On December 20, 2023, Disney+ released the two-episode premiere of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians. As of December 28th, there are three episodes out. This anticipated series comes years after fans were disappointed with the movies, as they didn’t follow the books’ storylines very well. So, how does the new series compare to the books? We took a look at the TV show from a reader’s perspective and looked at all the little details we loved.
Spoiler Alert: This article may contain spoilers, so please be advised when reading.
Pegasus
The first thing that caught our eyes early on was the appearance of pegasi. More specifically, the pegasus that Percy Jackson believes he is hallucinating is black, and while we can’t confirm it quite yet, it could be Blackjack, Percy’s very own pegasus that he rescues in the second book, Sea of Monsters. It’s a small detail that makes us readers very happy to see in the new show.
Who’s His Father?
Like the book, no one knows who Percy Jackson’s father is at the beginning of the new series. In the movies, everyone already knew he was the son of Poseidon, but in the books, it isn’t until a few chapters in that he is claimed that it is revealed. The new series followed the book’s storyline of his parentage being a mystery, which was also a small detail that readers could appreciate.
Capture the Flag
Something that a lot of viewers got a little mad over in the movies was that it didn’t stay true to the source material when it came to the game Capture the Flag. In the books, Percy and Annabeth are on the same team, and in the movies, they are not, so we appreciate that the two of them happened to be on the same side in the new series. While the game didn’t go down exactly as it did in the books, it was still enjoyable to watch their interactions.
Dionysus
Another thing that we really enjoyed was Mr. D’s, or Dionysus’s, appearance. He makes for good comedic relief in the book series, and so we really enjoyed his antics in the new show, especially as he so lovingly calls Percy Jackson by his other name, Peter Johnson, which we hope he will continue to purposely do throughout the entirety of the series.
There were many other small details we appreciated, but so far, the TV show has stuck pretty close to the books. It also helps that Rick Riordan himself has been greatly involved with the casting and production of the series, so we hope to see more small details that make us readers enjoy the show even more.
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