Percy Jackson: When Plot Holes Are Worth It
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- Опубликовано: 8 июн 2024
- 'Let us swear an oath, and keep it with an equal mind / In the hollow Lotos-land to live and lie reclined / On the hills like Gods together, careless of mankind.'
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#percyjackson #videoessay #percyjacksonandtheolympians
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:38 The adaptation process & different types of changes
4:34 Plotholes & mythic episodes
6:44 This is good, right..?
9:02 Conclusion
Sources:
The Direct interview: thedirect.com/article/percy-j...
(For clarity - the odd grammar in my quotations is preserved from the article's transcript)
Riordan's blog: rickriordan.com/2007/09/the-m...
Polygon: www.polygon.com/24011108/perc...
Other footage is from:
• Rick Riordan Q&A
• Watch PERCY JACKSON au...
and Google Earth.
Description topline is from 'The Lotos-eaters' by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...
From Wikipedia, for SEO: Percy Jackson and the Olympians is an American fantasy television series created by Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg for Disney+, based on the book series of the same name by Riordan. Walker Scobell stars as Percy Jackson, alongside Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri. In Percy Jackson and the Olympians, 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, is coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god, Zeus, accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt; with his friend's help, Percy must restore order to Olympus. 
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I wonder if they are winding up for what the characters are not prepared for and will not see coming.
critical drinker says hi
I do like that there is a better adaptation but I also wish that Anabeth actually looked like how the book described her. Silver eyes are cool.
As a PJO fan, I've been loving this adaptation so far. Only real complaints I have are that a) Percy is way too knowledgeable about Greek mythology, b) Gabe isn't as abusive in this adaptation (which might become a problem later, hint hint), c) we didn't see Percy training his sword skills at camp with Luke, and d) THE TWO HANDED HANDLING OF RIPTIDE. PERCY IT'S A ONE HANDED SWORD YOU CAN'T GRIP IT LIKE A BASEBALL BAT STOP.
Percy’s only a dinky lil guy, maybe he’ll graduate to one-handing it when his hands grow a smidge!
For point b, gabe physically abusing sally is a surprise to Percy, and he only realizes it in the last 30 pages
I think his knowledge about the world is all thanks to Sally and the mythomagic cards. And Percy's new in sword fighting so your boy has to hold on tight. 😅
lmao i didnt even think about that but you're right (him holding it with two hands like a bat) but yeah his hands are small so i guess that makes sense (even though the grip was supposed to be perfect for him in the book)
Emotional abuse is just as bad as physical abuse. Also, I like how it makes Percy not look like an idiot. "Guys, we're walking into a weird situation but don't worry, I'm absolutely sure it's not a greek mythological monster."
*Five minutes later*
"It's a greek mythological monster!"
I’m okay with them figuring out Medusa and Hephaestus, but it bugs me that they see “Crusty’s Water Bed Palace” and immediately go “PROCRUSTES!”
Hermes gave them directions to enter the underworld in a note on the cab, I'd be shocked if he didn't mention the guy who kills travelers to the group of young travelers
@@drpepperman2765 It is less about *how* they acquired the information, and more about *whether they should have*
I didn't think procrustes was a very important figure in the book, so I think I'm okay the snipped him down.
@@braedengraham6239yeah, while I was disappointed with how short the Crusty scene was, I get why they didn’t really have room for it in the overall structure of the show.
@@drpepperman2765wdym? The gods never give heroes all the facts
That's why it's enjoyable to read
The biggest change to remember is that Percy's mom told him about the stories and that he was trained by Grover and Chiron at school with mythomagic cards and pieces. They actually gave percy more training in the show before he went to camp. In the books he just knew what Chiron taught him in class at school.
IS very clear that they were preparing him, and not only that, his mom told him thes stories telling him that some stories are not as tey seem, and sometimes the moster is not the one that look monstruous. Like Medusa.
Yes that all makes sense but just like the video says, it was more enjoyable and compelling for them to piece it together DURING the threat not before. You can make all the sense you want but if it’s a more boring version of events it doesn’t really matter
Mythomagic didn’t exist until the third booo
But whether or not they did it, it’s still a weird cop out. Why would you want less action and mystery in your show?
That entirely changes Sally’s motivation and character for the worse.
My only criticism is they ignore one of the main rules of writing, telling us to much, and not showing us. Which really takes away tension from the scenes. Making them fall a little flat, and leaving fans disappointed. I’m a big percy jackson book fan, and all the little difference’s from the original don’t really bother me. Like you said, the changes don’t necessarily change the storyline or even differ that much from the books. I just want the scenes to feel tense, and the fights to be awesome. I want the same FEELING I got when reading the book. I don’t care if it’s exactly like the book.
Update: after rewatching the series, I have decided the problem might just be the director 👀
This has been my exact thought process watching the show
That’s exactly it. Some of the little changes just weren’t needed and make it not feel right. They weren’t bad it just makes it feel off. Especially Luke’s betrayal
@@rob.kastelseriously I hated how they revealed Luke's betrayal it just had Percy randomly say it out loud and not have that slow creeping realization that someone that you thought was a friend had betrayed the main character but any of that tension and emotional weight thrown away to try to rush through it for some reason even Annabeth who they added to the scene barely gets to react to it(the fact that she was even in the scene invisible made me think that they already figured out his betrayal which is boring and completely out of character for to believe her Big brother/crush character would be behind it)
@@angelfox8 Nah in the book no one puts together the fact that the shoes Luke gave to Percy tried to drag the wearer to Tartarus for months. It's pretty ridiculous and is one of the biggest issues with the book, literally each of the 3 should've figured it out immediately, but they never do. I understand the annoyance, but paired with Luke trying to kill Percy, which doesn't line up with the idea that Kronos wanted him alive, and it's an objectively bad scene. The show had to change it, and while it woulda been cool to keep the slow build, the show still did it better. It is the only exception though-every other time they point something out right away, it as mentioned ruins the tension
@@ianbrudnakvoss3126 Imo none of them putting together that Luke rigged the shoes and ergo is the traitor isn't the most unbelievable thing. Up until the betrayal, all three of the core trio all have strong biases in Luke's favor that would reasonably obscure their judgement. Annabeth is STRONGLY biased in Luke's favor due to their history and her crush, the shoes alone simply wouldn't be enough to convince her if she could brush it off. Percy is also positively biased in Luke's favor at this stage, since Luke made himself to be a sort of big brother/mentor figure to Percy at camp. He was also the one controlling their information from camp about the traitor. Grover has a messy history with Luke considering he was the satyr that led them to camp but accidentally got Thalia killed with delays, and he still clearly feels guilt over it.
