The world has been hooked on KAOS since its Netflix release last week. Giving Ancient Greek mythology a modern day spin, the show focuses on the power dynamics of the Gods and mortals and has been dubbed the Succession of the sky. Whether it’s Hera sauntering around in silks and building an army of mistress bees or Dionysus sneaking grieving lovers into the underworld, the cleverly constructed plot – made up of intricately linked and familiar stories – has already drawn in millions of viewers.
The series is littered with easter eggs, which show creator Charlie Covell has subtly weaved in via cereal names, addresses and cigarette brands. But there’s one key plot detail that holds a lot more significance than you might have originally thought.
In the first episode, we see Dionysus attempting to impress his father Zeus by gifting him a watch for Olympia Day, but the King of the Gods is dismissive. He tells his son that he already has one, a lucky piece from none other than Hercules, and in an act of rebellion Dionysus steals the watch and later offers it to one of the Fates in exchange for Orpheus’ passage to the underworld.
However, when Zeus eventually realises that his lucky watch is missing he takes it as a sign that his prophecy is coming to pass and his anxiety and paranoia reaches new heights. He proceeds to kill his staff one by one, and Dionysus decides to give him a copycat to placate him. It’s worth noting, though, that Zeus has no idea this isn’t the original watch until the end of the series, showing that he’s more interested in its perceived power.
But the significance of the watch in KAOS goes even further than power metaphors. Zeus believes that the missing watch proves his downfall is coming, but it’s somewhat self-fulfilling; Dionysus only takes it when he feels rejected by his father, and it sets the cogs turning for a series of events that ultimately do lead to his takedown. It allows Orpheus to defy the order of things by venturing to the underworld and returning, and it ends up in the hands of one of the Fates – so in a very literal sense, Zeus has sealed his own. His final interaction with them before he blasts them into a flaming trio is what then spurs on his menacing confrontation with Hera, Poseidon and Dionysus – and when the family falls.
KAOS fans are already calling for a second season, and while nothing has been confirmed just yet creator Charlie Covell told Radio Times: “The idea is three seasons in total. So, that’s what I have kind of in my brain… I’ve got an idea of what the plot is. But no, there’s no script, just lots of fevered documents and stuff that only I would probably understand at this point. But the main story is clear in my head.”
Fingers crossed!
KAOS is available to stream now on Netflix.
