By Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
After two years away, Percy Jackson and friends are back for another quest on Disney+.
Following the second novel in the series, Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters, this time Percy (Walker Scobell) and Annabeth (Leah Sava’ Jeffries) partially commandeer a quest led by Clarisse (Dior Goodjohn), a daughter of Ares, to rescue Grover (Aryan Simhadri) and collect the fabled Golden Fleece to save Camp Half-Blood by venturing into the infamous Sea of Monsters.
With a two-year hiatus (something that, thankfully, is not about to be repeated), there is an obvious difference between the two seasons as Walker Scobell has grown about a foot since season one premiered, but I got over that pretty quickly. The performance and the character are all I saw eventually. With Grover trapped, we really get to focus on developing the relationship between Percy and Annabeth, and it was one of the strongest points of the season for me. Nothing feels rushed in the development of the relationship, but there are moments where the audience gets to see how deep their bond is growing. It also helps that Annabeth gets some of the best character moments, too. Though the third side of our triangle is a bit apart from the other two, the connection between Percy and Grover is still able to grow across the course of the season so he doesn’t feel totally left out through the power of dreams.
As for the newcomers, I found myself drawn more to Tyson (Daniel Diemer), Percy’s cyclops half-brother. There’s some good work being done on prejudices, but also his hearing and mockery powers allow for some fun moments throughout the season. Clarisse has her moments, specifically once her character is allowed to develop some depth. Learning how to lead and making connections with people for someone who comes across as so closed off is an interesting arc for the character.
Though Virginia Kull doesn’t make many appearances, she still manages to be a scene-stealer as Percy’s mother. However, the bulk of the narrative really is dependent on the young actors this season. Especially Luke (Charlie Bushnell) stepping into the role of the main antagonist for this season.
This book series isn’t one I often revisit, which I think puts me in the perfect position: I know the rough outline of the story being told, but I’m not hung up on the minute details. With season one largely introducing Percy to the world of the Olympians, I think this plot flows a bit smoother as the quest our heroes are tasked with feels a little less expansive and quite as chock full of mythical references. The Sea of Monsters plot, including the challenge of Polyphemus, feels a little more streamlined over the course of this quest for the Golden Fleece. And, honestly, it provides a nice little aperitif to The Odyssey coming out later this year. I enjoyed every reference and monster we get to experience from lore, and their various portrayals come across on the screen solidly. This helped make season two work even better for me than the first season did. It felt like the settings for the season worked better with the special effects for the season, too. Though at some points there is the noticeable green screen moments that have been more and more pervasive these days. Fortunately, it didn’t drag me out of proceedings too often and the action is solid enough for the story being told. Most importantly, this season got the finale’s battle mostly right.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians remains a highly entertaining mix of two of my favorite genres —coming of age and fantasy. While it’s not a show that’s going to blow your socks off, it never fails to be entertaining, and that’s not nothing.
Rating: Liked It
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is currently available to stream on Disney+.
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