She fell first, he fell harder (off the arch) Also the fact that Annabeth did everything to respect her mother for Athena to let a monster murder her while Percy got saved by the father he had been dissing for days💀
@@magicbymikailahave you finished your review for book two yet? Sorry i dont mean to bug you, but id love to see your reqctions to all the best parts of it.
No but why is that something that feels totally correct? Athena: how dare you make a bad comment about me? I shall send doom your way and curse your next 5 generations if you ever live long enough to it Poseidon: ooooh so you're rebellious? Kind of unstable and rough like the sea? Nice. Here's some pocket change, go buy smth with this sand dollar
I think it is telling of what each god valued. Annabeth was "stupid" to let Percy send Medusa's head to Olympus while Percy was bold and then courageous.
Another thing about Percy falling and the water reaching out to save him rather than him jumping and trusting his father is that it reflects the conversation he has with annabeth earlier in the episode about earning love. Percy doesn’t have to prove his faith to someone who has never helped him in order to be saved by his father because that’s not how a parent should love their child.
It also fixed another thing which was that it’s actually more accurate to the real St Louis arch, since Riordan originally thought the Mississippi River was right below it
@@HydroniteTBidk why this is making me laugh. Just imagining Riordan writing this really tense scene and being like, "yeah this is perfect" and once it's published, someone leans over to whisper in his ear and he just... "THE RIVER IS WHERE??"
Yeah it always itched me the wrong way that THE KIDS have to prove themselves and if they don't then they deserve the suffering and it's ultimately their fault? I rarely to never felt good or proud whenever the gods actually praise them and approve of their actions. Because like, they ain't doing this out of the goodness of their heart and love for you! They believe the kids actually LOVE doing this for them when in actuality they just want to live and be loved? They're so self-centered and petty that I just wanted the demigods to just continue the greek cycle of overthrowing their parents. It's so frustrating knowing that, even after all these books, their fate is still not on their hands. They will continue playing by the gods hands and _maybe_ live a good life and die not by torture.
@@EtamirTheDemiDeerI’m pretty sure that it was his exact reaction. Like he was horrified when he realized it was that high up and he just thought the Arch was like a normal bridge XD
I loved the parallel between Annabeth and Medusa in these last two episodes! We have two women who worshipped Athena (almost to a fault) who in a moment of weakness looked towards her for protection, but were rejected because Athena was “embarrassed” of something they did that really wasn’t their fault. Also Medusa was screwed over by Poseidon and Annebeth was rejected because of Percy, a son of Poseidon’s, actions.
What I like about it also is that neither Poseidon nor Percy are even morally at fault for their actions (in the show, in the book Poseidon apparently met with Medusa in Athena's temple, she has a right to be ticked at him). it's all down to Athena being super sensitive and spiteful on both occasions. Poseidon fell in love with Medusa, making her feel more valued than Athena ever had, so Athena cursed her for all eternity. Percy sent Medusa's head as a message to the gods, comments must have been made about Athena not dealing with Medusa herself, so she was going to let one of her daughters get killed because she was embarrassed. Athena is a piece of work in the show.
@@Nargon46 I agree that Percy didn’t do anything super morally wrong. However, I’m not willing to extend that same branch to Poseidon. In one version of the myth, Medusa is actually SA’d by Poseidon, and that seems to be the version they’re going with in the show (there’s a pretty deliberate use of words like ‘survivor’ and I think ‘victim’). Even in other version where in was consensual, it’s still a god and a mortal (which is a serious power imbalance) and I still don’t think Poseidon gets off scott-free.
The big point isthat gods have too much pride on themselves. However the only reason why I am actually giving Poseidon (PJO-verse) some credit is because he at least is willing to do his best to make amends with his son. Another cool thought is how there is a connection between Sally and Medusa. I honestly think with this retelling of Medusa being in love with Poseidon, it wouldn’t be as bad if it wasn’t for Athena. Athena was the one to turn Medusa into a Gorgon. Medusa would still resent Poseidon but she would still at least be alive and well. But that’s my honest opinion
I loved the shift from Percy saving the bystanders to him saving Annabeth and Grover, because it slightly higlights his fatal flaw, loyalty, and tbh, i do care more about Annabeth and Grover than a bunch of people, (no offence)
*Spoilers! If you haven’t read the books, you might not want to read!* My take on why Percy decided to help the gods in the war and not Kronos is for a couple reasons. 1. Unlike Luke and the others who deserted Camp Half Blood, Percy’s life was directly messed up by Kronos. Kronos was the reason for everything that happened in the first book. If Kronos didn’t steal the bolt and helm then he would have had no reason to go on a quest. He also discovered that most of the gods had reasons for why they sent monsters after him such as thinking it was him who stole their symbols of powers. 2. His fatal flaw is personal loyalty. And despite what most might think, I don’t believe it is loyalty to the gods that made him fight Luke. He was loyal to Chiron, the only adult besides his mom to show care towards him. He was loyal to Grover, his first and oldest friend. He was loyal to Annabeth, the girl who told him that she would go against her mother and fight on Percy’s side while they were in the illegal animal transport truck. He was loyal to Sally, his mom who still had nice things to say about his dad. He was later loyal to Hermes who showed care for his son and showed Percy that the gods do care. He was loyal to Apollo after Apollo helped them during the quest because he cared for his sister so much. He was loyal to Artemis after the third quest. He gained a small amount of respect for many gods and goddesses during the third quest because they showed that they do care. He even gained respect for Mr D. In my opinion, Percy would have joined Kronos or been tempted at the very least if the people he cared about joined him. This also makes it so that it is understandable in the tv show for Percy to fight on the side of the gods. Even if most people don’t realize it, Percy doesn’t actually respect or like many of the gods in the books until they prove themselves to be worthy of it. Only after that is he loyal to them and will fight to protect them. Percy’s loyalty is to camp.
Also just the fact that Kronos'plan is to destroy the entire world and genocide all humans. Only his human followers like Luke and Ethan were dumb enough to believe in the whole "the strongest of us will rebuild"
Exactly and that’s why (spoilers) I think that he was tempted by opening Pandoras jar as surrender, because it was a way to save those he cared about. He didn’t care so much about Olympus standing but about a world that those he was loyal to could thrive as best they could.
As one of my friends told me, "Annabeth is so mature" and thats both a great and sad thing. Annabeth was forced to mature earlier because of her childhood neglect. But that ultimately makes her strong at Camp. And the end of the day though, she's just a 12 year old girl.
i personally think the action scenes aren’t that long on purpose because percy can barely fight he literally just learned what he is AND barely stayed at camp to train. so it’s a realistic in a sense that he can’t hold an actual fights with the outside world monsters he’s easily defeated
I just thought it had to do with the run time of the episodes not being very long, but now that you mention that, it makes much more sense. I didn't really think of that.
The fights are short because big D doesn't want to/can't pay for longer action scenes. We barely see the Chimera, it's not like they had that many effects shots to do, it's not exactly Stranger Things. At least the budget seems to have been well spent so far, what's onscreen looks awesome, love the location shooting, there just needs to be a couple more scenes to make the episodes a reasonable length.
We need just the fight with Ares to be good that was his only epic fight in book 1 exept Clarisa and the Children of Ares where Percy breaks her spear 😅😅
I love Leah. She manages to portray Annabeth in a way that shows her maturity in the mythological world, and her slight immaturity in the human world, due to the length of time she's been at camp. Not to mention the complexity and the layers she shows, the foreshadowing of her fatal flaw, the depth of her emotional trauma, and how essential she is to this story. Her chemistry with Aryan and Walker is amazing, and I can't wait to see more of her, and of them. Leah is the best.
I like her too but that doesn’t change the fact that if the roles were reversed and and she was written as a person of color in books that she would ever be portrayed by a Caucasian on screen because there is an agenda against it in Hollywood. Other then that I think she is perfect
@@sethricketts563 no one was talking about that, but since you brought it up for no reason, the reason poc characters being played by white actors is controversial is because there is way more white representation in every genre of everything than there is poc representation. If the playing fields were already even, it wouldn't matter. But they aren't, so it does matter.
What I love about this whole episode is the parallel storytelling at play the whole time. Annabeth telling Percy that she had to earn her respect with Thalia, how important it is for them to respect their godly parents, and how humans act the same. How Annabeth is basically proven right when Athena allows her daughter to be almost killed over basically nothing, and how all that reinforces Percy's assumption at the end that there is no way Poseidon would have healed him, solidifying his choice to stay behind and cover their escape. The way it ends with the sea spirit telling him that Poseidon will always be there for him is a great emotional payoff to the turmoil Percy has been going through the last couple of episodes, and very validating of Percy's correct feelings that parents, even immortal ones, should love their kids unconditionally. The humanizing factor to Poseidon compared to most of the other gods is part of what makes Percy the hero that he is. You get the idea that Poseidon is a little different to the others, a little more genuine, and that he really did and maybe still does love Percy's mother. And yeah, I also love that even though Medusa was thoroughly evil, she had a point about Athena being spiteful and easily offended. It's excellent writing it just should have been longer, it's a distractingly short episode. I also really like the change of having Percy get poisoned at the start of the episode instead of right before he jumps in the book, used a book element and turned it into a good dramatic tool to use for later. On a production note, I like the subtle makeup change they used on Percy when he and Annabeth are talking inside the arch, he looks a little pale and his eyes are just sunken enough to tell that there is something wrong. Also them splashing water on him cracked me up so hard its just such a funny visual XD. 9/10 episode, would have been a 10 but for the length.
When I was watching Percy and Annabeth talking in the arch and it cut to Percy saying things about how he doesn't want anything from his dad I did notice how he looked a little more pale than usual. Also, when Annabeth says "I think you were about to call me a friend" it shows Percy again and you can definitely tell that something is wrong because his eyes look droopy and you can see in his facial expression that he also knows something is wrong. Thank you for pointing that out!
This episode was so short😭 And I agree! This episode changed my opinion on Leah as Annabeth. At first I didn’t love her acting, but I’ve noticed (especially after watching the episode a second time) those hints of pain and fear and emotion that she slips into scenes. Not everyone can do that. It really shows her talent, especially at such a young age❤
Glad it wasn't just me, I was wasn't sure if it was the writing or the acting but I was not a Show Annabeth fan until now. Hopefully the writing keeps improving for her and the boys. And yeah, the episode length was, frankly unacceptable. D+ shows are honestly so cheap compared to other platforms.