As for Luke trying to kill Percy not making sense in the grander scheme of Kronos's plans and the series... I agree. But there's already a built-in solution for that: Thalia. Kronos really only needs one child of the Big Three to fulfill his preferred outcome of the Prophecy and in Book 2 it was implied that part of Luke's motivation for injuring Thalia's tree was to incite the camp to use the Fleece on it and return Thalia to human form. It'd probs take the second season to frame it properly, but the way I'd restructure this is "Luke still tries to kill Percy" --> "next season via dreams Percy seems Kronos castigating Luke for it bc at that point he still needs Percy alive for the Prophecy" --> "Luke going 'no sir pls I have an alternative'" --> "said alternative is manipulating camp half-blood to use the fleece to save the tree and draw thalia out"
As a non Peter Jackson fan I'm just happy for Rick Riordan. The man clearly put so much passion into his writing and it must feel so liberating to see an adaptation that captures his original vision.
I think you mean Peter Johnson
@@snc9035 No I meant Percy Jackson.
@@snc9035 I would edit the mistake but it removes the heart.
You missed a great opportunity for a book call back.
@@BatAmericatheres a character in the book that constantly gets Percy’s name wrong and one of the names he called him was Peter Johnson hahaha he was joking 😂
Very similar to my thoughts on the show. The ''clocking'' as you call it doesn't bother me with Medusa, Echidna, or the golden chair scene (my favorite scene so far), but the Lotus Casino episode is definitely weaker for it (the least they could have done is let the trio figure out the mystery behind the casino, instead of Hermes telling Percy off-screen), and they don't even mention with Crusty HOW they know that this guy is evil; Percy just walks in, identifies him, and identifies how he tricks people with the beds. It lessens tension, as well as maybe some action, of which there hasn't been a lot in the show.
Hermes left them a note in his car with instructions on HOW to get into the underworld. Annabeth holds it up for Percy and Grover to see. I admit it was a blink-and-you-miss, but it's definitely there.
@@chelisey13 I suppose that explains that, thanks for pointing that out; I do still feel like that lessens the tension of the scene.
I don't remember the books that well, but I even found the Crusty scene to be a bit weird too. My assumption is that change was there because they needed episode 7 to be the underworld episode. I really wonder how that would have played out differently if this show had been given 10 or 12 episodes instead of 8.
I agree, the casino was the only instance of it that bugged me, too. And I think the Crusty scene as it is would've worked better for me if they had walked into a trap a few hours before (meaning the casino), even given that they got the instructions from Hermes.
@@evillittlegoat8338 Generally agreed. I actually think the Crusty situation could have been its own episode. I also think they could have done the awareness thing with the lotus of having Annabeth caution them with her knowledge but Percy and/or Grover not notice and eat the snacks. It still wasn't a bad episode by any means.
"But they don't make it FEEL less faithful"
THANK YOU. This is exactly the point, imo. They made some changes, and I have some nitpicks about execution of some things (crusty...) but on the whole the changes all embrace the characters and themes of the story, and arguably set everything up even better to tie together at the end. At least I think they will.
Crusty is the main thing I didn't like! Everything else I pretty much loved (might've tweaked the Casino given the chance, but I don't hold it against the show), whereas I actively wish the Procrustes scene had been handled differently.
@@TheAmityElf Yeah, the Crusty thing was the first time I was legitimately like "Oh, this is not working for me at ALL" the other changes had good parts to them or I can see what they're building towards or even I just straight up liked the changes. I really wish they had just cut the whole rushed crusty scene so we could have more time in the underworld.
Oh my gosh yes why did they even include the Crusty scene
The crusty scene was one of the few times Percy was alone and had to outsmart his opponent to save his friends. Them taking it out is a kind of annoying because I feel like they’ve been doing that to Percy all show giving all the things that were originally Percy’s ideas to Annabeth to make her seem smarter. by making her smarter it’s taking away great moments for Percy that were in the book.
They seem to take out Annabeth fear of spiders.
Thank god I could finally hear a well balanced critique of the main trio knowing about the threat much sooner than the books. Everywhere else I’ve looked it’s just been people complaining about the lack of tension and calling Annabeth a girlboss for knowing about what would be well documented dangers in that universe.
That is sad to hear, cause later in the books her knowledge and tactics (some crazy but work) are acknowledged by her mother and fellow gods. She rightfully earns the girlbossness later. Dobt question Annabeth when she says jump. She planned did from the start haha
the lack of tension is a very valid criticism. Annabeth is also going from badass who still makes mistakes and has fears (in the book) to just girlboss know everything have no fears in the tv show
@swordyshield reminds me of what happened to Hermione's book character vs movie adaptation
@@swordyshield yea I agree with that, even those her character does become a girlboss and confident in the future, its a strange seeing her already displaying that when she hasn't earned it YET. Cause she definetly does earn it
@@coolbeans5911 yep. A shame
The only issue I have with this series is how easy everything is. There's absolutely no sense of danger. They come across thousands of years old monsters and gods, and they dispose of them in minutes, they never seem to be encountering anything stronger than them.
We love this show so much, we re-watch the entire thing every time a new episode comes out. Our only real criticism has been the pacing
Every episode, that's kinda excessive but their ok I guess
Omg, same! And also, I've been putting the show on when I go to sleep just so Disney+ gets a few more watches on the show to show them how popular the show is and we get a season 2 faster.
Same
as a lifelong fan of the books (The Last Olympian was the first novel i ever waited for with baited breath) the changes are made to work around limited time constraints and because so much of the exposition in recognizing gods/monsters happens in Percy's introspection in the books. it makes sense to make him more knowledgable (again in the books knowing more is more dangerous, but that logic may not fly with a visual audience) so Annabeth isn't a walking exposition dump, and honestly I welcome it. I've loved a lot of the more serialized changes in particular (Percy mailing Medusa's head had zero consequences in the book, here it has big consequences) and ramping up the emotional continuity for characters. I always liked Grover in the books but he was hands down less developed than Percy or Annabeth throughout the series; here he's way more developed and probably my favourite character, for example. We were never going to get (or need) a 1:1 adaptation, but the text is elevated through the casting and fleshing out these characters in their own ways - I can't wait for S2
What makes Percy’s exposition dumps objectively better than annabeth’s when both entirely remove the tension from a scene? At least annabeth’s makes more sense. Percy is supposed to be the one who needs help. I still don’t like the annabeth expositions but it fits so much better if we’re led astray for at least 5 mins. Don’t tell me that’s echidna, show me, and then have the characters turn to each other and nod so they can immediately devise a plan to attack her now that they are all on the same page and have reviewed all the necessary evidence. I wish the show runner respected the audience enough to not wait in bated breath for the moment Percy loudly explains who this new encounter is. It feels like jojos but without any of the scenes learning about the stand and the protagonists immediately knowing how their ability works. That’s not fun
I think it would've been better for Annabeth to give the exposition than Percy. Percy is new to the world, just like the audience. It creates a vehicle for the exposition to be given instead of just a random dump of information. It also fits Annabeth's character better because she believes knowledge is power and is good with strategy, while Percy is the one that just wings it most of the time. It's one of the reasons they compliment each other so well.
