Summary
Blood of Zeus continues to meet expectations with a tremendous alternative Greek Mythology story that pushes its boundaries on themes and the idea of Gods.
You can tell there’s a lot of love behind Blood of Zeus, which I sensed in the first season. In that review, I declared: “It’s easy to walk into this series and expect an unoriginal tale that involves Zeus’s son. But it somehow manages to make the story feel fresh.” The same applies for Season 2. With the creators Charley and Vlas Parlapanides stating they have five seasons planned, it’s abundantly obvious that they have storyboarded this series with care and love. You can feel it in the animation but also in the weighted and nuanced script.
Season 1 ended with allegiances tested, especially for Heron and Seraphim. Season 2 sees the alternative legend story upping the ante. Circling the anticipated Great War is the subject of the Eleusinian Stone, a great, mythical object. Hades yearns for it for personal reasons, but there’s a great meaning behind the valuable object, which I will not reveal for spoiler reasons. Blood of Zeus Season 2 continues to go down a path that questions the sanctity of each deity; what their purposes and weaknesses are. It’s never a simple story, but it’s wonderfully told. This concoction is amongst the fate and order of the world. The series humanizes the gods and demons just as much as the humans, and it works.
Season 2 continues to prove why Netflix gave this series a chance. It revels in the story. Behind every good animation, there must be a good arc behind the plot, and Blood of Zeus delivers. The storytelling, context, and flashbacks all serve a higher meaning. This is not just a story about powerful gods and the stakes for heaven and earth but a story about weakness, strength, and the wielding of power.
As much as Heron needs to contend with the pressure of being the Son of Zeus (and inheriting his powers), he also needs to navigate his expectations in Season 2, which is wonderfully woven. Morals are put on the line, pushing the alternative Greek Gods’ story to the test. The same can be said for Seraphim, who holds deep resentment and sorrow but a lust for balance and order after what he has endured.
There is no simple character in Blood of Zeus, and that is articulated the most in Hades—a god that’s always presumed to be evil with a lust for power. However, I understand this god in this story. It’s a troublesome character, not like Disney’s Hercules, who is comically bitter about being tied to The Underworld. The creators have ripped open Greek Mythology and provided perspective. Evil and good are as close together as they are far apart.
The same can be said for the subject of “revenge,” which is thematically strong throughout Season 2. The creators understand character development, but also the need to allow themes to evolve. Revenge is never a straightforward theme to broach, but the complexities are highlighted well in Blood of Zeus, reminding me of the thrilling Blue Eye Samurai.
The biggest test for Season 2 is the lust for a continuation. There was a noticeable gap between Season 1 and 2’s release (the first season was released on October 27th, 2020, while Season 2 came to Netflix on May 10th, 2024), which is concerning for any story. It requires an audience to remain invested in that window in between. The ending of Season 2 is thrilling, and the need for a third will come with anticipation and expectation, but I do hope that its strength in storytelling stays at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
Blood of Zeus is a story that needs completing, and Season 2 proves that.
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