Well, like she said before, book Annabeth also wasn't that likable until Percy got to know her better along the quest. She starts out very closed off. So this works great, just hard for us who know Annabeth well from all of the books to remember that we didn't start off knowing her that well.
Overall, I just think annabeth is one of the best characters in the series. She’s very underrated and I just love the way the show portrays her (so far). Also I love your videos 🫶💕 Edit: Also I feel like the main thing I have against the show (although I love it) is that the run time of the episodes. Like if they were each an hour long I feel like the action sequences would have more focus, rather than other things. For example, in the mrs. Dodds scene, instead of an actual action sequence in the book and movie, Percy just sort of fumbled with Riptide until it went through her and she just disintegrated. Like I need more action!
Right I would’ve loved hour long episodes, I hope they make them longer for the next season! I think His Dark Materials on hbo was a good example of how much more you can do with adaptations in hour long episode formats, they really devoted a ton of time to world-building on that show and it paid off! 👏🏼
@magicbymikaila ive commented this on 2 of your videos, i think. You should definitely read the lunar chronicles. They are 4 books, loosely based on classic fairy tales, (cinderella, red riding hood, rapunzel, snow white), set in a futuristic world, expertly plotted amd written, keeping the essential stry of the fairy tales while still being unique and new, sci-fi that is meant for women. I would personally say that it is YA, but children can also read it. What i mean by that is, it has more adult topics,politics racism the meaning of love, but not really anything that parents would be apalled by their kids reading, ie, swearing, sex scenes, etc. I first read it in late elementary school, read it again 6 times, and then bought the series a few months ago. You should read it. Based on your love for star wars, and some fantasy books such as percy jackson and harry potter, i think you would like it a lot. ❤
@@magicbymikaila His dark materials is my favourite when it comes to show adaptations of famous book series. I just love how they gave justice to the story, and how true to the books they've kept it. I'm just sad it didn't get more attention 😢
Echidna being a Karen type of character honestly fit so well, so I’m genuinely loving the fact that they’re sort of modernizing some of the aspects of their characterization and making all of it more realistic. Also the fact the mortals didn’t see the Chimera as those crusty white dogs (you know the ones) was such a missed opportunity because I swear those dogs are not real, they’re like hell spawns but we can’t see them as mortals.
@@HydroniteTB omg i genuinely had to reread my own comment so many times trying to figure out where i made u think she was dead😭😭😭 lmaoooo ur so right tho i used to be terrified of small dogs they are very yappy
@@Mushi-YTpour one out for jason, number one character most hated by his own creator 😭😭😭 and i just HAD to make him my favorite….. and this is why ToA don’t exist to me, peace and love ❤❤❤
@@another_julia honestly he was one of my faves too... 😭 I didn't read trials for years bc of that. But when I did, it had such importance and impact that I actually accepted it (still hurts tho)
Finally someone who gets why Annabeth didn’t give up on luke so easily ! A lot of people down play their friendship and genuine (not romantic)love for each other .
Wow I love what the author said about the show's Annabeth. I am loving the show and since I haven't read the books I can't comment on how it is an adaptation, but it is very good and even as someone who did enjoy the movies, I can clearly see that the show is superior, not just as a book adaptation, but as a piece of media in general, and I love how you tie it all together allowing those us of who didn't red the books to gain extra perspective, and I just love that you're sharing your love of these series with us! ❤
❤ i love this, and I love your take on this show. I love to read and see the thoughts and feelings and reactions and analysis to people new to the story and characters. I get the feeling you already know, but just in case I wanted to clarify: in the books annabeth is white, with long, curly, very blonde hair and storm-gray eyes. There's even a whole thing about the dumb blonde stereotype. And considering the current state of society and the backlash to previous castings of black women for previously considered white characters has been huge. Especially considering Leah's age and how beloved this series is, how big the fandom, that must've been terrifying. Hell, I was terrified for her. I hope it wasn't as bad as some of was were afraid it would be, I hope the production team and her family managed to shield her from it as best as possible, at the very least from direct exposure. Rick's words... they mean so, so much. And she is undeniably an amazing Annabeth. Edit: lmao wrote this before finishing the video sorry 😅
I saw someone complain annabeth is played too sad and closed off. Who wouldnt be sad and closed off after all shes experienced 😭 Leah is doing such a good job. She looks so adorable and you hope she gets a chance to soften up without anything bad hapoening to make her regret doing so.
I kind of think the change with Percy falling instead of jumping is a lot more accurate to him as a new demigod. Aside from the Medusa fight, all of the other monster kills have sort of felt accidental/unplanned. The fights most likely are shorter due to budget constraints, but only Annabeth is a somewhat seasoned fighter. These fights wouldn't be drawn out. I'm really enjoying seeing Percy somewhat fumble his way through fights. We can see Percy improving incrementally each episode as he learns more about his powers.
AHHH THE QUEEN, WISE GIRl,DAUGTER OF ATHENA, ARCHITECT AND THE BEST PERCY JACKSON OLYMPIANS CHARACTER!!!! I love her. She is so well developed and I found her fatal flaw interesting.
As someone who was inspired by these books at a young age, that last part of your video hit hard because you can hear the disappointment in the way he chose to write the words to address the ones who don't like the casting. I love the casting for the trio, and I'm really glad that Rick is supporting it. I also wish the poodle had been in there!
Love Rick does copious amounts of research to subtle add in greek mythology to everything. Forgets to research architecture to make an epic scene. Love it. Very human. Very rule of cool. Its perfect. And the way the show handles it visual is also amazing.
I especially loved that the "just breathe" line reflects the flashback scene where he's at swimming lessons with his mom. It's something that connects him to his mom and leads him to trust that message!
No but we really cannot praise Leah enough for her acting when she was telling Percy and Grover about what Echidna had told her. The scene was less than a minute long and there wasn't all that much dialogue but you could tell so much about how Annabeth was feeling from Leah's expressions; worried about disappointing her mom, mad at Percy, mad at herself, mad at her mom for being disappointed in the fist place, trying to figure out what to do now that the plan to ask Athena for help wasn't an option. Annabeth had a thousand different thoughts going through her head in that scene and Leah somehow managed to convey all of those emotions through her expressions. The acting in this show is so good. Not just good for a kid's TV show but genuinely good.
I am glad these themes surrounding parenting are coming up so strongly. Nowadays we have plenty of absent parents, kids that feel invisible, overwhelmed or that don't know how to deal with social organization and coexistence. It could initiate some great dialogue that we already see among educators/school staff. Edit: Regarding Annabeth, I gotta say she always irritated me back when I read the books, but I also admired her. When the movies came out I was more annoyed than in awe. Now, I think Leah is lovely in this role. Since the first episode I liked her energy and honesty. Also, Annabeth's inner conflicts are coming to life as the show goes on. You can see how skilled and confident she is, but there is this underlying vulnerability and insecurity that leaves space for growth and bonding. What a great casting choice (and definitely an improved script) 😊
Leah is doing an amazing job! I recently reread the books and was a little taken aback/ had forgotten about annabeth’s bossiness and excessive sarcasm in the first couple books. Leah was the one who helped me realize that she’s a literal child who has had a total of two friends ever and, for all her wisdom, still lacks some reflective ability. She brings so much depth to the character and I can’t wait to see her grow!
The entire chase family is messed up. Both annabeth’s dad and her aunt had a kid with a god. Her uncle is crazy. Annabeth herself if the daughter of Athena and possibly a descendant of Frey(who is her cousin’s dad). This girl needed therapy before she was born
She's a descendant of frey. It's said that th chase family descends frm th line of th yngling kings, whose 1^ rulers were sons of frey. This makes annabeth both a demigoddess n effectively a legacy, albeit frm a different pantheon
Most of the fights on the lightning thief were Short in the book . Even ares calls Percy out on this telling him that all he’s done in the quest is run away
Leah kills me every time because gods she kills it. I love love love the way she's portraying Annabeth, and her on the show has made me appreciate the character all the more, especially thanks to the development we've seen in the writing... What you mentioned about Luke & Annabeth's dynamic especially, and then Annabeth's relationship with her mother. Like it does feel as if things are getting better foreshadowing and development, in some key ways
Every episode in this series has made me cry every episode that I have watched so far. I have a lot of anxiety and I am also neurodiverget so the world outside my bedroom can be in possible to me. For some reason this series makes me feel less aloe and has healed some of my child hood trauma by making the characters so perfect and relatable.
I was so hyped after watching tonight's episode (episode 5) that I went on Reddit to try and find people to fangirl with... Bad plan, bad plan. It's so negative and salty. So instead I'll just rewatch all your videos so far so that I have somebody to be excited with. Thanks for sharing your joy with us, I'm so glad to have these videos!!
I feel the same! The way Annabeth is portrayed in this series fully encapsulates who she is and her past experiences, plus Leah is gorgeous and absolutely brings Annabeth to every scene she's in, I've started rereading from the very beginning, The lightning thief book, just so I can picture the actors as the characters, of course also because my favorite characters get introduced as you progress into the other series' in the PJO universe, its truly beautiful what they've done so far and I am so extremely hyped for more of this series and also your reactions to it! ❤
As someone who only read the books after watching the show, I feel like Leah Sava Jeffries definitely helped me to visualise Annabeth better and with more expression.
I'm gonna be so honest here. As a twelve year old reading Percy Jackson, I was almost as oblivious as them as to all the monsters around them. As an older person, I am astounded by my own stupidity.
I agree I also love Annabeth in the books and in the show. She's been my favorite characters in the books when I first read them and especially this made me love her even more in the show.
Rick always has the best quotes, whether its one of his works of fiction or otherwise. Leah has been great, but I feel like it's been a lot of subtle moments. I'm really hoping we get some big moments in episode 5 (which it seems like we might)
I originally was surprised at Leah playing Annabeth but she is SOOO PERFECT for the role omg- she is so good at being sassy, and as you said, the way she kinda looks sad sometimes too. The whole cast is so great, and I love all of them :D
I was so blown away even with her first scene with Percy how Annabeth she was 😭 Like her expressions and like delivery is so on point like THIS IS ANNABETH fr!
I am so happy you made clear in the intro that PJO movie and show didn't have the talking pink poodle, loved that scene in the book, even if it was only two pages!
