Speak Now Storyteller

For context I have seen the movies and I have read the book series for the first time a couple years ago. This series had made me want to read them again. Also be sure to keep reading, I will be linking some videos at the end!

This is also an extremely overdue review lol like two years overdue. I just did my third rewatch and the new season just dropped it’s first two episodes. Chile lol.

Summary: 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, is coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god, Zeus, accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt; with his friend’s help, Percy must restore order to Olympus.

Pros:

Cast and Characters. We meet a lot of characters in this show but I’m going to stick with our three leads.

• Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson. Percy Jackson is a 12-year-old boy, who grew up in New York with his mom and later stepdad Gabe. He struggles in school due to his ADHD and dyslexia, plus he always seems to get into trouble. He ends up being thrust into his “destiny” because he is the son of Poseidon, a “forbidden child”, and everyone thinks he stole Zeus’ master bolt and he has to go on a Quest to prove he didn’t but also to save his mom once he finds out she wasn’t killed. Percy is a clever and quick-witted kid, he stands up against bullies and when he doesn’t like something, he generally will say he doesn’t like something. In this first season, we see him grow braver as it goes on and he’s put into situations that require him to stand up for himself and for those he’s beginning to care about. Walker Scobell, I think is a great Percy, I think there’s a lot of opportunity for him to continue to grow into the role. When he gets to be “Persassy” it’s funny and it works for him. I hope they let him do it more often. He feels very Percy in interviews and outside of the show, so I hope the show lets him do it in the actual show.
  • Azriel Dalman as young Percy. I thought this was very good casting because he looked like a young Walker, but he also felt like the same character. Sometimes younger versions of characters don’t always hit on both accounts of looks and synergy, but I think they got it with this one. He was so cute, and I really liked his flashback scenes with Sally. Really good!
• Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase. Annabeth is a daughter of Athena and one of the few half-bloods who have been at camp for 5 years. She is observant, smart, quick on her toes, brave and a bit standoffish. When we first meet her, she’s watching Percy from afar because she thinks he can help her go on a quest due to a prophecy she was told. When she goes on the quest, she takes charge, sometimes a little too much and she finds any chance to tease Percy. She has a connection with Luke and Grover from before, we’re told these things. I think Leah Sava Jeffries is good, and I feel like she’s a great Annabeth, clearly as she was chosen but I have to say, like I said with Walker, she doesn’t get to be much of a character in the show compared to how she has a lot of similarities to Annabeth outside of the show. I’ll get more into this later, but I have to praise each of their performances overall. Also, her chemistry with Walker and Aryan is great when they’re allowed to have great chemistry.
• Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood. Percy’s best friend and a 24-year-old satyr who looks like a teenager. He’s gentle and a voice of reason on the quest and between Percy and Annabeth as they tend to butt heads. He and Percy work very well together, he seems to understand Percy really well (and Annabeth) when they don’t understand each other. He gets a good sequence where he talks to Ares, who keeps him hostage while Percabeth go to find his shield. I don’t think book Grover would have done this, but I didn’t mind that they had him play on Ares’ ego a bit. I like Grover, he’s nervous about things but he isn’t necessarily scared to go into situations and he’s smart. I like Grover and I think Aryan does a great job with him, he feels very safe and calm and balances out the impulsiveness of Percy and the know-it-all nature of Annabeth.

Sally and Percy Jackson. I liked what they did with Sally, I’m not sure if we needed to have these scenes since the episodes were short but I do think they were good changes and additions to the show. It really helped to drive home that Percy is who he is because of his mom. I loved that we got to see her trying to figure out how to raise a demi-god son since she knew it would become dangerous as he got older. I loved the connection that certain things she said to kid Percy would come back to help pre-teen Percy. I don’t hate the fact that she told him stories of Olympus and while I didn’t mind her relationship with Gabe, I do wish he was a bit more abusive so that when he gets turned to stone, it’s not an accident but clear that she did it intentionally. In the book she does it intentionally and then sells his statue for money that funds their new life lol. I loved the scene in one of the later flashbacks where she prays to Poseidon, I thought it was very well acted, and I felt for her. Plus, she has great chemistry with both boys for Percy.

