Netflix’s new dark comedy Kaos introduces characters with less power but are just as important – Riddy, Caeneus, and Ari. These three humans have the same prophecy as Zeus, which isn’t supposed to be possible.

Within the first episode, Riddy dies and goes to the underworld. However, she becomes trapped in the Underworld alongside Caeneus. Meanwhile, the gods try to manipulate Ari and her father, Minos, on Earth. Ari lives with debilitating guilt because she killed her twin at birth. All three of these humans start to learn that the things they know to be true aren’t as they seem. This leads to a fast-paced and exciting ending that threatens to throw the whole universe of Kaos out of balance.

Does Zeus’ Prophecy Come True In Kaos?

Zeus' Prophecy Doesn't Occur How He Expects

Throughout Kaos, Jeff Goldblum’s Zeus obsesses over his prophecy, which reads as the following:

“A line appears

The order wanes

The family falls

And Kaos reigns”

Zeus believes the prophecy is coming true because he has a vertical wrinkle on his forehead. He then starts looking for the next part of the prophecy everywhere. The three events he thinks fulfill the second line are Minos defying his prophecy, the desecration of the monument, and, later, a human returning from the dead. The former is a double-edged sword, because if Minos defies the prophecy, the order wanes. At the same time, that shows Zeus that a prophecy can be avoided. Though it’s not explicitly stated, he seems to think the third line is Hera having an affair.

Interestingly, three out of four lines in the prophecy come true but not in any of the ways that Zeus expects. The glowing line appears on Caeneus’ neck and face when his soul is renewed. The order waning occurs when Prometheus takes over the throne. The family falls when Zeus becomes a mortal. The only line that is yet to happen is Kaos reigning, which will undoubtedly occur if Kaos season 2 happens.

How Caeneus Revived The Souls In The Underworld

Caeneus' Ability To Revive Souls Is Ambiguous

One of the most shocking moments in Kaos season 1 is when Caeneus revives the souls of people in The Nothing. Even Hades seems perplexed as to how he managed this seemingly impossible feat. While the series never explicitly confirms how he does this, the very first episode provides the most likely answer. When Prometheus talks to Zeus, he reminds the god of thunder about bringing a dog back to life.

Given Caeneus’ immense empathy for others in the Underworld, it wouldn’t be surprising if he could also revive the souls of strangers, too.

He explains that Zeus’ love for his pet was the explanation, stating, “Love can do a lot.” Considering Caeneus revives his mother's soul, with whom he has an incredibly close and loving relationship, love is probably the key in this case, too. Given Caeneus’ immense empathy for others in the Underworld, it wouldn’t be surprising if he could also revive the souls of strangers, too.

What Is The Nothing In Netflix's Kaos?

The Nothing Is A Mysterious Bunker With A Dark Purpose

Towards the middle of Kaos season 1, Caeneus and Riddy find a strange underground bunker full of desiccated humans called The Nothing. While they initially think it’s a punishment for people who besmirch the gods, it’s eventually revealed that every human goes to The Nothing after ing through the frame rather than being renewed. Their souls are sucked out of them and put into the water that the gods drink. Their husks stay in The Nothing forever.

What Actually Happened To Glaucos

Ari's Family Lies To Her About Her Twin

The trauma that drives Ari throughout Kaos is the fact that she supposedly killed Glaucos at birth; however, the fates eventually reveal to her that her father, Minos, ordered his servant Daedalus to kill her twin because Minos’ prophecy said the firstborn would kill him. Instead of killing Glaucos, Daedalus locked Glaucos up, and nobody could speak to him. This shows the cruelty of Minos. While locking him away is wrong, he takes it a step further by cutting off the child from any human connection, friendship, or love. He uses silence as a weapon.

When Glaucos started acting feral, biting others, and killing people, Minos decided to make him into a weapon. Daedalus made the mask and horns at the command of Minos, turning Glaucos into the minotaur. Ultimately, Minos has a self-fulling prophecy because Ari’s anger causes her to kill Minos in retaliation in the Netflix comedy.

