Web Series Wednesday – The Pantheon

By: Krista Ann Freego

WHAT?  The Pantheon

Written and Created by: Daniel Valero Fletcher

WHY SHOULD I WATCH?

The Pantheon focuses on what may be the true origin of the term “family feud.” The Pantheon is the answer to the question, I wonder what would happen if all the Greek Gods got together under one roof and tried to run a modern technology company? The premise is that after losing all of their powers, the Gods have all been just lying in wait hoping to one day get their powers back. Zeus, an avid fan of both Disney erotica and the television series “Lost,” decided to start a blog and put out the saying “one like equals one prayer.” I wonder if he rooted for Jacob or the Man in Black.  Zeus (Beau Bowker) became such a powerful online presence that he regained his power and brought his whole family under one roof to start a technology company so that he could continue to gain followers and power.

For those who may not know the history of the Greek Gods, while the series does a great job of referencing much of their history, he is a quick reference guide:

Once upon a time in a place called Mount Olympus in Greece (hence Greek) lived a a lovely couple of Titans by the name of Cronus and Rhea who had three sons and three daughters: Hades, Zeus, Hestia, Poseidon, Hera and Demeter. These six children also just all happen to be Gods. One day the Gods thought they should have the power to control all the kingdoms rather than the Titans so there were many wars and, eventually, the six children defeated their parents and the three brothers (Zeus, Hades and Poseidon) divided up the world into three kingdoms: The Earth, the Underworld and the Sea. Zeus took the Earth, Hades took the Underworld and Poseidon took the Sea.

In this series Hades (Laura Lee Walsh) has actually been a girl the entire time. In fact, it is a running joke that she has always been a she for thousands and thousands of years. Zeus theorizes that she could have avoided this if she just put a bow in her hair. Hades means “the unseen” and that is very appropriate because in this story at the technology company Hades is the most “unseen” of the Gods. Moreover, Zeus is on a mission from the first episode to fire Hades. If Hades is fired from the company then she will lose all of her powers. Hades is portrayed as a “mopey dark goth.” Hades’ best confidant in the office is Persephone (Emily Tichawa), which is appropriate because in the tales at one point Hades kidnaps Persephone (daughter of Demeter) and brings her into the Underworld to marry her. Hades then traps Persephone in the Underworld by tricking her into eating pomegranate seeds, which apparently once you eat pomegranate seeds you are trapped in the Underworld. Demeter, Goddess of Agriculture, was so upset at the loss of her daughter to her brother or, er in this reality, sister (still gross either way) that all of the crops on earth died. Finally, Hades and Demeter came to an agreement that Persephone would not have to spend all of eternity in the Underworld, just four months out of every year for the rest of time, one month for each of the four seeds Hades tricked her into eating. So, next time you see pomegranates for sale you might want to think about this little life lesson from the Gods and buy some nice peaches instead. Also, in this series Demeter (Nicci Gilbert) pretty much hates Hades, which would make sense with the whole stealing of your child and taking her to the Underworld.

Pantheon is clever, amusing and entertaining. The writer has presented the stories and the characters in such a way that even if the history of the Greek Gods is well…Greek to you, you can still enjoy the series and follow along. It is also written in such a way that if you are knowledgeable about the stories of these infamous six siblings and their numerous offspring then there are plenty of payoffs for you, such as the pomegranate seed reference. Come for the sibling rivalry and stay for the Greek history!

WHERE CAN I WATCH?  Episodes can be found on YouTube.

Follow The Pantheon:

Twitter:          www.twitter.com/panthyonseries

Facebook:    www.facebook.com/panthyonseries

Instagram:    www.instagram.com/panthyonseries