Percy Jackson and the Olympians has finally been given a proper adaptation. Even though Rick Riordan and his wife Becky are executive producers, there is bound to be some material from the book that was left out of the show. They can’t use everything from the book, it’s impossible.
While you can read my full recap and review of the first two episodes, these weekly follow ups will show where each episode comes from in the book and what was omitted from the Disney+ series.
Episode 1 “I Accidently Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher” is not only the name of the first chapter in the book, but it provides our introduction to Percy. The first episode of the show covers much of the text from Chapters 1-4. While most of the first episode shows a lot of detail from the first chapter, Percy’s confrontation with Mrs. Dodds differs from the book. Percy is lured into the museum far away from the class in the text, while in the show it happens right outside of the museum near his fellow students.
Percy in both the book and the show has an altercation with Nancy Bobofit. In the book Percy spends the rest of the year at Yancy Academy unlike in the show where he is kicked out within a couple of days. There is a whole section of chapter 2 where Percy is paranoid about Mrs. Dodds because no one remembers her, and just when Percy thinks he is wrong, he discovers Grover and Mr. Brunner talking about Percy and Mrs. Dodds behind his back.
Percy may make it home by himself in the show, but there is a whole sequence in the book where Percy and Grover ride the bus into the city, and they encounter the Three Fates, and both witness the Fates cut a string that indicates someone is going to die. Arriving in the city for Chapter 3, Percy ditches Grover at the bus station and heads home to his mom’s apartment where in the show we only see Percy having to deal with Gabe, while in the book Percy is taunted and teased by his ignorant stepfather who extorts money out of Percy. The poker buddies don’t make the cut for the series.
Chapter 3 has Percy and his mom Sally heading to the cottage in Montauk. Sally mentions how Percy’s dad had wanted him to attend a special camp, but she wasn’t ready to let him go. Grover shows up in the middle of the storm, and much like the episode, in the book Percy learns that Grover has goat legs.
Having to flee the cottage, Grover, Percy, and Sally drive off in Chapter 4 just like in the first episode, and Percy learns that what he saw on the side of the road when the bus broke down was the Three Fates. The threat of the Minotaur is close, and while the show and book mirror what happens in the final battle with the Minotaur, in the text Percy is on the ground when he stabs the beast, and not on its shoulders like in the series.
Episode 2 “I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom”
In the second episode of the series, the title of the show is taken from chapter 6 in the book. The episode has Percy meeting everyone at Camp Half-Blood and making an enemy of Clarisse La Rue. The second episode is built from chapters 5-9.
In the book we get an earlier introduction to Annabeth where Percy and Annabeth communicate about what is happening, and how these changes will impact Percy’s life. It’s Annabeth who brings Percy to Cabin 11 in the book, where he meets Luke Castellan for the first time. In the book Annabeth introduces Percy to the camp necklaces and explains how campers get beads at the end of every summer. It’s also Annabeth who takes Percy on a tour of the camp showing him the different activities that he could participate in.
The dinner in the mess hall is far more detailed in the book, with a better explanation and insight on the reason for the camper’s offerings to the gods. Percy also gets assigned different tasks throughout the day. Archery with Chiron, studying Ancient Greek with Annabeth, and sword fighting with Luke. This is something we don’t see in the show.
In the book we start to see the demigod skills come out of Percy. With Luke as his instructor, we see how Luke is a leader at camp but also how he is trying to help the newest member of cabin 11. Percy is exhausted from sword fighting with Luke, but after having water splashed on him, he seems to recharge and defeats Luke in a difficult duel.
The capture the flag game is almost a mirror from book to screen, however in the book when Clarisse and the Ares cabin attack Percy, they push him into the creek where he can summon the power of Poseidon, snapping Clarisse’s spear and defeating the attackers.
A hellhound is summoned into the camp, which is a beast from Hades, and it attacks Percy. Thanks to the many arrows fired by Chiron the beast is killed, and Percy lives. This was omitted from the show. It’s after this attack that Annabeth deduces who Percy’s godly father is. She tells him to get back into the water, and instantly his cuts are healed, and the trident of Poseidon appears over his head. Percy’s father has revealed himself.
In chapter 9 he moves to Poseidon’s cabin, number 3, and he learns about the theft of the master bolt thanks to Chiron and Mr. D. Zeus blames Poseidon. Percy has become suspect number one, and he needs to find the lost symbol of Zeus or else it will be all out war. Unlike the show, Percy accepts the quest, and after visiting the Oracle, where his prophecy is presented by the images of Gabe Ugliano and his poker buddies, Percy sets out on the quest to Los Angeles to enter the Underworld and retrieve the master bolt from Hades, who everyone suspects is the real thief. With Annabeth and Grover at his side, Percy also plans to free his mom from Hades’ control.
Final Thoughts:
This was an overall impressive use of the source material. Not only were the essential elements combined to make riveting television, but the essence of the story was kept from the book. The one thing that I did miss was the incorporation of the Three Fates. I’m certain they will be brought in at some point in a future episode.