@@alliencat5700That works better when the world is wholly unique though, this is the Greek mythological world that has existed since the bronze age. People literally get degrees studying these myths, a lot of our language and vocabulary is based around these stories (Narcissism, Achilles's Heel, Hippocratic oath, etc.) As such, it's hard to treat an audience like complete newcomers to this world without disrespecting or boring the people who already know and love these stories. There needs to be a wink and nod to say, "yeah, you should be familiar with at least some of this."
Most of the stories are even common knowledge for anyone who knows about ancient greek mythos. Are you telling me Annabeth doesn't even know about Hephaestus' story? I'm actually surprised Disney let him "mansplain" it to her.
@@nmikk10 i think i mind it less bc i got into percy jackson as a series when i was 8 BECAUSE i already loved greek mythology, and liked to guess along with who the monsters were even on my first read through. also - i'd take letting the monsters actually have more distinct personalities and character work (which medusa and echidna both get while reinforcing the themes of the show respectively, i.e. the gods' wrongful pride and punishment structures / emotional stagnation for medusa, and motherhood for echidna) than having the trio wonder and feel like they haven't done their homework in a way that takes up a lot more time on screen than it does in a book
The thing is, I don't really think those aspects of the original books *are* plot holes. Yeah, grover and annabeth would be familiar with the myth of the lotus eaters, but they would have no reason to believe that this random casino in Vegas they stumbled into is a magical death trap just because it has "Lotus" in the name. That was what made the modernization aspect of the books so clever. The show just bypasses all of the advantages of that and strips the story and characters of a lot of charm
I agree. And I do believe that it was mentioned in the books, that ´Mist´ still works on Demigods. I mean, Percy literally overlooked Tyson being a Cyclops for a long time because of it.
Yes! The mist still cloaks things from Demigods and seers. It was even demonstrated that Grover and Mr. Brunner missed Mrs.Dodds!
I would argue a faithful adaptation does not necessarily mean being 100% accurate to the source material, more about getting the spirit and feel of the story and characters
I once read a comment saying that the Percy Jackson show feels like playing a video game you've already beaten once before so you know all the twists and traps.
I think that there’s a very interesting discourse around this show in that it’s two things:
1) it’s better than the movies, obviously
2) but it’s also not the super amazing and super faithful adaptation a lot of fans were expecting.
Which is fine, obviously. It’s still a good show. But it’s doing things people weren’t really expecting and aren’t 100% working for everyone. It’s just interesting seeing how people interact with this story that is More New than people were expecting.
I trust that the internet will respond to this fact with the appropriate nuance!
(clueless)
@@PillarofGarbagefamously, if there’s one thing internet discourse is known for, it’s engaging with nuance well.
Yeah, I think it's one of those cases that the expectations were set too high due to Rick 's involvement and anticipation that regardless of the quality, it would leave fans not fully satisfied.
It’s not better than the movies, everyone is just coping really hard. That’s why everyone feels so weird about it. They wanna hate the movies and say the show is better but no one wants to admit that so we have videos talking about how “theres a million changes but it doesn’t FEEL different.” Um. Yes it does
@@michaelthatoker7125 ok micheal
Hopefully, they listen to critiques and take them into account when writing future seasons. I think season 1 showed a good start as the vibe and characters are on point. There just needs to be some minor writing and directing tweaking.
You're not an artist if you don't hate your own work after 5 years.
for RUclipsrs it’s 5 _months_
@@PillarofGarbage That some internet time for ya.
For me it’s 5 hours
@@PillarofGarbageMind if you talk about Synthetic Man? Dude is literally unhinged. HeelsvsBabyface of all people called him a potential school shooter.
@@PillarofGarbage for Twitter stans it's 5 minutes.
I think one of the most noticeable changes is how much Percy knows of the Greek world already, meaning he doesn't really feel "seaweed brain" in this adaptation, and detracts from Annabeth's character.
Still loving it, but it's not as charming as the books.
I’d disagree that he doesn’t feel like Seaweed Brain. The nickname isn’t just about him being less knowledgeable about Greek Myth, just that he can be a clueless little dummy sometimes, which he still is in the show
Idk, it felt kinda wierd hearing that irl as opposed to reading it, like they had to force it in for fans
As someone who grew up with the books and have recently been rereading them, I definitely find a lot of the changes disappointing. The whole idea of "Wouldn't you want a second draft on your old work" idea, assumes that this novel was a first draft. But it was a finished product, that led into more works, and many people loved that work!
By changing so many aspects, like the Odyssey style walking coincidentally into so many problems, altering characterisation (such as a lack of Annabeth warmth and knowledgeable lines in general), and such. It kind of feels like an author looking back at something so many people loved and going, "No but it could be better you could love it if it was different." Which I don't think a lot of people were looking for.
The show hard leans on a lot of book knowledge in my opinion? But it also doesn't feel like it was made for people who liked the book.
I've seen a lot of people reluctant to critique the show because they want more, and because we know how bad it can be (the movies). But I feel like more critique along the lines of "Here's what I'd like to see more of next time" is a necessary part of the feedback, and definitely shouldn't mean that those watching the show want it to end.
I should point out I also think by trying to cover up and rearrange the narrative, the show creates its own fair share of plot holes. While it covers up the Arch stuff, it then reinvents the carnival scene? Leaving questions like, why is Hephaestus hanging out in a fairground, why did he supposedly build it this time? Why did he then make a love boat ride, that Hades and Aphrodite then decide her husband's place is the perfect place to make love?? And why does Hephaestus build a trap where one of the gods he assumes will come back has to give up everything for the other? Did he assume Ares would ask some demigods? And if so why does he assume Ares wouldn't just storm back in and try snag his shield with brute force?
It definitely takes away from the joy that can come from seeing the moments from the book come to life
I've seen the argument that some of the changes being made might be because when Rick wrote The Lightning Thief back in 2005 he really didn't have the universe planned out yet so all these changes will ultimately better set up the upcoming seasons adaptations of the books. So far, the changes they have been making have mostly been really good and haven't really bothered me, in my opinion. I think for the most part these changes have improved the adaptation into TV and will ultimately help set up a better payoff for the upcoming seasons since Rick didn't really have the benefit of having the complete story already thought out with the books back then. Great video! 👏
This is an interesting take.
I’ve felt a bit weird about the show’s pacing and some of the dialogue but have felt great about the storytelling overall.
