My HEART Just SHATTERED!! | Polyphemus/Survive - Epic: The Musical | Reaction/Analysis

[@officialmortius]

Despite what I originally planned (and said in the intro) I ended up watching the alternate animatics as a separate video instead of in addition in the same recording, as an exclusive video over on the Patreon! As a reminder, all tiers that gain early access have a seven-day free trial if you just can’t wait! Direct links below: Unedited Cyclops Saga part 2 ($10 tier) - www.patreon.com/posts/99939796 Edited Cyclops Saga part 2 ($3 tier) - www.patreon.com/posts/100421467 Alternate animatics ($10 tier) - www.patreon.com/posts/99939799

[@cassdun619]

Will we be able to come back to patreon for the other parts of this musical 😅 I want to see you react to ruthlessness and cirques saga

[@officialmortius]

@@cassdun619The 7 day free trial can only be activated once, but at least one version of all parts of Epic will eventually make it to the KZbin channel! Patreon is just for early access and alternate animatics

[@oceanapearl3503]

A Percy fan? Looks like you're about to have a greek history phase.

[@oceanapearl3503]

It's Odysseus , Polites, ... 0__0

[@oceanapearl3503]

9:22 omg he heard you.

[@malinnilsen5188]

Every single time I hear "why would the lotus eaters pass up on all this food?", I cannot help but immedately reply with "they eat lotuses, duh"

[@LukaGG600]

Same lol

[@speedy01247]

it never lets you free.

[@ValentineVanDrarcla]

I know right? Their doped off their furry lil tits dancing to rave music, they got the best food ever for them and ain't got shit to do.

[@kory_misun]

Yup! Literally addicted, and probably eager to get more beings hooked on it.

[@clairethompson5549]

Literally the only addicts on the planet who will share their whole stash for free lol (not trying to make light of addiction, I promise!)

[@GleamDrawz]

Mortius: “polites is my favorite character” Me: heheh, wrong answer, try again. *was*

[@Blue_foods213]

Too soon 😭

[@meangenec1]

​@@Blue_foods213as of 11/8/24 pancake is still my favorite as he is still part of epic 😆

[@catherinecao4810]

Fun fact: Jay wants to bring Epic on the big stage once it’s done. Imagine seeing this on Broadway.

[@one_bored_dude1798]

Man I would fly over to the USA when that happens :0 I am already considering coming over for Hamilton (because they stopped the play in germany before I had time to watch it), this would give me one more reason 😅

[@Wolkenspringerin]

@@one_bored_dude1798 Absolutely! I was never interested in vacationing in America, but if Epic the Musical ever gets performed on Broadway, I won't be able to buy flight tickets fast enough!😂 I NEED TO SEE THIS ON STAGE

[@lizlilliman3644]

It needs to be on the stage, both Broadway and West end. I reckon it would be a real hit

[@peanutpuppyboiprayforukrai1072]

I thought he said he'd prefer it to be an animation?

[@fleischsalat318]

​@one_bored_dude1798 let's fly together! Count! Me! In!

[@AirQuotes2962]

Just so you know, the animatics do give Polyphemus a more "eldritch horror" appearance than Cyclopses normally have. The other animatic gives a more accurate idea of what he probably looked like. I do like this version because it fits the voice and is really cool, but it's probably not too accurate.

[@DontObliteratetheCommenter]

Counterarguement: Attack on Titan reference. My English teacher is turning in her grave at that counterarguement, and she's not even dead yet.

[@anniefemmas5097]

Ha ha ha​@@DontObliteratetheCommenter

[@mielliot13]

I choose to think that's more of a metaphor, like in the other one they are trying to talk so he looks less horrifying, but in survive its just sortof both sides demonizing each other in the heat of kill or be killed.

[@mjsfalcon986]

Plus all of the Poseidon references: Crab head, horse legs.

[@phallax_]

i love both versions of them honestly, mainly talking about mircsy vs wolfy bc the “eldritch horror” looks really cool, but i also love how wolfy draws him as a more “normal” version of a cyclops (he kinda looks like a huge child in their version and i love it)

[@melissaf5331]

Polyphemus fits Zeus' prophecy as well as the infant. In fact, all of the foes Odysseus meets fit that description. Someone's son/child, a foe who won't run, unlike any you have faced before. But unlike the infant, Odysseus stops killing his foes and he starts running into a whole heck of a lot of trouble!

[@disableddragonborn]

That actually makes sense, since a prophecy can't be avoided. He murdered an infant for nothing.

[@NordemRay]

Omg I just realized this and it will forever be ingrained in my memory thank you so much

[@Cheshiregrinn91]

OMG! 'If you don't end him now, you'll have no one left to save' and 'The blood on your hands is something you won't lose. All you can choose is whose.' Fit so well with that! By not killing the cyclops he caused the death of almost all of his men.

[@Aloysius_OHare]

Athena is screaming at him from the sidelines like a disappointed soccer mom.

[@dinado2384]

Actually, I'm not sure it would be logical to kill Polyphemus. It was superfluous for him to give his name exactly, but to return to the abode of the man-eating cyclopes to finish off their leader, risking running into his comrades, is quite reckless.

[@necroshade3771]

From the source material Polythemus looks just as you described, a huge person with one eye that is around 15-30 feet tall. Mircsy added details that make polythemus look more like he actually is a child of Poseidon, the god of seas and the god of horses. The crab like head and mouth for the seas, and the hooves to represent the horses. (Also, fun reminder that Odysseus uses a wooden HORSE to beat the trojans)

[@whitenobeard]

An idea that in the original Odyssey he was given by Poseidon. But he took credit for the idea, which is why Poseidon already had beef with him. Aside from Odysseus having Athena as his patron.

