Hephaestus' actor Timothy Omundson is genuinely disabled, having suffered a stroke several years ago that paralyzed his left arm (you can see it lifelessly hanging through the whole scene) and weakened his legs so he needs a cane to walk (as briefly seen when he leaves at the end). He's a fantastic actor and it's been great to see him find several roles like this that enable him to work with his condition.
@@daydreamerX200 And the previous movie had to drop him entirely as he wasn’t yet recovered enough to work again. Which means the subplot of his corrupt past had to be shifted onto another character where it made no sense.
The actor for Hephaestus is physically disabled after a stroke in 2017. He uses a mobility aid and I know that he has struggles about facial features due to I think nerve damage (but I could be wrong about that last bit). He's a really great actor and I'm excited to see how he works with Hephaestus, because I know he was also super excited about playing a character who's a god with incredible power and is also disabled. I understand that the books have a particular portrayal that you envisioned, but disability is not always so "grotesque" or even noticable. Invisible disabilities deserve onscreen representation too, and I'm glad Timothy Omundson (Hephaestus) is so passionate about the project.
100% agreed. Hephaestus doesn’t have to be gross. I really dislike the audiobooks that give him a weird “stupid”-coded voice. The guy built Achilles’ armor and tons of automatons, which Homer found worthwhile adding in a whole chapter for (plus a nice second wife). And he mostly stays out of the family drama, with the exception of freeing his mom, the one who threw him down from Olympus in the first place. He’s high on my list of godly parents.
I get this point but Hephaestus being made conventionally unattractive by Hera’s abuse is a huge part of the myths surrounding him and a huge example of just how petty and mean the god’s are to each other. I also think it plays a huge role in Aphrodites characterization in the book- the fact that she cheats on him with Ares solely because he’s ugly and very obviously physically disabled is a big part of why the readers first don’t like her (at least, that’s how I felt when I first read the book, it really drove home how cruel aphrodite was) I do think Dom really should’ve mentioned it (especially because less obvious disabilities to do get erased), but I also think casting Hephaestus as a very conventionally attractive man whose disabilities are not as evident is kind of crappy? I think invisible disabilities do get a lot of sh*t and we need rep for them, but I also think that we don’t have many characters who’s physically disabilities are extremely evident and go way against conventional beauty standards. Idk, I just think that it sucks a character who was explicitly not conventionally attractive and obviously disabled was cast as someone conventionally attractive and not obviously disabled. This is just my opinion on it though, and I don’t think changing the character is inherently bad or ableist or ruins the show. But I do also wish they would’ve found an actor who’s disabilities were more similar to book Hephasteus’
@@neonradius Except that there's been multiple characterizations of what "ugly" means for Hephaestus in regards to the gods. One of the more common modern tropes for him is that he ended up looking...normal. Like a normal dude, like he does in the show. But since the gods are all unnaturally attractive, they consider normal to be ugly. Combine that with having a physical malady and they consider him extremely ugly.
@@Silverizael Exactly, the gods have different standards for what is ugly. Heck a baby could be born with more wrinkles or walks a bit different and they definitely would see that as ugly.
The problem isn't that they failed to explain why demigods are useful to the gods, it's that they never explained what the rules are that the gods can't break. Nobody ever says "Poseidon can't steal the master bolt, so he would have had to have a demigod do it, which makes Poseidon's illegal demigod a prime suspect, and also makes that same demigod the only person who can preserve the peace by going to the underworld" They leave out key parts that make it make sense.
one tiny detail I'd like to add is that in the one version of the myth, the reason Hephaestus trapped Hera on the throne was much more sympathetic. To keep it as short as possible Hera gets herself pregnant with a magical herb but the baby she gives birth to comes out deformed. After being horrified by her son's ugly appearance she legit yeets baby Hephaestus off of Mount Olympus, Hephaestus luckily lives but his legs are permanently disabled. He survives by being taken in by sea nymphs, once he grows up he creates the Golden Throne- not to blackmail his way into an unwilling marriage to Aphrodite but as a way to punish his mother for trying to kill him and disabling him for life. Hera is trapped on the throne and the gods beg to have her released, Hephaestus says 'nah fuck all of you' and goes back home to the island he grew up on. Nothing gets him to leave so eventually Dionysis goes down to visit him, gets him blackout drunk and hauls him back up to Olympus on the back of a mule. Once back on Olympus Hephaestus agrees to release Hera after she admits her wrongdoing, then Zesus shows up at the last min and Hephaestus asks "can I also marry Aphrodite if I release Hera?" and Zesus kinda feels bad for him so he's like "aight". Still not great form from Hephaetus but it makes the whole throne thing a lot less creepy and would show that he wouldn't necessarily be too fond of the gods either. But with all the attempted infanticide and drunkenness I can see why a Disney show went with another version. P.s. I will note that in another version he is the son of both Hera and Zeus and is thrown off of Olympus by his father for trying to free his mother after Zeus tied her up for trying to kill Heracles... which is wayyyy darker imo. p.p.s There's also a version where Poseidon, Ares and Hermes were all ready to go to war with each other over Aphrodite's hand in marriage. Hera resolved this by giving Aphrodite to Hephaestus, reasoning that he was the best candidate because he desired her the least. Just a lil autistic ramble
I think the point of the chair was that neither Aphrodite or Ares would’ve done it, and he’d never get his shield back, which fits Hephestus’ vibe in this version. Personally, I like how the show is further exploring the idea of the pantheon’s family dynamic, which could lead to some more interesting changes later on, regarding the upcoming Titan war.
@@uanime1I disagree an adaption doesn't need to match up if it does something interesting or has enjoyable versions of the characters. I think the series has what it takes to keep going at least from the view of myself and my wife as an old and new fan respectively.
I didnt see the chair as a trap more as a fuck you to Ares in a “go on Ares, prove anyone would love you enough to sacrifice themselves for you” kinda way
I haven't read the books but to me Grover made more sense with Ares because it wasn't just about being smart but being empathetic. As he pressed Ares for info he'd massage his ego to calm him and open him up. That just doesn't seem like Annabeth to me. She's far too blunt. I really liked the episode.
I love what the ep did with Grover. Not just giving him more to do, but showing his strengths as an equal part of the trio. Instead of just having him as the wacky but liyal sidekick
I like your take, but i also agree with the take that they should have switched places to establish character more. Annabeth needs more work to establish her as the strategic thinker and Grover so far is lacking in the loyalty aspect of his character. It also wouldn't hurt to see him and Percy hash things out like bros in the tunnel of love while Hephaestus's story is happening in the background and pretty much gets ignored because the adhd kid got something to say (said as someone with adhd who 100% would have ignored it if I had something to say to my friend)
I just think that the episode would have been better with the trap from the book. To me it seems that the to show is still painting the characters as far to smooth, they lack many aspect of the characters so far that made them so different and so relatable.
as far as changing around some parts of characterization (Percy telling the myth, Annabeth and Grover doing things the other is best at) I think they may be trying to make them a bit more rounded of characters instead of the smart one, or the nice one, etc. Especially since they've established that Sally told Percy a lot of these myths, so it makes sense that he would remember the stories his mom told him. That also makes him less an audience insert having to have everything explained to him. Also, particularly with Annabeth trying to save Percy, and the big speech about not being like the gods, I think that helps establish them truly becoming friends, and forging that strong bond that they'll have throughout. This episode also has my favorite line so far "thanks for the emotional abuse and cheeseburgers"
And don't forget that Mr. Brunners classes were the only ones where Percy was truly interested in. So Percy had already lessons from Chiron on all kinds of myths.
To me it doesn't look like Hephaestus lives here but instead comes in from the Dedalus' Maze from Book 4. The door even has an orange glow coming from it.
@09:55 Presumably, they cast Timothy Omundson as Haphaestus because he can bring a lot of gravitas to the role (as attested by his great portrayal of Cain in Supernatural), and because he has a disability due to surviving a stroke, much like how Forge Daddy is supposed to be "disfigured"
it's been established that Percy knows the myths because his mom told them to him. I'm not sure where Annabeth would have learned them (other than the main ones) because she left her dad when she was 8 and we don't even know what he would have told her. at camp, there's obviously more of a chance for her to hear stories but she would most likely only know the ones from her cabin, the ones involving Athena. in the books, it might be different but for the show it makes more sense for Percy to recognize the myth the tunnel was telling because it was pretty much one of his bedtime stories lol
also Percy saying Annabeth is better then him at this, i took it as more so the management of the quest because she's been leading them. Big decisions are made by her throughout the show and Percy says this when a big decision is his to make. so it's not about brute strength or winning individual fights but strategy and looking at the big picture within the quest that she is better than him (which from what i've heard about the book is still in character? isn't she the strategist?)
