In honor of Disney+ renewing Percy Jackson and the Olympians for season two, and to appease my inner child, I have decided to rate the episodes of season one according to my preference.
My ranking from least to most favorite:
#8: Episode 1: “I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher”
Overall, I thought this episode was well done plot-wise, but I found the pacing to be a bit slow. The characters were all introduced well, and I especially liked how they presented Sally Jackson.
#7: Episode 4: “I Plunge to My Death”
There was nothing inherently wrong with this episode, but my problem was that it was way too short. I don’t think 33 minutes was enough time to develop the arc of the episode.
#6: Episode 3: “We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium”
Honestly, I really enjoyed this episode for the way they decided to depict Medusa. I appreciated how they acknowledged her mythological origins and the complications of calling women monsters in ancient stories.
#5: Episode 2: “I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom”
This episode was still ramping up the action of the overarching story, but I loved the visualization of Camp Half Blood and the capture the flag sequence.
#4: Episode 6: “We Take a Zebra to Vegas”
This episode is so high on my list simply because of the Lotus Casino and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s portrayal of Hermes. Although the storyline of this episode was pretty different from the original book, I thought it was fun to watch.
#3: Episode 5: “A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers”
Percy and Annabeth’s character development in this episode was done masterfully in my opinion. I liked how they adapted the Tunnel of Love sequence to show more of the history of the gods. And the appearance of Hephestus also added to the story, as well as Grover’s conversation with Ares.
#2: Episode 7: “We Find Out the Truth, Sort Of”
This episode is really where the action takes off. I did have some more issues with the pacing, but I think they did a good job depicting the Underworld, despite the change in Hades’s character, which I don’t think detracted from anything.
#1: Episode 8: “The Prophecy Comes True”
My favorite episode by far. I loved seeing Olympus, and Percy’s interactions with Zeus and Poseidon. But the return to Camp Half Blood and Luke’s reveal were the highlight of the episode. I found this to be a great way to end the season, leaving much open for the next one.