They have caught on quickly a bit more than maybe necessary. It feels like there could have been a mix of both, the theme park ride being probably the best chance for them to be blindsided
I think a good option for playing it book-like would be Crusty’s scene - he’s sufficiently obscure that the kids not recognising him right away wouldn’t really set off alarm bells for 99% of ‘plot-hole’ hating viewers
@@PillarofGarbage oh my god yeah it shocked me they knew who he was-they could have had a vague memory that was eventually tipped off without immediately treating him like a celebrity
@@PillarofGarbage It can be deduced that they know about him by way of Hermes' instructions, though. Would've worked better for me, too if they hadn't just escaped the casino without a major hiccup on their side, though (I'm not counting what happened to Grover).
I agree with the pacing issue. I think the show could benefit from a longer episode runtime.
@@STARK0181 god I WISH. The Medusa episode felt like it was cut tragically short. Same with Echidna honestly
Honestly, the first 2 eps felt so similar to the book, I felt like I was actually reading it but in a bit of a bad way. I liked it, but I wasn't feeling too excited about it anymore, because I knew everything that was gonna happen and HOW it would happen. Then everything changed with ep 3. Now, that was a great episode with a lot of pleasant surprises (the changes to Medusa, the way they defeated her and Alecto, the development between Percy&Annabeth, the dynamic among the trio). Loved it.
I wish people stopped saying the changes are almost as bad as the ones the movie took because ??? what? when? how? no way in hell. So far in the show, they've been hitting every major plot point and haven't altered the characters' personalities completely (looking at you MovieGrover an MovieAnnabeth). Has it been a bit different than how they do that in the book? Yeah, but it's not jarring and it's not out of character. It's still a faithful adaptation, because it remains true to the original story, something I thought we all agree the movie never did.
anyone who tells me they think the movies did things better / made better changes has earned themselves a one way ticket to _ignoresville_
I feel the same way
I Just watched the second movie for the First time and found Annabeths character insulting as a female Viewer. How sad. All the characters are so forgetable (Grover at least has Charisma) and the i liked the movie less than i even thought i would.
@@PillarofGarbageWell, to be fair, I thought the movie did the Lotus Hotel part pretty good, better than the series version in my opinion.
@kenslycarpel3140 100% agree, it's the weakest episode of the show and the strongest part of the movies though to be fair.
The reason for the kids not catching on to the traps in the book was mostly because of the Mist. I didn’t mind them clocking it early in the Medusa, Lotus or Crusty episode. I just wish the explanations were done in a more clever way and I wish the silliness that they got into was still there. Especially for Crusty because they weren’t really manipulated by the Mist there, they just ran into his shop while on the run from bullies and got tricked. I understand that they did that scene specifically because it was kind of convenient for the place that they just so happened to run into to luckily lead to the entrance of the Underworld. But it could’ve been written better, idk. I still really like the show and I hope they get all 5 seasons. I just hope they let these kids get as sidetracked as they normally do in the books, because it happens less and less as the series goes on.
In terms for the characters knowing about the monsters beforehand, the Medusa change was the one that worked for me. If Riordan and the team behind the show could keep the drama while the characters still know what they are going into most of these would have landed better. I feel some of the other “modernizations” did work for me like the Ares twitter joke.
I get Percy Jackson has taken a few liberties with its own story. But if Rick Riordan is personally signing off on them, I don't think the fandom can claim we know better than Rick on the matter. Then again I attended the show's premiere and interviewed its cast, so bias is there.
Fascinating! I bet that was great fun 🤩
I think the changes from the books are for the best. The books were written back in the early 2000s, certain things in the books story wouldn’t have made the most sense to a 2024 audience, so they just changed things to either give background characters more depth or make some outdated things more relevant
It works
I think fans are still able to critique it from a storytelling perspective, I think it's less about inaccuracies to the book and more so if the new direction they're taking works.
I hate when people say shit like this. What exactly makes you think the fans don’t know better? We are the ones who decided the books were good in the first place. If you change them, then we as a fanbase can determine it’s NOT good anymore.
@@michaelthatoker7125
I don't understand when people say that either
Basic literary analysis disagrees with that
I get the whole "the figured out things way too quickly" and idk if Id rather settle watching them get fooled for every trap they get into without getting on guard and frustrated about them not figuring it out or rather have an idea about it and figure out a way to get around it as quick as possible. After all, its not a vacation, its an important quest with bigger risk at hand. Them seeking refuge in the St. Louis makes sense than just going sightseeing, them knowing the trap in the waterland makes sense given the flashing images and knowing their myths, them literally walking into petrified monsters, them realizing they could forget their quest before getting into lotus casino so they know not to eat anything, they know time is running out so couldn't have spent that much time in Crusty's, they think Hermes can help them because they know Luke. And one of the things that most people fail to realize that in these side quests, we realize that these are literally blockades, its impeding their quest, setting them up to fail and they still did their purpose. Because no matter how much they try to go around and outsmart it, them killing Medusa and getting rid of Alecto all in one did have some consequences, they had Echidna sent to stop them, Annabeth couldn't solve her way out of that death chair, they were inconvenienced by Ares telling them to go to Hermes, and him stalling them the whole time. They realized you dont need to eat anything in that casino because time moves faster and they'd forget eitherway. And they missed the deadline despite trying to be efficient and not messing around, despite trying really hard not to fuck it up.
And with that, Percy could've literally cared less about all of this. He was given a choice to just sit back because his father knew Percy did his best. Percy did agree to this quest after all because of his mom, but he tries to take control of it again because he knows he has to finish it. He knows that it wasn't just about saving his mom. He knows he has to step up and be the hero that he gets to be.
I mean, yeah they're kids. But that doesn't mean they can't decide and think for themselves and try to navigate the world by themselves even though we know we'd see them fail.
I hate what they did with Hades as he's not the tragic blacksheep of the family like he was in the books, the scapegoat who was blamed for the bolt for obvious reasons
Rick riordan has also mentioned a lot of mini boss potential monsters in LT story are clocked ahead of time bc they figured someone as smart as annabeth would always be 6 moves ahead, so she would alert the gang to things she would see coming
…that would have been a very handy quote to find while researching for this video!
Oh well. Good to know I was on the money there
If that is true, then what she doesn't see coming will definitely hit harder.
@@Catalyst375 exactly... and then it starts impacting character development and how we as the audience perceive her
I’m never sure if I can agree with this show feeling like a faithful remake. Not simply because they made changes to the story or plot, but because a lot of the changes remove the character and adventure from the book. Primarily the chars knowing threats when they come across them and changes like annabeth wanting to see the arch for nerd reasons, the childish aversion to the tunnel of love + the spiders and the fun in the lotus casino. Even Grover and his tin can habit. Small details are lost and I feel I know very few characters in the story.
When the feeling of the writing and the soul of the story are missing, is it really faithful?
