Percy Jackson ~ Lost in Adaptation Episode 4
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- Опубліковано 9 січ 2024
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney Plus seems to have it out for one particular character from The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.
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It’s important to remember that Athena’s pride is a big deal. Remember, she was one of the three goddesses who fought for the golden apple and the title of “most beautiful”, kickstarting the Trojan War.
She got so miffed about what the other goddesses said about how she looked playing the flute that she threw it from Mount Olympus and cursed the next person who picked it up and used it, which came about in mysterious ways. Also, Annabeth is wrong. Sometimes Athena just isn’t there for you. In Book 6 of the Iliad, the Trajan women sacrifice and pray for her protection, but she’s taken a side, and that’s it.
And remember how she lost her shyte with Arachne. Her temper does occasionally get the better of her in mythology.
wasn't it most fair goddess?
@@arianweneverett3910 she is Zeus's daughter at the end of the day
@@dustyrose192 ‘fair’ in this context is a synonym with ‘beautiful’
Athena being willing to sacrifice her children and the stability of the world for her ego is honestly fairly on-brand for Riordans Athena, especially the second series. She started the Greco-Roman war, which killed at minimum dozens of her own children, thousands of demigods, and millions of mortals because she got a demotion, and even Annabeth realizes that her moms ego goes too far. Athena is nice to the protagonists, but she’s not nice.
There’s something I once heard that I think fits perfectly with Athena and your comment. “Southerners are nice but not kind. Northerners are kind but not nice.” Riordan’s Athena is nice- not kind. She’ll give you a pat on the head and tell you “good job”, but will go right back to putting you on a deadly quest that multiple of her children have died doing.
Along these lines, that's not even against Athena's myths. Of course, there are variations all over the place, but between the Medusa one, some tellings of Arachne, her part in the Golden Apple Debacle, and a few others, while Athena is generally smarter than many of the Gods she's not without her own hubris.
Her ego and perfectionism being part of it. The telling of Arachne that came to mind when I was thinking about it doesn't even have Arachne doing the whole idiot "I'm better than the gods!" routine, but just genuinely being so good it THREATENED Athena.
Yeah, when I was watching the episode, at first I thought "Would Athena really do that?" Then I remembered her sending Annabeth to the Athena Parthenos
In fact for being the godess of wisdom she acts very petty and irrational in the myths
But in the books that was because Athena, like a lot of the gods, was having split personality issues between her greek and roman side and Minerva is just crazier
Personally, I like the change that Poseidon helps Percy without Percy asking for it. Poseidon is an absent father and Percy is resentful about it. Poseidon needed to be the one to step up and prove that he cared without being asked.
True.
Percy just lost his mother.
His father didn't even claim him at first.
And now he goes on a stupid quest because his father and uncle fight (and to attempt to get Sally back, of course.)
Then there is also the fact that Percy jumped in the book from the Arch asking his father for help, because he trusted Poseidon to help (or was just a little bit suicidal).
But here Percy fell.
Directly on Concrete, how would his father even help.
It makes sense that he wouldn't pray to Poseidon.
And everything considered this was a way for Poseidon to proof that he does care about Percy. (I can only imagine that he sneaks away from his godly wife and son, to try to help his halfblood son in secret 😂...)
@@jackwriter1908 The reason why Percy fell on concrete might because unlike in the book, the Gateway Arch doesn't extend over the river in real life. So, they couldn't really do that.
@@vicenzostella1390 I am aware.
And because of that they adapted.
Why would have Percy jumped of the Arch and praying to his father while falling on to concrete. He wouldn't.
Oh I actually love that Percy doesn't ask for his father's help. The show clearly centers around the theme of parenting, and imo it is why this change was made. If Percy asked for help, it'd felt like he was the one in the wrong by being resentful, not like Poseidon deserves this little kid's anger. He has to earn his forgiveness, no matter if leaving was by own choice, Percy still grew up without him. I'm really glad we shifted the responsibility over to Poseidon and his wants to do good by his son, rather than giving the feeling that he was waiting for respect from his son when he never did anythig to deserve it.
I agree, in this version, Poseidon doesn't save Percy because Percy swallowed his pride and asked for help (Which to be fair IS still an important lesson) but because he's his father and he loves him and WANTED to help. I think it's a bigger deal that Poseidon saved Percy without being called, it's a stronger proof of his affection.
Oh, that's a great point
As someone who has a neglectful father I agree - the burden of mending that relationship is on the parent not the kid. I haven’t read the books but I am enjoying the series
Thank fuck I’m not alone with this opinion!😅
I totally agree. I was actually searching for this kind of comment just so I don't repeat again something someone else has already said.
Poisoned Percy shutting the door on Grover and Annabeth, about to fight the chimera on his own was to me a standout moment of brilliant acting by Walker Scobell.
And completely on-character for Percy to do: sacrificing himself so others may live. That's the purest form of love, be it platonic or romantic.
@@vicenzostella1390 That definitely felt like Percy Jackson to me. The futher this series, the more I'm losing Walker and getting Percy.
Tbf Athena is the same Goddess who turned a woman into the first spider because she was slightly better than her at weaving and along with Hera made sure Troy would crash and burn and Paris die because he didn't pick her in a petty beauty contest.
Well no that first one was Minerva. The Greek version of that myth is poorly known, but given Ovid's track record with his other work she's probably much harsher there than in the Greek version
@@eliburry-schnepp6012 _The more __-you-__ I Know_
I mean…book Athena is really a massive prick and is kinda nasty to her kids.
We really do see that in the sequels where it turns out she has sent hundreds is not thousands of her kids to their death in Rome to find her old statue, the Athena Parthenos. And during that quest Annabeth mentions that the first thing all Athena kids learn is “never say someone is better than mom”
In that series we also meet Minerva, her Roman aspect…and well bitch of a mother barely describes her. She barely seems aware Annabeth is even there and is more concerned about revenge over the romans than anything else, telling Annabeth that “no daughter of mine would make peace with then”
So yeah her letting Echidna into her temple because she felt slighted by Percy’s little trick? Totally in character for her
But this isn't a sequel! This is the 1st! book 🙈😬
@@pavlabrisudova4251 Adaptations of series very often incorporate elements that the author often hadn't yet thought off/completely figured out during early bits but get expanded by later parts of the story. And it is one of the most understandable changes in adaptation.
@@pavlabrisudova4251This is the setup. They are putting things in from the sequels that will make it make more sense than having an explanation dump. If you know the Harry Potter movies you saw how they had to play catch up to the books in the later movies because they left out key and important parts. Like Donny and Sirius deaths aren’t as impactful in the movies as they are in the books. Because they left so much of that bond out.
