JuliaMaia is a writer and filmmaker originally from Brazil. She grew up watching every piece of television and film she encountered from all over the world, which inspired her to come to Los Angeles to study film. She always knew that in order to be happy and fulfilled she had to be surrounded by art. She is always in search of the next film, show or performance that will inspire her. Her background in filmmaking helps her appreciate the technical elements of a film, as well as relish the journey of each story being told. There is not a topic Maia enjoys talking about more than film and the film industry and how it impacts the world and vice versa. The Hollywood Insider is the perfect platform for Maia to participate in the discourse about anything film related with many that , much like herself, love to take part in real important conversations and deeply appreciate the art of telling stories.
Jun 26, 2024
Table of Contents
We have all heard about Greek tragedies, the most profound and powerful form of storytelling. There are many examples of famous Greek tragedies that many could probably name off the top of their head. However, all the Greek stories we know were written centuries before we were born. Now, Christopher Papakaliatis has gifted the world with a modern version of Greek tragedy in ‘Maestro in Blue’.
From Greece, to Netflix, to the world
The Greek series created by Christopher Papakaliatis is the first ever Greek show to be picked up by a major streaming network to be launched worldwide. The show was initially created for Greek broadcast only, until Netflix decided to acquire it and make it a Netflix Original show. The platform’s investment in the international show not only reached the desired outcome but surpassed it, becoming one of the top 10 shows in multiple countries. After the clear success of season one, the show was renewed for a second season.
The first season was filled with conflict and character dynamics, keeping us on the edge of our seats for most of it. The whole season takes place at an island in Greece called Paxos. As a matter of fact, the island of Paxos is a character in the story. Oretis (Christopher Papakaliatis) is a musician based in Athens, who is hired by a mayoral election candidate (Fanis) to go to Paxos to organize a music festival. Between rehearsals and planning, Oretis gets involved in all kinds of trouble. From criminal activities and forbidden love to family drama and murder, there is something for everyone in ‘Maestro in Blue’. Season one even tackles some heavy topics such as domestic violence, homophobia and sexual assault. They do a great job in leaving us at a bit of a cliffhanger, making us yearn for more. And now we finally have it.
Much like its first, season two never lets you sit comfortably and watch the show. It keeps you guessing and waiting for the next shoe to drop. Taking place in both Athens and Paxos, the pacing of the second season can be perceived as all over the place, which quite perfectly matches all the many different storylines explored this season. Our characters take us on an emotional journey with them. We follow Oretis (Christopher Papakaliatis), Kleila (Klelia Andriolatou) and Antonis (Orestis Chalkias) in Athens, as well as everyone else that stays behind in Paxos. There’s more criminal activities this season, as well as more family drama and romance. This season does a great job of touching on serious and very important themes. Domestic violence, victim blaming, homophobia, hate crime, postpartum depression and PTSD being some of them. The show deals with those themes with grace, making it somewhat educational. They didn’t have those randomly added only for story purposes, but rather to convey a message.
Papakaliatis made us fall in love with Greece (more specifically Paxos), with the idea of island life and most importantly with the characters back in season one. For the second chapter, he will extend it to Athens and the characters in this season are even more developed, merely ready for us to fall even deeper in love with them. Between seasons one and two, this show has some of the most stunning sceneries in television. It’ll leave you impatiently itching to get plane tickets to Greece. The writing is another strong feature this season. Each and every character is multidimensional and has some kind of character arc. This is more true in the first season than the most recent one, but music is a character in this show. Kostas Christides is the series composer and he did such an extraordinary job at making the music a symbol of the overall story and of Kleila and Orestis’ story.
It would be impossible to praise the show without mentioning casting. Christopher Papakaliatis is the image of kindness and composure as Orestis. Klelia Andriolatou’s beautiful portrayal of Kleila as an extremely confident and assertive person works very well with the story and the character. It does not seem forced or out of place; on the contrary, it fits very well with Papakaliatis’ collectedness. It helps sell their love story, even though all the odds are against them. The supporting cast are simply magnificent and add so much color to the story. Orestis Chalkias and Yorgos Benos warm our hearts, only to break it, then mend it back together, then break it again as Antonis and Spyros. Their love story is so troubled and beautiful. Maria Kavoyianni plays c so brilliantly. Even though Maria is a victim of abuse, she doesn’t play the victim but rather a survivor. She takes power into her own hands and gives back to the community. Haris Alexiou, Marisha Triantafyllidou and Fanis Mouratidis enrich the entire story and its plot. They would sometimes play the villain and sometimes the voice of reason (specially Haris). Just a beautiful supporting cast. Giannis Tsortekis as Haralambos is just perfection. Absolutely everything that he brings to the character and every acting choice he makes when playing him makes it difficult to forget Haralambos is not real and that these characters are actually not in danger.
Perhaps it is not fair nor truthful to say ‘Maestro in Blue’ is a masterpiece or a brilliant piece of television. Perhaps the only element of ‘Maestro in Blue’ that could be compared to Greek tragedy is the fact that the show is Greek and it is a tragic story. Regardless of one’s personal feelings and opinions of the show, it is undeniable that all the drama makes for good television and if you think season one was filled with good television drama, you should most definitely check season two. For the entertainment purposes and the drama, but also for all the lessons you can learn.
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
JuliaMaia is a writer and filmmaker originally from Brazil. She grew up watching every piece of television and film she encountered from all over the world, which inspired her to come to Los Angeles to study film. She always knew that in order to be happy and fulfilled she had to be surrounded by art. She is always in search of the next film, show or performance that will inspire her. Her background in filmmaking helps her appreciate the technical elements of a film, as well as relish the journey of each story being told. There is not a topic Maia enjoys talking about more than film and the film industry and how it impacts the world and vice versa. The Hollywood Insider is the perfect platform for Maia to participate in the discourse about anything film related with many that , much like herself, love to take part in real important conversations and deeply appreciate the art of telling stories.
JuliaMaia is a writer and filmmaker originally from Brazil. She grew up watching every piece of television and film she encountered from all over the world, which inspired her to come to Los Angeles to study film. She always knew that in order to be happy and fulfilled she had to be surrounded by art. She is always in search of the next film, show or performance that will inspire her. Her background in filmmaking helps her appreciate the technical elements of a film, as well as relish the journey of each story being told. There is not a topic Maia enjoys talking about more than film and the film industry and how it impacts the world and vice versa. The Hollywood Insider is the perfect platform for Maia to participate in the discourse about anything film related with many that , much like herself, love to take part in real important conversations and deeply appreciate the art of telling stories.
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