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29: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Part One - Episodes 5-8
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In this episode of Book Watch, we’re wrapping up our coverage of Percy Jakcson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters and the Disney+ TV show adaptation and the 2013 film adaptation. We cover the back half of the story, episodes 5-8 and the crazy movie finale.
In Part 2, we explore plot changes, major omissions, and how well the adaptation stayed true to the book’s themes.
Join hosts Chris, Jordyn, and Sarah-Daye as they break down what worked, what didn’t, and whether this adaptation does the book justice.
Tell us your thoughts! Did you love or hate this adaptation? Let’s discuss in The Book Watch Lounge on Facebook
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Transcript
Introduction and Purpose of 'Bookwatch'
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome back, book watchers, to another episode. I'm your host, Jordan. I'm Sarah Day. And I'm Chris. And this is our week two coverage of Percy Jackson, The Olympians, The Sea of Monsters. Again, this book was published in 2006, written by Rick Riordan. And we are talking about the 2013 film adaptation directed by Thor Fruidenthal. and the 2025 Disney Plus TV show adaptation, which was written slash produced by Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg. And we will dive into the second half of the book slash season of the show right after these messages.
00:00:50
Speaker
Welcome to Bookwatch, the podcast where pages meet screens. Each week, we dive into the world of adaptations, comparing beloved books with their cinematic counterparts. From faithful retellings to bold reimaginings, we'll break down what worked, what didn't, and what made each adaptation unforgettable. Whether you are a bookworm, a movie buff, or both, grab your bookmark, grab your popcorn, and let's watch some books.
Episode 5: Cece's Spa and Resort
00:01:16
Speaker
Okie dokie, welcome back demigods for another episode. Here we are starting with episode 5 of the show, um which covers basically chapters 12 and 13 of, well, 12 and 13 and a little bit more, i think, of the book. And the episode is titled We Check Into Cece's Spa and Resort.
00:01:39
Speaker
Before we jump in, isn't it kind of ironic that a guy named Thor is directing a Greek gods movie? or Right? go and Go check out Marvel. get get Get where you're supposed to be, dude. Or, you know, you've got to get a you know Norse show going instead. You can't just take everybody else's stuff.
00:01:56
Speaker
Stay in your own ah stay in your lane. Stay in your own lane, yeah. Stay in your own pantheon. That's what I was looking for. Yeah, stay in your own pantheon. That's right. All right So in the book, this chapter of Cece's Spa and Resort, Percy actually, where we well, where we left off was the battle with Scylla and Charybdis and Percy, the boat gets blown up. Percy's wanting to drown. um He wakes up on a rowboat life raft situation with Annabeth. um Everybody else is presumed dead. Clarice, Tyson, everybody's presumed dead at this point.
00:02:36
Speaker
And they come upon this island um and it's like pristine white beaches. It looks like it's straight out of a vacation magazine. Like it's just gorgeous Caribbean island, basically.
00:02:49
Speaker
They get out of the boat. They walk up to the building and they're like, oh, look welcome. This is Cece's spa and resort. um You know, can we get you anything? They're like offering smoothies and facials and massages and, you know, put on a fluffy robe. and then they go and meet Cece. And Cece is just this nice looking woman who is like, you know what, Annabeth, like, let me take you over here and, you know, get you sort it out while I talk to Percy. Percy needs some extra work on bettering himself.
00:03:23
Speaker
And Percy is talking to Cece and she's like, basically your biggest problem is that you're a boy. And so because of that, I'm going to turn you into a guinea pig and stick you in this cage with other guinea pigs. And Annabeth comes back and she's like, where's Percy? Like, where's my friend? Like, what's going on?
00:03:45
Speaker
Annabeth puts together that Cece is actually the witch, Cersei. And Cersei is known, again, from the Odyssey and Odysseus' encounter. She is known to turn men into pigs ah because men are pigs. um and But pigs are big and smelly and dirty and like too much. So we went with she's modernized and evolved and now she does guinea pigs instead.
00:04:13
Speaker
um And so Annabeth takes the multivitamins that were gifted from Hermes and she dumps them in the cage and all of the guinea pigs eat a multivitamin so they can feel like themselves again and they get turned back.
00:04:30
Speaker
into humans and then Percy and Annabeth escape the island they take ah this giant like pirate ship um it's literally the ship of Edward Teague Blackbeard they steal Blackbeard's ship and they take off into the sea of monsters I love seeing the pirates. It's really fun. um I always say I think I was a pirate in a past life. So whenever there's pirates in any story, I just get so excited. It's so fun. And to see, you know, Blackbeard himself is just a hoot.
00:05:01
Speaker
Yeah. I have a whole pirate out costume from my Ren Faire last year. So nice I've definitely been had some fun with pirate stuff recently. Nice.
Siren Encounter and Adaptation Differences
00:05:12
Speaker
um I'm going to continue with the book because the movie kind of, or the show, sorry, the show kind of takes that plus the sirens and kind of meshes them into one. but I'm going to talk about the book siren scene first. So they get on Blackbeard's ship. They take off into the sea. And Annabeth is like, oh, we should be approaching the island of the sirens.
