In middle school, Percy Jackson and the Olympians (PJO) defined my personality.
To this day, I am still enthralled by Greek mythology; I have reread PJO at least three times, have read multiple Greek myth retellings, and am even considering minoring in Ancient Greek in college. To say PJO has had an impact on who I am now is an understatement.
So, obviously, when the TV show was announced in 2020, I was beyond excited. Now, three years later, the show has finally aired on Disney+.
I will start with my one big complaint before I discuss everything I did love about the show. The show was advertised as an accurate book adaptation, something the PJO franchise has been missing since the horrible movies came out in 2013 and 2017, so I turned it on fully expecting to recognize everything that happened. But the show was definitely not accurate; there were many changes made from the book. Some of the changes were necessary and made me love the series even more such as the more feminist and accurate Medusa scene. But some changes messed with the entire plot; I won’t get specific, but while they did all work in a way, I was sitting on my couch eating my TruFru, confused as to the odd choices being made by the writers and Rick Riordan (the author of PJO, who was heavily involved in every decision).
The show, movies, and books are all vastly different but stem from the same idea. The best way for me to enjoy the show and books (not the movies, never the movies) is to look at them as being from different universes like the multiverse from Marvel. This way, the changes made in the show don’t take away from my experience, and the books stay their own universe where nothing changes.
Now, to move on from complaints and the Jacksonverse, there are many things I adore about the new show.
One reason I loved the show so much was because of the actors. Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Jefferies), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) are the three main characters, and while the actors look nothing like how they are described in the book, they capture the personality of the characters flawlessly. Scobell is definitely a part of the sassy man epidemic going around social media, and it is hilarious to watch and so accurate to how Percy acts. All of the actors also have amazing chemistry, and you can truly believe their characters are really close.
I’m also obsessed with the set designs. My middle school self would have cried to see the amazing Camp Halfblood they created. The cabins were all so intricate and stunning. There are also multiple scenes involving water and beaches, and each scene was so well done; they all looked so natural. The best set, though, was definitely Olympus. In the last episode, we finally get to see the home of the gods, and it was better than I ever pictured while reading the books. Second only to Olympus was the underworld set; it was dark and spooky but still cool enough looking that it made me want to visit.
Another aspect of the show that kept me interested is Greek mythology (obviously a big part of the Jacksonverse). The show did a good job of explaining the myths to the audience by way of Percy, flashbacks, or cool set designs such as the Tunnel of Love set.
The show may be its own version of the Jacksonverse, but there were still enough similarities for me to see the book series that has been a major part of my character-building; I can not wait for a second season and hopefully, many more to start streaming so I can yet again sit on my couch with my dad and TruFru and enjoy the wonder of the gods.