@@pavlabrisudova4251 and as rick says, there are things that he wishes he can go back and change that he will change in the tv adaptation. How Athena is portrayed by him changed over the years so he probably wanted to go set up how she is from the get go.
SPOILERS FOR HEROES OF OLYMPUS
Minerva turning the invisibility cap into a regular Yankees cap was low even for her
I mean regarding Athena, this definitely lines up closer to how Riordan end up writing her in later books. Especially in Heroes of Olympus
Part of the story is that most of the gods are hateful and spiteful and Athena is up there as one of the most spiteful.
The problem is that it's too early Percy hasn't done enough to p*** her off yet. He and Annabeth aren't dating yet are barely friends for that matter and mythologically speaking she shouldn't be upset about the head because gifting Medusa's head to Athena is what the mythological Perseus did to get her favor. Athena in the books is shown as not caring about anyone till they get her attention and being a nightmare once you do and it doesn't feel like Percy has done enough yet to have her attention.
Paired with the Medusa from the last episode being implied to be the Ovid-version, I get the feeling that Riordan doesn't accept the interpretations that say that Athena didn't have a choice in punishing Medusa/transformed her so that she could protect herself.
And she's no saint in the first books, either. I mean, she is one of the gods to vote for Percy's (and Thalia's) death in The Titan's Curse, already establishing her as someone not entirely on their side.
As a Greek person, my childhood was filled with the myths this show is based on, but also with the concepts and ideals they are meant to represent.
With that in mind, reading the books for the first time, while i loved them, their take on the gods seemed very naive to me, even as a thirteen year old. The gods really were major assholes, as they represented the graces but also the faults of the society that conceived them, which in itself was problematic in many aspects. The ancient greeks were brilliant, but they could also be proud, stuck up, brutal, slavers etc....
From reading Rick Riordan's later work, it feels like he has also realised this and evolved his take on the mythos.
So I kinda love the changes the show has chosen to make. To me personally, they feel like a more grown up and thoughtful version of the story i loved as a teen, that stay true to the soul of the source material.
In all fairness to the books... they had to be kept safely marketable.
@@thedorkone1516 that's absolutely true...still, reading how poseidon is a cool, chill, Hawaiian tshirt wearing dad, felt so out of place when in the original mythology he is basically a tantrum throwing frat boy
One of the issues I had was why have dionysus in the camp at all? Why not have him be in Las Vegas and help rescue the kids from the lotus eaters and for a camp counselor why not have it be hestia ? She would make far more sence to have in a eternal summer camp than dionysus
@@jennybrown7834 it's kinda the point. He's meant to be a terrible summer camp counselor. He's there as a punishment after all.
@BroKenYaKnow he just kinda just seamed to be there for rick riordan to hammer in a drugs and alcohol are not cool kids moral which is fine this is a kids book series when it first started out afterall but there are less hamfisted ways to get this message across plus it seems like messing with dionysus just to install a moral for the kids reading is made redundant by having them enter the lotus eater casino later which serves as arguably a better example for the dangers of drugs alcohol sex and gambling
Apparently according to Walker himself. They used almost zero makeup on him when he gets stung, he’s that pale. I can relate. 😂😂😂
literally burst out laughing when i said "wow they got the palest foundation shade on him" and my friend said "no he just looks like that" 😭😭😭
Also, people typically show up paler on camera. It's usually why you gotta put on makeup when acting.
@@aidanmills6136no 1 reason is to stop people looking shiny on camera. You’ve got to make the skin matte
I mean, it's not like Athena's ever been the best parent in the books either. The number of times this woman drags her feet on accepting Percy and Annabeth's relationship until Chalice of the Gods is.... exactly the kind of petty you'd expect from the Greek gods but less so Athena.
Arachne: "AHEM!"
The whole Arachne thing makes me feel like it's something she would do
@@Nzosaba_Matenge Ovid!Athena, maybe. Other versions of the Arachne myth, less so. And even Ovid!Athena probably wouldn't try to off her own daughter, especially in the middle of a world-changing quest.
(I mean, classical Athena was as much of a virgin as Artemis or Hestia, so Ovid!Athena probably couldn't _have_ a daughter. But you know what I mean.)
Arachne super definitely haf it coming though
@@lassesgamekanaal Dunno about that. She was deeply stupid but it's a bit much to punish stupidity with transformation into an invertebrate.
4:55, I mean, this change is made because of the approach of parenthood the show is making (arguably more in line with later books), meaning that Percy should NOT need to ask his parent for her. which puts it in contrast with Athena immediatly punishing Annabeth for the slightest transgression.
They're really setting up the eventual split between Athena/Minerva and Annabeth in the later books.
I actually think that Athena's portrayal of her BIG ego clouding her wisdom is more accurate in the series (esp if you consider what she did to Medusa and Arachne) and this would also make more sense later when Annabeth said she would fight by Percy's side if a war happens and not her mother. (in the book it did not make much sense, as she was always going 'Athena Athena').
Also, I liked that Percy did not call to his dad here as it fully showcases how less Percy expects of his dad. And also shows that even though Poseidon is a distant dad and not allowed to be all chummy with their kids, he does have affection for Percy. I just think these changes give more understanding to all three characters here
I'm a huge fan of the books and I prefer every change they made here. It feels like Riordan is rewriting it to make everything fit better from the later books. Athena's behaviour, Poseidon saving Percy without him asking (from Percy's pov Poseidon's never done anything for him, why would he ask for his help?)
It's my favorite episode so far.
What's even better is how Percy is constantly telling us how much he doesn’t expect his father's help. So it's a wonderful surprise when his father dose help him.
Didn’t Athena victim-blame Medusa so hard for being raped by Poseidon that she can never maintain eye contact with another living being? AND turn Arachnae into a spider for weaving a NSFW tapestry about her dad & uncle? Letting Echidna & her pet murder one of (possibly) dozens of halfblood kids because her new friend told Mount Olympus to stick it isn’t entirely out of character for her.
Actually, in th books th relationship btw poseidon n medusa was consensual, w/ her being honored to have attracted th attentions of a man like him. She was a priestess of athena who took a vow of chastity to th goddess, but then deliberately decided to have sex w/ poseidon on her altar, soo.. she practically asked for it. As for arachne, athena transformed her into a spider cause she felt guilty that she had committed suicide due to th humiliation of being beaten by th goddess in front of a crowd, who were laughing at th situation
^Yeah but I think Riordan himself mentioned the changes were deliberate for her to be a SA victim. And the last one yeah I can see them changing that cause with the awareness of mental health issues and suicide it really is awful representation.
