Alyssa Fox

Percy Jackson and The Olympians was released on Disney+ and Hulu on Dec. 19. The show starred 15-year-old Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson and produced by the book series’ author, Rick Riordan.

It’s no secret that Hollywood’s take on Rick Riordan’s hit YA fantasy series “Percy Jackson & The Olympians” hasn’t been the most pleasant experience. The two-part movie series that came out in 2010 and 2013 starring 2010s heart-throb Logan Lerman was everything but accurate with the books, earning the disapproval from Riordan himself. So, when Disney came out with news that they were doing their own take on the book series, a more accurate one per say, the expectations were set high for the fifthgrade girl inside of me that read every book in less than a month. 

The idea started out with a bang when the casting list revealed 14-year-old Walker Scobell was cast to play 12-year-old Percy, and Riordan was set to be a producer of the show. The anticipation kept building from there until the show was released on Dec. 19. 

The first episode begins just as the books, with Percy struggling from school to school with bullies and his learning disabilities. Then, with some help from his beloved mother, the show jumps right to it and reveals Percy is a Demi-God and his father is actually the Greek God of the ocean, Poisiden. Oh, and his best friend Grover is half goat and a satyr sent to protect Percy.

One thing I liked about the show right off the bat was not only the accuracy, but also the pace. No shimmer and shine, just straight to the point of the plot. The ‘big secret’ is revealed by Sally Jackson, Percy’s mother, at the end of the first episode, which immediately gravitates you towards watching the second episode.

In the second and third episode, we see Percy’s life completely unravel as he loses his mom to the ‘Underworld’ with Hades, and he is thrown into Camp Half-Blood, a place where he is protected along with many other Demi-God children. There he meets Annabeth, daughter of Athena and Luke, son of Hermes. He faces issues of fitting in, once again, until he discovers and is claimed by the power of his father during an event of ‘Capture the Flag’. Then, it is revealed that Percy has been called upon to go on a quest to find Zeus’ lightning bolt as his father has been accused of the one stealing it, however he was falsely accused. If Percy doesn’t return the bolt by the summer solstice, war will break out among the innocent people. 

With the help of his chosen companions, Annabeth and Grover, Percy embarks on a troubling quest throughout the rest of the series. 

Now, I won’t spoil what happens the rest of the way in Percy’s journey, because I did enjoy the show and I believe you should watch it instead of reading about what happened. But, let’s just say he meets some friends and foes along the way, such as the stone-cold Medusa and his cousin Ares, as well as Luke’s father Hermes who is played by everyone’s favorite founding father, Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

Overall, the show does a really good job of telling you the story as Rick Riordan intended for it to be told, but I do believe  it was rushed at times. It felt as if there was obviously too much for an eight episode series, and the writers did not necessarily know how to pace it all. So the show probably would have benefited from being a 10 episode series rather than eight, but that’s not much of a complaint as much as a suggestion. 

My only minor complaint against “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is you could tell, at times, the acting was immature. It wasn’t always perfect, but I feel as though that is appropriate for a show that is supposed to be about middle schoolers rather than fully grown adults portraying teenagers in high school. Walker Scobell did a job well done portraying Percy, and he has captured the hearts of many teenage girls on the internet as well. Leah Jefferies, who played Annabeth, poured much emotion into her character and the on-screen chemistry with Scobell paid off. Besides the couple of dull moments, the acting and storytelling overall was really well done. 

Overall, I give “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” 7.5 out of 10 stars. It was a little rushed, and the acting fell short a few times, but overall did justice to Riordan’s books. The show has already been renewed for a second season, which obviously means I recommend you should immediately watch the show, then read all the books in the series (maybe again if you already have) and then immediately start counting down the days for season two. Hopefully, a season that will deliver just as much as the first.