Upamanyu Biswas
In the British dark comedy mythological show, ‘Kaos,’ three mortals, who have no idea about their cosmic importance, are burdened with a prophecy to chart the course of victory against Zeus’ reign. One of them, Eurydice, finds herself accompanied by her kitten, Dennis, who serendipitously exchanges hands throughout the narrative. The small, defenseless cat is left to fend for itself when its owners disappear on their various quests. Subsequently, it runs into several obstacles that put it in the throes of mortal danger owing to its caretaker’s run-in with the gods of Olympus, who have their own agendas to serve. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Dennis’ Unfortunate Meeting With the King of the Gods
After Orpheus heads off to save Eurydice from her life in the Underworld, Dennis gets adopted by Dionysus. The god of pleasure is concerned chiefly with his selfish needs, but he undergoes a change in personality after meeting Orpheus and being convinced by his incredible love and passion for Eurydice. Orpheus tasks him with feeding Dennis after he heads off to the Underworld. However, the god gets smitten with the cat and decides to take it with him, as there is no way it could survive on its own in the house for too long. Tragically, when Dionysus takes the kitten with him to Zeus near the season’s conclusion, an angry king of the gods kills it with a knife to prove a point to Dionysus about love.
Early in the narrative, Dionysus steals Zeus’ watch, which was gifted to him by Hercules. He later sells the watch to the Fates to buy a route of passage for Orpheus into the Underworld, not knowing that his father would demand the watch back at all costs. The god of pleasure subsequently buys a different watch and dupes Zeus into believing that it is his own. Later, Zeus learns the truth and is beyond apoplectic with Dionysus’ actions. He is angry that the god of pleasure would put his faith and love in mortal creatures – considering it beneath a god’s station. He threatens Dionysus with a knife, but instead of killing him, he stabs Dennis, severing the bond between the kitten and the god of pleasure. Dionysus is heartbroken by the loss as he genuinely loves the cat.
Although initially belonging to Riddy (Eurydice), Dionysus takes care of Dennis very well. The god of pleasure takes the cat out to see the world, meet new types of people, and keep him company on his bizarre quests for the other gods. Dionysus carries it inside a small slinky bag he fashions for himself as the kitten is still too tiny to keep up with him. Despite being cruelly murdered by a vindictive Zeus at the very end, the cat gets to enjoy its time with Dionysus, exploring the world beyond the confines of its shelter. Unfortunately, it happens across the worst person possible, who has no qualms about using mortals as pawns in his game. It is likely, however, that the cat’s death may serve as the catalyst for Dionysus to open his eyes and leave his father’s side once and for all.
Read More: Kaos: Is The Cave a Real Place in Heraklion?