[@Never-Again57]

I don't know if you caught this but "Survive" is directly referencing "The Horse and the Infant" You can hear it in the lyrics when you play the songs: "My Brothers, The rest of our fleet, They wait at the beach..." and Zeus' part "A vision, of what is to come, Cannot be outrun..." I think this is incredibly genius, and I was so caught off guard when I caught this!

[@officialmortius]

OH you’re so right!! I didn’t even catch that musical callback!

[@alisond929]

It took until this comment for me to realize it’s the same melody run- I’ve been here since the Troy saga released.

[@shinrin1081]

Wowwww I never consciously comprehended this before! Jorge really does have such a great understanding of the power of music. Oh well I guess I need to relisten to everything (for the hundredth time lol) to catch more callbacks like this 😂

[@reubenproctor9344]

​@@officialmortiusyou did know the first time! You just forgot until hunger was so heavy!

[@rando-melon8089]

Something important for future context, there's a rule in Greek mythology where you must NEVER give your name. Because most of the time, enemies could get revenge even by just knowing a person's real name. That's probably one of the reasons Odysseus calls himself Nobody ( also because Nobody is part of his big-brain plan)

[@aniheartsong5102]

Names hold power for gods, but yes Odysseus is being crafty just in case plus gods could find people much easier with names.

[@whitenobeard]

And then he hits that good old fatal flaw and extends his journey by a fucking decade.

[@KingsBard]

Fae sh*t

[@petthequeenofmaddness8592]

its true in a lot of story's and myths such as demons, fey, gods name's are powerful and depending on what you fight you might give them ownership over you or take your name

[@garethmorton5620]

The "Nobody" thing is also a pun in Greek. The word Odysseus uses in the poem is "Outis" which means litteraly "No man," but sounds a lot like "Metis" which means "Intelligence." So Polyphemus was bested by "intelligence."

[@StoatInATrenchcoat]

The background chanting in Survive is "Polyphemus", the name of the cyclops. Big battles in Epic often have the name of the big bad chanted in the background, it's so cool

[@aelechdeepestflame4347]

“Polyphemus,” but absolutely. It’s one of my favorite parts.

[@kamillajohnson8953]

I always heard it as "Polythemu", but hey, it all is the same cyclops right?

[@DarkestNova556]

@@kamillajohnson8953It’s in Greek. “Poh-lee-feh-moos”

[@doloresgronenberg5882]

​@@DarkestNova556, from what I heard it's actually in Latin

[@aliendilo3105]

@@doloresgronenberg5882 The Odyssey is greek, so I assume the names are all greek too

[@that.drawer.mircsy]

Welcome to the EPIC Family! Now you are officially infected with “winionitis”🐸🗣️

[@officialmortius]

Whoa, hi!! Thanks so much for commenting, your work is absolutely stunning and adds so much to Jay’s incredible production. Thank you for all you do, I can’t wait to see more from you in the future!!!

[@TeamDiamondTD]

YOOOO MY FRIENDDDD :DDDDD

[@whitenobeard]

​@@officialmortiusalso as an explanation for Polyphemus saying "you shall be the final man to die" it meant that he would still kill all the men. But he would kill Odysseus last.

[@arspsychologia4401]

It's very interesting that I never realized that Polyphemus is depicted as acting in a fairly realistic manner here. Odysseus didn't mean to kill the sheep, but if someone kills your pet, then offers you monetary compensation instead of an apology, you would likely be even more upset because they tried to value your pet without emotion, as just an object. You see this kind of non-apology happen over and over again throughout the musical, and it's a great example of his hubris causing him problems in the story, which stays true to the original work. Edit: the word they are saying is the name of the cyclops in survive, "Pooo Lyyyyy Pheeeee Muuuuus" Double Edit: When you do ruthlessness, please do the Gigi animatic version. I love it and I can't find anyone who's reacted to it yet.

[@anniefemmas5097]

The odyssey is literally odyssey learning not to be so arrogant hahaha

[@doloresgronenberg5882]

The cyclops in the Odyssey was pretty excited to be offered wine too as compensation for his sheep, it's a cyclops too, not a human, looking him through the lens of humanity wouldn't be too advisable or correct anyway, not to mention that even in humans there are many different humans, I assure you that if you offered a lot of money as compensation for their pet more than one would accept, honestly the cyclops would have killed them anyway whether they killed the sheep or not because he is probably simply like that, just like Poseidon would have killed them anyway too no matter what because he is Poseidon and didn't even have planned forgiveness and just wanted to cruelly give them a false hope, besides the cyclops also said that he would kill them all before Odysseus tried to compensate for what happened, I would have also tried that, I mean my life would be on the line and chances of survival and even convincing him not to do that would be pretty low, and Odysseus also offered him wine so he could carry out his plan in the case that he did attack like he said, which was giving him the lotus, in this story he seems more hurt than arrogant and the mistake he makes is because of that, plus he seems to be having an internal battle and conflict within himself, which would also make things harder in this case

[@aliendilo3105]

Doing both Gigi's Keep Your Friends Close and Ruthlessness is a good combo

[@SoulRuninFree]

Not to mention that’s it’s not compensation when he’s gives the wine it’s poison

[@cojec]

​@@SoulRuninFree Exactly, if Polyphemus _had_ accepted the peace offering, Odysseus' clever little plan would have gotten them in so much more trouble.

