EPIC Musical Reaction (Circe, Underworld, Thunder Sagas) - Ep. 65 of Musicals I Know Nothing About

[@Barbara2.0]

Before anyone asks, no, I'm not actually serious about the sirens xD Also, which one of these sagas is your favourite, Circe, Underworld or Thunder? Leave it below!

[@chrismedcare9126]

Circe because of hermes alone

[@plaguedoctor2882]

To be perfectly fair to the sirens, I know they are personifications (monsterifications?) of the dangers of the seas but if we think of them as animals (quite advanced lure predators, but animals all the same) maybe they do need to eat humans as a major source of something they otherwise don’t get as much in the sea, it’s not like they would have “evolved” to hunt humans if they didn’t make up for most of their diet

[@lizlilliman3644]

Circe, I just love her voice and her songs

[@RacketEPIC]

@@Barbara2.0 Thunder, best songs in that saga, everything is just beautiful, not one that i think is a little lackluster compared to the rest in a saga

[@MusicalsOnMyMind]

Underworld for the sheer story and character genius

[@cypalmer7425]

Running to the comments to do my duty as an Epic fan and inform you that Odysseus’ mom was played with Jorge’s own mother!

[@Barbara2.0]

Thank you for your service 🫡

[@MysticMyths]

@@Barbara2.0 His dad and sister show up later too, and Circe is his girlfriend

[@natd2448]

"Is it strange or a stroke of genius?" Yes.

[@Barbara2.0]

Looool

[@plaguedoctor2882]

Honestly the most exciting part of this is your Greek knowledge but then again, you ARE a theater kid lmaoo we really do be like that

[@Barbara2.0]

We really do lol

[@shatteredreality_513]

After all, Dionysus _does_ have theater as a major part of his divine domain! And most of us theater kids are chaos gremlins that always seem drunk, overcaffeinated, or simply too excited/stressed about the shows we're in!

[@MP-ec3ic]

16:15 So from what I understand, Jorge decided that the souls of the dead would be repeating their last thoughts. So the crew died calling out for their captain, Polites died still believing in the open arms approach to life despite the circumstances, and his mom died longing to see her son one more time. Also I LOVE THE UNDERWORLD SAGA. Thats all.

[@LizaaFernando]

The first little tune in "Done For" is inspired by the habanera from the opera Carmen, where the main character uses seduction as a defense mechanism. If you listen to the habanera, you'll likely find it familiar because it’s also featured in "Epic." At 9:14, the growl indicates that Circe summoned a CHIMERA, while the growl at 9:52 signifies that Odysseus summoned a cyclops using powers given to him by "HOLY MOLY." You've remembered the Odyssey well, but it's important to note that "Epic" does not strictly adhere to the original version. Jorge mentioned that the Winions should not only watch the musical but also read the books. Here's a fun fact: the voices Odysseus hears in the underworld represent the last thoughts of the dead. For example: - 558 men: "Why would you let the Cyclops live?" - Polites: "Captain, greet the world with open arms." - Anticlea, Odysseus's mother: "I'LL STAY IN YOUR HEART!" Another fun fact: Anticlea is voiced by Jorge's mom. Additionally, at 23:30, the Circe motif is played because Scylla was turned into a monster by Circe. Sorry for the long rant! :)

[@RayGainbows]

Damn. I really appreciate the detail in this comment.

[@LizaaFernando]

@@RayGainbows thank you 🤗

[@djwilson1993]

1:23 The “land of the giants” was where Odysseus and his crew encountered Poseidon. The background vocals when Poseidon sang “Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves” were the Laestrygonians, the giants in question. It’s not exactly conveyed well in the music, but the _canon_ animatics do show them. (I specify the canon animatics because the fan animatics released before they were available didn’t include them at all)

[@Barbara2.0]

Oh that's awesome, thank you! I would've completely missed it

[@azoz5542]

Do you know any animatics that include them? Or any artists who try to be faithful to the canon descriptions?

