Non-Book Reader Reacts *PERCY JACKSON* Ep 5 | Film Grad's First Time Watching PJ & The Olympians

[@andre1999o]

Fun fact: Hephaestus is known as the disabled god, because his legs were permanently broken when he was yeeted off Olympus as a baby... by his own mother. So, with that in mind, the team behind the show cast Timothy Omundson, an actor who is actually disabled, to play him.

[@slavicandsapphic7446]

“This baby ugly….YEET”

[@FeeOLimA]

@@slavicandsapphic7446that made me laugh way harder than it should 😂😂😂

[@andre1999o]

@@sarahnadeofpoetry Yes, and in The Battle of the Labyrinth she accuses Hera TO HER FACE of doing it.

[@nileyfan1998]

I LOVE THAT they have an actor who is disabled for representation x

[@catdragon2584]

I read an article that said Rick Riordan wrote Hephaestus into the scene-despite him not showing up in the book-because he wanted disabled kids watching the show to see themselves represented among the Greek gods. And he felt that if any of the gods would understand and sympathize with the demigods, it would be Hephaestus.

[@Ethan-oj3tb]

People who read the books tend to forget the tone each book takes. They get increasigly more mature and darker as you progress to book 5, and the other series. Lightning Thief was far and away the most child-friendly of the books, but once you get to Last Olympian, there are some heavy subject matters and straight up dark moments. I guarantee the other seasons will mature along with their cast, audience, and source material.

[@typo1345]

such as May Castellan. That's gonna be dark af brought to life

[@Ethan-oj3tb]

@@typo1345 May, Bianca, Silena, Calypso, basically Niko's whole existence. All of that stuff went over my head as a kid and I just moved right past, but rereading them as an adult has genuinely affected me. If done correctly by the show it will be so impactful for all ages.

[@typo1345]

@@Ethan-oj3tb Oh yeah, Nico's journey is unbelievably sad and messed up

[@Hayley_in_Wonderland1313]

Thank you for this because it has been so long since I read them that I thought this was the case, but I wasn’t confident in saying it lol. Another similarity to Harry Potter, as the characters and the people reading them grew up the stories became more mature.

[@eleanorligon7941]

I agree, I think this issue people have is also one of the strengths of the series. Rick Riordan is an excellent author whose books grew and matured with the audience. Just look at any of his expanded universe books they’re all more mature and dark and like you were saying even in his first five Percy Jackson books, each book gets a little more mature and dark tackling more complex and hard topics. The problem is that many fans are having issues separating later events with this first season. It’s one of the reasons I don’t agree with many of the Annabeth complaints. We all know and love Annabeth in the books but she grows A LOT in the books, some forget that in the first book she was colder and more calculated, there’s a reason some people suspected her to betray Percy when reading the first book, she eventually warms up and becomes who we think of today, but that change took time, something we are seeing in the TV show. That’s honestly an advantage the Harry Potter movies had, five movies came out before the books finished so it was easier to see the actors portray the characters not fully developed yet, Percy Jackson has been around for a while now and we have so much “other” knowledge we forget where the characters started.

[@Heresskip]

tbf i saw people criticize the show for ‘erasing’ Annabeths love of architecture because she didn't verbally say “I love architecture” as if she wasn't excitedly listing exact dimensions at the arch!! People will criticize either way

[@komo4924]

It’s a case of show don’t tell, they have to explain so much in the show that I’m pretty sure they wanted to show some of the traits more than just outright state them. Like people are already complaining that Grover explains the mythology, so them showing anabeths love instead of saying it is really nice in my opinion, and if people can’t see that she clearly still loves architecture then they don’t have any media literacy

[@wingzero7678]

Not to say both media are so different when it comes to the way we consume it. In a movie or series, we see the places they are in for a few instances, getting different angles here and there as the scene goes on, for example. In books, those same plames take paragraphs worth of description, and considering we all have different paces we like to read, we all absorb the idea of that location differently, just as anything else that the book is trying to convey

[@calebcorrea7556]

I had heard a couple criticisms saying "show don't tell" but whenever the show "shows" people miss it and then asked why the show didn't explain it.

[@mr.stuffdoer8483]

@@calebcorrea7556hence the issue that can come because of showing. Showing leaves way more open to interpretation than telling.

[@pinsandneedles3]

My favorite thing about this episode is that Annabeth, who is always trying to prove herself as the most intelligent camper, the best strategist, etc. solved the chair problem not with some engineering knowledge of hers - but by expressing sincere emotion. This quest has been very good for her growth as a person

[@Diomedene]

Using an emotional appeal was the best strategy and the intelligent thing to do after all ;)

[@pinsandneedles3]

Regarding the "show, don't tell" complaints from some people... I agree with you. The PJO books themselves are honestly full of "Percy is clueless until someone explains things to him" -sort of moments, especially in the first few books. Which makes total sense! It's not like average 12-year-olds have a lot of mythology knowledge. The reader is being introduced to the myths and the PJO world with Percy. Honestly, if anything, the TV show has written Percy as more aware of Greek mythology than his book counterpart, which they have explained by Sally telling Percy stories from mythology. It's a great change imo.

[@Reidlos1773]

I read the first book as a kid, and promptly went and studied the crap out of Greek mythology and then everything in the books after I already knew on some level. It was an interesting experience, being blind for the first and then knowledgeable for the second.