@@islasullivan3463 Even on th show th relationship was consensual. In th ep she said she felt loved by th god, but then came to hate him cause he did nothing to save her frm athena's curse. This is why she's so empathetic towards percy n his mom, cause sally was also loved by th god but he wasn't there to help her in her time of need, n now she's a prisoner in th underworld
Depends on the version of the myth. I'd suggest popping over to Overly Sarcastic Productions for a more detailed breakdown of the whole thing, but there are versions of the myth of Medusa where she was just always a monster. The Raped By Poseidon version was popularized by our buddy Ovid in his Metamorphoses, and he rather famously had a LOT of bones to pick with authorities using their power against people Just Because.
@@thedorkone1516 Now that i think hb it, people in general are more familiar w/th roman variant of many greek myths, rather than th original 1s. Not only th story of medusa, but also that of achilles, th geography of th underworld n other stuff
I’m going to be honest I don’t think you get Athena as a character in both Greek mythology and the Percy Jackson books. Her getting everyone killed because her pride was hurt in completely in character Athena is an incredibly prideful person, I mean she turned a woman into a monster because of a slight and right now there should be two different incredibly dangerous monsters coming to mind who have very similar backstories.
Athena is a dick but people have just accepted her propaganda that she’s better than Ares as fact when in actuality it’s just that Ares is generally less cunning and uses less excuses than her.
Athena is often seen as a feminist goddess when in actuality she is often far harsher to women while helping the men like she expects Odysseus’ wife Penelope to stay perfectly faithful for like twenty years while Odysseus has a couple of long term relationships on his way back home without a word from Athena his patron. Medusa gets punished not Poseidon, Arachne is truthful she gets turned into a monster, etcetera.
Basically the idea that she would get the whole world burned and drowned for the sake of her ego is just her acting in character
Yet another example of Dom being way too harsh on even the slightest changes to the source material. Like I can understand it in other adaptations, but considering Rick Riordan himself is heavily involved in this adaptation and approved all of the changes, the attitude of the fandom comes across as them claiming that they know this story better than the author. And that just reeks of hubris.
But Dom in particular has a history of viewing any change as “bad” unless the original version was offensive in some way. It’s why I couldn’t sit through his reviews of the Harry Potter movies. Say what you will about the franchise as a whole, but I don’t think Dom really understands how an adaptation works. He criticized the Whomping Willow scene in the third movie for being more action-packed than it is in the book, but that’s because it’s a movie. It has to be more cinematic by default.
Her getting mad at them sending Medusa's head is ironic considering she was thrilled too when Perseus gave it to her in Greek Myth
Yep. Wise doesn't necessarily mean mature, kind, moral, or level-headed.
Point 1: You're referring to the Ovid version of Arachne's myth. Outside that version, Athena punished Arachne because she first did that thing where she claimed to be better than the gods at their area of expertise, then responded to Athena's challenge by creating a tapestry of times her divine relatives made idiots of themselves.
I don't want to claim that Ovid's version is illegitimate-classical-era religions didn't have a "canon" the way Christianity does-but his isn't the dominant characterization of most gods.
Point 2: Arachne was not Athena's daughter, or involved in a quest to save the world. That makes Athena trying to get Anabeth killed _far_ dumber and more counterproductive than anything Ovid wrote _any_ of the gods doing.
@@ninakrishnamurthy6674Rick Riordan even admitted that he wanted to make changes to fix up some mistakes he originally made, including actual Greek lore.
I think that Athena's pride is something that theyre setting up earlier, but its still fits the books. Athena is wise and likes to pretend shes above petty spite, but as the myths go petty spite is something she has a talent for. And it gives the trio more fuel for the general tension with the gods
And its not as if she turned the monster towards the group, she just let it pass. Probably thought of it as a sink or swim parenting moment
Athena's pride is why we have the Arachne story. Both women are prideful.
annabeth’s literal fatal flaw from the books is hubris; definitely on brand as a child of athena.
I mean, she was the one of the gods to vote in favor of Percy and Thalia's deaths in The Titan's Curse, and then had the gaul to lift her nose and say "it's not the popular decision, but it is the wisest."
Oh, if Terrence is looking forward to seeing more of dark side Grover, he's going to enjoy his scenes with Ares in the fifth episode. This time, Grover's just hangry lol.
Having seen it, I know exactly what you're talking about. Who knew our sweet young satyr could be so cunning?
LOBSTER WAR!
@@brentage5000
*Spoiler for the entire book series*
it really shows you what makes Grover so special out of all the Satyrs, and why Pan chose him.
@@brentage5000 grover when the kids aren't around: Finally, now I don't have to be a good role model
@@dustyrose192 HA! Yup, he's all like, "No, you two go, I'll be fine, I swear." "Let's get _WAASTEEEEEED!!!"_
For me, the Athena stuff was very necessary after the changes to the Medusa story. Unless the show was just going to leave us with the now clearly bullshit story that Medusa was just evil, Athena has to come off as the kind of person who would victim-blame someone who was just raped, and in turn that also has to cause Annabeth to go through serious disillusionment with her mother or else she'd also come off as a victim-blaming asshole.
Riordan's Athena, especially in the Heroes sequel series, is a huge, unapologetic cunt. Which tracks with real life mythology about her. Riordan is simply bringing the flaws of the gods up earlier on than in the novels.
I saw the Medusa referring to herself as a survivor,as her saying “I survived being cursed,just for loving a god who a god hated” (dunno if the whole “Athena/Poseidon hate eachother” thing was mentioned yet) than “I got through the aftermath of being assaulted”.I’m sure Dominic himself mentioned that it could just being poor wording and the audience misunderstanding what she meant.
the fun part of these episodes coming out a week after the episode they're reviewing is that I see them right after watching the new episode of the show, so half the time Terrence will comment on a thing "missing or changed" that I just saw get addressed, so I get to point like that Leo DiCaprio meme and go "I know a thing he's gonna mention next week!"
One thing I will say about the changes, Rick is redoing his first book in the series having written like 26 books in it, he’s probably a better writer now than then so let’s see what h has learned
I'm actually glad they don't stick to the plot of the book 100% because of the casting of Leah Jeffries.
I love her as Anabeth, don't take me wrong. She's great in the role, and it be a shame if she didn't got the role just because she doesn't look the same as Anabeth in the books.
But I worried when the announcement came and it was defended by "the skin color doesn't change the character". Anabeth lived on the streets, alone, as a child, before she found Thalia and Luke. And I'm sorry, but I can't imagine a white girl having the same experience homeless on the street as a black girl. Show Anabeth must have had a much harder time during this period, and it be super ignorant and wrong if this would be ignored. So I'm glad that it's subtily picked up and addressed. Diversion doesn't end with the casting, it has to be reflected in the characters as well - and they did a great job so far.
