TV Review: "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" Season 2 Takes the Demigod Adventure to New Heights

Christmas has come early with the action-packed extravaganza that is the second season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Walker Scobell, Leah Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri are back as the heroic trio of Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, bringing viewers back to Camp Half-Blood and the world of Greek gods and demigods.

This time around, Percy has a new friend named Tyson (Daniel Diemer) who ends up journeying back to camp with him as the summer begins. They meet up with Annabeth, and while there is some unresolved tension between Percy and Annabeth, the fact that Tyson is a cyclops doesn’t help the situation.

Percy and Annabeth have been having dreams about the destruction of camp, and Percy himself has seen his friend Grover who is on a quest to find the lost god Pan, in imminent danger. With Tyson joining them, Percy and Annabeth make it to camp battling Laestrygonians (cannibal monsters), where they learn Chiron (Glynn Turman) has been replaced by Tantalus (Timothy Simons) as activities director.

Camp Half-Blood is very different, and even though Dionysus (Jason Mantzoukas) is still there and in charge, Percy and Annabeth are having a difficult start back at camp. When they see Luke (Charlie Bushnell) poisoning Thalia’s tree, the magical protection that keeps monsters out of camp, there is only one thing that can save them, and that is the legendary Golden Fleece. Grover happens to be trapped on the same island as the Golden Fleece. To save the camp and their friend Percy and Annabeth need a quest, but can they trust each other?

Season two is fast-paced, and I am in awe at how quickly the action picks up in the first couple of episodes. The rapidity of how the narrative takes us into the journey is impressive because the heart and meaning of The Sea of Monsters is not lost, only enhanced with the fast-paced storytelling. Fans of the printed word may wish to see Percy and Tyson at school before coming to Camp Half-Blood, I (long-time fan) am pleased to see how the extra meat of the story has been stripped for a more compelling and gripping tale on the screen.

Walker Scobell and Leah Jeffries exhibit cinematic excellence with their chemistry in this season, and viewers will connect with the two the first moment they are on screen. The maturity and confidence the two actors bring to the roles lets the audience benefit from them showing a genuine connection to their characters and not just reciting a script.

Scobell and Jeffries shine in their parts, Diemer brings a genuine innocence and wonder in the role of Tyson, and Charlie Bushnell chews scenery as the traitor Luke. Witnessing the expanded role of Clarisse La Rue is what I have been waiting for. Played by Dior Goodjohn, Clarisse is a formidable warrior who has a soft side, but a hard edge to her personality that enables viewers to see the child in the warrior spirit.

Goodjohn had some memorable moments in the first season, but it is season two that allows Clarisse to shine and gives Dior Goodjohn her moment to take center stage. Her character’s entry into this season is epic, as befitting a child of the God of War Ares, but the moments after where it enables Goodjohn to show the vulnerable side of Clarisse is what makes her character so magical. Goodjohn walks this fine line with precision, and I can’t wait to see her work in season three.

The fine line of adaptation is bringing the story alive with enough familiarity of the book, and enough newness that allows the original story to be a fully-fledged entity on screen. Casting talented lead actors like Scobell, Jeffries, and Simhadri is step number one. Creating innovative and complex supporting characters like Clarisse is step number two. Step number three is making the show original but balanced with enough important and core moments from the novel to come to life on the screen.

Every bit of the chariot race that we see in episode 2 matches what Riordan wrote in the book, but the story is slimmed down so that an entire episode is not devoted to this race and thus slowing the pace of the show. That’s why it matters to have the author at the helm bringing the story to life. Who else would you want but the person who wrote the story to help you visualize it on screen.

This being the second season of the show, there is always the possibility that the level of accuracy and continuity of the successful first season could slip. I am pleased and proud to proclaim that Percy Jackson and the Olympians excels in storytelling with an action-packed adventure that will keep audiences glued to their couch.

As much as I like the actors, I am hooked on the story, and it’s the little choices that were made to help propel the series that make the show stand alone in a sea of streaming services. In season two, there is an epic reveal of the coming quest that Percy and his friends will need to take, and it’s an amazing graphic that allows the viewers to see the title card of the book in the show.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a must-watch. Fans of the show will love the next step in the journey, and families will love sharing the demigod adventure.

Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians premieres December 10 on Disney+ and Hulu on Disney+.