Character Chemistry. I think a strong point really stands with the actors and their chemistry with each other. While I have some issues, I do think that the three leads work very well together to the point that it shines through on screen. I think the show struggles a bit with building up/showing their friendship, but you believe they’re growing closer off vibes. The actors are good with each other. Percy and Sally have great chemistry when they’re together, and this goes double for young Percy, I didn’t mind the flashbacks because I loved seeing the two together. I also thought the chemistry was palpable between Sally and Poseidon. Don’t get me wrong, Poseidon sucks as a dad but I did believe that this guy cared for Sally and Percy but seems to be afraid to that close. His personality is different in the show, at least for now, and I don’t mind the change because it feels like Percy is an actual forbidden child from a forbidden relationship/fling.

So much potential. There’s a lot of potential in the show just from the first season. Obviously at the point of me watching this, season 2 already has 6 episodes so I can clearly see the potential continue but I did think back when I first watched S1 that there was potential for this show to be great. I think our three leads are good but have the opportunity to grow if they keep working at their craft. From their interviews, they care about this world and the characters, so I hope the team has the same love and passion for the series as it continues. I believe it can get all 5 seasons. I don’t think they need to a 1:1 adaptation because those can be boring on screen, but I think changes being made that affect character relationships down the line, or story order etc. things should be carefully considered so they don’t become changed/tacked on just because.

Favorite Sequences. So, I just wanted to point out some scenes/sequences that really stood out to me for various reasons. I liked all of the flashback scenes as I said before, I think they really helped to inform Percy and Sally’s history. The dream sequences are all interesting and I’m intrigued to see how that’s incorporated as the story continues. The Golden Chair sequence in the Tunnel of Love was a joy to watch because I felt that Walker did a great job with trying to reassure Annabeth, he was okay as he was effectively dying in the chair. That was very strong acting from him. Plus, Annabeth appealing to Hephaestus so he could release Percy by emotionally stating he’s different from the rest of them. Percy and Zeus’ interaction while short was effective. Zeus (RIP Lance Reddick) was intimidating, and I believed he was about to actually kill Percy in that moment. We don’t see him a lot in the book, but I wish we got to see him a bit more. Sally praying to Poseidon was a great flashback as well, it was emotional, and I thought it was well acted by both Toby Stephens (Poseidon) and Virginia Kull (Sally).

Cons: Unfortunately I do have a lot of cons for the show but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it.

Characterizations. I’m mixed on this because I think it’s strong in some places and weak in others and this is because of the storytelling issues and the directional choices which I’ll touch on later. Percy’s the son of Poseidon, a sea God, the sea is unpredictable and ever changing and so is Percy’s personality but he’s fiercely loyal to those he cares about, making that his fatal flaw. I think they took that as him being self-sacrificing and while I liked the chair sequence due to the acting, it was unnecessary to have Percy (once again) sacrifice himself. His fatal flaw is his loyalty, not that he’s necessarily sacrificial. Percy is a great character, and this is why readers end up relating to him so much because his personality changes. There are moments where he peeks through, but he’s hidden behind the fact that this Percy knows so much already. I don’t hate that Sally’s been telling him Greek mythology stories, lowkey preparing him for what’s to come, but with her doing that, it makes him too prepared and almost in the same camp as Annabeth and Grover. Him walking in and just expositing to Procrustes who he is was a crazy and boring decision. It takes away him learning it, having to adjust quickly and then the fun of it all. Annabeth has an interest in architecture, and she wants to see the arch because of its marvel. I get why they made it into an Athena temple, but I think making that the reason why she wants to go, lame. They have her comment on the structure or her being fascinated by the gears in the amusement park, but I feel like she’s a bit too detached from everything. This goes into what they’re trying to do with her in S2 and I don’t know if I quite like it. Hades is an issue lol. I didn’t like that at all. It’s supposed to be funny, but I feel like he needs to be as described for the most part. It makes him different from Zeus (and his suit) and Poseidon. There was a missed opportunity there.

Storytelling Issues. So this has a lot of stuff under this umbrella. I fully blame the writers and the directors on this.

