(Source: Disney+)
!Contains spoilers for Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV show!
Recently, there’s been a lot of buzz surrounding the new Percy Jackson series, based on the books by Rick Riordan. As someone who always loved these books as a kid, I knew immediately I had to watch.
If you’re unaware, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is a book series revolving around a boy named Percy Jackson who is the son of a human and a God— otherwise known as a demi-god. The first season details Percy’s experiences after discovering he is a demi-god and the subsequent quest that follows.
I went into this series expecting some changes, as that’s usually how book adaptations go. However, some of the changes made were unexpected. I found myself pleasantly surprised at times but other times I felt confused as to why certain decisions were made.
From the start there are multiple differences between the tv-series and the book, such as Percy’s encounter with his teacher-turned-monster Mrs. Dodds, and Percy’s conversations with his mother. There’s also changes to certain scenes when Percy makes it to camp half-blood (a summer camp for demi-gods).
I did not mind any of these and actually really enjoyed how the story played out the first few episodes.
Once the quest began, though, there were changes that gave me mixed feelings.
One notable thing I noticed throughout the quest, was how much more focus was placed on the building of Percy and Annabeth’s relationship. I think this was a good choice on the show’s part, considering how important relationships are in fan culture especially with a big series like this.
While I did enjoy the scenes between Percy and Annabeth, there are some changes in the series I wasn’t that fond of. I noted changes in important details of major plot points, which leaves me wondering what direction they’ll go in for the final episodes.
Another thing I wasn’t fond of was how the episodes were paced and the way information was presented to the viewers. The pacing of the episodes felt too fast, but I could mostly overlook this since there are time restrictions with TV shows.
What I disliked more was that the show told the viewer what was happening rather than showed it.
A great example of this is during episode six of the series, titled “We Take a Zebra to Vegas.” In the episode the trio end up at the Lotus Casino in search of someone. Immediately upon entrance, one of the characters explains what makes the casino dangerous.
One could argue that this was due to the time constraints, but I think this made the casino scenes lose their original impact. The sort of “uncanny” and rushed feeling of it is missing, whilst in the book Percy is horrified once he realizes the true nature of the casino and how being there affected their quest.
There are many things I do enjoy about this series though, especially the cast and how the characters have been portrayed.
The main trio were casted beautifully, I cannot picture a better group of actors for these roles. They have amazing chemistry and dynamic both on and off screen that really pulls you in. I think they add to the charm of the show and their portrayals of the characters are spot on.
I absolutely loved the added Grover scenes. Since Percy Jackson is told from Percy’s point of view, whenever he splits apart from any of the trio, they aren’t seen for a while. I think Grover’s scenes in the show added depth to his character and were a really fun addition to the series.
Though I do believe that Grover’s actor, Aryan Simhadri, is a large factor as to why these scenes are so fun to watch. I think his portrayal of Grover is quite dynamic and he does a wonderful job capturing the essence of his character.
His fellow castmates do a wonderful job at this as well. The one who stood out the most to me so far is Leah Jeffries. I love her portrayal of Annabeth and I think she’s going to be an actress to look out for in the future.
I look forward to seeing how she develops as an actress throughout the seasons and even beyond the show. I think she has a lot of potential and will really make the character her own by the end of the series. My favorite performance of hers is in the fifth episode, titled “A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers.”
I won’t spoil too much, but I highly recommend watching the episode and looking out for Jeffries’ future work.
Of course, I can’t forget Walker Scobell. When the cast was first announced, I heard that Scobell was a great actor, but I had not seen any of his previous work and decided to go in blind. I found that he lives up to his reputation.
I cannot see Percy Jackson as anyone other than Scobell. He does a brilliant job at capturing Percy’s personality, especially his mannerisms and sass. I really adore his performance and look forward to seeing what he does with the character in the future.
All in all, while I don’t think this adaptation is perfect, it’s definitely worth checking out. For me, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a watch.
You can watch Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+.