I agree with a lot of the points of this though. I’m just saddened by the show really, I went and reread the entire series to see if I was missing something. Nope, the show is just very dry
While I do like some of the changes the show has made, I just wish that Disney made it a longer season so it didn't feel so rushed. Like the Lotus Hotel episode had no reason for being significantly shorter than every other episode when it had the potential to be such a fun episode. And like other people have commented, giving more development for Percy at camp would've been nice to see. Like his sword practice with Luke.
Sandman also made a few changes, in the novel, Dream fights the demon that took his helmet, in the show he fights Lucifer.
He is entitled to pronounce his name any way he wants, but god as an Irishman, it really does grate to hear.
I get this feeling anytime yanks pronounce a city ending in -chester
The Percy Jackson books are fantasy books, the nature of the fantasy genre is to be adventurous. Taking out the suspense that builds up to the discovery of the things the trio stumble into takes out all the feeling of wonder and adventure. And literally contradicts the nature of a fantasy world/story.
I was a big fan of the books and this puts into words the thing that's been frustrating me about the adaptation.
I thought it was just me being too attached to the source material, but looking back at especially how they handled the kids' time at the lotus casino- the changes makes it feel like they're not participating in the modernized myths, which was the main draw of the books for me.
I adore the way they're deepening the characters and even fleshing out the monster encounters they do go dedicate episodes to (medusa and echidna were highlights of the show), but there are adaptation choices that feel off the mark for me.
it ties into another problem i've been feeling in that it feels more tell-don't-show alot of times? for instace the way we're introduced to the quest is just an immediate cut to chiron and mr. d expositing the situation to percy after he gets claimed, without the buildup of the storm or the hellhound attack hinting that something's up at camp.
Plot holes are really only important if they reduce your enjoyment in the media. I think the last Jedi for example gets a lot of unjustified hate because of its "plot holes“ that most people just heard in a video without spotting it for themselves in the movie and just went with it as a criticism. But it’s really not a real criticism if you weren’t bothered by it. With Percy Jackson I think it’s similar
_TLJ mentioned_
Get ready for 10 different dudes to argue in this comment’s replies for months
@@PillarofGarbage And I am ready for them all
@@PillarofGarbageGod the culture war is garbage. People should learn to agree to disagree. Before TLJ prequels elicited the same reaction. No one learned anything since 1999.
I always attributed them missing the red flags as an effect of the mist, where they could blatantly see something that indicates that they are dealing with a monster but the mist prevents them from actually connecting the dots. I guess I’m just coping
It was that, and then Espc in the first book a mix of inexperience/exhaustion. generally whenever they’d enter the next Mythical tale, they were tired/exhausted due to narrowly escaping the previous one
“They figured out they were in their mythic counterparts much quicker than their book counterparts” this has been my biggest gripe I do agree. I know they were taught etc, but i still wish they would show them struggle more due to being children. Show them struggling even slightly more, make the characters what they are children. I think you nailed exactly what I was thinking the entire time. Also by even in the books by the time they get to all of these places, they are very exhausted/tired etc. the crusty episode i understand rushing it, but instantly figuring it out EVERYTIME just removed any charm. Hopefully for S2 they understand to write them more as children and remember who they are writing
I never read the books but I like this show. Especially for a modern live action kids show about kids. Because as an adult in the cartoon community, I feel like there are modern live action kids shows that don't get the attention they deserve like modern animated kids shows like The Owl House or The Loud House.
I get where some fans are coming from that they'd rather the show be fully animated and that the only reason it's not is because adults think so little of animation. But I would argue live action kid-friendly media are treated worse.
While there's still trash like That Girl Lay Lay, no one ever talks about Secrets of Sulphur Springs or The Bureau of Magical Things from Australia or other shows beyond Disney or Nickelodeon that I've heard of on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. From Netflix, I've seen this family friendly miniseries called Best. Worst. Weekend. Ever. which made me laugh harder than I expected! And on Prime, I'm eight episodes into this one show, Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street and it's great! I believe great stories can be told by any medium that can excite all ages! And I miss having that!
Omg someone else has seen Gortimer Gibbons?? 😭 I love that show!
I feel like today there is so little live action TV shows for children around the age this show is aimed for that this is a very good addition. I mean animation is also very good but it hits different when you see actual kids around your age doing the things. When I was growing up we had so many live action TV shows for this age group on the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, etc, and I think it is a good thing that this show is now coming out and I hope kids today will get even more shows.
secrets of sulphur springs has no right being that good
@@neivilde.1242 I love that show 🤗
First time i despaired children tv shows was the transition from teen titans to teen titans go
As someone who has read the books too, this was exactly what I was feeling as well! Thank you for this video, it was very well done
Even the greatest adaptation to movies in history, LotR, made large changes to characters and events.
If you just copy-paste the books, I don't see any reason to make a show/movie. Part of the art is keeping the spirit and story of the source material, but also the ability to interpret and show the vision of the artists that adapt the piece.
Not a Percy Jackson guy, but I'll admit I get pretty easily frustrated by 'contrived' drama in stories, where I wish the characters would know better about their situation. But if they did, what do you do with the story?
I have read the novels but not for a long time, and the thing that has struck me is that the show captures the feeling of the novel so well. Some bits I knew were different (like the amusement park, i was braced for spiders) but there were so many I never even realised had changed because they just...fit. i seriously hope we get more seasons, especially since my previous fav Disney show (the bad batch) is ending this year
Great video! While I do have some gripes with the show, a few start to go away when I remember that the lightning thief was originally written as a bedtime story for his own kid and a few go away. Percy the show is more fully realized and has to set up future seasons, the book it comes from doesn’t have to do that just yet. Also, great video! Amazing point
Finally, the first sensible analysis about some of the changes that wasn't complaining about how the show didn't align with the image of the book you had in your mind.
What I like about them realising the threats sooner isn't just "Oh these kids should know better" but also it allows the monsters to remain a threat despite that knowledge. The kids have little choice but to go into Medusa's house. Echidna has them trapped on a train and Percy poisoned, Percy and Annabeth have no choice but to get the shield knowing full well what's going to happen, the Lotus Casino has long moved away from the lotus flowers, and they almost lose Grover in the process. Crusty is... Well he's trying.
"it's not like the films.. OH GOD THE FILMS."
I wouldnt even call the original books plot holes, except maybe falling from the Arch. What is often forgotten is that Annabeth has only been out of camp once - when she was travelling to camp with Luke, Grover, and Thalia. Grover is also confirmed to have left camp twice to protect Annabeth and Co, and later Percy. Sure, Annabeth and Grover might have good knowledge of classical myths, and Percy some knowledge thanks to his Mum and Chiron - none of them have any real experience of what these myths look like in the modern day. So, I think it stands to reason that they don't always immediately identify the monster or situation immediately in the books.
Thank you for criticizing the show properly people have been so weird!!!
