Supernatural has a certain track record with the Gods, and there are many who were mentioned, or have made appearances: The Vanir, Trickster, Loki, Anansi, Tiamat, Leshii (spirit, famously portrayed by Paris Hilton), Kali, Ganesh, Odin, Baldur, Mercurius, Zao Shen, Baron Samedi, Veritas (Roman), The Fates, Osiris, Harmonia, Kronos, Ploutus, Vili, Cacao, Eve, as well as the Christian God (sort of), make the list. Most are absolute assholes, some are killers, and many end up dead. That's the joy of Gods in Supernatural.
From this point on, we go into spoiler territory, so if you haven't seen the episode while you were planning to do so, turn away now. In this episode, we are introduced to Prometheus, the Titan who stole fire from Zeus for mankind, and who was punished by being tied to a rock on Mount Olympos and having his liver eaten out by an eagle by day, only to have it grow back overnight. In the Supernatural verse, Prometheus dies at least once a day, and the liver thing is optional, at least after he escaped from Olympos. In the Supernatural verse, Zeus never forgave Prometheus, nor sent Hermes to undo his ties.
The episode centers on Prometheus, who has forgotten his former life, and simply ends up dead every day, usually in a horrible manner. He's gotten used to it somewhat, but when Hayley--his one-time fling after dropping off of the mountain--shows up with his child who has the same affliction, Prometheus turns to Sam and Dean, who have previously recovered his body from the morgue. It seems Artemis has been looking for him after she released him from the mountain; a few centuries of watching him suffer seems to have softened her heart towards him, and she's pissed that he hasn't come to her to rekindle their love affair. Clearly, she is unaware of his memory loss. What follows is a summoning of Zeus, his (and Prometheus') subsequent death by way of Artemis-arrow, a healed kid and a grief-struck Artemis and Hayley.
Like I said, I love Supernatural, and I have no trouble divorcing the Theoi from Their representation on the show. I still did not like the episode, however, because it felt like a filler episode. I do like seeing the jadedness in Sam and Dean, and the cockiness that going in half cocked--even against a God like Zeus--will somehow magically end up alright, simply because they are Sam and Dean Winchester. Obviously, one day soon, this attitude is going to get them into trouble. I wonder if this story line is going to come back in some way, because usually Supernatural episodes with Gods are in there to set up a major shift in power. Massacring Hellenic mythology as badly as the writers did here without pay-off (or major pain) along the way isn't really Supernatural's style. We'll see what happens, as for the episode itself--if you were looking for Hellenic mythology as told in an authentic and respectful way, look elsewhere. This episode most certainly did not deliver. Still, for fans of the show, this episode wasn't too bad. We'll see what happens down the road.
would love to see that episode, purely for entertainment purposes!! looks fun
ReplyDeleteWell, there most certainly was a high entertainment quality to the episode XD
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, there seems to be no myth version in which Zeus forgives Prometheus.
ReplyDeleteIn Hesiod's Theogony, Zeus allows Heracles to shoot the eagle but leaves Prometheus there, bound and impaled to this day.
In Aeschylus' version, Zeus releases Prometheus in exchange for the succession prophecy (that he must not lay with Thetis, or she will give birth to a son mightier than him who will depose him). Scholars say this is typical of Zeus. He releases his siblings, the Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handers because they all have something to offer Him in return. He would never release anybody just for a "thank you".