[@alisond929]

Since Poseidon is also god of horses, it makes sense that this eldrich Polyphemus has hooves. And your editor was correct about Polyphemus being “I’m gonna kill you last so you witness all your crew die” type of deal. Mr. Jalapeño is from one of his TikToks in reference to explaining the behind the scenes makings of the music. Lol

[@BlueCookies1116]

OHHH

[@TainoMoya]

'WATCH OUT!' *SUBWAY* 😂

[@AnonEMouse-ls7fp]

23:44 *Zeus voice* 🎵I told you you weren’t ready...🎵

[@TehTeh911]

I love Survive because Polites changes everything and because it starts the motif of getting a "captain" every time soldiers die. Also this animatic actually makes the soldiers look pretty evil with their glowing eyes. Not you picking up on the Lotus in the wine and then missing it later lol.

[@NightOwlShhhhh]

🎶 Everything’s changed since Polites 🎵

[@ToGgAlt]

For The “You Shall Be The Final Man To Die” Means That For Odysseus Kindness, He Will Be The Final Man That Polyphemus Kills, Polyphemus Will Kill Everyone Else In That Cave Before Killing Odysseus.

[@Fernsketch]

You're really right about what you were saying about the electric guitar being the hero's theme. Jay uses different instruments to represent different characters, and electric guitar is Ody's warrior instrument. I think he uses another type of guitar for Ody's soft moments? Someone who actually remembers come correct me.

[@VictoriaStarratt]

For Ody’s softer moments Jay uses a Nylon Guitar apparently.

[@alisond929]

⁠@@VictoriaStarrattyep. Merciful Odysseus, Nylon Guitar. Ruthless odysseus, Electric Guitar and faster tempo

[@doloresgronenberg5882]

The guitar riff (which is what you are calling Odysseus' theme and the electric guitar his warrior instrument) plays when he is using his cunning but sometimes it plays faster and other times slower, and it plays in songs like "The horse and the infant", "Polyphemus" and "Done for", probably in more but now I can't remember

[@KevinFlowersJr]

​​@@doloresgronenberg5882 yep, and additionally Jay uses triplets when a character is being ruthless which is why there's a bunch of triplets in Survive (because they're trying to kill Polyphemus) & Ruthlessness. You'll also notice some triplets playing when Athena tries to convince Ody to kill Polyphemus in Remember Them

[@kikikitten1473]

At the start of Survive, the choir is chanting Po-Le-Phe-Mus (Polyphemus, the cyclops' name 😊). It's like classical Latin chant.

[@troytanner5853]

Mr Jalapeño making Polyphemus sound like a whole dark souls boss

[@kikikitten1473]

@troytanner5853 He says he takes inspiration from video games and anime (which this animator nods to a Lil x3) so it's very likely that was an intention with the music!

[@adamsfamily286]

What does it mean in English?

[@kikikitten1473]

@adamsfamily286 Well Polyphemus is simply the cyclops' name, however if you'd like the meaning behind the name, in Greek, it means "abounding in songs and legends" :)

[@morganring8385]

I hadn't caught that before, but it's cool because it feels like it's foreshadowing the opening of Ruthlessness!

[@KingsBard]

Often times the ensemble is singing a name, Po-ly-phe-mus. Near the end of the musical in an unfinished song they'll sing O-dy-sse-us the same way.

[@kittycatzuka]

What really adds to Odysseus' shock and pain over losing Polites is the fact that, in a song that ultimately got cut before Jorge was even able to officially cast Polites' voice actor, it was revealed that Odysseus and Polites have known each other since they were young (which I think was still referenced in Mircsy's animatic for Warrior of the Mind which did show them together as kids in the flashbacks). The cut song, Your Light, went on to show that they'd go out and have little adventures together, and at one point they came across a boar's den, and Polites was so frozen with fear when it charged at them that Odysseus saved him by pushing him out of the way to take the hit for him. But yea, that's why Polites is able to be so casual with Odysseus and even why they refer to each other as "my friend" during Open Arms. They're literally best friends since childhood. And now the ray of sunshine is gone.

[@m0thernature730]

I think you have to remember Odysseus didn’t lose ANY men in the trojan war he left home with 600 and he was going home with 600 polities was the FIRST DEATH for Odysseus of his men. It’s like when watching game of thrones blind and they just kill Ned stark You can see the three main characters of the story and suddenly BAM only two of the named 3 are left. It’s the exact same subversion.

[@rahmahchowdhury4856]

Poor child thought he was at the Red Wedding but he was still at Ned’s execution.

[@m0thernature730]

@ lol I love that! It’s the perfect way to explain what happened! I love that people don’t remember tragedies we’re all the rage in mythology… Ancient Greece was game of thronsin before game of thrones ancestors were born.

[@sarafontanini7051]

the main reason these specific aniamtics are so popular is LARGELY due to the fact they give polyphemus such a WILD desgn (comapred to others where he's given a more standard design) of course there are otheer reasons aside form that cool bit of creativity that makes these particular ones stand out, particulary in 'polyphemus': the red background, giving the songs a VERY ominious look even before things go wrong, Polyphemus CRYING as he looks at his dead sheep, polyphemus directly holding odysseus in his hand and about to eat him, the shot showing the dead sheep as odysseus claims that "noone has to die", there's sjsut a lot of great flourishes here other aniamtics just don't do. it's beleived this design for polyphemus is likely inspired by sea creatures (as Poseidon is the father of all cyclopses) and the hooves are liely ispired by the little known fact poseidon was not only the god of the sea but ALSO the god of horses

[@cometsquare]

At the end Polyphemus faints because of the lotus Odysseus slipped into his wine! The animatic you watched actually hinted to this at the first song you listened to on this video. Hope this helps and cant wait for next week's video on EPIC!!

