Episode 1 – I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher
Elle:
I was so excited to see the new Percy Jackson series! I really liked how it stayed true to the books, and the casting is great. I was a little disappointed about was that it wasn’t as intense, and how fast paced it was. I think that the fight with Mrs. Dodds should have been longer and more intense. Additionally, didn’t like how they portrayed Gabe Ugliano, as I thought that he was supposed to be a lot meaner and more abusive. I also didn’t like how they changed how Percy got Riptide.
Coco:
TW- I mention abuse when talking about Percy’s stepfather
Percy Jackson has always been a ‘troubled kid’. Little does he know how troubling his world is about to get. Episode One is a crash course into Percy’s life and the journey he is about to go on. Loved the start of this show! I’ve been waiting years for this show and it delivered and stayed true to the book. I’m going to do my best reviewing this without spoilers but know you’ve been warned.
So, first, I just want to say that I was so happy to see more POC in the TV show and loved that Rick Riordan made sure that the casting was diverse and inclusive. I have no issue with the actors looking different from their book description. I also liked how we got to see Percy joke around. I was really looking forward to his sassy humor. The minotaur fight scene was also interesting and stayed close to the book. It wasn’t as intense but I didn’t really mind. In the show, Percy seems way closer to his mom than in the book. He’s close to her in the book, but the show puts way more emphasis on that.
One thing I was sad we didn’t get was the riptide/pen line from the movie. It was so sarcastic and very “persassy.” I also was upset about how they portrayed Gabe Ugliano, Percy’s Stepfather. Like, the actor was great, but in the book, Gabe is quite abusive. I understand that Disney may not be able to discuss that in the show, but it was a really important part of the theme of family and why Percy had to stick with his mom. Disney made him funny and pathetic and, to me, it just felt wrong. As I said, I didn’t really mind that the minotaur wasn’t as intense but I hoped that it would contain more action. The pacing of the episode was a little weird and overall this episode was my least favorite, although I still liked it.
I’d give this episode an 8/10
Episode 2 – I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom
Percy Jackson has arrived at Camp Half-Blood and is learning to come to terms with his demigod heritage. He makes new friends (and enemies), all while trying to figure out who his godly father is. Episode Two is where we get to see Camp!! And Annabeth!! For the first time!!!!! This episode is also really good and introduces the conflict and more characters!
I said this in the last review, but I want to say it again. I have no issue with the casting (I’m relating this more to how Annabeth is portrayed by a Black actress). As a Black girl, I love being able to see even more of myself in one of my favorite characters, Annabeth. Many people were really upset about her casting, going as far as to send hate messages to the actress. This is absolutely ridiculous. I mean, sure you can be disappointed that Annabeth doesn’t look the same as she did in your head but sending hate to a literal child is disgusting. It’s really important to have diverse casting in media, especially children’s shows. It makes sure that kids of all races and ethnicities can relate even more to their favorite characters. So I was thrilled to see Annabeth and think that Leah (the actress) is perfect for the role. In the book, Annabeth comes off as your stereotypical nerd (no hate, I’m the same). However, in the TV show, she’s much more sassy as well as nerdy, and I really liked that, especially when she and Percy exchanged their sassy remarks. I was so happy to hear “You drool while you sleep”. Like, it was so similar to the book. I liked the whole training montage with Luke and Percy, that was really funny. Percy and Annabeth’s exchanges, after Clarisse and during Capture the Flag were perfect.
Something that I was a little sad about is how the exploding bathroom scene wasn’t very impressive. I mean, it was cool but in the book, all the pipes exploded and there was water everywhere. It was more crazy. I was also a bit disappointed in how Percy was claimed. Like, it was funny that Annabeth pushed him but it was more intense when he was claimed during the fight with Clarisse. But, overall, I liked the episode although it wasn’t my favorite.
I’d rate this episode a 9/10.
Episode 3 – We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium
Percy Jackson and his partners set out on their quest, armed with the knowledge of the prophecy. However, they soon get stranded in the forests of New Jersey and come across a so-called sculptor, Auntie Em. In Episode 3, we start the quest and learn more about godly politics. This episode was amazing and I loved getting to see the trio’s dynamics.
I loved seeing the trio bicker! Seeing them start this way makes their arc even more important. Also, the Consensus song is amazing! I loved how Grover has actual emotions! After the battle with Medusa in the cave, Percy and Annabeth argue a bit. Grover goes on a whole rant and it’s so amazing! He has a way better personality than in the books and seems like an actual person (satyr?). This episode also lets us understand what Annabeth’s hat means to her and how it connects her to her mother. Her face when Percy said that they should bury the hat with Medusa was so sad. What broke my heart was when Percy said, “I just feel so alone”. Like, it was amazing acting from everyone! The trio did a great job! But the best part was mailing Medusa’s head to Olympus. Like Annabeth and Grover know that this won’t be good but Percy doesn’t care. Annabeth said, “They’ll see this as impertinent” talking about the gods and Percy said, “I am impertinent.” He was channeling the persassy in this scene. But it got even better when Lin Manuel Miranda showed up as Hermes, delivering Medusa’s head. I started squealing, like, it was awesome.
