Warning! This review contains spoilers for Blood of Zeus season 3.
Blood of Zeus season 2's ending, Heron was seemingly killed by Hades, who wished to be set free from the Underworld, causing the primordial Earth goddess Gaia to unleash her children, the Titans, to punish the Olympian gods for their wickedness.
Season 3 picks up immediately after this, with a new story spanning eight episodes showcasing how Heron, his brother Seraphim, their allies, and Blood of Zeus' Greek gods (of which I am always a fan), the third season ends the show satisfyingly.
Blood Of Zeus Season 3's Best Aspect Is Its Animation
The Show Never Fails To Look Fantastic
My favorite aspect of Blood of Zeus season 3 was its animation. South Korean studios Mua Film and Hanho Heung-Up do an excellent job of making every frame look well-realized. The Greek backdrops of regular towns or otherworldly locations like Olympus and the Underworld all look great, as do the character designs. The many Olympian gods in the show all look brilliant, with the same being said for the Titans of Blood of Zeus season 3, specifically Cronos and Typhon.
Every action sequence is animated perfectly, with every move, swing of a sword, use of godly powers, or clash of Titans always clearly discernible and dripping with color and presented on an epic scale...
Moreover, the action sequences are always exciting. In animated shows, be they Western productions or anime, action sequences live or die based on their animation. In Blood of Zeus season 3, every action sequence is animated perfectly, with every move, swing of a sword, use of godly powers, or clash of Titans always clearly discernible, dripping with color, and presented on an epic scale. This is made even more impressive by the quick turnaround of Blood of Zeus season 3, which releases only a year after its predecessor.
The final episode, in particular, had some amazingly animated battle sequences. Others included a trippy, witch-induced sequence in episode 5, the backstory of a Gorgon in episode 3 that had a beautifully muted look, and the other spurts of action throughout. Overall, Blood of Zeus season 3 looks great, which is without a doubt its biggest strength.
Blood Of Zeus Season 3's Story Is (Mostly) Satisfying
As Were Its Character Arcs
I found season 3's story to be mostly compelling, though not without flaws. The story's set-up worked as it built from the ending of season 2, yet the early episodes featured some strange choices. A lot of the Olympian gods remained underdeveloped, with only the likes of Zeus, Hades, Hera, and Persephone being compelling thanks to prior seasons. As a result, the story was at its best when focusing on Heron and Seraphim, who were mostly absent from the story until episode 3, which I found ittedly jarring.
The binge-watching model of Netflix allowed these criticisms to disappear soon enough, despite me usually preferring weekly releases.
Once Heron and Seraphim take the spotlight, though, Blood of Zeus season 3 improves. Their dynamic is great, as is their development, especially Seraphim's. Where the gods are concerned, the lack of in-depth characters was bolstered by a good exploration of the morally complex Greek world, such as the switching regimes of gods and Titans, which make the better rulers, and the redemption of the likes of Hera, Hades, and Demeter. While Cronos worked well as a villain, the rest of the Titan roster besides Typhon were vastly underutilized, which was disappointing.
The ending of season 3's story mostly worked. The final episode was suitably epic, and the wrap-up of several storylines that mattered — such as Heron and Seraphim's — were well-written. Furthermore, Blood of Zeus season 3 had some narrative stakes I felt were lacking in previous seasons; some characters, be they Olympian gods or mortals, met gruesome ends this season, giving the story a sense of dramatic weight.
Sadly, I could feel the weight of a storyline cut short in Blood of Zeus season 3. Originally, the show was planned for a five-season arc, yet Netflix announced season 3 as its last. This meant that some storylines were strangely concluded, with a character like Gaia disappearing almost entirely for the latter episodes and facing no repercussions for her actions. Seraphim's final moments, while mostly emotionally resonant, also came out of nowhere based on the conclusion of the war with the Titans. Overall, though, the story of Blood of Zeus season 3 worked more often than it did not.
Blood Of Zeus Season 3's Voice Cast Works Well
Most Perform Their Roles Adequately
I would also like to give a shout-out to season 3's voice cast. Although the unfortunate sidelining of many characters meant several actors had little to do, the ones with a focus worked. Derek Phillips and Elias Toufexis are great as Heron and Seraphim, respectively, especially the latter. Alfred Molina also s the cast as Cronos and is suitably menacing, though not without imbuing the king of the Titans with some empathy. I ittedly would have liked more from other characters, but Blood of Zeus season 3's voice cast does not have a notable weak link.
Blood Of Zeus Season 3 Has Some Mixed ing Elements
Namely Music & Plot Devices
The plot MacGuffins seemed to be prevalent throughout Blood of Zeus season 3, from Hecate's torch to the Necklace of Harmonia, which various gods, Titans, and demigods were searching for before getting to the real meat of the story. This was the case with aspects like Blood of Zeus season 2's Eleusinian Stone, which I was hoping season 3 would abandon. Despite my disappointment with more plot MacGuffins, the journeys there included some fun action set-pieces, and one, like the necklace, tied nicely to Seraphim's intriguing story.
Finally, I it I am not a fan of Blood of Zeus season 3's musical score. Some moments stood out well, such as the final battle, but there is a common saying that musical scores are at their best when not noticed. Blood of Zeus' music, unfortunately, seemed to be too noticeable by being extra loud at many points. Building on that, the musical score was very prevalent, with rarely any scenes across the eight episodes being allowed to play out in silence, hampering the character moments and smaller, deeper conversations.
On the whole, I found this slightly jarring and uninspired, regardless of how epic the music often was. That said, these elements were not enough to ruin my enjoyment of Blood of Zeus season 3 as a collection of eight episodes. The story mostly moves quickly and wraps up elements satisfyingly, regardless of a few missteps. Music and plot MacGuffins aside, Blood of Zeus season 3 is an enjoyable conclusion to the Netflix animation, even if it's not a perfect one.
- Cast
- Jason O'Mara
- Seasons
- 3
- Blood of Zeus season 3 consistently has beautiful animation, from character designs to landscapes and action sequences
- Blood of Zeus season 3's story mostly wraps up well, with characters like Heron and Seraphim standing out
- Blood of Zeus season 3 explores intriguing god and Titan politics
- Blood of Zeus season 3 has a compelling central villain and a good voice cast
- Some storylines from Blood of Zeus season 3 are hastily resolved, potentially due to Netflix's cancelation of the show
- Blood of Zeus season 3 relies once more on plot MacGuffins
- Blood of Zeus season 3 has jarring, loud music that hampers quieter scenes