[@anonymoust6226]

If they're is something Morteus does well, or I hope he still does, is that he watches the entire saga before reading the comments. Us EPIC fans just love spoiling stuff.

[@yuukinoyuki9064]

​@@anonymoust6226 Right? Like wait literally one more song, it's right there in the lyrics "he didn't notice I mixed Lotus in the wine" 😂

[@Gentleman_Nebula]

I find it funny how in the original myth bro just got so drunk he passed out

[@lyxla2579]

Great reaction! Poor Polities, always makes me cry. I will say, be careful with your animatics going into the Storm saga. They are all amazing, of course, but a lot were made before the official audio was released. So just make sure you're getting the official voice actors otherwise Jorge will be playing all the roles, lol!

[@mastertofu]

I absolutely love the eldritch horror take on Polyphemus. It's inaccurate to the mythology of cyclops but it looks so cool. As one of Poseidon's children, he possesses traits of certain sea creatures and horses, hinting at the cyclop's blood relations. I love your reactions to the animatics and music so far. Most reaction channels don't give enough of their own input to make the video worth something but I like how you give your theories on what's happening, explaining your thoughts, sharing what you know about the music and just generally being actually entertaining. I have been singing these songs for like days now and always tear up in some songs, primarily Survive. The heroic music sounds perfectly like a set up for a tragedy upon rewatching. It isn't even fear, it's the anxiety that comes from knowing these men are doomed to fail but their morale is brought up so high only to be shattered when Polyphemus grabs a weapon.

[@benjamin8547]

When he said "if something happens to my boy polites" e slapped my hand over my mouth shock, because i knew what was to come

[@halfknight2310]

14:56 it’s more that. Polyphemus was insulted. The idea that wine was enough to compensate for the loss of his pet. Was insulting. (Especially. When the original deal was. Polyphemus kills Odysseus in exchange. 1 life for 1. But now. He was angry.)

[@breannacarlisle5441]

The sheep were not his pets . They were his food . He wasn't insulted by the wine , he was just never letting them go . He really thought killing Odyessus last would be proper repayment for his generosity m

[@Tioko]

@@breannacarlisle5441 Well, at least one of them was special enough to be called his favorite sheep, so…

[@halfknight2310]

@@Tioko yeah. they were both. both pets and food. he was shepard afterall. that's what shepards do. they care for their sheep but do also eat them.

[@halfknight2310]

@@breannacarlisle5441 well. he said "a trade you see, take from you like you took from me." and "pain you sow is pain you reap." 1 life, for 1 life. that was the deal. but odyseus tried to haggle, to change. notice how poly says "wine". it's shock but also an insulted tone. like "seriously? wine? that's what you offer?!" and then he's like. "fine, I'll play your game. you kill someone I care for, then try to trade them for less. now you all die!" yeah. he was willing to trade odyseus's life for the sheep. but then odyseus insulted him by daring to try and change the deal. to believe poly's pet was worth just some wine. we can't know for sure if he would have let them go. but maybe. it also shows how absouloutly tone deaf odyseus is. he says. "no bloodshed today" yet killed poly's pet. blood was already shed that day.

[@Gentleman_Nebula]

In the original story they did much more than that to him. They killed his sheep, stole his cheese and other food he made himself

[@coletedeux]

Polyphemus is a son of Poseidon. He was a giant human with a single eye. In the story, he shuts the cave with a stone, trapping them all in. He then eats one man, and in the morning, allows the sheep out, shutting the men in. This goes on for a few days until the men finally are able to fashion a spear which they harden in the fire. When he returns that night, the crew blinds him. P calls to the other cyclops for help and when they ask who blinded him, he says, "Nobody". They refuse.

[@starlepus9437]

i love that these animatics make Polyphemus horrifying in a realistic way. he's mart horse, part giant, and part crab. all things poseidon is in charge of

[@laurelle517]

Something Jay has talked about is that Odysseus and his crew are winning until Polyphemus gets his club! I love how he made the music even sound like it, everything sounds like a hero’s song until he gets the club and then it goes somber

[@Toxivex]

Part of the reason that Polyphemus looks the way he does in that interpretation is because it's believed that the Greeks thought Cyclops existed after discovering an elephant or mammoth skull. and because of the ways the holes in the skull sit, it was commonly believed that they were more monstrous like the way the animator envisioned it. A strange mouth, a large eye (places where the mouth and nose are on the skull), and then like some others have mentioned, horse-like hooves because Polyphemus is the son of Poseidon. He looks emaciated because he does not eat the sheep. The sheep are his friends, brought to him by his father who feels pity because he's so much smaller than the other giants and cyclops. He's kind, gentle, and constantly mistreated and a victim of unfortunate events constantly. It would be mercy to be ruthless~

[@chanclercampbell9445]

In addition to the death of Polites hitting Odysseus hard because it was his best friend, Polites was also the first life lost under Odysseus's command.

