The Audio File: Live From Mount Olympus: Pandora

Even the best of audio dramas can have slip-ups. Past success doesn’t make one immune to the occasional hiccup, or lapse in judgement. A certain amount of slack is certainly due, but that doesn’t mean we ought to omit any criticism. Without further ado, onto the main event. We’re taking a look at season five of Live From Mount Olympus. 

You might know the story of Pandora. The curious woman who opened a box and let all of the evils into the world. But it wasn’t a box, it was actually a jar called a pithos. And maybe the story you think you know isn’t really what happened. Hermes and Athena are going to work together to weave a new story of Pandora.

We have had many successful seasons of Live From Mount Olympus at this point. Season one retold the story of Perseus and Andromeda, season two retold the story of Persephone and Demeter, season three the story of Atalanta, and season four the story of Prometheus.

Season six is a mere three episodes long. I wasn’t bothered by this. Perhaps it would serve as a coda to the story of Prometheus? Or perhaps the show runners were experimenting with a new format? The story of Pandora doesn’t have enough material to sustain a full season. So, perhaps the shorter format would work?

So, the first episode follows the story of Pandora as written by the poet Hesiod. The gods create Pandora with traits to punish humanity for stealing fire. Traits such as the ability to deceive men and lead them astray. She is given as a wife to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus. Pandora immediately falls in love…with cooking, cleaning, and looking pretty for Epimetheus. And, of course, curiosity gets the better of her, and she opens the lid of the jar. The jar the gods specifically told her not to open. And thus, evil enters the world, but hope remains in the pithos. Obviously, we’re playing up the sexism inherent in the original. Hesiod believed that women were inherently evil, and only lived to deceive and hurt men. Sadly, this wasn’t exactly an uncommon belief in Ancient Greece. If anything, this retelling is being slightly nicer. In Hesiod’s version, Pandora opened the jar…just because, really. Athena isn’t having it, and that sets in motion us learning the “real” version of Pandora’s story.

Now, admittedly, there are some details of Pandora’s story that retellings often get wrong. As you may have noticed, she did not have a box, but a jar. A pithos was a type of large jar used for storing things like olive oil or wine. They were also sometimes used to store dead bodies for burial. The common confusion is due to a mistranslation. As for hope, there are multiple interpretations. Some say that hope was a good thing, as it can get us through hard times. Others, however, feel that hope was a dangerous thing. Sometimes, it can be a bad thing to put your faith in a better tomorrow that isn’t coming.

The second episode retells the story, but form a different perspective. We follow Athena and Hephaestus as the work together to craft Pandora. There’s some cute moments where they bond over how much Zeus makes them frustrated. There was a myth where Athena, Hera, Apollo, and Poseidon all teamed up to try to overthrow Zeus while he was taking a nap. But they are stopped by one of the Hecatoncheires; also known as the Hundred-Handed Ones. Hephaestus was thrown off of Mount Olympus by either Zeus or Hera, depending on the version of the myth, when he was a baby. So, I can definitely see them having such a conversation.

Anyway, this time around, Pandora has more agency. The traits the gods gift her allow her to think for herself, and navigate the world. She is constantly curious, but that’s because she literally was born yesterday. In fact, her curiosity is portrayed as a good thing. Pandora is driven by her desire to gain more knowledge and experience. She’s not some bimbo who exists only for Epimetheus’ pleasure. However, just like the first time around, Pandora winds-up opening the pithos and releasing all of the evils into the world.

So, we come to the final story. The “true” story of what happened. Pandora is telling the story to all of her granddaughters. She learned that the world needs both darkness and light. For example, lying can be a good thing if it keeps someone’s feelings from being hurt. So, Pandora reasoned that maybe the so-called evil isn’t so evil after all. That humanity needs to know how to deal with darker feelings and emotions if it is ever to achieve its true potential. Epimetheus felt this way also, and so he and Pandora opened the pithos together. So, the pithos was actually a secret test from the gods all along. At least, that’s Pandora’s take on the matter.

This actually wasn’t a bad idea in theory. It was a unique take on the story of Pandora, and I might have enjoyed it under other circumstances. However, Live From Mount Olympus is supposed to be educational as well as entertaining. Presenting your reimagining as the “true” version of the story is only going to confuse kids. Suggesting that the evils in the pithos might not have been so bad is a very modern concept. The Ancient Greeks would certainly not have viewed things that way.

