WLBOTT Ministry of Virtue and Vice Not for the children. Maybe not for some adults. There is violence. There is gender-bending. There is satire of organized religion. Although not graphically explicit, there are scenes that imply animal cruelty.
Kaos is an unusually creative and though-provoking fantasy. Set in modern day, the basic premise is: What if the Greek Gods were real and controlled our lives?
The series begins as a comedy, and comedic elements are carried throughout, but dramatic elements soon dominate the plot (as well as a fair amount of excellent soap-opera). The cinematography is incredible.
The main characters are (sometimes loosely) based on various gods and humans from Greek mythology.
Kaos is a British mythological black comedy television series created by Charlie Covell for Netflix. It revolves around three humans as they discover their connection to each other and to a long-standing ancient prophecy while they deal with corrupt and arrogant gods of Greek and Roman mythology. The series was released on Netflix on 29 August 2024.
Premise The all-powerful yet insecure god Zeus starts to fear his end of reign once he notices a wrinkle on his forehead, possibly indicating the end of the world. He becomes paranoid and vengeful towards his devotees. Meanwhile, three humans start to discover their connections with each other and grand conspiracies involving the Greek gods.
In Greek mythology, the original creator is Chaos. Chaos is often described as the primordial void or the state of nothingness that existed before the universe. From Chaos, the first deities and elements of existence emerged. Chaos itself isn’t necessarily a god in the conventional sense but rather the initial condition of the universe from which all things were created.
From Chaos came several primordial entities:
Gaia (Earth) – the personification of the Earth, often considered the mother of all life.
Tartarus – the deep abyss used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked.
Eros (Love) – representing love and desire, which played a key role in creation and procreation.
Erebus (Darkness) – the personification of deep darkness and shadows.
Nyx (Night) – the personification of night.
These primordial beings then gave rise to the Titans, the Olympian gods, and the entire mythological universe. Gaia, for instance, gave birth to Uranus (the sky), with whom she had many offspring, including the Titans.
So, in Greek mythology, Chaos is the original source from which the universe and all beings were created.
Elder G
[1] Chronology
The word “chronology” is derived from Chronos (Κρόνος), the Greek personification of time. Chronos is often depicted as a primordial deity who represents the linear, sequential nature of time—what we typically think of as “chronological time.”
The term “chronology” comes from the Greek words:
Chronos (time)
Logia (the study or science)
It refers to the study or arrangement of events in the order of their occurrence.
Elder G
Zeus
Zeus is played by Jeff Goldblum. He is a fascinating character, both for his humor, but also in a dark, scary nature: his cruelty is profound, casual, and frequent.
Zeus: The Myth
Zeus is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. His name is cognate with the first syllable of his Roman equivalent Jupiter.
Zeus is the child of Cronus and Rhea, the youngest of his siblings to be born, though sometimes reckoned the eldest as the others required disgorging from Cronus’s stomach. In most traditions, he is married to Hera, by whom he is usually said to have fathered Ares, Eileithyia, Hebe, and Hephaestus. At the oracle of Dodona, his consort was said to be Dione, by whom the Iliad states that he fathered Aphrodite. According to the Theogony, Zeus’ first wife was Metis, by whom he had Athena.[11] Zeus was also infamous for his erotic escapades. These resulted in many divine and heroic offspring, including Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Persephone, Dionysus, Perseus, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Minos, and the Muses.
Birth In Hesiod’s Theogony (c. 730 – 700 BC), Cronus, after castrating his father Uranus, becomes the supreme ruler of the cosmos, and weds his sister Rhea, by whom he begets three daughters and three sons: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and lastly, “wise” Zeus, the youngest of the six. He swallows each child as soon as they are born, having received a prophecy from his parents, Gaia and Uranus, that one of his own children is destined to one day overthrow him as he overthrew his father. This causes Rhea “unceasing grief”, and upon becoming pregnant with her sixth child, Zeus, she approaches her parents, Gaia and Uranus, seeking a plan to save her child and bring retribution to Cronus. Following her parents’ instructions, she travels to Lyctus in Crete, where she gives birth to Zeus, handing the newborn child over to Gaia for her to raise, and Gaia takes him to a cave on Mount Aegaeon. Rhea then gives to Cronus, in the place of a child, a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he promptly swallows, unaware that it is not his son.
Elder G: Here is a classical-style painting depicting the birth of Zeus, with his mother Rhea handing him over to the nymphs on Crete, while the sky looms dark in the background, symbolizing the threat of Cronus. The scene captures both the tension and hope of Zeus’ birth.Wikipedia
Zeus visits WLBOTT
Zeus the Buff (AI Version)
Orpheus and Eurydice
Aurora Perrineau playss Eurydice (“Riddy”) and Killian Scott plays Orpheus.
WLBOTT covered Orpheus and Eurydice in a previous BLOTT (https://www.wlbott.com/?p=6270) and the fascinating 1959 Brazilian movie Black Orpheus.
In Kaos, the story line of Orpheus and Eurydice diverges significantly from the original myth. Eurydice (nicknamed Riddy) is one of the most unlikable characters in Kaos. She is selfish and self-centered, callus and insensitive, and sometimes vulgar. I think her unlikability may be intentional on the part of the writers, whom I suspect will redeem Riddy in the second season.