[@30092nana]

17:49 As some have pointed out in the comments that they are chanting Polyphemus in the background of survive I’ll add onto that: Jorge took big inspiration from games like Kingdom Hearts where boss battles of very prevalent. So when you hear a song that is chanting a certain characters name in the background they are that “boss battle” for the song and to set the scale of graduate for whomever is facing said boss. Later down the sagas when they are released specifically the song “King” in the last saga it gets very interesting how this motif is used. There are BTS videos of how these songs are made and the breaking down of the motifs like this one on Jorge’s KZbin shorts and Tiktok

[@joshuahicks7798]

Tbh I never knew that kingdom hearts had that in the background. Been a fan for years

[@Evnyofdeath]

​@joshuahicks7798 that's not what he said

[@30092nana]

@@Evnyofdeath I have to look back through his BTS videos to find which one he talked about Kh being the inspiration. What I do have is on April 1st of 2023 when Jorge was doing a TikTok live stream he mentioned KH being an inspiration. He also said Sora is his favorite character along with Demyx being is favorite ORG member. I have this knowledge since immediately when I heard it I texted it to my friend who loves both Epic and KH so I referred back lmao

[@Swan-yo6hn]

As other people have already commented, the eldritch horror is not usually the description or depiction of a cyclops, however, I think it is super interesting (particularly in the context of the Odyssey!) all cyclopes are the children of Poseidon and another notable child of Poseidon (also famous from the Odyssey) is Charybdis... who is mostly just lungs and teeth. In combination with Skylla they are the ultimate eldritch horrors in Greek Mythology. So this interpretation makes sense to me - a nice family resemblance. (In this essay I will-)

[@LittleTehri]

Been binging your reactions to Epic, and I absolutely love every moment! I really look forward to seeing how you'll react to "Keep Your Friends Close" and "Ruthlessness" in particular, they're my absolute favourites! For "Ruthlessness", I'd suggest either gigi's or AnniFlamma's animatics, they're both absolutely incredible! I'm partial to AnniFlamma's one, but gigi's is also delightfully epic. Edit: Also, did you notice at the start of the song? There's a callback in the melody as well to Zeus's part of "The Horse and the Infant", where he sings "A vision of things yet to come". It's not just the statement of "it's just one life to take" that calls back to that moment!

[@bearhugzfam649]

Anniflamma's is amazing and it's the classic but I definitely think Gigi's is the better one to watch first purely because IMO it better captures just how sadistic and petty Poseidon is being. Spoiler space in case Mortius is in the comments but > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The way he picks up Ody's boat to give him the best view of what he does is just horrible, I launched my phone across the bed at that I was so mad xD petty bastard.

[@LittleTehri]

@@bearhugzfam649 I'm gonna have to say agree to disagree, because I feel exactly the same about AnniFlamma's one xD It captures Poseidon's mood and pettiness beautifully, and especially the sadistic streak. But I do love Gigi's one too - it just feels a bit more Disney villain-y to me. And well... > > > > > > > > > > > AnniFlamma's Horseidon looming over the ships and grinning is in my nightmares forever and it's delightfully terrifying :'D

[@bearhugzfam649]

@@LittleTehri omg yessssss horseidon is living rent free in my nightmares along with this version of Polyphemus ngl xD I think the only proper solution then is for him to watch both ;) haha

[@LittleTehri]

@@bearhugzfam649 Now, that's absolutely the only solution! ;) Double the traumatization!

[@nudgificator]

I am simultaneously so ready and yet not remotely ready for how you're going to respond to a few points of this one...!

[@CyrahLia_459]

One word: Polites... :)

[@themaskedinc.786]

Mr Jalapeno (also known as Jorgy Gorgy, Jay or Jorge) is from a video he posted explaining the track list in the Circe Saga (I think) where he referred to himself as a bunch of weird names and we will now never forget and will call him that for the rest of time

[@kikikitten1473]

Also PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, check out Anniflama when you get to the Ocean saga. I adore her animatic for Ruthlessness 🥰

[@fireflyer97]

Probably the best version of that song.

[@dantemoldero4100]

17:46 OMG i never noticed this but those AARE actual words, it says PO-LY-PHE-MUS that's so coool

[@Sweet_Treat_]

Can we talk about the odds for a second. All those sheep in that cave and the one ONE that gets shot is the favorite. Like what😭😭😭

[@officialmortius]

Oh my gosh that’s a hilariously good point 😆 I never even considered that

[@dragoon3219]

That's actually one of the coolest cyclops designs I've ever seen. It even hints at who his father is: his head is crablike and he has a horses legs. Poseidon is the god of both the sea _and_ horses. Also if you notice Polyphemus fits Zues prophecy of ruin. After all Polyphemus is someones son (Posiedon's) and he won't run from the confrontation nor is a he foe like anything they've faced before. It's mostly just coincidence (I think), but it is interesting that this is the point things start going really wrong while it still fits Zues' warning to some degree and it's doing exactly what Zues warns not to do (show mercy) that screws them all over.

[@luciferashito499]

"What is this tendral hand, Cult of the lamb horn, Eldredge horror?!" 😂😂😂😂 the best thing to describe this specific cyclops 😂😂😂

[@nyx_the_raven7830]

Something fun I didn't notice until your reaction vid: The soundtrack after Polites dies is the same soundtrack as when Polyphemus noticed his dead sheep. Pretty neat correlation between "You killed my favorite sheep" and "You killed my favorite person"! I'm kinda surprised you didn't notice but well, I've definitely listened to these songs a lot more than you have at the point of you making this video.

[@natalietepaa]

No!!!! How DARE YOU!!! I am a musician with a hyperfixation on this show and have listened to it so many times… And I didn’t pick that up! My heart!

[@michellewest4796]

The distortion you hear during Polyphemus is the "electronic" instruments used to denote connections to the gods. There's also a hidden "danger is near" set of notes that you hear just before Polyphemus shows up. Each main character has their own instrument, like Odysseus has the guitar, and the more electric you hear the more mythological beings you're dealing with. Every single musical decision is deliberate in every song. Also its usually in the behind the scenes where he explains the musical easter eggs that he says things like "what does this mean, mr jorgy porgy, you ask. Mr jalapeño," in some audience participation style content.