00:05:38
Speaker
who are these mythical creatures who basically like, you know, general siren lore. They sing a song and it lures you in, then they eat you. um That's pretty much it. most Most siren stories are like that because of this. and This is the original siren story. And again, Odysseus conquered them. And basically this is just a retelling of the Odyssey a little bit. um So when we start reading the Odyssey, we're going to like, Percy Jackson did it better.
00:06:08
Speaker
Literally. I mean, that's what I'll be doing, but that's just me being disrespectful. Sorry. um And Annabeth really wants to hear her siren song. She wants to, because they also, they're not just singing like, you know, what's happening on the radio. It's like telling you about yourself and, and you know, so kind of showing you a version of the future. and she wants that information. So she asks Percy to tie her to the mast of the ship and leave her ears uncovered so she can hear what they're saying and and what they're revealing to her while you know basically being protected. She can't actually leave.
00:06:49
Speaker
Percy gets some wax and plugs his ear so he can't hear anything. He's just you know so using his sea god of powers and steering the ship. He forgets to take Annabeth's knife off of her. she has cut herself aloof and loose and is swimming her little heart out to get to this island and putting her life on the line.
00:07:10
Speaker
um Percy jumps in to save her. When he grabs her, he sees her vision. Her vision is basically him and Luke and her dad and her mom, ah the goddess Athena, sitting together.
00:07:26
Speaker
she has she wants to be an architect and she has completely redesigned the whole city of New York. It's a new skyline. It's her. She made it. And basically everybody is holding hands, singing kumbaya and being happy and healthy and Everybody loves each other. um And Percy you know rescues her, pulls her out, gets her back on the boat, gets her away. And she explains how basically that vision explained to her how her fatal flaw is hubris and pride. And she thinks that she is so smart and so talented and so wonderful that she can just fix everything all by herself. And she doesn't need help. She doesn't need to rely on anybody she can just handle it just like she thought she could handle hearing the song without like putting herself or Percy in danger um and then they are like oh would you look at that we're here at Polyphemus's island where the Golden Fleece and Grover are and that's basically the end of that the show kind of combines those two things what did you guys think of how the showrunners decided to turn put those all into like one
00:08:40
Speaker
I thought it worked fine. um liked that the escape from the island was thwarted by these sirens and that it all kind of like works together. i really liked how they portrayed the sirens. I've always been interested in mermaids and sirens and as a mythical creature.
00:09:01
Speaker
i thought their design was very unique and interesting, but I liked how everything played out. I liked how we thought she had actually won and beaded them, but it turned out that was actually the sirens working their magic. So I think that she could beat them with just her. Yeah, exactly. So I thought that it worked really well.
00:09:23
Speaker
Finally make her mom proud. Yeah, that part was the the vision was a big part that stuck out to me. it was, oh, she thought she'd won and then and finally earned her mom's respect, which was part of her whole flaw too. And then she needs Percy to save her.
00:09:37
Speaker
And think the book had something about how Percy's biggest ah us flaw or his fatal flaw was Annabeth or her his friends or something like that, wasn't it? It's loyalty. Loyalty, I'd say, yeah. broadly. But, like, yes. But for a specific of the story, her was his flaw. Big thing that they were talking about, I think. I mean, it's Annabeth, it's Tyson, it's Grover. Like, you know, we've seen it, his mom, right? In book one, like he's willing to do anything, everything, break all of the rules. I mean, he says it in the show and like a Bridgerton-esque like line where it's like, I'd burn it all down for you, Annabeth. Like, oh, my heart.
00:10:16
Speaker
um But yeah, like it literally. But like Percy was my first book boyfriend. I need everybody to know that. Like the girls online joke about the book boyfriends now, Rhysanne and Zayden and all the... Percy is my OG. Okay. Like just putting that out there.
00:10:33
Speaker
um But yeah, like his his fatal flaw is loyalty. I don't know. i forget if the book is so explicit. as to say straight up that his fatal flaw is loyalty in this book. um I know they do later in later books. and It might just be alluded to, yeah the whole The whole series is showing that his fatal flaw is loyalty. like By the time it's revealed, you're like, oh, duh. like you know he He goes so far above and beyond to help.
00:11:02
Speaker
the people he cares about and like just being a hero for the people he loves that if it was anything else I'd be like you're wrong but yeah I at first didn't love this change um because I specifically the change of how of who gets tied up on the mast to get past the sirens. I thought it was really important for Annabeth to like, to show Annabeth's fatal flaw in that way, that it's pride and she thinks she can withstand it. She thinks she can survive it. She thinks she's, you know, all of these things and, and showing it that way. i didn't love how initially Percy was like,
00:11:51
Speaker
tied up i like how they did it in the sense that like he wasn't supposed to be but i didn't like that they took that agency away from annabeth where she was choosing to listen to it and take that chance um at least initially once i saw the whole thing and saw how it was like the inception of vision inside of a vision inside of real life where she's about to get got i I did kind of like how they did that instead. so I'm still kind of fifty fifty on it overall.
00:12:23
Speaker
I wish they had kept it how it was in the book because I'm a book truther and I wish all of it was exactly how it was in the book, um at least at at some level. But if they were gonna change it, I did like how they ended up changing it.
