed to be completed. No matter how many seasons. Cronos tried to defy his prophecy and failed. We must know, will Zeus be any different?