PJO Series Overall Thoughts + Pros and Cons
Disclaimer! First of all, there are a lot more cons than pros here, and if you loved the show and donāt want to hear my criticism just keep scrolling. Second, Iām not someone to complain just because it isnāt exactly how it was in the book! I have quite a range of feelings about story changes. In regard to the ones Iāve listed as cons, iām just irritated that they havenāt been able to match the book in frankly any capacity. I believe that if youāre making changes, it should be a) out of necessity, b) to improve upon the material, or c) taking positive creative license to try a new spin on an element from the source material. But the changes Iām complaining about, for the most part, havenāt met any of those requirements.
It was so magical seeing camp come to life!
The Underworld looks fantastic, the visuals are super cool, especially the Fields of Asphodel. That was a really cool spin on the books- the CGI was pretty good, and the concept there was really interesting.
Olympus was very cool looking too! It reminded me of Asgard.
Overall I Just Think Thereās Lots of Potential!
Since the leads are fairly inexperienced (and kids), you canāt expect them to be incredible. Theyāre doing just fine, but I think they have a lot of potential, and Iām excited to see them grow over the course of the series!
Generally I still really like the casting and have high hopes for these actors, I just wish (for our sake and theirs) that they had better material to work with.
This ones kind of a pro AND a con: Generally, I really like the flashbacks! They add a lot more depth to Sally, and her relationships with Percy and Poseidon. That being said, the episodes typically feel far too short to be adding material that wasnāt in the books. I thought it was fantastic in episode 7, but in other episodes it didnāt quite work when so much else was cut, or there were opportunities left untaken as a result.
I also liked that they included a few flashbacks with Luke in the finale- there was so much training and time at camp that didnāt fit into the first two episodes.
They got rid of the ānames have powerā stuff which is great (never made sense in the books).
They did a really nice job humanizing Medusa, but still creating conflict with her, and simultaneously setting up further issues with the gods.
I also agreed with their decision to move the fight from Santa Monica to Montauk, to save time.
The dialogue is definitely less charming than in the books. Itās a huge part of what makes them fun, and the dialogue here is honestly pretty bland. The characters donāt totally feel like themselves, but it isnāt only the acting. Forcing the characters to be explaining stuff to each other nearly every time they have a conversation makes them a lot less personable.
Honestly, this series feels kind of elementary in comparison to the middle grade books. Iād imagine that, like the books, they were aiming to create something that could be enjoyed by young kids and adults alike. But I didnāt find it as successful as the book in this regard.
And the dialogue is consistently so surface level! Stiff, boring, and above all, CONSTANTLY telling over showing. This affects the likability of the characters, and the ability of the actors. Both parties are deterred by the info dumping, as they arenāt really given as many genuine lines or interactions as they should have.
Honestly, it kind of feels a bit like they gave some of Percyās personality to Annabeth in parts of the show? I saw someone else point out that theyāre kind of giving Annabeth the Hermione treatment (ie giving her some of the other characters good moments), which I kind of agree with. However, a lot of that was towards the beginning and middle of the season and has somewhat improved since.
I posted a whole rant earlier about the Lotus Casino episode, which Iāll just summarize: theres a consistent pattern in the show of having the characters figure out whatās going on immediately, removing the danger, and more importantly, not allowing the characters to make mistakes, which weakens both them and the plot. In addition, I didnāt like that they brought up May Castellan already, primarily because it was just another info dump, which (in my mind) gets lost amongst all the other info dumps and removes the poignancy from the reveal. Now, thereās absolutely time to fix the May Castellan situation and ensure that it still packs a punch later on, but for this season it wasnāt great. Go check out my last post if youād like to hear the rest of my argument on that episode!
Some additional examples of the ānot letting the characters experience dangerā thing: Procrustes (obviously), and Kronos- forget whether or not Percy should know who Kronos is, the biggest issue is that thereās very little evidence or buildup, so (again) thereās no tension or shock at the reveal. And finally, with Luke. I was so annoyed when Percy figured it out! I couldāve believe that they were doing it AGAIN. I still enjoyed that scene because Walker and Charlie were great, but that was disappointing for sure.
The thing with the pearls honestly amounted to nothing, and there was no reason for Annabeth to not be present in the underworld: that was just a tearjerker for the sake of being a tearjerker (manufactured drama).
I just wish theyād made it SLIGHTLY more mature- donāt get me wrong, itās a kids show! Iām very well aware of that! But this feels a lot tamer than a lot of kids (PG) movies involving monsters and stuff.
Gabe was a real piece of shit in the books, but in the show they just kinda made him look lazy and turned him into comic relief. And I donāt believe in the argument that they had to make this change to benefit a younger audience- they didnāt really need to change anything there.
Throughout the majority of the season, I felt like they werenāt allowing the gods to be truly intimidating, or powerful. First with Ares, who wasnāt BAD but generally didnāt have that kind of dramatic presence that he had in the books. Again with Hades, who wasnāt shown as being REMOTELY intimidating, and perhaps the biggest offense of all- Zeus. Having the deadline pass with seemingly zero consequence or threat of consequence does absolutely nothing (and certainly doesnāt increase tension like Iām pretty sure Rick Riordan said was their reason for changing it). Up until the finale, viewers had very few reasons to fear the Gods. Even Dionysus and Hephaestus! In the books thereās a clear line- you can interact with them, but you DONT want to offend them. Thereās a clear threat of power, and that just wasnāt remotely present for a while.
And again, I just want to clarify- this is an overall writing problem! Itās not that Ares, or any other one of the gods I just mentioned has a different personality than in the books, itās that a show like this (KIDS OR NOT) should still be compelling, and part of that includes having real danger and clear stakes.
I would add that they did a much better job with this in the finale! Lance Reddick gave such an amazing performance, and truly made Zeus an intimidating figure. The fight on the beach with Ares was great as well. So Iām optimistic about this criticism moving into season 2, but I stand by the idea that this was an issue for the majority of the series.
Overall, it felt like they werenāt taking the serious parts seriously, AND they didnāt take the comedy as seriously either? So it isnāt as lighthearted OR as impactful as the books. It feels so much more bland and watered down by comparison.
Everything just flowed really well in the books, here the pacing is off and the dialogue isnāt as natural (again, theyāre forced to rely on a lot of telling instead of showing which takes away from genuine moments). Many character details and personality traits were cut for the sake of additional verbal explanation
As many others have pointed out, the fight scenes also feel pretty rushed, and havenāt quite conveyed the sense of urgency that they should. It all just lowers the stakes.
This Ones Kind of a Joke, but the Casting for Hephaestus
Itās mostly my book bias. This guy was NOT giving Hephaestus. Mainly because Hephaestus is the god of the forge, and I canāt picture this guy anywhere near one of those. He kind of looked like one of Santaās elves, heās giving tinkerer not GOD of the FORGE. This is also something they can absolutely fix/win me over in time lmao
I already mentioned most of the changes (good and bad) already, but thereās one more. I kind of wish they had kept Percyās dream about Tartarus, especially given that they decided to have Percy figure out Kronos is behind it all earlier- it just wouldāve clicked a little easier.
I donāt want to totally sound like a hater! Iām still enjoying the series, and I really hope it gets renewed for season 2! I was just disappointed in the weak writing. I hope that the writers will be able to recognize these flaws and improve for season 2.
Alright, I donāt really expect anyone to read this whole thing, but if you made it: thanks for reading! Iām curious to hear your thoughts, so Iād really appreciate comments, just keep it civil!