00:12:39
Speaker
um And then the movie doesn't do any of this. hey none of this happens in the movie lest we forget that there was a movie adaptation none of this happens in the movie and broader discussion someday might be fun to literally like think like dissect these the characters even more so of like you know is the Annabeth from the movie anything like the Annabeth from the show and you know really dig into some of their because they change so much about their character characterization sometimes I didn't I haven't listened to the first episode. I'm sorry, guys. I didn't get to listen to you and Sarah Day's conversation about the first book and movie. So I'm curious in some ways about what your guys' is ah thoughts were on the actors and the way they performed that. But i can I can wait and find out later unless we want do a quick little
Character Portrayals and Actor Performances
00:13:34
Speaker
recap. Yeah.
00:13:35
Speaker
I mean, basically what we said was that they were never going to be able to be the same because they were aged up. Yes, fair. Like, none of the – even the relationship between Annabeth and Percy, like, when he first sees her in the movie, immediately he's, like, hard-eyed. Like, who's she? Like, i and I'm obsessed with her. Like, she's she's amazing. Like, i want to I want to get to know her.
00:14:00
Speaker
And then – Just like the rest of the internet with Alexandra. Which is valid. Right, so – I mean, if I saw Alexander Daddario, I would also act like that. So he's he's valid for that. But like because he's already, you know, 16, 17 years old versus when he first meets Annabeth in the book, they're 12. They're children.
00:14:17
Speaker
They're like very, very much children versus teenage. They're pre prepubescent children versus being like deep into teenage years in the movie. It's just never going to be the same.
00:14:29
Speaker
um And so that was something like when we first talked, like we kind of just got like didn't even bother talking about it that much because it was never going to be comparable because of that age difference. And so it's cut basically the same thing here. Like, you know,
00:14:46
Speaker
I think both versions of Percy have merits and have flaws. um I think Annabeth just as a character is much more fleshed out and in depth in this show than in either of the movies, not through the fault of Alexander Daddario, to be sure, like we know she can act. um but I don't think they gave her enough to do, especially in, in those movies. Um, so yeah. And then Grover basically is just like a super sexualized womanizer in the first movie. And that is like the complete opposite of book and show Grover, like their kids. Um, so yeah, that's, pretty that's pretty much what we talked about.
00:15:35
Speaker
Sounds good. Yeah. In the movie, Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson get sucked into the maw of Charybdis on their own, on their little life raft after they escape Luke's ship. And in Charybdis' stomach, they find Clarice and her ironclad ship and her undead zombie warriors.
00:15:58
Speaker
And then working together, they blow a hole in the side of charybdis and go escape through her internal organs out into the ocean and float up to the top and then all together they all continue on their journey to polyphemus's island and we skip cersei's island we skip the sirens we're just film straight there movie magic and timing yeah i mean the movie like wasn't I don't think the movie was really trying that hard to follow the events of the book in order, nor was it the first time around. doesn't
00:16:39
Speaker
it isn't Do we know how much involvement Rick had with the movies at all? He's credited as a writer for both movies. um But I don't think he had the kind of like control.
00:16:52
Speaker
Oversight that he has for the show. Yes, he definitely has much more
Rick Riordan's Involvement and Adaptation Changes
00:16:56
Speaker
oversight for the show. And then even the show differences, he's quoted in interviews saying like, you know I'm in the I'm helping write these changes. Like I know exactly what the changes are, why they're happening. I'm on board with it. um So I think that's something that like, especially me as a OG book reader and like a book is better than the movie truther. just kind of have to wrap my head around the fact that this, it's never going to be a one-to-one shot for shot remake. That's just not going to happen. yeah,
00:17:31
Speaker
We got to trust the process. He knows where he wants the show to get to. And so have to trust that he's guiding it along in that direction. Yeah. I can choose to fixate on everything that's different and everything that I think is wrong with the show in the adaptation and, you know, just be super negative, or I can choose to find the things that I really love, like Sally, like Tyson, like Percy's relationship with all of them, like, you know, the foundation of, Persebeth, one of the most iconic like ships in in literature, in this in modern literature at least. like i can I can choose what to focus on. And so i just you know it's just never going to be exactly what I wanted it to be. and it's
00:18:15
Speaker
at this point, after two seasons, I just know that it's not going to be what I wanted it to be And so am I going to choose to be negative or am I going to choose to find the positive? And I love Percy enough that I'm going to try to choose to find the positive.
00:18:28
Speaker
Watching it week for week at the beginning, I was really struggling with because it was just like a little tiny bit. And then I was like, oh, that was not enough or I didn't get where I wanted to get with that. But once I was able to kind of binge the whole thing together, it flowed a little better for me and I could accept some of those changes a little better.
00:18:44
Speaker
I agree. um Season one and season two. were better when I binge them all and watch the whole thing through at once than waiting week to week. I generally prefer the week to week model um so that we have time to talk about it and headcanon and predict and have those conversations. I generally prefer that. But there's something about the pacing and the writing of this show that works better as a binge model, at least these first two seasons. But we'll see what season three has in store for us.
00:19:19
Speaker
um I kind of like that the show, like watching it weekly, it's like a monster of a week kind of format. um But I can totally see how is it's like it's chunky when you're watching it week to week, but it is monster of the week. But then watching it, like binging it is much more of like just a long movie yeah and it makes more sense. Yeah. Yeah.
00:19:41
Speaker
And like, I think we talked about it more in my first episode with you for season one, Saradae, but like the new themes that they're really pushing about like family and like being different and monsters aren't always monsters, things like that.