[@kordei-7839]

He’s new to this world he should have things explained to him and for the audience who are new to it too

[@pinsandneedles3]

@@kordei-7839 Yep. Characters like Percy (an outsider entering some sort of magical/supernatural world) are always the audience stand-in to some degree

[@silverdandylmao]

It also makes sense that the 1st book would feature the more mainstream mytho characters, ex: Medusa, Charon, most of the Pantheon. It's a great introduction

[@Nortarachanges]

@@silverdandylmao, yeah this. Not a lot of deep cuts the first book. Maybe Echidna and Show Percy didn’t know her. A loooot of people remember Zeus, Poseidon, Ares, Hermes, Athena, Medusa, and the like. Greek myths are still widely referenced. And a good mom would want her son to know about the gods beforehand, too. Makes sense Percy isn’t a complete lump ^_^

[@pau687]

Yesss Grover proving that empathic people are great manipulators as well, showing the power of emotional intelligence!!

[@ot7biasedmashups]

That's one of my absolute favorite scenes now and it shows how this series truly isn't just an adaptation but rather a retelling of the story with changes that Rick realized he would have preferred considering I wrote the book 20 years ago.

[@lilachodan4941]

Yes such a master

[@fallen-chances]

Jacqui being so excited about the beginnings of Percabeth is so funny when this is the slowest slowburn in recent book history. But gods damn its gonna be good to watch

[@movienightwithjacqui]

Personally, I'm happy about that. As adorable as it is to see kids with crushes...they're still kids 😅 I'm excited to see it unfold, though! I love them already!

[@nomadhakunamatata5793]

the fact that Annabeth figured it out first and Percy is a blundering unaware idiot makes it better. Percy literally does not have it in him heartbreaker. he could be in the middle of a 8 way heart entanglement over him and have zero clue why his friends were fighting.

[@Nortarachanges]

@@nomadhakunamatata5793, could be and was ^_^

[@mr.stuffdoer8483]

@@nomadhakunamatata5793 Percy has the awareness of the protag in an anime romcom

[@ama88015]

so true! i think people forget that they’re like 12/13 lol

[@galarianrapidash9483]

Leah as Annabeth always eats and leaves no crumbs

[@Reidlos1773]

I personally like to believe that Hephaestus was testing Annabeth, rather than her actively changing his mentality. He knows how shitty his family is, he doesn't need a 12 year old to tell him. He just wanted to see what kind of person she is.

[@deancontiwriter13]

"omg does annabeth have a crush?" book readers:👀🤭😁🤭🤭🤐🤐*excited noises*

[@arunshajiabraham]

Exactly. It was one of the most satisfying and heart-warming moments of my life to see a non-book reader notice it and appreciate it...🥰🥰🤩🥳🥳😁😁

[@jorgecharris532]

Percabeth was Percabething the whole episode

[@xanblu]

fell to my knees when annabeth called percy seaweed brain

[@jzformulaone]

Real

[@Militia-xi6yq]

Grover played Ares like a fiddle and Ares had absolutely no idea

[@geraldgrenier8132]

It was a Hoot

[@nomadhakunamatata5793]

Ares is incredibly stupid. Mars (roman counter part) is highly intelligent. Grover's tactic wouldn't have worked on him. although Mars wouldn't have caused it in the first place.

[@lilachodan4941]

Yeah

[@rainbowdragonflies1134]

Ares is the God of War, not brains.

[@laurakocsis9238]

I think the similarity between Hermione and Annabeth ends at “they are the smart ones”. Other than that I think they are pretty different characters. Hermione is a muggle born witch, with a mostly normal childhood. She faces some discrimination at Hogwarts, because of that, but she doesn’t have like a very complicated backstory, and imo she isn’t a very complicated character at least in the first few books. Annabeth ran away from home at age 7, because her father neglected her, and her stepmom from her point of view abused her. After that she lived on the street, until Thalia and Luke took her in. She lost part of her family when Thalia died (turned into a tree). We can say, that yes they both had problems with making friend, for Hermione it’s because “she was too smart” and had bad communication skills, for Annabeth, because she is afraid to let anybody close, because for her people you love will only leave you. That is a wastly different. I like Hermione all right, she is a good charater, but I think Annabeth has layers and layers more depth. Maybe the show hasn’t shown that (yet) that well, so maybe this will help a little bit. Oh, and I didn’t go into spoilers for PJO, because with that, it is even more crazy.

[@aprilshighfantasysoul5891]

I think she was more talking about the role they play in the trio - a group of three protagonists is a very popular 'team' makeup and many times each person in the trio fits a mold for the role they play (New kid on the block/chosen one, the brains of the operation, and the one who's more unassuming but has the 'street smarts' of the magical world). Both Annabeth and Hermione are the 'smart ones' in the team - it's not to say they're carbon copies of one another or that their backstories or even other personality traits are similar, it's to say they both play the same role in the group. Of course there will be nuances between the characters and as they grow they will grow farther apart as characters, but at this point of the story, noting the similarities is totally normal (and not saying they're the exact same character). I don't think her intention was to say "Annabeth and Hermione are the exact same characters", it was just to give a quick touchstone of 'ok, I see the archetype at play here'.

[@kimberleywilliams7802]

So trueeee

[@forgemakesstuff2734]

Percy and Annabeth: *having near-death bonding experiences* Grover: *casually manipulates the god of war* I love this episode so much XD

[@typo1345]

I love that PJO did the fates correct. Its kind of ingrained in pop culture that the fates cutting a thread instantly kills the person whose life thread it is, but its not that simple. You have Clotho who spins the thread, Lachesis (lock-a-sis) who measures the thread, and Atropos who cuts the thread at that measurement. They set the lifespan of every living being. So if you were to live to 90, Lachesis would set a measurement that equals 90 years, or however many years of that you have left, and Atropos would cut the string there so you can't go past 90. And it is a thing in mythology that seeing a string get cut is an omen of coming death. Usually the string you witness get cut is yours or someone you know's. edit: I love Annabeth's adhd kicking in with the gate mechanism. Despite the supposedly dire situation, she can't help but be fascinated by Hephaestus's craftsmanship.

