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If you haven’t listened to the Underworld Saga yet, here’s your spoiler warning.

@thekingofworems @jarondont @aaronofithaca05 @nyx-of-darkness-1620 did y’all get a chance to listen yet? I need people to talk about this with!

Apologies in advance for all the capslock you’re about to see.

Y’ALL

I CAN’T

MR. JORGE, MR. JALAPEÑO

WHY MUST YOU BREAK MY HEART LIKE THIS

THE UNDERWORLD

POLITES?!?! THE EMOTION IN ODYSSEUS’ VOICE WHEN HE HEARD POLITES?!?! QUIETLY SAYING HIS NAME AS THEY SAIL AWAY LIKE HE’S APOLOGIZING?!?!?! DJFNSISYDJSUDB

ODYSSEUS’ MOM?!?!?! I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT!!!! “Even if you’re the last thing I see I’ll be waiting” “I’m right here mom, can’t you see me?” OH MY FUCKING GOD SIR!!!! JORGE!!!! “I took too long and ventured too far” SIR MY HEART IS BREAKING!!!! “I’ll always love you, I’ll stay in your heart” SIR YOU’RE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE!!!! THE SOFT LITTLE “bye mom” AS THEY SAILED AWAY?!?! FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY JORGE JUST BELTING HIS HEART OUT?!?! *HIGH PITCHED SCREAMING* ALSO, THE NAMES LISTED ON THE SONG INCLUDE WANDA HERRANS, ARE YOU TELLING ME JORGE’S MOM VOICES ODYSSEUS’ MOM?!

NO LONGER YOU

MASON OLSHAVSKY’S VOICE IS SO GOOD!!THIS WHOLE SONG IS PERFECTION!! “This can’t be, we’ve suffered and sailed through the toughest of hells, now you tell us our efforts for nothing” EXCUSE ME MR. HERRANS WHAT THE HECK! “I see your palace covered in red, faces of men who had long believed you dead, I see your wife with a man who is haunting, and man with a trail of bodies” THE FORESHADOWING?! THE WAY ODYSSEUS REACTED WHEN TIRESIAS SAID HE SAW PENELOPE WITH A MAN WITH A LINE OF BODIES?! HIS OUTRAGED “WHO!!!”SIR?!?!?!?! THAT’S YOU MY GUY!!! YOU’RE THE HAUNTING GUY WITH A TRAIL OF BODIES!!!

MONSTER

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SONG SINCE I HEARD THE FIRST SNIPPET AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!! OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL I HAVE NO WORDS!!! THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE EPIC SONG!!! I kinda knew that was gonna happen but shh 🤫

I’m not gonna talk about this song because if I do it will end up being an essay. Might make a separate post about it though.

I WILL BE LISTENING TO THIS SAGA ON REPEAT ALL DAY AND NO ONE CAN STOP ME!!!

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Literal goosebumps!

Odysseus: What if the greatest threat we'll find across the sea...

Is me.....

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Initial breakdown over, now it’s time to start bouncing off the fucking walls.

(incredibly incoherent and long rant incoming lmao)

FIRST OF ALL. THE UNDERWORLD. JAY WHAT, IN THE NICEST WAY POSSIBLE, THE FUCK??

I WAS EXPECTING POLITES. AND IT STILL HAD ME ON THE VERGE OF A BREAKDOWN. YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME JAY YOU CAN’T HIT ME WITH THE OPEN ARMS CHORUS WITH SO MUCH ECHO TO IT THAT IT SOUNDS EMPTY. POLITES IS THE LAST MF THAT SHOULD SOUND EMPTY STOP IT.

THEN YOU HIT ME WITH ANTICLEA? THE WAITING MOTIF WITH PENELOPE?? THE LITTLE “mum?” FROM ODY STOPPP. “I'M RIGHT HERE, MUM, CAN'T YOU SEE”??!?!? Jay. Sir you already broke my heart you didn't need to blend it as well wtf??

“I took too long” POLITES GET OVER HERE YOUR BESTIE NEEDS A HUG. LIKE BADLY.

AND THEN THE LAST CHORUS??? THE YELLING??? THE EMOTION???? JAY IS YOUR VOICE OKAY?? MY DUDE. MY PAL. MY GOOD FRIEND. WHAT.