00:19:57
Speaker
make a lot more sense and are a lot more evident when you watch the full show and see that whole through line from beginning to end those things make a lot more sense and feel more complete versus just having like disjointed chunks throughout um so I think that like that kind of writing and direction lend itself better to a binge model as well but It is what it is.
Adventures on Polyphemus's Island
00:20:24
Speaker
I'm just happy to be getting a show at some level, you guys. So let's let's not complain too much. no we're not complaining. and We're just discussing what what we like and don't like about it and all that. And if people want more of that, the complaining part, let us know. We'll do that, too.
00:20:42
Speaker
Yeah. Hey, my husband likes to say I'm a certified hater. I can hate on anything. So if you guys want me to hate on something, you just let me know. I'll do it. you can have some hate watches. Yeah, that's what the housemaid was. but Yeah, yeah. All right. Episode six, Nobody Gets the Fleece. ah Fun little play on words. Again, another Odyssey reference. um next So in the book, Percy and Annabeth get past the sirens. um And
00:21:14
Speaker
we get to the island. we are trying We're like walking around. We're trying to figure out... Where is Grover? Where's the Golden Fleece? um They come, Percy and Annabeth come up with this plan to basically disguise themselves as sheep on Polyphemus' island because he is a sheep herder.
00:21:37
Speaker
um and they like disguise themselves they like literally are clinging to the bottom of the sheep as they're migrating from one end of the island to the other um and they get into polyphemus's cave and they find out that not only is grover there but clarice is alive and clarice is there with grover um and so now the four of them are trying to figure out a plan to get out tyson magically shows up to the rescue and helps them get out um and then in the show percy and annabeth um
00:22:19
Speaker
get to the island same kind of thing their plan is a little bit different but generally the same kind of thing they get there they figure out that Grover and Clarice are alive Percy halfway down the shaft trying to get to Percy and Clarice and they finally figure out that it's a trap annabeth figured out that it was a trap because the golden fleece that's hanging over the tree is dripping gold paint onto her hand she's like ooh it's a trap so she goes invisible to escape and percy gets trapped in there with grover and annabeth um something that the show also added annabeth's conversation with luke via an iris message um
00:23:05
Speaker
That did not happen in the book. um But Luke talks to her. they have a little conversation. Percy gets jealous and cuts it off. But now Luke knows that they're on the island and he sends himself, Alice and Sims, a handful of other demigods to go and try to...
00:23:26
Speaker
now there's three different parties battling for the fleece polyphemus the cyclops um percy and co and luke and his cronies so it's basically the scene from pirates of the caribbean where they're all trying to get the heart of uh of davy jones and know get this fight happening all throughout in different parts of the island everybody pretty much that's a great reference yeah pretty much um Yeah, and so throughout the show we got some like POV changes and we got to see some of Clarice and Grover talking and kind of working together trying to escape, which I liked.
00:24:05
Speaker
um I like that that like freedom of the show that we can get different points of view and and see what other characters are up to. We're not just stuck in Percy's head.
00:24:16
Speaker
So that was fun. um This all kind of climaxes with Percy and Clarice and Grover have the golden fleece.
00:24:30
Speaker
Annabeth is still on the outside. Her and Tyson are battling Polyphemus. Tyson defeats Polyphemus, throws him into the sea. And during the fight, Annabeth gets like thrown against the cliff and she's severely injured. She's dying.
00:24:48
Speaker
Luke runs up. Tyson is off battling Polyphemus. Luke runs up, sees that she's dying and is like, if you guys give me the fleece, I'll heal her. And so Percy has this moment where, you know, do I keep the fleece and tell Luke to F off and Annabeth dies, and but we save camp?
00:25:09
Speaker
Or do I, you know, take the fleece and give it to the enemy to save Annabeth? Do I choose, you know, and there's that fatal flaw of loyalty that we were talking about.
00:25:20
Speaker
Percy Jackson is that guy. He's going to pick his friend over everything. He knocks out Clarice, gives the fleece to Luke so Luke can save Annabeth. Luke takes Annabeth and the fleece and escapes.
00:25:35
Speaker
And now Percy and Grover and Clarice are still trapped in the cave. And a big part of that leans into the fact that he kind of trusts that Luke also wants to save Annabeth and Thalia.
00:25:49
Speaker
And he kind of once hopes that he is redeemable the way that his father thought he was. So he's kind of trying to trust other people too or trust Luke as well this situation. But he can't say for sure how Luke can react. He just knows he can't lose Annabeth.
00:26:06
Speaker
Yeah, I think if it had been any literally anybody else from the Team Kronos side, any other demigod, he wouldn't have, he would have said no. But he knows the history between Luke and Annabeth and that if Luke was going to waver or flip-flop sides for anything, it would be Annabeth. um So I think you're right that that kind of shows like...
00:26:31
Speaker
you know i kind of I kind of like to think of it as like an Anakin Skywalker type of turn where like you know technically Percy did the wrong thing by not like sticking to the mission but he and Luke are foils to each other and they're so similar and their love for Annabeth that he's like we can align on this one thing which is saving Annabeth and I'll kick your your butt later and we'll fight to the death later but right now you and I both know that we're going to save Annabeth and so I'll do what I got to do.
