By Danielle Cherry
Percy Jackson isn’t like other boys; he is a demigod born of a mortal mother and the Greek god Poseidon. For Percy, life is no longer academics and school games; now it’s fighting monsters. In the second season of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” Percy struggles as he welcomes a new brother and tries to fight for the camp he has come to call home.
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” season one was a hit with book fans, staying true to Percy’s iconic sass and the story’s original plot by Rick Riordan. I was pleased to see my favorite characters come to life.
As the story continues, iconic characters like Clarrissa and Grover take more of a center stage with Percy (Walker Scobell). Throughout the second season, viewers follow three different plots, all converging on one central problem – the safety of Camp Half-Blood.
Splitting up the plots was an interesting choice, almost creating different POV’s for the viewer. I like different perspectives, but if one drags, it is hard to power through. Despite two of them following side characters, the writing was clean and unified, weaving each plot together into the central one, like a neat spiderweb that Anabeth would grimace at.
As the world expands, Percy encounters a plethora of new monsters, deities and magical creatures. The animation necessary to create each monster is incredibly detailed and smooth for a turnaround time of two years.
One of such monsters is a Cyclops named Tyson (Daniel Diemer), who is taken in by Percy’s mom at the beginning of the summer. Tyson is overjoyed to be a part of a family, but Percy is none too pleased, being annoyed that he has to watch out for Tyson at school.
The pair’s dynamic is fun to watch, as for the first time, Percy is the smartest one in the room, much to Anabeth’s dismay. Tyson’s blundering nature brings out a snappy version of Percy, setting him on edge as the summer begins.
Perils from the previous summer haunt Percy’s mind, leading him to believe there is trouble at camp – and his instinct is right. As Anabeth, Tyson and Percy reach camp, they find Thalia’s tree injured, damaging the magical barrier that protects the camp.
Damage to the tree reveals Anabeth’s history with Thalia and her connection with Luke Castallean, now turned rebel – serving Kronos. Anabeth (Leah Jeffries) grapples with the reality that her old friends are not who they say they are, making it hard for her to trust the new ones she has found in Percy and Grover.
Percy and Anabeth’s friendship is incredibly complex, as book fans would know. Walker and Leah have such amazing chemistry that translates beautifully into the characters’ on-screen relationship. Small glances and meaningful words make these character’s dynamic swoon-worthy despite their young age.
I love seeing Walker completely embody Percy. For a young actor, Walker captures Percy’s heart and sarcasm with little effort. Getting a role like this at a young age can make or break an actor’s career. I think it’s safe to say that Walker as Percy is one of the best casting decisions made in book adaptation history.
The one thing hindering the success of this season was the weekly release schedule. This show started in December, before Vol. 2 of Stranger Things came out, and didn’t end until late January. Trying to compete with award-winning TV shows like Stranger Things made the show lose its excitement.
I found myself watching other things in between the wait, making me forget what had happened the previous week. This made watching almost frustrating, as I had to search the depths of my brain to recall what happened earlier in the plot.
It really seems like the show was written for it all to be released at once. There are no callbacks to what has happened previously, making it really hard for weekly watchers to remember important moments.
Despite this, the show is entertaining and clean, staying true to the books. Percy Jackson is one of those characters you can’t help but fall in love with. He is incredibly dynamic, portraying true sacrificial love and peak humor.
Watching these characters always makes me smile. I just wish I could have watched their development all at once rather than once each week. But at least the plot progressed enough each week for me to say this: I’m really glad I’m not a demigod.
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” 8 episode season is currently streaming on Disney+
Danielle Cherry is a sophomore communication major and writer for Cedars A&E and Sports. She is a Missionary Kid from Germany and loves to travel, play volleyball and really regrets not having re-read Percy Jackson this christmas.
Images courtesy of Disney Television Studios
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