Season one of the Parcy Jackson series came out in 2023, capturing the first book, “The Lightning Thief”. In case you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend you do so before continuing this article because there will be spoilers.

The cast includes many promising young actors, with Walker Scobelle playing Percy Jackson, Aryan Simhadri portraying Grover Underwood and Leah Sava Jeffries taking Anabeth Chase. There are a plethora of other young gems wonderfully playing the supporting characters as well.

Season Two Recap:

Season two follows the “Sea Of Monsters” book, as Camp Half-Blood is thrown into crisis when its borders start failing and camp director Chiron is out of the picture. Luke, the now traitorous son of Hermes, poisons Thalia’s tree, which powers the camp’s magical borders. He was on a search of The Golden Fleece, an ancient healing artifact he intended to bring Kronos back with.

To stop him, Percy goes unwarranted on a dangerous quest across the Sea of Monsters with Annabeth, Clarisse – his camp nemesis – and his new found brother, Tyson, a Cyclops that Percy has befriended during the mortal school year.

Grover is missing in action on a quest to find the lost god, Pan. Initially on a ship across the sea that crashes, Percy and Anabeth find themselves at the sorceress Circe’s Spa, where Percy’s fatal flaw is revealed: his undying loyalty to his friends. 

In the end, Percy reaches Luke’s ship, but Luke escapes after reviving Kronos further. It all ends with the Fleece healing the camp borders and a fight between Krono’s rebellion and the campers. In the last few minutes, the Fleece is used on Thalia’s tree, and much to Percy’s dismay, Thalia is resurrected, everyone else blissfully unaware of the nightmares that Percy had been experiencing. 

Over all rating – 8/10

There wasn’t a single moment where falling asleep seemed appealing; it was most definitely a watch you don’t want to put down.

It was emotional and really drove a lot of the characters forward, peeling back layers of both the main cast, and the side cast, adding a new layer of depth to what the viewer’s thought they knew.

Acting – 8/10

The transformation of the cast from season one is fantastic, they’ve all really grown into their roles, most notably Walker Scobell. He portrays Percy Jackson perfectly. 

There are more flaws in the adults acting, if anything, though none major, just a bit forced and out of character. Rosemarie DeWitt, who plays Circe, is a common complaint, many people think she’s not a superb actress, and I’m inclined to agree.

Thalia, a new character, was also another notably great actress this season, played by Tamara Smart. 

Book Accuracy – 7/10

This was a main issue. While of course no adaptation will be book accurate, the pacing of a lot of characters felt incredibly rushed. Not the point of cannon divergence or disappointment though.

Anabeth and Percy’s relationship intensified too quickly, and Clarisse and Percy’s relationship simmered out too early. This was a common theme with many of the dynamics, not to mention a few key plot points and scenes they missed. 

One many fans were upset about was the scene where Annabeth is crying in a bubble, not incredibly plot driven, but small impactful scenes like such were cut on many occasions. It is understandable though on account of the fact that eight episodes can’t capture every word of a novel.

Special Effects – 8/10

Naturally, Disney always has great effects, and Percy Jackson is no exception. They do try to use as many real props as possible, but of course CGI is used to depict many powers and monsters.

The siren scene, which had an almost completely CGI background, was a great depiction of that. The realism is immaculate to say the least.

Character Development – 9/10

Like in the book, the driving point of this season was to develop a lot of the characters further.

The glimpse of Percy’s flaws really shine through in his protectiveness and willingness to sacrifice the world for the ones he loves. 

Anabeth shows vulnerability, Grover shows bravery, and Clarisse shows compassion. All signs that everyone is developing to be better.

Worth the Watch

If you haven’t gathered, I highly recommend watching the second season – that is if you think you can handle it. 

Percy Jackson was made for troubled kids, the kids who never fully fit in anywhere, and Disney’s adaptation makes watchers feel just as seen as the books did. From the casting to the effects, it truly brings Rick Riordan’s beloved series to life.  

Do remember when monsters start knocking on your door though, don’t say I didn’t warn you.