‘Kaos’ series review: Jeff Goldblum as Zeus rules this dark Netflix comedy

A still from ‘Kaos’ 

Myths explain life’s mysteries, both great and small, through tales peopled by human gods, godly humans, lovely ladies and vicious, lonely monsters that quiets our primal selves. In Charlie Covell’s Kaos, Greek gods cohabit with humans in Crete presumably sometime in the ‘80s considering the presence of sat and rotary phones, boxy televisions and computers.

It is Olympia Day and Zeus (Jeff Goldblum) the king of the gods, is in his palace with his wife Hera (Janet McTeer) smugly waiting for the celebrations to begin, which includes a human sacrifice (for real) and the unveiling of a statue dedicated to the glory of said gods. Zeus’ son Dionysus (Nabhaan Rizwan) is partying as is his wont, but also wishes to be taken seriously by his father.  

Prometheus (Stephen Dillane) who is getting his daily rejuvenated liver pecked by a nasty eagle, for his crime of giving humans the gift of fire, is the narrator of this darkly comedic fantasy and introduces the three key players in the drama.

There is Eurydice (Aurora Perrineau) — she prefers Riddy — who wakes up on Olympia Day realising she is out of love with her musician husband Orpheus (Killian Scott); Ariadne (Leila Farzad) or Ari, the daughter of the President of Crete, Minos, (Stanley Townsend) who is burdened by the guilt of killing her twin brother Glaucus (Fady Elsayed) when she rolled over him in her sleep as babies; the third key player is Caeneus (Misia Butler) in the underworld.

A desecration of the statue by the Trojans, who have been subjugated after their defeat in the Trojan War, and a wrinkle on his forehead, turns Zeus paranoid, imagining a prophesy foretelling his destruction is about to come true. Meanwhile, just as Riddy is planning to leave Orpheus, she is killed in an accident, which calls for Orpheus to go to the underworld to get her back.

A still from ‘Kaos’ 

While knowledge of Greek myth is fine and adds an extra level of fun to the proceedings, complete ignorance does not take away from enjoying this smart show. The music, from Dire Straits’ ‘Money for Nothing’ to ABBA’s ‘Gimme Gimme’ and Blue Oyster Cult’s ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’ are fun as is the brilliantly lit Costa Del Sol, where the show is principally shot. These, however are just the icing on this cake of razor- sharp writing and eye-popping performances.

Goldblum as Zeus in his track suits and colourful, silky dressing gowns, is the very personification of the unhinged tyrant, who turns into exactly the person he did not want to — his father. McTeer is the proud and scheming Hera, always one step ahead of the silly men, including Zeus’ brother Poseidon (Cliff Curtis). Her habit of feeding on the confessions to the Tacitas and the drawers of tongues whispering their shame and guilt is downright creepy and sad.

Then there is the black-and-white Underworld where, as the souls cross the river Styx, they are told to go to the deck for an orientation video from the king of the Underworld, Hades (David Thewlis). His wife Persephone (Rakie Ayola), deeply loves the harried and overworked Hades and dismisses the story of being kept against her will in the Underworld as vicious lies spread by Hera. “I am allergic to pomegranate,” she says firmly.

A still from ‘Kaos’ 

There is Medusa (Debi Mazar), a supervisor, who shows Pru, a fangirl, one of the serpents from her head to prove she is the original gorgon. Charon (Ramon Tikaram), the ferryman, makes the ultimate sacrifice for love, while eating biscuits from a Ziploc bag, and one of the Fates, Lachesis (Suzy Izzard) or Lachy, demands Zeus’ watch as payment to let Orpheus go through to the underworld.

The prophet Cassandra (Billie Piper) is doomed to see the future and not have anyone believe her. Daedalus (Mat Fraser) the architect of the maze in which the Minotaur stalks, is imprisoned by his secrets. Kaos is as much a story of love and the death of love, of family and power, faith and fidelity as it is of gods, myth and monsters. The eight episodes zip by in a psychedelic whirligig of love and longing, prophesy and prayer. Now if only the weird sisters would tell us about season 2!

Kaos is currently streaming on Netflix