[@Reidlos1773]

You mentioning Annabeth's ADHD reminded me of a moment from the books, I now can't friggen wait for when they hopefully display Annabeth's dyslexia in regard to reading English, such a funny moment that reminds you that this series started with twisting disabilities into something more positive.

[@komo4924]

@@Reidlos1773so true, it’s easy to forget all the Demi gods have adhd and dyslexia when you see them do all this cool stuff but when it is shown it’s usually a very nice or funny moment

[@Reidlos1773]

@@komo4924 Yeah, it's a favorite of mine. I don't remember all the specifics, but I believe she was trying to read a map or something to find out where they should go and it took her so long and she got super frustrated.

[@theanyktos]

@@Reidlos1773 There was one moment like that I can remember (in SoM I think?) where she's trying (and failing) to spell out 'Cyclops' to avoid another character understanding what she's talking about.

[@Reidlos1773]

@@theanyktos Is that where it is? I thought it might've been some point in BotL, Where her and Percy emerge in some location and she can't read well where they are. But if you're correct, thanks!

[@chelisey13]

love love love ABSOLUTELY LOVE how obvious the Percy and Annabeth relationship is to non book readers even this early on. When Jacqui figured it out at 16:25 i just had to cheer. If there's one thing this show is doing to perfection is the baseline and slowburn for Percabeth. However it is more than a crush. Is Annabeth having her whole worldview changed, her faith in the Gods shaken (probably crushed) in a matter of days because of Percy. He's shown her love is and should be unconditional and that you don't have to earn it, especially from your parents.

[@Reidlos1773]

I just hope they don't develop it too quickly. I wouldn't really say they felt much for each other in book 1

[@Leo-ox1rd]

​@@Reidlos1773 i mean, i believe it was a mutual crush, since annabeth said on HOO she had a crush on him during that time and percy had a photo of her on his notebook at the beggining of sea of monsters. i believe the deeper feelings began at the end of book2 bcs percy was kinda desperate by her absence during book 3 (also the extra books have a cute romantic story about them on the summer before book4)

[@Reidlos1773]

@@Leo-ox1rd I don't recall that from HoO, but I don't doubt you. The way I saw it when I first read the books was that the Tunnel of Love established Annabeth and Percy as friends, and then SoM really tested their friendship and at the end of it they were best friends who had the embers of feelings for each other. but they're young and everyone has crushes. And then yeah when Annabeth is kidnapped in TC that's when Percy's feelings truly begin to grow. Annabeth's crush at age 12 must've been small, cuz their friendship was rocky at first and Annabeth still had the biggest crush on Luke

[@Leo-ox1rd]

@@Reidlos1773 during Mark of Athena she says to him that he really got on her nerves at the beggining but she developed a crush on him during the mission. but yeah i believe it started becoming something more as they grow up

[@forgemakesstuff2734]

@@Reidlos1773 that's kinda what I love about their relationship though. maybe they did always have crushes, maybe it was romantic from the start, but that's never what mattered. What mattered was their friendship, the fact that they will always go back for each other and that's not because they're dating or anything, it's because the world around them sucks and they need to get through it together. I think the romance was born out of the fact that they have relied on each other for so much that they've become integral parts of each other's lives

[@PlantaoGeek]

I just LOVED the moment when Jacqui realized that Annabeth has a crush on Percy

[@karatekoala4270]

The song actually fits Hephaestus story i think. "What is love? Don't hurt me no more." Seeing as how his mother threw him away and his wife constantly cheats on him. That song has done valid insight.

[@komo4924]

That’s the first thing I noticed when watching that scene, it’s an amazing detail

[@heyitsmira17]

Curiously, this episode is the one that had the most changes from the books. We did have Ares, the cheeseburguers and the tunnel of love, however the interrogation scene between Grover and Ares, as well as the chair and Hephaestus being there, are show-exclusive. That being said, it was generally very appreciated by watchers, book readers or not! 😊 Ares' actor is also a wrestler so him being the god of war is just so fitting! Hephaestus being moved by Annabeth's words has to do with his own story. He was also on the receiving end of this family's bullying. He knows how it feels to be wronged by them, and making that chair to punish his mother + leaving Percy trapped in there was him doing the same as his relatives. Annabeth shows him that there's another way to do things, something she's learned from Percy up until now, and this makes him avoid the ways of his relatives and offer them kindness. Annabeth's smartest move was to throw away logic and speak with her heart here 😊❤ About the exposition fest and whatnot... this is greek mythology. Its origins are: word of mouth. People telling the tales to each other. Multiple versions of the same tale, which makes them unreliable (Medusa's episode has shown us that). The books have these infodumps all the time bc obviously the regular reader won't know extensively about greek myths. This series has always been a gateway to make ppl more interested in that, and I do think the show HAD to do that too. It makes sense for it to happen here. I'll keep on saying, I love your energy! You're so nice to listen to 😊 I'm genuinely enjoying the show A LOT, so you're not alone in that. Hope we keep on having a fun ride as we move forward 🌊⚡️

[@JacobLunbeck]

As a book reader, I am absolutely loving the show, especially when compared to the travesty that was the movies! The casting so far is on point! Side note, always funny when a reactor forgets to bleep out one of their cusses. 😅

[@NerdyGal28]

As an adult fan of the books (and the show), I’m really enjoying your takes as a non-book reader. Honestly, I hope your take on the exposition goes viral in the fandom because it perfectly shuts down the people who are complaining about it. Percy Jackson is very similar to Harry Potter in that it gets darker as time goes on. People have also been complaining that Percy isn’t this dark, powerful hero we all know, because they’ve forgotten we haven’t gotten there yet.

[@movienightwithjacqui]

Thank you 😄 I’ve absolutely fallen in love with this series, so felt like I had to defend it lol. I’ll probably wait until it’s over to read the books, but I definitely want to go back and experience them!

