After a significantly successful first season that brought Rick Riordan’s highly popular novels back to the screen, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” returns for a long-awaited second season. Based on Rick Riordan’s “The Sea of Monsters”, Percy’s journey continues as he faces a new quest that could determine the future of Camp Half-Blood and encounters different monsters. Familiar characters return alongside unknown faces, and the season aims to draw longtime viewers as well as new viewers as the plot and world of Percy Jackson expands.
Season 2 largely remains faithful to the books: Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell), Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jefferies) and Clarisse La Rue (Dior Goodjohn) venture into a perilous “sea of monsters”, known to us as the Bermuda Triangle, on a quest. They encounter a variety of mythical creatures, including sirens, a witch and cyclopes. The second season of the series builds on the central storyline of the books while focusing more on the internal character relationships at the same time.
Along with familiar faces, there are quite a few new elements that were expanded on this season: unfamiliar characters, prophecies and a quest with higher stakes. Many characters in the previous season experience a lot of character development and growth which causes this season to feel more emotionally driven. English and Yearbook teacher, Kathryn Rochford, liked seeing the way characters as well as their actors continued to progress.
“Grover grew up a lot between last season and now with his quest for Pan,” Rochford said. “It’s been neat to see how Aryan Simhadri has improved and kept Grover’s personality interesting throughout this season.”
Within Season 2, Clarisse La Rue also stands out, due to her larger role compared to Season 1, and the overall building of her complex character. Instead of being a background character that antagonizes others, she is given more depth and motivation, which her story expands upon.
Looking back, Season 1 was a strong introduction to Riordan’s world despite mixed responses from critics and fans alike. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season scored well with a 91%, although there was room for growth. Season 2, on the other hand, earned a 100% fresh rating on the Tomatometer.
This season, performances felt much more grounded and nuanced. The quest had much higher stakes, which had many watchers at the edge of their seats. One especially notable thing from Season 2 was the action scenes. The fighting scenes were tense, and it was easy to get immersed while watching.
LSE freshman Gemma Cook, an avid fan of Percy Jackson, enjoyed this season much more in comparison to the first one.
“I loved the acting and the battles,” Cook said. “It was such a good visual to the book.”
Many fans of the original novels debate on how closely the Disney+ adaptation should follow Riordan’s words. The season, as a whole, sticks to the spirit as well as the structure of “The Sea of Monsters”, even though it does make selective changes for pacing and dramatic effect. However, this balance of similarity and change allows the story to translate more smoothly to the screen while still honoring the plot within the books.
“It has the same vibe, but it’s definitely a little bit different than the books,” LSE sophomore Apple Carter, another Percy Jackson fan, said. “They’re not bad changes, they’re just different.”
Throughout the season, there were also many illusions to Homer’s book, “The Odyssey”. At one point in the show, Percy faces the same witch that Odysseus does in Homer’s story. He must get past Circe’s island, and get past sirens, as Odysseus did. Later on, Percy faces a battle against a cyclops, just as Odysseus had to do. In the show, Percy uses the same tactic against the same exact cyclopes that Odysseus had tricked ages before.
Ultimately, Season 2 of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” marks a notable step forward for the developers, the actors and the series as a whole. By blending serious plot with character dynamics and development, humor and action, the season was a lot stronger than the prior one, and it sets a more ambitious tone for the future of the show.
Looking ahead, the series’ creators and Disney+ have already begun planning for a third season, which will be based on the third book, “The Titan’s Curse”. The upcoming season is expected to introduce new demigods, greater threats and another quest for Percy Jackson and his friends, while continuing to expand Percy’s story further.