00:27:02
Speaker
So I love Percy Jackson, man. I just love Percy Jackson. um So Tyson comes back. He um moves the rock to free Percy, Clarice and Grover. they all are like, okay, well, we know Luke is going to go back to his ship, his cruise ship, the princess Andromeda.
00:27:23
Speaker
How are we going to get off this island? And so this is where we finally get to have rainbow, the hippocampi, come with his friends and take Percy Tyson, Clarice and Grover off the island to the cruise ship. Um,
00:27:43
Speaker
Rainbow and friends do take them off the island in the book, but this is like the second or third time that we've met Rainbow and friends um in the book versus in the show this is the first time we get to see them.
00:27:57
Speaker
um
00:28:00
Speaker
yeah I think we see Rainbow like from a distance and the like on this when we're on the a ship. I think Tyson or has a few moments where sees reference to him, but we don't have that relationship we do in the film. He's not named Rainbow. we don't take the ride until this point in the show. yeah But you're right. We do get to see him um just a little tail flip out of the water earlier.
00:28:28
Speaker
um So in the book, they don't go to Luke's cruise ship. They just go straight to the nearest land. um And the book pretty much ends after that. So i guess we'll pause there and talk more about what happens in the show because the show drags this ending out over the next three episodes.
Confrontations with Luke and Quest for the Fleece
00:28:50
Speaker
um Like, yeah, there's a lot happening. Let me forget...
00:29:00
Speaker
So episode seven, i go down with the ship. um This is the next chunk of chapters. um I forgot to make that note. My bad.
00:29:15
Speaker
But yeah, percy um Percy and Co have to go in the show. At least they have to go and rescue Annabeth. um they have to get her back from luke and his cronies um which i like how in the show they actually named Luke's followers, Cronies with a K because they follow Cronos. I saw that in the subtitles. i was like, that's a good one. um And so they now have to infiltrate the ship and because Luke wants the fleece to basically speed up the healing process of Cronos as he returns from Tartarus.
00:29:52
Speaker
And so they know that he's on the ship and they have to go and get the get the fleece and Annabeth back from Luke. um Percy and Clarice continue to debate should we focus on the fleece should we focus on Annabeth Clarice wants to finish the quest finish the mission and get the fleece Percy is like ah we need Annabeth first obviously um they The cruise ship actually has docked. And so we get to see them we get to see Tyson use the Cyclops voice mimicry to lure one of Luke's demigods over to them. They capture him. They use his key card to get onto the ship.
00:30:35
Speaker
Percy charges Grover and Tyson with getting them a ride out of here. And when in doubt, call mom. mom i'm scared i need you to come pick me up is basically what happens the kids are being mean to me literally and so we get this fun scene of sally in like the grocery store i've been a mom of a demigod and a cyclops like what's going on just tell me the truth and the grocery lady being like what are you talking about which i thought was a fun little scene um
00:31:07
Speaker
Meanwhile, Annabeth is healing with the Golden Fleece. Alice and Sims and the other like super loyalist demigods are like, Luke, what are we doing? We should just kill her. She's on the other team. She's a traitor. need to like focus on our mission which is healing chronos um and luke is still like but she's my friend like i don't want to do that so that's a whole conflict um clarice gets stuck because the kids start playing mytho magic and she's just like stuck hiding and she can't escape um but percy uses the invisibility hat goes to annabeth luke comes in starts trying to convince
00:31:48
Speaker
Annabeth that Thalia would be on his side so Annabeth should also be on his side Percy leaves to go and get the fleece while nobody is guarding it basically like he and Clarice end up switching because Clarice hears that Allison wants to take the demigods and go and kill Annabeth because Cronos has directly spoken to her and told her to do so and so she's like well I can't let that happen I gotta go save Annabeth while Percy's going to get the fleece so they just kind of swap swap priorities real quick because he got to Annabeth and she's like go get the fleece who he's like a aye aye um and more fighting ensues and then they get off the boat jump in the Prius and they're off to Camp Half-Blood um versus the book where they get to shore
00:32:37
Speaker
There is still a little bit of a fight with Luke. um and But Clarice escapes, gets on an airplane to get home because I think they come back to like Miami or something, right? um Somewhere in Florida. And so Clarice gets on an airplane and books it back to Camp Half-Blood while everybody else stays and battles with Luke and his team.
Thalia's Return and Prophecy Implications
00:33:01
Speaker
um And then they make their way back to Camp Half-Blood after that
00:33:09
Speaker
And then episode eight, the fleece works its magic too well. Everybody gets back. We put the fleece on the tree.
00:33:20
Speaker
why It works. Camp is healed. And Thalia is back. And that's like the big season finale twist thing is Thalia is alive and kind of well. She's been in a tree for several years. So she's got adjust. um But she's back in corporeal form.
00:33:45
Speaker
And Percy now has to reckon with the fact that he is now not for sure the kid in the prophecy because Thalia is the daughter of Zeus. And so it could be either one of them.
00:33:57
Speaker
And Chiron predicts that Cronos wants to take Thalia for his team. And so she will be directly battling Percy on the team of the Olympians. And he's very stressed out. He's a stressed out kid now.
00:34:13
Speaker
Do you want to talk about the fact that the movie brings Kronos back? Yeah. um Not really. um Yeah. So the movie, which we haven't talked about in a while because it's very different. So, yeah, the movie, they get to the island.