They have once a week a campfire where they tell stories, have they not? I believe Annabeth would know about them. She is one of the few Demigods who actually goes out of her way to read books despite it being difficult. And since they aren't myths but defined history facts for them she would only need to learn the right version and not the ten different ones. I liked that fact that Percy could show that he wasn't an idiot and that his mom taught him stuff. But I only wished that Annabeth would have somehow let it get through that she already knew the story. Could have also been fun for them gling back and for on the story or her correcting him on small details that were different. Sally wouldn't be able to know for sure, which myth actually happened, so for Annabeth to offer slight corrections would show her respecting Percys knowledge, while also showing that there are still thingd for Percy to learn
@@jackwriter1908 you might be right, I haven't read the books so my only knowledge is from the show. I was just trying to explain it the way I understood it since Dom asked show only fans for interpretations idk
I like how they split up the characters. Thru that miniquest, Annabeth learned the value of Percy has a hero and a friend and Grover learned the to be more confident. Grover is clearly the best at manipulating people or gods by using their emotions againsts them.
The trap was meant to make it so that Ares would never get his shield back. Aphrodite would never sacrifice herself for him and Ares obviously can't sit in it himself. It was intended as a Catch 22 where he'd never get it back. He probably expected Ares to recruit someone to get it back for him but never expected Annabeth to be able to talk him down the way she did. He knew that neither of the two gods would denigrate themselves with the chair and would then be able to in theory blackmail Ares in the future.
@@SolitaryLark Clearly. Explain this to me in a way that makes sense. "This way Ares would never get his shield back!" Where is this said in the episode. "Clearly he knew Ares would just use a demigod/someone else to get the shield" then why bother. And why let Annabeth leave with the shield (even letting down the ladder??) but insisting on keeping Percy there. Then let them both go after a minute long talk. In the books, it makes sense. Percy and Annabeth are genuinely caught in the crossfire. The only danger to Ares and Aphrodite are being humiliated again, which is Hephestus's M.O. in mythology anyway.
In the books, the goal was to embarrass the two by catching them in this trap and exposing them. Not keep his shield from him. How would that be revenge for Ares sleeping with his wife? It just doesn’t have a good why behind it.
12:23 I mean, she also was the one who organized her team to capture the flag and deduced that Percy was a child of poseidon. the whole beheading Medusa was also their jointed plan so like not "she... asisted"
I think since the show has established demigods can do things on behalf of gods that gods can't, Hephasteus did know Ares would send demigods to get the shield. The chair could either dissaude them or trap them for helping Ares.
@@erikdaniels0neh I disagree about that. In the myths the gods did do their own work a lot of the time. Demigods were often on adventures out of their own will or because the God was busy, not because they couldn't be bothered
@@thomastakesatollforthedark2231 I can't remember, does the shield count as one of the powerful objects like the bolt or the Trident? What item is the Ares equivalent, was it ever mentioned?
Sorry to hear the show's not doing it for you currently. I'm really enjoying it and I still feel the spirit of it and the characters in what's presented. And some of the points such as why the gods can't go into other realms and such just didn't occur to me, and I did read the book. And as for the shield problem, I see it as it being an impossible challenge for Ares, since Aphrodite would never do it, showing they do not love one another enough to make such a sacrifice. She won't sit in the chair for his shield, and he won't let go of his shield for her.
@@seanmaddex4104 Yeah, I've gotten some laughs. Things like "Not bad, kid." or "Like Jesus?", Grover and Hades discussing wars like old movies including underappreciated ones, and so on.
thats fair but I feel the books were very funny and hit that tone a lot more where I feel the tone of the show really makes me wish I had that. especially percy's inner monologue that always has me laughing out loud. tonally the show feels bland compared to the books for me.@@Rixec2
Thanks for the video! I think Grover staying with Ares gives him a chance to showcase his empathy, and Annabeth staying with Percy showcases her remarkable character development - her feelings for Percy have changed for the better, and her former ideas about the olympians have been deconstructed for the better. Plus Ares having fire in his eyes would likely end up looking silly + way too weird. Hope the show gets another season!
all of this. Also, that's mostly the answer to all the "but why doesn't is look like they described it in the book?" complaints. It's either budget or it'll look weird when it's not just in your head. I think the amusement park quest was probably both.
The way I rationalised the chair is that Hephaestus expected Ares to force Aphrodite into the chair as a way to break them up while also punishing both of them, but there is little evidence of this it's just what makes the most sense to me.
@@TheIndianDeity Ares was a loving father and son he adored his children and was even willing to be sent to hell for when he protected his daughter from being raped. He was sealed away in jar when protecting his mother, who hates him. In one myth, when his son was killed, he threw himself on the body and wept for his child. Like saying Ares only ever cared about himself is massively wrong and shows how little people actually know the god in question.
@@4wheal I know in myth he cares a lot about the people around him… but rn show Ares is somewhat different in that regard. It’s hard to get into without spoiling future events, but right now Ares isn’t fully Ares, and wouldn’t make decisions normal Ares would. But don’t worry it’ll make sense when you see what I’m talking about this season, and for future seasons Ares will go back to being his myth self
Personally I really liked this episode. The chair setup feels to me like neither Ares or Aphrodite were SUPPOSED to be willing to make the sacrifice, it's a taunt. And I liked how Grover was shown to be cunning here. Next season he's gonna need to spend most of the time convincing a cyclops that he's a female cyclops who wants to marry him. This is good setup IMO. Plus it wouldn't be as impactful if someone who was ALREADY ride-or-die for Percy made that speech, because it's all about how Annabeth is learning to be less cynical.
I agree with the taunt. There is also the fact that hods can Teleport, so for Ares to give Percy the mission to retrieve the shield sounds like a weak task. But with the whole chair thing Ares has a far bigger reason as to why he doesn't want to do it himself.
The teleporting thing also explains why Hephaestus was there to talk to Annabeth. He doesn’t live there; he just reported in when he detected someone in the area or even just when the trap was set off.
Concerning the lack of spiders, Riordian stated that they brainstormed a lot of ways to depict it, but it soon became a production nightmare. So they focused on Percy and Annabeth learning to trust each other and Grover's prowess in empathy.
Heck, it could have been that in the book. Though in the book, it was just a closed amusement park that Hephaestus used for his broadcast, not something he specifically built for the purpose.
I’ve gone back-and-forth on how I feel about the side quests changing for the show. I’ve decided I’m a fan of it because it means that even after reading the books as many times as I have, the show still feels like an adventure. And fans who start with the show will still have an adventure when they read the books!
The one good thing about the show that I don’t think I’ll have to retract is that it’s doing a great job with emotional development. They may be relying on ram knowledge on lore, but they are really going into it with the more touchy feely stuff
Not to be indelicate. But are you a moron. The best part of the books was the lore and world building. Leaving that out so they can change the story isn't how it works.
I mean, to be fair, Annabeth hasn't seen a lot of the outside world, so perhaps this shady amusement park did seem amazing to her lol Even when Percy mentions it looks straight out of a horror movie, she just says she has to take his word on it, cause she doesn't know how does that look either. Also, in light of future events (The Titan's curse) this introduction to Hephestus and his inclination to build places like this, with unfortunate consequences to those who visit, makes sense. I do admit that Percy telling Hephestus's story to Annabeth seemed a bit out of place. If i had to guess the logic behind it, it'd seem like his mom told him the stories about the relationships among the Gods and their dynamics but not about their "work/purpose" and other important parts of the mythology, like the furies or the fates. Sally was more interested in the tea but Annabeth&Grover know the official versions haha and this also adds to Sally trying to paint the Gods in the worst possible light to keep Percy wary of them.
12:12 But, all that was stuff Percy did in the book too. And Annabeth killing the fury actually didn't happen in the book. I just reread the books, and, so far, the show really hasn't omitted anything major that Annabeth did.
On the point of a half-blood having to be the one to get the bolt because the gods can't directly do stuff like that; in episode 2 they do say Dionysus tries to trick Percy into getting the wine for that exact reason so I'd say the show did set a precedent for the a half-blood needing to be the one to get the bolt.
honestly though that scene makes it seem more like that way only because Dionysus is cursed. There isn't a reason to believe that applies to all things in general
Agreed. Something that plot important should be told out right, not just alluded to. Hell, maybe even stated a few times to make sure the audience remembers. @@swordyshield
@@swordyshield Fair point. Though given that the curse is a punishment from Zeus and the curse doesn't work like that in the book, I wouldn't be surprised if that scene was supposed to be the explanation.
I am kinda sad that you’re not necessarily enjoying this show because I’m loving it. It seems that Riordan is using this as a way to showcase how he’s grown as a writer and in his understanding of the characters he’d made so long ago. Plus the heart of story is still there and elevated to me because of the additions that were made and or switched around as instead of several times where Percy is having expedition told to him, he now knows what his mother told him but may just need to be taught the finer details of things. Annabeth is still more experienced than Percy but unlike Percy, she relies more on her book smarts while he is just going off instinct and it seems like he and her are learning from one another how to be more effective in their roles and becoming friends at a bit of a slower pace. Grover is now not just comic relief but is an active member of the group who’s just as vital in figuring out the lightning thief’s identity as the others. I also think that with this show being made Riordan, he probably knew that several things in the original story just wouldn’t have worked for a tv show like this one or that they needed to be moved around in order to keep audiences interested in order for it to work. I also think he wants viewers, whether they’ve read the books or not, to be able to figure out certain aspects like gods having to use demigods to get other gods items or around punishments by looking at the show and seeing how characters interact or do certain things. The biggest example being how Dionysus tried to trick Percy into getting him wine due to Zeus’ punishment in him being in effect and making it so he wouldn’t be able to do so.