Live From Mount Olympus has always been about filling in the gaps of the myths. What was going through Perseus’ head during his quest? Did he ever struggle with self-doubt? What was Demeter and Persephone’s relationship like? What was it like for Atalanta to try to balance her wild nature and the civilized world? However, this season didn’t do any of that. Instead, it just made things up out of whole cloth to tell any entirely different story.

But what really irks me is why this all happened in the first place. The creators of Live From Mount Olympus have admitted that they found Pandora’s story to be incredibly sexist. As such, they felt that they had to change the story to better fit modern sensibilities. And to that I have to ask, well, why? There was no reason they absolutely had to adapt Pandora’s story. Wouldn’t it have been better to adapt a more agreeable myth?

In fact, I know just such a myth. You could even keep this season’s Rashomon style that this season was aiming for. I’m talking, of course, about the story of Arachne. There’s a lot of different angles you can take with Arachne’s story. The original version of the story portrays her as a victim of her own hubris. She arrogantly thought she could challenge Athena, the goddess weaving, to a weaving contest. Not only that, but Arachne also depicted the gods behaving badly in her tapestries. Then you have Ovid’s version. According to Ovid, Arachne genuinely was better, and Athena unjustly slew her out of petty jealousy. Ovid had a habit of getting on the bad side of Roman authority figures, and perhaps his writing reflects this.

So, you could do a season asking who Arachne really was. Was she an arrogant braggart who was rightly knocked off her high horse? Was she a brilliant artist who was unjustly persecuted? Was the truth some combination, or was it neither? You could have the season end on an inconclusive note. Rashomon did this for its ending. You could have the moral be that sometimes there just aren’t definitive answers, and we must choose what to believe. Hey, if Live From Mount Olympus wants to hire me as an idea guy, I’m ready and willing.

I would like to think that season five will serve as a lesson on how no to adapt stories from Greek Mythology. I would like to think that Live From Mount Olympus would know better. However, I do worry that this season is a sign of things to come. I suppose it is possible that things could course correct, but that remains to be seen.

As it stands, season five of Live From Mount Olympus was incredibly disappointing. A perfect streak of outstanding Greek Mythology adaptations was finally broken. The creators prioritized inserting their own views and messages over being true to the mythology. Next time, they really ought to pick a myth that is more agreeable to their sensibilities.

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

The Audio File: Live From Mount Olympus: Prometheus

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.

The Audio File: Live From Mount Olympus: Atalanta

Well, I can’t really think of a clever introduction for this one. We’re talking about another fantastic adaptation of Greek Mythology, in audio drama form, today. And one I’ve been eagerly anticipating. We’re taking a look at season three of Live From Mount Olympus.

Atalanta is a conflicted young woman. She was abandoned in the forest as a baby and raised by a family of bears. She loves her home in the forest, but she finds herself increasingly drawn towards human civilization. She is determined to learn about her origins and find her birth parents. She soon becomes renowned for both her fierce prowess in battle, and her incredible beauty. Atalanta must learn to balance her wild nature with the ways of civilization if she is ever going to find her place in the world.

I had previously speculated that we might see the story Atalanta get adapted as a season of Live From Mount Olympus. Atalanta is one of the few Greek heroes who, it could be argued, got a happy ending. Put a pin in that bit for now. However, as we can see, my prediction turned out to be fairly on the money.

The most famous aspect of Atalanta’s story, of course, is how she challenged her suitors to defeat her in the foot race. This happens, of course, but not until the end of the season. To be fair, the race does occur later into the story of Atalanta. Still, I’m remind of how, back in season one, Perseus slaying Medusa took less time than you might expect. However, in another parallel to season one, this just serves to emphasize the aspects that many people tend to forget in retelling of Atalanta’s story. One such aspects is the role that Meleager plays in Atalanta’s story.

Who is this Meleager person? He was the prince of Calydon, and a member of the Argonauts. The Fates connected his life with a piece of firewood. It was prophesied that Meleager would die if the firewood ever burned. Meleager’s mother kept the firewood locked in a special box. The truly cultured among you will notice this is an early example of Chekhov‘s Gun. It is a literary device name for the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It comes from advice he gave to aspiring playwrights. He said, paraphrased, don’t introduce a gun in the first act of a play unless you intend for it to be fired in the last act of a play.