[@djwilson1993]

5:30 fun fact: Jorge and Talya (Odysseus and Circe, respectively) are now dating irl

[@RacketEPIC]

They have been, for a bit now ^-^

[@djwilson1993]

@@RacketEPIC well, yeah, but they’re _still_ dating, and they hadn’t been until Talya started recording for Circe.

[@RacketEPIC]

@djwilson1993 yeah

[@billyp1836]

You got to hear the Monster (rawr rawr rawr)

[@30092nana]

24:58 For the Siren’s powers: Jorge described in a TikTok how they work. Essentially if a siren sings it has access to your memories to be able to make themselves appear as your greatest desire that is irresistible and your loss of control inevitable. Ody covered his ears with earwax thus the music was not able to penetrate his mind thus the siren got muddled information. They couldn’t replicate Penelope’s instrument so it’s vocalized in the beginning, polities mallet instrument is very present, Zeus’ theme in The Horse and Infant sounds off during the explanation of Scylla’s lair. There is conflicting information about his memories cause of the beeswax thus creating mix matched information

[@lexus9642]

Was looking to see if someone commented this

[@PokeJoshNY]

So the first verse and chorus of thunder bringer is basically a long ongoing metaphor where zeus talks about how he is the best at destroying people's pride

[@elieli2893]

Very in line with Zeus as a myth and personality - to come out of the clouds bragging about how he's going to crush Odysseus' pride while likening his pride to a woman he's SAing 😅😬

[@feldfos]

The best at destroying pride and at banging women, all mixed into one alpha chad metaphor 😂

[@RazorisProductive]

three sagas in one?? SPOILING US

[@Glitterbug643]

I think you’re one of my favorite reactors, you know the original story behind the musical, and I love all your inputs on everything!! You seem to be picking up on a ton of the story and the instrumental stuff

[@Barbara2.0]

That's so lovely, thank you 🥰

[@CaptainAvenger15]

Wanted to clarify some things about Scylla and Mutiny. Scylla: Ody almost basically knew Uerylecus opened the wind bag, so when he asked him to light six torches, Ody basically said, "Ok, you get to select who gets to be sacrficed." Mutiny: When you hear the stab sound, that is Ody getting stabbed by a member of the crew, Perimdes.

[@zelo4290]

Plus he's also fine with sacrificing Eurylochus to Scylla!

[@kyrat6079]

I love your reactions and insight into the connections to the odyssey and the reprises and references in the music! The last saga comes out on Christmas this year which is exciting to get the last few songs, but also sad because he’s been releasing this over the past 2 years! think that Mutiny really showcases how similar Odysseus and Eurylocus are and the hypocrisy in his complaints, because Eurylocus would have made almost the same choices in the past (leaving the crew with Circe). Then when he took over as captain he made the choice to kill the cows(like Ody and the sheep) and gained the wrath of the gods, but he wasn’t willing to take accountability for his actions and expected Odysseus to get them out of the trouble he caused. P.S. reminder that Odysseus isn’t just captain, but is also the King, so the crew turning on him isn’t just mutiny but is also treason(which is punishable by death), and he has warned Eurylocus about this before in Luck Runs Out when he pulls him aside and scolds him for doubting Ody in front of the crew.

[@Barbara2.0]

You're so right about the hypocrisy!

[@archviceroy]

Dude, the Epic fandom is NUTS! Everyone sees Epic somewhere and just SWARMS!! It’s as responsive (if not more) as the Starkid fandom.

[@zoroarkdiamond7918]

The reason why that bye mom was so heartbreaking is also Jorge's mom voiced Odysseus mom

[@KingsBard]

Jorge's lyricism has some of the highest highs and lowest lows.

[@hindymarkowitz1340]

The Winions thank you again for this reaction!!