AND THEN NO LONGER YOU?? BRO. BRO YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO MEEE. MASON ABSOLUTELY FUCKING KILLED IT. THOSE HIGH NOTES?? BRO IM LITERALLY A GIRL WITH A FAIRLY HIGH RANGE AND I CAN'T HIT THOSE WITHOUT GOING SQUEAKY??? LIKE DUDE BRAV-THE-FUCK-O

THEN THE “WHO”. JAY I WOULD LIKE TO REPEAT IS YOUR VOICE OKAY??? I'VE HAD THIS SHIT ON LOOP FOR HOURS NOW AND IT ALWAYS CATCHES ME OFF GUARD BECAUSE OF HOW ENRAGED IT SOUNDS??

AND MONSTER. HOOOO BOY MONSTER. YEOWCHIES. YIKES FOREVER. MMM NOTHANKYOU. OKAY FIRST OFF THAT FIRST NOTE REMINDED ME SO MUCH OF HORSE AND THE INFANT AND FRANKLY I’M NOT OKAY.

CAN WE JUST TALK ABT HOW. JUST. EMPTY IT SOUNDS?? BROO. BROOOO. THIS IS A FEDERAL OFFENCE. THIS LEVEL OF EMOTIONAL BLUDGEONING SHOULD BE ILLEGAL.

“I’ll become the monster” [intermission starts] THAT DESERVES JAIL TIME. ILLEGAL. YOU DON’T GET TO DO THAT TO ME. I’D BE SOBBING IN THE THEATRE SO HARD MFS ACROSS THE STREET WOULD HEAR ME

Ok listen I've cried because of Epic before. Several times. But never have I had a full on mental breakdown and had to start beating the everloving shit out of my pillow to cope with it. Jay, level with me here, how much crack did you put into this saga? JAY, WHAT THE FUCK???

Listening to this musical isn’t enough. I need it injected directly into my bloodstream.

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JAY. JAY WHEN I CATCH YOU JAY. JAY WHEN I CATCH YOU JAY.

SIR ARE YOU OKAY??? WHO HURT YOU???????

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I listened to the Underworld Saga today and it was the first time I cried because of Epic, I expected it to feel emotional, but damn, also spoiler warning

In The Underworld, the soldiers, the infant, Polites, and his mum with no time to recover in-between, I cried at the part with his mother, the "bye mom" at the end and then the music getting louder. I knew Odysseus was going to find his mum in the underworld, I knew, but I was not prepared, holy shit

I was ready for the soldiers in The Underworld, I was ready for Monster, I was mostly ready for No Longer You, but I was not ready for his mum, like

He didn't know she was dead, she still wanted to wait for him even though she died, this is the only goodbye he gets, a quick goodbye when she's already gone

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EPIC THE MUSICAL UNDERWORLD SAGA LIVESTREAM SPOILERS!!!

I HAVE SCREENSHOTS OF THE LIVE SO YOU HAVENT SEE IT...

GET OUT!!!

NO IT ISNT POLITES YOURE DEAD AND IM SAD!!!

LOOK AT YOU DUDE YOURE DEAD BECAUSE OF THAT MINDSET!!!

BRO I THOUGHT THAT WAS PENELOPE BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY...

ODYSSEUS' MOTHER!?! HIS MOM MADE A CAMEO YOU GUYS!!! IM SOBBBBINGGGG!!! HE WAITED TOO LONG HE TOOK TOO LONG AND SHES DEAD AND HES NOT AND WAAHHH!!

I wonder who as well Odysseus...I wonder...

Odysseus having a mental breakdown, mentioning his wife and son, and becoming a monster...

WHAT A GREAT WAY TO END THE SAGA AND TRAUMATIZE US ALL JAY!!! 😭👍💀🥹🫡

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Listening to Epic’s Underworld Saga, and I just.., the background creaking of the boat through out ‘The Underworld’ makes everything even more heartbreaking.

I can just imagine Odysseus seeing his lost loved ones and walking along the length of the boat as they pass them, trying to stay with them as long as he can. Until he’s at the back of the boat, watching his mother fade in the distance.