Also, considering how Athena can be... unpredictable in later books, and since it's just an assumption of Anabeth that she's pissed off because of Medusa's head, I'll give it a pass for now. (It could be her way of testing her daughter)
Are you talking about the "what you gonna do?!!" moment she had with that police officer?
I agree with your comment about book vs show Anabeth surviving on the streets. I'm glad that shows like this are adding more diversity with a race-blind casting approach; BUT, to do so well the writers need to acknowledge and include that their now-POC character(s) have experienced and will experience the world sometimes very differently than their (originally) white counterpart(s).
@@RodrickMarsMoon Partly, yes. But also her attitude. It's been a while since I read the books, admittedly, but Show Anabeth seems to be more rough around the edges, which fits to the experiences she would've made.
This change also fits her interaction with Ares in the next episode.
I really like the changes made to Athena and Poseidon’s parenting because it makes for a really good contrast.
Athena is willing to get her own child killed and kick off war between the gods because her daughter, likely her favorite up until that moment, was standing next to someone who did something impertinent, and nothing matters to Athena more than her own ego. She’s a completely transactional parent, and all goodwill vanishes the moment you place a toe near the line.
Then there’s Poseidon, who’s son is angry and resentful; who has shown him no respect and no deference, and yet he still saves Percy and sends him some help. Percy didn’t need to swallow his resentment of a parent that had never been there. Poseidon needed to show Percy that he did care, and his son could count on him.
Poseidon is in a politically dangerous position. Zeus is ready to declare war on him because he thinks Percy, a son of Poseidon, stole the bolt. Any help Poseidon gives Percy could agitate Zeus further and Athena has already shown she isn’t in Percy’s corner. It’s no excuse for Poseidon’s absent parent routine, and Percy has earned the right to resent his father but it’s not like Poseidon is in a great position right now. But the fact he did help Percy that shows he’s at least willing to step in despite the ramifications.
It is just a little bit fun when he mentions something he feels is missing, and then it turns up in the next episode, like the Cronos dream this episode and Percy being wanted in the next. I am curious how he will feel about the changes made next episode, with them taking out the robot spiders and thereby sidestepping Annabeth's intense fear of spiders. But I did like Annabeth refusing to leave Percy in the chair and declaration to not leave the underworld without his mom. That episode did make me realize we are sorely lacking in the use of the name seaweed brain. She used it for the first time this last episode and it was a bit of a blink and you'll miss it moment. Next episode will also be interesting with it seeming like it will be the most changed with Hermes being in the Lotus Casino, them going their intentionally, and Hermes apparently being their main ride to the underworld. I would also be willing to bet they skip over Procrustes once we get to that part of the book, since that encounter was the most side questy of them all.
I'm pretty sure that Walker has talked about filming the Procrustes scene, but maybe I'm thinking of something else.
Thought they said it was Hermes’s chauffeur who hangs out there.
Reviewing eps by eps is fun and keep thing hot, but the problem is that he can't watch the series as a whole yet, and it might come back and bite him in the ass.
Does make sense to wait for the arch being attacked to be labelled a criminal, otherwise how would they have made this detour at all.
The famous procrustenation?
I'm surpisingly ok with the changes so far as I think they add urgency and help the pacing , also characterisations are more in-line with how Riordan writes those characters nowadays (I get the feeling that the characters' personalities weren't as fixed when he wrote the first book) although I definitely miss the more mundane vibe the book has. (Although I don't think that'd work in a weekly episode format, people would get bored of the "filler")
It's weird that from what i remember Echidna only appears once as a minor threat in the original series. Especially when her husband Typhon is such big threat in the later books.
Ya you would think The Mother of Monsters would have been a more significant threat.
Tbh, it’s probably because she just lives in St Louis and considers the city her territory. And as the place isn’t returned to in future books, she doesn’t show up again
I completely forgot about her. When the summary said mother of monsters, I confused her with Nyx (mother of demons in the Sun and the Star) and was like “WAIT DID PERCY AND THEM GO AGAINST HER BEFORE NICO DID??”
@@Agent-Ig That would be a good explanation
there's this great Podcast (The Last Olympian) that the actress of Echidna did an interview on where she explains that there's been hints from meetings with the show runners and rick that Echidna might come back/be incorporated in later seasons because she's such a powerful figure that was pretty wasted in the books.
I think they emitted the "father, help me" part because Percy needed assurance that his father CARED whether he lived or died. Percy at this point thinks that his father sees him as more of an embarrassment or a burden than a son, but Poseidon helping his son at his most dire moment, even when his son is mad at him, is the kind of unconditional love that Percy needed in that moment. Hearing that his father was proud of him, even by proxy, is the kind of assurance a lot of kids wish they had.
Also, the Athena thing is probably building up how Athena kinda starts the NEXT big war immediately after Kronos and Typhoon are dealt with.
I just really hope Artemis is still chill if we get to book/season 3 because her taking the sky from Annabeth is like easily one of the most selfless things a Greek God(dess) has ever done.
But they can't make Athena too problematic because she still has to vote for Percy and Thalia's death in the book 3. And in regards to Artemis, I also hope they make her chill, but also still a bit of bitch on a high horse. For example, she saves Annabeth and vouches for the demigods, but also completely disregards Percy and Nico in the beginning of the story. However, I want her to end season 3 by learning from that mistake somewhat (ie calling Percy a man).
I thought damn he’s quick of the gate this time. Then realised he hadn’t t done episode 4 yet
Speaking as a non-book reader I think the TV series is really well made and keeps me very invested in the characters despite being primarily a "kids show" (not using this term in a dergatory way, just pointing out the prime target group is - and should be - kids). And as great as it is to get episode breakdowns, some adaptive choices they make cannot be properly analysed until the entire season has aired. QED: That stomach dropping moment on the train with the guard and Annabeth.
I wonder if they're making the gods seem worse (Posiedon last episode and Athena now) to make the demigods who joined Luke seem less unreasonable. It may be that they're going to start showing what's going on on the other side in later series (particularly with Chris who ends up defecting back after the Labrynth) now that we're not confined purely to Percy's PoV and the few snippets he gets from snooping or dreaming.
Well tbh, they ARE that bad in Heroes of Olympus so it’s more like reflecting how Riodan more recently portrays them.
@@Miyanoai14 It is also reinforced through The Trials of Apollo, who comes to view mortals as more than tools. Including but not limited to his own children. And Meg, of course.
@@Miyanoai14 To be fair to the gods in HoO, and I am in no way trying to mitigate what they did, each of them who appeared was a major (insert rude description of preference here), but due to having a mix of Greek and Roman demigods at each interaction, they were all suffering from multiple personality disorder, with each personality trying to kill the other at the time.
That would make anyone cranky and was the reason nobody wanted Hera/Juno to make that move in the first place.