[@Gakukai]

People forget that exposition isn’t actually a bad thing. Many times it is necessary, especially when there is a character that acts as the audience stand-in. How often do you get Show-Don’t-Tell in real life? People explain things to other people as part of a natural conversation. If I’m confused about something, I really appreciate when people tell me what I’m missing. Exposition is necessary. It’s just when it goes too far that it starts to become a problem. As someone who grew up with the books I feel like there is a good balance between the exposition and the visual world building. I know these myths and details already, but I don’t feel as if I’m being bogged down and delayed by conversation when I could be seeing something instead. It’s been wonderful. Thank you for your reviews! It’s been a joy to join you on this journey. I love watching people react to my favourite things.

[@berengustav7714]

And people who gripe about Exposition,then swallow Exposition whole when the actor's delivery is very good and the character has high charisma. Considering there's a few actor's voices that can read a telephone book and we'd love it.

[@zdrusse11]

Another thing about the exposition is that Percy is new to the demigod world, so it makes sense within the story

[@dramonmaster222]

Adan Copeland did a fantastic job as Aries. Plus, the interrogation scene with him and Groover was very interesting.

[@constanza7528]

watching your genuine reaction to things bc u don’t know what’s gonna happen is so cool 😭

[@movienightwithjacqui]

Thank you! I debated reading the books before the show started, but I’m actually really glad I didn’t 😊

[@yonirais4699]

Hepheastus is the the greek god of blaclsmiths and he actually has a pretty tragic backstory: he was the son of zeus and his queen hera, but when he was born he was so ugly that his mother threw him from the top of olympus and lied about having a miscarriage. Hepheastus survived and was picked up by a nymph who raised him. When he grew up he went to work for the cyclops- the one eyed monsters who forge weapons for the gods. When zeus saw what a talented blacksmith he was, he invited him to his court on olympus, not knowing hepheastus was his son. To thank the gods for the opportunity, hepheastus made each of them a gift. Except for hera. He made her wait a long time before presenting her with a golden throne (yes that one) that trapped her the moment she sat on it. He would not free her until she confessed to what she has done to him. Zeus would then welcome his son back, and make him the god of blacksmiths and married him to aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty (though she obviously prefered his brother ares more). Also, this chapter plays out a little differently in the books. Instead of a throne, the trio encounter mechanical spiders hepheastus made, which terrify anabeth since all athenas children suffer from arachnofobia (a story for another time)

[@Gradestar10]

Actually, in th books things go a little differently. Hephaestus is only th son of hera by parthenogenesis, which may explain why he was deformed at birth. When hera saw th unsightly appearance of her son, she threw him frm olympus, crippling him forever. Afterwards, hera spread a false rumor that it was actually zeus himself who hurled hephaestus down frm th sky. Hephaestus landed in th sea, where he was found n raised by thetis, a nereid. Hwvr, hera's act of cruelty haunted hephaestus, n he sought revenge. After spending 9 years under th sea w/ thetis, hephaestus finally rode back to olympus on th back of a donkey. As he rode into th olympian throne room, all of th gods were shocked into silence by his hideousness. W/ him, hephaestus had brought magnificent new thrones for all of th olympians. Hera's throne was made frm shining pure translucent blue adamantine. Although suspicious at first, hera quickly seated herself in it, n instantly she was tightly bound by invisible n unbreakable chains. Ares tried to convince hephaestus to release his mom, but th latter remained stubborn and inexorable. Finally, his youngest half-brother dionysus decided to take matters into his own hands. Th 2 gods quickly became friends, n a week later, dionysus finally convinced th god to forgive hera, n took him back on th back of a donkey. There, hephaestus declared his forgiveness of hera's act of cruelty n released her. Aphrodite was married to hephaestus by zeus n hera to avoid an internal war btw th male gods, since it's virtually impossible to be envious of some1 like hephaestus

[@LunarJeishin]

​​@@Gradestar10 I thought Zeus offered Aphrodite's hand in exchange for Hera to be freed

[@silverdandylmao]

In the book, the tunnel had no water in the river. Hephaestus set up a trap which was hooked to a live tv broadcast going straight to Olympus, hoping to embarass Ares and Aphrodite (there's a real greek myth where he did that fr). Annabeth is freaked out because arachnophobia, so Percy saves them by summoning water and washing them downstream before the cameras went live. It was one of those moments where Percy started getting the hang of using his water powers, which is really neat.

[@karatekoala4270]

I like Grover being the bard in the party. It fits especially since he has the most experience in both human and mythic world. He being the face makes since cause Annabeth is the wizard and Percy the paladin.

[@laylammorais]

Thanks for defending the show, Jacqui. I read the books as a kid too, and I reread the books now as an adult - the books get progressively matured even if Percy maintains his sarcastic tones. You were spot on with your comments, I've been enjoying your reactions so far 😊

[@romaneditstwitchvods]

adam copeland is best known as being the former WWE hall of famer Edge who during his time there has the same type of vibes as Ares as being the "ultimate opportunist" where he cheated and took advantage of his opponents. He was also in the show Vikings playing Kjetill Flatnose. When he read this role he took the idea of how to play it is very similar to a WWE wrestler and knew he would be able to do the role right.

