The final episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians was released on Jan. 30. The show has been long awaited by many older fans and has reached a large number of new fans as well. The final four episodes were nothing short of great. They wrap the season up, but also leave room for the upcoming second season, which was announced by Disney on Feb. 8. The release date for the sophomore season is still unknown.
A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers:
Episode five kicks off with the trio of main characters (Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood) as they run away from the city of St. Louis, where they had previously gotten into trouble with the law for vandalism. As they start walking down a seemingly empty road, they hear a motorcycle behind them. They crouch down behind a steel bar, but the motorcycle stops where they are. As the man begins speaking, he reveals himself as Ares, the god of war. He offers to help the kids if they will meet him at the diner down the road. When they arrive, the god gives them a task. They are to retrieve his shield at an amusement park. Percy and Annabeth head down to the park, while Grover stays back as collateral. While at the amusement park, they realize it is a project of Hephaestus, the god of craftsmen. To retrieve Ares’s shield one of them must sit in the chair Hephaestus originally made to trap Hera. Percy sits and turns to gold, while Annabeth gets the shield, while she is plotting a way to get Percy out, Hephaestus himself shows up. Annabeth pleads to the god and he lets Percy go. When they return to the diner, Ares shows them their ride, an eighteen wheeler that will take them to the Lotus Casino in Las Vegas. While getting in the truck Grover reveals that while with Ares he had discovered who the lightning thief was, Clarrise, Ares’s favorite daughter.
This episode includes many traditional Greek myths and stories such as Hephaestus’s chair and the inclusion of Ares and Aphrodite’s affair. This episode is where it really picks up, and Walker Scobell and Leah Jefferie’s acting really shines.
We Take A Zebra To Vegas:
Episode six starts with the trio attempting to get into contact with the camp supervisor to let them know their theory on Clarisse. Instead, they get Luke. They tell Luke the theory to pass on. Grover then comes around to let the other two know they are almost there, and they will be helping the animals in the back of the truck escape. They do so and a whole zoo is wandering the streets of Vegas. As they enter the Lotus Casino, they all promise to not eat the Lotus flowers, which would make them forget. They then split up to find Hermes, the messenger god. Grover goes off on his own, and Annabeth and Percy go off together. Grover runs into an old friend of his family and goes off with him, while the other two find Hermes gambling. Percy and Annabeth talk to Hermes in an attempt to plead for his help to get to the Underworld. Hermes declines, but Annabeth uses her invisibility hat and pickpockets Hermes. She gets the keys to his cab which will take them anywhere they desire. Percy and Annabeth grab Grover but realize he doesn’t remember them. They start to leave and realize too much time has passed, and so has their deadline. They take Hermes’s car to Santa Monica so they can meet Poseidon, but he is gone. A messenger for Poseidon gives Percy four pearls and tells him they will safely get him out of the Underworld. One each for the trio and one for his mother.
The iconic Lotus Casino wasn’t disappointing. Slight changes were made, but they made complete sense. Grover’s side quest from Percy and Annabeth felt out of place. Lin Manuel Miranda as Hermes really shines through this episode.
We Find Out The Truth, Sort Of:
Episode seven starts by having Percy walk into a mattress shop, run by Procrustes, his half brother. Procrustes is the keeper of the hidden passage into the Underworld. The trio outsmarts him and then enters the portal. Before going any further Percy gives Annabeth and Grover two of the pearls gifted to him by Posioden’s messenger. These pearls guarantee a safe passage back to the real world. They then wander and attempt to gain passage from Charon, but since they are not dead, they are denied and Cerberus is sent to chase them down. While running, Grover loses his pearl, leaving them with only three safe passages out of the Underworld. They run through Asphodel, a quiet place where souls are rooted to the ground in silence and regret. Annabeth gets trapped by her regret and makes the other two continue on without her. Percy then checks his backpack to try and see if he has anything to help Annabeth, but to his confusion, he finds Zeus’s master bolt. Grover and Percy then make it to Hades’s castle and meet the ruler of the Underworld himself. Hades reveals that he had not stolen Zeus’s master bolt, and better yet, his veil had been stolen from him. Percy starts to think, and discovers that Kronos, the Lord of the Titans and father of the three primary gods, is behind the entire thing. He also keeps Ares by his side to do his bidding as well since he is trapped in Tartarus. Percy offers Hades a deal: He will return his veil, if Hades will return his mother. He agrees and both Percy and Grover use their pearls to escape the Underworld, landing on the beach in Santa Monica where Ares is waiting for them. Annabeth helps Percy and Grover up, and the episode ends with Percy gearing up to fight Ares.
This episode in particular was jam packed with information and could have benefited from an extra twenty minutes. Regardless, it was still enjoyable, and the casting for Hades was also spot on.
The Prophecy Comes True:
The final episode starts with a flashback of Percy sword training with Luke. It then goes back to the beach where Percy challenges Ares to a battle where whoever draws first blood wins. Ares accepts and dominates Percy until the very end where Percy uses his powers of the ocean to his advantage and gets a good knick on Ares. Ares then runs away, and Percy informs the other two that they need to go back to camp because he is going to Mount Olympus to return the master bolt. Percy then gets to Olympus and talks to Zeus. He informs the god of the gods that Kronos was behind it all. Zeus rolls his eyes and tells the young demigod to leave. In typical Percy fashion, he talks back. Zeus goes to attack him, but Poseidon appears and stops him. Poseidon and Percy then finally meet and Percy gets sent back to camp by his father. Back at camp, Annabeth greets Percy and instructs him to not say anything about Clarrise still being free. Percy, Annabeth, and Luke then hatch a plan to get Clarrise arrested. While Percy and Luke are off by themselves, it is revealed that Luke is the lightning thief, and he is working closely with Kronos and Ares. The two fight until Luke reveals that it is his plan to recruit Percy to the cause. Annabeth then appears, and Luke then runs away through a portal. The episode then ends with Percy going home to see if his mother is returned, and so he can start seventh grade. Before going, he finds Grover and Annabeth. Annabeth is going to visit her father, and Grover finally gets his searcher’s license to look for Pan, god of nature. Percy then returns home and finds his mother there, but it is revealed he is still having dreams about Kronos.
The final episode is very heartbreaking and heartwarming. The betrayal of Luke is very well done, but the episode as a whole felt rushed. This episode was also the iconic actor, Lance Reddick’s final media appearance after his passing.
Overall, the show is a great example of a book to media adaptation. The critiques of time and certain changes are small compared to the greatness of the casting and portrayal of these beloved characters. As a book reader, I am very content and happy with this adaptation and can’t wait to see season two.
