From Percy wondering if there’s a Greek God of Disappointment who would claim him as his son, to him finally finding real friends who look out for him (book fans would know better), the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series premiere on Disney+ on December 20 was a sight to behold. Longtime fans of Rick Riordan’s books have been waiting for this very moment to unravel, and here are some important scenes from the first two episodes that warmed our hearts.
It’s true that the series is far from perfect yet, at least from what we’ve seen so far. Certain representations may come off as underwhelming to viewers who wanted the words on the pages to come alive as accurately as possible. Included in this list of setbacks was how the titular incident of the first episode, i.e. the “vaporisation” of the pre-algebra teacher (Megan Mullally), was severely toned down, along with the lack of a “bald” Gabe moment or even how the “mighty instrument” wasn’t given a name on the Disney+ show yet.
There were quite a few winning factors too and though not all book fans can always be pleased, certain specific inclusions like that of the “mythomagic cards” went a great way to pulling off a near-perfect adaptation of the books that has without a doubt come a long way from what the movies were like. Here are some of the most eye-catching moments of Percy Jackson and the Olympians series premiere.
Best Moments From Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series Premiere
The Very First Narration
“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood. Being a half-blood is dangerous. It’s scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways… Once you know what you are, they’ll sense it too, and they’ll come for you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…”
The first few minutes of the Percy Jackson Episode 1 are well spent into building up a first-person narration by Percy himself. With words taken right out of the book (with some distortions and contractions here and there), the season premiere pulls up with one of the first highly remembered memories associated with the books – the cautionary warning, handed straight to the audience by the primary protagonist. Going into great details of the “imaginary stuff” he sees, Percy divulges how one of the monsters from his visions comes after him.
This introduction lends us an ear to hear what Percy has to say for himself, feeling like the most unusual kid in the world. As another of the significant highlights of this episode that also keenly focusses on Percy’s relationship with his mother, Sally Jackson (Virginia Kull), an older flashback reveals his discussion with his mom who shares with him the mythological inspirations of his name.
On top of that, Sally even passes down a significant lesson that busts up the binary stereotype orthodoxly setting apart “heroes” from “monsters”: “Not everyone who looks like a hero is a hero, and not everyone who looks like a monster is a monster” – a creative liberty taken by the writers of the show.
Mr D’s Intro
If the main character of these stories is Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) or Peter Johnson, Mr D will probably never know. When the iconic Adrian Pimento actor, Jason Mantzoukas, was picked to play the part of an even more iconic character from the PJO saga – Dionysus, the Greek God of Wine, and also the Camp Director at Camp Half-Blood, the entire fandom erupted with excited anticipation to see him in his classic mischievous action, butting heads with Percy at all given times.
Also read: Also read: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review (Episodes 1-2): Origins of a Beloved Young Hero and Camp Half-Blood in All Their Glory
On being cursed by the greater gods, Mr D is always on the lookouts to trick demigods into getting him a glass of wine, in Percy’s case, this even involves Mr D gaslighting him into thinking that he’s his father. Once Percy is informed about Mr D’s godly identity, he goes on to address the “highness” rightly with respect, but of course, Mr D, being himself, has to ruin the nice moment with his fake ‘dadly’ presence that constantly misnames his own son’s name. However, they both have their ways of “starting with” each other, and the sassy exchange is all we’ve ever wanted and more.
Percy Jackson Burning His Blue Gems for His Mother
Although not scooped out of the books, Percy finds a way to send out a message to his mother, or so he hopes, after her supposed passing away. The premiere doesn’t fully let Percy settle into the aftermath of what appears to be a world without his mother after he first-hand witnesses a minotaur crush his mother, but on hearing that if one offers something they cherish the most in their prayer to the gods, it’s likely to catch their attention, Percy tries his hand at speaking to her from a world beyond.
When lights go out at night, he takes to the woods to reach out to his mother again, much like how she waste always contacted soon after he joined a new school, but this time, he did it to convey positive thoughts instead of mentioning that he was in trouble or that things were bad for him. This very scene comes down to the final moments of Percy Jackson Episode 2, when he outrightly proclaims himself as “Sally Jackson’s son”, not caring who his father may be, because he acknowledges that she was the only one “who cared enough to call herself” his mother, and went on to protect her son at all costs.
While some book readers may see this scene as an unnecessary additional intervention, it goes to great lengths in establishing Percy’s other half, non-god identity. It’s this half that ascribes him with the goodness of what it means to be human, in addition to, of course, spelling out the depths of his bond with his mother as he chooses to sacrifice blue gems (one of his favourite foods) during his prayer as a means to get her to hear him.
“I Become the Supreme Lord of the Bathroom”
In one of the most monumental moments that ultimately lead us to the awaited announcement of who his father is, Percy finds himself cornered in the bathroom when Clarisse (Dior Goodjohn), the daughter of the War God, and more of her companions push Percy to the edge by bullying him. Attempting to shove Percy’s head down the toilet seat, Clarisse and her posse are met with a surprise sneak attack that even Percy didn’t see coming – the attack of the toilet water.
This scene pans out a bit differently between Percy and Annabeth in the books, in contrast to which, the TV series makes it plausible that Annabeth (Leah Jeffries) had been “stalking” Percy to see if something like that would happen. It’s funny to think about how she’d basically been waiting around with her cap of invisibility on, only to amusingly and unabashedly come out of hiding to reveal herself after the infamous bathroom incident.
The Forbidden Child of the Sea God
Percy’s identity becomes a grave, piercing question in the second episode of the series as he remains unclaimed by any of the gods, until he isn’t. Right after Capture the Flag (yet another thrilling sequence that catches Percy doing the floss dance too), Percy and Annabeth get into a spat about how she stayed invisible and behind despite seeing him being violently challenged by Clarisse and her posse. It’s clear to the viewers that the half-blood daughter of the goddess Athena has a better idea of Percy’s role than most others who remain clueless about his identity and purpose.
It’s not until the last few moments when she pushes him into the lake and his pierced wounds and bruises start healing up, that Percy gets an idea of who his father may be. In one of the most honourable moments, even from book standards, the divine Trident’s glorious image hovering on top of Percy’s head is enough to invite goosebumps.
While it’s different from how book-Annabeth approached the idea, it’s still bewilderingly exciting to see Percy being claimed as the son of Poseidon, “Earthshaker, Stormbringer”, and the Sea God, and then being labelled as one of the “forbidden children” of the three big Greek Gods. It marks the beginning of Percy’s journey to self discovery and finding the answers to an endless list of questions about himself and more.
The two-episode Percy Jackson and the Olympians series premiere is streaming on Disney+.