They're definitely taking advantage of the more omniscient POV to provide a better/earlier view of the stories/series overarching themes, and I love it. Staff Writer Daphne Olive was just on the 'Seaweed Brain' podcast and gave some hella interesting insights.
@@nicholasdraper4722 Yeah, all except for Poseidon, I believe. His only mortal kids are both Greek and the Romans don't give a crap about him as much, so there isn't someone else pulling from the other side.
I find it interesting that a lot of the adaptation “problems” in this episode are solved in the next one.
The emphasis on Athena being a perfectionist parent is awesome!
i totally get your feelings. the way i explain my conflicted mind to others is:
all the readers, or at least i, know that the world the demigods live in is deeply traumatic and dangerous. it is quite dark and depressing if you really look at it.
yet, the characters make this world so endearing, with their attitudes, their humor, their relationships and their overall good hearts. they make this series so home-y and lighthearted, they are what makes us stay. they don't care for the fucked-up world they live in; they make up for it by being themselves. that humor and familiarity makes it so comfortable to read. it's like - they are choosing to have fun.
and the show doesn't choose to have fun. they choose the gritty realistic side. all the humor is missing, maybe because we can't look in percy's head, but also because of the choices they made. that light is missing.
TLDR: the show is very faithful but shows the realistic side, while the reader (me) might remember the humor and the characters more
I actually think its fine he doesn't scream here since he is so sick that he can barely even and avoid all the monster attacks that he wouldn't have the energy to do so, and he falls and gets swept up by the water so fast combined with being sick that he probably couldn't fully comprehend screaming in the moment, also the slient POV shot really adds to the tension of the scene in the breif few minutes hes in the air, but i do agree with you that he should be a lot louder when being attacked by monsters here on out
Screaming can be kind of weird in my opinion. Especially in live action. Even superhero movies keeps it limited.
Not to mention, you don't have the stamina to scream while moving rapidly
@@Ikajo and in just the episode the released Percy DOES scream when on the boat ride when it goes down
@@astersworld6169 Which is something people tend to do
I'm fine with him not actually screaming, but I would've liked if they kept the narration that all he could think to do as he fell was internally scream.
Small correction: that one is the Mississippi River. The mouth of the Missouri River is about 20 miles north of the Gateway Arch
Also, it would be interesting to have Echidna come back later in the series since Tartarus is technically her father-in-law
I'm glad that they fixed the bit about the river not being all that close to the arch. That drove me crazy.
I actually like the changes to the story - mostly because the characters stay true to themselves, but also because there's a level of convenience to discussions of the book vs. TV adaptation within the fan community being easily distinguishable from each other.
This is a pet peeve I had for a good while with the Good Omens fandom, I'd read a fic that was set after the apocalypse (post-canon for the book, post-season 1 for the show) and think I'm reading a book-canon fic when out of the blue The Bandstand (show-only addition) gets mentioned and I'm immediately thrown out of immersion. With the Percy Jackson series there's already so much divergence I'm happy to have not run into "wait, what?" moments for 100% of the time so far
I’m surprised you didn’t mention Percy “falling” instead of “jumping” off the arch. Apparently tiktok is going off about it even though it literally makes more sense geographically and in that moment of the show. I feel like show Percy is currently more spiteful at his dad than book percy was and I think that he did still show some attempt at trust in the underwater scene when he finally breathed. Even though he was clearly trying very hard not to.
As for Athena, the truth is she doesn’t really have much reason to care about Zeus’ bolt. That’s a matter between him and Poseidon (and Hades). Her being embarrassed and then punishing/testing her daughter is pretty in character. And if they didn’t survive. Well, then they picked the wrong person to go. If the bolt wasn’t returned, they could either pick another group or Zeus will whine some more (obviously this is her not knowing who actually has it and for what purpose). Each god has their own personal shit that always comes first.
Terrence needs to make a 10 min video saying nothing but 'Missouri'.
I think the changes can be chalked up to two things.
1. Rick might be more used to the current characterizations of the characters than what they were a decade ago when he wrote the Lightning Thief. Annabeth and Percy feel more like post Heroes of Olympus Percy and Annabeth than twelve year old Percy and Annabeth.
2. The books were targeted at a Middle Grade audience, while this feels more YA, like they’re aging it up for the fans. It’s like the different adaptations of Robin Hood. They always have some shared plot points and the basic framework is the same, but the tone is wildly different based on if it’s Prince of Thieves, Men in Tights, or the Disney version.
More like nearly twenty years. Lightning Thief came out in 2005.
Exactly. Besides, an adaptation, at the end of the day, serves as an incentive for new fans to read the books. I mean, come on, how many of us began reading Harry Potter or The Hunger Games because of watching/hearing about the movies?
Honestly I think as a fan of the books for over a decade, I like the changes because it really reflects on the over all message of the story (the gods are $hit parents and kids deserve autonomy and unconditional love. And breaking the cycle of trauma) Rick has been emphasising for the later half of the series + new books. PLUS it’s still touching all the major points of the story but keeps it kinda fresh for old fans who know these books in and out. BUT I still am underwhelmed by the action and I really hope it doesn’t kill the show. I love these actors and writers but the stunt coordinator and special effects are really hindering the story because we have to keep cutting around major fights, monsters, and magic which are ESSENTIAL to the story and pacing of the show
which is a shame, bc I loved the Percy v Clarisse fight. Agree with your opinion on the changes!
I haven't seen the show yet, but from what I've heard, I wished more fights took place at night to give a more serious look (such the capture the flag)
i mean, authors updating their work is not entirely a new thing. even j.r.r. tolkien completely updated the original hobbit book before publishing lord of the rings so that the story would flow better into the next book. i think this is fine because while it's cool to see elements of the books we like adapted, it's also fun to see new spins on them. as long as the original versions are still available and not replaced by the new versions (cough cough george lucas), i don't see a problem with this.
I get your point, but your example is inaccurate: J.R.R. Tolkien only updated the "Riddles in the Dark" chapter of The Hobbit, and he did so after publishing The Lord of the Rings. He later began writing a complete rewrite of The Hobbit, and he ultimately scrapped said rewrite only a few chapters in as it was no longer The Hobbit.
KA Applegate started revisiting Animorphs to update pop culture and other dated references. This reprint series didn’t get far.
I'm watching this after having watched episode 5, so small spoiler warning for that, but so far I've been thoroughly enjoying the series and while its been a few years since I read the books, nothing jumps out at me as bad about the adaptation. Yes, some beats are changed, the order of a couple of things are a bit of and certain encounters take on some different meaning, but everything still feels very correct from both a writers, mythological and adaptation perspective for me. It's also a bit funny seeing people (including Dom) talk about things not showing up in the series only for it to arrive a little bit later (like the Fates). It's also getting a bit frustrating to see both fans and critics complain about how they're not getting a "propper adaptation" when its nevertheless an extremly good and loyal one, and many being nitpicky to the extreeme, almost like many of them don't want to see the good, just the bad. Not saying The Dom does that btw.