I love watching your videos and i totally agree Leah is such a great Annabeth! It was so iconic when percy smoothly switched places with Annabeth to fight the chimera.❤️ The pink pooodle was never found😭
wow those quotes you stated at the end of the video were moving! They were very well written and really "close the book" on any discussion in that realm. I hope everyone watches till the end.
uncle rick slayed with that blog post. i always felt that the hate towards leah with the only argument being her physical appearance was racist, but i couldnt really put my thoughts into words. this is why uncle rick is such a good writer and why he's a teacher 💯💯
that scene in the arch, where Percy switches places with Annabeth was just SO character-accurate I almost cried, bc his fatal flaw is Loyalty, so he is being loyal to his friends, not to anyone else
Adding to what you said about the "jump"-scene 4:11 Spoiler if you have not read the first 5 books! I also like this change because it shows percys (as we learn in the books) fatal flaw: being loyal to his friends and not being able to leave them behind. He knows he is poisoned and has a chance of getting out but he doesn't even think about leaving Annabeth alone to fight against the chimera and the whole move of how he tricks her to leave with grover is just so Percy!
I loved the scene of Echidna talking about how demigods are dangerous creatures who blindly do the bidding of the gods, and if monsters have any purpose it’s to stand in the way of “monsters” (demigods). This is a theme that is definitely explored in the books, but it develops slowly over the entire Percy Jackson series, and even the Heroes of Olympus series. I’m really excited at how nuanced they are making the various sides of this war and the depth they are exploring within the monsters themselves. I think it’s setting up some really impactful decisions and emotional payoffs. I was hoping to hear your thoughts on this characterization of demigods as the real monsters, but I’m sure they’ll continue to explore that in the coming episodes.
Exactly! I will always choose a good actor who can play the right emotions over matching the look of the book. It's really hard to get good child actors. I'm really enjoying this adaptation.
Things I loved about this episode: *1)* The look on Sally Jackson's face after Percy assumes she'll always be there. All parents expect their children will outlive them, but I could feel her thinking _"I'm certain I'll die tragically and prematurely."_ *2)* The diversion of the kids' room being broken into (feels odd a black character was the most standoffish with a cop, but whatever), and that being how they meet Echidna. I like how the show is taking a different path to get to the same plot points. It's like replaying a videogame and making different choices. *3)* Echidna getting more personality through her conversation with the kids (I did miss the namesake joke, though). *4)* Percy showing a dismissive attitude towards Poseidon. I get why he had more of an internal back-and-forth about whether he wanted his father's attention/approval in the book, but I also like Percy saying _"He had his chance to reach out to me and he didn't, so screw him."_ Between this and Medusa's portrayal last episode, I wonder if this adaptation will be more critical of the gods than the books. *5)* Annabeth and Grover splashing Percy in the fountain. No notes. *6)* Annabeth's plan to take refuge at a monument to Athena, only to learn she'd shot herself in the foot by letting Percy send Medusa's head to Olympus. *7)* Percy using his sword to push Annabeth and Grover behind him so he could close the door on them. Very smooth maneuver. *8)* Speaking of, Percy deciding to face Echidna and the Chimaera himself, rather than getting stuck with her and only then finding out she was to be his next enemy. *9)* More of a personal thing than a _Percy Jackson_ thing, but now I know what a Chimaera looks like! *10)* The water spirit presumably trapping Percy's foot so he'd stick around long enough to listen to her.
[1) The look on Sally Jackson's face after Percy assumes she'll always be there. All parents expect their children will outlive them, but I could feel her thinking "I'm certain I'll die tragically and prematurely."] Or was she thinking "I hope _you_ don't die tragically and prematurely"? She knows demigods don't normally have a long life-expectancy. It's why she's trying to teach him to swim. She wants him to have the best chance when the time comes.
I wasn’t really enjoying Annabeth in the show, especially in comparison to how great she was in the books, but this episode is changing my opinion on this portrayal and I’m having much more fun with the TV show’s version.
Same. At first I thought she was that unemotional and distant in the books, but I just reread it and she's actually friends (sorta) with Percy from the get go in the book. It gets complicated when she finds out that he's a son of Poseidon and she feels they have to be rivals like their parents are (which I thought was interesting they didn't bring up in the show). This episode was a good indication that the writing with her is improving, I was not enjoying her much the last two episodes, wasn't sure if it was the writing or the actress but I was definitely uninterested.
@@Nargon46 Agreed. I think the first two episodes struggled in a lot of ways, and one of those casualties was Annabeth's initial reaction to Percy. I see now what they were going for, but without the context it made it feel like Annabeth was just being rude for no particular reason, and that's not her character. At first I thought it was the actress, but seeing it now, that's a writing decision and Leah is growing on me a lot.
@@Nargon46 I honestly don’t remember if she started like that in the books, because she is so different from the show in the later books, that I kind of forgot that she needs a character arch that they are doing in the show.
Your point about Annabeth’s is insane! I agree 100 %. TBO I wasn’t sure about casting process at all, but after the start of the show I was immediately convinced, that there couldn’t be a much better version of Annabeth actually, the way she lives in her character is amazing to observe!
Thank you for the take on why Leah Jeffries is such a great Annabeth. I've been loving Aryan and Walker from the beginning, but I realized earlier this week why she bugged me, and that is because she is still early Annabeth. I tend to forget the tough scared little kid side of her, that was much more evident early on. So with Leah's portrayal I'm missing the things I love about Annabeth later as she grows. She really is doing an awesome job of TLT Annabeth, and with that shift in my thinking, and going back over TLT in my mind, I appreciate her so much more now! It's been so interesting. I knew I'd love Walker as Percy because I'd seen him in other things and think he's top notch. I fell in love with Aryan as Grover just from the trailers and he's knocking it out of the park! Some of the other casting is so incredibly perfect and there are a few that I'm still iffy on, but waiting to see how it fleshes out. They are doing such a great job!
nah I reread book 1 and annabeth's character is completly wrong. She's much more annoyed at Percy, she usually figures everything out first. She's better in fights then the two are and has very evident facal expressions. She also is chatty. She talks while she thinks. And we have none of that in the series
Disney is taking me back to my childhood with how they're releasing these episodes once a week. I feel like I'm 12 years old again waiting for Saturday so I can watch the new episode of Pokemon. I love and hate it at the same time, just like I did then. Episode 4 had no business being so short!
I agree, I can’t believe people are still saying “She’s just not Annabeth” just because of her appearance! Not only is her performance so amazing, but even behind the screens you can feel the connection to the character! I really liked this video and yes, they should have really included the poodle. #LeahisourAnnabeth
Good job I love your analysis between the books and the show. I haven’t read the books in years so this show is just chefs kiss as far as adaptations go. Keep going gurl! And fight for Annabeth to the end lol
I like how they showed the similarity between Medusa and Annabeth. The fact that Medusa was right when she said that 'she was Annabeth'. For all the loyalty, love and trust of Medusa, Athena punished her for 'embarassing' her and Annabeth fiercely defended her mother, said she was Just, tried stopping Percy from sending the head and for all her dedication and loyalty to Athena, she got punished for 'embarassing' her by 'going along' Percy's plan?? Well looks like Athena is not as just as Annabeth would like to believe and is as much a bully as Medusa said
I've been waiting patiently to see your reaction for episode 4, and once again, it didn't disappoint. I really liked the parallels of Thalia sacrificing her life and Percy doing the same thing and saving Annabeth even though he was injured. Not only was he brave, but it also showed what his fatal flaw is really well. Episode 4 was really good, and I loved how much Percabeth we got. I know we'll get even more of them in episode 5. I'm really loving Leah as Annabeth so so much. She's doing such a wonderful job and she really is Annabeth and I won't let anyone tell me different.
As much as I love Annabeth in the book to me she feels like she was clearly written by a man. I think seeing an actual little girl bringing her own essence and mannerisms to the character really adds a lot of realism to her and makes me feel like I can understand her character and why she is the way she is better. Generally all the kids are doing a great job it's clear that they understand and love their characters, and were very well cast.
I’ve always related to Annabeth so much and her tv portrayal is so amazing in highlighting how unfairly she’s treated by the people who are supposed to love her. The way they are showing that Percy is the one to show her unconditional love and what family is supposed to be is so emotional to me and so amazingly relatable to my life. He’d die for her and she’d do anything in her power to keep him alive 😭
Mikaila's Percy Jackson arc is making me want to finally give the books a look. It seems like it has some of the same appeal that grabbed us as Potter fans
I think people are right that the action _is_ a little short so far, but I'm hoping they're saving it for the really big action scene towards the end of the season to really give it the time and budget it deserves
I'm hopeful (but not confident) that they are saving the budget for SPOILERS the water effects they are gonna need later. Percy does some serious waterbending in the last couple of chapters, and so help me if they cop out on the Underworld or if the Ares fight isn't given a decent runtime I will flip.
Plus, a lot of the words in the books are Percy's commentary during the fight scene and the descriptions of what's going on around him while now, we can see it and hear it happening so they're not going to draw it out forever.
Excited for the next episode- comes out tomorrow! I love Leah as Annabeth! She’s really sweet in interviews and stuff, like- she’s funny and calls adults by ‘Mr/Mrs/Miss [first name]’ and it’s so lovely. I stan Leah! Also she is so pretty and her style is just amazing
I am LOVING your reaction videos! I feel like a lot of people are going in with such high hopes of a word-for-word adaptation but I went into it just hoping it would stay true to the overall plot and spirit and honesty looking forward to changes to keep it fresh. Which is how you seem to have also been approaching so I love your detailed reaction :)
I haven’t started watching the show in earnest yet, waiting until I finish my series reread (or at least til the whole show is out so I can just binge it) but as a die hard fan of book Annabeth, while it does mess my immersion to have the characters look so different, the response to this is so disproportionate. Like it’s fine to admit she doesn’t look like the Annabeth that exists in your head. She doesn’t look like the Annabeth that exists in my head. But Leah’s doing a good job in her role as far as what I’ve seen of her. If you are truly just dead set on re experiencing the books exactly as they were; reread them. Adaptations take creative liberties, and if what you really want is something the same as the source material, the books are still there. No one is taking them away from you. Enjoy the adaptation or don’t, but live and let live.
