Netflix comedy Kaos occasionally feels like it’s stepped out of the same universe as “Sandman.” No, I know it’s much more colorful and, well, “chaotic,” but maybe it’s the act of bringing gods to life with English accents and eccentric fashion that makes me think that way. But with that said, I think the show is a well-executed comedy that at the heart of it is about our basic human “feelings;” love, power, jealousy, hatred, you know the works. The show delivers two simple messages: worship isn’t going to get you anywhere, and power doesn’t last forever. But it’s action-packed and a lighthearted retelling, or should I say, a fictional retelling of Greek mythology that expands the story that we are already familiar with. In the world of Kaos, prophecies are what people live and die for, so we’ve got to keep that in mind to understand Kaos’ ending. Before I break down the final episode, yes, there’s probably going to be a second season, but nothing’s been confirmed just yet.
Spoiler Alert
Why Does Zeus Kill the Cat?
The final episode of Kaos begins with Zeus having a vision where he cuts into a pomegranate and then his finger, which makes him bleed. Gods can’t bleed, and Hera wakes her husband up, saying it’s only a dream and he’s got nothing to worry about. We’ve to remember that Zeus has slowly been losing his mind from the start of the show because of a prophecy, and this is essentially the last straw. Hera starts to panic a little bit and gathers all the siblings for a little chit-chat while Zeus goes to meet the Fates to, well…decide their fate. He’s mad because they told Poseidon that Minos would be able to kill his own son, the firstborn who is meant to kill him, which was technically true, but it’s surely not their fault that everyone misunderstood the prophecy. The Fates already know that Zeus is going to burn them, along with the cave (where humans compete to go bring their loved ones back from the underworld), because if Orpheus could’ve made it all the way through the underworld, anyone can (though Zeus doesn’t know the whole story here). The Fates oblige, the prophecy turns to ash, and Prometheus freaks out.
Back in the basem*nt, Medusa tells Caeneus that she’ll send him back to his dog, and he doesn’t need to worry about The Frame of Rebirth anymore, but he refuses. He steps back outside and tries to convince the other two divers that they need to stop people from going through The Frame because there’s no such thing as renewal; they’re basically going to become God fodder. However, he meets his mom there and asks her how she died. She tells him she waited 10 years to kill herself so that she could drag him through The Frame herself. So it was all decided? But Caeneus can’t go into the river Lethe, so how will he go through The Frame? Well, it’s his mom who has to take him. Despite his protests, Caeneus’ mom drags him into The Frame, and they both turn to stone, thereby horrifying Prometheus. At the same time, while all the other gods sit around a table, Hades tries to return Nax’s soul to his body, but it doesn’t work.
Orpheus gets Riddy back to Earth, and they notice the missing “Cave.” Already, they’re awkward because Orpheus literally went to the underworld to bring back his love with the support of a god, but she doesn’t even love him anymore and has also fallen in love with someone else already. But he promised to bring her back, so that’s what he does. As soon as they’re on Earth, they part ways.
Back upstairs, Zeus shows up at the “How do we deal with Zeus?” meeting and wreaks havoc. He asks Dionysus why he gave the Fates his watch, to which Dionysus tells him the truth about how he believed in Orpheus’ love for Riddy and really wanted to help him bring her back. While it was at first an act of rebellion, it then became just a good deed that he wanted to see through. How cute, no? Well, no, because you’re not supposed to bring the humans back; we’re meant to be permanently dead and gone, you know? Persephone pretends Orpheus failed and is dead now. To teach Dionysus the important lesson of “being a god,” Zeus then puts a knife in the little cat he’s been looking after ever since Orpheus left (disgusting). Dionysus is completely devastated. But this isn’t where Zeus stops. He then burns up all of Hera’s bees, i.e., his women, which means Dionysus can now never meet his mom either. How cruel. Seeing the situation, Poseidon decides to confess his feelings for Hera, but she shuts him down, telling him she’s his queen, and well, breaks his heart.
What Does Zeus Do Once The Line Appears?
Zeus announces how he’s taking charge of all of their respective cities, including the underworld, and demotes Poseidon for being in love with his wife. Honey, at least he didn’t go sleep around with random humans (in the show that is), but okay. He also takes away their “meander water” privileges, which ideally would make them powerless and him the strongest of them all. Zeus then shows up in front of Prometheus instead of the eagle to tell him what he’s done. But Prometheus doesn’t indulge him; in fact, he tells him that he never betrayed him and then continues to say that he didn’t have it in him to do it. This is why Zeus is still in power, but then Prometheus disappears before finishing his sentence, and Zeus didn’t even do it!