Also, on the character of Athena; While I don't remember her character particularly well from the books, I remember most of the gods are very accurate deptictions of their mythological counterparts, in which case Athena putting her daughter in danger because she hurt her pride is 100% in character. Its a similar situation as with the changes made to Medusa's part in the story, where the show puts emphisis on the fact that the gods are not good people and that most of their own problems (including the current predicament with the lightning bolt) is their own fault as a result of their pettiness and pride. A common theme in greek mythology is Hubris, which is the downfall of many (or most) greek heroes, but its never wrong when the gods do it. The books always felt to me like they took that overarching flaw and actually made it a flaw for the gods as well, making them actual characters as opposed to their mythological counterparts.
Honestly whenever ppl say smth is a bad adaptation, I always wanna know why. Rick has literally talked about how hard it is to adapt to screen and how screenwriters had to help him bc some things just don’t work on screen. But also at least 16 books later, obviously he’s gonna have some things he wants to change.
Agreed.
@@Miyanoai14 exactly. It really feels like he (and the writers room) is adapting this with a much better view of the big picture than he would have had if he wrote it. I just listened to staff writer Daphne Olive on the Seaweed Brain podcast and it was really interesting to hear some insights about the decisions made for the first four episodes.
I agree wholeheartedly! Most, if not all, deviations from the books so far were great calls!
@@Miyanoai14 You know, you stating this just reminded of what Mario Puzo went through when writing the script for "The Godfather" movie. Having written the actual book, Mario suffered in the adaptation process because he had never written something like this before, much similar to Rick. In fact, his shortcoming, along with a whole bunch of other problems, nearly caused the total cancellation of the movie. But in the end, like Rick, Mario changed some of the things for better understanding and pacing (ex: keeping the plot linear, removing certain side plots and conversations, adding and removing backstories, etc)
So I agree, writing a book and writing a show/movie are completely different things. Though my one pet peeve was giving Percy his sword too early, mostly because I wanted to see the Minotaur fight like it was in the book: barehanded.
I heard a quote that all authors and artists really need to embrace:
Even your worst passage is _somebody's_ favorite.
This was spoken by an author who had the opportunity to have update a book for an updated release and who later received a letter from a fan who was quite sad that a passage had been removed. It was inconsequential, overall, but the author realized that while they did not find the passage important, they'd neglected to consider that someone else might.
So, if you ever have a chance to revisit your work, keep it to the barest minimum possible.
I kind of like how they omitted the "Father, help me line." It was a show, don't tell moment where Percy has already been saying that his father isn't there for him so far in all the episodes. Then without even asking for help, Poseidon intervenes with that water spout
To be fair to Rick Riordan, he's probably doing the same thing as Invincible author Robert Kirkman and fixing some issues in the book in the TV show. I know some people have criticized the show for this but an adaption doesn't have to be 100% percent accurate to the source material.
5:30 Actually No this fits. The Gods did have a reputation for being petty and cruel after all.
Regarding Athena, doesn't this fall in line with the Medusa myth pushed by the previous episode? Wherein Athena was emotionally stunted at best or an abusive victim blamer at worst, in regards Medusas plight and punishment? Also, being a master battle tactition and academic scholar does not guarantee being empathetic/having any emotional intelligence, you can have both, but jee wizz most pantheon gods are severely lacking in this department.
(edit: grammar, wording clarification)
Athena plays serious favorites. She goes out of her way to help Odysseus and Diomedes in the Iliad and the Odyssey, but mostly not anyone else. I still think that this was Annabeth’s interpretation of Athena‘s actions, and that she’s not right. I also think that it plays into an entire message, particularly in this episode, of “your godly parents don’t love you.“ By the end of the episode, it’s clear that that’s not really true. Athena may have stepped back to give Annabeth a chance to prove herself. That, and just because it’s Athena’s temple doesn’t mean that someone else couldn’t have infiltrated it and whatever protection it had. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Can I take this opportunity to praise the wonder that is Grover? He and the young outdoor who plays him are amazing.
The whole vibe feels very "myth being retold over and over and changing over time".
Athena was kinda still on brand for what she did in this episode. I was listening to a read-along podcast of Battle of the Labrynth and apparently she's done the same thing to Daedalus in Percy's dream when he pushed Perdix to his doom.
I'm mad that they left out the Australia joke. That's one of my favorite bits from the book
I'm so glad you said something about the direction the show is taking! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the show, but I find it fascinating that they basically include every major event from the book, but they're written completely differently. It kind of reminds me of what you said in your review of A series of unfortunate events, it’s not really an adaptation, it's more of a reboot.
I loved this episode, it was so intense. And Echidna being a middle aged white woman in tweed was a great choice
Regarding Echidna, I'm just disappointed that the episode left out the, "Isn't [Echidna] a type of anteater?" joke and Percy narrating that all he could think as he fell was essentially, "Aaaaaaaaagh!" I do think they both could've worked even with the episode's more serious tone: instead of Echidna reacting with outrage that her name's been used for an anteater, she could instead react silently and passive-aggressively as if thinking to herself, "Another ignorant one; this won't be much of a hunt", and, for the narration, if he just says that all he could think was to scream, while showing that he isn't screaming, it would show how weak he is from the poison.
I'm pretty sure the villainization of Athena is meant to feed into Annabeth's arc of reaching out to her father.
9:01 This captures exactly my feelings with WOT adaptation. Lots of changes, some good, some really bad. I might enjoy it if I could shut my book brain off, but it's been changed so much that it's not the same story anymore.
Honestly, with the changes that they made. It reminds me of how invincible, or the most recent Scott pilgrim adaptation came out. Those who are fans of the books or the series, know that both authors were fully committed to it, & both changed so much of their respective series, that it became a brand new thing entirely. I’m guessing the author for Percy Jackson was inspired by both, that he wanted to see if he change or add in new things that, he didn’t have the chance to do before
It could also be a Legend of Vox Machina situation: the author (or authors) is taking the time to rewrite a couple of things to better fit with the story he was writing.
5:00 He did ask his dad for help, kinda. He prayed to him a few moments before, since Annabeth said that as a temple, he could reach out to his dad as well. I thought it was a very sweet little moment after he'd been so resentfully refusing to reach out to his dad so far this series, that he was desperate and hopeful enough to try and reach out to him finally.
It seems worth noting that so far the episodes that deviated the most were not written by Riordan (though I'm pretty sure he would have a say in their approval).