My biggest thoughts come from understanding how books are adapted onto a screen combined with how Disney likes to operate with new shows. Disney's been struggling with Disney+. So new projects are going to be short and snappy for the first season. Because why waste a bunch of money on something no one watches? With this in mind, look at the runtime of each episode. The Lotus Casino episode, for instance, is quite short. It makes sense that Rick and the producers were forced to make choices in order to fit the runtime. There's also the fact that CGI is expensive and most monsters would require CGI. Even if they did some things practically, that'd still be expensive and hard to pull off in order to look right. Then you have to take into account the actors and their ages. Unlike an adult cast that can sit in a makeup chair for eight hours before working eight hours for a three minute scene (Looking at you Deadpool
Great vid! As a fan of the books I'm so glad this finally got a good adaptation.
I saw a channel dedicated to how much they dislike the new series. I remember opening a video and it started with something like “This is my favorite episode because it pissed me off the least.” I’m so confused by this mindset. This person was clearly a fan of the books and wanted a page for page rendition of the book. What has to be understood is that just because change is different, it doesn’t make it inherently worse. Instead of looking at everything wrong with the show and how it supplemented some of its story, look at the positive changes. The additions of Hermes and Hephaestus are great for giving these characters more of a personality before they get their time to truly shine. Who cares if it’s not the same, why not just wait and see how it pays off.
You managed to put in words what I've been trying to put my finger on this whole time!
This is how u adapt a book. Change it to be more suitable for screen but don't change the integral storyline and characters. They did this perfectly in my opinion.
I actually found someone on Reddit who explained that in St. Louis, the area under the Arch get's flooded sometimes.
not sure how true that is
Great analysis - thanks!
the show feels like it’s just going through the motions of the book, very little character development, very little entertainment , and very little visuals until the finale
What I loved about the original series is how it payed homage to its mythical sources. The gang always stumbles into monster encounters because that’s what happened in the Odyssey, and the logical explanation was that they’re kids and kids are kinda dumb. But having them recognize everything in advance and be genre-savvy takes away that mythical element and doesn’t add anything better in its place
Annabeth picking up on Medusa's presence was great, of course our 'wise girl' would be on the look out for Athena's enemies. The trio thinking the arch would keep them safe, only to realise their backed into a corner was really clever writing, and seeing how Ares was the one to send them to the park, it makes sense they are on guard. The casino, was a slight let down, but I didn't mind the change, Percy and Annabeth were together, so they stayed focused, while Grover got separated, so he was affected.
Crusty would be the only one I'd change, I'd have it next to DOA Records, and while Percy is arguing with Charon, Annabeth and Grover would get grabbed, Percy would come looking for them and work out the trap, and I'd definitely include him cutting of Crusty's head, give an early hint at Tartarus Percy.
You've put into words with that last segment something I couldn't put my finger on. Why, despite loving these books as much as I did, was I not feeling the same sense of magic and wonder with the world of the Gods as Percy and gang experience them? Brilliantly articulated.
Very well said, I think it sums my thoughts up almost exactly. Keep up the good garbage, Pillar
I agree 100% I also think that the show is missing some of the book's iconic humor.
This is pretty much exactly what i had been thinking!
Even though them knowing what they're walking into makes more sense, what with Annabeth and Grover being raised on Camp and Sally telling Percy the stories, it just loses a bit of what made the books hold your attention so much.
You were finding out what they were getting into alongside them! And although I can see how some of these things make more sense than how they were in the book, we have to think that these were kids who were tired, hungry and desperate, so sometimes, like in the Medusa scene, even though it seems obvious for the readers what's going on, they're so desperate to finally eat something that they don't realize it until it starts to get dangerous (although Grover's intuition never failed them there).
I like the changes that were made for the Medusa and the Equidna scene, episode 4 was my absolute favorite!
The changes in the Aqualand I'm unsure about, although they opened some space for very emotional and meaningful scenes, it still feels to me like it could've been executed better and I definitely don't like that they had already realized everything that was going on there before they even saw the ride.
Lotus Cassino suffered quite a bit from the changes I think, it just wasn't particularly impactful. I really wish they had the moment from the books where they're like "ok, maybe we can play around here just for a little bit" because it really reminds you that those are in fact children, who want to play and have fun but instead are being given life threatening quests by their own parents. It's heartbreaking when you really stop to think about it...
There's lots I think could've been done differently, but overall I really love the show and how much care seems to have been put on making it. I truly can't wait to see what they'll do with the next seasons.
If I could send one video to Riordan and company, it's this. I absolutely adore this show and basically love all of its changes from the books I grew up on. They feel more with the times, and I actually prefer when changes get made that allow me to like multiple adaptations of the same story independently from one another. What's the point in replication in a different medium if we already have that story elsewhere? Disney's remakes have had this horrible time trying to turn their animated classics into modern live action jaunts because of the need to be faithful mixed with the need to adapt to the medium. Mulan, The Lion King, Beauty and The Beast, you name it. None of them live up to the original, because they are both so faithful (and therefore uncreative) and yet so visually unappealing. It's apples to oranges when it's a book-to-screen adaptation instead but you get what I mean. These changes make the stories worth comparing, and especially given that both are successful, their comparisons aren't stooped in a harsh need for one to supplant the other.
But, it's as you said. What good are the changes if you lose out on some of the novelty and discovery that the audience and characters alike have to deal with? I think the perfect example of what shouldn't have been changed is the Lotus Casino. Have them understand that the gods mingle there and that there might be a mythological twist to expect, but snap the connection between the lotus imagery and the lotus flower/perfume that gives the whole game away. Then have them deal with it accordingly. Riordan and company have clearly put a lot of love into realizing this world for this generation and this medium, but I do think they should slightly course-correct back into the whimsical, novel, and strange. Medusa would be too obvious to even an audience member, but would Circe get recognized so easily? Especially when it comes to those subjects of, monsters and gods related to, and stories about the Titans, our trio shouldn't be so aware. After all, that's the rising threat, that's the unknown, that's what not even the gods of Olympus were expecting.
Great video, man.
This so much this! I feel like it took so much from the surprises
Making the characters “smarter” by having them figure out what’s going on ultimately makes them feel stupider when they get attacked
Lightning Thief made me a reader and a dreamer. I'll take every plot hole everytime for the level of fun that book was to me
One other thing on the “characters recognize stuff instantly” one of the fun things about being adhd is that you’ll retain lots of random pieces of information that will be triggered by anything.