There was a big change from the books and that was with Medusa. I wasn’t mad about this change and think that it made the story more relevant. The Lightning Thief was written almost 20 years ago and a lot has changed since then. We’ve seen this in the casting. But, also, we can see it in the story of Medusa. In the books, Medusa’s whole plot is different. She looks different and her story paints her as a monster. However, in the words of Sally Jackson, not every monster is a monster. It’s so important to point out that the reason that Medusa was turned into a “monster” was because Athena was embarrassed. It would take me a while to explain so just watch the episode. Here’s the shortened version: Medusa worshipped Athena. Poseidon came down from Olympus and “saw” Medusa. Athena got embarrassed because of what Poseidon had done so she cursed Medusa to never be able to look at another person again. Medusa had then been painted out as the monster of the story. However, in the TV Show Medusa points out that she never asked for Poseidon but she was punished for his actions. I think this makes the TV show much more relevant in this way. It also allows Medusa to connect her story to Annabeth’s because Annabeth is a daughter of Athena. It helps set Annabeth on the journey of questioning the gods. Also, in the book, Annabeth doesn’t catch on as fast to the fact that Auntie Em is Medusa. It makes more sense that Annabeth figures out who Medusa is faster.
I liked this episode way more than the previous ones. I’d give it a 9/10.
Episode 4 – I Plunge to My Death
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover continue on their quest after their run-in with Medusa. They take an unplanned pit stop in St. Louis while being chased by the goddess of Karens and her dog baby. In Episode 4, we get percabeth (kinda)!!!! And a sickly-looking Walker Scobell. I loved seeing Percy and Annabeth’s dynamic explained!
I’m so happy that Annabeth got to tell her story and we got to learn more about her understanding of the world. The fact that she was being chased by monsters since she was 7 and her father abandoned her is so sad. Her relationship with the gods is definitely because of her past. She talks about how she can rely on the gods because they only ask for honor and how that is more reliable than mortal emotions. As a person with anxiety, I do feel a bit like I need a lot of discipline and rules to be functional, and can somewhat relate to her in this situation. I also love how she was wearing a bandanna/bonnet thing over her hair while she slept because I wear one too and I just loved seeing realistic Black hair care. Also, Grumpy Grover is now my favorite. Like, who isn’t froofy? The theme of mothers and motherhood as well as the overall theme of family is also really interesting. We got to see that with Echidna and her monster children, Annabeth and Athena, and Percy and Poseidon. We also got to see the point brought up with Medusa, about Athena’s pride, come through in this episode.
But, we got some percabeth!!! Sort of? Like, Percy got Annabeth to laugh in the arch and it was so perfect! But also, Percy was dying of poison so that kinda put a damper on things. I was confused when Annabeth was about to fight the chimera in the arch instead of Percy. It was not like that in the book but I loved how Percy gave her riptide and then switched places, and shoved her, and Grover down the doorway. You can see that Percy and Annabeth are becoming friends.
I guess I was a little sad that Gladiola, the pink poodle, wasn’t in this episode, but I didn’t hate it.
I’d give it a 10/10.
Episode 6 – We Take a Zebra to Vegas
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover go to a special casino, searching for Hermes. However, they find more than what they were looking for. In Episode 6, we get a wise-girl name drop and Alexander Hamilton.
Ok, so, I didn’t like this episode as much as I thought I would but it was good. The iris message with the glass box was interesting! In the book, I thought it was like water and a coin making the rainbow, but with this, it was way more like a phone. The light reflecting was cool but it was really hard to see Luke. Anyway, that little SNAKE! Ugh, like I want to hate him but it’s so hard too. Ifykyk. But Luke calling Percy and Annabeth an old married couple. YES PLEASE. It was so cute! But it makes me wonder if Annabeth has a crush on Luke in the TV Show. Like, it just isn’t as obvious as in the book. Like, even Percy points it out in the books but it doesn’t seem to be in the TV show. If it was just about Luke being Annabeth’s found family it would definitely work still. We got our first Wise Girl drop!!!!!! Percy says, “What do you think, Wise Girl?” YES! I love the nicknames and am so happy we finally got Seaweed Brain and Wise Girl. Seeing Lin Manuel Miranda was amazing! I was kinda sad that he didn’t sing, though. The costumes in the background we perfect! I could immediately tell that some of them were out of place and that they all came from different periods in time. The cars in the garage were also from different decades. That was a cool detail. It was also really funny when Percy had to drive the car.
This strayed from the book in ways that I wasn’t so happy with. Like, I love this show, but this episode was not my favorite. First of all, what happened with Grover and the other Satyr? Like, creepy old man telling you to come with him. NOPE. But the conversation Grover had with him about Pan was interesting and definitely added up to the Pan plot. With Annabeth and Percy, the whole thing with Hermes was cool but also felt off track, but we did get to learn about Luke’s backstory. The one thing that I hated was definitely the whole thing with Santa Monica. Like, it wasn’t in the book and it just felt weird. The summer solstice had passed, which (I’m pretty sure) didn’t happen in the book. Also, THE PEARLS. THEY WERE ALL WRONG!!!! There are 3 not 4 in the book and the whole thing was like, he left the most important thing behind from the prophecy, but then it gets returned so the prophecy is different. So, WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING??? Is it different now? Those were my only complaints.
I liked this episode, but it wasn’t my favorite. I’d give it an 8.5-9/10.
COCO CROWLEY
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ELLE BOEHRINGER
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