Things have been a little heavy on here lately, so let’s switch it up and just do a straight up review of the second season of BLOOD OF ZEUS, Netflix’s attempt at a Greek Mythology anime, something I both love and loathe, and thus can’t not have an opinion on.
Season One came out before I had this Substack, so my discussion of it was on Facebook, back on December 16, 2020, when we were all online constantly, and anything on Netflix was better to talk about than anything going on (or not going on, rather) in our actual lives. That said, since we’re talking about a second season endeavor, a little context is probably required, and my thoughts on Season One can be summed up in the following, heavily edited (but still overly wordy) list:
1. It's no CASTLEVANIA but BLOOD OF ZEUS is genuinely enjoyable and totally bingeable. It's just not CASTLEVANIA. But man oh man, it wants to be.
2. This is probably the most "gets it" cinematic adaptation of Greek mythology since the original CLASH OF THE TITANS (you don't want to fight me on that- I *will* win). BLOOD OF ZEUS, for all of its anachronisms and deviations just feels very... Greek. It's extravagantly dramatic, violent, action-packed, and kind of ruthless to the characters, all of which can be said about the bulk of the canonical epics. It's also relying a lot on cliches of the genre, and sometimes not in terribly creative ways. It's hard to write an original myth because mythology relies so heavily on archetypes and structural regularities in narrative, but there are points where I feel not only like I've seen this story already, but these specific WAYS and VARIATIONS on telling this specific story.
3. One of the things I love about CASTLEVANIA are all the great, complex female characters and this show is... missing that.
4. Except for The Fates, who are exactly as they should be and more. I love the added touches of their home being like a giant spider web, approached by a walk lined with trees that go through all four seasons over and over again. Their explanation of Free Will even in a world ruled by Fate and how the two can co-exist is also the only time this series approaches the existential brilliance that elevated CASTLEVANIA to Art status.
5. I love it whenever a revisioning or modernization of Greek mythology includes some of the lesser gods, especially when they are treated as equally powerful in their own right, just not as well known. Since pretty much all the other featured gods are major arcana, it gives me hope that in the future episodes we may get some of the more ancillary but fun characters, like Pan, or Hebe, or Eros. Or... FINGERS CROSSED... Persephone.
6. That said, the god who feels the most on the nose is Hermes, by far, though I appreciate their Apollo.
7. I was glad when Hades was reported as "neutral" in terms of the Giants vs. Gods conflict, because that seems very much in line with the stance Hades takes in the original myths, and I get tired of contemporary takes that paint him as some kind of Christian Satan. It's not how the Greeks saw him at all, and it's a lazy way of portraying him. I really hope they don't go there, if they do, there will be some strongly worded posts on this page.
8. Okay... let's be real... nobody likes the main character (Heron), right?
9. Kofi and Evios. I enjoyed that Kofi came from a non-Greek culture, which now makes me wonder if there are non-Greek gods out there too. I kind of hope so. I also felt that both characters, though late additions, were fairly well developed, enough so that I was invested in them, more than I was in Alexia in spite of spending far more time with her. I also really really hope these two (K & E) turn out to be lovers. This show is way too heterosexual.
10. The final battle was pretty cool. I enjoyed seeing how the gods’ powers could be used for combat and the beautiful moment that was Hera and Zeus embracing inside the body of Cronus, and how that blew him to pieces. The wink he gives her both in the first battle and this last battle was the chef's kiss to the conflict that we actually cared about (the one that Heron is key to resolving, but isn't a part of) and that Zeus and Hera, for all their bullshit, actually love the dickens out of each other is essential to understanding their relationship and one of the principal tensions of ancient Greek mythology/literature. It also makes me hope that Zeus is back in the future, because I ended up liking him way more than Heron, Alexia, or really any of the mortals. The gods are always the much more interesting characters, but that doesn't mean you can't have compelling humans!
And now, a point for point review of Season 2!
1. Still not CASTLEVANIA. In fact, arguably even less CASTLEVANIA.
2. The show remains “extravagantly dramatic, violent, action-packed, and kind of ruthless to the characters,” though it’s added some not very welcome tweeness in Zagreus and Melinoe, the children of Hades and Persephone, who embody my least two favorite child archetypes- Angry and Needy (respectively) without having any additional personality traits to speak of. Though a few more hallmarks of ancient Greek culture are thrown in (funeral games, hospitality laws), the grand plot arch of the series seems to be moving towards a steadily contemporary critique of the gods as flawed- and that’s a problem, rather than an asset (or just a genuine reflection of the humans that worship them). The final twist of this season- Gaea bringing back Typhon to punish the gods- is an allusion to the original Typhon myth, of course, but also feels like a reboot, motivated as it is by her anger at their solipsism rather than any specific crime. If Season Three continues in the same pattern, then the show will basically be three seasons of the main characters trying to stop, and inevitably participating in, a FINAL BATTLE. Snore.