The Fates
The Three Fates are possibly the most fascinating characters in Kaos.
They are played by Suzy Eddie Izzard as Lachy (Lachesis), Ché as Clotho, and Sam Buttery as Atropos
Suzy Eddie Izzard is a thoughtful and engaging British comedian, born in Yemen, and has run over 130 marathons.
In 2009, Izzard completed 43 marathons in 51 days for Sport Relief, despite having no history of long-distance running. In 2016, she ran 27 marathons in 27 days in South Africa in honour of Nelson Mandela, raising £1.35 million. In addition to her native English, she regularly performs stand-up in Arabic, French, German, Russian and Spanish, and is an active supporter of Europeanism and the European Union.
Actress Sam Buttery has all the power in Netflix’s new mythological black comedy series Kaos. Starring alongside Doctor Jekyll’s Suzy Izzard and Never Let Me Go star Ché, Buttery plays one of The Fates; three trans non-binary, immortal Gods of desire.
Sam Buttery is an actor originally from a town called Tamworth in the West Midlands, UK. Her first film role was alongside Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman in ‘Child 44’. Most recently she can be seen as series regular in Charlie Covell’s ‘KAOS’ on Netflix as well as in season 2 of ‘Wreck’ for BBC. Theatre includes the Emcee in ‘Cabaret’ at Lido 2 in Paris, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and ‘The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe’.
The Three Fates, known as the Moirai in Greek mythology, are powerful and ancient goddesses who control the destiny of both gods and mortals. They are often depicted as three women who weave the thread of life, determining its length and the events that shape it. Their role in mythology is significant, as they represent the inescapable nature of fate.
Here’s a breakdown of the Three Fates:
Clotho (The Spinner): Clotho is responsible for spinning the thread of life. She determines when a person is born and sets the course of their life by beginning to spin their destiny.
Lachesis (The Allotter): Lachesis measures the thread of life. She decides how long each person or god will live and what their fate will be. Her name means ‘the apportioner,’ and she allocates each individual’s destiny, deciding their life’s course.
Atropos (The Inflexible): Atropos is the one who cuts the thread of life. She is often seen as the most feared of the three, as she determines the moment of death, severing the thread with her shears. Her role is final, representing the inevitability of death.
The Fates are often depicted as stern and impartial, weaving life with little concern for emotions or desires. They are believed to operate beyond the power of even Zeus, which emphasizes their authority and the inevitability of fate in the universe.
Elder G
Sally The Intern Shadows the Fates
As a side-intern-gig, Sally T. Intern shadowed the Three Fates. She was unable to obtain any lottery numbers, however.
The Fates Visit WLBOTT
They were impressed with our twine collections. Asked about our personal fates, they replied, “Don’t buy green bananas.”
Elder G’s Classical Rendering of The Fates
Cassandra
Although she has a small role in Kaos, Cassandra is a memorable character. She is also the first Trojan character we’re introduced to, with the characteristic line on her nose. The Trojans are the marginalized refugees of the Krete society.
Cassandra is portrayed by Billie Piper. She is 5′ 5″. In Kaos, she eats cat food directly out of the can.
Cassandra is a Trojan seeking refuge in Krete, who is subject to a terrible curse: She tells the truth, but no one believes a word she says.
Biography Cassandra was a witness to the Trojan War, during which she saw the truth about the Trojan Horse and attempted to warn her countrymen about the Greeks hiding inside, only to have her warning disregarded due to her curse. She found refuge in Krete.
She approaches Riddy and tries to warn her that the gods are stealing human souls, but yet again, her warning is ignored. She then prophecizes that Riddy will leave her husband Orpheus before the day ends. When Riddy is hit by a truck and killed, Cassandra explains that what she actually meant was that Riddy was going to leave everyone. She then watches Riddy’s body being taken away by the paramedics, accompanied by Riddy’s mother.
Cassandra in Greek mythology was a Trojan priestess dedicated to the god Apollo and fated by him to utter true prophecies but never to be believed. In modern usage her name is employed as a rhetorical device to indicate a person whose accurate prophecies, generally of impending disaster, are not believed.
Cassandra was a daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her elder brother was Hector, the hero of the Greek-Trojan War. The older and most common versions of the myth state that she was admired by the god Apollo, who sought to win her love by means of the gift of seeing the future. According to Aeschylus, she promised him her favours, but after receiving the gift, she went back on her word. As the enraged Apollo could not revoke a divine power, he added to it the curse that nobody would believe her prophecies.
Cassandra is one of those “who often combine deep, true insight with utter helplessness, and who retreat into madness.”
Cassandra’s life is plagued by misery, abuse, and madness.
Cassandra as a Metaphor
Many environmentalists have predicted looming environmental catastrophes including climate change, rise in sea levels, irreversible pollution, and an impending collapse of ecosystems, including those of rainforests and ocean reefs. Individuals sometimes acquire the label of ‘Cassandras‘, whose warnings of impending environmental disaster are disbelieved or mocked.
Cassandra by Evelyn De Morgan (1898, London) Cassandra in front of the burning city of Troy, depicted with disheveled hair denoting the insanity ascribed to her by the Trojans – Wikipedia