[@upsidedownsteph]

I love watching your reactions to Epic: The Musical. Can't wait for your reactions to the other sagas 😂❤ Edit: We both have our birthdays on the 14th!! Happy early birthday

[@officialmortius]

Happy early birthday!!

[@CyrahLia_459]

HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY 🎉🎁🎂🥳

[@upsidedownsteph]

Thanks!!

[@rachelq130]

The chant at the start of Survive is “Polyphemus” (the cyclops’ name) took me like forever to realize tho 🤯😂

[@jameselliott7017]

I dont know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but at 7:42, begins a very specific set of notes. jay mentioned this in a separate video saying that there is a "danger is near" group of notes. it is heard most clear in The Horse and the Infant before Odysseus talks with Zeus. it pops up in a few places this early on and in sneaky ways. one i caught on another run through was in Warrior of the Mind when Odysseus was tricking Athena to reveal herself. and now here in Polyphemus, before the cyclops reveals himself. Its a really cool detail that i didn't notice until it was pointed out.

[@ProbsNotABot]

The hooves are a really cool foreshadow to the fact that Posideon is his father- as he's largely connected to the imagery of horses.

[@keyjerant7917]

Ohhhhh here we go!!! I’m so exited to see your reaction to my favorite song in this saga “survive” i love how i can envision everything happening and feel absolute dread and horror in every boom from the club. Oh and the anticipation and dread “Polyphemus” builds!!! Chefs kiss 🤌🏻

[@AHorrorFanatic]

Survive is definitely a top 5 song, if not a top 3.

[@briar-rosethecrazy5839]

The really cool thing about epic the musical, is that each character have their own ‘instruments’ whether traditional or vocal backings, Odysseus’ is guitars, electric for many intense moments. Athena’s is when she uses quick thought, it has a clock noise in the background. Eurylochus’ is the rest of the crew echoing. Penelope’s (Odysseus’ wife) is harps. I just find it so cool

[@doomofthedestiny8065]

"The Final Man to Die." being more akin to Arnie in commando saying "I'll kill you last"

[@notoriousd.i.g.87]

My favorite animatic has a bit of humor in the first song. When the Cyclops says you killed my sheep, Polites tries to stand over it to cover and hide it. When he says my favorite sheep, Polites has a kinda Chibi cry in response.

[@kikikitten1473]

And at the end of Survive, the Cyclops is passing out as the Lotus Odysseus gave him had finally kicked in

[@itsmxtwist]

For the cyclops having hooves, as you probably know by now they are the children of Poseidon who created horses which probably inspired this design

[@power1515]

Imagine coming home, finding strangers about to run off with your only friends and pets, killed your favorite pet and when you confront them they offer you a drink....all hell would break lose. I would not show any mercy.

[@sasavj14]

YES!! Polyphemus is up there with my three favourite songs in Epic. It's amazing! And I love the more "son of the sea god" eldritch horror vibe that is given to polyphemus in these animatics, as well as just how well the animatic conveys his emotion throughout the exchange! EDIT: I'm sure someone's already answered this or you've already realised, but the reason Polyphemus falls at the end is due to the lotus "wine" he drinks at the beginning of the first song finally hitting.

[@GriffinheartPlays]

Fun fact: Each character has their instruments! ^-^ Odysseus' is a guitar and it turns Electric when he's more energetic or intense Polyphemus' is a Cello ^-^ So the low string you notice as foreboding and intimidating, that's Polyphemus' instrument dominating

[@dylanfooler]

Love love this design for the cyclops, I really enjoy the elements pointing to his parentage and the way they animated his movement

[@ma2keep]

Honestly couldn't listen to this saga for a while after it came out due to the major character death in Survive. It's so good and it's just a cliffhanger at the end of that song for this video 😂 great job, love watching you react to Epic!

[@Shmurph]

I'm obsessed with the eldritch horror angle for the cyclops. Definitely makes his relation to Poseidon a bit more apparent than a more mythologically accurate design would. Also, like, infinitely scarier obviously lol

[@dorothygale9648]

The only thing I'll insist on is that you watch AnniFlamma's version of Ruthlessness, their depiction of Poseidon is ICONIC. (Also Ximena Natzel's version of Keep Your Friends Close, their Aoleus is awesome).

[@beckjoy3778]

Originally in the Odyssey, Polyphemus practically locked Odysseus and his men from escaping his cave for at least two days. During that time, he ate two of his men for breakfast and another two for dinner. In the end, Odysseus got the cyclopes drunk on wine until he passed out. There was no Lotus involved, but I like how Jorge interlocked the two sagas by mentioning the Lotus. Just a bit of mythology lore dump, but I'm glad that you're enjoying the musical as much as the rest of us.

[@BlueAloe_]

The whole musical is actually about like Odysseus’s struggle with Polities’ ideology of Open Arms vs Athena (and a couple others not introduced yet so I won’t name them)’s idea of ruthlessness, or necessary bloodshed But Polities is dead now. (Just like the child) Another thing I wanna say is when the cyclops says like “yours will be the last life I’ll take” he’s basically saying “yeah I’m still gonna kill all of you, but I’ll let you live the longest”, and so Odysseus is like “what” and then attacks because he only has to stall for a little while! But then poly whatever his name is has a club so uh yeah.

[@deathstrokecat5390]

Just this artists interpretation for Polyphemus. Like Anniflamma another artists shows the gods as human but only because they only like to present that front.

