Percy Jackson And The Olympians Season 2 Proves It's Disney's Next Big Thing
Disney+’s fantasy series truly has the juice.
There’s nothing more disheartening than realizing the people adapting your favorite book series simply don’t plan to adapt it faithfully. For me, that was A Series of Unfortunate Events. I inhaled Lemony Snicket’s books as a kid, and thought the 2004 film would have the potential to adapt all the still-releasing books: it had a cast boasting names like Meryl Streep, Jim Carrey, and Jude Law, but proved to be a one-off film that amalgamated the first three books. It wasn’t until Netflix’s 2017 series that the books got the adaptation it deserved, spanning each and every adventure.
It appears that Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books are following a similar pattern. The Greek myth-inspired series sparked two movies in 2010 and 2013, but weren’t able to cover all the books. But with its second season, Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians has proven it’s here for the long haul, and it won’t fall for the same traps as other ill-fated adaptations.
Daniel Diemer plays well-meaning cyclops Tyson, and his single eye isn’t nearly as unnerving as you think over time.
From the get-go, Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 shakes up the status quo with a brand-new main character: Tyson, Percy’s cyclops half-brother, played by Daniel Diemer. Cyclops are notoriously difficult to pull off in live action — a single eyebrow can set off an uncanny valley feeling very quickly, but Diemer’s affable himbo energy makes it something you quickly get used to. Percy (Walter Scobell) and Tyson make their way back to Camp Half-Blood, where the very home they look forward to every summer is in danger after an attack from giants.
Camp Half-Blood is now being run by the menacing Tantalus (Timothy Simons), who brings back the old tradition of a classic Ben-Hur-esque chariot race that sends Clarisse (Dior Goodjohn) on a quest she’s not fit to take. It’s up to Percy, Tyson, and Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) to venture into the Sea of Monsters and save not only Camp Half-Blood, but their satyr protector, Grover (Aryan Simhadri).
Just like with Season 1, the names of the episodes are recycled chapter titles from the books: “I Play Dodgeball With Cannibals,” “Clarisse Blows Everything Up,” etc. Chapter books have always lent themselves more to TV than movies, and the longer form means each step of this quest can be faithfully adapted and then some.
There’s even room for some great added jokes, like using Mariah Carey’s “Emotions” to scare off mythical birds repelled by high-pitched noises, or Clarisse’s army full of undead battle losers, including a Blockbuster employee who lost “the streaming wars.” These were present in Season 1 as well, but there’s much more freedom for experimentation in Season 2: now, there’s proof this strategy works.
An epic chariot race catapults Ares’ daughter Clarisse into the spotlight.
It’s this extra effort that sets Percy Jackson and the Olympians apart from other adaptations. This show has the space — and the budget — to not only adapt all of the key moments from the book, but also achieve things that could only be done on television. There’s no need to abridge or consolidate the action of the book. Each chapter is an episode, and all the essential chapters are here.
This is the secret to a good adaptation: not trying to force a story into a TV format, but allowing a TV format to flesh out the existing story. It sounds easy, but it’s surprisingly difficult to actually make work — probably the most well-known recent example is The Last of Us Season 1.
In just the four of the eight episodes of Season 2 provided for review, it becomes clear that Percy Jackson and the Olympians has maintained a sense of consistency from Season 1. The child actors may appear older, but it’s not the egregious suspension of disbelief seen in Stranger Things. The guest stars are especially compelling: Lin-Manuel Miranda is back as Hermes, Kristen Schaal pops up in the first episode, and the late Lance Reddick is replaced as Zeus by Courtney B. Vance.
Thankfully, Disney is following through with the high hopes established in this season. Production for Season 3 is already underway, which will adapt the third book, The Titan’s Curse. There are seven Percy Jackson books, but that’s only scratching the surface of the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles. If this season is any indication, we could see this franchise cover all of Riordan’s books.
But even if Season 3 is the final season, Percy Jackson and the Olympians will make its mark on history. There’s no rush to get to the end of the story, but every episode wraps up with a finality that makes for a truly satisfying viewing experience.
