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Kaos Season 1 Ending Explained: What Lies Ahead for Jeff Goldblum’s Zeus?

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Sep 15, 2024 / 3003 Views

Evan Walker

The fascinating world of Greek mythology has inspired stories and art for millennia. After Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians released the season 1 finale in early 2024, viewers finally got to enjoy the August premiere of Netflix’s Kaos. A British original production, the series imagines a modern world where people still worship the Greek gods, who rule over them like despots. Humans also have to perform annual sacrifices to keep their gods appeased. By the end of the eighth and final episode of season 1, viewers are left with more questions than answers. Here’s the ending of Kaos season 1 explained.

Spoilers ahead!

Kaos season 1 finale: Breaking down that ending and what it means for the future

Kaos features Jeff Goldblum as Zeus, the king of Greek gods who is seemingly all-powerful but still insecure. Interesting aside: Goldblum played the role of Ian Malcolm, a chaotician or an expert in chaos theory, in the Jurassic Park franchise. Anyway, since Zeus killed his tyrannical Titan father Kronos, nobody is really all-powerful. When he notices a vertical wrinkle on his forehead — as opposed to the already-existing horizontal ones — he becomes even more paranoid and unhinged — well, even more than usual. This frightens other gods, including his wife Hera (played by Janet McTeer), Poseidon (played by Cliff Curtis), Hades (played by David Thewlis) and Dionysus (played by Nabhaan Rizwan).

And indeed, Zeus has cause for concern. There is a conspiracy against him in the form of a prophecy. The chief conspirator responsible is our narrator Prometheus (played by Stephen Dillane), who Zeus condemned to an eternal, painful punishment because he gave the gift of fire (which denotes Technology and civilisation) to humans. He explains to us that three mortals will bring about the downfall of Zeus and presumably other Olympian gods, including Eurydice or Riddy (played by Aurora Perrineau), Caeneus (played by Misia Butler) and Ariadne or Ari (played by Leila Farzad). This has major ramifications for Kaos season 2.

David Thewlis as Hades in *Kaos*. (Image: Courtesy of Justin Downing/Netflix)

What happens to Zeus in Kaos ending?

Although Zeus and other Olympians act invincible, they really are not and deep down they know it. As mentioned above, Kronos, too, thought nobody could kill him, but his own son destroyed him. We witness Zeus going off the deep end throughout the season, his paranoia intensifying. However, as the three Fates explain, prophecies only come true if you believe in them, and Zeus very much believes in his. His prophecy reads: “A line appears, the order wanes, the family falls, and Kaos reigns.”

Interestingly, this is the same prophecy that the three mortals, Eurydice, Caeneus and Ariadne share as well. “Kaos” or Kháos (the romanisation of the original Greek word) is cognate with the English word “chaos”. Poseidon explains there are forces more powerful than even the gods, and Kaos is certainly one of them. According to Greek mythology creation tale, it existed when there was nothing else, gods and even Titans. We see Kaos appearing in a corporeal form in season 2.

To escape his destiny, Zeus destroys the Fates, the three beings responsible for everything that happens in the universe, believing if there are no Fates, there will be no prophecies and he goes scot-free. The Fates happily pour Petrol over themselves, and let Zeus burn them to death. But, of course, you can’t kill the Fates or change your fate. Eventually, they turn up.

Zeus earlier had a nightmare about accidentally cutting his finger with a knife and a few drops of blood trickled out, which should be impossible for an immortal god. Later, in the finale, this comes true. Prometheus is freed, apparently by the Fates, and he sits on the throne of Olympus. Oh, and the Meander fountain falls. Additionally, even Zeus’ supposed allies, Hera, Poseidon and Dionysus, are disillusioned with him and may even in season 2 join the plot to depose him.

kaos season 1 — Cliff Curtis as Poseidon. (Image: Courtesy of Daniel Escale/Netflix)

What becomes of Eurydice, Caeneus and Ariadne in Kaos?

The three humans who will cause Zeus’ supposed downfall have their own arc. While Eurydice and Caeneus’ stories intersect, Ariadne’s remains separate for now.

What is Eurydice’s final fate?

kaos ending — Aurora Perrineau as Eurydice. (Image: Courtesy of Netflix)

Eurydice has fallen out of love with Orpheus (played by Killian Scott), but before she can tell him, she is killed by a passing vehicle. But this is just prophecy taking its course. When she finds herself in the Underworld, she is not allowed to cross the Styx, as Orpheus took her coin that would pay for the passage. His reason for this was he would go into the Underworld and bring back Riddy, something no mortal has ever done.

Eventually, he is successful, but by that time Riddy has fallen in love with Caeneus, another inhabitant of the Underworld. When she comes back to Earth, Riddy is told by a Mysterious woman Cassandra (played by Billie Piper, known for the vampire TV show Penny Dreadful), who earlier predicted her death, that her destiny is helping Ariadne free the living.

What is Caeneus’ ultimate destiny?

Caeneus, we learn, was one of the Amazons who transitioned to a boy and was thus not allowed to be among the all-female society. He was sent to Crete by his mother but turns out she gave him up to the Amazons, who proceeded to kill him. But when she meets him in the Underworld after her death, she tells him she knew about the prophecy and that getting him killed was the only way to fulfil it.

He tries to stop his mother from going into the Frame, where all the dead must go. While it is believed beyond the Frame is another life on Earth, we later learn that it is all a sham perPetrated by the gods and souls that cross over and enter the Nothing, which as its name suggests is a void, emptiness. Gods drink these souls’ essence in the form of Meander water in Zeus’ home. However, Caeneus is revealed to have the power to renew the dead who are stranded in the Nothing. His destiny is to free the dead.

What happens to Ariadne in Kaos ending?

Leila Farzad as Ariadne. (Image: Courtesy of Justin Downing/Netflix)

For most of Kaos, Ariadne lives under the assumption that she accidentally killed her brother when they were young. But she learns from the Furies that her brother, Glaucus (played by Fady Elsayed), is not actually dead. He is the Minotaur, who was prophecised to kill her father, Minos (played by Stanley Townsend), president of Crete. But her father read the prophecy wrong.

The twin to “first draw the breath” was destined to kill him: and that is Ariadne. After Minos kills Glaucus on Zeus’ urging (who believes if a mere mortal can undo his prophecy, the king of the gods certainly can), Ariadne avenges her brother and kills her father.

By the Kaos season 1 ending, she has become the new ruler of Crete, and unlike her father, she does not intend to play nice with the gods.

Kaos season 1 brief review

Charlie Covell, creator of The End of the F***ing World, is successful in infusing enough gallows humour to keep you entertained. But Kaos season 1 mostly works, thanks to its superb cast. Jeff Goldblum’s Zeus is an inspired casting, bringing his signature eccentricity and charm to the megalomaniacal king of gods. This is no school-book Zeus, all kindly grandpa vibes; this is Zeus straight from the myths: a ruthless tyrant who won’t entertain even a hint of irreverence. David Thewlis, Remus Lupin of the Harry Potter franchise, is also as impressive as Hades, the Greek god of the dead.

What to expect from Kaos season 2?

Just to clarify, we do not yet know for certain whether Kaos will be renewed for season 2. However, Charlie Covell has said that he has plans for a total of three seasons. Kaos season 1 ended with Prometheus on the Olympian throne and the power of the gods waning after the Meander fountain disappeared. We can expect Zeus, weakened as he is, will not accept his fate lying down. He will fight, and it will be ugly. We have seen what Zeus is capable of — he killed an innocent kitten just to make a point towards Kaos season 1 ending.