The Audio File: The Hermes & Hekate Road Show

I've said before that it can be frustrating when a really great podcast ends after only one season. It's frustrating, but that doesn't mean there aren't some true hidden gems waiting to be discovered. Why yes, this does relate to the podcast we're reviewing today. We're taking a look at The Hermes & Hekate Road Show.

The Greek Gods are no mere myth. They're real and very much active in the modern world. Specifically, they're messing around in the modern-day United States of America. Hephaestus' anvil has gone missing, and Zeus has tasked Hermes, god of thieves and travelers (among other things), and Hekate, goddess of witchcraft and crossroads, to retrieve it. However, they'll soon find that's far from the only mythological mishap going on in America. The two gods are about to take a motorcycle road trip of mythic proportions across America.

If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that I love pretty much anything related to Greek Mythology, or mythology in general. You'll also know how much I love Percy Jackson and American Gods. As such, I absolutely loved this podcast. It only lasted for one season of five episodes. There were plans for a season two, but it never materialized. Sometimes life gets in the way, or creators move on to other projects. That's just how it goes. Still, what a season it was.

The series is created by Genevieve Williams and Ray Snyder. The idea started when they were at a festival late at night, and they began musing on what kind of vehicles the Greek Gods would drive. Then they began to ponder what it would be like to set those gods loose on the roads of modern-day America. It when through a few mutations before they settled on the final form.  They cut down the number of characters, and focused on their original idea of Hermes and Hekate on a motorcycle trip. They figured the two gods would be a good fit, as they often appeared together in myths as fellow psychopomps. Psychopomps are those who help guide the dead to the afterlife. 

The original plan was for Genevieve to voice Hekate and Ray to voice Hermes. That first half did happen, but Hermes wound-up being voiced by their good friend Greg Watridge (hope I spelled that correct). Meanwhile, Ray voiced a hobo, who has a bit more to him, but telling more would be spoilers. Really, the whole cast is absolutely phenomenal, and everyone does a great job.

Zeus act as the narrator who introduces each episode and sets the stage for the adventures to come. He makes an on-screen, for want of a better term, in episode three. I appreciated that he portrayed as honorable, noble, and a competent leader rather than a one-not sex joke. That being said, both Hermes and Hekate snark about Zeus' many affairs behind his back. Not that Hermes is one to talk, given how he cheerily remarks about his own escapades at a pride parade in San Francisco. The opening and closing music is rock guitars, and it really adds to the motorcycle trip vibe of the show. It is nice that the show didn't shy away from the fact that many of the gods were, by modern standard, bisexual. It is true to the original mythology.

Our leading deities are both great. Hermes is energetic, easily distracted, and a bit overly flirtatious at times. Meanwhile, Hekate plays the snarky straight woman to Hermes' antics, but occasionally shows that she's not as above it all as she seems. They're also joined by several other members of the Greek Pantheon, and occasionally gods from other pantheons. Yeah, turns out the Olympians aren't the only gods running around modern America. In episode three we get to meet Baron Samedi of the Voodoo Loa, and a Native American goddess at the Grand Canyon, with mention of Anansi from West African mythology.

Athena and Ares join in the fun starting with episodes four and five, though Athena also briefly appeared in episode two and three. Athena takes the form of a butch-looking cop. She does her best to remain calm and level-headed, but there are times her temper gets the better of her. Again, not inconsistent with how she is in Greek Mythology. Ares appears as a Hell's Angels biker and tries his best to put on a though guy persona. He tries, but all the other gods never let him forget the time he was captured by giants and held hostage for months. Athena and Ares don't like each other and constantly make passive aggressive swipes, which kind of makes sense. Athena was the patron goddess of Athens, and Ares was the patron god of Sparta. Both city-states were bitter rivals, and this eventually lead to the Peloponnesian War.

It is explained that the gods don't need worship or sacrifices per se, but they do feel strong when they're around things related to them. For example, Hermes feels best when he's at the Caesar's Palace Casino in Las Vegas. Well, he is a god associated with gambling, and the casino does have a Greco-Roman theme. I'd imagine Athena probably loves to visit the full-scale Parthenon replica in Nashville; especially since it looks just like the Parthenon did in Ancient Athens, giant statue of her and all. The gods are perfectly capable of influencing the modern world. For example, the main plot of the season involves having to track down four items used in the judgment of the dead. Not having them around is causing the natural balance to be thrown out of whack. This is causing unusual weather events. So yeah, apparently the real cause of global warming isn't fossil fuels, but missing items from the Ancient Greek underworld.

I loved the way the podcast juxtaposes Greek Mythology and Americana. For example, at one point Hermes and Hekate have to take down a cyclopes at a roadside attraction claiming to be built on top of a dimensional riff. Though technically this turned out to be true, just not in the way the owners claimed. That's what I've always loved about urban fantasy. With urban fantasy you don't have to go to some far-off fantasy land like Narnia, Middle-Earth, or Britain to have an adventure. You can find adventure right in your own backyard. It's why I always preferred to Percy Jackson to Harry Potter. Yeah, technically Harry Potter is urban fantasy, but the Wizarding World might as well be some far-off high fantasy world. With Percy Jackson it was like "Hey, that could actually happen!" Well, I didn't literally think that it could happen, but it felt more real and relatable to me.

There is a certain kind of magic that can be found in the mundane world if you know where to look for it. I've always been of the opinion that America has a certain magical quality to it that could easily rival and fantasy book. That's very much a connection The Hermes & Hekate Road Show shares with American Gods.

There were plans for a season two, but it sadly never materialized. The plans was not necessarily to feature Hermes and Hekate, but perhaps another set of Greek deities who wouldn't get along. The first season came out in 2013, which is obvious because Athena uses an iPhone 5S, and there have been Facebook posts from 2015 and 2016 indicating the creators are still working on the show. Perhaps there is hope that more seasons will appear someday, but I wouldn't get those hopes up to high. Thankfully, all of the major plot threads are wrapped up by the end of the first season, so it doesn't end on a cliffhanger or anything. I desperately wish that we'd gotten more seasons, because the show is so good, but we should be thankful for what we do have.

So there you have it. The Hermes & Hekate Road Show is a podcast about Ancient Greek Gods on a motorcycle trip of mythic proportions across modern day America. I can't recommend it enough. Check it out today, you'll be glad that you did.

Well, I think that should do it for now. I will see you guys next time.