I've seen a few hints about the next Percy, Sally and Poseidon scene we're getting in the next episode and I'm dreading it. Apparently it sounds like Sally is going to be venting and tired about how hard of a kid Percy is, with his learning disabilities (adhd and dyslexia) and seeing monsters through the mist and getting into fights.

And that's completely valid of her, to feel overwhelmed as a single parent who navigating a system that works against her son with little to no help. Like she loves her son, will do everything she can to help, nurture and protect him. But it's hard, and sometimes she's gonna feel down and hopeless.

But I swear on the fucking books, if they fuck up by making Sally make Percy feel like a burden because of that? If they make Sally go off on her son like she did at the pool or worse?!? I will be so fucking pissed. That is not my Sally. They Sally I know would never yell or snap at her son because she gets social anxiety because her son is not complying because he's scared of water. That is not my queen Sally Jackson. That is not my favorite female character, Sally Jackson. She would never hurt Percy like that.

My Sally had never raised her voice to Percy. Her strength is the quiet type - the type where she remains kind/polite when the ppl around her are scum of the earth and rebels in ways that aren't verbally or physically aggressive. Her type of strength is not blatantly yelling at her abusive husband and refusing to make him food, its making all his meals blue for an entire week (and then the rest of his short life) because he said there was no such thing as blue food. Her type of strength is facing a great prophecy that said her son would die down and saying no I will do my damn best to make sure he will not, instead of taking the easy way out and letting Poseidon handle it. And yes Sally is badass and can handle herself with a shotgun if the situation calls for it, but she would never hurt her son or make him feel less than; not with words or actions or implications. Never.

there are some good parts to the pjo tv show but primarily, to me, it feels like the writers just... didn't particularly like the books as they are, and instead are writing the story they wanted it to be.

it keeps like. subverting expectations by having the kids identify threats accurately instead of. getting caught and having to escape

which is interesting once or twice and understandable in terms of compressing storyline i GUESS

but it happening so consistently makes it feel like it thinks the characters in the books are stupid

and - the thing that really bothers me, and I do NOT understand - is that it frames all of percy's school and social problems pre-camp as him being thought weird and mentally ill for 'seeing things'

instead of

you know

the ADHD, dyslexia, and constant accidental acts of immense destruction

like

it's just kind of weird

that they took the widely beloved neuroweird representation book

and just kind of

backburnered that so hard it might as well not be there

listen like. people are totally entitled to their opinions and criticisms of the pjo show but. sometimes it’s just hard to hear/read. I know the show isn’t perfect but seeing the cast & producers talk about it and seeing the level of love and excitement theyve put into the work, idk, I feel for them having people tear it to shreds. criticising the author himself for not adapting it well when he’s doing something different with a new medium, saying they’re sorry for the kids who love the books but have to act in this “terrible” show as if these kids aren’t THRILLED by the opportunity and just so committed to giving the show their best.

(watch the behind the scenes documentary. seriously.)

again totally valid criticisms & opinions!! but you win some and lose some in an adaptation. eg. trying to expand on themes, keep a consistent tone, appeal to a broader audience (including those of us who loved the books as kids but are now!!! adults!!!), keep within budget, etc etc all these things involve some trade offs. sure some of the humour and goofiness has been lost but we also get amazing beautifully acted scenes that really expand on core themes of family or who is a monster etc etc.

speaking on a personal level I have had a hard time these past few months and this show became a genuine escape, a way for me to connect with my sister watching the episodes together, a rediscovery of my inner 12 year old who waited so long for this. and I know there are people who are like me and they had certain expectations and that’s why they’re disappointed and that’s so valid, but it’s a lot of negativity sometimes, & I just wish we could give a little grace bc making a creative thing is hard, and pleasing everyone with that creative thing is impossible, and most of all, maybe we could revel a little bit more in this unique complex piece of work that lots of people poured their hearts into with nothing but the best of intentions.

I absolutely love the new Percy Jackson show and everything but gods will I forever have a bone to pick with Rick for the way he made tons of people think Ares is a shit dad.

No, Ares freaking loves his kids, he cares for them in ways that were looked down upon.

Like that is one of the few things we actually see (consistently) in his myths, which there aren’t a lot, and it’s that he actually cares a lot about his kids. He cries when they die, he wants revenge against their killers, he is protective of them.

I was hoping the new writing team would do some more research, but they have just double down-ed on this, which I guess makes sense given how Ares is seen in modern culture, but gods does it hurt to see. No hate to the actor by the way, he did an incredible job with what he was given.

TL;DR: I hate how modern media presents Ares as an uncaring father, something that goes against one of his few mythological traits.

Pros of this Episode:

Annabeth ripping into Procrustes every time he speaks by threatening to cut off his head. She is Done TM and I am so proud of her

Percy being a New Yorker once again, lying through his teeth, and calling them suckers. Also RIP to “it was a big bathtub” but “I mean…we’re all dying…to some extent” SLAPS

Grover and Percy looking at each other after finding the Master Bolt like “oh shit oh fuck oh shit oh fuck” I felt that

Hades and his Fruity Little Vibe, being so flamboyant and over-the-top but also still nice in his own way, You go Glen Coco

Sally. Everything with Her, Sally and Percy, Sally and Poseidon, Sally and the bitchass principal, Sally. Sally Jackson. End of story.