I think you'd really enjoy demigod lover's videos on the series so far. I get that people all have different experiences with changes, but so far a lot of the creators I've watched who read these as a kid are enjoying the changes, and sometimes it's really fun to experience someone else enjoying it to amp up your own joy/experience.
I don’t think the show portrays the humor from the books very well which was a massive part of the appeal and especially Percy’s character. What are your thoughts on that?
I do wonder if Percy's insistence on taking every deadly obstacle head-on is intentional foreshadowing. Like, is our boy actually suicidal, or is he just trying to quickly fill the self-sacrificing hero role? I can't wait to see how he will fare once he meets his mother again in the underworld.
Book Percy is not completely clueless either and Mr. Brunner's is the only class he actually did pay attention to, so it makes sense for him to know stuff about Greek mythology. I really love how the show is diffusing the whole notion that Grover, Annabeth and Percy have one character trait each, so: kind, brainy, and reckless, respectively. It's not like the book did that to the extreme, but more so than the show I think. I really like how the show is treating Grover so far.
And there is also the fact that it shows that Sally did prepare Percy. It wasn't in the show explained, but I always got the Sarah Connor vibes from Sally in the books. Studying the myths and legends and thinking about counter measures against the different monsters. Sally acrually teaching Percy something, even if it is just about how toxic and dangerous the godly family is... Though I do wonder if Percy realises that Poseidon actually has a wife and son who are gods... _"Percy your mother was a side fling"_ would defiently impact hard 😂 and it could have worked well in the context of Percy not trusting his father to help him
Dom. There is no way they aren’t going to reveal the name of the sword in some cool scene. I feel like it being so iconic to the books means that that it’s going to be an important reveal in the show.
Agreed naming a should be personal to the wielder. It would be anticlimactic for the centar (chronon?) To just tell Percy this riptide and it's only recently the he pick a name honoring his father so it needs to wait
Rick made a post explaining that they had to change the sidequest, because all the spiders would have been both a nightmare to animate, and would take up far to much of the effects budget. So they redid it and made the sequence more manageable. I'm pretty sure the point of the chair was that because it requires a sacrifice, and neither Aries or Aphrodite would be willing to make it, Aries wouldn't get his shield back, pissing him off. Hephestus built the amusement park, because he could. And as someone who had never been to an amusement park (I'm assuming given her backstory) Annabeth would of course be impressed by her first trip to one. To quote the Twilight reviews, "It's not that deep bro".
I was fine with omitting the spiders for whatever reason. I don’t think they’d have looked as cool. Plus, between reading, watching, and listening to The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Chamber of Secrets a gazillion times, I feel entitled to skip the spiders in nearly everything, especially if I’ve already read/seen/heard it. I’m no arachnophobe, and I’ll even carefully escort them out of the house or just let the house spiders get on with things, but enough is enough.
@@Electric999999 that's literally what he did, there was no way Aries could get it without delegating to demigods, and even if it was hidden, there was a chance it could get found. Why hide it, when he could taunt him.
It is a real problem when adaptations rely on viewers having read the book. It can lead to so many plot holes for people who aren't familiar with the source material.
I had a chance to ask some non-book readers on a forum I go to if they'd been confused with anything so far, but they seemed to be able to follow along fine with baseline knowledge of Greek myths. These are pen and paper RPG people, mind you, so their baseline probably isn't representative of the general population's.
I honestly love the updates, i think my only complaint is that the pacing is a bit too fast. I wish we had more time of him at Camp Half Blood and bonding/training with Luke.
I actually think they did well with how much Percy bonded with Luke, given the time constraints. I like how they focussed more on Luke than on Annabeth while at Camp Half-Blood. About the only thing I agree with in this video, however, is that the audience might start to forget about Luke. His name really should've popped up more in conversations and we need that Iris message asap! 😅
Luke has been so minimal in this show so far I'm kinda worried it might undercut the twist at the end. I think they were supposed to Iris message back to camp by this point too and that's been either cut or moved.
@@evillittlegoat8338 I just don't think the twist is going to land as well because there's not that much time spent with one another. It was very short interactions. I wish we got more Luke with the other characters as well..
@@abookishmess yes, especially more than one brief conversation between Luke and Annabeth probably would've been wise. But I'll wait and see, maybe they'll pull it off anyway. I sure hope so.
I'm not watching the series, but I googled it and I'm so glad they gave Hephaestus at least SOMETHING of his disability. He's supposed to have at least one of his legs be disfigured or otherwise disabled, but its so often forgotten. As a pagan who works with him (partly BECAUSE of his disability), its so refreshing to see it included, and I'm not angry that he isnt severely physically affected
It is exactly the fact that Percy would rush to sacrifice himself for his friends without a single thought that makes Annabeth in fact “better at this” than him. Annabeth when things are going down: “I gotta figure this out”. Percy when things are going down: “I gotta die so my friends can live”. Guess which one has a better chance of actually completing the quest. Not the suicidal one. As brave as self-sacrifice is, it’s not gonna get the lightning bolt back.
They changed the complication for money reasons. The other one was going to cost too much. I could see how Haephestus already had the ride set up but added the trap when he saw two demigods come in talking about the shield. There’s a chance that Athena is so awful that she told Haephestus to add the trap because she wanted Percy out of the way or for Annabeth to be prevented from embarrassing her further. Also if Annabeth had stayed with Ares she wouldn’t have gotten that info out of him because he wouldn’t have trusted her enough to let anything slip. it had to he Grover because Ares thinks he's just a dumb peacenik. I do take your point that Percy kind of gave up on his life too easily, but he's kind of bought into the quest now and does think Annabeth would have more luck.
Not Dom single-handedly saving me from another adaptation of a beloved book I would end up hating. Bless your soul, Dominic, by whatever gods may be listening
I am glad to see you acknowledging this shows short comings. While I am still having fun with it there are a lot of problems in my opinion. Relying heavy on viewers having read the books feels very real to me. My husband keeps asking questions I know where already explained in the book but because it has been over a decade I don't remember either and it's making the story feel like it being strung along to get to certain points without the care put in to how they get there.
I disagree with your thought that the filmmakers needed people to have read the books. I had not read any of the books before watching the show (I did read The Lightning Thief after episode 5) and I was never confused or lost, nor was there anything I discovered by reading that I had completely missed in the show. (I even pegged the actual thief as soon as we met them . . . Maybe because I am a cynical old sod). Knowing a swords name is not the only way to know it is important. So far I am enjoying this adaptation very much. I think it is universes better than the first several Harry Potter films not least because it allows the magic to be amazing but not AMAZING. There is a lovely matter-of-factness to Percy’s experience that fits both the books and real life.
Yeah it’s would be too much of an info dump to explain it all in the first episode or two. They are going to have to spread it out and explain as the info becomes relevant. Personally I expect a dramatic name reveal for the sword for example. It would be cool, and just knowing it right now doesn’t add anything significant to the story.
It is the book being adapted. Did they not do every major thing in the book so far? Yeah some of the details are different but the story is the same. @@uanime1
@@uanime1 it is being adapted though and fairly well. You shouldn’t expect it to be a 1 to 1 recreation of everything from the book though as even the creator himself said he wanted to make changes I don’t understand how people can still have this mentality at this point when it’s not going to all of a sudden become exactly like the books
following Hephaestus trap making more sense in the book, the trap that would broadcast Ares and Aphrodite's infidelity is also a really clever adaption of a real myth in which Hephaestus made an unbreakable chain that would trap both Ares and Aphrodite in the act so he could humilate them infront of all of the gods
Which was always an odd one for me. Not blaming Riodan, he was following the myth, just that even in the myth going "Look everyone, my wife is cheating on me with Olympus' biggest moron!" wasn't really a big W for Hephaestus.
1:30 -1:40 starting to see why doing this episode by episode might not have been the best idea, like dude they are going to get to everything important it just won't be beat for beat. I get that January is slow and you need to fill content for it to avoid being penalized by TH-cam though so not worth complaining about much.
i think the reason percy’s more aware of greek mythology is partially because they’re using it to help expand sally without her necessarily being present. in episode one it was also established that tv!percy plays mythomagic, which likely will come more into play going forward especially when nico shows up and becomes a recurring character. rick’s approach to the show reminds me a lot of daniel handler’s approach when making the series of unfortunate events show - streamlining some things and retroactively setting up later developments and changing things that he feels no longer fit his vision. because of this i’m super curious as to whether this upcoming episode will feature some kind of nod to nico and bianca and set them up early.