8:28 OMG YESS ME TOO. maybe it’s because i watched the show before reading the books but i felt annabeth was just so funny and and sassy and had moments of vunrebility and I think the book obviously showed that but it didn’t feel the same. I think though if i had read all the books a long time before the show than I think I would have had a completely different perspective because like i grew up and also because i’ve only read the first book so than also could change my opinion and maybe in the other books i would grow to love her more
Mikayla said that you can feel in Leah's performance that Annabeth is a person who has been alone for a very long time - she was disapointed by her mother, by her father, her step mother, and suffered a lot with thalia's death -, but then this goofy boy come around and with just some funny jokes she abslutely softens and honestly I CAN RELATE
yeah, i’ve even seen people go farther in the hate towards the casting in saying that the movies were better. it infuriates me because i remember when everybody hated them, and now suddenly when there’s black annabeth and blonde hair percy, the movies were soooo good. people say that because of how leah looks, she can’t act like annabeth at all but she literally is amazing! for those people, i’m gonna take the books away until they learn their lesson. Also, did you watch the preview for the next episode at the end? it’s making me so much more impatient!!!! 😅
R.R.'s use of myth is so special. It is an anachronism, in the best way. It pulls from the stories tropes, images, and motifs to tell a story to inspire the current world. You remarked on the adaptation choices to capitalize both on the format and casting, and it reflects R.R.'s attitude about his story's moral and anachronism. Your reflections on series reminded of line concerning the reality of gods in one of the books. The gods are real because they reflections of the dreams of "the West." They change as those dreams change. Thanks for reasserting his message with charm, light-heartedness, and fun. I enjoy being reminded of the books while visiting the Disney+ series.
I love Annabeth's portrayal on the show. I remember thinking Annabeth was lowkey too stiff during the first book. She barely gets close to Percy imo. They've been doing well building that relationship with more interactions and more focus on their different points of view. Also, I'll never understand the racists and homophobes that sometimes show up in the fandom saying that Rick somehow "sold himself" to "being woke for clout" with all the inclusiveness. Like... hello? Have you read the books? This man started this series to make neurodivergent feel included. He didn't want kids who were different feel that those differences were what made them a failure, instead he made them feel like strengths. Inclusivity has always been his primary goal. Him including poc and queer characters later on only expands that same goal, not the opposite.
Girlfriend, I've had kind of an icky day so where I had to get up early for no reason and then have had massive computer issues....but this video just put a huge smile on my face!!! Been LOVING your episode reactions!!!! Few thoughts: -Your take on the displays of Percy's heroism in the books vs the show is PHENOMENAL. You're ABSOLUTELY right that a) this is all more realistic to who Percy is at this point and b) that we care more about his relationships with Annabeth and Grover than anything else. (Yeah, I've also gone back and watched that bait and switch a million times. It's SO freaking slick!!!! 😆) -Same thing goes for your analysis about the trio's awareness of the monsters around them. Percy assuming the cop is "a werewolf or something" is not only hilarious but also really great characterization! There's no point in dumbing any of them down! Percy just killed Medusa and Alecto! He's gonna be on his toes! It's also an awesome execution of a red herring for the subsequent Echidna "reveal". -The show is doing an IMMACULATE job with the portrayals of Percy's relationship to his father, Annabeth's relationship to her mother and Percy and Annabeth's relationship to each other. Percy is really going to be the ONE PERSON in Annabeth's life who has ever shown her that love isn't conditional. Something he learned from his mother. Because he sure as hell didn't learn that from his father who he's right to have ZERO faith in at this point. Poseidon hasn't given him any reason to...until now, so it'll definitely be interesting to see how Percy's feelings toward him continue to evolve from this point on. But, as you said, it was also very much noted how Percy didn't take a breath until the Nereid told him to trust himself. -On that note, YES, the episode was short....but I kind of really LOVED that it ended on that scene in particular. Because after some serious denial of who he is and what he's capable of in the first episodes, this was the moment where he finally accepted who he is and honed his power. And by ending the episode there, it literally allowed the moment a whole WEEK to breathe. It's probably a LOT for Percy to process....and we as an audience were given the opportunity to process it alongside him instead of immediately moving on to the next thing. That being said.....if Percy doesn't have a REACTION™ to learning he can do that at the beginning of the episode tonight, I'm suing Rick.
I can somewhat understand why people dislike the casting of anabeth chase. Most of them are probably like me, who's spent more than 6 years with this series. I've always imagined watching her for the first time on tv would be very accurate to the books but it wasn't with the tv series. The second episode was therefore quite a shock to me because I thought the disney series would be accurate to the T. But when I got into the later episodes I kind of understood WHY they cast her to be anabeth. She may not look like in the books but she delivers her lines almost perfectly. The third episode was also where I actually understood what the series was. It's not a proper adaptation of the series. It's more so like a reimagination of the pjo universe. Moreover uncle ricks passion for the disney series showed me that she couldn't possibly have been chosen because 'she looked a certain way' but because she was good at acting. I think I will simply take a while to get used to her. Even though i believe she fits, she doesn't look the way that ive imagined she would look like for the past 6 years. I truly believe that in a few days that I'll come to love her just as I came to love her in the books. Tldr: i think she plays anabeth pretty well, but itl just take me a few more days to get used to her.
In the arch falling scene, I imagined the hole was made on the wall facing the water(the fire ball shot at him). So I think that is what gave him the ability to jump off at the 33° angle mentioned and reaching the water (that and having godly legs ig)
My ONLY complaint about Leah Jeffries is that i wish she enunciated a bit more. Im not sure if she's mumbling, but sometimes i wish she spoke a bit clearer. Other than that, she fully embodies Annabeth, and im glad she got the role. All of the kids are doing such a great job!
Hearing you read Rick’s quotes made me cry! 🥹 Spot on! I’m loving the character development but I do wish the actions scenes were slightly longer. I don’t need it to be massive, but I feel that’s what makes Percy more formidable than most YA protagonists. Also wish they had kept the mermaid talking to Percy in the River, so you can see that his dad cares about him, but I guess by getting the water to pull him in, we see that already. ❤ Thank you for making these videos, Mikaila! It’s so fun watching them with you!
Also I was so ready to watch the new episode and went to turn on Disney plus and then when it wasn’t there, I screamed “No it’s Mondayyyyy!” 😂. Did I mention that I read all 5 books in 5 days and now I’m in Seaweed brain withdrawal? 😅
So I read some comment somewhere where they explained something very important about Annabeth’s character (paraphrasing): Annabeth was blonde in the books because blonde’s were seen (and still, but not so much thanks to 2000s media) as dumb and only a pretty face, and Annabeth showed them otherwise. Now Leah’s Annabeth is black, and has to win against all the stereotypes against that fact. Meaning that while being stereotyped as blonde and stupid can still be a thing, for the year we are in, it is much more important to break the stereotypes against people of colour
preach! loving the show, but watching this increased my appreciation. This video made me realize why I find your funny videos so entertaining. They work because you have such a deep understanding of the material. Thank you. sidenote: nice Guardian lightsaber. :)
I hadn't read Rick's entrance of his blog about Leah, but I've already said to someone on Instagram (cause I'm constantly defending Leah 🤣) that people who keep complaining about her looks, even when her portrayal and even her offscreen personality are perfect for Annabeth, those people definitely don't know Rick and never understood nothing of what he's written
I love watching yours and the mythology guys reviews on this show, when watching him he gives the mythology loving perspective and the deep looks into what the books and series is based off, when watching your reviews it gives me the book lovers perspective, the perspective of someone who is not only a newer fan but someone who has a deep love for the books and other book series. Boy i wonder what youll think of the rumours harry potter reboot series being made
Leah is doing an AMAZING job at playing Annabeth. I’m just hoping that the show gives her more scenes to showcase her intelligence saving them from situations cuz I feel like so far it’s been focused (understandably) on Percy’s heroism. But I have major major hopes especially for the upcoming seasons and hope that Disney increases their budget even more so they can have longer episodes and more intense scenes (I for one love action scenes when done tastefully :D)
I'm gonna say it, Mikaila's reactions are now my favourite Percy Jackson reactions! She both acknowledges how good the books are, how good a job the show is doing in adapting them, and how the changes are necessary and good for the story.
She fell first, he fell harder (off the arch)
Also the fact that Annabeth did everything to respect her mother for Athena to let a monster murder her while Percy got saved by the father he had been dissing for days💀
“he fell harder off the arch” HAHAHA 😭💀
@@magicbymikailahave you finished your review for book two yet? Sorry i dont mean to bug you, but id love to see your reqctions to all the best parts of it.
No but why is that something that feels totally correct?
Athena: how dare you make a bad comment about me? I shall send doom your way and curse your next 5 generations if you ever live long enough to it
Poseidon: ooooh so you're rebellious? Kind of unstable and rough like the sea? Nice. Here's some pocket change, go buy smth with this sand dollar
I think it is telling of what each god valued. Annabeth was "stupid" to let Percy send Medusa's head to Olympus while Percy was bold and then courageous.
The first line is like a watered down version Mark of Athena
Another thing about Percy falling and the water reaching out to save him rather than him jumping and trusting his father is that it reflects the conversation he has with annabeth earlier in the episode about earning love. Percy doesn’t have to prove his faith to someone who has never helped him in order to be saved by his father because that’s not how a parent should love their child.
It also fixed another thing which was that it’s actually more accurate to the real St Louis arch, since Riordan originally thought the Mississippi River was right below it
@@HydroniteTBidk why this is making me laugh. Just imagining Riordan writing this really tense scene and being like, "yeah this is perfect" and once it's published, someone leans over to whisper in his ear and he just... "THE RIVER IS WHERE??"
Yeah it always itched me the wrong way that THE KIDS have to prove themselves and if they don't then they deserve the suffering and it's ultimately their fault?
I rarely to never felt good or proud whenever the gods actually praise them and approve of their actions. Because like, they ain't doing this out of the goodness of their heart and love for you! They believe the kids actually LOVE doing this for them when in actuality they just want to live and be loved? They're so self-centered and petty that I just wanted the demigods to just continue the greek cycle of overthrowing their parents. It's so frustrating knowing that, even after all these books, their fate is still not on their hands. They will continue playing by the gods hands and _maybe_ live a good life and die not by torture.
@@EtamirTheDemiDeer Tgf, as a non american, it made total sense to me, I just thought the Arch was a famous bridge XD
@@EtamirTheDemiDeerI’m pretty sure that it was his exact reaction. Like he was horrified when he realized it was that high up and he just thought the Arch was like a normal bridge XD
THE SHADE THESE MONSTERS HAVE TOWARDS TEENAGERS IS SO HILARIOUS 😭😭
hahaha fr like you’re the mother of all monsters and you’re out here beefing with 12 year olds 😭
@@magicbymikaila the comment alecto made about thalia actually had me dying 💀 the beef is real.
@@magicbymikailai mean, if these kids had been killing me and my ilk over and over for millennia i'd have some serious beef with their kind too
@@edoardoprevelato6577 Yeah, but most of the Heroes were adults in the greek age, now they're targeting children XD
@@krankarvolund7771 Seems more like the children are targetting them and they are only acting in self-defense.