3. We definitely get more goddesses this season, and in the characterization of Athena, in particular, the show achieves a layered and nuanced female character who doesn’t feel tokenized or a cliché of the Strong Woman archetype. Alexia also gets her own storyline, which is nice, even though it doesn’t get much screentime till the second half of the season.
4. The Fates only showed up once this season, instead we get the Judges of The Dead- Rhadamanthus, Aeacus, and Minos. They aren’t fun at all, but in the strict seriousness of their representation there is some thoughtful discourse on justice and what acts and deeds in a person’s life are actually of value when it comes to determining if they are worthy of Elysium or Tartarus. The binary feels a little Christian, vs. Hellenic, but it’s at least providing a touch of philosophy in a show that remains, largely, devoid of Big Ideas.
5. Well, we got Persephone! And Zagreus and Melinoe, though they are pre-teens with one dimensional, underwritten personalities. Persephone, however, is well drawn (literally and figuratively) and they opt for the “She wanted to be abducted” take on her marriage to Hades, which has become more popular in our era where a woman growing to love her abductor husband has become a hard pill for most audiences to swallow. Demeter is portrayed as a clingy shrew, which fits with the show’s general perception of the gods as power drunk super heroes, or super villains, and kind of side-steps the deep tragedy of a traumatized mother losing her only child. Artemis and Aphrodite appear as minor figures, with a few lines and some showy moments in the final battle (I love that Aphrodite’s signature power is wind, as she is an air goddess in some traditions) and Gaea feels appropriately awe inspiring and sort of borderline tyrannical- like Big Momma crossed with the God of the Old Testament. Iris also has a cameo, even if her manifestation feels a little cribbed from Rick Riordan’s PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS.
6. The most on point of all the gods, however, is Hestia, a newcomer this season. Though she only really does something in the first episode, the part where she alone can perform the act of transporting the source of the power of the gods is actually pretty brilliant and makes total sense, considering she’s the only Olympian who ever willingly abdicates her throne. This unique personality trait means that Zeus trusts only her to ensure the treasured object reaches its safe hiding place, in the depths of Gaea, where the Earth Goddess comforts her sobbing daughter once she arrives, traumatized from her journey and the chaos of the second Titanomachy. It’s also, hands down, the most emotionally resonant moment of the entire show thus far.
7. Well, Hades is no longer neutral, and probably the biggest disappointment of this season was setting him up as the new Super Villain. Sure, they try to motivate him and Persephone as victims of the rigged system that put Zeus and Hera in power but it’s a weak motivation at best. I mean, these are immortal beings who can more or less go anywhere and do anything with their lives, so the conceit that Persephone being banished from the Underworld for six months of every year is a burden feels more like inconvenienced privilege than any sort of real justification for upending the order of the universe. Especially considering the mortal cost that is collateral damage.
8. Heron isn’t any more likable, though he is certainly being painted as some kind of saint/savior. Unfortunately, his nobility doesn’t feel earned, and just becomes a second dimension to a character that still doesn’t have three.
9. Kofi and Evios being established as firmly heterosexual from the first episode of the season feels like a creator move motivated by too many slash fiction fan stories, and is made even more disappointing by how little Kofi has to do this season, and the decision to have Evios leave the crew halfway through and for very little reason.
10. The final battle was more fun god on god warcraft, but it lacked the emotional core that the season one final battle found in Zeus and Hera’s relationship. Actually, that note is sort of a general one for the whole season, which ultimately feels transitional to what looks like it could be a real banger of a third season- or just more of the same. I suppose we’ll have to wait and see.
Meanwhile, we at least got this stunning moment with a flying horse, in a scene that looks straight out of a dream treasury of my childhood.
*************************************************************************************************************
Hello!
Thank you for reading!
So, in a moment of just, fuck it, I'll give it a try, I am finally doing that thing people keep saying I should do and giving you the chance to support my writing.
If you liked what you read today and would like to show that gratitude in cash money, you can help keep this middle-aged single writer turned food equity coordinator/usher/online content creator/social media manager in the black. I accept Zelle (it's my phone number), PayPal (@stuartbousel), or CashAp ($Bousel) and I leave it up to you to decide what to give. You can also get a paid subscription to my Substack. I offer multiple options- two year, one year, and month to month subscriptions. All of them help.
Obviously, I'm not going to put anything behind a paywall and I'm honored you read anything I write at all. I'm going to try to write something here every Sunday/Monday, around this time, and if you have thoughts or feelings you'd like to share with me to write about I'd love that.
Be well. Reach out. You are a light.
Stuart