[@cat-tc2kk]

Love your points about "show not tell" just not really being possible in a story like this. We're never going to get that classic Harry Potter sees Hogwarts for the first time moment, because this all happens IN our modern day world behind the Mist. Also when we say this is a show/book aimed at kids, it's literal KIDS. Not YA fiction, not teenagers, but actual middle schoolers aged 9-12. People online tend to lump together all these different age group medias but there is so obviously going to be a difference between PJO and something aimed at 16-18 year olds. I'm loving this series, and am so excited to see what they do with the future episodes! Looking forward to your future reactions :)

[@movienightwithjacqui]

Thank you! 😄

[@midoriya-shonen]

Yes to everything about the exposition. To add another great reason why things are this way, Percy is extremely new to this. What would we think if we didn't get to see these explanations, which he as a character needs to hear? Would we thinking he's adjusting to all this unnaturally well? Or would he be extremely clueless the whole time, making him a more passive and therefore less interesting protagonist? General rules of writing exist for a reason, yes, but think of the context. Everything done here is for a good reason, and those reasons deserve to be acknowledged. (ps, this is the same for the issue about the fights being too short. We're following a 12-year-old with a couple of days of sword training. If he were in more intense fights, he'd loose and probably die. So he's relying on the skills he does have, like clever tactics, quick thinking, and escape. Context is key.)

[@dagleni2122]

Jacqui, you are being as delightful as always. So far your reactions are being my favorite. Most of the ones I've seen are from fans comparing the show to the books. It's really refreshing to see someone bring a new perspective and judge the show on its own merits. Clearly, you understand very well what makes a good series and it's always a pleasure to see how your knowledge influences your appreciation for the things you see. I'm very glad you're enjoying it, I look forward to the next one

[@bluesnake4626]

I love the detail on the throne. The peacocks just scream Hera.

[@adabadoskova2915]

"there was only one boat" oh my god, you killed me right there As a longtime fan I can say that I am not bothered by the fact that we get a lot of the information by monologue, I totally get that, also Greek mythology is really not always general knowledge so even some of the adult viewers who didn't read the books or not familiar with the mythology would struggle to keep up if the information wasn't said out loud. I can also see the parallels to Harry Potter, not only like character based, but also visually. Percy vs Minotaur - Harry vs. troll, ride down the love tunnel vs. ride at the Gringots, shield falling from hands of the statue after Percy's sacrifice vs sword falling out of the hands of the chess figure after Ron's sacrifice.

[@omelasbaby]

as a book-reader, i loved the changes made in this episode and it's my fav episode so far! i loveeee how percy and annabeth's relationship has developed so much, but somehow doesn't feel rushed at all to me. so glad you're enjoying the show and i loved this reaction!

[@Forrest-wv5nf]

I love how the show is so far, yeah the episodes are a bit shorter than I’d like but that’ll probably be resolved next season and yeah it’s different than the books but uncle Rick himself is deeply involved in making it. This show has reintroduced a comfort character that I haven’t truly thought about for years and now I’m having fun relearning the character

[@itztank663]

No this series is perfect so far as a huge fan of Percy jackson the book series its an adaptation not a recreation it does not need to be exactly the same and the only complaint I have is with Disney not giving Rick and the cast group more time and money to make the episodes longer but I hope by the end of this season they will realize it will not fail and give them more to work with

[@bellesvideos9578]

I personally love the show. and i think a lot of things can be developped, corrected or even made better and darker as the show continues and the kids grow up. and im a huge lover of the books.

[@makslesniewski]

I actually ugly cried at the "I'm okay" scene

[@NoelleDevine]

i love the correlations of annabeth saying he isn’t that way to Hephaestus when she is offered to leave to percy saying i don’t think she’s like that to Medusa when he is told that she will betray him and offered to go save his mother 😭😭✋❤️‍🩹

[@torijeri]

thank you for talking about the criticisms coming out about the show. Because as someone who is an adult now that grew up with it, I think the show is amazing and gives me the same feeling I had when I read the book for the first time. So when I started seeing all this criticism I was genuinely confused. The only critique I can agree with is that I wish the episodes were longer, but that’s it. I just want more of it. And I’m usually really good with trying to see people’s POV with media even if I don’t agree because I want to understand, but I felt like lots of the criticisms made about this show was done in bad faith, either with straight up racism or trying to blame this show for issues that have nothing to do with this show. Which did make me feel bad overall. I usually don’t get this sad about other projects that I hear criticisms for that I don’t agree with but for some reason the amount of bad faith criticism has really made this feel shitty. I’ve been waiting for a good adaptation for 15 years. I’ve seen people use this show as a vessel to express their grievances with Disney which I think is doing a disservice to this show because that’s a platform issue, and isnt specific to PJO. I agree that Disney as a company has been careless with ALL of their projects, but I watch so many reactors who also review other Disney+ shows and they never were as harsh on those even though they objectively had much bigger glaring issues. I think Rick & the PJO team are doing the best with what Disney has given them. I also think it’s just a trend nowadays for people to go into shows or films with the expectation to hate it so they just find any minuscule reason to hate it instead of trying to enjoy the art they’re choosing to consume. From the wise words of Keith Habersberger : “If you walk into Disneyland with a poopoo attitude you’re not going to have fun”

[@Ne0Nights]

The show, while it has its flaws, is perfect to me!

[@jujubear1867]

Adding to your point about addressing people's complaints about the show's exposition, I decided to re-read the books after I finished the show and while at first I didn't like how the exposition was handled that all changed once I began to notice how often the books expose information as well. From this as well as your thoughts about it, I've come to agree with you and think the shows handling of exposition works pretty well for a series like this. With that being said, the books do a great job of balancing how information about the story/world-building is told to the reader. Sometimes people just tell Percy what's going on and other times he's left to figure out from clues around him. As an enormous fan of the books, moments where Percy figures out something on his own were lacking in the show and I really would have liked to have seen this, especially because we're told his mother raised him on Greek Mythology so there has to be a few things he knows. Now, there are some moments where Percy does figure things out on his own, particularly in this episode which is exactly why its my favorite of the series. He explains the meaning of Hephaestus's story AND the throne mechanism which impresses Annabeth quite a lot which in turn sets up a great moment for her when she tries to help Percy out of the throne. That's at least how I feel about the series' use of exposition.

