“Percy Jackson and The Olympians” followed the first book, “Percy Jackson and The Lighting Thief.” The story line was similar but the series did add scenes that weren’t in the book. I have read the books, watched the movies and I have done research to understand other points of view on this season (rather than just mine).
I overall have a good review of this season, I felt like the actors were age appropriate and perfectly captured their characters’ personality. For the cast to be majority young, from the first episode the talent on the screen was immaculate. I especially liked how Sally was the one who taught Percy everything he knows, this really added more importance to who Percy is.
Episode one
One thing I liked better about this version would be how Percy learns he’s a demigod. Percy is expelled from Yancy Academy after a Fury attacked him and he is accused of pushing Nancy into the fountain. Grover tells the principal that Percy did actually push Nancy, and though it was lie, Grover was trying to protect him. When Percy goes home his mother takes him to the cabin where she met his father and tells him he’s a demigod.
Overall most of this episode followed the book, but it holds your attention for how detailed every scene was.
Episode two
In this episode we get to watch the capture the flag scene. This scene was spot on to what it was in the book. Except how Poseidon is revealed as Percy father, in the book it happens when a hell hound comes to camp and tries to kill him. In the show, Annabeth shoves him back into the water after his cuts were healed, revealing a trident above Percy’s head.
My favorite part of this episode was how Percy sent sacrifices to talk to his mother rather then to his father. I felt like this was important to show how important his mother is to his future.
Episode three
Percy has to pick who is going on the quest with him to which he picks Grover, because he can trust him, and Annabeth, because she won’t hesitate to finish the quest even if it means hurting Percy. As they head out they come in contact with different problems, one being a Fury but the other being Medusa.
Medusa was caring and compassionate to the groups, relating herself to Annabeth and telling Percy that his mom is someone who is like a sister to her because they were both targeted by the same monster. Medusa is portrayed as a person rather then her being an evil monster, she only turns evil towards the end when Percy choose his friends and to continue the quest rather than not serving the gods because they are ungrateful. After he picked his friend Medusa tries to turn them to stone but fails and the group sends her head to Olympus.
I loved this episode and how they didn’t portray Medusa as a villain, rather she is a survivor. I think it would have been better if they told the story of how she got her snakes but it’s a kids show so it’s understandable why they didn’t.
Episode four
This is the episode of true loyalty. Percy risks his live while poisoned to save his friends. He is being chased by Echidna, the mother of monsters, she leads him up the Arch in St. Louis where she tries to kill him with her Chimera who she is training. Annabeth tries to sacrifices herself against the Chimera but Percy tricks them and locks her and Grover out of the top of the arch. The Chimera ends up knocking Percy into a hole in the floor, resulting in him falling out and the water coming up and saving him from dying.
This episode was significate because we learn that Poseidon is there for him and proud of how far he had come all he needs to do is trust his father.
I loved this episode, it had me on the edge of my seat. I seriously loved how each of the characters will do anything to save each other.
Episode five
The Fates make an appearance as they cut a thread meaning someone will die soon, but they aren’t sure who. As the three continue their Quest they run into Ares who tells them to go to Waterworld in order to retrieve his shield if they want to ride to the Underworld.
For all the Percy and Annabeth fans this is the episode for you!
As Percy and Annabeth go through the tunnel of love they get some unexpected twist and turns, one being they are about to plummet to their deaths so they jump into the water. As they try to swim to the shield Annabeth is being dragged into the current but Percy saves her by using his powers to manipulate the water.
When they find the shield they learn that it means one of them has to die by sitting in the chair and turning to gold. In the books we learn the Percy is claustrophobic but in this show he takes the risk and sits in the chair. The fates were right someone was going to die and it was Percy. Annabeth wasn’t going to let that happen, so when Percy turns to stone she begs Hephaestus for his release because he isn’t like the gods, he’s good. Percy gets released and they get the shield.
This scene showed how close these two have become in the days of this quest, at first they wouldn’t even consider themselves friends but now that are sacrificing themselves for each other.
Episode Six
The group goes to Las Vegas to the Lotus hotel. Where they are looking for Hermes, unlike the book where they are just going to rest. Another change they made is that the group is already knows not to eat the flowers because they will forget their quest. That didn’t end up working anyway because the flowers were in the air. After what seems to be a short time in the hotel, they find Hermes to ask for help into the underworld, which he declines and gives them a talk about parenting.
Of course that doesn’t stop Annabeth from getting his help, she steals him keys and they go into his magic taxi. Which is my favorite part because we get to see some terrible driving, which helps brings us back to how young this group is. The group was too late though because it was already Thursday and their time is running out.
Episode seven
The group made it to the underworld, each part of this episode is problem after problem. First the Cerberus, the three headed dog, tries to kill them but Annabeth saves the group. Then Grover lost his pearl to get back to when he was fighting off the dog. After that Annabeth gets stuck in the Fields of Asphodel, where you go if you have regrets from life, in order to get out she has to use her pearl and go back to the world earlier then usual, leaving Grover and Percy to finish the quest.
As the guys walk through the underworld they start to get dragged into a bottomless pit from to the shoes that Grover was wearing that Luke gave to Percy. When they stop Percy hears a clink from the backpack Ares gave him when they open in, its the master bolt. Finally they met Hades who asks for his Helm of Darkness back where he cleared the air that he never wanted the master bolt because it’s his brothers drama. That’s when Percy realize Kronos is behind all of this and went back to look for the Helm of Darkness in order to save his mom.
My favorite part of this episode is the last scene, Sally is struggling with Percy and lights a match calling for Poseidon to come and not even seconds later he enters the restaurant and is standing next to her. He talks with her and even though he know she’s going to say something he doesn’t like, he still listens. He helps reassure her that she’s doing a good job and even though it’s going to be hard, his mother raised him well and he will be stronger for it on the other side.
Episode Eight
The final episode of the season. Percy fights Ares for the Helm of Darkness, the deal was whoever draws blood first wins. Just when we think Percy is going to lose, he uses the water and knocks Ares over, cutting his leg and winning the fight.
Percy give the helm to the Fury who has been following him, because that was her quest all along. Then he goes to Olympus and returns the bolt because, even though he failed the quest, he knew it was too important not to give back. He told Zeus that he didn’t steal the bolt, but instead it was Kronos because he’s gathering strength and coming to seek revenge. Zeus didn’t seem fazed by this because he has a war to care about. Percy snaps at Zeus telling him Ares turned on him when someone stronger showed up, and he won’t be the last one to do it. Zeus then tries to kill Percy but Poseidon shows up and surrenders, saving his son’s life.
We finally get to see Percy and his father interact, it’s short and sweet but a good moment for the start of their relationship.
Poseidon sends Percy back to camp, where he ends up figuring out that it wasn’t Clarisse but it was actually Luke. On a walk to talk to Chiron, far from the rest of the group, Percy accused him because the Oracle said he would be betray by one who calls him a friend. Luke agrees that it was him, because he doesn’t like the gods. Luke tries to recruit Percy but ends up fighting him when he starts to defend the gods. Just when Percy is about to lose, Annabeth comes to save the day and knocks the sword away for Percy, resulting in Luke running out of camp.
We leave the group all going separate ways, Annabeth to go back to her father, Percy to go see if his mother is back and Grover going to look for Pan. They made a deal to meet up again next year in the same spot as before.
We are left on a cliff hanger with Percy being told by Kronos that his survival is the key to his return.
This season was a fantastic and we should stay on the look out for season two.