Each season of Live From Mount Olympus has always been a two-person story. Season one was Perseus and Andromeda, season two was Persephone and Demeter, and now we have Atalanta and Meleager. It is Atalanta’s slaying of the Calydonian Boar, and her relationship with Meleager, that gets the lion’s share of the attention in season three. Of course, season three does break the pattern slightly. Meleager dies slightly over halfway through the season. Even then, a big driver for Atalanta’s growth as a character is learning to come to terms with Meleager’s death.

Live From Mount Olympus thrives by filling in the gaps and spaces of the original myths. That remains very true in season three. We spend a lot of time getting to know Atalanta’s adoptive family of bears. In fact, we spend more time with the bears than we do with her human family. At times, I was a bit reminded of Tarzan. Then again…well, actually, I guess Enkidu from The Epic of Gilgamesh would be the original Tarzan. Atalanta is a respectable second, however. We also see that Atalanta feels remorse over all the suitors who are killed as a result of losing the foot race to her. In the original myth, this is kind of glossed over. Here, however, she reflects on how they all have family and friends who will mourn their deaths.

We also get a closer look at Hermes’ godscast. It was just a framing device in pervious seasons. Season three, by contrast, makes it feel more like Hermes is actually producing a podcast. There’s a few scenes where he interviews Artemis and Athena about their role in Atalanta’s story. They both banter a bit with Hermes, and those scenes are written quite well. It never comes across as forced or annoying, unlike certain other podcasts. That means you, Parcast. Getting back on track, I thought this was a nice addition to season three of Live From Mount Olympus.

The voice acting is as fantastic as ever. We see several of our leading voices returning to the spotlight. Joanne Hernandez, who played Persephone in season two, takes center stage as Atalanta. It was fun getting to hear her play a character who headstrong, aggressive, and just a tad cocky. However, she also wonderfully captures Atalanta’s more vulnerable side as well. Divine Garland, who played Perseus in season one, also makes a triumphant return as Meleager. He is tasked with going in the opposite direction of Joanne’s performance. But it should come has no surprise that he captures Meleager’s thoughtful and sensitive nature. He managed to capture that side of Perseus fairly well. I must also give praise to Libby King’s performance as Athena, and Christina Liberus’ performance as Artemis. And, of course, Andre De Shields was just as wonderful as ever as Hermes.

There’s a running theme throughout this season about nature vs. civilization, or put another way, chaos vs. order. Artemis is the representative for team nature, while Athena represents team civilization. I like that neither is portrayed as being better than the other. Artemis and Athena do have friendly competition over who will influence Atalanta more, but it never turns malicious. Artemis and Athena both gives valuable gifts and advice to Atalanta. So, I guess the message is that we’ve all got a little wild and a little civilized inside of us. The trick is to find a way to balance them.

Okay, now I know you’re all wondering this for a while. Just how does Live From Mount Olympus handle the ending of Atalanta’s myth? Well, first we should talk about how the foot race goes. True to the myth, Hippomenes wins the race using golden apples given to him by the goddess Aphrodite. He dedicates each apple to an aspect of Atalanta that he loves. So, she isn’t just intrigued by the apples being shiny. We also get to know Hippomenes before the race, and learn why he loves Atalanta so much. This was, I suspect, done to makes the whole marriage race thing more palatable to modern listeners. I also loved how the announcer guy made the race sound like a modern-day sporting event. It was a fun little touch.

The original myth ends with Atalanta and Hippomenes getting turned into lions after having sex in a temple dedicated to Rhea. This might not seem bad, given how much Atalanta loves the wilderness. However, the Ancient Greeks certainly wouldn’t have viewed it in a positive light. The Ancient Greeks had many strange ideas about sex. One of these was that lions could only have sex with leopards. Therefore, Atalanta and Hippomenes had been cursed to never be able to have sex again.

Obviously, you can’t do any of that in an audio drama aimed at kids. Still, there could be some potential workarounds. Perhaps have them simply kissing and laughing, though that could still come across as unintentionally suggestive, given the audio only medium. Perhaps, Live From Mount Olympus could put a positive spin on the curse. That is, Atalanta could finally be free of civilization, and can return to the wilderness she loves for good. That would, of course, go against the theme of balancing nature and civilization.

However, Live From Mount Olympus took another approach. Season three ends right after the foot race. They do pay some lip service to the original myth. Hippomenes remarks that Atalanta is fierce like a lioness. Also, this is all presented in present tense. So, from the perspective of the gods, Atalanta’s story has come to an end yet. This is certainly a shake-up compared to previous seasons.