IKR I WAS LIKE "where is that dam poodle?”😂
*the dam poodle???*
*dam. poodle???*
(ref to the hoover dam chapter thing)
Probably with the dam snack bar
Has anyone heard of Keeper Of The Lost Cities? In a way, it’s very similar to Harry Potter.
@@HalfMoon-1010I LOVE KOTLC
SOKEEFE FOR LIFE
@@angelinacave6576 probably eating the dam dog food
I loved the parallel between Annabeth and Medusa in these last two episodes!
We have two women who worshipped Athena (almost to a fault) who in a moment of weakness looked towards her for protection, but were rejected because Athena was “embarrassed” of something they did that really wasn’t their fault. Also Medusa was screwed over by Poseidon and Annebeth was rejected because of Percy, a son of Poseidon’s, actions.
What I like about it also is that neither Poseidon nor Percy are even morally at fault for their actions (in the show, in the book Poseidon apparently met with Medusa in Athena's temple, she has a right to be ticked at him). it's all down to Athena being super sensitive and spiteful on both occasions. Poseidon fell in love with Medusa, making her feel more valued than Athena ever had, so Athena cursed her for all eternity. Percy sent Medusa's head as a message to the gods, comments must have been made about Athena not dealing with Medusa herself, so she was going to let one of her daughters get killed because she was embarrassed. Athena is a piece of work in the show.
@@Nargon46 I agree that Percy didn’t do anything super morally wrong. However, I’m not willing to extend that same branch to Poseidon. In one version of the myth, Medusa is actually SA’d by Poseidon, and that seems to be the version they’re going with in the show (there’s a pretty deliberate use of words like ‘survivor’ and I think ‘victim’). Even in other version where in was consensual, it’s still a god and a mortal (which is a serious power imbalance) and I still don’t think Poseidon gets off scott-free.
The big point isthat gods have too much pride on themselves. However the only reason why I am actually giving Poseidon (PJO-verse) some credit is because he at least is willing to do his best to make amends with his son. Another cool thought is how there is a connection between Sally and Medusa. I honestly think with this retelling of Medusa being in love with Poseidon, it wouldn’t be as bad if it wasn’t for Athena. Athena was the one to turn Medusa into a Gorgon. Medusa would still resent Poseidon but she would still at least be alive and well. But that’s my honest opinion
That was Rick Riordan, not whoever tf wrote this shit.
@@nicklausrichardson5927 Rick Riordan wrote this show...
I loved the shift from Percy saving the bystanders to him saving Annabeth and Grover, because it slightly higlights his fatal flaw, loyalty, and tbh, i do care more about Annabeth and Grover than a bunch of people, (no offence)
*Spoilers! If you haven’t read the books, you might not want to read!*
My take on why Percy decided to help the gods in the war and not Kronos is for a couple reasons.
1. Unlike Luke and the others who deserted Camp Half Blood, Percy’s life was directly messed up by Kronos. Kronos was the reason for everything that happened in the first book. If Kronos didn’t steal the bolt and helm then he would have had no reason to go on a quest. He also discovered that most of the gods had reasons for why they sent monsters after him such as thinking it was him who stole their symbols of powers.
2. His fatal flaw is personal loyalty. And despite what most might think, I don’t believe it is loyalty to the gods that made him fight Luke. He was loyal to Chiron, the only adult besides his mom to show care towards him. He was loyal to Grover, his first and oldest friend. He was loyal to Annabeth, the girl who told him that she would go against her mother and fight on Percy’s side while they were in the illegal animal transport truck. He was loyal to Sally, his mom who still had nice things to say about his dad.
He was later loyal to Hermes who showed care for his son and showed Percy that the gods do care. He was loyal to Apollo after Apollo helped them during the quest because he cared for his sister so much. He was loyal to Artemis after the third quest. He gained a small amount of respect for many gods and goddesses during the third quest because they showed that they do care. He even gained respect for Mr D.
In my opinion, Percy would have joined Kronos or been tempted at the very least if the people he cared about joined him.
This also makes it so that it is understandable in the tv show for Percy to fight on the side of the gods. Even if most people don’t realize it, Percy doesn’t actually respect or like many of the gods in the books until they prove themselves to be worthy of it. Only after that is he loyal to them and will fight to protect them. Percy’s loyalty is to camp.
Real
Also just the fact that Kronos'plan is to destroy the entire world and genocide all humans. Only his human followers like Luke and Ethan were dumb enough to believe in the whole "the strongest of us will rebuild"
Exactly and that’s why (spoilers) I think that he was tempted by opening Pandoras jar as surrender, because it was a way to save those he cared about. He didn’t care so much about Olympus standing but about a world that those he was loyal to could thrive as best they could.
Yep. TV Percy has been kind of on his own his whole life, but camp immediately accepted him and told him that there is nothing wrong with him.
Percy's loyalty is to camp. Absolutely 💯✨
As one of my friends told me, "Annabeth is so mature" and thats both a great and sad thing. Annabeth was forced to mature earlier because of her childhood neglect. But that ultimately makes her strong at Camp. And the end of the day though, she's just a 12 year old girl.
i thought annabeth was older- man i need to reread the series
i personally think the action scenes aren’t that long on purpose because percy can barely fight he literally just learned what he is AND barely stayed at camp to train. so it’s a realistic in a sense that he can’t hold an actual fights with the outside world monsters he’s easily defeated
He doesn't even fight these monsters for a longer time in book 1 anyways lol
Big agree. I’m sure by season two the action will improve.
I just thought it had to do with the run time of the episodes not being very long, but now that you mention that, it makes much more sense. I didn't really think of that.
The fights are short because big D doesn't want to/can't pay for longer action scenes. We barely see the Chimera, it's not like they had that many effects shots to do, it's not exactly Stranger Things. At least the budget seems to have been well spent so far, what's onscreen looks awesome, love the location shooting, there just needs to be a couple more scenes to make the episodes a reasonable length.
We need just the fight with Ares to be good that was his only epic fight in book 1 exept Clarisa and the Children of Ares where Percy breaks her spear 😅😅
I love Leah. She manages to portray Annabeth in a way that shows her maturity in the mythological world, and her slight immaturity in the human world, due to the length of time she's been at camp. Not to mention the complexity and the layers she shows, the foreshadowing of her fatal flaw, the depth of her emotional trauma, and how essential she is to this story. Her chemistry with Aryan and Walker is amazing, and I can't wait to see more of her, and of them. Leah is the best.
Totally agree. She's amazing
I like her too but that doesn’t change the fact that if the roles were reversed and and she was written as a person of color in books that she would ever be portrayed by a Caucasian on screen because there is an agenda against it in Hollywood. Other then that I think she is perfect
@@sethricketts563 no one was talking about that, but since you brought it up for no reason, the reason poc characters being played by white actors is controversial is because there is way more white representation in every genre of everything than there is poc representation. If the playing fields were already even, it wouldn't matter. But they aren't, so it does matter.
What I love about this whole episode is the parallel storytelling at play the whole time. Annabeth telling Percy that she had to earn her respect with Thalia, how important it is for them to respect their godly parents, and how humans act the same. How Annabeth is basically proven right when Athena allows her daughter to be almost killed over basically nothing, and how all that reinforces Percy's assumption at the end that there is no way Poseidon would have healed him, solidifying his choice to stay behind and cover their escape. The way it ends with the sea spirit telling him that Poseidon will always be there for him is a great emotional payoff to the turmoil Percy has been going through the last couple of episodes, and very validating of Percy's correct feelings that parents, even immortal ones, should love their kids unconditionally. The humanizing factor to Poseidon compared to most of the other gods is part of what makes Percy the hero that he is. You get the idea that Poseidon is a little different to the others, a little more genuine, and that he really did and maybe still does love Percy's mother. And yeah, I also love that even though Medusa was thoroughly evil, she had a point about Athena being spiteful and easily offended. It's excellent writing it just should have been longer, it's a distractingly short episode. I also really like the change of having Percy get poisoned at the start of the episode instead of right before he jumps in the book, used a book element and turned it into a good dramatic tool to use for later. On a production note, I like the subtle makeup change they used on Percy when he and Annabeth are talking inside the arch, he looks a little pale and his eyes are just sunken enough to tell that there is something wrong. Also them splashing water on him cracked me up so hard its just such a funny visual XD. 9/10 episode, would have been a 10 but for the length.
Absolutely love everything you said here!! 👏🏼
When I was watching Percy and Annabeth talking in the arch and it cut to Percy saying things about how he doesn't want anything from his dad I did notice how he looked a little more pale than usual. Also, when Annabeth says "I think you were about to call me a friend" it shows Percy again and you can definitely tell that something is wrong because his eyes look droopy and you can see in his facial expression that he also knows something is wrong. Thank you for pointing that out!
"it's like you want me to make fun of you." such a brilliant line
This episode was so short😭
And I agree! This episode changed my opinion on Leah as Annabeth. At first I didn’t love her acting, but I’ve noticed (especially after watching the episode a second time) those hints of pain and fear and emotion that she slips into scenes. Not everyone can do that. It really shows her talent, especially at such a young age❤
Hopefully the last few eps are longer
Glad it wasn't just me, I was wasn't sure if it was the writing or the acting but I was not a Show Annabeth fan until now. Hopefully the writing keeps improving for her and the boys. And yeah, the episode length was, frankly unacceptable. D+ shows are honestly so cheap compared to other platforms.
Well, like she said before, book Annabeth also wasn't that likable until Percy got to know her better along the quest. She starts out very closed off. So this works great, just hard for us who know Annabeth well from all of the books to remember that we didn't start off knowing her that well.
@@EyeMCreative yes I’m excited to see her open up more and become friends with the boys.
Overall, I just think annabeth is one of the best characters in the series. She’s very underrated and I just love the way the show portrays her (so far). Also I love your videos 🫶💕
Edit: Also I feel like the main thing I have against the show (although I love it) is that the run time of the episodes. Like if they were each an hour long I feel like the action sequences would have more focus, rather than other things. For example, in the mrs. Dodds scene, instead of an actual action sequence in the book and movie, Percy just sort of fumbled with Riptide until it went through her and she just disintegrated. Like I need more action!
Right I would’ve loved hour long episodes, I hope they make them longer for the next season! I think His Dark Materials on hbo was a good example of how much more you can do with adaptations in hour long episode formats, they really devoted a ton of time to world-building on that show and it paid off! 👏🏼
Yeah, specifically this episode. The chimera sequence seemed really cut off to me, and i think they could have done a lot more with more run time.
