*spoilers for the Percy Jackson TV show and first book*
It has been about two months since the first episode of the new Disney-adapted Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV show was released, with the final episode airing three weeks ago. It was recently announced that the show has officially been renewed for a second season. As a long-time Percy Jackson fan and classics student, I am excited to see the story continue but I have my reservations.
Several adaptations of the Percy Jackson book series have been attempted over the years, including two films in 2010 and 2013 and a musical in 2017, all with their strengths and flaws when it comes to depicting Percy’s story. When the Disney TV show was announced, I was ecstatic and had high hopes for the show, especially since the author, Rick Riordan, was supposed to be heavily involved in the production. While I still enjoyed the show, it unfortunately didn’t deliver to the standard I would expect from a production with a budget of 12-15 million USD per episode. Below, I have compiled my thoughts on some things I liked about the show and some areas of production that could be worked on before bringing the second season to the big screen.
What’s Working Well
The best thing to come from the show was the age-accurate casting of the characters. This was something the other adaptations had failed to translate to screen but was, in my opinion, necessary to the story. The monsters Percy and his friends face seem much worse when they’re 12 compared to characters played by actors in their twenties. I enjoyed seeing how the show closely followed the plot of the book. Scenes such as the Tunnel of Love, and the Waterbeds with Procrustes were overlooked when the films were initially released, so it was fun to watch these scenes be incorporated into the series and finally brought to life. Additionally, the inclusion of the original Ares plotline was done excellently and Clarisse’s casting was spot-on as the actress, Dior Goodjohn, truly embodied the original character’s anger and brashness. I really loved seeing Poseidon and Sally interact as well because—it was a lovely creative choice that the books didn’t originally feature and showed how much love Poseidon had for Sally.
What Needs to Be Improved
Now, unfortunately there happened to be a lot more that I disliked about the show. My main issue lies with the show’s writing, specifically with the decision to ‘tell’ the story rather than ‘show’ it. Often we were told so-and-so was an amazing warrior, rather than having the character show their battle skills. For example, we were told Luke and Annabeth were like family, even though they barely spoke to each other on screen. The lack of care for these characters’ relationship made it boring to watch and felt lazy. This was an issue throughout the entire season.
Additionally, the tension from the story was absolutely non-existent due to the characters somehow being all-knowing. Nearly every single time Percy, Annabeth, and Grover encountered a new monster or challenge, they had already anticipated the danger and would monologue about it. This is extremely different compared to the books where Percy was practically clueless about the dangers of ancient Greek mythology and we as the audience learned with him as he discovered what it meant to be a demigod. It made what should have been an intense, action-packed show fall flat.
The lack of good dialogue and character set-up brought the story down and paired with smaller flaws, it was hard to enjoy the show at times. There was a lack of wit and banter between characters which is a staple to the books and Percy’s character. Additionally, the actors for all the adult characters were almost all flat and delivered their lines like they were reading directly from the script. The lack of these elements made me nostalgic for the movies, which despite their stray from complete book accuracy, felt more like the books. The movies had banter, excellent acting, tension, and chemistry. I hope Disney takes into account fan reviews and reconsiders how they approach the show in the next season. If they continue on this path, I’m not sure fans—myself included—will continue watching.