I also wonder how this will impact future seasons going forwards. Jason and the Argonauts were all depicted as jerks to Atalanta. So, that rules them out. Theseus was also a jerk to Atalanta, so that rules him out. Atalanta is sometimes a member of the Argonauts, but Greek Mythology is often contradictory. That, and that bit about dumping Ariadne on an island. Hmm, maybe they could tell the story of Theseus, but from the perspective of Ariadne. She married Dionysus after Theseus dumped her, so, she got a happy ending. Maybe they could combine several of the myths about Athena to make a season about her. Dionysus has too much alcohol and sex in most of his myths to get his own season.

I want to make it clear, I’m not faulting Live From Mount Olympus for ending season three the way it did. Greek Mythology has all sorts of things in it that aren’t exactly kid-friendly. Inevitably, this was going to happen at some point. As with many things, it is the journey, not the destination, that truly matters. Season three of Live From Mount Olympus certainly gave me a wonderful journey.

It is with season three that Live From Mount Olympus has officially bowled a turkey. This season retold the story of Atalanta, and highlighted the bits that tend to get downplayed in most adaptations. I certainly hope that there is a fourth season on the way. I certainly can’t wait to see which Ancient Greek myth gets adapted next.

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

The Audio File: Live From Mount Olympus: Persephone

It is always exciting when an audio drama puts out a new season. Especially so when you aren’t sure if the new season was on the way. Well, I don’t really have much more to add, so let’s get directly to it. We’re taking a look at season two of Live From Mount Olympus. 

Persephone is a young goddess with a reasonably good life. Her half-sisters Athena and Artemis are her best friends, her parents Demeter and Zeus love her, and she’s a fairly talented artist. And yet, she feels that she doesn’t know who she really is. She worries that she isn’t pretty, and that she has no identity beyond being Demeter’s daughter. But that’s not Persephone’s only problem. She’s been swallowed by a hole in the ground, and now finds herself in the underworld. Apparently, Zeus offered her hand in marriage to Hades. Persephone must journey through the underworld to discover who she really is. Meanwhile, Demeter will search high and low for Persephone. She will do whatever it takes to get her daughter back, no matter the consequences.

I had been hoping that Live From Mount Olympus would be getting a second season. As you might recall, I absolutely adored season one of Live From Mount Olympus. There’s plenty of stories from Greek Mythology that would make for great adaptions. Lo and behold, Live From Mount Olympus put out some bonus mini-episodes, and announced that a seconds season was on the way. The only hint was that it would involve a female character as the protagonist. Who could it be? What myth would be adapted? Psyche and Eros? That one had a happy ending, which is fairly rare for Greek Mythology. Atalanta, perhaps? But the ending of that one is bittersweet at absolute best. Didn’t seem like the sort of thing Live From Mount Olympus would go for.

But what if it wasn’t anything about mortal heroes? What if it involved the gods and goddesses? Sure enough, it turned out to be an adaption the Persephone and Demeter myth. Well, season one turned out pretty great. So, I had full confidence that season two would live up to its predecessor. It would seem that my faith was certainly not misplaced.

As I noted in my review of season one, Live From Mount Olympus is all about filling in the gaps. The original myths don’t offer much in the way of introspection. Characters will do things, but we don’t really get insight into their inner thoughts, and there’s not much in the way of dialogue. Point being, there’s a lot of wiggle room, and room for creativity, when it comes to adapting myths. For example, while the myths never say that Persephone hung out with Athena and Artemis, there’s also no evidence against it. The dialogue is modern, but feels natural, and never comes across as trying too hard to be hip and cool.

Persephone is also more assertive, and isn’t just some damsel in distress like in the original myth. She has adventures exploring the underworld on her own, and this is a big part of her character arc. She gains confidence and learns to embrace her new role as the queen of the underworld. She learns to see her new role as a chance to finally step out from her mother’s shadow. Persephone also makes some changes to the underworld. Prior to her arrival, all shades drink water from the River Lethe. It makes them lose their memories, and Hades believes that this will help them adjust to life in the underworld. However, Persephone convinces Hades that it might be better to let some shades retain their memories of life. Technically, this isn’t really part of the original myth, but it was a nice addition. I’d say there’s enough wiggle room that we can let it slide.