00:34:31
Speaker
There is Polyphemus, but like. I think they converge Cersei's island and Polyphemus' island, and then they take the, like, um from book one, like, the roller coaster, like, a abandoned amusement park thing and roll that in there. It's a lot. But they escape Polyphemus. um And then Luke brings out the coffin and puts the fleece on the coffin, like literally right there on this island. And um Kronos like kind of comes back, basically. He looks like Te Fiti from Moana, actually.
00:35:06
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Like maybe when she's still all 50 and um the guy, Sauther from the Thor Ragnarok movie? Yes. Surtr. Surtr. Yes. That's exactly what he is. Yeah. um And it's crazy. So somehow Percy already knows like the full prophecy and he's like, cursed blade is my blade.
00:35:28
Speaker
spoilers it's not his blade but whatever um and they're fighting they fight chronos they're fighting luke they're fighting the manticore and this is when annabeth gets hurt in the movie right yes yes that's what the movie is that's that the um monster the chronos monster eats luke yeah Oh yeah, wait, wait, wait, wait. How does he get eaten by Kronos? And then he appears in the cave with the Cyclops. I don't understand how he got from Kronos' stomach. too Because Percy like slices Kronos. like He like does the thing where you stab the sword and then you fall and use the sword. yeah whatever so But then Kronos like blows up and Luke gets shot out and lands back in the cave. Perks of being a demigod, I guess. Okay.
00:36:20
Speaker
Got it. hi Hey, your headcanon is as good as mine. this This movie is not known for its airtight plot structure. Okay. and I mean, in the movie, they have that the scenes where Thalia is facing off with ah the monster in the beginning. And she's like a little, little kid. She's not the almost 16-year-old that she's supposed to be. And then they still age her up while she's in the tree, apparently. And then she comes back as this older child. I'm like...
00:36:49
Speaker
I don't understand what's happening. The book definitely was explicit about her staying the same age. oh she ah She does still age, but she ages much slower as a tree um in the books. Yeah. Yeah. and The movie. there Hey, there's a reason that they stopped making movies after this one. And we are now getting this
Annabeth's Trauma and Backstory Changes
00:37:12
Speaker
show instead. Like this is why. Yeah.
00:37:16
Speaker
but Yeah, so they in the movie they use the fleece, they save Annabeth. so Magically we get back to camp, put the fleece on the tree, Thalia wakes up. um i like how the show...
00:37:32
Speaker
did thalia coming out of the tree better like her laying down is well i take it back i do and i don't it looks cooler for her to be like in her fighting stance with her spear but that doesn't really work with the fact that she was supposed to be dying so like she should have been laying down it doesn't look as cool for her to be laying down when she back. And that adds to the ah the storyline they're changing in the movie or the TV show here where that's why she would be standing fighting more so um is because of the situation we get at the end here.
00:38:08
Speaker
Yeah. So Annabeth so in the book Annabeth's beef with Cyclops is explained because the Cyclops is the monster that killed Thalia or that was chasing them when Thalia made her last stand and died and became a tree and so she has a lot of and the especially the fact that they can do voice mimicry and change their voice that's what set them that's what set Annabeth up to like go wander off on her own because she was tricked when she was literally seven years old so like give her a break
00:38:45
Speaker
um but yeah so annabeth's trauma regarding cyclops is real and is valid and is completely wiped away in the show um they they do still have some scene some flashback scene where they're chased by cyclops but it's not like the big thing on half blood hill where thalia dies those monsters get changed to the furies um which we remember from season one i don't i still am not really sure how i feel about the change i watched the whole show week to week as it came out i binged it i still don't really know how i feel about the change um I think it makes sense with the other like thematic changes um that they've made in the show. Like we talked about in the first episodes of season one and book one and how we've kind of talked about here, like, you know, people's choices and heroes, monsters aren't always monsters and heroes aren't always heroes and trust your family and these things like, you know, showing both sides of the gods being not great, but still better than like,
00:39:55
Speaker
all of that like nuance that the show is doing, it makes sense why they would make this change.
Series Continuity and Future Hopes
00:40:01
Speaker
I still don't know how I feel about it I think I would have to wait for season three and how it goes in season three and the result of it to make, make a final determination of if I really like it or not.
00:40:14
Speaker
But what do you guys think? Do we want to reveal what happens or do we want to let the, that stay um a spoiler free thing for now?
00:40:24
Speaker
We can stay spoiler free because um the more we talk about Percy Jackson, the more I don't think I actually finished the series. I know. Oh, like i I do remember. Like, I don't remember the final battle of Cronus or Cronus coming back. So i'm like, do I did I even read the rest of the books? I know that I read the next one because I remember certain characters like the siblings. Yeah.
00:40:48
Speaker
But yeah, I don't remember much I think the end here at least is building towards that conflict between Percy and Thalia being built up. And then I think in the next one, we'll see that extra character of ah the third ah so or third of the big three becoming the, like you've got this this buildup of these three as your heroes that have to kind of be pitted against each other. And I think it's just trying to build that um tension for when we get to the point where um they have to make decisions. So i think i I think I am on board with what they're doing. But I think that it's definitely different from the books. so We're going to have to trust that the next one's going to give us a good story based off that that change.