• Show, Don’t tell. The way that this show just exposits everything is insane. Instead of moments being shown to us for the audience to experience it in the same way the characters could and SHOULD, instead they just tell you about it. Or characters literally just know everything, and they spell it out. It’s pretty insulting personally. It’s annoying that showrunners don’t trust their audiences. “This is a kid’s show”, maybe so, but I guarantee you more adults watched it… and even then, kids aren’t stupid. Do you remember the shows we had back in the 90s and early 2000s? Kids watch anime which has some of the best storytelling in it. Give me a break! So, instead of Percy exploring camp and seeing things for himself and deducing things, Luke or Chiron just tells him everything. Instead of letting us see Grover talk to the council, we see the lead up and the aftermath but not the actual council… and then we hear him tell Chiron and Mr. D about it. Why not just show us the damn council? Why did they tell Percy his mom was alive right away? Why wasn’t that an actual twist/surprise that allows for tension and emotional drama later? Why did Medusa say who she was right away? Why wasn’t that a twist? Every moment of potential tension or adventure was undercut because someone had to explain it away and then they never show us the actual thing or if it’s being explained while the thing is happening, it undercuts the suspense. The Lotus Casino scene is the biggest culprit of this and probably the most disappointing, but I’ll go into that later. It has its own point. But literally anytime the show could have just shown us the cool thing, they explain it and don’t actually show us the cool thing. Why would you do that? Why? The only time I didn’t really mind this was in the Tunnel of Love when Hephaestus’ story was being told through images on the wall, but Percy was narrating “wait I know this story, my mom said this is what the Gods do to each other”. I thought this was a fun way to tell this tragedy, but I also can’t help but wonder if Percy should know this story.
• Tension…meh. Because of everything being told to us, there’s no tension in scenes where there should be tension. I was never fully worried for anyone in the show. Sure, I know the story and I know that most characters make it at least to the next book, but I should still feel nervous for what might happen. I was never worried that they were in danger with Medusa, I didn’t feel like they were in danger while in the Underworld, especially not with Hades and he’s specifically supposed to be a scary dude. A lot of the action sequences lacked tension. The fight scene between Ares and Percy was okay, I enjoyed it, but I was never like “jeez, he’s a kid” lol, like Ares is the God of War. Kick that kid’s ass! Do it so Percy can show you, his power. Not to mention, I didn’t like how they didn’t have Percy actively trying to use the fact that he’s Poseidon’s son by trying to keep the fight in the water. I know they didn’t want Walker to get waterlogged, but I think he would have enjoyed it. PLUS, they kept cutting to black during the action scenes, anytime something was happening, right before the cool thing happened, they would cut to black. This may be a television series but it’s not on actual TV, we don’t need commercial break cuts. It was so bad and so annoying.

The Pacing. The pacing is crazy if you decide to watch it all together. I think having it be a weekly release was smart because it helps break up any slow dips in the story and it helps the anticipation for the heightened cliffhangers. But unfortunately, watching it together throws off the pacing and it gets so slow in there that on my first rewatch once it was fully released, I remember my attention going elsewhere. Weekly releases are great but since shows are on streaming services and are made for streaming services, they need to consider how it flows as most people will wait till it’s complete before watching or they will rewatch after it’s all released (like me). In some episodes, I think it’s prevalent, like whatever episode the Casino scene happens (I’ll mention this particular scene later) and also in episode 7 where they go to the Underworld. Both episodes are very slow and not in a good way.

Wooden Acting/Dialogue. While I did praise the young actors, I do think it’s important to note that there are sometimes in the show where the delivery is flat, or the acting is too understated. I blame this on the writing and directing not the actors’ talent. Leah has a lot of growing to do but I see her potential and there are moments when she really shines but I think they’re not really allowing her character to breathe with a personality that isn’t “on paper”. Not saying that Percy needs to be like “OH WOW!” every time something happens but he’s way too well adjusted in his reactions when it seems like he shouldn’t. Walker is so charismatic that sometimes it doesn’t show, and I think it’s because of his direction and the dialogue he’s given. I don’t think the dialogue lands every time which leads to weak delivery. Sometimes when things are being explained it just feels very lecture like and not human. But the acting sometimes was giving very much…

Stop separating them! I didn’t like how the show kept separating the trio when that doesn’t happen in the books and it’s annoying because I want to see them together, they’re a trio for a reason. They were separated when Percy chose to stay behind and fight the Chimera (I liked this scene but point still stands), they were separated when Ares kept Grover while Percy and Annabeth went to retrieve his shield (also liked this), they were separated in the Underworld when Annabeth was caught in the roots… like for what? And had to use her pearl instead of going with the boys to meet Hades. The scenes weren’t bad but I don’t think it was necessary to do that. Percy and Annabeth sending Grover off on his own in the Casino was crazy and neither of them apologized to him for that! I was so upset every time I watched because he blames himself and Percy just pats his shoulder but neither of them say sorry about it. If you’re going to split up the trio, make sure it serves a purpose!