[@Evnyofdeath]

"Are we skipping the Giants then?" So 99% of fan animatics don't include it, but according the official ones that play during the livestreams Poseidon doesn't personally attack Ody's fleet and instead has the Giants do it. Its also one of the only instances of a God having diegetic backing vocals because they're the ones chanting in the background of Ruthlessness

[@Phasmania]

So not only did Ody sacrifice his men, he had Eurylochus hand out six torches- one for each head of Scylla. So not only was Eury supposed to hold one, but he unknowingly chose which friends would die when he handed out those torches. I find the Ody/Eury brotherly relationship to be heartbreaking, the fact that even after their fight they still show a bond, with Eury sparing him and calling him friend/Ody. He just lost all hope of getting home and was starving

[@starrmendez9177]

I know he probably won’t but I’d love an extra song at the end of the musical of Eurys wife (odys sister) and hear what her thoughts are

[@Phasmania]

@ that would be one hell of an awkward reunion. Maybe it could sneak its way into the cut song saga somehow

[@RayGainbows]

"My Penelope" 😭Dude i really hope we see you again with the rest of Epic. These are awesome!

[@EditorOfTheGods]

4:53 go watch gigis puppeteer animatic after this. I think it will answer your question lol. I literally love gigis Circe design. 9:24 THATS WHAT IVE BEEN SAYING. HE NEEDS TO LEARN TO SHUT IT To make the song “the underworld” hurt more it has been confirmed that everything the dead people are saying is what they died thinking. So polites died still positive. And the soldiers died hating there captain.

[@lizlilliman3644]

You know about the instruments there are also motifs, not just Odysseus guitar rift but there is a danger motif. Its played in various forms when danger is near. The nest place to 1st hear it is in the 1st song during the rap and then also the fight before he meets zeus. Its also in rutlessness where posiden being sung at the beginning is a variation on it. Jorge took a bit of inspiration from peter and the wolf with regards to instruments and themes.

[@Glitterbug643]

Oh fun fact! The souls in the underworld are singing their last thoughts, so his mom’s final thoughts were about waiting for her son, Polites was about forgiveness and like the captain, the soldiers were about like blaming Ody for it

[@Barbara2.0]

Ooooh I didn't think of that! Awesome

[@LilaDiFalco]

not only does each character have their own instrument, but most of them also have significant motifs like the danger motif, athena's riff, and ody's little guitar thing

[@kyrabergen3553]

My favorite parts of "Scylla", for entirely opposite reasons, are the beautiful "Full Speed Ahead" reprise and the fact that you can *hear the crewmen screaming* as she eats them. Six men, six screams.

[@joshlamont]

Zeus: Here to ruin your day just by being him.

[@Hayhayml3]

Yapping enough doesn’t exist yap to your heart’s content we love listening to the yap sessions of epic 😂

[@FrostyTheSnowPickle]

If you're not a huge fan of the lyrics of Monster, Jorge actually released an alternate version of it. I recommend checking it out. Gigi even made an animatic of it. It's a bit shorter than the original song, but still really good. Here's a link to Gigi's animatic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZpWZdXWejt2ihposi=t_sh8K5EtbSpQxE-

[@Barbara2.0]

Nice! Thanks 🙏

[@asterwashere]

i love your reactions SO much! they're so insightful and seeing you piece each song and detail to the original story is so interesting!! the final saga (the ithaca saga) comes out on december 25th so it would be nice to see the next sagas reactions come out after the ithaca saga comes out!

[@Barbara2.0]

That's so kind of you, thank you 🥰

[@LordCrag1998]

So a little note on the guitar riff at the beginning of Done For: you're absolutely correct that it's from the beginning of Horse and the Infant! As you probably already know by now, the guitar is Odysseus' instrument, and it switches between an electric and acoustic guitar based on how he's feeling. That particular riff on the electric guitar is meant to signal when Odysseus is using his wits and is being cunning and strategic, usually before a battle of some kind.

[@codasinger5298]

In Jorge's reimagining of this story, I think around here it starts to take a turn toward anime?

[@kyrat6079]

Most of the voice actors are also releasing their own music outside of epic, and Troy(Hermes) released a new single recently. Another voice actress from later (Janani K. Jha) also included Jorge in her music video!

