12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, is coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god, Zeus, accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt; with his friend's help, Percy must restore order to Olympus. Like most kids growing up in the early 2010’s, I was utterly OBSESSED with Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson book series. The idea of having Gods from Greek mythology lurk in the background of the modern world was always such an interesting idea to me, and was made all the more engrossing by its lovable trio of main characters, Percy, Grover, and Annabeth. Although I still hold some nostalgia for 2010’s “The Lightning Thief” movie, it definitely was not the ideal adaptation of the book. Then there’s 2013’s “Sea of Monsters” which is just incredibly rushed and loaded with bad CGI and lazy storytelling. We never did get a third movie in that series and Rick Riordan has publicly stated that he loathes the first two, so naturally, I did not count of there being any reboot, and a good one at that. I am shocked to say that this new Disney+ series brings all the magic, mysticism, adventure, and character development that the two theatrically released movies so sorely lacked. I guess actually having Rick Riordan write the show adaptation of his books was a good idea after all. Who’d a thunk it?!
Season one is essentially “The Lightning Thief” book but instead of being condensed into a mere two hours, we get eight 30-45 minute episodes to allow the story and characters to have proper development and layered arcs. Walker Scobell is instantly likable and relatable as Percy, showing a sense of discovery and wonderment that we never really got with Logan Lerman’s portrayal (no disrespect to him, as he did a fine job with the material he was given). On top of that, the mother/son relationship between Sally played exceptionally by Virginia Kull and Percy is given plenty of emotional complexity and depth as Percy, a demigod, often has to be forced to deal with things that no normal human child would. The first two episodes effectively set the tone, showing Percy’s disdain of Sally’s douchebag boyfriend Gabe, Percy as an outsider in school, and by episode two, a proper introduction to Camp Half Blood, Luke, Chiron, Clarisse, and Dionysus. Percy’s best friend and saytr Grover is played by Aryan Simhadri with a tremendous amount of energy and excellent comedic timing and their friendship feels so much more rich compared to the film version. Leah Jeffries is also outstanding as the stubborn but wise daughter of Athena, Annabeth Chase, and the trio of Percy, Annabeth, and Grover has all of the charm, warmth, and believability that the films simply did not capture.
The quests that the trio embark on have dire stakes and challenges that require Percy to oftentimes exhibit the option of sacrificing himself for the sake of the mission’s success. In terms of the quests themselves, there are more than a few noteworthy of immense praise. The trio’s confrontation with Medusa was fairly suspenseful with a particularly tension filled dialogue sequence between Annabeth and Medusa discussing their respective viewpoints of Athena. The Lotus Casino episode may throw off some viewers who have a previous attachment to the original film’s use of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” and its action based escape sequence, but this version gave a whole new angle as it pertains to an important conversation between Percy, Annabeth, and Hermes. The St. Louis. Gateway arch episode where Percy fights the Chimera was a pretty solid character building episode, nothing special though. What REALLY blew me away here was everything that had to do with Ares, the God of War played with such dangerously pent up charisma by Adam Copeland who has a far more pivotal role than I expected. Being a WWE star, Copeland just exudes that “bad boy” energy in such a perfect way, and the few scenes he does have with the trio, specifically Grover, are major highlights of the entire season.
The episode in which the trio venture to Hades subverted my expectations in the best way possible and heightened the stakes for both this and the following seasons to come. Kronos lurks behind the scenes in ways I won’t give away, but his looming presence throughout season one really made everything going on feel as if it were all the more consequential. In terms of Zeus and Poseidon’s involvement, the show smartly savors their screen presence for the final two episodes. I don’t want to reveal which actors portray the two Greek Gods, but I will say a couple of things. There is a genuinely moving and emotionally powerful dialogue scene between Poseidon and Sally where they discuss Percy’s childhood and those three minutes alone contained some of the best writing in any Disney+ show as of yet. As for Zeus, he has one but very important scene in the final episode, and it’s extremely unfortunate that this particular actor has passed away and we will never get to see him in the role ever again. For those reading this who have read the book or seen the 2010 film, please understand why I won’t go in to the role of Luke, for his part is a massive spoiler.
The visual effects and CGI on the mythical creatures are quite good (for the most part) and the score by Bear McCreary and Sparks & Shadows adds excitement to the swashbuckling adventure. I would say, my only real complaints with the series are some of the transitions from scene to scene relying too heavily on “cut to black screen” and I wish each episode would have maybe 10 more minutes of runtime just to let certain things sit more. Sure, the episodic format did allow for plenty of fleshed out world building, but perhaps there could’ve been a tad more room to breathe in some areas. Nevertheless, these issues are fairly small and can be fixed in the seasons that follow. All in all, I couldn’t be more surprised by just how much I greatly enjoyed this first season of Percy Jackson. It is equally suitable for readers and non readers of the book series, and can be appreciated by audiences of all ages. Overall, with a dynamite cast, rich mythological world building, and deep emotional resonance, the inaugural season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a successful adaptation of Rick Riordan’s “The Lightning Thief” that promises even darker and more thrilling adventures ahead.
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