@magicbymikaila ive commented this on 2 of your videos, i think. You should definitely read the lunar chronicles. They are 4 books, loosely based on classic fairy tales, (cinderella, red riding hood, rapunzel, snow white), set in a futuristic world, expertly plotted amd written, keeping the essential stry of the fairy tales while still being unique and new, sci-fi that is meant for women. I would personally say that it is YA, but children can also read it. What i mean by that is, it has more adult topics,politics racism the meaning of love, but not really anything that parents would be apalled by their kids reading, ie, swearing, sex scenes, etc. I first read it in late elementary school, read it again 6 times, and then bought the series a few months ago. You should read it. Based on your love for star wars, and some fantasy books such as percy jackson and harry potter, i think you would like it a lot. ❤
@@magicbymikaila His dark materials is my favourite when it comes to show adaptations of famous book series. I just love how they gave justice to the story, and how true to the books they've kept it. I'm just sad it didn't get more attention 😢
I mean the action sequences are usually short. Also keep in mind watching action is much faster than reading it.
Echidna being a Karen type of character honestly fit so well, so I’m genuinely loving the fact that they’re sort of modernizing some of the aspects of their characterization and making all of it more realistic.
Also the fact the mortals didn’t see the Chimera as those crusty white dogs (you know the ones) was such a missed opportunity because I swear those dogs are not real, they’re like hell spawns but we can’t see them as mortals.
reading this while my small crusty white dog is sitting in my lap rn
@@swiftie_moonchild I’m sorry for your loss
jkjk, but I just find it funny that one particular type of dog is just known for being absolute demons
@@HydroniteTB omg i genuinely had to reread my own comment so many times trying to figure out where i made u think she was dead😭😭😭 lmaoooo ur so right tho i used to be terrified of small dogs they are very yappy
@@swiftie_moonchild oh, no I was just making a joke about you having the type of dog notorious for being mini devils lmao
@@HydroniteTB ya i figured it out lmao it was actually such a funny joke too😭😭
"I just made myself sad" me when I think of all the emotional damage Uncle Rick did to us throughout all of the books
fr when jason died thooo
@@Mushi-YTwe don't talk abt that. In my heart he's still ok somehow
@@Mushi-YTpour one out for jason, number one character most hated by his own creator 😭😭😭 and i just HAD to make him my favorite….. and this is why ToA don’t exist to me, peace and love ❤❤❤
@@another_julia honestly he was one of my faves too... 😭 I didn't read trials for years bc of that. But when I did, it had such importance and impact that I actually accepted it (still hurts tho)
Please don't call him that. It makes you sound like a creepy stalker.
Finally someone who gets why Annabeth didn’t give up on luke so easily ! A lot of people down play their friendship and genuine (not romantic)love for each other .
Wow I love what the author said about the show's Annabeth.
I am loving the show and since I haven't read the books I can't comment on how it is an adaptation, but it is very good and even as someone who did enjoy the movies, I can clearly see that the show is superior, not just as a book adaptation, but as a piece of media in general, and I love how you tie it all together allowing those us of who didn't red the books to gain extra perspective, and I just love that you're sharing your love of these series with us! ❤
❤ i love this, and I love your take on this show. I love to read and see the thoughts and feelings and reactions and analysis to people new to the story and characters.
I get the feeling you already know, but just in case I wanted to clarify: in the books annabeth is white, with long, curly, very blonde hair and storm-gray eyes. There's even a whole thing about the dumb blonde stereotype. And considering the current state of society and the backlash to previous castings of black women for previously considered white characters has been huge. Especially considering Leah's age and how beloved this series is, how big the fandom, that must've been terrifying. Hell, I was terrified for her. I hope it wasn't as bad as some of was were afraid it would be, I hope the production team and her family managed to shield her from it as best as possible, at the very least from direct exposure.
Rick's words... they mean so, so much. And she is undeniably an amazing Annabeth.
Edit: lmao wrote this before finishing the video sorry 😅
I saw someone complain annabeth is played too sad and closed off. Who wouldnt be sad and closed off after all shes experienced 😭 Leah is doing such a good job. She looks so adorable and you hope she gets a chance to soften up without anything bad hapoening to make her regret doing so.
I kind of think the change with Percy falling instead of jumping is a lot more accurate to him as a new demigod. Aside from the Medusa fight, all of the other monster kills have sort of felt accidental/unplanned.
The fights most likely are shorter due to budget constraints, but only Annabeth is a somewhat seasoned fighter. These fights wouldn't be drawn out. I'm really enjoying seeing Percy somewhat fumble his way through fights. We can see Percy improving incrementally each episode as he learns more about his powers.
That message from Rick at the end was incredible! So glad he's sticking to his guns and defending Annabeth's casting! She's been great so far!
He's being a good "parent"
AHHH THE QUEEN, WISE GIRl,DAUGTER OF ATHENA, ARCHITECT AND THE BEST PERCY JACKSON OLYMPIANS CHARACTER!!!! I love her. She is so well developed and I found her fatal flaw interesting.
SHE IS THE ONE THE ONLY ANNABETH, LOVE INTEREST OF PROTAGONIST, BELOVED DAUGHTER OF ATHENA, AND HAS NEVER KNOWN DEFEAT
yesssss my people!!
Annie is the QUEEN!!!! ❤😅
As someone who was inspired by these books at a young age, that last part of your video hit hard because you can hear the disappointment in the way he chose to write the words to address the ones who don't like the casting. I love the casting for the trio, and I'm really glad that Rick is supporting it. I also wish the poodle had been in there!
Love Rick does copious amounts of research to subtle add in greek mythology to everything. Forgets to research architecture to make an epic scene. Love it. Very human. Very rule of cool. Its perfect.
And the way the show handles it visual is also amazing.
I especially loved that the "just breathe" line reflects the flashback scene where he's at swimming lessons with his mom. It's something that connects him to his mom and leads him to trust that message!
honestly, leah is a great fit for annabeth.
No but we really cannot praise Leah enough for her acting when she was telling Percy and Grover about what Echidna had told her. The scene was less than a minute long and there wasn't all that much dialogue but you could tell so much about how Annabeth was feeling from Leah's expressions; worried about disappointing her mom, mad at Percy, mad at herself, mad at her mom for being disappointed in the fist place, trying to figure out what to do now that the plan to ask Athena for help wasn't an option. Annabeth had a thousand different thoughts going through her head in that scene and Leah somehow managed to convey all of those emotions through her expressions. The acting in this show is so good. Not just good for a kid's TV show but genuinely good.
I am glad these themes surrounding parenting are coming up so strongly. Nowadays we have plenty of absent parents, kids that feel invisible, overwhelmed or that don't know how to deal with social organization and coexistence. It could initiate some great dialogue that we already see among educators/school staff.
Edit: Regarding Annabeth, I gotta say she always irritated me back when I read the books, but I also admired her. When the movies came out I was more annoyed than in awe. Now, I think Leah is lovely in this role. Since the first episode I liked her energy and honesty. Also, Annabeth's inner conflicts are coming to life as the show goes on. You can see how skilled and confident she is, but there is this underlying vulnerability and insecurity that leaves space for growth and bonding. What a great casting choice (and definitely an improved script) 😊
Leah is doing an amazing job! I recently reread the books and was a little taken aback/ had forgotten about annabeth’s bossiness and excessive sarcasm in the first couple books. Leah was the one who helped me realize that she’s a literal child who has had a total of two friends ever and, for all her wisdom, still lacks some reflective ability. She brings so much depth to the character and I can’t wait to see her grow!
"I'm a cat person so I think it's kind of cute, Oh kitty breaths fire never mind it's scary." 😂😂😂😂
The entire chase family is messed up. Both annabeth’s dad and her aunt had a kid with a god. Her uncle is crazy. Annabeth herself if the daughter of Athena and possibly a descendant of Frey(who is her cousin’s dad). This girl needed therapy before she was born
She's a descendant of frey. It's said that th chase family descends frm th line of th yngling kings, whose 1^ rulers were sons of frey. This makes annabeth both a demigoddess n effectively a legacy, albeit frm a different pantheon
Most of the fights on the lightning thief were Short in the book . Even ares calls Percy out on this telling him that all he’s done in the quest is run away
Leah kills me every time because gods she kills it.
I love love love the way she's portraying Annabeth, and her on the show has made me appreciate the character all the more, especially thanks to the development we've seen in the writing...
What you mentioned about Luke & Annabeth's dynamic especially, and then Annabeth's relationship with her mother.
Like it does feel as if things are getting better foreshadowing and development, in some key ways
oh hell yeah rick ate with that statement! i also didnt know about the post he made so thank you for putting it in omg
Every episode in this series has made me cry every episode that I have watched so far. I have a lot of anxiety and I am also neurodiverget so the world outside my bedroom can be in possible to me. For some reason this series makes me feel less aloe and has healed some of my child hood trauma by making the characters so perfect and relatable.
I was so hyped after watching tonight's episode (episode 5) that I went on Reddit to try and find people to fangirl with...
Bad plan, bad plan. It's so negative and salty. So instead I'll just rewatch all your videos so far so that I have somebody to be excited with. Thanks for sharing your joy with us, I'm so glad to have these videos!!
I feel the same! The way Annabeth is portrayed in this series fully encapsulates who she is and her past experiences, plus Leah is gorgeous and absolutely brings Annabeth to every scene she's in, I've started rereading from the very beginning, The lightning thief book, just so I can picture the actors as the characters, of course also because my favorite characters get introduced as you progress into the other series' in the PJO universe, its truly beautiful what they've done so far and I am so extremely hyped for more of this series and also your reactions to it! ❤
Your reading of Riordan’s quote to end the video was sublime. Well done
As someone who only read the books after watching the show, I feel like Leah Sava Jeffries definitely helped me to visualise Annabeth better and with more expression.
I'm gonna be so honest here. As a twelve year old reading Percy Jackson, I was almost as oblivious as them as to all the monsters around them. As an older person, I am astounded by my own stupidity.
I agree I also love Annabeth in the books and in the show. She's been my favorite characters in the books when I first read them and especially this made me love her even more in the show.
Rick always has the best quotes, whether its one of his works of fiction or otherwise. Leah has been great, but I feel like it's been a lot of subtle moments. I'm really hoping we get some big moments in episode 5 (which it seems like we might)
I originally was surprised at Leah playing Annabeth but she is SOOO PERFECT for the role omg- she is so good at being sassy, and as you said, the way she kinda looks sad sometimes too. The whole cast is so great, and I love all of them :D
I was so blown away even with her first scene with Percy how Annabeth she was 😭 Like her expressions and like delivery is so on point like THIS IS ANNABETH fr!