How Zeus Became An Immortal God

Zeus Was Born A Mortal Man

In Kaos, Zeus and his family weren’t always gods, born as mortals instead. However, Zeus became powerful after absorbing the soul of his father. Enjoying the power boost he received, he decided to absorb more and more souls until he became an immortal god. His siblings and children followed suit, absorbing souls to become gods, too. Eventually, they created the frame to industrialize the process of absorbing human souls, liquidating them and infusing them in water.

Why Riddy Is Trapped In The Underworld

Riddy Doesn't Have What's Necessary To Through The River

An important plot point in Kaos is the fact that Riddy dies and gets stuck in the underworld. Her inability to through the frame is the catalyzing event leading to Riddy meeting Caeneus, the second human with the same prophecy. The two likely wouldn’t have found The Nothing or figured out the gods’ secret on their own. Shockingly, Riddy getting trapped in the Underworld isn’t the work of Medusa, Prometheus, or the others trying to make the prophecy come true. Instead, Riddy cannot go through the frame because Orpheus steals her coin.

In Greek mythology, a loved one places a coin in the mouth or near the body of a deceased person so that they can pay to get across the river Styx. Kaos uses the same concept, except that the coin is used to get through the frame in the river. Rather than burning Riddy with a coin, he puts it in her mouth during the funeral and then removes it after everyone else leaves. That way, nobody knows about his betrayal, but he has a chance to get Riddy back from the Underworld.

How The Three Humans From The Prophecy Are Connected

Ari, Riddy, And Caeneus Don't Know Each Other

In the world of Kaos, no two people are supposed to get the same prophecy; however, it’s soon discovered that not only does more than one person have Zeus’ prophecy, but four people, including the deity, have the prophecy. The other three are humans who, surprisingly, have zero connection to each other prior to the show’s start. Beforehand, Caeneus was working in the Underworld, Riddy was the girlfriend of a famous singer, and Ari worked in the Heraklion government.

None of their paths cross in Kaos until Riddy dies, at which point she develops a friendship and eventually romance with Caeneus. Neither of them meets Ari, which seems like a probable direction if Kaos season 2 happens. After all, Riddy is back on Earth and a prophet by the time the season ends. It would make sense for all three involved in the prophecy to eventually meet.

The Meaning Of The Pomegranates In Kaos

Pomegranates Frame Kaos Season 1

At the beginning of Kaos episode 1, Riddy buys a pomegranate, an item that wouldn’t seem noteworthy except that a pomegranate later appears at another critical moment in the series – Zeus’ vision about cutting his hand, causing him to bleed. The pomegranates are a symbol that draws upon Greek mythology for meaning.

While the pomegranate has a few different meanings within the myths, the two relevant meanings are death and life. In a way, Riddy and Zeus experience both life and death within a single moment. Riddy finds her purpose in life by dying. Zeus dies as the ruler of Olympus by regaining mortal life – or, at least, the cut seemingly means he’s mortal.

The True Meaning Of Kaos’ Ending

Power Can Be Given, And Power Can Be Taken

Kaos is a poignant reminder that even the people who seem untouchable can fall at the hands of ordinary people with enough anger and gumption.

The hilarious and tense ending of Kaos shows a shift in power with the three humans taking away the thing that makes Zeus special. It’s unclear yet whether all the other gods are impacted by this change. However, it seems likely, based on the fact that the gods get their power from souls, that the process of renewal will weaken the power of all the gods. In either case, Kaos is a poignant reminder that even the people who seem untouchable can fall at the hands of ordinary people with enough anger and gumption.

Moreover, the fact that Medusa, Poseidon, and Charon actively help make the prophecy come true sends the message that not everyone within a system is willing to follow the orders of a tyrannical leader. They may just be waiting for the perfect opportunity to push back against oppression. In a world where injustice feels rampant, the true meaning of Kaos aims to invigorate the audience to say, “Enough is enough” to the Zeuses of our world.