Look, he didn’t want to be a half-blood. He didn’t in any of the 17 books in his universe, he didn’t in the two movies, and, once again, didn’t want to be in the show. But we love him for it. The “him” in question is Percy Jackson, an iconic book character written by Rick Riordan who makes his debut in The Lightning Thief, first released in 2005. The first book of the Olympians series was picked up for a season with Disney + four years ago in 2020. This idea was received with different opinions as any adaptation of a popular story is. As someone who first randomly picked up this book for fourth-grade reading time and has loved them ever since this announcement was a big one for me. Starring on the front lines as Percy himself is Walker Scobell, best known for his role in The Adam Project, where he starred as Ryan Reynolds’ younger self. Scobell works alongside Aryan Simhadri, who plays Grover Underwood (Percy’s satyr best friend), and Leah Sava Jeffries, who plays Annabeth Chase (the brains of the operation). The Disney series attempts to condense scenes book readers have loved for years from 22 chapters into eight episodes. Whether or not they did this successfully is up to the viewers to decide, but I’m here to give you my key thoughts.
- Grover’s Character
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As Grover Underwood’s self-declared biggest fan, I feel as though I have the authority to speak on this topic. The reason I and so many others love Grover’s sweet, sympathetic, sassy satyr self is because we see so much of ourselves in him. The novel depicts Grover as a 28-year-old in a middle school boy’s body, with the anxiety and stomach size to prove it. His character embodies what it means to work tirelessly toward something you yearn for so much — for him, it’s his searcher’s license — while still being an ordinary kid. Book Grover is a timid, people-pleasing boy who marches to the beat of his own reed pipes, thinks twice before questioning the Gods, and is always eating, sleeping, or thinking about eating and sleeping. He’s Percy’s best friend, which is thankfully portrayed so well in the series by Scobell and Simhadri’s chemistry and is something I’m looking forward to seeing develop. The downfall of this, however, is the noticeable twist the show adds to Grover’s character. Where the novel had a boy who only acted with sensible caution and fear towards gods like Dionysus and Ares, the show depicts a seemingly fearless, confident, clever kid, willing to trick and outsmart the god of war over a plate of cheeseburgers. It’s not that I dislike this addition to Simhadri’s portrayal, or that I think Grover isn’t a clever and impressive kid, it just seems…misleading. The reason Grover’s entire arc is appreciated is because we watch him grow over the span of the first five-book series from a scared, silly protector to someone so confident and influential that his own idol recognizes his work and persistence. This growth in the novels is one of the best parts about Grover, and I love the depth his character is rightfully receiving, I only wish it didn’t seem so out of place in his storyline.
- Scene details
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When converting a book to a screen, there’s bound to be missing content. This is almost a non-negotiable unless you can green-light a season consisting of about 40, hour-long episodes. The issues aren’t the discrepancies or how much they left on the chopping block, but rather, what they left on the chopping block. One of the primary scenes I noticed a change to was in Percy and Annabeth’s trip to the waterpark to retrieve Ares’ shield. Not only was Grover kept behind by Ares, but the entire conflict that arises involves one of the demi-gods having to sacrifice themselves — another entirely new plot point. This was a gut-wrenching scene that Jeffries and Scobell delivered masterfully, and I absolutely adored it. It did, however, remove a character-developing scene from the book, where we learn about Annabeth’s intense fear of spiders, a scene that helps us to remember that these children, while god-like, are still children and witness the ways the gods never pass up a chance to humiliate each other. The show continued to change minor parts of the storyline that in my opinion didn’t need to be touched. A common theme the show is creating is Percy solving the problem before it even presents itself. We saw it with Percy knowing the effect of the Lotus Casino immediately, again when he knew who Procrustes (a.k.a. the waterbed salesman) was right away, and, most shockingly, when he magically figured out Kronos was the reason for issues while in the Underworld. I’m not upset with the subtle plot differences or the inclusion of new storylines to the plot, as long as they make up for them in the future and take care of these extremely precious character arcs in the making. A significant part of Percy’s character is how knowledgeable he is about ancient Greek stories and the way it strengthens his feelings and fighting strategies (both mental and physical) against the gods; this is what makes the character so nuanced. Simply put, a 12-year-old boy should never meet his godly heroes. He will call them out on their behavior, and he will win.
- CASTING! CASTING! CASTING!