I am so happy you made clear in the intro that PJO movie and show didn't have the talking pink poodle, loved that scene in the book, even if it was only two pages!
I love watching your videos and i totally agree Leah is such a great Annabeth! It was so iconic when percy smoothly switched places with Annabeth to fight the chimera.❤️
The pink pooodle was never found😭
wow those quotes you stated at the end of the video were moving! They were very well written and really "close the book" on any discussion in that realm. I hope everyone watches till the end.
uncle rick slayed with that blog post. i always felt that the hate towards leah with the only argument being her physical appearance was racist, but i couldnt really put my thoughts into words. this is why uncle rick is such a good writer and why he's a teacher 💯💯
i cant WAIT for your reaction to episode 5!!!!
that scene in the arch, where Percy switches places with Annabeth was just SO character-accurate I almost cried, bc his fatal flaw is Loyalty, so he is being loyal to his friends, not to anyone else
That thing Rick wrote about Leah made me cry so much i can not explain why
Adding to what you said about the "jump"-scene 4:11
Spoiler if you have not read the first 5 books!
I also like this change because it shows percys (as we learn in the books) fatal flaw: being loyal to his friends and not being able to leave them behind. He knows he is poisoned and has a chance of getting out but he doesn't even think about leaving Annabeth alone to fight against the chimera and the whole move of how he tricks her to leave with grover is just so Percy!
I loved the scene of Echidna talking about how demigods are dangerous creatures who blindly do the bidding of the gods, and if monsters have any purpose it’s to stand in the way of “monsters” (demigods). This is a theme that is definitely explored in the books, but it develops slowly over the entire Percy Jackson series, and even the Heroes of Olympus series. I’m really excited at how nuanced they are making the various sides of this war and the depth they are exploring within the monsters themselves. I think it’s setting up some really impactful decisions and emotional payoffs. I was hoping to hear your thoughts on this characterization of demigods as the real monsters, but I’m sure they’ll continue to explore that in the coming episodes.
Exactly! I will always choose a good actor who can play the right emotions over matching the look of the book. It's really hard to get good child actors. I'm really enjoying this adaptation.
Things I loved about this episode:
*1)* The look on Sally Jackson's face after Percy assumes she'll always be there. All parents expect their children will outlive them, but I could feel her thinking _"I'm certain I'll die tragically and prematurely."_
*2)* The diversion of the kids' room being broken into (feels odd a black character was the most standoffish with a cop, but whatever), and that being how they meet Echidna. I like how the show is taking a different path to get to the same plot points. It's like replaying a videogame and making different choices.
*3)* Echidna getting more personality through her conversation with the kids (I did miss the namesake joke, though).
*4)* Percy showing a dismissive attitude towards Poseidon. I get why he had more of an internal back-and-forth about whether he wanted his father's attention/approval in the book, but I also like Percy saying _"He had his chance to reach out to me and he didn't, so screw him."_ Between this and Medusa's portrayal last episode, I wonder if this adaptation will be more critical of the gods than the books.
*5)* Annabeth and Grover splashing Percy in the fountain. No notes.
*6)* Annabeth's plan to take refuge at a monument to Athena, only to learn she'd shot herself in the foot by letting Percy send Medusa's head to Olympus.
*7)* Percy using his sword to push Annabeth and Grover behind him so he could close the door on them. Very smooth maneuver.
*8)* Speaking of, Percy deciding to face Echidna and the Chimaera himself, rather than getting stuck with her and only then finding out she was to be his next enemy.
*9)* More of a personal thing than a _Percy Jackson_ thing, but now I know what a Chimaera looks like!
*10)* The water spirit presumably trapping Percy's foot so he'd stick around long enough to listen to her.
*11)* Percy falling and getting saved by Poseidon, rather than jumping voluntarily and putting his faith in Poseidon.
[1) The look on Sally Jackson's face after Percy assumes she'll always be there. All parents expect their children will outlive them, but I could feel her thinking "I'm certain I'll die tragically and prematurely."]
Or was she thinking "I hope _you_ don't die tragically and prematurely"? She knows demigods don't normally have a long life-expectancy. It's why she's trying to teach him to swim. She wants him to have the best chance when the time comes.
I wasn’t really enjoying Annabeth in the show, especially in comparison to how great she was in the books, but this episode is changing my opinion on this portrayal and I’m having much more fun with the TV show’s version.
I think they're trying to slow down Annabeth's progression here a bit so that it feels slow burn.
Same. At first I thought she was that unemotional and distant in the books, but I just reread it and she's actually friends (sorta) with Percy from the get go in the book. It gets complicated when she finds out that he's a son of Poseidon and she feels they have to be rivals like their parents are (which I thought was interesting they didn't bring up in the show). This episode was a good indication that the writing with her is improving, I was not enjoying her much the last two episodes, wasn't sure if it was the writing or the actress but I was definitely uninterested.
@@Nargon46 Agreed. I think the first two episodes struggled in a lot of ways, and one of those casualties was Annabeth's initial reaction to Percy. I see now what they were going for, but without the context it made it feel like Annabeth was just being rude for no particular reason, and that's not her character.
At first I thought it was the actress, but seeing it now, that's a writing decision and Leah is growing on me a lot.
@@Nargon46 I honestly don’t remember if she started like that in the books, because she is so different from the show in the later books, that I kind of forgot that she needs a character arch that they are doing in the show.
Your point about Annabeth’s is insane! I agree 100 %. TBO I wasn’t sure about casting process at all, but after the start of the show I was immediately convinced, that there couldn’t be a much better version of Annabeth actually, the way she lives in her character is amazing to observe!
Thank you for the take on why Leah Jeffries is such a great Annabeth. I've been loving Aryan and Walker from the beginning, but I realized earlier this week why she bugged me, and that is because she is still early Annabeth. I tend to forget the tough scared little kid side of her, that was much more evident early on. So with Leah's portrayal I'm missing the things I love about Annabeth later as she grows. She really is doing an awesome job of TLT Annabeth, and with that shift in my thinking, and going back over TLT in my mind, I appreciate her so much more now! It's been so interesting. I knew I'd love Walker as Percy because I'd seen him in other things and think he's top notch. I fell in love with Aryan as Grover just from the trailers and he's knocking it out of the park! Some of the other casting is so incredibly perfect and there are a few that I'm still iffy on, but waiting to see how it fleshes out.
They are doing such a great job!
nah I reread book 1 and annabeth's character is completly wrong. She's much more annoyed at Percy, she usually figures everything out first. She's better in fights then the two are and has very evident facal expressions. She also is chatty. She talks while she thinks. And we have none of that in the series
Disney is taking me back to my childhood with how they're releasing these episodes once a week. I feel like I'm 12 years old again waiting for Saturday so I can watch the new episode of Pokemon. I love and hate it at the same time, just like I did then. Episode 4 had no business being so short!
I agree, I can’t believe people are still saying “She’s just not Annabeth” just because of her appearance! Not only is her performance so amazing, but even behind the screens you can feel the connection to the character! I really liked this video and yes, they should have really included the poodle.
#LeahisourAnnabeth
Good job I love your analysis between the books and the show. I haven’t read the books in years so this show is just chefs kiss as far as adaptations go. Keep going gurl! And fight for Annabeth to the end lol
From the title: YES IT DID
Btw, the person who plays Percy turned 15 on Friday! And I’m really really happy with the show
Really? Hes the same age as i am! I thought he was 13! 😅 ok now i dont feel wierd about thinking hes cute. 😂
@@humairahkazi2459 ikr!
Ok but isn’t he gonna be in his 20s by the 3rd season😭
@@galarianrapidash9483 wait true 💀
THEY HAVEN’T EVEN STARTED FILMING THE 2ND SEASON
HES GONNA BE 17 WHEN THEY EVEN START
@@slaysayyy 😭
I like how they showed the similarity between Medusa and Annabeth. The fact that Medusa was right when she said that 'she was Annabeth'. For all the loyalty, love and trust of Medusa, Athena punished her for 'embarassing' her and Annabeth fiercely defended her mother, said she was Just, tried stopping Percy from sending the head and for all her dedication and loyalty to Athena, she got punished for 'embarassing' her by 'going along' Percy's plan??
Well looks like Athena is not as just as Annabeth would like to believe and is as much a bully as Medusa said
Thank you for this video, I really loved all your thoughts and how you stood up for Leah. ❤ But seriously, we need longer episodes!
I've been waiting patiently to see your reaction for episode 4, and once again, it didn't disappoint. I really liked the parallels of Thalia sacrificing her life and Percy doing the same thing and saving Annabeth even though he was injured. Not only was he brave, but it also showed what his fatal flaw is really well. Episode 4 was really good, and I loved how much Percabeth we got. I know we'll get even more of them in episode 5. I'm really loving Leah as Annabeth so so much. She's doing such a wonderful job and she really is Annabeth and I won't let anyone tell me different.
As much as I love Annabeth in the book to me she feels like she was clearly written by a man. I think seeing an actual little girl bringing her own essence and mannerisms to the character really adds a lot of realism to her and makes me feel like I can understand her character and why she is the way she is better. Generally all the kids are doing a great job it's clear that they understand and love their characters, and were very well cast.
I’ve always related to Annabeth so much and her tv portrayal is so amazing in highlighting how unfairly she’s treated by the people who are supposed to love her. The way they are showing that Percy is the one to show her unconditional love and what family is supposed to be is so emotional to me and so amazingly relatable to my life. He’d die for her and she’d do anything in her power to keep him alive 😭
I love everything about your videos! Your humour, your skits, your editing and your insights. Thank you for putting them out for us to enjoy!
Literally love all of these watching episode by episode. Love the series and I’m glad you decided to read it!
Mikaila's Percy Jackson arc is making me want to finally give the books a look. It seems like it has some of the same appeal that grabbed us as Potter fans
I think people are right that the action _is_ a little short so far, but I'm hoping they're saving it for the really big action scene towards the end of the season to really give it the time and budget it deserves
I'm hopeful (but not confident) that they are saving the budget for SPOILERS the water effects they are gonna need later. Percy does some serious waterbending in the last couple of chapters, and so help me if they cop out on the Underworld or if the Ares fight isn't given a decent runtime I will flip.
Yes! And admittedly I'm not a big action fan, but I think a huge action scene in every episode would get a bit boring after a while.
Plus, a lot of the words in the books are Percy's commentary during the fight scene and the descriptions of what's going on around him while now, we can see it and hear it happening so they're not going to draw it out forever.