[@brattneyrose5652]

I just wanna say, I love how you have this knowledge of movies and tv and how they're made, but still suspend disbelief and let yourself get caught up and enjoy the story. Great reaction, as always!

[@cobaltjay9862]

This episode is so powerful. The song playing in the tunnel is usually a fun and happy tone for me but Haphestus having such a sad story and it being shown during the song selection and Percy looking like he’s feeling so much emotional pain realizing this is how his family actually treats each other, it got me

[@Drag_on_king]

At first I started watching with my brother since we both read the series. During the second episode I noticed that I wasn't enjoying the show much. I noticed my brother was way more critical over most changes. While I agreed with most of his points, I also appreciated some changes, saw their potential for the future, or at least got why they were made. So afterward I decided to continue on my own and rewatch what I already had. And my enjoyment rose dramatically because my focus shifted from what changed and things I didn't like to things the series for right and made better.

[@alexisduran1609]

I love how the show tells us details about the myths bc as a kid while reading I kept having to stop and google search all the gods and other myths, just reading articles and articles about them, so I could understand the books

[@simplymiraculous6494]

The uncomfortable part for Annabeth wasnt becessarily the hug, altho she did in the moment pull back after hugging him. She explained to Percy that what was wrong was she saw the fates cutting the yarn. That is to say, when they did that, she feared Percy mightve died from that fall from the arch

[@katykatmasters9707]

You know I suddenly thought of how Merlin got progressively darker each season and from what I’ve heard of the books I feel like that’s how this show will go. Oh also have you watched Black Sails before because that would be a great show to react to.

[@Melanie-jy2nw]

The writers of black sails wrote this script for the show here too

[@DrRockMVs]

I watch a lot of reaction vids to this show, but your reactions are the ones that I anticipate the most!

[@lyricbot8513]

It's so funny that you started humming "it's a small world after all" because a similar thing happens in the books when they ride on a theme park ride

[@movienightwithjacqui]

How funny! I knew I couldn't be the only one who thought that 😂

[@zetzle]

the actor playing hephaestus is timothy omundson who's a fantastic actor from galavant, psych, or his stint on this is us. he had a debilitating stroke a few years ago but is returning to acting with his visible disability. i'm really excited for what he's gonna bring to the new hephaestus story lines!

[@movienightwithjacqui]

Thank you! I knew I recognized him, but I couldn’t place him. What a wonderful choice, and I’m so glad they leaned into the disability with the casting. Glad to see he’s been able to start acting again, and I can’t wait to see more of him!

[@simdivya]

the way you CLOCKED percabeth instantly... i'm taking this as a win for the 'annabeth fell first' camp hehehe i was thinking about the golden trio/celestial trio parallels a couple weeks ago and i actually think there's an inverse ron weasley situation with grover... i love book grover but i'm sure other pjo fans will agree that they've vastly improved his character, at least when comparing the first book to the show. every part of the trio feels important and necessary! and YES i totally agree about the exposition point. there's a massive difference between worldbuilding in 'high' fantasy like tolkien vs in contemporary fantasy like pjo.

[@Reidlos1773]

Regarding the conversation about exposition and what you said about not being "in" the world because the characters are on an adventure not spending time at Camp or Olympus or wherever, Something to note is that the shows actually did cut some time from camp half-blood. They leave camp somewhere near the end of chapter 9 in the books, maybe a little into chapter 10. Episode 1 is 4 chapters, episode 2 is 5 chapters, episodes 3 and 4 are 2 chapters, episode 5 is close to 2 chapters I wanna say, and then 7 chapters across the last 3 episodes. They blitzed through camp so they could evenly pace out the rest of the book. They covered 40% of the book in 25% of the show. Natural exposition that could've occurred from spending time at camp was cut in exchange for more screen time for the adventure itself. I understand why this decision was made, but I felt this was relevant to know.

[@Blackbirddaisy]

Also, in the books Percy asked A LOT of questions about the world to Annabeth bc he was basically clueless. I think the show does it in a way it’s not repetitive 💖

[@IDontAName]

I've waited too long for this masterpiece :D

[@nicolaashamman6201]

"This was a lot. Even for her." Spoiler, I guess? Hephaestus thinks Athena overreacted about Annabeth's impertince? Suddenly I've got a new theory about that. I wonder if it'll turn out to be true in the final episode. = = = Does Athena think Annabeth stole the bolt and was taunting the gods about that? Would she try and kill a suspected thief rather than capture them and make sure? At least, if she was already annoyed.

[@jonahnichols1]

I am loving this show and don't get the hate, sure it isn't an exact retelling of the books but I love that Rick is using it as a way to make changes to the story that he wished he put in the books and this show is way more faithful than the movie and I love that. I get that it's not exactly what some people hoped for but I really hope that there are enough of us that do like it that we get at least this series all the way through; and even then like the movies, there are people that will see this series and that will introduce them to the books and that would hopefully get enough of an audience that will want this to continue with the following series.

[@salamandertoast]

I kind of feel like Grover's characterization did the Ron Weasley thing in reverse when it comes to being adapted from book to screen. I have to be honest, Grover was the character I had the hardest time connecting with in the book. I didn't dislike him at all, Book Grover was a very sweet guy, but something about his characterization felt more cartoonish to me than the others. A little more one dimensional than Percy or Annabeth, maybe-I mostly remember his personality being "likes Nature and Food"-and I don't think he got as many big clever moments as the other two did. I feel like the show has fleshed out his character more, retaining his good heart and empathy while giving him a little more depth. idk, maybe it's just me, but I actually like Grover a lot more now that I've seen him in the show 🤷 (This is not a criticism of the books btw! They were written for kids and Grover was a funny character that brought a lot of laughs. I just really like this adaptation of him)

[@wisegirlbooks9216]

I really think the Harry Potter parallel is super helpful especially when discussing the age range/genre/maturity of this series. In the same way that Harry Potter gets darker and more mature as they go (as well as the younger cast really falling into their roles and becoming better actors with each film) I believe the same will be true with Percy Jackson as we continue. (plus, I honestly think the pjo cast are already hitting it out of the park with their acting) Anyway, loving your reactions! And I really appreciate hearing your insight and thoughts as we get farther along in the plot.