I guarantee you they go “oh look a lotus… hey I know a story with a lotus in it… OH SHIT”
That being said, I’m really looking forward to future seasons where they get their footing and find their stride
personally, the medusa one should be obvious but stuff like the lotus casino should be a surprise. have them be overly suspicious since you know, gods and all, but not know the danger. for medusa it's obvious cuz everyone already knows of medusa and the petrification thing. but echidna and the like should be surprises for the trio
cuz iirc echidna hid herself as a regular person when entering the arch, and the arch itself doesn't seem to have any connection to greek myths, so it makes sense to be a surprise. same with the lotus casino, cuz that sounds obscure enough to not be noticed by the trio. while medusa has a ton of stone statues, and some modeled after monsters like the cyclops. statues, greek monsters, that should ring a bell
I'm so glad there's more people out here who share this thought! I didn't mind most of the changes to the story, but sometimes it felt like the show was rushing a lot to get to the point instead of using some of those moments to add dimension and develop the trio's relationship with one another. Like Gabe being just some douchebag instead of an abusive boyfriend/stepfather, the amusement park episode (still upset they ignored one of Annabeth's most important scenes in the book), Hades being completely off character and the season finale.
In my opinion, they should've added 10 minutes to each episode and have the finale split into two episodes for further character development. It's a good show and hopefully the producers/directors will learn from their mistakes in s1
I agree with your criticisms! I know some people were expecting more and I do hope we get to see more in future seasons, but this is television. The first season is rarely ever the "best" season of a show's run but it is always the most necessary one because it introduces us to the world and the characters. Look at "Avatar The Last Airbender". Most people I've come across never claim Book 1 as their favourite season, yet it's the one that sets up everything to come. Or in the case of the Harry Potter films, most people I know never claim the first movie as their favourite. It's usually Prisoner of Azkaban or Goblet of Fire. I feel like that's how it will be with this show. I've loved this season and I just know it's going to get better from here!
absolutely to all of this! i don’t blame people for being critical (because of course there’s room for improvement) but i think a lot are treating any issues as deal breakers or series destroyers when it feels obvious to me that the first season will be a looot of feeling out and explaining things. they’re trying to make a show for totally new fans too, not just the ones with prior knowledge, as well as finding the best ways to adapt from book to screen. which i’m sure is very hard! by the time they’d hypothetically get to the last olympian i think it’ll be at it’s absolute best and fans will be very happy :)
When it comes to the trio clocking certain things right away in the series which doesn't happen in the books, i never saw it as an issue or a plothole in the books. Thats cause I'm pretty sure it was established that the Mist works, at least in part, on demigods which is why even though they may get entrapped or tricked in the beginning, they're eventually able to figure out whats going on. So yeah i agree not every instance where they ebcounter something mythical they need to figure whats going on right away. Problem is, since this season had already started that trend, it might be odd if they change it on later seasons 🤷
Glad to see a proper critique of the show. I'm hoping they learn from all this & improve for S2.
I feel like going through the Percy Jackson books and series (HoO included) was like playing a video game for the first time, you’re there with the characters trying to figure the stuff out in real time, whereas the show is like your 20th play through, you kinda know where everything is and have a good idea of how each encounter is gonna go
This was beautifully done. I agree with everything you said here, and I think most of us share the same feelings. So far i’ve been fine with most of these changes because, as you said, they haven’t made it FEEL less faithful as it’s clear they’ve done this with a lot of love and are clearly making these changes for specific intentional reasons. And in the case of some changes, like Hermes for example, I think they represent tremendous foresight in setting up the larger themes of the whole story, which I would much rather have than the lotus casino being beat for beat. But I do agree that they’re beginning to have a problem with taking out the tension with some of these. The Crusty scene made sense for the show like you said, but it was the first one where I finally felt it was becoming too glaring. Crusty’s not even that important of an encounter, but it was yet another one that took out the tension and reveal, and in this case was not even a challenge. In the book Percy has to think on his feet to save his friends’ lives, and it feels like dang, when are they going to catch a break on this quest. But in the show it sorta just feels like another box checked. Even then with Hades, their conversation with him feels so normal, and nowhere near as tense and layered as the book. I think overall they’re doing a really impressive job, i’m currently rereading the lightning thief, and despite being for middle schoolers it’s an incredibly impressively detailed book, and adapting it this well clearly took a lot of love. But I think going forward they need to be careful not to strip out the tension of these encounters and everything that made the books great. Just because you CAN make changes doesn’t always mean you SHOULD, even if you feel like it might make more sense. At the end of the day I believe they’re making the best Percy Jackson show that they can, and changes/restructures are totally required. But I do think they could afford to show the audience more with more tension as opposed to telling us everything
We should have like a "Ricks version" of his books where he reworks the original stories now that he has had a lot of time to stew and redo them. I think this show shows the creativity and ingenuity surrounding Riordan's writing and creative works. It'd be interesting to do a compare and contrast as to what Rick would change as time has gone on.
You're right about how it would be obvious for Annabeth or Grover what all the traps are that their characters fel into in the books. However, it's *Percy* who keeps pointing them out instead when it rarely makes sense for him to. I guess they want him to feel more like a main character, but it still isn't enough of an explanation
Thanks to this video, I finally know how I feel about the Percy Jackson series. I didn't hate the series, it looks great, but there is something missing, unlike the books. I couldn't put my finger on it until I turned to watching the reaction on RUclips so I could see what was missing, and a lot of RUclipsrs feel the reaction.
very well said! i'm not watching percy jackson to see these kids know every monster they're about to face, i enjoyed the original story cos it's fun to see them get into trouble and figure a way out
i do not understand ppl complaining abt percy knowing too much abt greek mythology(i've seen people complaining abt annabeth or grover knowing a lot too like wtf)bc its been shown and said multiple times that his mom has taught him a lot abt the subject,as a reader i preffer it that way
I'm really surprised Riordan never considered how Percy could've fallen into the river from the arch. I vividly remember being confused about that as a kid immediately, I'd never been to the arch but I'd seen pictures, and I knew it wasn't literally built OVER a river, which would've been the only way that he could've just fallen straight in
This could also apply to characters as well. Gabe’s fate was pretty dark and even after everything he did to Sally, I don’t think it’s in her character to do that, but because it benefits Sally’s character, its a pretty small issue, and also it’s just really funny, I wouldn’t “fix” it if I could, despite considering it a flaw.
Great video as always.
One change I didn’t like the show mentioning Luke’s mother so early. They should have focused on the first reason given between Hermes and Luke. That Luke felt that his father embarrassed him with a quest already done and which he failed in.
Also let’s be honest I don’t thing a 12 year will remember people as irrelevant as Procrustes and the lotus eaters who are really just the villain of the week for both Theseus and Odysseus
As someone who read the books basically as they were releasing, I've been really enjoying this show. However, I do agree with your analysis here, the almost over correction of "plot holes" from the books makes things feel just a little less fluid than they could be. Like with Echidna, knowing who she was way before the arch felt a little less like she was waiting for them and more like the writers pushing the story ahead a bit to save time. Then there are times where it really works, like with Procrustes being just a nice little opening to an episode. I think that if they get a second season (which I very much hope they do) they will hopefully slow down on the covering up of "plot holes" and hopefully find the balance.