Excited for the next episode- comes out tomorrow! I love Leah as Annabeth! She’s really sweet in interviews and stuff, like- she’s funny and calls adults by ‘Mr/Mrs/Miss [first name]’ and it’s so lovely. I stan Leah!
Also she is so pretty and her style is just amazing
I am LOVING your reaction videos! I feel like a lot of people are going in with such high hopes of a word-for-word adaptation but I went into it just hoping it would stay true to the overall plot and spirit and honesty looking forward to changes to keep it fresh. Which is how you seem to have also been approaching so I love your detailed reaction :)
I haven’t started watching the show in earnest yet, waiting until I finish my series reread (or at least til the whole show is out so I can just binge it) but as a die hard fan of book Annabeth, while it does mess my immersion to have the characters look so different, the response to this is so disproportionate. Like it’s fine to admit she doesn’t look like the Annabeth that exists in your head. She doesn’t look like the Annabeth that exists in my head. But Leah’s doing a good job in her role as far as what I’ve seen of her. If you are truly just dead set on re experiencing the books exactly as they were; reread them. Adaptations take creative liberties, and if what you really want is something the same as the source material, the books are still there. No one is taking them away from you. Enjoy the adaptation or don’t, but live and let live.
Uncle Rick when he realizes that the arch is not close enough to the water for Percy to land in the water😬
8:28 OMG YESS ME TOO. maybe it’s because i watched the show before reading the books but i felt annabeth was just so funny and and sassy and had moments of vunrebility and I think the book obviously showed that but it didn’t feel the same. I think though if i had read all the books a long time before the show than I think I would have had a completely different perspective because like i grew up and also because i’ve only read the first book so than also could change my opinion and maybe in the other books i would grow to love her more
Mikayla said that you can feel in Leah's performance that Annabeth is a person who has been alone for a very long time - she was disapointed by her mother, by her father, her step mother, and suffered a lot with thalia's death -, but then this goofy boy come around and with just some funny jokes she abslutely softens and honestly I CAN RELATE
I absolutely love her as a person and as annabeth. she's such a badass
"I just made myself sad" is a sentence I've said everytime I've talked about the Percy Jackson books 😂
Oh Uncle Rick let everyone know about themselves ps the grouchy Grover scene was hilarious
yeah, i’ve even seen people go farther in the hate towards the casting in saying that the movies were better. it infuriates me because i remember when everybody hated them, and now suddenly when there’s black annabeth and blonde hair percy, the movies were soooo good. people say that because of how leah looks, she can’t act like annabeth at all but she literally is amazing! for those people, i’m gonna take the books away until they learn their lesson.
Also, did you watch the preview for the next episode at the end? it’s making me so much more impatient!!!! 😅
R.R.'s use of myth is so special. It is an anachronism, in the best way. It pulls from the stories tropes, images, and motifs to tell a story to inspire the current world. You remarked on the adaptation choices to capitalize both on the format and casting, and it reflects R.R.'s attitude about his story's moral and anachronism. Your reflections on series reminded of line concerning the reality of gods in one of the books. The gods are real because they reflections of the dreams of "the West." They change as those dreams change. Thanks for reasserting his message with charm, light-heartedness, and fun. I enjoy being reminded of the books while visiting the Disney+ series.
I love Annabeth's portrayal on the show. I remember thinking Annabeth was lowkey too stiff during the first book. She barely gets close to Percy imo. They've been doing well building that relationship with more interactions and more focus on their different points of view.
Also, I'll never understand the racists and homophobes that sometimes show up in the fandom saying that Rick somehow "sold himself" to "being woke for clout" with all the inclusiveness. Like... hello? Have you read the books? This man started this series to make neurodivergent feel included. He didn't want kids who were different feel that those differences were what made them a failure, instead he made them feel like strengths. Inclusivity has always been his primary goal. Him including poc and queer characters later on only expands that same goal, not the opposite.
Girlfriend, I've had kind of an icky day so where I had to get up early for no reason and then have had massive computer issues....but this video just put a huge smile on my face!!! Been LOVING your episode reactions!!!!
Few thoughts:
-Your take on the displays of Percy's heroism in the books vs the show is PHENOMENAL. You're ABSOLUTELY right that a) this is all more realistic to who Percy is at this point and b) that we care more about his relationships with Annabeth and Grover than anything else. (Yeah, I've also gone back and watched that bait and switch a million times. It's SO freaking slick!!!! 😆)
-Same thing goes for your analysis about the trio's awareness of the monsters around them. Percy assuming the cop is "a werewolf or something" is not only hilarious but also really great characterization! There's no point in dumbing any of them down! Percy just killed Medusa and Alecto! He's gonna be on his toes! It's also an awesome execution of a red herring for the subsequent Echidna "reveal".
-The show is doing an IMMACULATE job with the portrayals of Percy's relationship to his father, Annabeth's relationship to her mother and Percy and Annabeth's relationship to each other. Percy is really going to be the ONE PERSON in Annabeth's life who has ever shown her that love isn't conditional. Something he learned from his mother. Because he sure as hell didn't learn that from his father who he's right to have ZERO faith in at this point. Poseidon hasn't given him any reason to...until now, so it'll definitely be interesting to see how Percy's feelings toward him continue to evolve from this point on. But, as you said, it was also very much noted how Percy didn't take a breath until the Nereid told him to trust himself.
-On that note, YES, the episode was short....but I kind of really LOVED that it ended on that scene in particular. Because after some serious denial of who he is and what he's capable of in the first episodes, this was the moment where he finally accepted who he is and honed his power. And by ending the episode there, it literally allowed the moment a whole WEEK to breathe. It's probably a LOT for Percy to process....and we as an audience were given the opportunity to process it alongside him instead of immediately moving on to the next thing. That being said.....if Percy doesn't have a REACTION™ to learning he can do that at the beginning of the episode tonight, I'm suing Rick.
Thank you so much for adding Rick’s quotes at the end.
She’s Annabeth, they need to get over it.
Doenst matter she is not a good actress
@@geniusgamerr4517 that’s your opinion I think she’s great. Still Annabeth.
I can somewhat understand why people dislike the casting of anabeth chase. Most of them are probably like me, who's spent more than 6 years with this series. I've always imagined watching her for the first time on tv would be very accurate to the books but it wasn't with the tv series.
The second episode was therefore quite a shock to me because I thought the disney series would be accurate to the T.
But when I got into the later episodes I kind of understood WHY they cast her to be anabeth.
She may not look like in the books but she delivers her lines almost perfectly.
The third episode was also where I actually understood what the series was. It's not a proper adaptation of the series. It's more so like a reimagination of the pjo universe.
Moreover uncle ricks passion for the disney series showed me that she couldn't possibly have been chosen because 'she looked a certain way' but because she was good at acting.
I think I will simply take a while to get used to her. Even though i believe she fits, she doesn't look the way that ive imagined she would look like for the past 6 years. I truly believe that in a few days that I'll come to love her just as I came to love her in the books.
Tldr: i think she plays anabeth pretty well, but itl just take me a few more days to get used to her.
In the arch falling scene, I imagined the hole was made on the wall facing the water(the fire ball shot at him). So I think that is what gave him the ability to jump off at the 33° angle mentioned and reaching the water (that and having godly legs ig)
3:35 it's ok. I did too. And showed it to my sibling. Then we watched it again another 15 times together. That was just so cool
My ONLY complaint about Leah Jeffries is that i wish she enunciated a bit more. Im not sure if she's mumbling, but sometimes i wish she spoke a bit clearer. Other than that, she fully embodies Annabeth, and im glad she got the role. All of the kids are doing such a great job!
I'm so excited for the new episode tonight!
I'm so sad they skipped a bunch of scenes, but Leah Jeffries is my annabeth I loved this episode
Hearing you read Rick’s quotes made me cry! 🥹 Spot on!
I’m loving the character development but I do wish the actions scenes were slightly longer. I don’t need it to be massive, but I feel that’s what makes Percy more formidable than most YA protagonists.
Also wish they had kept the mermaid talking to Percy in the River, so you can see that his dad cares about him, but I guess by getting the water to pull him in, we see that already. ❤
Thank you for making these videos, Mikaila! It’s so fun watching them with you!
Also I was so ready to watch the new episode and went to turn on Disney plus and then when it wasn’t there, I screamed “No it’s Mondayyyyy!” 😂.
Did I mention that I read all 5 books in 5 days and now I’m in Seaweed brain withdrawal? 😅
So I read some comment somewhere where they explained something very important about Annabeth’s character (paraphrasing): Annabeth was blonde in the books because blonde’s were seen (and still, but not so much thanks to 2000s media) as dumb and only a pretty face, and Annabeth showed them otherwise. Now Leah’s Annabeth is black, and has to win against all the stereotypes against that fact. Meaning that while being stereotyped as blonde and stupid can still be a thing, for the year we are in, it is much more important to break the stereotypes against people of colour
preach! loving the show, but watching this increased my appreciation. This video made me realize why I find your funny videos so entertaining. They work because you have such a deep understanding of the material. Thank you. sidenote: nice Guardian lightsaber. :)
I hadn't read Rick's entrance of his blog about Leah, but I've already said to someone on Instagram (cause I'm constantly defending Leah 🤣) that people who keep complaining about her looks, even when her portrayal and even her offscreen personality are perfect for Annabeth, those people definitely don't know Rick and never understood nothing of what he's written
I love watching yours and the mythology guys reviews on this show, when watching him he gives the mythology loving perspective and the deep looks into what the books and series is based off, when watching your reviews it gives me the book lovers perspective, the perspective of someone who is not only a newer fan but someone who has a deep love for the books and other book series. Boy i wonder what youll think of the rumours harry potter reboot series being made
That isn't a rumor. HBO is planing a Harry Potter series
I LOVE THIS EPISODE SO MUCH
Leah is doing an AMAZING job at playing Annabeth. I’m just hoping that the show gives her more scenes to showcase her intelligence saving them from situations cuz I feel like so far it’s been focused (understandably) on Percy’s heroism. But I have major major hopes especially for the upcoming seasons and hope that Disney increases their budget even more so they can have longer episodes and more intense scenes (I for one love action scenes when done tastefully :D)
UR SO REAL FOR EVERYTHING OH MY GOD U MADE ME CRY
I'm gonna say it, Mikaila's reactions are now my favourite Percy Jackson reactions! She both acknowledges how good the books are, how good a job the show is doing in adapting them, and how the changes are necessary and good for the story.