“Bye mom…” fucking killed me 😭😭😭

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Odysseus going from singing to practically shouting in The Underword after he sees his mom, like shouting is going to erase all the nightmares of those who've died and the knowledge that his mom was thinking of him until her last moments-

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thinking about odysseus

Thinking about Odysseus having to say goodbye (bye, mom) to the past (Polites?) so he can have a chance of finding his way home in the present (I must get to see Penelope and Telemachus) even though we know he won't (but it's no longer you), not for a long while yet (I took too long), doomed by the narrative to wander for eight more years.

Thinking about him promising his men that they'll make it (make sure we got home again) and knowing, as the listener, that none of them do (558 600 men who died under your command). Only Odysseus gets home, and all of them will have died in vain.

Thinking about the transformation from man to monster (I must become the monster) and the willing surrender of his humanity (sacrifice of man), a self-fulfilling prophecy (it's no longer you). Thinking about him returning to Penelope (a song of past romance), linking his bloodied hands with hers (a man with a trail of bodies) walking the halls drenched with suitors' blood (your palace covered in red).

Is that man still him? (no longer you)

(No, that's a monster, you're just a man, and the man becomes the monster, it's still you, you're the monster, you're the monster, you're the monster you're the MONSTER

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the underworld saga thoughts part 3/3:

“I’m the only one whose line I haven’t crossed” is such a line! he’s semi-aware! won’t prevent the eventual mutiny but it’s neat to see!

odysseus compares himself to demigods and poseidon and to his past self—does he consider himself to have been a monster at troy, and think that later following polites’ open arms philosophy changes that? can a monster become a man again? this is something I’ve been gnawing on a lot because I interpret him as leveling up to become a monster after killing the infant. like leveling up in a video game. when he was a man at war, he killed other men. when he became a monster, his foes were other monsters.

odysseus has obliquely admitted to monstrosity before. his rebuke to polyphemus claimed that he was “neither man nor mythical” and what else is left to be but a monster?

when he dreamt of his family, his mind depicted them refusing his embrace while he pleaded that he’s the same

it’s not until this song that odysseus embraces what he’s subconsciously known himself to be —that’s why his line is “and if I got to drop another infant from a wall / in an instant so we all don’t die? / Then I’ll become the monster”. he uses what he did at troy as the metric for monstrosity.

the pampam, as jorge calls it at 3:30, has an electric buzz to it. our boy’s being cunning again

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I love how in the song monster, Odysseus starts by asking "what if I'm the monster?" With the monster being a bad guy who lets his people die. But then after that, he shifts to "I will be the monster" in which the monster is a person who makes sacrifices to save his people. So the definition of monster shifts which is a bit disorienting but MORE IMPORTANTLY then you get this cool thing where the monster goes from being a bad thing he doesn't want to a good thing he does want, fully showing his mental transition and yeah. It's cool.

Also, I really liked the implementation of the ruthlessness is mercy bit, it was cool.

I got Polites jumpscared AGAIN

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me when creatives get to involve their parents in their projects and give them roles filled with love

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OH THE VIOLA WITH THE ELECTRIC GUITAR JORGE RIVERA-HERRANS YOU DID NOT

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Historic moment in the Epic: The Musical fandom. We're trending!

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Listening to "Full Speed Ahead" after listening to "The Underworld" repeatedly is so devastating, especially when it comes to Polites.

When Odysseus sings his name in "Full Speed Ahead," you can HEAR the smile and joy in his voice on "Polites!" That's his best friend!

And then there's "The Underworld," where Odysseus says his name twice. When he first sees him, he says it gently, almost like he wasn't expecting to see him again. And then after Polites disappears, having sung of greeting the world with open arms to the end, Odysseus says his name again, so quiet, broken, and full of grief. That was his best friend.

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"The Underworld" thoughts

“558 men who died under your command” followed by the “Captain” echoing their screams from Ruthlessness is wild, I would also start unraveling

“I keep thinking of the infant from that night” immediately into “this life is amazing” from his dead best friend oh my goddddd

His soft “Polites” kills me fucking hell

“I took too long” someone kill me, something something fighting to get back to people and learning its already too late for some

The vocals are amazing, really 10/10 from everyone I can feel this album slowly driving me over the edge

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Everyone watching the live: Polties and oddys mom is so sad :(

Jay: Don't worry guys, it's just their thoughts they had before/while they died :D

Everyone: That's even worse.

(Based that scene from the paw patrol movie where Chase saves that man from a fallen truck)