Blood of Zeus, an animated Netflix series that’s steeped in the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology, has achieved a rare feat on the streaming giant.
As of this writing, the show still has 100% scores on Rotten Tomatoes for both its first and its just-returned second season — which continues the story of an illegitimate son of Zeus who’s tasked with saving the world in spite of the meddling of a vengeful goddess. You don’t see such high marks across all seasons of a Netflix show very often, and the 100% score for Blood of Zeus is almost certain to slip, at least when it comes to the new season, once more critics’ reviews start rolling in.
That said, the show feels like an increasingly rare example of quality from Netflix, which if you ask me has been pushing out one mediocre and even flat-out garbage release for much of the recent past. Just take a look at the latest Netflix Top 10 if you don’t believe me; TV shows like A Man in Full and Bodkin both ended up being disappointments (mediocre and cliche-filled, respectively). Movie-wise, new titles include the completely unnecessary Mother of the Bride and Jerry Seinfeld’s breathtakingly un-funny Unfrosted.
Leave it to an animated series about the mythology of the ancient world to tilt the needle back toward actual quality.
Story-wise, the new season of Blood of Zeus picks up from a cliffhanger at the end of Season 1. Heron learned that the demon leader Seraphim is actually his twin brother. Seraphim, after he’s killed by Heron, descends to the underworld and is offered help from Hades in exchange for his loyalty. “Seraphim might have been a monster,” Heron says at one point, “but he was right about one thing.
“The gods are more flawed than we are — why should we listen to them?”
In the series, Heron learns from his mother Electra that he’s actually a son of Zeus, the Greek god of the sky and thunder. He comes to learn that his purpose is to save the world from an army of demons. Zeus’ wife Hera also learns of the existence of Heron and becomes an enemy. In Olympus, a sprawling conflict between gods, humans, and demons unfold, while Heron learns to harness his demigod powers.
