Critical Corner: Kaos

In this edition of Critical Corner, a review of Netflix’s messy Kaos.

Do you ever watch a series and wonder if it actually exists? Four episodes into Kaos, a show I had been watching with not a second screen in sight, I found myself not just wondering where exactly I was in the series, but if I had even been present for the four-hours-and-change.

The British series, from The End of the F**king World’s Charlie Covell, is a kaleidoscopic, chaotic take on Ancient Greek myth. Zeus (Jeff Goldblum, giving the same self-consciously kooky performance he has since Jurassic Park) fears that the end of his reign as King of the Gods is coming. Meanwhile some mere mortals start to realise they might have more power than they assumed.

Many of the familiar names from the myths are here. Hera (Janet McTeer, wonderful), Poseidon (Cliff Curtis, having fun), Prometheus (Stephen Dillane, Dilanne-y) are just a few of the major supporting players in an overstuffed cast. The series’ focus is so wide that often characters can be left completely to the side for an episode or two. Indeed, it takes a full three episodes before it focuses on one of the major protagonists, Ari (Leila Farzad).

Kaos is the kind of Ancient Greek myth adaptation that does not benefit from the viewer’s familiarity with any Greek myth, unfortunately. It’s not like Hadestown, a rich adaptation of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth that reflects on real life woes, or even Hercules, a technicolor dreamcoat approach to the pantheon that makes up for its lack of depth with an appealing surface. 

No, with Kaos, it’s wise to abandon any knowledge you might have coming in and take the series as its own thing; otherwise the references, the myriad names and connections become less familiarities and more distractions as you wait for the series to get to the point you know they’re making. (Although the series’ twists on the myths are often befuddling. Persephone’s interpretation is um, bold.)

It’s not just the series’ approach to myth that doesn’t make sense, very little of this series actually coheres. The visual style varies wildly, but not appealingly, seeming more to be. The tone swings between self-serious and then comedic, while never actually being compelling or funny. The narrative of this series, which seemed initially to present as a one-off but appears to have a multiple season arc in mind, meanders and feels rushed depending on the episode. Kaos tries everything and it ends up being, well, chaotic. Nothing sticks.

That’s not to say there aren’t some delightful things about the series. Newcomer Misia Butler is the absolute stand-out as afterlife employee Caeneus; earnest, lived-in and vibrant, and actually able to play to both ends of the ludicrous tonal grand staff that Kaos plays within. The many, many cameos (including personal favourites Billie Piper and Suzy Izzard) also end up leaving more of an impact than much of the main cast, swanning in to ham it up and swanning back out, unscathed.

I’m a sucker for a little Greek myth adaptation. But there needs to be purpose, intent, and meaning behind an adaptation. Kaos appears to have stopped merely at the intent to adapt, which is a shame given the talent on both sides of the camera. Alas, this is not the first take on this mythology, and it sure as hell won’t be the last.

Kaos is on Netflix.

Other Things I’ve Consumed

• Firstly, a quick apology for the hiatus! I was in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival. If you want to read my reflections on that wild time, you can do so over at Ensemble Magazine, or if you’d rather listen to a slightly strung-out version of myself talk about the same festival, you can listen to my interview with Culture 101 on RNZ.
• Espresso tonic. Genuine question: where in Auckland can I get one, or order one that won’t make the barista hate me?
• I read Improvisation at the Speed of Life by TJ Jadogowski and David Pasquesi with Pam Victor, about the history and philosophy of improvisation, is one of the best books I’ve read about craft. Even if you have no interest in improv or improvising, I’d highly recommend it to anybody who is a writer or performer, in any way.
• Not the bore worms!

Things to Read

• This is a wild, and sad, yarn from IGN about a gaming accessibility advocate who did not actually appear to exist.
• My nemesis Nichole Scherzinger had a thoughtful profile about her in Vulture. No Rachel Crow mention, though.
• LOVE (McSweeney’s pieces on) P!nk.

Self-Promo

• I am doing two events at the New Zealand Young Writers Festival! I’m hosting a panel on how to transition from an emerging writer to an established one on Sunday 15th with Iona Winter and Devon Webb, and I am also helping run a workshop on spinning yarns with Sherry Zhang and Nathan Joe on Saturday 14th (but that one is all booked up, sorry!).

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