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I’m a firm believer that you could have the best-written script in front of you, but if you don’t have actors to keep up with it, it’s not worth the watch. This show single-handedly knocked its casting out of the park, and it’s something everyone needs to appreciate. If you’d told me Rick Riordan shook this book until Scobell, Jeffries, and Simhadri fell out of it, I’d believe you. Scobell’s portrayal of an age-accurate Percy Jackson is probably one of the best things to happen to book fans in a long time. His child-like enthusiasm, wit, grit, and overall take-no-prisoners personality accompany his exceptional acting abilities to create a stellar Percy portrayal. Anyone who ever doubted Leah Jeffries because of her skin color is eating their words as they watch this show and see the incredible things she’s bringing to Annabeth’s character. The way Jeffries understands her character in interviews speaks volumes to the way she plays Annabeth, and I cannot wait to see the way she continues to pull this role right off the page. The same thing can be said for Simhadri’s portrayal of Grover solely from the fact that it’s impossible not to love the guy. His one-liners and sweet, clever personality are going places, and I have no doubt he’ll continue to embody his character. The things these kids are doing with turning words on a page to exceptionally deep characters is something to see.
- Gabe’s character and Percy’s relationship with his mom
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Smelly Gabe…where do I even begin? One of the more disappointing changes I found in the series was their portrayal of Percy’s stepfather, Gabe Ugliano. I’ve never heard a name so fitting. His ugly personality and disgusting attitude towards Percy is something that should make you lose sleep at night, and it felt like the show mocked it. Gabe is the first (and in my opinion worst) monster Percy takes on in his life, and he’s not even magical or a god-like being; he’s just an ass. It’s unclear whether the show’s actor’s take on Ugliano’s character is what makes this portrayal joke-like to me or if his script is the problem. I didn’t feel like viewers watching this character unfold for the first time really understood how damaging this character is to Percy’s development. The significance of Gabe being an awful person helps the audience understand just how far Sally Jackson (Percy’s mother) would truly go for her son. Sally Jackson is the mother of all mothers, and I absolutely adored Disney Percy’s adoration for her. The depiction of Percy being so incredibly protective of his mother was exactly what the show needed to make us understand just how much love exists between the duo. Suffice it to say, Scobell’s delivery of lines concerning his mother was enough to make a grown woman cry. I’m ecstatic to see how they introduce future characters like Paul Blofis and Tyson because where the show has lacked intricate scene details, they’ve absolutely made up for in characters’ relationships.
- Iconic Lines and Moments
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As an avid book reader, I was hanging onto every line during certain scenes, waiting to hear some of my favorite quotes and watching my favorite plot points unfold. While I could’ve done with a couple more, the series didn’t disappoint by including an abundance of iconic lines. Some of my favorites include Percy’s “I am impertinent” line while sending the gods a message. In this scene, we witness one of Percy’s first tests to the gods: the sending of Medusa’s head to Olympus’ front door. While we weren’t blessed with Logan Lerman’s use of an iPod touch to accomplish Medusa’s defeat, I still found this scene incredibly well-made. The in-depth character development from Medusa was something I and many other viewers appreciated, and I was incredibly thankful to Riordan for growing his book with the times. He’s heard his readers ask for a sort of “justice” when it came to Medusa’s character and needless to say, Riordan did not disappoint. Speaking of Lerman’s iPod cameo, I would’ve been delighted to see some callbacks to the (less-than-perfect) movie series adaptation of the novel. Hearing Lerman’s “This is a pen” line about his sword, or even a clip of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” playing as they entered the Lotus Casino, could have been an iconic callback. However, I’m fully on board with Riordan’s aversion to the movie series, as it was something he believed didn’t do his work justice. The more appreciated lines from book fans included Percy and Annabeth’s nicknames for each other: “Seaweed Brain” and “Wise Girl.” These lines were thrown out a couple of times throughout the season and were delivered flawlessly in my opinion. Last, but most certainly not least, Scobell’s delivery of the book and show’s opening line never fails to give me chills, because he may not have wanted to be a half-blood in the beginning, but every reader did by the end.
All in all, I’m really looking forward to seeing how the Disney + series continues to do the novels justice and carry on this iconic storyline. With season two being recently announced as an adaptation of book two in the series, The Sea of Monsters, actors Scobell, Simhadri, and Jeffries have their work cut out for them to continue to do the golden trio characters justice. Fellow book readers are looking forward to meeting characters in further seasons like Tyson, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Nico and Bianca di Angelo, and so many more complex and adored (some more than others) characters. The important thing to remember about adaptations and remakes like these is that it’s okay to criticize and urge the depiction to be as book-accurate as possible, but it’s extremely important to remember this project is in good hands. Rick Riordan’s involvement in the making of this series has been one of my favorite things to watch from afar; to see the ways he helps bring a world he created to life. Watching the new generation of Percy Jackson lovers proves books are, and forever will be life-long stories. You can cry about them during your fourth-grade reading time and years later cry over watching them on the television in your grown-up apartment. If this new series proves anything, it’s that stories like these are immortal.