[@erickalas9225]

You need to watch Gigi’s “monster” animatic, it’s soooooo good

[@BrittanyArtPoetry]

The daughter line wasn’t a mistake, but because Ody couldn’t hear the sirens song they couldn’t properly read his mind so a few facts such as being scared of water instead of being scared of Posideon or the daughter instead of the son get jumbled. My personal headcanon is that Penelope miscarried with a daughter at one point so he does secretly long for that lost child.

[@Omphalite]

In Thunder Bringer Zeus' lyrics likens pride to a woman that is only for him to have. If Odysseus chooses himself, he will indeed die, but he will forever keep his pride intact. In order to completely strip Odysseus' pride as a leader, Zeus gives him the illusion of choice, and then pushes him into choosing to kill his own crew.

[@ravenstar577]

My favorite was the Underworld Saga. Still so cool watching your reactions with your knowledge of the original poem. 19:16 😂 the 😒Eurylochus so great! And you heard what the choir was saying right away! This was great! Can't wait for the rest :3

[@JustTheseus]

Jorge said that the siren's power works based on their victims ability to hear them! the more the victim can hear their song, the more info the siren's have to lure them with.

[@ericsanford536]

please do the last three sagas together win the last one releases this month. i would love to see it

[@rebazyoutube]

I'm once again delighted by your insight on the source material in your EPIC reactions! I'm excited for what you think about the last three sagas! (The Ithaca saga is coming out on Christmas!) My favorite song is No Longer You, but I think my favorite saga is probably the Wisdom Saga (up next!). My token piece of information for you is the fact that Jorge (writer and Odysseus) and Talya (Circe) met through EPIC when she was cast and they're now an item! I just think it's funny and cute.

[@ZONALH]

I do hope you check out some animatics (official or not) they are all great and do usually help show whats happening or meant to be happening

[@Barbara2.0]

I definitely will :)

[@mamaymay8259]

I can't actually blame Odysseus that was much in Thunderbringer: His crew commited mutiny. He didn't stab one of them, they stabbed him, landed on the island and tied him to a tree. He warned them and they still went ahead killing the cow. Why would he die for them at that point? Also, Eurylochus is at least somewhat of a hypocrite here: HE was literally the one that couldn't keep his hands of the windbag, which ultimately ended up killing the vast majority of the crew. No, it obviously wasn't his responsibility alone - but his portrayal of "Odysseus makes all the decisions and doesn't care about us, getting us killed" when Eurylochus literally tried to get him to leave the men behind with Circe is... Interesting.

[@Phasmania]

12:14 Way Down Hadestown caught me so off guard there LOL I’m going to see the tour today and I’ve been listening to the songs like crazy

[@Barbara2.0]

Enjoooooy!

[@federicaf.4891]

Very (not) fun fact: the spirits of the deads are singing what they were thinking while dying

[@MesoJoe]

Notes on the circe vs odysseus; the premier stream and most animatics of Done For have Ody summon the most dangerous monster he can imagine; a cyclops. Also while circe doesn't seduce ody in this telling, her voice actress is dating the writer and singer of Ody (they met from auditions and clicked I think) Also I wonder if you caught Different beast changing from "we are a different beast now" to "He is..."

[@BioshockChar]

10: 02 if I remember correctly Circe summons a chimera and Odysseus summons a cyclops with a club... Wonder where he got that idea❤

[@phillipnoceratul]

Song of past romance = sirens song Sacrifice if men = scylla Portrayals of betrayal = eurylochus revealing that he opened the wind bag Brothers final stand = mutiny Brink of death = after the attack of zeus Draw your final breath = upcoming ? Home alive = upcoming ?

[@starrmendez9177]

Okay when the prophet was singing and you said yes that’s the past tell us about the future…. He actually was lmaooo

[@starrmendez9177]

Highly recommend Neal illustrator for thunder bringer cause the choices made for zeus really highlight how yucky zeus is while still be so amazingly entertaining

[@firefoxphoenix6845]

I don’t really comment on videos but I just have to let you know how much I love your reaction videos!! You often catch things a lot of things don’t and have a lot of similar reactions to me. Maybe it’s just the musical theater kid that lies in both of us haha

[@oryza_1973]

15:37 "It's nice to know that even though he died, he didn't really change from how he was in life" Actually, you've stumbled upon kind of the major but rarely discussed theme of the Underworld saga here. Specifically - the dead never change. They can't. They will forever be the way they were in their last moments, preserved like a fossil or a bug in amber. Just like in real life, once you die your story ends, and you're crystallized into permanence. Change is for the living - and oh, how Odysseus changes in this saga.

