[Note: This review will discuss elements of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1 that were revealed in promotional material, such as trailers. If you’re someone who enjoys going into recent TV shows knowing as little as possible, you may want to skip reading this review.]
I don’t hold a nostalgic view of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.
When I was a kid, I was more interested in standalone stories and other series to pick up Percy Jackson too much. Ironic given my Greek heritage and love for Greek mythology since I was around 8 years old, but I digress. However, I did read the first two books in the series, which I recall being very well-written adventures that weaved the stories of my cultural background into the modern day. It was cool to see the stories I was invested in get remixed into the present era, especially when an engaging cast of characters were making it all come to life. Now, over a decade later, I can’t recall why I stopped reading the books. But I do know that, when a series was announced for Disney+, I knew it would be the perfect time to jump back into my Greek mythology interests from childhood.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians follows its titular character, who learns that he is a demigod, a forbidden child conceived between a Greek god and a human. He is the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea, and is given a plethora of information in a short amount of time regarding his new status in life. After mythical creatures only those connected to the Gods can see begin hunting him down, Percy is sent to Camp Half-Blood, a camp that protects demigods from being hunted by said monsters. It’s not long before he and two allies, Grover—a satyr—and Annabeth—daughter of Athena—are thrust into a quest to retrieve and return Zeus’ Master Bolt before war between the Gods can break out. However, this quest is made all the more difficult by a secondary influence Percy has, as well as the Gods thinking he was the one who stole the Bolt. So begins Season 1 of the show, corresponding to the first book in the series.
Since the first season is based on the first book, The Lightning Thief, it needed to do a good job at offering a strong foundation for what could possibly be a show with 5-7 seasons. And, given the simplicity of the overall worldbuilding thanks to much of the structure already existing, everything is able to be laid out rather well. It’s understandable why monsters are hunting for Percy, what the overarching plot of the season is, and how these threads tie into the larger story being told. While having a familiarity with Greek myths would benefit the viewer, the series does a good job at explaining their overall role in the story without making the mythology confusing. If anything, these moments feel educational, able to teach the younger audience this is aimed toward facts about Greek culture they may not fully know. Adding this into a modern setting helps to differentiate it from the typical myths and legends, putting a new spin on things that can be used as applied knowledge for those paying close attention.
This is compounded by a plethora of great performances throughout the series. Given the number of guest stars throughout Percy’s sprawling adventure, it’s hard to single out everyone who did an impressive job in the series. Walker Scobell was a perfect casting choice for Percy, offering a sense of dry humor mixed with serious bravery that made him a compelling lead. Tuning in each week to see him bring Percy to life was impressive, and one of the biggest highlights of the show’s group dynamic. Another impressive member of the team was Aryan Simhadri, whose performance as Grover was a perfect representation of a comic relief character with a deeper purpose to them besides being funny. His story seemed like it was building to something bigger in the long run, but it was still engaging to see those building blocks stacking. Though I have to admit, the one who stole the show the most was Adam Copeland as Ares. His performance was fun throughout, clearly showing how good a time he was having bringing the God of war to life, while also emphasizing the way in which the Gods behave. Given his prevalence throughout the show, his dynamic with Percy’s group make for some of the most interesting scenes of the entire show.
I also found many of the story beats to be creative, however they were also where I had a few critiques regarding the series’ presentation. First off, the many mythological creatures being used throughout the show were impressive. While there are some familiar names those with a rudimentary knowledge of Greek Gods will notice, others were deeper cuts that I appreciated seeing in the story. Some of these included monsters that became core threats to the group, giving a spotlight to some of the lesser known aspects of Greek mythology. Through these elements, the story was able to differentiate itself from what a typical Greek-inspired story might look like. This was aided by character moments that helped further the quest along, adding a dash of creativity to the way in which the main trio of Percy, Grover, and Annabeth approached their quest.
However, there were some slight pacing issues throughout the series, getting most notable during the first two and last two episodes of the season. A lot of story beats throughout the show felt like they weren’t strung together properly. As if the story knew it wanted to go from Point A to Point B, but wasn’t quite sure how to get there. This was most noticeable when Percy first learns of his quest to retrieve the Master Bolt, an exposition dump and quick-had conversations over the span of 2 minutes to convince him it’s worth going. It didn’t feel natural, instead pushing the story along without giving anything a chance to breathe. While this wasn’t the case with the episodes in the middle, the start and end of the story felt oddly rushed, when those two are the parts that mostly should not feel that way. Although this may be a byproduct of the show skewing more toward fans of the books, who already know what to expect from the quest.
Besides some pacing issues, though, the series ended up being an entertaining adventure. While I wasn’t always at the edge of my seat to learn what would happen in the next episode, it was a fun series that renewed my appreciation for Greek mythology—as well as the creativity of stories aimed at younger audiences. It also made me curious to check out the books again, which is something I may decide to do in the future since the series likely won’t be coming back for some time. But given just how much the series was hyped throughout its run, it seems like news of its return will happen sooner rather than later. Especially so the young actors don’t age out of their roles before getting to the next part of the story.
Overall, Percy Jackson and the Olympians was a fun series with interesting characters, cool group dynamics between its main trio, and a generally well done adventure that I enjoyed. I’m interested to see where it goes from here and what other cool Greek mythological beings will show up in the future. It’s also made me realize that I want to get into the series more thoroughly, and it feels like there’s no time like the present to do so! This show was one of the better originals to come out of Disney+, and in spite of some pacing issues and threads that seemed meant more for readers than new viewers, the series was well done.
Looking forward to seeing how they adapt Sea of Monsters, hopefully with an announcement soon.
***
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