There were two types of Percy Jackson kids growing up – the ones who got into the books because they loved Greek mythology and the ones who got into Greek mythology because they loved Percy Jackson.
I was always the former, and I’ll probably make a longer post after the whole Disney series about my love for Rick Riordan’s books. But until then, let’s savor what we finally have in our hands! There isn’t a PJO fan alive who wasn’t severely disappointed by the 2010 movie. In the thirteen years since (gods, has it really been thirteen years?), there have been many false hopes of a new adaptation – theories of new movies, Netflix series, or animated TV shows. Our prayers have been answered at last, and Riordan himself has been working behind the scenes! So here we are – Disney +’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, season 1, episode 1!
From the get-go, I quite liked the casting. Of course, I knew ahead of time who the actors were, but it’s another thing to see them actually in the roles. Just having these kids actually be – you know, kids, not older teenagers like the 2010 movies – gives the show a great air of realism and faith to the source material. I’d love to watch more of little Grover and Percy surviving bullies and bonding over trading cards.
And speaking of characters – Glynn Turman is an excellent Chiron. My notes were just “he has Chiron vibes” when he came on-screen. This show is so well-cast just in the first episode – I’m looking forward to seeing all the other characters as the season progresses.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the original 2010 PJO movie – even though I watched it countless times as a kid; don’t ask – but I was surprised by how Percy’s dyslexia is portrayed in the same way both there and here, with the scrambling letters. It’s kind of nostalgic, in a way.
Percy’s name, too! It’s always been an established fact that Percy was named for Perseus, and I loved that flashback scene with his mom telling him as much. But the way she compared Perseus and his mother Danae to Percy and herself – that was very sweet.
I have to say, though – this show got the Nancy Bobofit scene wrong. In the book, Percy doesn’t push Nancy. He just gets suddenly angry and then the water grabs her. It’s also done in such a way that Percy doesn’t even see the water move, so he doesn’t yet understand that he’s done something supernatural. In the show, though, Percy almost pushes her right before he sees the water lash out. It takes away the impact of the scene and how Percy really didn’t do anything that would’ve made Nancy fall into the fountain. Having him practically push her weakens that effect.
(It’s like the comparison of the Twilight scene where Edward saves Bella from the car – it’s mysterious and “what just happened?” in the book, but in the movie Edward is blatantly superpowered.)
And ooh, Grover openly betraying Percy for his own protection – it’s a great twist of the knife when Percy is already doubting everything.
As for Percy’s home life – Gabe might suck in the show, but he’s significantly worse in the book. In there, he holds poker parties in the apartment, smoke and drinks around Percy, and steals money from him the moment he walks through the door. In here, he plays online poker and scolds Percy for talking back under “his” roof. It’s a similar vibe, but he’s less of a threat in here for anyone who’s read the books.
We have a great Sally, though! The shot of her standing in the rain was nice, and she had the blue candies! I just wish that we’d received a mention of how many schools Percy’s been kicked out of before this point – it would add more to the conceit of Percy feeling like he’s “broken.”
Speaking of Sally – I didn’t expect it, but I got chills when she told Percy “Hold fast” before she made her last stand against the Minotaur. That was good. And the rain returning again, love it. I was sitting on my bedroom floor watching the scene where Sally dissolved, and my mom actually knocked on my open door to ask if I was okay.
And the end credits – they’re gorgeous. They sort of remind me of the new book covers, you know?
So here we are – the end of episode 1. There’s much to love – the casting is excellent, the monsters look great, and the storyline follows the book well. But the way information was delivered was slightly odd. Sally directly tells Percy that he’s a demigod and spells out what that means. I can’t tell if this is for the benefit of PJO or non-PJO watchers. It’s like the Twilight vampire reveal, though – whether or not you’ve read the books, you’re just waiting for the twist.
There are moments, like the glimpse of Thalia’s tree at the edge of camp, that seem particularly intended for PJO fans. But there are still seven episodes to go – whether or not you’re a day one ride-or-die, this series can capture and keep its viewer’s attention. Here’s hoping that we’ll finally get the full Percy Jackson story in a fresh new format – and maybe more than just the first book!
As I did with the Ahsoka show, here are my real-time notes from the episode!