Weirdly the change that bothered me the most was that Annabeth's excitement over the arch being more about how ot relates to Athena's ideala rather than a personal love of architecture. It makes it feel like she doesn't have a life outside of being her mother's daughter, and architecture is what Annabeth wants to do with her life. That's a big part of her to replace with Athena
While i am liking the show, there are somethings I would change. in the book, whenever the trio would run into someone or some obstacle, they would initially not know who they are and then slowly learn what they are up against (example they didnt know medusa was medusa until she was about to kill them). In contrast, the trio in the show seems a lot smarter but it cuts all of the tension when u are just told “oh it's this monster”. Also the show just seems to be solving mysteries quicker than the book. The fact that hades was holding percy’s mother hostage was not revealed until late in the book, not at the start of the quest.
I think you may need to reread the books Dom. Athena is just as prideful as any other god or goddess in the books. While it doesn’t make the most sense for her to help annabeths enemies, refusing to help her daughter with a monster because she’s mad at her is completely in line with Athena’s character in the book.
Could the new episode that came out yesterday raise his spirits again? Answer: yes.
I’m so grateful that your critique of PJ is about its content, storyline, adaption etc and not the perceived ‘woke’ narrative that some parts of social media are having a meltdown about.
I really like the adaptation till now - nothing is ever perfect but I am just so glad that a new generation can experience something that was so important to me in my childhood
Athena punishing Annabeth in the Arch might be a parallel to Medusa's story in the prior episode. Even her own daughter isn't immune to not being saved by Athena in her own temple because she's being petty.
It also sets her up for the later stories. I mean, she votes in favor of Percy's death in book 3, and has been sending millions of her children on a suicide mission to recover the Parthenos.
Your observation of Zeus is spot on.
Oh, episode 5 fills some of the missing componants in.
Athena’s ego on the story of Arechne and Medusa is why I changed my favorite God to Hephaestus. Wisdom can fall prey to ego if not regularly moderated.
I'll stick to Hestia, personally. She's basically the go-to for "Greek God who isn't a raging asshat"
This is unrelated to the video’s topic, but (as a mid western American) with all the British vs. American animosity I see online your positive content has given me hope that peace shall prevail. I don’t know how or why it will prevail, but in my life I’ve learned when to trust my gut and this is one of those times. I’ve got a weird view on faith. I truly hope you have a great fulfilling life. (that extends to all those reading this)
5:04 THANK YOU! I HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT FOR A DECADE! I visited the gateway arch a decade ago and was super excited to see it because of this scene in the book. Unfortunately, they were closed, so I couldn't go up to the top. But the whole time I was like "Percy would have gone *splat*"
At first i was disappointed in the chimera but when it revealed that the lion main was a cobra hood i immediately changed my mind. Such a cool interpretation
I think Dom needs to reread the books because the gods aren’t good ppl PERIOD. This is 100% in character of Athena who in the books and myths is very prideful she sent hundreds of her children their deaths to find a statue of herself. The theme of the first five books is that the gods aren’t good people and it’s only when SPOILER Kronos is going destroy everything do they even help their kids. Percy not asking his father for help is perfectly in line with what TV Percy would do. He’s his mom son not his father’s. Knowing ep5 I think Rick is doing what should have happened with Harry Potter. In the back half of the movies and the real reason they split the last one into two movies was money but also to make up for how much they left out of the previous movies. So they had to expo dump the lot of it. It’s why Dobby and Sirius deaths aren’t as impactful as they are in the books. Rick is giving those that haven’t read the books backstories like Pan and Athena being a B because not only are they great set up for the future they are great character moments that will be made even greater with context. Plus book reads get a knowing smile of what’s to come.
I think ppl are thinking that an adaptation needs to be word for word scene for scene and that’s not what an adaptation is. When done right it’s taking the source/s and making it better by adding or subtracting what does and doesn’t work from page to screen. Percy screaming isn’t real life bc falling from that height will knock the air out your lungs. (I know this bc of watching 9/11 happen live as ppl were jumping from the burning buildings there were no screams.) sorry to get grim but it’s true.
Plus the book is almost 20yrs old Rick can rework it if he so chooses.
At the end of Last Olympian Percy turns down godhood but holds the gods to acknowledging their children as the neglect is exactly why Kronos, and Luke, gathered so many demigod followers against Olympus. Something in the next episode gives a good case for why this reform needs to happen.
I'm deeply disappointed that we didn't get Percy's deep, philosophical falling thoughts of "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
(I'm saying this jokingly)
Dom last episode when talking about the story of Medusa: "Making Athena a victim blaming piece of _____."
Dom this episode: Letting a monster into one of her temples because she was mad at Annabeth feels out of character.
Arachnie was turned into a monsterous spider woman because she beat Athena in a weaving competition.
In what way is this remotely out of character for her?
Overall, enjoying the series more and more as it goes on. It feel slike they're showing more shades of grey and setting up some more complex themes and dilemmas than were really explored in the original books. Pretty excited for it!
I quite like the riodan updates, because as a major fan of the books, and musical, I've seen the events of this show a million times so the updates take me off guard and gives me new content.
Also with the Athena stuff, on one hand it makes sense, villanising Athena, like the other gods, and on the other hand, I'm partially expecting the archway stuff to end up not being her fault. But we'll see about that one
I feel like Athena wasn't necessarily out to hurt the quest, but rather was just not going to be the source of sanctuary.
Basically she wasn't so much being malicious as she was being supremely petty.
Honestly it's a change I'm OK with. It really highlights how precarious a demigod's favour with the gods is, especially if you're a favourite. I mean I completely appreciate why it's not OK for other fans, it's definitely a love it/hate it element
A major part of Athena's characterization in both the books and the myths is that she is extraordinarily proud and petty. Her wisdom does not make her good, and often limited to tactical or technical brilliance.
I agree with the other comments. Athena is extremely prideful and prone to wrath when her pride is wounded. The whole story about Arachne is a good example and even has repercussions in the books for the children of Athena.
I think an author using a faithful adaptation to update and shore up the story is unavoidable to some degree. They've changed as a person, improved their craft, and they want to make their passion project as good as possible. I'm not opposed to it, but I can see where book superfans would be ambivalent.
A few years ago, my family took a short vacation to St. Louis (in August, not the best time) and we visited the Arch. My dad was disappointed in the small size of the windows since he felt the whole point of going up there would be the view (it was also really foggy that day). I was trying not to have a panic attack because of my claustrophobia and it was pretty crowded up there. I ended up sitting on the floor breathing deeply waiting for the next ride down.
My impression is that he's removing instances of 'Early Installment Weirdness' to his series in order for it to more smoothly align with the later depictions in the sequel series.