I find it very interesting that you started this series trying to make every excuse for innacuracies but they've grown larger and you're becoming more critical. Personally i enjoy the show, but i didnt mind the spider boat sidequest being changed because it was always hard to visualise in my mind
Mine too! I thought Walker and Leah's acting (and Aryan's as well) was really moving, and even though I haven't read the books and don't know about all the intricacies of plot and character from the original source, so far the story and writing make sense to me and I don't feel lost or confused in the least. It's possible I'm just not picking up on a bunch of other nuances, but honestly, I just don't care that much and I only want to enjoy it for what it is. Maybe my opinions will change in the future depending on where they take the story, but for now I'd say it's a really decent kids/family show that doesn't make me groan or cringe like I thought it would.
I mean, I think you answered your question about who the chair was for XD It's meant as a trap, it's not meant as a thing Ares and Aphrodite can get around/overcome/outsmart. The point is to trap at least one of them or Ares never gets his shield back. Perhaps it's one more instance of 'pushing each other down the stairs to get what we want': maybe Ares would force Aphrodite to sit in the chair and leave her, causing all sorts of relationship issues, perhaps her refusing would also cause relationship issues as Ares won't get his shield back - any way you cut it, either Ares and Aphrodite are separated permanently (one is stuck in the chair) and they are at the mercy of Hephaestus who is the only one who can get them out, or they're on the outs and Ares doesn't have one of his biggest assets of war he's so proud of. It seems like a much more concise way to show character moments with Percy and Annabeth's mindsets than just a net and spiders they have to fight off - there's not much time for character mindset exploration there.
I think Hephestus plan was to show Aphrodite that Ares wasn't willing to give up his life for her/was willing to give up her life to get what he wants. It seems like the plan was to get the two back into the ride, discover the shield, end up in a fight over who should sit in the chair, only for Hephestus to come out like "Ha, you've learned the lesson now, ya dicks!" Or, basically all that, with the exception of Ares trying to force Aphrodite into the chair.
It's not like Hephaestus would have the done the same for her as he never actually loved her in mythology and was either froced into the marriage by Zeus or blackmailed Zeus into giving him Aphrodite as a status symbol. Ares was always more in love with her than Hephaestus was, and seeing that Ares has been trapped before to save someone he loves, I could belive him doing it again
More likely is that Hephaustus built the trap for any demigods that Ares sent his way. Ares doesn't care about his own children, so it'd have to be someone else he conned into it. Hephaustus didn't really give a shit who it was, only that Ares wouldn't get his shield back. Annabeth showing she was better than the gods by trying to free her friend convinced him to change his mind. As for why Hephaustus lives in the Amusement Park, he was banished by Hera and scorned by the other gods, he probably felt like staying in a place he was more comfortable with than anywhere on actual Mt. Olympus. Grover isn't doing the ride or die thing, but he's doing something that has been built up a bit throughout the show: he's being sneaky. He tricked Ares into revealing he knows who the Lightning Thief is and that Percy is the victim of a conspiracy, something I don't think Annabeth would have been capable of doing at this point due to how young and fresh she is. It's easy to forget that Grover is 24, much older than either Percy or Annabeth.
For the chair I dont think it was actually meant to trap ares or aphrodite, I think it was made to make ares fight with aphrodite because she wouldn't sacrifice herself for his shield and for aphrodite to get mad that ares cares more about her shield than her And it plays really well into Percy's fatal flaw which iirc is introduced in book 2
I enjoyed learning about some differences in the adaptation from your video. And yet, I’m greatly enjoying the show and thought this episode was the best so far.
My thought on the chair trap is that it was intended to show Aphrodite how little Ares cares about her as Ares would likely be willing to sacrifice her for his shield possibly even going so far as to force her into it. There’s probably also a certain level of enjoyment to be had from the general aggravation it would cause Ares to be without his shield and to have to come up with a plan to get it back
I mean, Haephestus could've done that with the shield as a massive taunt because neither would sacrifice themselves so it'd just be right there and Aries couldn't get it. You gotta admit it'd be funny to watch and watch them bicker about it.
YES! THANK YOU FOR HIGHLIGHTING HOW LITERALLY DARK THE SHOW IS seriously, I had to turn off all the lights so I can see the damn show... and even then I couldn't see a damn thing!
Annabeth - Figured out that Percy was the son of Poseidon through observation in the toilets (Percy hadn't figured this out himself at that point) - Used Clarisse's beef with Percy in order to win Capture the Flag (he may have 3v1'd them but that was his whole job, to be a useful idiot) - Came up with the idea to sit in the back of the bus, explains that the smells hide them from monsters - Killed the fury's sister, warned the others of their presence before the fighting started - Came up with the idea to behead Medusa. She directed Percy on when and how to do it, all he had to do was swing - Immediately recognized that "Auntie Em" was Medusa - Figured out Hephaestus' entryway contraption just by looking at it and deducing its purpose - Has been the main decision-maker and leader for the entirety of the quest, showing both her confidence and her hubris in believing her decisions are the best I could go on... The fact that you highlighted Percy's strengths as "defeating" monsters and minimized Annabeth's contributions as "helped" really makes it feel like you're diminishing Annabeth's personality to "spouting off facts about mythology." I feel the series has shared the Greek Mythology knowledge between the leads because the series wanted to avoid Annabeth being a walking exposition dump, and instead are showing her intelligence and confidence by making her more involved in the decision-making, planning, and quick-thinking that they need to make it through. I feel like the Capture the Flag part is a huge part of it that you just glossed over. They were outmatched against the bigger, scarier Ares cabin and needed a strategy that used what they had to their advantage. I'm not upset that they cut down Luke's relationship with Annabeth, I found myself rolling my eyes when it came up in the book. It felt shoehorned and contributed to the "ugh, women, amiright" vibes I got sometimes from the early books. I feel the same about them not showing the Aphrodite cabin the way in the books.
I liked the actress the second I saw her in the trailer. She just radiates calm confidence. And yes, I do want to see cleverness and strategy. That’s Athena’s thing! Honestly, I always back check stuff to the Iliad and the Odyssey, just for funsies. Her studying the throne of Hera is really in character, too.
Or he would send a demigod that he doesn't care about to either sacrifice themselves or, more likely, he would never get it back because no one would. Yeah, it's the point.
I thought when i first saw the episode that the intent of the trap is exactly what you are saying- to prove that they *wouldnt* do that- in order to do this one needs to have a level of selflessness they would never have, and thus he proves they dont have anything real with eachother, which honestly makes more sense to me than proving something everyone knows is happening is happening, but thats entirely speculation on my part.
Honestly, as someone that didn't read the books, I actually don't mind any of the holes and they hadnt crossed my mind before. The show seems entertaining enough that I don't think about someting missing or not making sence.
I do think you got a little nit picky about the water park being actually built by Hephaestus at 7:48 . The gods mention all the time in the books the different attractions that Hephaestus builds because he’s bored. It absolutely makes sense for him to build a water park for godlings and monsters.
Actors don't actually eat food unless they are super committed, they actually just take a bite and spit it out, which is why you never see them eat entire servings on screen. The real thing to pity them for is that they have the same collection of food sitting out and getting cold at every take so it just tastes foul.
Theory: Hephaestus knew that ares would send a third party, and the chair was set up to make sure that anyone who actually got the shield is nice enough to not give it back to ares.
Thank you this is exactly what I have been thinking. I actually reread the entire series because I was so hung up on all the things that felt slightly off
I've said this on other post, but it's like Percy is the paladin, Annabeth the wizard and Grover the bard. I like it cause it gives Grover more presence than just being there for hapless assistance and comedy relief.
