'Percy Jackson And The Olympians' Season 2 Episode 3 Review
Image Source: Fangirlish
After a strong opener, I was a little worried that the third episode of Percy Jackson & The Olympians would lose the series’ momentum. Thankfully, that wasn’t a problem. The first season came out in 2023. Now two years later, viewers are a little older, and the show isn’t afraid to go in a darker direction. As the story expands, the show includes POVs outside of the main trio. Episode 3 starts with Clarisse visiting the oracle, and the atmosphere is very reminiscent of a horror film, with creaking bones and even a decapitation of the Oracle by Clarisse. The oracle quickly restores her head and delivers a doom-and-gloom prophecy that seems like it’s indicating Clarisse’s death.
Although the darker tones are present, there’s still plenty of levity in the episode. When Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson climb aboard the cruise ship, Tyson comments that Percy is dry already, referencing his Poseidon powers. In another moment that matches the spirit but not the letter of the book, Ares brings Clarisse an army of the dead, composed of those who lost in battle. These include what you’d expect, everything from ancient Greek warriors to French generals. Mitch from Blockbuster deserves a special mention for being defeated in the streaming wars.
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Image Source: Disney+
Back on board the cruise ship, Tyson sniffs out the presence of monsters. They soon encounter Allison Simms, who captured Grover in the first episode of the season. Annabeth almost falls into her trap until Percy remembers her from Grover’s nightmare. This begins a fight with Percy and Annabeth stumbling through a sword fight with her. The fight looked a little awkward, but that may have been an intentional choice since a ship deck is not the sturdiest ground. By far, the most annoying point of this fight is that Percy was right next to the open sea and, despite being the most inexperienced warrior out of the three, never once thought to call on his power. In fact, throughout the whole episode, he seems to forget his power.
This episode also delivers a sympathetic glimpse into Luke’s philosophy. Luke is being manipulated by Kronos, but it’s one of those situations where the villain has a point. The gods are regularly pitting their kids against each other and are generally unhelpful, with the exceptions of Hermes and Ares so far this season. Luke used Tyson’s situation as a means to manipulate Percy. He was firm in correcting Allison’s use of the term pet and had Tyson work with the Lastrygonians. Tyson displays intellect and heroism by building a bomb right under their noses and taking off with Percy and Annabeth, cementing his role as their quest’s protector. The tension between Percy and Annabeth is resolved when she finally tells him about the Great Prophecy. The gist is that a child of the Big 3, that is, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon, will make a choice that will either save the age of the gods or destroy it. It seems like Chiron and Luke both think Percy is the one mentioned in the prophecy and that he might destroy Olympus. Annabeth refused to disclose what she thinks, which indicates she may think the same. Grover was absent from this episode, but given Clarisse’s quest, the choice made sense to dedicate time to her point of view. Grover’s actor, Aryan Simhadri, mentioned on his podcast that despite not being in the episode, he was there being trained on the camera crew, so he was still a major part of it.
Image Source: Fangirlish
Overall, the episode was a strong one. Although not as strong as the premiere, it managed to keep the momentum going and explore the complexities of multiple characters rather than focusing on the main trio. It didn’t shy away from darker themes but managed to maintain the heart and humor of the books for a solid 39 minutes of television. If the trend continues, season 2 is shaping up to be great television. After delivering three great episodes, it’s difficult to believe that the momentum can continue. However, it seems like Rick Riordan’s involvement is keeping the series on track. So far, every episode has me anticipating the next, but not in the annoying cliffhanger way. Each episode has managed to stand on its own while following the continuity of the season without relying on the old trope of ending on a whammy of a cliffhanger to artificially hype audiences for the next plot point. This makes the week wait between episodes feel like less time without losing the hype when they hit Disney+.
Rating: 8/10
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Source(s): Disney Plus
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