00:41:36
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it makes sense, too, because like throughout the whole season two, they've talked about, you know, would Thalia be on Annabeth's side would she be on Luke's side? Like how, like where would she fall? Because she, and we see in the flashbacks, she hates Zeus. She hates Camp Half-Blood. She doesn't want to be a part of this. She doesn't want to like, join it like they call it cult half blood instead of camp half blood like right she and luke are both very annabeth and her friends so she's willing to be there so that's the gonna be the biggest conflict between her and luke whether she agrees with him and wants to stay on his side or wants to care for annabeth who has decided to be in a camp is a better place for her yeah and i think
00:42:21
Speaker
I think that would be something that would really turn me off on the show would be if they did make that big of a change and have Thalia like make different choices than the one she makes in the book. But we know who's showing up in the next one from some of the character and early the like actress announcements. So I think we do know that at least that choice is coming for her. So yeah, we'll see how they how she handles it.
00:42:46
Speaker
I mostly what I'm alluding to is if she makes the choice to like kind of join more Luke side or like defend him more versus making the other choices that she makes. That's going to be something that's my like put me over the edge like that I'm going to be really upset about. um I definitely don't mind adding the nuance and exploring, you know, making making Luke's point of view make sense. Like, i can yeah, I can see, you know, giving it that kind of Killmonger effect from Black Panther. Like, I see where he's coming from. Hey, the gods are not perfect. The gods do messed up stuff. I definitely, he's making a lot of good points here. And even having- Azusa definitely the villain. So, you know. Totally. And even having Thalia like have that thought process of like, well, yeah, like I do feel that way. I do hate my dad. I do hate this life that I'm a part of. I don't want to be a pawn in your game. Like letting her think those thoughts and feel those feelings. I'm totally fine with.
00:43:49
Speaker
But i think there is a like a line where like you can go too far with it. And now you're fundamentally changing that character and changing the story. And that's going to stress me out a lot.
00:44:00
Speaker
Have you read the follow up one, the the Lost Heroes stuff? That stuff? Okay. um Where it leads into the the next part of the jack Jason and all that stuff.
00:44:12
Speaker
We won't go into it because we're not there yet. But um the Thalia connection there is really interesting too. So yes she's grown as a character for me in that reading that started to read that series.
00:44:23
Speaker
Yeah, we love. Yeah. and I know I'm missing stuff because i didn't finish my I reread it and then I watched the show and then I watched the movie and then I was trying to reread it again. and I didn't get through that second reread. So if I'm missing anything, I'm so sorry. I think we covered the biggest plot points and the biggest like changes that happen. um Do you guys have anything else that you want to talk about as far as like character differences or plot differences, anything like that?
00:44:57
Speaker
I think we've been, I've interjected where I feel like it was important to add to it. I did. We did make the, um you, you made the guide for people if they want to follow along reading and watching the show, that was really helpful for being able to see what went where. so if you're, haven't read it yet or haven't watched the show yet, definitely check out the reading list on our Facebook and our, where else is it? Is anywhere else? Instagram, I think. Instagram.
00:45:23
Speaker
So check that out and let us know if we miss anything. It's pretty accurate. And there's some stuff that like the the chapter will end like on a cliffhanger versus the show will like show that next scene. That's the beginning of the next chapter. So it's not exact, but it's pretty close. um Yeah, i overall, I still I'm I'm sat. I'm ready. I'm waiting for season three. I'm going to watch season three. I still love it. I'm looking forward to being able to reread the rest of the series as it comes up.
00:45:58
Speaker
um The changes continue to scare me. I continue to really wish that it was shot for shot from the book. um I don't mind, like we already kind of talked about with some of the like middle school goofiness. I don't mind that stuff being taken out and like making it a little bit more mature and a little bit more dramatic. Yeah. But some of the like big plot points and character points, I really, really hope that they kind of tighten down and stay more true to the book in the future. um
00:46:33
Speaker
do you have a favorite book from the series? Battle of the Labyrinth. I think the Labyrinth is one of my favorites too. It is one my favorite of the of the series, yeah. Is that the next one? No, it's number four. Okay, I've read that one. The next one is The Titan's Curse.
00:46:49
Speaker
Okay. I've read The Labyrinth, so maybe that's the last one I read. Okay. okay Yeah, I'm sat, I'm ready, I'm excited. i'm I'm a little bit more apprehensive going into season three than I was going into season two. Season two has kind of shaken my faith a little bit because of the changes.
00:47:08
Speaker
None of the changes that they made are like – super bad where I'm like, you know, I'm still going to watch the next season, right? Like there's there's nothing that I'm like, this is unforgivable. like I can't do this anymore. Like it's not that bad. I just don't like changes. Changes scare me.
00:47:25
Speaker
And so I wish they would stop making the changes. i don't know. It doesn't sound like you're going to stop no matter what they put out so they can do whatever they want to this. You just need want to see him Percy Jackson on the screen. So if if if Thalia were in next season, if Thalia were to make the choice to join Luke's team, that would that would put me over the edge.
00:47:46
Speaker
I would probably give up after that because that change is so fundamental to who she is and the rest of the story. i don't think they're going to because I don't think they're setting it up for you to think she might.