[@silentjackm.d4490]

I like this design of the polythemus because Cyclops are children of Poseidon and this version looks something more aquatic for lack of a better word. His flexibl horns look like coral he has a slit mouth full of teeth like some sea snail or other creature. Fitting image for a child of a sea god

[@morgandebusk8301]

One of the things i love the most about epic is the different instruments used for different characters and their motiefs and how much you hear a call back in the music to those said characters in later sagas

[@LadyCryptid666]

The words at the beginning of "Survive" say Polyphemus, the name of the cyclops! Also I adore the eldritch horror interpretation this animator has of the cyclops, it fits the vocal distortion so well

[@isabellathomas1314]

To be fair, I too would be blood thirsty if someone broke into my home, killed my pets, and then tried bribing me with spoiled grape juice to let them go scotch free…

[@DarkestNova556]

The chanting is Polyphemus’ name pronounced in Greek. “Poh-lee-feh-moos” or something along those lines.

[@NotUndeadYet]

So I don't know if you've seen this already by watching back, and I am very late(a whole month and a couple of days besides) but in this couple of songs, Polites was drawn as unarmed pretty much the entire time. He basically couldn't fight here, all he could do was dodge around and try to help others maneuver. Edit: He does acquire a sword briefly, but tosses it away again pretty much immediately in favor of getting somewhere where he can help others. So he does appear to have consciously decided not to fight in this situation.

[@KiwiTheWitchOfBlood]

Polyphemus must be a dang Seer (or should I say “Blind Prophet”~?), “predicting” how the whole entirety of the Epic Sagas have played out thus far. - “You shall be the final man to DIE” as literally ALL of Odysseus’ men die before he EVER does. - Shockingly, If he and his crew **never** got hungry and went to the dang island, this WHOLE thing and all 599 deaths for messing with divinity and mythological beings (and their animal friends) would have been avoided. - Also a theory, for “My Goodbye” later on, Odysseus calls out Athena being alone, with her retorting “One day, you’ll hear what I’m saying. One day, you’ll understand”… perhaps she was in the same boat as Odysseus sometime in the past, betrayed by people and losing who she trusted, and passing that knowledge to him as a warning because she can see the path he’s taking leading to downfall? (Idk anything much on Athena, have mercy on me)

[@liiina_1]

I've found your channel through your first reaction to Epic, and I just LOVE seeing somenone be just as invested and passionate about this music as I am!

[@officialmortius]

Thank you! Glad to have you here!

[@roxyraccoon9126]

Jorge voices both Odysseus and Polyphemus. Also, quick summary from the Odyssey itself: There, instead of killing his sheep, Odysseus and his men steal his food while he's away and tending to his flock. When Polyphemus arrives back he sees Odysseus and his 11 men hiding and confronts them. Odysseus acts all entitled about how the guest is protected by gods, unaware of the cyclopes (yes that's the proper plural form) having no regard for gods, so Polyphemus eats 6 of his men over the course of 2 days, until Odysseus gets him drunk and frames it as a gift. Then when the cyclops asks for his name, Odysseus replies his name is "Nobody", to which Polyphemus replies "Then my gift to Nobody shall be leaving him to die last"

[@bearhugzfam649]

Aww I'm glad we're treating you well! To be fair tho if you spend any time watching Jay's behind the scenes stuff you'll see why, he's one of the most wholesome beans on the internet xD but yes hello! I am one of those new people from the Epic fandom, welcome friend, you are one of us now xD

[@bearhugzfam649]

Oh cool happy birthday for tomorrow :)

[@bearhugzfam649]

Haha yeah Mircsy has their own take on Polyphemus but ngl I love it, he's freaking terrifying.

[@bearhugzfam649]

😅 13:25 "oh phew that was so stressful" oh honey....

[@bearhugzfam649]

The chant is Polyphemus' name :D I love that detail.

[@bearhugzfam649]

Bruh okay so the flashback to the infant 😅 here's a fun little thing from the first draft. Originally there was a bit between Polites and Odysseus. Ody can't sleep and Polites asks him what's up, and they have this exchange: Ody: Nothing's what it seems, every time I dare to close my eyes I no longer dream... only nightmares of those who've died. Nothing's what it seems- Polities: Nothing's what it seems. Things are not always black and white. Ody: I keep thinking of the infant from that night, I keep thinking of the infant from that night.... It then launches into a song that's since been removed and replaced with Open Arms which is literally just 3 minutes of Polities comforting and uplifting Ody, it's called Your Light and it's a really upbeat song about how Ody was always there for him when they were kids and that time he saved Polities from Athena's boar, and Polites will always be there for Odysseus now, Polites will be his light when the world seems dark. Bruh, watch that one then re-watch Survive, I dare you.

[@cosimaniehaus3700]

BTW at 20:06 I guess he is that's why ody became the monster

[@joegiordano9493]

IT PREMIERS RIGHT WHEN I GET HOME FROM WORK!!! God i can’t wait

[@JustEm22]

For the end of "Polyphemus", the idea is more so that Polyphemus is not honouring the deal and is just going to kill odysseus (as well as the rest of his crew) as he intended in the first place. That sheep really meant a lot to him huh?

[@josephcroeniangamer3727]

i think in the original myth is implied that they are just assholes, as favorite sons of poseidon they are just used to do whatever the fuck they want

[@BeyondTrash-xe1vs]

Yeah it's absolutely polyphemus just being cruel. I don't get how people misunderstand this and try to blame odysseus, Cyclops are not good creatures. They're man-eating monsters, and they eat their sheep too. A death of one is sad but he would have killed his own sheep eventually. He's absolutely choosing to be cruel by killing the entire crew.