[@Julini89]

This is my favorite episode so far we get two gods in one episode portrayed so well by their actor, we finally get the seaweed brain qoute from Annabeth, and I must the acting that Walker Scobell and Leah Jeffries delievers in this episode are really good especially for child actors. three more to i am so excited if this keeps being the quality we get I really hope we get all books adapted including the heroes of olympus series! Also it should be it is stated in the book that Ares has this aura about about that makes everyone angry and aggressive.

[@EyeMCreative]

I totally agree with your thoughts at the end. I like how you said it. I think they handled exposition very well considering how deep it goes into greek mythology references. We don't have the author to give us a page of context for a moment, in the form of narration in Percys head. A lot of that info that is given in the book as inner monologue, has to be translated to dialogue, and they have already seriously cut down and simplified on the amount of mythology lore, to make it work for a screen. Even subtle things like having percy casually replace Hephaestus's name with "god of crafts" in conversation a couple times, to subtly answer your question of "who is that again?" without having someone stupidly say "oh yeah, hes the god of crafts, right?" when all the characters already know that. People need to calm down on how critical they are being, this show is fantastic so far, and 1000% better than the movie. Fans need to stop being so picky or they're going to run our chances of getting 5 seasons.

[@arunshajiabraham]

16:26 The moment a non-book reader realised the Percabeth Chemistry just from watching the show was one of the happiest moments of my life🥰🥰🥰🤩🤩🥳🥳🥳 and 17:05 , when you confirmed it😂😂

[@reverance_pavane]

Definitely agree that when writing for kids you have to assume that they don't have much of the way of life experience. They therefore can't maker the cognitive leaps that an adult can (or alternatively can't read inappropriate things into the text) based on their life experiences, so you have to lead them by the hand. [This also means that you can write for both children and adults at the same time by making suggestions that the adults can pick up on but which are lost on the kids; since it does help to amuse the adults being forced to take their kids to watch a movie.]

[@adey126]

Slot of ppl complaining about show don’t tell should be quiet as how excellent the show did just that this episode. Hephaestus story being told you should have gotten the realization that he doesn’t like what his family did/does to him. Even with the short story Percy told of the chair you could see that he would be on Annabeth’s side. It was a great set up to her monologue. And why his turn felt genuine, because she was the first to show him any measurement of hope for change. Also Annabeth just got her world rocked that the mother who she worshipped kicked her to the curb for something she didn’t do just like Medusa story. It’s really well connected and natural especially “she didn’t want you to turn out like them.” Part she said to Percy. How this episode mirrored episode 3 with Annabeth being a champion for her mother, to her turning her back on her mother after she hung her out to dry for something Poseidon (by way of Percy) did. It’s excellent foreshadowing and teaching the viewer to be smart and notice just the little things. Excellent writing, and superb acting for Leah and Tim.

[@heavenlybibliophile]

the way i kept refreshing youtube waiting for your reaction of this ep😭

[@movienightwithjacqui]

Aw thank you! ❤️

[@aceofspade2120]

The series has been a fun ride and it is a show for kids, based on a kids book. I'm loving the adjustments, that came from Uncle Rick himself, to make the story flow easier. And it flows into things for other books too quite possibly,

[@midoriya-shonen]

Good on you for defending people's right to enjoy this show. I've had some terrible experiences of loving something with my whole heart, but every time I tried to connect with someone over it all they had to say was negative shit. These were my comfort stories, things that I could (previously) rely on to pick me up when I was feeling down. But after being told time and time again that the things I liked were Bad Actually If You Think About It and that I was on "cope-ium" for saying otherwise, I lost that happy place. It's infuriating. Please, it's ok to not like something. But consider the people who have a genuine love for that thing, and how what you're saying affects their experience. Everyone deserves that little piece of happiness that a beloved story brings.

[@ericswanson411]

I love that they got Adam Copeland aka Edge to play Ares. He does a fantastic job as the god of war. I am really looking forward to seeing who they play the rest of the gods. I hope you read the books before/after the seasons end so you can compare them to the books.

[@horsegirl19951]

I love this Grover!

[@Mia-xn8zx]

I was laughing when you now see that annabeth is crushing on Percy 😂😂😂

[@kaylivelazquez7354]

May I please have the honor of telling you that The Peoples' Percy Jackson, Walker Scobell, had his first acting job less than two years before Percy Jackson started filming (in 2022)? First acting job EVER. For his FIRST JOB, he played Ryan Reynolds' younger self in the Adam Project (filming started late 2020) and probably had the most screen time of anyone, maybe other than Ryan. Netflix original, star studded cast including Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner playing his parents, and Zoe Saldana as another main character. He had one other project in between. CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS KID'S ACTING?? ESPECIALLY in this episode my GODS I'm blown away every time this episode pops up in my feed. Walker and Leah acted their SOCKS off along with everyone else's in this episode I'm just about speechless

[@movienightwithjacqui]

He’s PHENOMENAL!!! Absolutely crushing this performance, and he has such a bright future ahead of him. I haven’t seen The Adam Project, but I might have to check it out just for him!

[@elizabethgidney3768]

@@movienightwithjacqui Walker was also in Secret Headquarters but stupid Paramount Plus took it off.

