The highly anticipated series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” recently landed on Disney+, and the demigods have a lot to say about it. The story itself follows a similar format to the book series, with the young protagonist Percy Jackson (played by Walker Scobell) embarking on a quest to discover his “half-blood” roots along with his supernatural companions Grover Underwood (played by Aryan Simhadri) and Annabeth Chase (played by Leah Jeffries).
“I have been a fan of the series for as long as I can remember,” Junior Shravani Babar recalled. “I wanted to experiment with the movies to see how similar it was in comparison to the books. One aspect of the series that I really enjoyed was its accurate portrayal compared to the movies. Percy’s character is so consistent with the books, especially with his witty humor and childlike innocence. I think Walker did a phenomenal job with his interpretation of the character.”
Many Percy Jackson fans from around the world have been particularly fascinated by the adaptation of this series due to its representation. Author and creator Rick Riordan and his team brought with them several casting choices. Jeffries and Simhadri, both actors of color, bring entirely new and fresh perspectives to their roles of Annabeth and Grover, respectively. Their committed performances encompassing authenticity have been praised by several fans.
“The casting choice they made with Leah as Annabeth was definitely interesting to me,” Babar stated. “I feel like this version of Annabeth completely breaks the “dumb blonde” stereotype that she had in the books. Leah’s portrayal of Annabeth comes across as much more bold and assertive.”
While sticking to the key details from the books, Riordan took a few creative liberties with the TV show. There are several subtle differences that longtime fans of the series have picked up on.
The TV show’s interpretation of the Lotus Eaters scene downplays the impact that it had on the characters, according to netizens. In the show, the heroes are fully aware of the consequences of the lotus flowers and are not tempted the slightest bit.
Similarly, the show abstracted several important elements from Percy’s childhood, one being growing up with his deadbeat stepfather. The show briefly touches on Gabe’s character as a dawdler who is financially dependent on Percy’s mother as opposed to the trauma-inducing and abusive person he was in the books. The 2023 TV series also made a few additions to the original story, including Grover’s backstory and the new character Augustus the Satyr.
Overall, the show was very well received by fans, both old and new. As it is still ongoing, it is difficult to tell what direction the show will be headed in. Nevertheless, the excitement of turning on the TV every Tuesday night never fades for viewers.
“As a longtime fan, I am definitely really happy with the way the show turned out,” Babar shared. “I can’t wait to see what they’re going to do with the next two episodes!”