Action/Adventure/Where’s the fun! There are moments where there is fun and sometimes the jokes land. Sometimes the action sequences are well done but it just feels overly serious, which is a fall over from my acting point. These are kids and yes, they are in a very serious and scary situation, but Percy literally cannot help himself sometimes and he just says things. The book being in first person allows the reader to get close and personal with him, his thoughts and emotions. The show has narration at the start of the season and at the end more so than it being throughout. It’s harder to have a character voice their thoughts on screen so they should have Percy just tell them most of the time. He has a problem with authority, he literally questions everything. That’s not always going to land, but I think it would have made it a more fun experience to see this 12-year-old kid, consistently going at these adults like it’s nothing. The times it happens is so good, but it doesn’t happen enough. I will touch on the casino scene and my issue with that, but this is an adventure, and they opt for exposition instead.

Cinematography. There are a lot times where the show is ugly lol. I hate to say that but during my rewatches of the entire show since it’s finished, I was like, eh I don’t like how it looks. Plus, there are some scenes that are way too dark. I turned my tv on “Vivid” to hopefully brighten it up and that still didn’t help in some scenes. In particular, when Percabeth go to the amusement park, I was trying to see whatever thing Annabeth was looking at that had her so intrigued. I could barely see them gears! Or when Percy was underwater talking to the naiads. Or when they’re in the Underworld and they’re going through the Fields of Asphodel and it’s quite dark there too, or the underwater scenes. Like come on y’all. Things being dark is fine but I still need to see!

The Casino Scene. I didn’t want to bring the book into it but I have to do that here…Why was the Lotus Hotel and Casino changed? Why was Hermes there? I wish the Casino was more fun, the movie got that right at least even though that was also very different. The Lotus flowers had nothing to do with it, time just moves slower and people stay because of the addictive games and fun. I hate that Hermes was there instead of allowing the kids to get pulled in on their own, I hate that Percy didn’t figure it out on his own but was told by Hermes. It was the same issue I had with the movies where Poseidon spoke to Percy and warned him throughout. Percy is smart, he’s observant! Let him figure it out!

Personal gripes/Unnecessary Book Changes. I didn’t really want to put this officially in the cons because I always want to judge the show off it’s own merit as a show and not focus so much on how it is as an adaptation because I think that while it’s important to please the fans of something that you’re adapting, you also want to make it accessible to newbies. If you don’t, then you failed. I’m also someone who is generally okay with changes in adaptations… if they make sense and don’t change the character’s overall arc/trajectory; or something that changes the story. I think people harp on adaptations not being 1:1 sometimes that it prevents them from enjoying the adaptation as it’s own medium. But, I do think there are some changes in the season that I feel don’t work or they shouldn’t have been changed. Annabeth has a crush on Luke, yes he’s like a brother figure, but he’s not her brother, and she loves him because of how important he is to her. It’s nonexistent in the season. Luke and Annabeth barely interact. I think this was a mistake. Why did they have her overhear everything at the end between Luke and Percy? An unnecessary change because I think it affects her confusion and grief over his betrayal too much. Not having Zeus actively try to kill Percy throughout the story was a missed opportunity and would add to the huge stakes the story has. Percy is in actual danger and I don’t think the show ever feels like there’s actual danger besides maybe once or twice.

Overall, I know I had a lot of cons, but I feel like the show (and in particularly Rick Riordan) really hyped themselves and didn’t deliver in the way I wanted them to, or the way they said they were going to. I didn’t have a ton of expectations because who does these days, but I have to say after watching it thrice, first week to week and then twice after, the issues are even more glaring doing a full run through. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. I really did and I really hope for way better going forward. I think they deserve to have 5 seasons to do the entire PJO series. I don’t think Disney ruined anything, they just need better writers and to not make changes that don’t benefit the story. The actors need time to actually be these characters because when we see them in interviews being lively, clever and having a great time, it’s hard to then turn around and not see that in the actual show. I hope they continue working at their craft because there’s no one who is glaringly bad at their job but there is always room for improvement. These actors are young, and I like their casting for the characters, I just want them to be able to take those roles on without it feeling like their personalities are being smushed under seriousness and bad writing. But as a fan of the books, not covered by nostalgia, I think the show is good with the chance to be great.

Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars.

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Check out my trailer reaction for the second season!

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