I really liked how Hades was portrayed. It is depressingly common for works that draw upon Greek Mythology to portray Hades as, basically, Ancient Greek Satan. In actual mythology, however, he was stern, but ultimately fair and reasonable. Death comes for us all sooner or later. Also, unlike Zeus and Poseidon, Hades only had a grand total of two affairs. In both cases, his lovers were turned into plants by Persephone. Of course, this is Live From Mount Olympus, so, naturally the writing is going to portray Greek Mythology accurately.

Hades is shown to be a very kind, sensitive, and introspective. He isn’t forceful with Persephone, and allows her take her time getting acclimated to the underworld. He also willingly let’s Persephone return to the land of the living after she learns how bad things have gotten in her absence. Persephone and Hades’ relationship progress realistically. Persephone doesn’t instantly fall for Hades, and still isn’t head-over-heels for Hades by the end of the season. However, she has grown to enjoy spending time with Hades, and is eager to continue to help improve the underworld.

I also enjoy that equal time was devoted to Demeter. This is pretty much the only myth where Demeter played a starring role. Oh, she appeared in other myths, but usually as a supporting character. As such, it was nice to explore Demeter’s time living among the mortals. She teaches humanity how to plant and harvest crops in the last episode of this season. This is in keeping with the myth, but earlier segments of the season seemed to indicate that humanity already knew how to do that. Mortals complained that the ground was barren, and nothing would grow. Did Demeter teach them how to harvest, but not how to plant? The Greek Gods could be jerks at times, but that comes across more as being scatterbrained. Demeter is a bit overprotective of Persephone, but that’s because she’s worried about being a bad mother. Demeter never really had a relationship with her own mother, Rhea, due to being swallowed by her father Kronos as a child. So, Demeter’s kind of figuring out parenting as she goes along. But then, isn’t that true of all parents?

Hermes still acts as narrator, but he’s joined by Hekate this time. That pairing made me think of The Hermes & Hekate Road Show. Such a good show, such a same that it only lasted one season, and is no longer available to listen to. Anyway, getting back on track, Hermes has a more reduced role this time round. He still pops into the story ever now and again, but not to the extent he did in season one. On the flips side, Persephone meets the goddess Styx during her time in the underworld. Styx is the personification of the river of the same name. Many gods and goddesses were personifications of various concepts or geographic features. They usually did have much in the way of personality, so that gives you wiggle room when adapting them. Styx provides words of wisdom to Persephone, and reminds her of the new opportunities she can find in the underworld. And I did love how Cerberus was portrayed as, basically, a big happy, energetic puppy. But, you know, with three heads and all that.

Okay, let’s just get this out the way now. Hades is the brother of Zeus and Demeter, who are Persephone’s parents. So, that means that Persephone’s parents are also her aunt and uncle, she is both their daughter and their niece, and her hand in marriage has been offered to her uncle twice-over. Live From Mount Olympus doesn’t deny any of this, but it also doesn’t go out of its way to emphasis any of it either. Like, there are times Zeus and Hades are mentioned to be brothers, and a couple times that Kronos and Rhea are mentioned as the parents of Zeus and Demeter, but not at the same time. Also, just as a random aside, I did notice that Hera was conspicuously absent from the happenings. Personally, I think this was the best approach to take with such subject matter. Don’t deny it, but also don’t go out of your way to draw attention to it.

I’d like to take a moment to talk about the voice acting. Joanne Hernandez had to walk a very fine line in her portrayal of Persephone. She strikes a good balance between sounding confident, but also showing an insecure side at times. Likewise, Nidra Sous la Terre strikes a good balance of portraying Demeter as overprotective, but also genuinely sympathetic. Andre De Shields is once again wonderful as Hermes. He’s joined by Ching Valdes-Aran as Hekate. We also get a surprise cameo from Anna Kendrick as Eos, goddess of the dawn. In other cameos, Divine Garland briefly appears as both a soul in the underworld, and as a human learning how to plant crops. I don’t think the soul was meant to be Perseus. I’m pretty sure the story of Perseus took place after the story of Persephone and Hades. It was just meant to be a fun little cameo.

Well, there you have it. Season two of Live From Mount Olympus lives up to the standard set by its predecessor. This has opened up many more possibilities for future seasons. There’s still so many myths left to adapt. The possibilities are endless, and I can’t wait to see where this show goes next.

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

The Audio File: Live From Mount Olympus: Perseus

The various mythologies of the world are some of the oldest inspirations for works of art. These timeless tales of gods and heroes invite themselves to reinterpretation and reimagining. Often, these retellings allow us to examine the original tales in a new light. There's still plenty of room for innovation and putting your own mark, even when you stay faithful to the plot of the myths. Yes, this is leading into the audio drama we're reviewing today. We're taking a look at Live From Mount Olympus.