00:47:58
Speaker
And that's like the big cliffhanger, right? Was like, yeah. Okay. And like you could see Percy's face like change and like get really dark. And like, so like, I think they're setting us up as an audience who doesn't know the books to think that she's going to join Luke. Yeah. But I don't think the show is actually going to do that.
00:48:15
Speaker
yeah know Even the third book had that feeling in the beginning where Percy was kind of unsure what was going to happen with that. He's not sure whether to trust her. He's he's he's got that tension within him. But because we only have that one point of view to go from, we don't yeah get quite as much experience as we get in the film. So I think it's all here and I think it's leading in the right direction. So I'm actually excited move it into season three here. So but we won't know anything till December.
00:48:39
Speaker
I know. is it right ah It's so far away. It's only January. i am really excited. January lasting forever. I know. In good ways and bad ways. I'm also really excited for season three. I really like Thalia. I think the actress is beautiful. I really like her character design. So I'm really excited to see her on screen more. The same goes with Carice. We got to see her a lot more in this season. So I'm really excited to see her in future seasons. I'm And she's more of a friend now, not an antagonist. Exactly. exactly oh im yeah a antagonist. Yes. um And she have that growth. So just to kind of see that core group grow. I mean, we've got Tyson. i I like his character design, too. um I like that actor, too. So, yeah, I'm i'm just excited to see this cast get it a little closer and grow and get to know Talia more.
00:49:28
Speaker
Yeah.
Camp Half-Blood's Traitors and Plot Developments
00:49:29
Speaker
um Something I skipped over in the last episode, which I don't know how I forgot, but I did. and there's like a whole battle that's happening at Camp Half-Blood and we get to watch campers defect from Camp Half-Blood and join Luke's army. they've They're the spies on the inside. and They've been giving Luke information and being traitors the whole time. And one of those is Chris Rodriguez, um who earlier in the show, we saw Clarice kind has a crush on him. She's trying to talk to him. She had picked him to join her on the quest. And then she like changed her mind when Annabeth ditched. She's like, OK, well, I'm not taking anybody. I'll just go by myself. um
00:50:10
Speaker
um So I do like because we get more points of view and we do get to see other things happening beyond just whatever Percy Jackson happens to be looking at. I do like that setup of showing, you know, that other demigods are defecting and they're choosing Luke's side and he's he is making a compelling case and he's convincing people that he's, you know, that he's right and that Kronos will be a better... situation for all of them than the gods. um
00:50:41
Speaker
And again, like, because the the both armies get bigger over the years, and throughout the books, I like that. And you know, some of the half blood defectors become like bigger plot points throughout later books, I do like setting that foundation now and getting to see this early how influential luke was when he was at camp and how influential his message is now that even though that he's gone from camp um so that was that's that's a good thing that that changed but yeah do you guys have any final thoughts are we gonna wrap it up let's wrap it up
00:51:24
Speaker
All
Final Thoughts and Upcoming Episodes
00:51:25
Speaker
right. Well, make sure you guys check out um our February news episode where we talk about all the fun things upcoming this month and for the rest of the year, 2026.
00:51:38
Speaker
This is episode two of Percy Jackson. So make sure you check out episode one of Sea of Monsters coverage where we talk about the first half of the season. and next up we've got Murderbot. Is that right?
00:51:52
Speaker
Sounds about right. Yes. We've got Murderbot. Which is All Systems Red is the book. Yes. The book. Yeah. Different different title for the book, which is going to trip me out when I start searching for Murderbot the book. And they're like, you're crazy. The series is called The Murderbot Diaries. And they're all it's like seven or eight novellas that all go together in this Murderbot Diaries.
00:52:15
Speaker
Okay, perfect. Noted. right. Well, yeah, we've got Murderbot coming up next. So if you're into that, let us know. um Give us a follow. Give us a review.
00:52:27
Speaker
comment um join at the patreon dm us all the things um keep in touch because we want to hear from you let us know if you like this new format of splitting the show in half and doing one half in one episode and one half in the other episode um this was new for us but i liked it so let us know if you guys liked it as well and uh we'll see you next week adios demigods by bye That's a wrap for this week's episode of Book Watch.
00:52:57
Speaker
We hope you enjoy diving into the world of page-to-screen adaptations with us. If you love this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a rating and review wherever you listen, and share it with a fellow book and movie lover.
00:53:09
Speaker
If you prefer to watch along, you can check out the show on YouTube, youtube.com slash at bookwatchpodcast. You can follow the show on Instagram at bookwatchpodcast. And you can follow me, Sarah Day, on Instagram at captain.mcd. That's M-C-D-E-E.
00:53:29
Speaker
And you can follow me, Jordan, on Instagram at jjcorrito. That's C-A-R-R-I-D-O. And you can follow me, Chris, at cyborgnight404. That's night with a K.
00:53:41
Speaker
You can also join the conversation in the Book Watch Lounge on Facebook at facebook.com slash groups slash bookwatch lounge. If you'd like to support the podcast, you can join the Patreon at patreon.com slash bookwatch podcast. Tiers start at only $4 a month and we would love to have you over there. Have a favorite adaptation you'd like us to cover or a book you think deserves a screen adaptation or just want to let us know of any feedback. Send us an email at bookwatchpodcast at gmail.com.
00:54:10
Speaker
Until next time, keep reading, keep watching, and we will see you next week.