[@logicaldreamer9641]

The reason they had Monster was because it was the act 1 finale and showed that act 2 had a different tone

[@Ozloz]

GUYS MORE EPIC IS HERE

[@k43y4l1ly]

28:30 No one! A crewmate (Perimedes, iirc) stabbed Odysseus

[@ninjapuppy1257]

Fun fact: the background choir at the end of no longer you is straight up singing spoiler for the rest of the musical to the point that several lines still haven’t been confirmed. The first four lines relate to the thunder saga (which you obviously have heard) and say “siren song” “Scylla throat” “mutiny” “lightning bolt”

[@AndyBomb]

You should watch the streams on his channel for your reactions. They often have cool canon animatics that demonstrate parts of the story, ESPECIALLY the next two Sagas. You HAVE to see the Vengeance Saga animatics, they are INSANE.

[@RayGainbows]

Damn straight i subscribed directly through that vid! lol! Why am i so late for this 😭 Yes it was basically a Pokémon battle 🤣

[@lexus9642]

One of the things I find interesting about the differences between Zeus and Poseidon's introductions are that for Poseidon,, his name is chanted, but that doesn't happen with Zeus. You know who he is just from the lightning

[@ScreamDemon]

Personally, The Thunder Saga is my favorite out of them all (so far) I can listen to all the songs back to back.

[@kyrat6079]

Odysseus in ‘suffering’ 🥺👉👈

[@Barbara2.0]

LOL

[@allysonaham7190]

I don't know if you have already heard this, but the souls in the underworld are singing their final thoughts before death

[@andronixbegayaf]

Wait until the next year to listen to the last 3 sagas. The last one comes out on christmas so if you try to do it before then you'll be missing 5 songs

[@WesleiOliveira628]

Don't know if anyone commented yet but most of the lyrics in No Longer You are actually about the Thunder saga "A song of past romance": the syrens singing pretending to be Penelope "Sacrifice of man": the six man eaten by Scylla "Portrayals of Betrail and a Brothers Final Stand": Is the mutiny that ended up with Eurylochus being killed. (It can also be him confessing to open the bag) "You on the brink of death": It's him after this saga beign the only one of the crew rhat survived. "Draw your final breath", still hasnt happened but I can't say it since it's something not in the Odyssey/exclusive to epic.

[@slyuchi7206]

I wanted to ask if you're gonna react to the wisdom and vengeance sagas alone or if you're gonna wait for the Ithaca saga to come out?

[@Barbara2.0]

Probably doing the next ones separately

[@omarsalem1219]

Wait, where did you read what the chorus of no longer you are saying? What are you watching? I thought you were listening to the album?

[@AquaticDot]

She's probably reading the lyrics alongside the album.

[@Barbara2.0]

You're correct. I always have the lyrics up to make sure I don't miss anything

[@chantelliao2632]

The singer for Circe is the Jay’s girlfriend 😊

[@Zerelex]

Just letting you know that the monster Odysseus summoned in the Circe fight was a cyclops

[@ericsanford536]

Also, consider reacting to Hazbin Hotel. It's kind of on the fence as a musical with each episode having two musical numbers but it's good and it has an all star musical cast.

[@i-Am-Dutch]

The melody of the guitar you heared at the beginning of 'Done For' is actually Ody's motif. (Not so) Fun fact: when you have the moment in 'The Underworld' when Ody's mom is present you hear Ody's motif played on the piano in the minor key.