Perhaps you have heard of the Ancient Greek hero Perseus. The slayer of Medusa, the one who saved Princess Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus, the one who defeated the tyrants Polydectes and Acrisius. Before of that, however, he was just a fisherman's apprentice with big dreams. Perseus never knew or suspected that he was a son of Zeus. However, when the tyrannical King Polydectes challenges Perseus to bring him the head of the gorgon Medusa, Perseus will rise to the occasion. Polydectes will marry Perseus’ mom, Danae, if Perseus doesn’t make it back. Thankfully, Perseus is not on his own. He will receive help from his siblings, the gods Hermes and Athena. One thing is for sure, Perseus is in for an adventure of Olympic proportions.

I first became aware of Live From Mount Olympus when I was scrolling through Twitter one day. Timestorm had retweeted about a new podcast that was coming soon named Live From Mount Olympus. It looked cool, and I made a not to check back on it. So, a month or so later, I checked back, and Live From Mount Olympus was putting out episodes. The whole series is now available, and so here we are. Timestorm and Live From Mount Olympus are both part of TRAX, a subsidiary of PRX, which focuses on making quality podcasts from listeners between the ages of nine and thirteen. TRAX is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, whom you may have heard of if you've ever watched PBS.

Live From Mount Olympus is created by the Onassis Foundation. They’re an organization founded by Aristotle Onassis to promote arts, culture, and community. Particularly, they focus on the arts and culture as they relate to Greece. The Onassis Foundation is headquartered in Athens, but also has offices in New York City as well.

Okay, so enough preamble, let's dive into the audio drama itself. Like I said, Live From Mount Olympus is a retelling of the myth of Perseus. It is incredibly faithful to the original myth. The biggest deviation is when Perseus meets the titan Atlas after slaying Medusa. In the original myth, Perseus used Medusa's head to turn Atlas to stone for refusing him hospitality. Atlas did this because he feared Perseus might steal his golden apples. In the audio drama, Perseus offers to turn Atlas to stone to help ease his burden of holding up the sky. However, Atlas refuses, but he does offer Perseus some words of advice.

Of course, the myths are hardly consistent on this point. One of Heracles' famous twelve labors was retrieving golden apples from Atlas. In that myth, Atlas was very much not turned to stone. For reference, Heracles was Perseus' great-grandson. Though, they were both sons of Zeus, so technically they were also half-brothers, and Zeus was thus Heracles' father and great-great-grandfather at the same time. The family trees of Greek Mythology can get a bit twisted at times. The point is, even the mythology is inconsistent on this point, and it is only a minor pit stop to the main plot.

The other main difference is that Hermes has much larger role in the story. In the original myth, he gave Perseus his winged sandals...and that was pretty much it. Here, Hermes acts as the narrator of the series. The series is part of his gods podcast, a godcast, if you will. Athena still acts a Perseus' primary mentor, as in the original myth, but Hermes is along for the ride too. He also provides bits of advice to Perseus along the way.

Now, just because the plot sticks closest to the original myth doesn’t mean there isn’t room for innovation. Nor does it mean the writers can't leave their own mark. The myths tell us what Perseus and company did, but not how they'd felt, or what was going on in their heads. Live From Mount Olympus thrives by filling in these gaps. Perseus starts off full of doubt and unsure of himself. He still takes a while, even after he's revealed as a son of Zeus, to fully accept that someone like him could be the son of a god. Over the course of the series, he learns to overcome these doubts, gains confidence in himself, and becomes a hero.

I really liked what Live From Mount Olympus did with Andromeda's character. She isn't some doe-eyed damsel in distress. She willingly offered herself up as a sacrifice to Cetus for the good the sake of her people. She also helps Perseus defeat Cetus...well, sort of. She throws rocks at the sea monsters, which is like trying to shoot Godzilla with a BB-gun, but hey, it's the thought the counts. She does shout some instructions to Perseus as he's fighting Cetus. She initially scoffs at the idea of marrying Perseus, but after accompanying him on some adventures, she warms up to it.