[@kaylivelazquez7354]

@@movienightwithjacqui I liked it! I'm not usually an action movie seeker, I do like them; but Walker and Ryan have absolutely hilarious chemistry and I was sucked in for the whole movie!

[@songo4950]

Glover-Ares talk is new content compared to books, but fit very well- in PJ we have many that smart talk moments, sometimes their just cant win with fight etc. so talk is only option to survived

[@dudaoliveira2601]

You know how i know this adaptations is doing its job well? "the line of "he was her ticket to the quest" was never stated in the show, but Annabeth actually says in the book, when they are attacked by the Furys that if Percy dies the quest ends and that why she was upset he was risking himself. Even with the changes its passing the same message, the same idea of the characters and their growth

[@berengustav7714]

Annabeth has been in Training for five years,unlike Hermionie who teachs us:"No need for experience,reading will get you through everything!"

[@lilachodan4941]

I feel like Ares gave them a test with this shield. Who causally leave a shield in a place like that

[@nightshade7240]

It wasn't a test. He didn't casually leave his shield, he was forced to abandon it but he doesn't want to admit that Hephaestus is always getting the better of him because he is arrogant and proud.

[@heavenlybibliophile]

i read the percy jackson books as a child and i’m now in my 20s and whilst i know i’m not the target audience exactly, i still find great pleasure in watching it. i feel like i’m 9 again but only watching the story take place instead of reading it. i think because of how much i love these books and characters, i honestly have very little complaints and don’t mind grover telling us information about the greek gods etc despite that being my degree and knowing it already. it’s fun to watch percy having to learn about these things as they go and in turn teach the audience who aren’t as familiar with the books or greek mythology as a whole

[@GarlicBreadIsLife]

Grover: I know who the lightning Theif is... Me (a book reader) : Do you tho?

[@Jane-tx7el]

I always love a Ron appreciation

[@JasonMistretta-wf5ip]

5:00. Wresting name "Edge"/Acting name Adam Copeland is the PERFECT person to play Ares if you have followed his professional wrestling career. He plays both "Heel" and "Hero" beautifully.

[@ironboi7359]

WHELP hope you like slow burns! Bcus it takes a loooooooooooong time to go ANYWHERE lol 😆

[@JacksWorldYT]

I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one that was vibing with the song

[@officersquidman]

Even beyond this being a kids' show... It's technically urban fantasy, and - in my experience - urban fantasy gets a LOT of it's world-building in through people talking about it. Go watch Buffy & Angel or Supernatural. Even the Stargate shows (modern military with sci-fi elements informed by mythology)! SO MUCH LORE is conveyed by having a character just explain it to someone else, because they've got 45 minutes to tell the story they're trying to tell, and they don't have the time (or budget) to spend telling the backstory. Just "here's what you need to know to understand what's happening here. Go." And I can appreciate that.

[@kiribuzz1067]

percy and annabeth are so cute

[@prinxprincessa]

25:31 I agree I don’t remember the specifics of Greek mythology I don’t the explanation is over the top I think it’s a good balance

[@dramoneikiel]

I love Aries because he's blunt and and speaks his mind as everything comes to him 😂 also making him a chill cool biker is kind of similar to how they made Hades like a retired rockstar in the first Percy Jackson movie

[@kessiacarolilustra2229]

We can't complain about cliffhangers, it's just how Rick is.

[@ptcarbonproductions2013]

5:43 Huh. That's true. Ugli-ano. Dang, fifteen years of being a fan and I didn't notice.

[@tompraeger]

15:56 “That’s fucked” welcome to Greek mythology

[@aquill5000]

THANK YOU! ❤❤ I am technically an older teen who is about to enter adulthood who recently just started reading Percy Jackson, and I find people ridiculous for hating on small, subtle changes on the characters that the author himself made since he is the head scriptwriter I know this reaction was made 11 months ago, but I am a film major and I love this so much! Technically, greek mythology itself is a lesson to teach people that no matter what, everyone makes mistakes, whether they're supposed to be perfect! I love this very much! The only issue I have with the series, the books, and the movies is the community being so negative (not all of them but most of them)! I get it. The Percy Jackson movies did not follow the plot at all besides the lotus scene, but just enjoy the cinematography, the lighting, the acting, just shut up and watch or read it unless you have nice and constructive criticism! Both literacy and film is a work of art! Rick Riordan pick most of the actors because he does see them if they look like the characters, he sees them as which actor best matches the role personality! This made my the entire month, and thank you for stating the real issues!❤❤ And I don't mean this in a rude or impolite way! Writing is not my forte

[@mammamiia08]

I love this but you mentioning Band of Brothers makes me whoop in joy! 😍 I hope we'll be able to see and hear your thoughts!

[@movienightwithjacqui]

BoB will be coming to KZbin in a few months! I have a few things I need to get through first, but the full length reactions are going up on Patreon as we speak 😄

[@starralert2678]

I personally LOVE the comparisons to Harry Potter because I'd LOVE this series to be the Harry Potter for the next generation

[@owenbutters9610]

Ares is played by Adam Copeland aka Edge. A wrestling God. Ex WWE and currently signed with the competition And without a doubt an amazing casting choice

[@Emimilliemoo]

✨️Persassy✨️ 'I'll fight a god' Jackson

[@valathor95]

Thankfully I’ve only seen praise for the show. And I have nothing but praise for it.

[@EmilyRange15]

Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 6 is out now

[@LeahB31]

Ares in the Xena: Warrior Princess TV show was also a great character and fun to watch.

[@CaptoftheHaggister]

Aries is played by Adam Copeland (Professional wrestler who goes by the name Edge).

[@mindlessscarecrow4886]

I'm so glad someone else is fangirling about Ares being so upfront in a dickish way about everything XD