[@Luke-g9o]

Mortius: If something happens to Polities. Me: He's not ready

[@tynand6827]

Fun fact when i listened to Survive for the first time the "Six hundred like I'll take. Six hundred lives I'll break" part was so vivid in my mind that i still skip that song when i put Epic on shuffle while going to work I actually cant afford to cry while walking on the road 😬

[@RichrobArtYT]

You're a fan of Percy Jackson AND like Epic: The musical? Well, welcome to the club😀😉

[@ChuM00n_]

Who's gonna tell him the lotus creechur is called a winion?

[@eniettelia8698]

i think it's more accurate to say the lotus eaters are winions who ate lotus rather than the lotus eaters are winions, but this is probably just me being overly pedantic again lol

[@alakazamlover4908]

in your defense; NO ONE IS READY FOR SURVIVE

[@ashleyfaulkner2367]

Every time I listen to the soundtrack now I just keep thinking omg I can’t wait til Mortius reacts to this song! ✨✨✨

[@officialmortius]

This is actually such a compliment to me you have no idea

[@TheOriginalItsCake]

When you get to the ocean saga you need to react to Ximena Natzel's Storm, Lampyrcy's luck runs out, Gigi's Keep your friends close, and Anniflamma's ruthlessness. These are the best animatics of each (also there's not many full animatics for the ocean saga) Also when Poly said that Ody would be the final one to die, it means, quite literally, that Poly would kill him last.

[@KovalBogk]

Hi, the name you was asking for is Eurylochus(Odysseus' second in comand). Also, I can't believe you only got 20k subscribers, your content is so good. Good luck and have a nice day. Edit: I also forgot to tell, but if you watch closely, you'll notice that that Polities only helps others in the fight.

[@corevo7570]

Oh if you thought this was bad for your emotions…yeah same, this was bad for mine too.

[@alisond929]

Hehe- the ocean saga is worse-

[@CyrahLia_459]

I honestly have no idea about the Cyclops and the Mythology, but I DO know that even though I've watched this anamatic SO MANY TIMES, the cyclops still scares me... it does not help that in I'm watching this at 3am in a dark room... 😅😅 The random subway add had me cracking up after that intense scene, like, fr GO AWAY 😭😂🤣. Mirscy's talent at making poor Odysseus look so traumatised... during the 'foreshadowing' part I was silently and out loud-ly screaming. so um, what just happened to the cyclops, you remember the thing from polyphemus? The wine?... is it considered spoiling if you pointed it out yourself? So sorry if it is 😅😭🙏 Also, I very recently found your channel and YAY FELLOW PJO FAN!! I CANT WAIT NEXT WEEK :) Personally, my favourite song from the Cyclops saga is My Goodbye, so VERY excited for that reaction :):):):) ❤️‍🔥✨

[@pinkstraw427]

10:12 the lotus eater on Odysseus' shoulder, ody toss the poor thing to the others, or something so it doesn't get hurt! 12:40 also the way polyphemus' pupil goes from slit to round was adorable,reminds me of a cat :D

[@magentascribe7586]

Final man to die, means they all die but as repayment for the wine, he dies last

[@thedudejsb]

We call him Mr. Jalapeño because there are times when all you can say is “HOW DARE YOU DO THIS MR. JAPAPEÑO”

[@Luna77_Cupcake]

We gonna ignore the straight up Attack on titan move there 😂

[@johnsimon7921]

I LOVE your reactions for Epic because they remind me what I felt when I listened to it the first time. And thanks to you I'm finding some new things I wasn't awared of. Keep on with this passionate act of love. P.D.: RIP Polites, the best friend with the shortest story :'(

[@officialmortius]

🫡

[@bewolver6173]

🫡

[@sarahhandberg5185]

The whole “putting lotus in the wine” part of the story is a creative choice. I gather it would be too difficult to explain how the wine in Ancient Greece was so strong that they diluted it with so much water, bc otherwise it would be like drinking vodka. That in the odyssey he gives Polyphemus undiluted wine, and not lotus wine So yeah they basically got him drunk on vodka strength wine. It’s hilarious

[@ugxsan]

Something fun to note about this series is that Jay is an absolutely massive nerd and has stuffed the music full of not just references to earlier songs, but also to video games and pop culture. Like how Athena's ability to pull people into a one-on-one chat is somewhat inspired by Kingdom Hearts and the vocals at the very start of Survive were reminiscent of boss themes from Dark Souls and other From Software games, as well as inspiration taken from Attack on Titan, which the animator clearly took to heart with some of those action shots. Knowing how much love for some of my own favorite media is baked into this project just brings this series up that much more for me. It's beautiful.

[@SIMPLY_GJ]

IM GET SO HAPPY WHENEVER SOMEONE REACTS TO EPIC THE MUSICAL 😭✨️✨️✨️

[@opheliacofficial]

If you were wondering what the choir is saying at the beginning of survive, it’s just the cyclops’ name “po-ly-phe-mus”

[@bewolver6173]

I was recommended Survive on Spotify before I ever knew anything about Epic, but had never really poked into anything about the song itself. I’m glad(?) I got to see what it truly meant alongside you Mortius, even if it makes the song so much darker than I thought it was.

[@cheshirewolf1574]

Survive is legitimately the only song of the entire musical i refuse to add to my playlist purely because of Polyeties' death, it is honestly emotionally taxing for me lmaoo

[@taterbait8942]

If you’re breaking into reacting to musical songs may I suggest ride the cyclone? It was pretty popular a couple years ago and I’d love to see some other people react to it