sick fire eyes and giant bike aside, the ares casting was fantastic impo. i do feel like they are telling us annabeth is The Smart One, but only by giving her some of percy’s realizations and not much else
I'll throw in my two dracmas into two of the things mentioned in the video: 1) For the motivation as to why Hephaestus uses the chair, I think it is to either trap Ares or Aphrodite as revenge for for their affair. What I think Hephaestus' plan was for Ares or Aphrodite be forced to go into the tunnel themselves, get across the water and then saccrificing themselves to get the shield and contain one of them in the proccess. If it was Aphrodite, then Hephaestus could keep her for himself with no one in the way to stop him, while if it was Ares, then Hephaestus could likely blackmail Aphrodite to realise him for what he wants in the first place, his wife. What makes me think that other half-bloods is the power of the water pushing any would be heroes off of the edge of the ride to their doom, whether that be through staying on the boat and falling off the edge or Jumping off and drowning or being pulled by the current off the edge. The fact that Annabeth was struggling to swim in the water and needing Percy's help to get out in the first place makes me think that would likely be the case. The only reason the two make it out is that fact that Hephaestus didn't think Ares or Aphrodite would be able to find someone who could get out of the current themselves such as a kid of Poseiden, though I think it should have been brought up about the Big 3 stopping having kids after WW2 to clarify this. This comes back into the episode with Ares maybe being smarter than he looks too as he's the one to give the sids the one to give the side quest to trio in the first place, using both guile and strength to achieve what he wants and points out that Athena's domain is wisdom, not intelligence and trickery. The only way that breaks this is that Ares or Aphrodite could just bring one of the half-blood kids with them and sacrifice them to get the shield back, but there is something making me think that they wouldn't being their fatal flaws. In Ares' case, this would be pride, he would want to be able to get this back himself or push someone else to fall into this trap unrelated to him in terms of kids, where his honor is on the line. In Aphrodite's case, this would be vanity as she would likely see her kids as an exstention of herself and would not want such beauty touched. This brings us to Hephaestus' fatal flaw, spite. He may of wanted Ares or Aphrodite to sit in that chair but appon realisng he's been outplayed, is willing to settle for Percy instead. It is only when Annabeth is able to convince Hephaestus, that Percy was never doing this out want to do this out of spite but kindness, that Annabeth doesn't want to do this out of spite anymore and that Hephaestus doesn't need to either, that he doesn't need to play the rest of the Gods games and instead imbrase his own self worth. As for how Hephaestus got there so quick, I would think he would have some sort of alarm installed into the chair and make it top priorty to come once it was activated. How he got there so fast exactly I would not be able to comment on as I don't remember that books that well since my last read of them was a decade ago, but others have mentioned the labyrinth which could possibly be the case, but take this with a grain of salt. 2) As for the actor and his appearance. The way book Hephaestus is described with his shoulders, makes me think of a medical condtion that I have had in the past: scoliosis. I can understand why they didn't use someone with it, as to achieve that effect that your probably looking for, would require someone with a fairly extreme curve. The trouble being that said curves can be straight up dangerous to have since it runs the risk of damaging organs such as the lungs and can make it harder for those with it to work in the first place. Normally when scolosis goes past around 50 degrees on it's cobb angle they will opperate on it as it can be very painful, if not deadly if not treated. Considering that this series could last years, if not longer with sister series, it could be extremely detrimental to the actor in this role. My own experience with is condition is that my own cobb angle was around 71 degrees when I was opperated on and that I found it hard to breathe, as I could not use most of lungs. I was tired all the time, found I had to sit down a lot and struggled to do school work just because I was exausted. Someone acting with it would have a pretty rough time of it, and again would likely not be able to commit to the years needed to be like that. While I am sad that an actor with scoliosis could not be used, as I don't think I have seen someone with the condition in the spotlight and would love to see it, I am glad they found someone who is disabled in Timothy Omundson. As others has mentioned, he has had a stroke, has minimal use of his left arm and needs a cane to walk. The amount of disabled actors I have seen in major franchises is small, so to go out of their way to make sure that a character with a disabilty in a major role as this is something. I just hope that more franchises follow suit and show that there is more to disabilty than just the more steriotypical roles that are rarely given to us in the first place. As for Hephaestus' appearance, I think Hera being a little bit vain would look for any little impefection and use that as an excuse to get rid of him. He would also be compared to his older sibbling, Ares, who is this strong and robust man and always be seen as second best. With this mentality being drilled into him, Hephaestus himself would possibly start believing it leading him back to his own fatal flaw of spite and building the trap in the first place. As someone who looks at themself this way despite my parents being supportive, it can be tough despite the fact that most people wont notice but you do and it just leads to this perfectionist side of you pushing yourself to think you should be doing better and more. This really comes back to what he is god over, crafting, the ability to build something beautiful, regardless of what you are.
He likely headed there as soon as they entered the park. Remember the device at the entrance, where Annabeth said that he now knows that they're there?
So other people in the comments have explained possible plot reasons why the chair would be there as trap for the shield instead of just the trap from the books, but I was too busy focusing on the way the chair was perfectly used to accentuate the point the scene was making, as well as why Percy explained the myth instead of Annabeth. The myth being told is in two parts, the first part in the tunnel of love when Hera gives birth to a baby, decides it's ugly, and throws it from Mount Olympus. Part two is told by Percy (and importantly he said he learned it from his mom, he doesn't pay attention to Chiron's lessons, we know that. Everything he knows about myths he learned from his mom. Take the Medusa episode when he's told the story and replies "That's not the way my mom used to tell it." Sally has clearly been trying to influence his views on these kinds of things from a young age and the fact that she decided to tell him about the revenge of Hephaestus sticks out to me.) where Hephaestus builds the inescapable chair for Hera and refuses to let her out until Aphrodite is made his wife. In greek myth and in the Percy Jackson universe, Hephaestus is one of most chill gods, right up there with Hades and Hestia, they just mind their own business. This myth where he takes revenge on his mother and forces a woman who doesn't want him to become his wife is a moment he acts just like the rest of them and does something selfish and stupid (as much as all like to see Hera punished, Aphrodite did nothing, I hate when women in greek myths are forced to marry men they don't want. Anyway.) And it connects back to the line Percy said in the tunnel of love "that this is what the gods are like to each other. This is the kind of family they are." And Annabeth has now had Percy sacrifice himself for his friends twice and sees that maybe being this kind of person is more important than making a legend out of your own name. And after hearing her decide to try to be better than the rest of their shitty family, maybe Hephaestus has some regrets and he decides that maybe he wants to be better too, so he lets them go with the shield. I thought the scene and the overall message they're trying to send (especially with the inclusion of Hermes next ep) is that the gods can do better and all their excuses are bullshit. People can be good to be each other and it can be worth it. Also Grover playing mind games with Ares was fantastic, don't get how anyone could not love that. Sorry for talking so much. I think the show is doing great, super excited for the last 2 episodes!
This seems to be the jaded half of the youtube fandom that are so held back by the show not being 1 for 1 with the book they can’t see how great the characterization and the show in general is, most reviewers for this show that are book readers and some not book readers praise this series. Idk if it’s solely a bit for your channel but if not your content I’ve seen comments here already calling for cancellation of this actually great adaptation
Hephaestus definitely could’ve predicted that Ares would get two demigods to retrieve the shield, as gods often deal with their problems by getting half-bloods to do the work for them.
I definitely agree with the point about the writers seeming to rely on the audience reading the books. They don’t discuss who this gods are or what they’re the gods of. They don’t bother to explain certain things like Mr. D’s backstory, why he’s at camp in the first place, why he’s so grumpy. They don’t establish why the gods depend on their half-blood children to do their bidding.
I disagree. I thought that scene with Mr. D pretending to be Percy's dad and trick him into providing him with alcohol did a really good job of establishing the rules without being expository in nature.
@@lauradavison8068 That scene makes sense, explaining how gods use their children to do their bidding. But the questions about Mr. D and why he’s at camp and why he has such a stick up his butt remain unanswered. And I don’t like that. It feels like the writers are relying on the readers already knowing this info instead of taking the time to establish those things.
So I assumed that the trap was for Ares and Aphrodite as an attempt to punish them through ares forcing aphrodite to sit on the chair. create infighting kinda thing. I really liked the playing with the themes of the gods as messed up family because it heavily plays into the thems that are presented in the series overall. similarly I enjoyed PErcy sacrificing himself as that leans closely intohis fatal flaw. and Annnabeth's flaw of hurbis comes in when she tries to work her way around a machine a god set up . thsi additionally sets up the stuff with daedlus. Also Also I much prefer how grover was done here because it prvodes him with far more of a personality rather than just comic relief. I was worried about his arc of coward to brave man, but I trust Rick Riodan has aplan in mind
Percy telling Annabeth what he knows about the god's stories is (in my opinion) just good character building, because the new information she's getting from this is who Percy is. Because of course she already knows the story itself. It's more about her hearing what's underneath the story; Percy's thoughts, feelings and opinions on the matter. I find it a refreshingly subtle way of building her understanding and appreciation of Percy.
Not to mention, changing it and removing the Spiders removes the introduction of one of Annabeth's main fears and part of her family backstory. I feel like had they kept Haphestus out, Annabeth could have figured out how to break the mechanics of the chair and free Percy. She seemed to be able to figure out the fake trap at the park entrance pretty easily, and we see her fiddle with the gears of the chair anyway. But that could trigger a failsafe and introduce the spiders, giving us both moments and the important character moment for Annabeth. It also gives Percy a chance to use his new powers more to help them escape the spiders. Would have been great
It’s interesting to see so many people in the comments say the main trio are more well-rounded in the show, because I honestly feel like they’re so much flatter here than in the books?? Like, they took out moments of Annabeth’s nerdiness (like her wanting to see the arch just to see it, and the way it feels like they’re kids for just running off and doing that), ALLLL of their relationship before the quest (and the fact that Percy is not against Annabeth the way she’s against him), Grover failing by passing out instead of getting Percy across, Percy not knowing a lot of the myths because knowing would make it more likely for monsters to detect him, etc. I just really feel like so much is lost in comparison, and it’s shocking to me that Riordan said so many times that the show would be accurate to the books to make up for the movies
Like, Annabeth and Percy’s relationship is so much less compelling to me in the show. Their dynamic was pretty unique in the books compared to relationships like theirs in other series, because Percy doesn’t have issues with her and that kind of confuses Annabeth, and they’re navigating starting as friends and then Annabeth avoiding him once he’s claimed and then becoming friends again. In the show, they’re just…at odds. Percy in the books would never have picked Annabeth because he thought she’d push him down the stairs if necessary for the quest; his fatal flaw is literally loyalty. The relationship just feels so alien and disappointing to me. Heck, have we even gotten to hear Annabeth call Percy “seaweed brain”?