You articulated most of my personal problems with the show. I still really like it over all, but the sort of "mystery" aspect where they can tell something's wrong, but not exactly what in the books makes it a much more engaging story in my opinion. The scene where Percy, Annabeth, and Grover realize Ares set them up hits harder when they didn't really suspect him before. As for the Lotus Casino, Percy mentioned they probably should've been wary of the fact that they already had all-inclusive rooms, but they're kids. They were tired and everything just looked so fun and tempting. I don't think the show's changes are all necessarily bad, just less compelling.
i REALLY want to watch that 3 hour critique of The Very Hungry Caterpillar!
I think the one and only change I genuinely hated was the casino. I hated how they hardly even got trapped by it and didn’t have any sort of fun. That was the whole point of the scene in the book and they decided to exchange it all for a walking and talking exposition fest. I didn’t mind Hermes addition but when it took the place of the actual fun of the casino…that’s the issue. With that being said most of the other changes (even more major ones) I felt actually enhanced the book
I totally agree I miss the plot holes. They added so much charm to the original. Frankly it really drags the show down. It’s getting to the point where I’d rather watch the movie.
The producers and writers heard this complaints and will surely be talked and considered going into Season 2 and that makes me more excited.
Never agree more to a video! I believe Rick, Becky and the show producer said that they would try improve the next seasons based on criticism of this one so hopefully Sea of Monsters would be even more adventurous without our little heroes knowing everything. Anyway, I'm still very much enjoying the show and cannot wait for the Ares fight.
I think the big thing about the changes are that they are taking the audience into consideration. When we read the books, we didn't know what was going to happen, so Percy didn't either. Now, we do know what is going to happen, so Percy doesn't have as much seaweed in his noggin.
I agree with your points! I think there should have been more of a compromise when it comes to how much the kids know before going into each situation. I think Medusa was perfect and that change makes sense and elevates the scene so much, but for the Lotus Hotel, I don't think the change had as much payoff. I still think they're doing a great job I have hope that they can improve on this in later seasons to help make the episodes have a little more mystery
for the plot hole in the chimera arc with percy falling into the water even though it’s so far away, is it weird that I always imagined his father using the water to save him? When the show revealed it as that I didn’t even realize that it didn’t match with the book since I always imagined it as the show presented it.
I love this show. Is it as good as the book? No. But what adaptation is? And even if it is, it always has some sort(s) of huge changes.
Do I feel excitement in the episode? No. But it's a no because I've read these books so many times that the plot isn't exciting to me anymore. But that doesn't make it bad. This feels like reading the book again but with a new cover, font, and some new images on the side. I'm experiencing the same story I've always loved but in a slightly different way. It's like hot chocolate on a cold morning. Do I expect to be thrilled? No. I'm 27 now. I read the books when I was half my age. It's not for me. it's for the kids. I just am glad to be comforted. And this show provides so much comfort to me and I love it for that.
Plus Sally is my new hero. That ep 7 diner scene. OMG. I cried.
I think people are too hard on this series. Is it the best thing ever? No. But it's comfort food on tv. And sometimes that's all I want and need.
That was perfectly said. Well done.
I understand that there are certain events in mythology that are very well known, such as Medusa, Polyphemus, Circe, because they are usually adapted for movies, television, etc. But the lotus eaters is a little known event that is usually skipped when they tell the story of Odysseus. So it is plausible that there are situations that the protagonists do not see coming. On the one hand, it is to be expected that they spend most of their time learning how to use a sword well (which takes years) and not studying mythology (bah, just "studying", period). And on the other hand, it has already been explained time and time again that demigods suffer from attention deficit, so it is plausible that there are moments when they forget the obscure events taught in their mythology classes (which I don't remember they had, but let's say they did).
If anything, the same problem is found in Harry Potter, where the character keeps bumping into things he didn't know about the world of magic, which if we're honest, all of us would have figured out in the first semester. We would have basically killed the professors and classmates with questions.
I think this adaptation killed two things that I think are very important in Riordan's books:
1º The discovery of those little known events in the mythology at the same time as the characters (the surprise).
2º The humor of the book. That sarcastic and carefree look when adapting the mythology to current times.
I don't know why, they made it so serious, I guess it's the style used nowadays. I think it's a change that is also seen in young adult books, from the Twilight saga or the teen dystopia of The Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze runer, etc. everything now seems to be a drama.
I don't like it, but well, it's appreciated that they tried harder than they did in Artemis Fowl.
Honestly, the only time I would really change them to accidentally stumbling into an ancient trap would be with Hephaestus's amusement park. I feel like that part could be easily written off as they are distracted wanting to get this silly side quest done with and therefore aren't as cautious. They could make the entrance part easy and not have them realize until IN the tunnel of love so that the charming chock factor would still be there. Then, the episode could continue to play out as it did after the shock, because that was my favorite episode and I found Annabeth's monologue so moving. I also would've preferred if they blew up the bus for the drama, but I understand that pyrotechnics are expensive and can sometimes be dangerous + take days to film and plan and with such a tight filming deadline, that probably wasn't an option.
I suspect many of these changes were perhaps mostly format. The big problem with the surprises is that the book was first-person, so we're following Percy's thoughts as he catches on. The hard part is doing that in the show without doing the horrible trope of "We're in terrible danger, let's stop and infodump for the audience now." By spotting the problem ahead of time, they can make sure the audience knows the context without the group stopping to talk in the middle of danger
One of the main reasons I love the show so much is that, they did it all right and still failed the quest. In the book they get stuck in the casino not really by choice but they don't realize their mistake until much later but there is still time to finish their quest and they do so because it's their quest and the deadline hasn't passed. In the show they do everything right, they catch on to the monsters, they don't waste time, they are desperately aware of the looming deadline and they do everything they can to avoid it, and they still fail. And then, despite all that, Percy makes the choice to keep going. Him having to make the choice that, timeline be damned, he was not going to stop until he saw this through is infinitely more powerful and true to Percy's character than I think ripping the original timeline from the book would have been.
These changes almost went unnoticed for me if only because when I read the books as a kid, they were my intro to a lot of these myths so I was surprised with the characters as events unfolded. However, now that I am an adult, I almost expected these character, that were raised on myths to recognise the parallels in their own journey to the myths, because I know most of these myths now. I will say, it lessened the tension compared to what I remember, but I wonder how recapturable that tension could even be now that I come in with more knowledge of these myths then I do the books themselves. I'll be curious to see how they handle this going forward, especially because, if I remember correctly, the characters got better at utilising mythological knowledge to handle some obstacles in later books.
This is the best show Disney’s made in a while.
Rick Riordan deserves all of his success