Cons of this Episode:

So I’m not a fan of- *gunshot, I am killed instantly*

I just don’t understand how some people will sit here and nitpick these shows. Because of course I want it to be accurate, but more than anything I want it to have the same heart as the original. I want to be able to immerse myself in that world, not criticize every single thing that might not be the same. I want to experience my childhood again, and this show did that. Regardless of any differences, it had the essence of the book, so who cares about the details? This is what I waited years for, and it’s finally here and god damn it I’m gonna enjoy every second and experience the warm fuzzies again.

pjo doodles/memes lol

I’m beginning to get very annoyed at all the changes that are happening in the PJO show.

I get that adaption changes need to be made, but there have been so many of them big and small that they are beginning to really annoy me as they pile up.

For example, it really annoys me that they sought the Lotus Casino out. The whole point of it is that it’s a trap that lures unsuspecting people in.

It’s suppose to be a mistake they make that Percy has to use his street smarts to realise is a trap and get them out of, the Lotus Casino is supposed to show the ways that Percy is smart and perceptive that Annabeth with her book smarts is not.

Instead the way they did it in the show strips agency from these characters.

Now instead of making a mistake they are tricked by Ares into going into a time trap to delay them stopping the war.

Instead of Percy being smart and getting them out, Hermes gives them the answers.

It feels much less a story about the demigods and more a story about the Gods themselves.

It was the same last episode. While I liked Percy sacrificing himself, it became a story where the demigods need to be saved by the Gods.

Instead of Percy, Annabeth and Grover working together to save themselves from Hephaestus trap, Percy gets stuck in it and Annabeth has to plead to Hephaestus to save them.

I want to watch my favourite books - where the demigods overcome the odds often despite the help of the Gods.

I don’t want to watch whatever this is - where the demigods get themselves stuck and then have to rely on the capricious Gods to save them.

look obviously i don’t know the guy but i feel like 2009 rick riordan would fist fight 2024 rick riordan

Annabeth has a type and it's fantastic swordsmen who hate the gods

Seeing people who used to relentlessly criticize the show, Annabeth specifically, and then tack on at the end that they loved the cast and thought Leah was perfect now have whitabeth profile pics …

The writers have been doing a really good job of conveying how little Percy thinks of himself (Percy's self esteem is literally in Tartarus in the first book), and I'm worried that some people might see that as Percy actually being stupid/incapable instead of seeing that it's Percy's unreliable perception of himself. Let me explain.

In ep 4, Percy asked two very smart & important questions about finding Hades, he called them stupid, and Annabeth rolled her eyes at him thus in-canon confirming that she thinks they were stupid questions and she was annoyed. Neither she nor Grover give him an actual answer or really consider it. They lowkey dismissed it, and the matter was dropped. Percy continues believing that his very valid questions are stupid.

In ep 5, in the scene where Percy's sacrificing himself to get the shield for Annabeth to finish the quest, he's insistent on how he would've never made it to Hades but Annabeth could succeed where he wouldn't and that's his whole verbal reasoning for sacrificing himself. Of course there's more behind it - Percy doesn't want Annabeth to sacrifice herself for him etc. - but this is the part that we hear: "Percy can't succeed but Annabeth can."

The issue is that they're both competent heroes. In fact Percy saves Annabeth slightly more than the other way around in all 10 books + side stories, and yet the fandom has this notion that it's the opposite? That Percy needs Annabeth to save him constantly, and he can't do anything without her? So I'm worried that fans are going to see this scene as confirmation of that.

if we don’t get a scene of percy zoning out in social studies because he’s opened up his notebook to stare at a picture of annabeth he probably went to great lengths to print out from his email, only to get mercilessly (and rightfully) teased for it bc no way that girl is his girlfriend…what even is the point of the show

I mean people are allowed to critique the show. Especially when it’s so bland. Disney is a multi million dollar company, Rick was directly involved in this project, and yet so many changes were made that don’t seem to fit the characters or completely change their motivations.

And on a production level, things like character’s clothes and setting feel lifeless. Not to mention, watching scenes in complete darkness.

i’m sorry this is no hate to the actress she seems absolutely lovely but i am upset they didn’t make clarisse as big or as masc as she was described in the books and i think it really says a lot about what hollywood deems acceptable for female characters

My honest opinion on the Percy Jackson show from a neurodivergent PJO stan who has loved the series since childhood, because it doesn't feel like the opinions I'm seeing are actually honest:

How the hell did Disney fumble this show so badly? They had everything. A great cast with loveable characters. Good set design. A book series that spells everything out for them. Rick Riordan himself. Where did they go wrong? The dialogue is janky and jarring. The fight scenes are terrible, and even the part where Clarisse tries to dunk Percy's head in the toilet is just boring. Medusa was good. The acting, whilst it could be more expressive, is good. There's just no energy. I was laughing like an idiot reading the books, but watching the show its like... mild amusement. I say "oh that's funny" and smile and that's it.

Man. It's quiet. It's long. The CGI being bad is something i can live with, but the lighting and colour grading feels offensive. Pacing is miserable and the scenes are arranged badly. It doesn't feel like a story is being told, but things are just happening.

I'm still going to continue to watch it. I'm loving Annabeth. It's definitely a whole lot better than the movies. But man. Going from the amazing adaptation that was The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to this is jarring as hell. This is the best show a billion dollar company could make?

5/10. Not actively terrible, just frustrating. My disappointment in this is similiar to that I had of The Marvels, but The Marvels had the absurdity, energy and comedy that this show is just lacking. Where's the weirdness? Where's the fun?

Overall, I'm watching this because I'm a Percy Jackson fan, not because of the quality of the show. I hope it gets better.