7:12 The show has actually been a lot more explicit about gods using halfbloods to retrieve items being an actual mechanic of the lore, rather than a simple handwave whenever Percy asks "why can't the gods just do this themselves?". Dionysus, the Lightning Bolt, Grover even brings up the field trip to Olympus foreshadowing who gets the bolt, rather than it being explained post twist. But I do agree that, once I was reminded what the original book scene was, I realised how much more underwhelming and less action orientated and cgi heavy the show's version is. It really does feel like Disney only agreed to do this adaptation on the condition that it be filmed on a shoestring budget. It isn't getting MCU money. Even something as simple as Percy using his water powers consciously for the first time, was a lazy cut to black wake up on the shore. It doesn't hurt the show too much, because book 1's roadtrip first adventure tone honestly lends itself to a more minimalist, homemade feel. But anything past the first book and this money saving approach to adaptation is going to doom the franchise. 7:55 I prefer that the characters are three dimensional, rather than one dimensional archetypes. "Annabeth's the smart one, why doesn't she stay with the god" isn't an entertaining story. It's a narrative game of rock paper scissors. Grover not only manipulates Ares because the god underestimates this small and unimportant satyr, but also he uses empathy to try and understand Ares perspective. Annabeth would have also never been able to shit talk Athena and get away with it, either from Ares or from her own mother. If Athena was embarrassed just by proxy of Percy's mailing stunt, what would she do if Annabeth insulted her directly to her siblings face? Would probably turn her into an owl on the spot.
Always looking forward to these videos. I've had a couple of disagreements with certain critiques in this episode. I think a reason for the shield on the chair could simply be a taunt/show of power. Sort of "remember what happened to someone who wronged me" while mocking Ares for the loss of the shield. There are other logical reasons that there could be and let's not forget that the gods are portrayed as petty, vain, flawed and not perfect beings so there doesn't need to be a reason. Also was Hephaestus "living" there or was an alarm set up and Hephaestus pops in to see what's up. Or maybe he has aspects in different areas as has happened later in the books with some gods. I could be wrong but Grover remaining in the diner showed off the empath abilities of Grover to me which hasn't really been shown much. He really seemed to understand Ares. While Hephaestus is not now a lump of a man with a leg in a brace and misshapen head (i.e. less physically affected by his past falls from mountain tops), I think casting someone who themselves has disabilities after a stroke was really quite important and is worth a mention. Small things like Ares motorcycle not being made of suspicious material is quite understandable. It is a kids show and there is a difference between reading it and seeing it. Finally, maybe I overestimate the audience of people who haven't read the books but it was established the Demigods can work around godly rules, with Dionysus trying to get Peter Johnson to get him some wine. None of this is supposed to be a harsh criticism, just some agreeable disagreement.
I think Hephaestus here was just taunting Ares rather than necessarily intending the chair as a 'trap'--display the shield as a trophy, plain to be seen, but locked behind a mechanism which, by his nature, and the nature of the whole pantheon, was basically impossible for him to actually retrieve.
Annabeth has never seen movies, and her whole world for half of her life was Camp Halfblood. Of course she’d be impressed by her first amusement park, even if it was an abandoned park built by a god.
I think you've misunderstood the scene with the rollercoaster. The line 'tell me the god of craftsmen didn't build this?' feels appalled, rather than admiring. Like... 'tell me you didn't sell the cow for a bag of beans?'
Honestly, Hephaestus building an amusement park is kinda cool. Amusement parks have a ton of machinery both showing and hidden as normally the entire place is specifically designed for the purpose of guiding the audience towards the attractions and merch. If you watch documentaries on how Disney Land was built and how it works, it’s amazing how much engineering, architecture and sociology goes into building, design, and managing those parks. Hephaestus building a amusement park on his own is a great way to show his god-like craftsmanship, as every minor detail of an amusement park has to be carefully designed to make sure wacky, exciting and dangerous looking pieces of machinery are safe to use and enjoy.
I for one am very thankful for the lack of spider armies here. And disney 100% vetoed the whole mirror sex tunnel concept but very bold of to books to do it.
You are a more patient man than me Terrance. I dropped the show when they changed the book so that Annabeth saw the fates. I really liked how Percy thought he would die for 5 books because of the Fates and it wasn’t a big thing that impacted the plot(that they would need to change in an adaptation) so when they changed it, it was the last straw for me
OK, I understand it's kind of the point in Dom's case but I'm getting a bit tired of reviewers being upset because this TV series is not a 1:1 adaptation of the book. Two different mediums, significantly different requirements. Percy is much more the hero because TV show leads need to, you know, lead. Books are inside the characters' heads so can get away with having them constantly react to explanations; but onscreen Percy just going 'Huh? Oh!' all the time would be insanely boring. The throne business happened because the scene as written was impossible to enact on a TV show budget (and as many comments demonstrate, can be easily enough explained as a giant middle finger to the lovers). Leaving Grover behind made for a much more interesting scene of sly manipulation - Ares would've run rings around unworldly Annabeth - and allowed for all three actors to get balanced screen time and character development. The theme park was given more visual interest, and there's no time to waste on them changing clothes anyway. Bringing on the gods early allows for more characters, more cameos, more opportunities to attract non-fans into the show's world. Etc, etc.
See, I love comments like this, and I really wish/hope Dom will be reading these and taking them into consideration, because it seems like about 90-99% of the people in his comments completely disagree with him on the whole show, and it's kind of funny to me😂
Yeah, one of my friends decided to drop the show after this one. While I'm not as pedantic as he is about plot changes, this one stretched me really thin as well, cause of all the character changes (I really truly hate that they took out the only challenge the trio solves together), and all the gravitas that gets taken out of the story in order to make room for guest stars. Gods appearing in the books is a BIG DEAL. Freaking HERMES is a big deal, he's LUKE'S FATHER! And instead they're shoving him in the Lotus Casino one book early because they got Lin Manuel Miranda to play him. And don't get me started about the Fates.
Saw a post from Riordan about this episode. Just like the 100 eyed giant in camp, they talked about and tried to find out some possible way, but just like adding the giant and having it be realistic/on par with the rest of the animation, adding the spidertrap and everything that came with it would have taken too much money or time than what the show could afford/realisticly use, so they came up with Hera's golden throne trap instead. But Rick said he does want to still add both the giant and spiders later down the line if the oppertunity presents itself and they get enough funds.
It is the point with the chair trap! Ares and Aphrodite would never do that for one another so Ares would never get the shield back. With how selfish the gods are it makes sense! I think having Hephestus here also not be flawless, but also see reason and be swayed by Annabeth was great to give him some nuance and that maybe it's not all lost for the gods. Some are just more stubborn than others, further renforcing the themes and at least what I think, when Percy inevitably tells the gods to pay child support at the end and be more present.
When Annabeth hugged him after jumping out of the water I honestly teared up. Sometimes the fact that i'm watching a pillar of my childhood be adapted with love just hits me like a loving ton of bricks.
Rick made a good comment that the tv show has a big benefit of knowing what would happen. There are plot holes you can drive a truck through in later books since Rick obviously hadnt thought of that plot point yet. I found it kinda funny when people nitpick but also gloss over larger book details that were murky at best
Hephaestus' actor Timothy Omundson is genuinely disabled, having suffered a stroke several years ago that paralyzed his left arm (you can see it lifelessly hanging through the whole scene) and weakened his legs so he needs a cane to walk (as briefly seen when he leaves at the end). He's a fantastic actor and it's been great to see him find several roles like this that enable him to work with his condition.
That's really cool!! I'm glad they had good casting choices here. Unfortunately the lighting really worked against them in this specific scene
Should see him in Psych 2: Lassie come home (I think is the name) they have him spend the entire movie in a hospital bed
@@daydreamerX200 And the previous movie had to drop him entirely as he wasn’t yet recovered enough to work again. Which means the subplot of his corrupt past had to be shifted onto another character where it made no sense.
People have been saying he’s too sexy for Hephaestus, but I think disability representation is a little more important than looks.
Damn, I didn't know about that part. Gotta go back and rewatch because that would explain some Lassie moments
I liked the extra little detail about Ares spending time on his phone starting flame wars. It amused me.