[@gabrielamedeirosribeiro3223]

I just have to come in here to tell you that most of the cast have their own music as well, I’ve been hooked on Troy’s (Hermes) stuff since I looked it up

[@gabrielamedeirosribeiro3223]

Also I have to give my interpretation of Tiresias’s prophecy !!SPOILERS!! (for the Odyssey? I guess?) Song of past romance: the siren singing and pretending to be Penelope Sacrifice of man: Scylla Portrayals of betrayal: could reference the wind bag or the mutiny, maybe both A brother’s final stand: probably Eurylochus, also maybe Polites The brink of death: let’s be honest, this man almost dies every other song, but I think this references the state the mutiny leaves him in, specifically Final Breath: he also almost drowns multiple times, but I am thinking of a specific instance that happens during Get In The Water (Vengeance Saga) No longer you: yes he is changed by trauma, but I’d also like to remind you that he uses a disguise when he gets to Ithaca Palace covered in red: the aftermath of Odysseus’s slaughter of the suitors Me who have long believed you dead: the suitors A man with a trail of bodies: Odysseus, especially after killing all of the suitors I have spent too long overanalyzing this song and you can wrench it from my cold dead hands

[@verathena14]

I'm so excited to see your reactions to the last three sagas!! If you're still looking for some musicals to react to, might I suggest Turnabout: An Ace Attorney Musical? It's got two acts, kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4bQgH2QotulntU kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqLVYmR5f9qAapY I'd highly suggest watching the videos, as they provide visuals to make it at least a little easier to understand what's happening, but they're not overly complex to the point where they distract from the music! I'd also recommend using the videos, as they do have spoken parts but they're pretty important to understanding the plot, since it's not a fully-sung musical (I'd say it's about 60/40 with music vs speaking but I haven't done all the calculations so don't quote me on that) but if you wanted to just listen to the soundtrack, this has all the songs from both acts: kzbin.info/aero/PLhGazGYj7X_bS_fYf4jflsn7dn22wuMN8

[@isabellasantana8101]

Aaaaaaaaa ❤❤❤❤

[@anareaty]

Zeus is really being an asshole here. He could just strike them for killing the cows, like he did in original story, but nooo, he had to force Odysseus to chose. I bet he is secretly giggling inside, thinking: "Haha, was so funny to look at you killing that baby, let's see how many more moral horizons I can make you to break!"

[@SM-fz3et]

Honestly, Circe is probably my least favorite saga, but Underworld is hands down my favorite. (So excited for you to dive into the animatics. There's one version of Scylla that's my faaaaaaaavorite.)

[@Half_an_orphan]

I apologize if you’ve already gotten this comment but I haven’t seen it so I have to do my Winion duty. The dead men, Polites and Odysseus’ Mother are all singing their last thoughts before/when they died.

[@cinder_x3]

LETS GOOOO

[@helenavara9783]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@cinder_x3]

just noticed the nail polish😭 i know what you are

[@kenzieabner-gl5po]

fun fact, the voice for circe is jorge’s gf

[@felixhenson9926]

Ngl i wish you would show the animatics at the same time as you react :/ and tbh better audio quality on the songs

[@Barbara2.0]

I'll react to the animatics eventually. I just think it's fun to try and figure things out with songs only first

[@auraa411]

25:47 I hate that I laughed

[@kyrat6079]

I love your reactions and insight into the connections to the odyssey and the reprises and references in the music! The last saga comes out on Christmas this year which is exciting to get the last few songs, but also sad because he’s been releasing this over the past 2 years! think that Mutiny really showcases how similar Odysseus and Eurylocus are and the hypocrisy in his complaints, because Eurylocus would have made almost the same choices in the past (leaving the crew with Circe). Then when he took over as captain he made the choice to kill the cows(like Ody and the sheep) and gained the wrath of the gods, but he wasn’t willing to take accountability for his actions and expected Odysseus to get them out of the trouble he caused. P.S. reminder that Odysseus isn’t just captain, but is also the King, so the crew turning on him isn’t just mutiny but is also treason(which is punishable by death), and he has warned Eurylocus about this before in Luck Runs Out when he pulls him aside and scolds him for doubting Ody in front of the crew.