MIDNIGHT REVIEWS Kaos Episode 7 & 8 Review
I guess Chaos doesn’t guarantee an ending…
Kaos Episodes 7 & 8
Series created by: Charlie Covell
Featuring: Jeff Goldblum, Janet McTeer, Stephen Dillane
Synopsis: Hera (McTeer) calls a meeting of the Gods to deal with Zeus (Goldblum). Unfortunately for them, he decides to call in on the Fates (Sam Buttery, Eddie Izzard, Ché) with violent, fiery intent.
Review: With episode seven and eight of Kaos, the mind naturally turns to endings. The argument is, is that no matter how well you start off, no matter how well you maintain a story’s quality, if you screw up the ending, that is all people will talk about. Likewise, an awful movie or TV show can save itself with an ending that blows everyone’s socks off.
Both of these episodes feature a tone so harsh as to be oppressive, hammering the simple explanation of how things are in stark clarity. Zeus is top dog not because of his smarts, or his charm. It is simply a matter of power and who has most of it.
The twist at the end of episode six (that the Gods… used to be human?) is something that undercuts the premise of the Greek Gods somewhat, losing those layers of irony that comes with the way that these all-powerful Gods act so human. Instead, they act that way because they are actually human. It does, however, provide a terribly grim and harsh reality that has the potential to heighten whatever resolution comes, so the trade-off needs to be decided by each individual viewer.
Goldblum […] has been tremendous throughout.
These are tales as old as the oldest nations, yet Kaos manages to add these twists and tweak these old stories into something new. Some view the retelling of these ancient myths as a sacrosanct operation; that the story must be retold as it is and it always was. Taking liberties is often met with the response that what’s being done is simply ‘wrong’. However, these are stories that have been told for thousands of years. What are the odds they’re the same today as when they were being told across the road from the Parthenon? Especially considering they were tales spread verbally; mass production of published works being a pipe dream combined with the fact many people weren’t able to read.
So, endings then. We are privy to the most awkward family BBQ in episode seven as Zeus invites his closest round to watch some TV. President Minos is displayed in close-up as Zeus wishes to witness someone defying their prophecy, providing an example that brings with it hope that Zeus will not lose his throne.
This running idea of Gods and other powerful beings watching mortals on TV is a funny one, characters reacting the same way we would when watching a tense thriller. Goldblum, who has been tremendous throughout the series, celebrating partway through leaves an empty feeling. The true ending enables great cheers from the mortals on the other side of the screen as Zeus collapses further into his own fear and insecurity. This doesn’t happen if Kaos doesn’t grab attention and get viewers invested.
The rest of episode seven isn’t as strong. Riddy (Aurora Perrineau) and Caeneus (Misia Butler) having a battle of clichés (“I’m just one person” vs “Tell them to live, to really live”) creates a sequence so boring as to imagine Zeus being forced to switch over and watch someone working a day in a toll booth. Perrineau’s performance is also required to do a lot of heavy lifting, with Butler fading somewhat into the background.
An abrupt finish.
But when we come back to the Gods, the terrible bleakness that seems an absolute certainty returns. The entire episode is tense, promising resolution be it pristine clean or, most likely, horrific and bloody. Zeus, trying to create order and actually bringing forth chaos. Hera, of whom nothing changes materially and therefore having the worst fate. It’s all welcome and to spend any more time with these characters would be an absolute joy.
Ah yes, the ending. The frustration from the ending of Kaos is that, lo and behold, it isn’t really an ending. Something that happens so much it could’ve been prophesized. It’s truly something when a show that features such entertaining, enthralling characters, characters that would be fantastic to spend more time with, somehow presents an ending that promises just this, and yet is wholly unsatisfying.
Perhaps it’s the promise of Prometheus (Dillane) playing a more prominent role than fourth-wall breaking narrator (this isn’t just the influence of Fleabag, but the memory of it appears quickly through the mists of time whenever anyone smirks and leaves a little comment for us). More likely, though, is that this frustration is born from a complete lack of resolution. There are several resolutions that wrap nothing up (Always Sunny’s “Sometimes things just end”, American Psycho’s “This confession has meant nothing” and so on).
Kaos’ final sequence is nothing more than a mid-season break, an abrupt finish but certainly not an ending.
Kaos is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Matthew D. Smith likes to overshare his views on movies and TV shows whenever and wherever he can. Indulge him, and follow him on Twitter or listen to the podcast he co-hosts with Leslie Wai.