I think the notion is fun, but the line was written in such a OOC manner that it annoyed me to no end
@@notllikethat tbh Ares is the "dumb" side of war, so him using Twitter to get stupid people fighting over irrelevant shit is very on character
That was one of my favorite details so far! Of course the god of war uses twitter!
When I read this I imagend you on a throne saying, "It amused me." 😆 It was pretty cool.
So entertaining.
The actor for Hephaestus is physically disabled after a stroke in 2017. He uses a mobility aid and I know that he has struggles about facial features due to I think nerve damage (but I could be wrong about that last bit). He's a really great actor and I'm excited to see how he works with Hephaestus, because I know he was also super excited about playing a character who's a god with incredible power and is also disabled.
I understand that the books have a particular portrayal that you envisioned, but disability is not always so "grotesque" or even noticable. Invisible disabilities deserve onscreen representation too, and I'm glad Timothy Omundson (Hephaestus) is so passionate about the project.
100% agreed. Hephaestus doesn’t have to be gross. I really dislike the audiobooks that give him a weird “stupid”-coded voice. The guy built Achilles’ armor and tons of automatons, which Homer found worthwhile adding in a whole chapter for (plus a nice second wife). And he mostly stays out of the family drama, with the exception of freeing his mom, the one who threw him down from Olympus in the first place. He’s high on my list of godly parents.
Seriously though, that complaint makes Dominic look really insensitive.
I get this point but Hephaestus being made conventionally unattractive by Hera’s abuse is a huge part of the myths surrounding him and a huge example of just how petty and mean the god’s are to each other. I also think it plays a huge role in Aphrodites characterization in the book- the fact that she cheats on him with Ares solely because he’s ugly and very obviously physically disabled is a big part of why the readers first don’t like her (at least, that’s how I felt when I first read the book, it really drove home how cruel aphrodite was)
I do think Dom really should’ve mentioned it (especially because
less obvious disabilities to
do get erased), but I also think casting Hephaestus as a very conventionally attractive man whose disabilities are not as evident is kind of crappy? I think invisible disabilities do get a lot of sh*t and we need rep for them, but I also think that we don’t have many characters who’s physically disabilities are extremely evident and go way against conventional beauty standards. Idk, I just think that it sucks a character who was explicitly not conventionally attractive and obviously disabled was cast as someone conventionally attractive and not obviously disabled.
This is just my opinion on it though, and I don’t think changing the character is inherently bad or ableist or ruins the show. But I do also wish they would’ve found an actor who’s disabilities were more similar to book Hephasteus’
@@neonradius Except that there's been multiple characterizations of what "ugly" means for Hephaestus in regards to the gods. One of the more common modern tropes for him is that he ended up looking...normal. Like a normal dude, like he does in the show.
But since the gods are all unnaturally attractive, they consider normal to be ugly. Combine that with having a physical malady and they consider him extremely ugly.
@@Silverizael Exactly, the gods have different standards for what is ugly. Heck a baby could be born with more wrinkles or walks a bit different and they definitely would see that as ugly.
They explained the whole “Gods need demigods to break rules” thing when they had Dionysus try to trick Percy into getting him wine when he couldn’t.
You’re right I forgot Dionysus is also a demigod
You’re right I forgot Dionysus is also a demigod
@@FunFilmFare he’s not
@@ashhinman1919technically he was, but yeah not anymore.
The problem isn't that they failed to explain why demigods are useful to the gods, it's that they never explained what the rules are that the gods can't break. Nobody ever says "Poseidon can't steal the master bolt, so he would have had to have a demigod do it, which makes Poseidon's illegal demigod a prime suspect, and also makes that same demigod the only person who can preserve the peace by going to the underworld" They leave out key parts that make it make sense.
one tiny detail I'd like to add is that in the one version of the myth, the reason Hephaestus trapped Hera on the throne was much more sympathetic. To keep it as short as possible Hera gets herself pregnant with a magical herb but the baby she gives birth to comes out deformed. After being horrified by her son's ugly appearance she legit yeets baby Hephaestus off of Mount Olympus, Hephaestus luckily lives but his legs are permanently disabled. He survives by being taken in by sea nymphs, once he grows up he creates the Golden Throne- not to blackmail his way into an unwilling marriage to Aphrodite but as a way to punish his mother for trying to kill him and disabling him for life. Hera is trapped on the throne and the gods beg to have her released, Hephaestus says 'nah fuck all of you' and goes back home to the island he grew up on. Nothing gets him to leave so eventually Dionysis goes down to visit him, gets him blackout drunk and hauls him back up to Olympus on the back of a mule. Once back on Olympus Hephaestus agrees to release Hera after she admits her wrongdoing, then Zesus shows up at the last min and Hephaestus asks "can I also marry Aphrodite if I release Hera?" and Zesus kinda feels bad for him so he's like "aight". Still not great form from Hephaetus but it makes the whole throne thing a lot less creepy and would show that he wouldn't necessarily be too fond of the gods either. But with all the attempted infanticide and drunkenness I can see why a Disney show went with another version.
P.s. I will note that in another version he is the son of both Hera and Zeus and is thrown off of Olympus by his father for trying to free his mother after Zeus tied her up for trying to kill Heracles... which is wayyyy darker imo.
p.p.s There's also a version where Poseidon, Ares and Hermes were all ready to go to war with each other over Aphrodite's hand in marriage. Hera resolved this by giving Aphrodite to Hephaestus, reasoning that he was the best candidate because he desired her the least.
Just a lil autistic ramble
I think the point of the chair was that neither Aphrodite or Ares would’ve done it, and he’d never get his shield back, which fits Hephestus’ vibe in this version. Personally, I like how the show is further exploring the idea of the pantheon’s family dynamic, which could lead to some more interesting changes later on, regarding the upcoming Titan war.
If they ever get that many episodes. People won't watch it if the story diverges too much since it can't bank on nostalgia.
I cant understand why so called percy jackson fans would be against new percy jackson content. @@uanime1
@@uanime1I disagree an adaption doesn't need to match up if it does something interesting or has enjoyable versions of the characters. I think the series has what it takes to keep going at least from the view of myself and my wife as an old and new fan respectively.
@@uanime1 it seems like it’s doing well enough so I don’t see why we wouldn’t get that far unless the next few seasons completely screw things up
@@uanime1I think if there’s a good balance between old and new, then fans of the books hopefully won’t mind the changes
I didnt see the chair as a trap more as a fuck you to Ares in a “go on Ares, prove anyone would love you enough to sacrifice themselves for you” kinda way
++++
Thats what I thought!
Nah, its too much headcannon its better in the book.
Yeah, not a trap - a taunt.
I haven't read the books but to me Grover made more sense with Ares because it wasn't just about being smart but being empathetic. As he pressed Ares for info he'd massage his ego to calm him and open him up. That just doesn't seem like Annabeth to me. She's far too blunt.
I really liked the episode.
Also saytrs can canonically sense emotion, so that's a fun nod
I love what the ep did with Grover. Not just giving him more to do, but showing his strengths as an equal part of the trio. Instead of just having him as the wacky but liyal sidekick
+
I like your take, but i also agree with the take that they should have switched places to establish character more.
Annabeth needs more work to establish her as the strategic thinker and Grover so far is lacking in the loyalty aspect of his character.
It also wouldn't hurt to see him and Percy hash things out like bros in the tunnel of love while Hephaestus's story is happening in the background and pretty much gets ignored because the adhd kid got something to say (said as someone with adhd who 100% would have ignored it if I had something to say to my friend)
I just think that the episode would have been better with the trap from the book. To me it seems that the to show is still painting the characters as far to smooth, they lack many aspect of the characters so far that made them so different and so relatable.
as far as changing around some parts of characterization (Percy telling the myth, Annabeth and Grover doing things the other is best at) I think they may be trying to make them a bit more rounded of characters instead of the smart one, or the nice one, etc. Especially since they've established that Sally told Percy a lot of these myths, so it makes sense that he would remember the stories his mom told him. That also makes him less an audience insert having to have everything explained to him.
Also, particularly with Annabeth trying to save Percy, and the big speech about not being like the gods, I think that helps establish them truly becoming friends, and forging that strong bond that they'll have throughout.
This episode also has my favorite line so far "thanks for the emotional abuse and cheeseburgers"
And don't forget that Mr. Brunners classes were the only ones where Percy was truly interested in. So Percy had already lessons from Chiron on all kinds of myths.
To me it doesn't look like Hephaestus lives here but instead comes in from the Dedalus' Maze from Book 4. The door even has an orange glow coming from it.
He probably wanted to see if Ares was actually stupid enough to sit onto the chair 😂
Hate to admit it but hearing that Ares was played by my favorite wrestler of all time is the thing that convinced me to check out this show
And he’s doing a fantastic job too.
it's a fair reason, he was a perfect casting
He’s *perfect* for Ares, you have good taste
As someone who was never a huge wrestling fan, he's fricken great as Ares.
ah, he was the guy in Money Plane!
