The Audio File: Live From Mount Olympus: Season 4

I’ve been on a bit of a review hiatus, but I’m officially back in the saddle. To start, we’re going to revisit an audio drama that has appeared on this blog several times in the past. Without further ado, let’s get right to it. We’re going to be taking a look at season four of Live From Mount Olympus. 

Prometheus, titan of foresight, is chained high in the Caucasus Mountains. He always has an eye towards the future. Yet now he looks back at his past, and what lead him to be chained. We follow him as defies his fellow titans in order to aid the Olympians. We watch as he forms a budding friendship with Zeus, the future king of the gods. We also witness his famous theft of fire for the sake of humanity. Prometheus, titan of foresight, adviser to Zeus, friend to humanity. This is his story.

Live From Mount Olympus is doing something a little different this time. Season four is a mere five episodes long. It seems that season five, which will focus on Pandora, will be about the same length. From what I understand, this was done to get new episodes out faster. And hey, we get two seasons for the price of one.

Season four is easily the best season of Live From Mount Olympus to date. We get a real sense of what a tragic hero Prometheus was. He constantly gets visions of the future. From the start, he knows that his journey will lead him to those chains, and having his liver ripped out each morning. And yet, he doesn’t try to fight it, nor does he protest his fate. For his visions also show him the heights that humanity will achieve once they harness the gift of fire. Knowing this is enough for Prometheus.

We see these even before the big heist. Prometheus begins his journey by openly defying Kronos and the other titans. He and his brother Epimetheus are some of the only titans to do so. This is no small feat, but Prometheus has seen the glories that the Olympians are destined to achieve.

I liked how this season handled Zeus. He and Prometheus start off as the best of friends. This makes it all the more tragic when Prometheus must betray Zeus. It would have been easy to portray Zeus as a tyrant, or a one-note villain. However, Live From Mount Olympus takes a nuanced approach. Zeus is clearly depicted as being in the wrong, but you can understand why he is so hesitant to share fire with humanity. Zeus rightly points out that humans are already fairly destructive and naïve. Giving them a new tool, especially such an inherently destructive one, could potentially make things worse.

I also really like how the actual theft of the fire is portrayed. It plays out almost like a heist movie. I thought that was a very fun touch. I also enjoyed seeing Hestia become a fairly prominent supporting character this season. I always kind of felt bad for her. She was the stalwart and steadfast one. She didn’t get involved in the shenanigans that the other Olympians did. Consequently, she doesn’t really feature in many myths. In fact, some lists of the Twelve Olympians even replace her with Dionysus.

Now, all of that being said, I also feel there were some areas that could have been better. I know that this season is shorter by design, but I felt that worked against it at times. Having more episodes to really develop Prometheus and Zeus’ friendship would make Prometheus’ betrayal carry more weight. We’d also get to see Zeus transition from an idealistic rebel to a flawed, but ultimately good at heart, king of the gods. It was necessary for the Titanomachy to be part of this season. Having the season start after the Titanomachy wouldn’t work. There just wouldn’t be enough material to sustain a full season, even a truncated one. Still, I feel that the Titanomachy could have made for an interesting full season in and of itself.

So, now for a bit of mythological musings. You would think that Prometheus, being a friend to humanity, would be a pretty popular guy in Ancient Greece. However, from what archeology can tell, this doesn’t appear to have been the case. Oh, he had some cults, but they were fairly minor. In fact, the earliest account of Prometheus, written by the poet Hesiod, depict him in an unflattering light. Hesiod portrays Prometheus as a self-righteous trickster who ended the Golden Age of humanity. Though, Hesiod is a bit mum about how not having fire, and having to sacrifice most of our food to the gods, was beneficial to humanity. To be fair, Zeus was considered the god of law and order. The Ancient Greeks viewed the world less as good vs evil, and more order vs chaos. So, Prometheus defying Zeus, and in such a chaotic way, would have potentially rubbed the Ancient Greeks the wrong way.

We do get to see a more sympathetic Prometheus in the play Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus. Here, Prometheus is a tragic hero and friend to humanity. Though, at the same time, the playwright Aristophanes depicts Prometheus as almost comically sneaky and devious. Interestingly, the bit about Prometheus creating humanity doesn’t show up until much later. The story of Prometheus, as we know it, really solidified during the Hellenistic era.

Where am I going with this? Well, the point is, Prometheus has always been more of a literary character than a mythological character. Often, ancient playwright and storytellers weren’t focused on replicating old stories, but rather, on exploring new themes and ideas. There was no strict canon in Greek Mythology. The stories varied from city-state to city-state. Prometheus has inspired artists from the Renascence to the Present Day. Live From Mount Olympus follows in that tradition, while also being faithful to the ancient sources.

Once again, let’s take a moment to thank the cast for the wonderful performances. Ato Blankson-Wood gives a very layered performance as Prometheus. He makes Prometheus sound very world-weary, and perhaps a bit resigned as well. Yet he also carefully drapes a thin layer of hope over everything that Prometheus does. Ian Lassiter, meanwhile, shows as more vulnerable side of Zeus as a younger god trying to make his mark on the world. Andres De Shields recently promoted Live From Mount Olympus when he was interviewed on The Today Show. I also love the title card this season. The orange and black evoke Ancient Greek pottery. Thought, really, all the title cards have been great. 

Season four is dedicated in loving memory of Vinie Burrows. She passed away last year and played many characters on Live From Mount Olympus. She always brought such power and grace to her roles. She will be missed by listeners and cast alike. 

The season ends on a bittersweet note. Prometheus is still chained, but he knows that one day he shall be free. Specifically, he shall be freed by Heracles, a son of Zeus. And though our time with Prometheus has come to an end, our time with Pandora will soon begin.

So, there you have it. Season four of Live From Mount Olympus is easily our best season to date. We explore the tragic story of Prometheus, the fire-bringer and friend to humanity. We’re going to be picking back up with the story of Pandora in season five, and I can’t wait to listen to it.

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