“Would you like to watch this with me?”
“I thought you watched it earlier today?”
“Well… I did, but I want to rewatch it.”
This is about what the conversation with me and my mom looked like on December 20. A day after the first two episodes of the new Percy Jackson and the Olympian series were released.
The first Percy Jackson book, The Lightning Thief, came out on June 28, 2005. Since then 16 more books have been released following Percy Jackson and other demigods of Camp-Halfblood. Over the years, the Percy Jackson series has become a childhood staple to many people. So, after almost 20 years, you can imagine how excited Percy Jackson fans were about the new show. But does the show live up to the sky high expectations set for it by fans?
If you are a Percy Jackson fan then you are well aware of the monstrosity that is Percy Jackson: The Lighting Thief and Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters. Or in other terms, the movies. If you have read the wonderful works of Rick Riordan, don’t waste your precious time on a project that only partially tries to parallel his work.
However, if you are looking for something that shows Riordan’s creative genius and a project he is heavily involved in, then Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a show you absolutely must watch.
The excitement I felt watching the show was something so childlike and joyous because the books meant so much to me in middle school. It was almost like being able to reread the series again for the first time. It differs from person to person, but because of how my mind works, I can’t fully picture things in my head while reading. That made being able to see the world come to life, and so thoughtfully put together, all the more exciting for me.
Every Tuesday it was “Percy Night,” from December 19th to January 30th. And in my opinion the show deserves all the hype it gets.
One of the things that made me so excited to watch the show was getting to see actors who were age appropriate playing the parts. Unlike the movies who had actors ranging 17-25 playing twelve year olds. Do not get me started on that matter. When it came to the show Riordan also played such a huge role in casting them. The casting process took an entire year because he wanted to make sure the actors had the spirits of the characters. One of the things that makes the show so good is that the actors do embrace and portray their characters in such a talented way. The care was not put into only the main trio, but also the actors throughout the entire show.
Now that I have watched the show (numerous times, might I add) I simply cannot see anyone else as Percy, Grover, or Annabeth. Many fans were mad that these three did not match their characters descriptions at all. But the way I see it, it just proves that they have the spirit and the soul of their characters. Fans have joked that Riordan “shook the books” and Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri fell out. I have to say I completely agree. It is obvious that the trio put in a huge amount of effort into their work on set, it shows in every episode.
Before watching the show I knew of the extreme backlash Jeffries got for being cast as Annabeth. Certain viewers did not want to watch a canonically white girl be played by a Black girl. While watching the show it was glaringly obvious that Jeffries was cast for the role of Annabeth because she is not only a phenomenal actress, but a perfect fit for Annabeth. No one could have played her better. Annabeth Chase is a clever, emotional, and powerful character. Jeffries shows that through the screen in an almost too good to be true type of way. In Jeffries portrayal of Annabeth, you are able to see so many layers of her character throughout the show. Whether that be her fierceness, her ambition, her kindness, or her growth. Jeffries has added a deeper and more meaningful side to Annabeth that is much harder to find in the books, especially as you read through the eyes of Percy.
Throughout the episodes there were various things that changed, but the overall plot points stayed the same, which I appreciated. The changes also made me more excited to watch the show because I was not able to predict every single thing that would happen. For example in episode 5, “A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers,” instead of Hephaestus creating a trap that was broadcasted to Mount Olympus, there was a more personal and emotional trap that was essentially meant to seal a character in gold. Many of the changes added to the show. My favorite scene happens in the last episode and it was completely altered from the books, but in my opinion, it was better. The acting was absolutely amazing and it shows betrayal in such a heart wrenching way.
One problem I had was the portrayal of the notorious Lotus Casino. I was looking forward to watching the episode centered around the Lotus Casino because it is known for its alluring and fun atmosphere. It is depicted as a place you never want to leave and genuinely an iconic staple in the Percy Jackson universe. The entire episode felt rushed with Percy and Annabeth quickly discovering the casino was meant to trap anyone who wandered inside. I also struggled to feel the atmosphere of the Lotus Casino past the initial entrance.
My biggest concern about the entire show was that the characters were always a few steps ahead. If they were encountering a monster nine times out of ten they immediately knew who the monster was and how to deal with it. In the books there was more time trying to figure things out or getting tricked and having to escape. It took away from the surprise and danger meant to take place in those scenes and in the general life of a demi-god.
Another thing I thoroughly enjoyed was getting to see the perspective of different characters throughout the episodes. In the first five books it is only in Percy’s perspective. Being able to see the expressions and get more dialogue from different characters really made it all come together. The viewer got to see things that added to the backstory, the plot, and the watching experience in general.
Something that I cannot stress enough that truly made all the difference was having Riordian as a co-creator and co-showrunner for Percy Jackson and the Olympians. He was involved throughout the entire process, which is what truly brought the books to life. There was so much work and thought put into this show that I cannot even begin to dissect. From the music to the props, Percy Jackson and the Olympians was brought to life with so much care that I could never get bored of it. The magic was brought through the screen which is an incredibly rare feat to accomplish, making Percy Jackson and the Olympians a must watch to everyone who enjoyed the books.
