The third episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians has dropped on Disney+. What went down?
Episode 3 Recap
Warning: Spoilers for Percy Jackson and the Olympians ahead
At the end of the second episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the titular hero, played by Walker Scobell, accepted his quest. Zeus' lightning bolt was stolen, and it's up to Percy to return it and also save his mother from Hades.
But he can't do it alone. And at the beginning of the third episode, Percy is seen approaching the Oracle, who gives him his quest. She warns him that someone who calls him a “friend” will betray him, leaving him paranoid.
Without hesitation, he chooses Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri), who is being punished for telling Percy about his mother. Before he leaves, Percy is also gifted flying sneakers from Luke (Charlie Bushnell), and given $200 cash and some other foreign currency for the group's adventure.
While making a stop, Annabeth sees Mrs. Dodds, aka Alecto (Megan Mullally), and confronts her. She wants to take Percy, but is unable to.
“Lyin' Eyes”
This all leads to an encounter with Medusa (Jessica Parker Kennedy), who takes Percy aside and promises to help him. If you look into her eyes, you turn to stone (as Grover's father discovered). She adds to his paranoia, warning him that Grover or Annabeth will be the one to betray him and attempts to create cracks in the group. Regardless, they fight her and Percy ends up beheading her.
After all of this goes down, they get into a fight. Annabeth questions why Percy is scared, and Grover stands up to both of them as he can't take the bickering any longer.
He uses the head to turn Alecto to stone as well, and he then ships the head off to Olympus. Annabeth warns him that he can't do it, as they will be displeased and find it “impertinent,” as she said.
Percy does end up shipping it, addressed to the Gods, and in New York City, a delivery man is seen delivering it to the Empire State Building. Upon entering the elevator, he presses the button for the 600th floor. He sings “Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do),” as it plays in the elevator.
“You guys are not going to believe this,” he tells the Gods, who are not seen on-screen.
Review
As predicted, the third episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians finally finds its groove. All it took was getting out of Camp Half-Blood and into the real world for the show to become 10 times more interesting.
It helps that both Jeffries and Simhadri are allowed to show their personalities. In the first two episodes, Jeffries in particular was sporadically seen. The second episode slowly introduced her and showed her dynamic with Percy.
By the third episode, they are constantly bickering. The trio are not a democracy, much to Percy's chagrin. While Simhadri is good, it really is Jeffries and Scobell who carry the load. Jessica Parker Kennedy's uneasy performance as Medusa adds to the episode's tension as well, and her scenes with Jeffries and Scobell alike are standouts from this episode.
There is also a palpable amount of color in this Percy Jackson episode. Medusa's lair, which was reduced down to a roadside flower nursery in the 2010 film adaptation, is shown with more panache this episode. The three leads are taken inside of her house, which is more eerie than the recent Haunted Mansion film.
With that said, Percy Jackson still runs into the same problem many big-budget blockbusters do. While there are some great shots in the woods and the overall color palette of the show, and particular this episode, is good, there are some wonky shots.
The worst of it comes in Medusa's lair late in the film. The house looks fine, but where the battle takes place is far too dark to distinguish anything. In the first episode of Percy Jackson, a similar problem was found in the battle with the Minotaur.
Not every shot can look spectacular, but hopefully this doesn't become an issue going further as the set pieces get bigger.
Ending explained
We finally see the group come together at the end of the third episode. While Percy and Annebeth are reluctant allies, they come to some kind of understanding, and Grover is finally heard amid all of the bickering the other two do.
With Percy sending off Medusa's head to the Gods, that will surely ruffle feathers. They will continue on their adventure and continue encountering more obstacles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHb7au6Gmls&t=1s&pp=ygUfcGVyY3kgamFja3NvbiBhbmQgdGhlIG9seW1waW5hcw%3D%3D
A new episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians will be released on December 26 on Disney+.
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