I also really like what they did with Danae. She might not be a physical fighter, but she has a lot of emotional strength. Remember, she had to raise Perseus pretty all on her own, barring a bit of help from Dictys. She's the one who instilled in him a sense of right and wrong. She's also the one who helps him through his dark times. For example, in the original myth, after Perseus accidentally kills his grandfather Acrisius, as foretold in the prophecy, he doesn’t think much of it. In the audio drama, however, Perseus feels an immense guilt and is completely torn-ups about it. Danae, along with Andromeda, Athena, and Hermes, help him put things into perspective. They remind him it was destined by fate to happen, and it doesn't mean he's a bad person.

This moment also provides great emotional whiplash, as just before all of that, the discus toss was portrayed like a modern-day baseball game. It has announcers, music, and everything. Perseus being a wise-cracking hero, plus his close relationship with his mom, brings to mind a certain other demigod named Perseus. Of course, that guy is a son of Poseidon from New York City, not a son of Zeus from Ancient Greece.

Though the series is primarily focused on the myth of Perseus, we do get mentions of others myths as well. We get a bonus episode where Hermes recounts the story of his birth, and how he invented the lyre after stealing Apollo's cattle. The episode where Perseus first meets Athena gives us a flashback to Perseus' childhood. Danae tells him various stories about Athena, such as her birth, and her contest against Arachne. Athena is Danae's favorite goddess, so you can imagine how excited she is when she finally gets to meet Athena.

If you're wondering, yes, Perseus does slay Medusa, just as in the original myth. It happens halfway through the series, and is over surprisingly quickly. Granted, this is true to the myth, but I had to reminded myself of that. Sometimes, the best-known parts of Greek myths don't last as long as you might think. For example, the parts of The Odyssey where Odysseus fights the monsters, travels to strange lands, and deals with Circe and Calypso, only lasts about four books of the epic poem. For reference, The Odyssey is composed of twenty-four books total. Well, they're called books, but they aren't as long as you might think. Point is, the most famous parts are only a small portion of it. Most of the epic poem is focused on Odysseus trying to reclaim Ithaca from the suitors.

Now I'd like to take a moment to talk about the cast. The production team went with colorblind casting, and the cast is racially diverse. I think that this is really great. Greek Mythology is for everyone. It isn't just for Greek people, it isn't just for white people, people of all races can enjoy and utilize Greek Mythology. I also appreciate that they didn't race-flip one or two major characters and then leave the rest of the cast white. They were consistent with their diversification of the cast across the entire cast, and I appreciate that consistency.

The cast are all professional theatre actors from a group called The TEAM. They're a Brooklyn based theatre ensemble who typically make works focusing on the experience of living in America today. Most notably, we have André De Shields as Hermes. You may remember him from the musical Hadestown, where he also played Hermes. Divine Garland gives an absolutely outstanding performance as Perseus. He captures the wise-cracking and confident side of Perseus, but also his more vulnerable and contemplative side. I'll add that I liked how Live From Mount Olympus emphasized how young Perseus was. At lot of the major heroes from Greek Mythology were, by modern standards, pretty much just kids when they accomplished their great deeds.

Jillian Walker gives an excellent performance as Danae. She reminded me a bit of Carrie Compere's performance as Mrs. Jackson in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. Chalk another one up for the parallels with Percy Jackson. Just to be clear, the fact that there were elements that reminded me of Percy Jackson is not a bad thing. If anything, it is a major net positive, given how much I love Percy Jackson. And hey, if you need another reason to listen to this audio drama, Becky Riordan, wife of Rick Riordan himself, recommends it. I think it's safe to say Rick gives Live From Mount Olympus his seal of approval.

Christina Liberus did pretty well as Andromeda, though at times she sounded a bit older than Perseus, not that there's anything wrong with that. Really, the entire cast gave phenomenal performances, and I hope I hear more from The TEAM in the future.

I really hope that Live From Mount Olympus comes back for a second season. And a third, and a fourth, and...well, you get the idea. There's plenty of other stories from Greek Mythology to adapt. Though, most would probably, at best, end on a bittersweet note. Perseus is notable for being one of the only Greek heroes to get an unanimously happy ending. Hermes does hint, at the end of the last episode, that he has more stories to tell in the future. I certainly hope that this isn't the last we've heard of Live From Mount Olympus.

So, there you have it. Live From Mount Olympus retells the myth of Perseus as an adventure of Olympic proportions. It is aimed at kids, but can be enjoyed by listeners of all ages. You do not want to miss this audio drama is you love Greek Mythology, or mythology in general. Do yourself a favor and listen today. You'll be glad that you did.

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