What Is Ari Going To Do?
In the meantime, on Earth, Ari brings the dead Glaucus to her mother. She also tells her that she’s killed her father because he turned her twin brother into a monster “for the gods.” As you can imagine, the new President of Krete isn’t going to be god-fearing or god-loving. Ari makes a deal with Andromache to help rebuild Troy and destroy Olympus. This does of course mean war. I suppose what this implies is that when the humans realize that the gods are only pretending to be “just,” they rebel. Kind of like a cracked democracy, a leader fakes the idea of giving you freedom and then fosters hatred amongst you until breaking point, only for you to realize it was all false hope.
What Happens To Riddy?
On the other hand, Riddy meets the prophet Cassandra again, the same one who told her she was going to die at the start of the show, well, kinda. Cassandra tells Riddy that she’s a prophet now too, apparently; maybe this is why she felt that intense headache that time in the underworld. I am not exactly sure what being a prophet would imply in this world, but it’s likely because she’s gone to the underworld and returned after cheating death itself.
What Does Caeneus Do?
During Kaos’ ending, Caeneus wakes up in the stone world after a crack appears on his face. He sees his mom next to him and gives her a hug, being reminded of everything they’ve been through together as humans. All the love and pain and hardship, not just their own but everybody’, and then suddenly his mom’s alive again. Well, at least not stone; she’s still dead? Hades is shocked to see that Caeneus can renew souls, but this means he’s got someone to help him defeat his brother. The common thing between Riddy and Caeneus is that they defy the gods openly, Caeneus is certainly guilty of doing “wrong,” because of his transition, but it is literally written in the stars that he would be the fall of Zeus. I don’t believe that being trans is a contributing factor to Caeneus’ destiny, though some might. Either way, he’s got the power in the underworld, while Riddy’s gotta bring the humans together on Earth.
Will Dionysus Fight His Father?
Persephone tells Dionysus that his human feelings aren’t his weakness, but his strength. I suppose there’s yet another enemy for Zeus. The poor dude only wanted to be taken seriously, and now he’s lost everything he ever truly cared for. He also has the one last bottle of Meander water, so it’s likely this means he’ll have the power to take his revenge. It’s also possible Dionysus will team up with Hera for once.
What Is Hera Planning?
In Kaos’ ending, Hera’s also called up by one of her children, possibly Ares. Because, well, we’re talking about war here. Additionally, it’s odd to see Hera cheating, because she is literally the Goddess of marriage, so it makes sense why Zeus would freak out in such a situation, but Hera doesn’t go away with Poseidon. In fact, she goes to Earth and makes the call to her kid. I suppose that basically means it’s everybody vs Zeus at this point.
Why Did Zeus Bleed?
Obviously, as we’d imagined, the Fates can’t be destroyed, and they’ve brought Prometheus back to Olympus to take the throne for himself. But what does this mean for Zeus? Well, it means that he can now bleed. One’s freedom, another’s destruction. When Zeus returns to his palace, he finds nobody there but Prometheus sitting on his throne and acknowledging that he did in fact have a vision and not a dream. Oh, did I forget to mention the ring of meander water collapses at the same time Zeus starts bleeding from his finger? If the souls are renewed, Zeus loses his power, i.e. he stops being immortal. This is probably why he starts to bleed. A link to the great prophecy, “A line appears.” Throughout the show, Zeus has been fearing the line, he imagines there’s one in the water, then he imagines he has a wrinkle on his forehead, but now he’s finally got a “line” on his finger, the cut which bleeds.
What Does The Prophecy Mean?
“A line appears, the order wanes, the family falls, and Kaos reigns.” This is the prophecy we’ve been hearing through the show, but what does it mean exactly? Well, the line as we know is the one that appears on Caeneus’ face before he gets his soul back after crossing The Frame. With Zeus’ outburst, the Fates bring Prometheus his freedom, so order’s basically ruined, and since he’s been horrible to his family, they’ve already fallen, so that’s that. “Kaos reigns” symbolizes a force that propels society towards disintegration and turmoil, loss of stability. It represents the disruptive energy that fractures cohesion, leading to a collapse of established structures and norms. As “Kaos” dominates, the systems that ensure balance and predictability are undermined, creating an environment of confusion, unrest, and unpredictability. This means a war is at hand. This would signify a new beginning, or foreshadowing of a void which would imply a new life, a process which has already begun in the underworld thanks to Caeneus.