Echidna was moved up to keep the plot moving.
The Poseidon water tentacle was needed because Riordan effed up by describing the St. Louis Arch as arcing over the river in the books. I imagine he's gotten an absolute blizzard of fanmail (both physical and not) of people from St Louis (and people who have been to the Arch) correcting that egregious error. Riordan failed his research spot check, and now's he correcting it. To be fair, a lot of people think it arcs over the river because that makes sense to them; in large part because they don't realize that the actual name of the arch is the Gateway Arch. It would be like a certain someone claiming that King's Cross Station is right across the Regent's Canal from Granary Square in London.
Athena bein a total b***h is in keeping with both her mythological depictions and her later depictions in Riordan's series. Getting that in now will make this version of the story better fit with the sequel series.
Anyone want to bet that Echidna will join Kronos' Titan Army in later seasons? Because I can totally see them doing that with her character.
same! the actress has mentioned in an interview that she might come back in later seasons.
I have never read the books, but I am liking the show. I find it amusing, well paced and there are stakes.
Athena getting done dirty in adaptations seems to be a recurring theme in stuff ve seen.
I'm thrilled by this new serie. Makes me want to reread the books once again. The actors are great. Love the interactions between percy and annabeth (especially in ep5). Looking forward to your next video :)
I feel like Uncle Rick is following in Douglas Adams’ footsteps. Every time Hitchhiker’s Guide was translated to a new medium, Adam’s’ took the opportunity to change it. I’m still ok with the changes because I feel like they are sticking much more with the spirit of the book than the movies. And you could see how Riordan was rethinking things even through the rest of the multiple series. I’m sure it would be hard to have a chance to change stuff to match how you currently feel and not take it. If you have read Heroes of Olympus you can see how he’s changing his feelings on monsters. Trials of Apollo is all about how much the gods suck. So I feel like all that is coming back through this Lightning Thief rewrite.
Like I say: You're not an artist if you don't hate everything you did 5+ years ago.
It takes that long?
@@timothymclean in my experience it takes like halfway through making it, but everyone's different
@@thelonelywoodstock674 hm, so if oda were to complain about some of his writing on one piece, we'd have 50 years of total runtime on it?
Eh, it depends. There are some things I’ve written that are now seven years old that I’m still reasonably proud of, while there are other things I’ve done much more recently that I’m already embarrassed about.
I’m catching up tonight. I just have to say the story is still just as good in my opinion. Also these kids are really good. Anna Beth is ever so slightly flat, but I think they directed her that way, trying to avoid “sassy black girl”. I also remember reading the book not being able to fully visualize kids doing all this stuff, but this tv show is giving me a new appreciation for just how effed up those kids’ lives were.
Yes Terrence. You summarised my feelings on this series perfectly at the end there.
I was unable.to even articulate my thoughts and you got it perfectly!
I have to strenuously disagree with your two main points here.
1) Reframing Poseidon saving Percy as him trying to make up for being a deadbeat dad is far more interesting and sympathetic to me than Percy being forced to beg that same deadbeat for help.
2) Athena while the goddess of wisdom is absolutely prone to outbursts of pettiness without caring about the consequences or need I remind you of Arachne, Medusa and the Trojan War?
4:04: I like the idea of people building monuments to the gods without being aware of it. Not thrilled about turning a simple pleasure into an Important Plot Point, though.
I really enjoyed the inclusion of the posion sacs on the chimera it really amps up the snake aspect of the mythical beast.
Dom and/or Terence have I ever told you I love your line delivery ❤ sarcastic, funny and to the point. Talent indeed
So what you’re saying is that even with me watching these, there’s still a reason for me to read the books later on, since they’re not exactly the same? Nice. I like it.
In th show they didn't say it, but in th book echidna says she was sent by zeus, who rarely allows demigods to prove themselves to any of her offspring these days. It's a reference to th real myth. Btw, athena can't go against zeus' will
the changes with Athena (and all the gods honestly). I don’t know how much you’ve read but he dives pretty deep into how the gods think and feel, and the fact is that they’re all at best proud to a fault, Athena’s pride is how annabeth ends up in Tartarus, it gets dozens of her children killed. It causes wars, she may be “wise” but she doesn’t know how to think ahead when it comes to her pride, which is mythology accurate.
I’ve seen mostly heavy positivity about most changes, usually it’s “oh they skipped this part” but then they add it back later like the fates
I think I would have the same trepidation as you, if it weren’t for the fact that I went into Good Omens show first. Because I saw how great it was without being nagged by “but it’s different,” and then read the book and saw how great that was too, I was able to accept both as excellent works of fiction despite, or even because of, their differences. From this, I was then able to apply the same mindset first to Sandman and now to Percy Jackson. So long as the core messages and events are preserved, then I think the kinds of changes Riordan and Gaiman have made are not only okay, they’re enhancements in a way that only cross-media adaptations can be, without lessening the original work. Both can be loved not only separately, as one must with adaptations like How to Train Your Dragon, but side by side, engaging with the changes to more deeply delve into who the characters are at their core.
This episode was my favorite so far. The drawn-out poison plot point is right up my alley, as is Percy's self-sacrifice on the arch. Now, off to watch episode 5 :D
6:41 the actress basically confirmed this in her interview on the newest olympian (10/10 podcast I recommend if you enjoy pjo) im excited to see more of this character
honestly this episode was the one that convinced me. Like it was the first time i started to be like "yeah i'm excited for the next episode ! can't wait to find out !!"
It might help that i've been reading fanfics based on the universe for a while, but i feel like because of the change of medium you dio have to change a lot in this adaptation. like a lot of the flow in the books comes from being in percy's POV and only seing what he perceives in the way he perceives it. It's a lot more difficult to suspend your credulity about a fast food joint/cement statue seller in the middle of the woods when you don't have percy's thought written out about how tired he is and how he just wants a break. I don't know, I really liked the train scene I'm actually excited for the series now !
the gods being assholes is a nice change, gives the story a reason to be retold.
I wasn’t super bothered by the changes (especially as the kids grow older in the books after the original five you really see what a dick Athena can be) and Percy not saying “Father help me” I can kinda see, since Poseidon’s been so distant it wouldn’t occur to him to ask for help? My biggest complaint was that it was too short, I wanted another 10 minutes. I do think you’ll like this week’s episode better, it’s easily my favorite so far.
To be fair, Athena's pride is her biggest issue, and especially taking the second series and 'Percy Jackson's Greek Myths' into account, it's a thing within the PJO-verse too. That said, this is her being harsher than she ever crops up (when fully in her own mind, anyway) in the books. I do think the remix vibe the show gives me makes it more enjoyable, because it means I don't know everything, but that's definitely a subjective thing.