Percy Jackson shouldn’t have explained it all away

Disney Plus’ Percy Jackson and the Olympians series had both an incredibly easy and a completely impossible task: adapt a book series and do it better than the last time.

Adapting beloved book series that many grew up with is never easy, but then again, anything would be better than the infamous 2010 film adaptation rejected by the creator. Expectations were high, especially since author Rick Riordan was intimately involved every step of the way. of the process and promised that this show would do well.

Maybe that’s why the first season ended Percy Jackson and the Olympians feels a bit empty. It checks off all the boxes, but it’s almost as if the show is trying to go its own way and frantically trying to stay ahead of viewers who are familiar with the source material so that the showrunners can finally adapt parts of the books that they didn’t. I don’t get a chance on the big screen. It’s a shame, though, because there are some wonderful things about the show that almost make it great – and it’s those sparks that have fanned the flame of fandom throughout the show.

(Ed. remark: This review contains spoilers for Percy Jackson and the Olympians.)

The first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians adapts the first book in Rick Riordan’s series of the same name, in which troubled preteen Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) discovers that Greek myths are real and that he is actually the son of Poseidon. Together with Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), daughter of Athena, and his satyr friend Grover (Aryan Simhadri), Percy embarks on a cross-country quest to recover Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt and (more importantly to him) his mother to save.

Each adaptation changes some elements of the source material, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians is no exception. In this particular case, however, many of the changes feel like intentional updates to keep the story current. Some of these updates make sense: for example, the casting is much more inclusive than the first Rick Riordan series. No bad girly girl jokes were made at the expense of the entire Aphrodite cabin. And of course there was the whole “The Greek gods follow the light of Western Civilization” bit in the books, a very Eurocentric idea that has thankfully been retired for show. These are all small, superficial things that certainly help to gently update the books to better translate to what modern fans expect. Therefore, the change that seems most directly aimed at the audience who grew up with the book robs the show of most of its enjoyment.

The original Percy Jackson books were primarily intended to give young readers an introduction to Greek mythology, but now some of those young readers are older and the franchise has taught them the ins and outs of the gods and monsters. In the show, this means that Percy and his friends immediately map out what threats await them and cleverly avoid the same hardships from the book. Sure, you can explain how this makes sense – this is the world Grover has known all his life, Annabeth has been doing monster battles for centuries, and Percy grew up with his mother telling him Greek myths as bedtime stories – but what is it? pleasure? in having characters that are one step ahead of everything? There’s not as much tension, not as much sense of discovery. It also cuts down on a lot of the action, and it feels like the characters are telling us what’s going on rather than experiencing it themselves.

Photo: David Bukach/Disney

Instead, you get the strange feeling that the showrunners are moving forward quickly, trying to get as much of the story out of the way as possible so they can fully prepare for the next book. I understand; fans of the book series (like me) know the plot beats of The lightning thief. They already have the 2010 movie, for whatever that’s worth. They want the next thing, want to see their favorite characters and plot points, want to see the entire series on screen instead of the opening part over and over again. But the first season feels like an echo of the story, as if it’s banking so much on the audience agreeing to a SparkNotes summary, when this should be the methodical basis for future seasons.

The most frustrating part of Percy Jackson and the OlympiansHowever, it’s the glittering moments where it does work, because it shows that the showrunners do have an idea of ​​what a television adaptation needs. Since it was narrated directly by Percy, the book series didn’t really concern itself with any deeper backstory moments for the other characters. But a television adaptation can. For example, the conversation between Ares (Adam Copeland) and Grover in the restaurant was actually a great way to showcase Grover’s knowledge of how the gods work. Yes, he is figuring something out, but there was a clear method and escalation behind it, rather than him making an immediate threat. (Not to mention, it just gave another interaction with Copeland’s quite wonderful Ares.) The best example, though, is the tender, poignant moment between Sally (Virginia Kull) and Poseidon (Toby Stephens) at the end of episode 7.

Image: Disney

The entire episode featured many flashbacks to Sally’s struggles as a single parent to a troubled child who happened to be the son of a god, and it culminated in probably the best scene in the show. That whole flashback helped shed some light on this complex world of gods and monsters, expanded Sally’s character and her relationship with both Percy and Poseidon, and also gave Poseidon some wonderfully human fear. The final scene was beautifully bittersweet and an achingly seductive example of how the showrunners used this distinct medium to do what the original source material couldn’t.

Ultimately, that’s the most annoying thing about this adaptation: it has nuggets of a great show in it Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Everything about Sally Jackson is so thoughtfully done and really helps shape the world. Scobell, Jeffries and Simhadri have an easy and engaging on-screen chemistry and great command of their characters, and their added interactions really help to strengthen their bond. Copeland performs as Ares, walking the line between goofy and menacing with finesse. Hopefully, now that the first book is out of the way, the showrunners can thoughtfully dive into the next season’s great moments, delving into what works instead of just trying to speed up their search.

All episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians are now available on Disney Plus. Here’s everything we know about season 2.