Season two of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” makes some much-needed changes from season one, finding its footing and blowing any low expectations, and at times the titular son of the sea god, out of the water.
The show, available to watch on Disney+ and Hulu, is based on the book series of the same name by Rick Riordan. The premise? Greek gods are real and have children with mortals, called demigods, who go to Camp Half-Blood to train and stay safe.
In season one, Percy (Walker Scobell) retrieves Zeus’ lightning bolt, stolen by Luke (Charlie Bushnell), with friends Annabeth (Leah Sava’ Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri).
Season two picks up a year later; Luke poisoned the tree protecting the camp as the first step in resurrecting the Titan Kronos to destroy the gods. Grover has also mysteriously gone missing. To save camp and find Grover, Percy embarks on a quest to the Sea of Monsters to find the Golden Fleece.
Exposition dumps, plot changes and the most capable 12-year-olds known to man — given that they tackle every issue and foe within minutes — were a staple of season one. Season two takes those negatives and turns them into positives.
The characters struggle, with plenty of near misses via fireballs, arrows and swords to go around. The group survives with a little help from Clarisse (Dior Goodjohn), a daughter of Ares, and Tyson (Daniel Diemer), Percy’s cyclops brother.
Diemer was an unexpected standout from this season, bringing new depth to the character. It’s clear he’s a “monster” in a demigod world, from nodding his head a bit too vigorously to missing social cues and embarrassing Percy. Those slight misunderstandings give away Tyson’s unfamiliarity with human communication, and certain gestures subtly show his lack of depth perception.
Great acting must run in the godly family, as Scobell makes an even bigger splash. His unquestionable loyalty to his friends is admirable but as the stakes rise, so does the potential for this to cause a serious problem. When Annabeth ends up in danger, Percy upends the quest to save her and leaves the camp wanting for the Golden Fleece a little longer.
From that to his Troy Bolton-esque motivational speeches, it’s hard not to adore our blonde Percy, who is in good hands with Scobell. If his work in this season means anything, he’s well prepared to portray the angst of the later books.
Both Jeffries and Bushnell also hold their own in a stacked cast. Annabeth’s signature Yankee’s cap fits perfectly onto Jeffries’ head as she portrays Annabeth’s careful scheming in escaping off Luke’s cruise ship or simply breaking up fights between Percy and Clarisse.
Bushnell, growing as a disciple of Kronos by the episode, descends into darkness with Luke. Where he serves as a charismatic older brother to Percy in season one, in season two he is ruthless and at times abandoning his sword for his fists to come after Percy.
Thalia (Tamara Smart), a daughter of Zeus, makes a brief appearance but leaves a scorch mark nonetheless. There’s a gag-worthy plot change in how she ends up as a tree for the beginning of the series, which raises the stakes considerably and makes Luke’s wrath against the gods much more rational.
In the book, my heart hurt reading a teenager essentially dying to save her friends. Watching the corresponding scene in the show, my jaw would’ve dropped down to the Underworld if it was possible.
The show jumps in maturity from season one: more blood, brutal fight scenes and senseless violence that comes across as strictly personal. As the characters grow into their half-god abilities, everyone is more deadly, and the more severe injuries up the stakes.
In an interview with Deadline, Scobell spoke about the maturity increase. “I’m really happy that we’re leaning more into that, because it just also shows our characters aren’t invincible,” Scobell said. “They get hurt, and it’s important to remember that, especially moving forward into all the crazy stuff we have to do in (later seasons).”
Season three is confirmed to be releasing this year, headed into uncharted waters as it’s the first season they’re making without a prior movie adaptation. If I could jump into this world and put on the hallmark orange camp t-shirt, I would. If this show is the closest we’ll get, then it’s not a bad replacement.