@09:55 Presumably, they cast Timothy Omundson as Haphaestus because he can bring a lot of gravitas to the role (as attested by his great portrayal of Cain in Supernatural), and because he has a disability due to surviving a stroke, much like how Forge Daddy is supposed to be "disfigured"
Forge Daddy 😭
Cain was really cool such a shame how he went out.
This coment is great but reading "forge Daddy" has delt me major psychological damage 😅
it's been established that Percy knows the myths because his mom told them to him. I'm not sure where Annabeth would have learned them (other than the main ones) because she left her dad when she was 8 and we don't even know what he would have told her. at camp, there's obviously more of a chance for her to hear stories but she would most likely only know the ones from her cabin, the ones involving Athena. in the books, it might be different but for the show it makes more sense for Percy to recognize the myth the tunnel was telling because it was pretty much one of his bedtime stories lol
also Percy saying Annabeth is better then him at this, i took it as more so the management of the quest because she's been leading them. Big decisions are made by her throughout the show and Percy says this when a big decision is his to make. so it's not about brute strength or winning individual fights but strategy and looking at the big picture within the quest that she is better than him (which from what i've heard about the book is still in character? isn't she the strategist?)
They have once a week a campfire where they tell stories, have they not?
I believe Annabeth would know about them. She is one of the few Demigods who actually goes out of her way to read books despite it being difficult. And since they aren't myths but defined history facts for them she would only need to learn the right version and not the ten different ones.
I liked that fact that Percy could show that he wasn't an idiot and that his mom taught him stuff.
But I only wished that Annabeth would have somehow let it get through that she already knew the story.
Could have also been fun for them gling back and for on the story or her correcting him on small details that were different. Sally wouldn't be able to know for sure, which myth actually happened, so for Annabeth to offer slight corrections would show her respecting Percys knowledge, while also showing that there are still thingd for Percy to learn
@@jackwriter1908 you might be right, I haven't read the books so my only knowledge is from the show. I was just trying to explain it the way I understood it since Dom asked show only fans for interpretations idk
I like how they split up the characters. Thru that miniquest, Annabeth learned the value of Percy has a hero and a friend and Grover learned the to be more confident. Grover is clearly the best at manipulating people or gods by using their emotions againsts them.
The trap was meant to make it so that Ares would never get his shield back. Aphrodite would never sacrifice herself for him and Ares obviously can't sit in it himself. It was intended as a Catch 22 where he'd never get it back. He probably expected Ares to recruit someone to get it back for him but never expected Annabeth to be able to talk him down the way she did.
He knew that neither of the two gods would denigrate themselves with the chair and would then be able to in theory blackmail Ares in the future.
Then why was he cool with Annabeth just walking out of there with the shield. Like, what?
@@Vince_ibledid you watch the episodes lol
@@SolitaryLark Clearly. Explain this to me in a way that makes sense. "This way Ares would never get his shield back!" Where is this said in the episode. "Clearly he knew Ares would just use a demigod/someone else to get the shield" then why bother. And why let Annabeth leave with the shield (even letting down the ladder??) but insisting on keeping Percy there. Then let them both go after a minute long talk.
In the books, it makes sense. Percy and Annabeth are genuinely caught in the crossfire. The only danger to Ares and Aphrodite are being humiliated again, which is Hephestus's M.O. in mythology anyway.
@@Vince_ible Hephaestus is testing Annabeth. I thought it was pretty clear
In the books, the goal was to embarrass the two by catching them in this trap and exposing them. Not keep his shield from him. How would that be revenge for Ares sleeping with his wife? It just doesn’t have a good why behind it.
12:23 I mean, she also was the one who organized her team to capture the flag and deduced that Percy was a child of poseidon. the whole beheading Medusa was also their jointed plan so like not "she... asisted"
I think since the show has established demigods can do things on behalf of gods that gods can't, Hephasteus did know Ares would send demigods to get the shield. The chair could either dissaude them or trap them for helping Ares.
I was thinking that. Further it would be logical for Hephaestus to assume Ares would send one of his own kids in which case, revenge by proxy.
Which actually makes a lot of sense with how the gods behave both in the PJOverse and the myths
@@erikdaniels0neh I disagree about that. In the myths the gods did do their own work a lot of the time. Demigods were often on adventures out of their own will or because the God was busy, not because they couldn't be bothered
@@thomastakesatollforthedark2231 I can't remember, does the shield count as one of the powerful objects like the bolt or the Trident? What item is the Ares equivalent, was it ever mentioned?
Sorry to hear the show's not doing it for you currently. I'm really enjoying it and I still feel the spirit of it and the characters in what's presented. And some of the points such as why the gods can't go into other realms and such just didn't occur to me, and I did read the book. And as for the shield problem, I see it as it being an impossible challenge for Ares, since Aphrodite would never do it, showing they do not love one another enough to make such a sacrifice. She won't sit in the chair for his shield, and he won't let go of his shield for her.
Out of curiosity so you feel like this series has any of the humor of the books? That has been my biggest complaint.
@@seanmaddex4104 Yeah, I've gotten some laughs. Things like "Not bad, kid." or "Like Jesus?", Grover and Hades discussing wars like old movies including underappreciated ones, and so on.
thats fair but I feel the books were very funny and hit that tone a lot more where I feel the tone of the show really makes me wish I had that. especially percy's inner monologue that always has me laughing out loud. tonally the show feels bland compared to the books for me.@@Rixec2
Thanks for the video! I think Grover staying with Ares gives him a chance to showcase his empathy, and Annabeth staying with Percy showcases her remarkable character development - her feelings for Percy have changed for the better, and her former ideas about the olympians have been deconstructed for the better. Plus Ares having fire in his eyes would likely end up looking silly + way too weird. Hope the show gets another season!
all of this. Also, that's mostly the answer to all the "but why doesn't is look like they described it in the book?" complaints. It's either budget or it'll look weird when it's not just in your head. I think the amusement park quest was probably both.
Rick actually went on record saying that the Spiders were cut for budget reasons. (And gave the fans a IOU for spiders which is a THREAT)
The way I rationalised the chair is that Hephaestus expected Ares to force Aphrodite into the chair as a way to break them up while also punishing both of them, but there is little evidence of this it's just what makes the most sense to me.
I also thought about it in that way glad I'm not alone
Why would Ares froce Aphrodite into the chair?
@@4whealwhy wouldn’t he? He doesn’t actually care about anyone but himself… at least in Hephaestus’s eyes (and he’s kinda right)
@@TheIndianDeity Ares was a loving father and son he adored his children and was even willing to be sent to hell for when he protected his daughter from being raped.
He was sealed away in jar when protecting his mother, who hates him. In one myth, when his son was killed, he threw himself on the body and wept for his child.
Like saying Ares only ever cared about himself is massively wrong and shows how little people actually know the god in question.
@@4wheal I know in myth he cares a lot about the people around him… but rn show Ares is somewhat different in that regard. It’s hard to get into without spoiling future events, but right now Ares isn’t fully Ares, and wouldn’t make decisions normal Ares would. But don’t worry it’ll make sense when you see what I’m talking about this season, and for future seasons Ares will go back to being his myth self
Personally I really liked this episode. The chair setup feels to me like neither Ares or Aphrodite were SUPPOSED to be willing to make the sacrifice, it's a taunt. And I liked how Grover was shown to be cunning here. Next season he's gonna need to spend most of the time convincing a cyclops that he's a female cyclops who wants to marry him. This is good setup IMO. Plus it wouldn't be as impactful if someone who was ALREADY ride-or-die for Percy made that speech, because it's all about how Annabeth is learning to be less cynical.
I agree with the taunt.
There is also the fact that hods can Teleport, so for Ares to give Percy the mission to retrieve the shield sounds like a weak task.
But with the whole chair thing Ares has a far bigger reason as to why he doesn't want to do it himself.
The teleporting thing also explains why Hephaestus was there to talk to Annabeth. He doesn’t live there; he just reported in when he detected someone in the area or even just when the trap was set off.
Concerning the lack of spiders, Riordian stated that they brainstormed a lot of ways to depict it, but it soon became a production nightmare. So they focused on Percy and Annabeth learning to trust each other and Grover's prowess in empathy.
I'd suggest a theory about the whole water park living situation. It could be a labyrinth entrance leading to the forge.
I mean the labyrinth is massive and is constantly opening up and moving so it's entirely possible
@@BlazeDupree1525 and we know he knows about it and has ways of navigating it
That’s some heavy foreshadowing assuming the show gets that far
Heck, it could have been that in the book. Though in the book, it was just a closed amusement park that Hephaestus used for his broadcast, not something he specifically built for the purpose.
@@babs3241 we don't see any mysterious doors in the book and I doubt Rick planned that far ahead, but it works for the show and how it's presented
I’ve gone back-and-forth on how I feel about the side quests changing for the show. I’ve decided I’m a fan of it because it means that even after reading the books as many times as I have, the show still feels like an adventure. And fans who start with the show will still have an adventure when they read the books!
The one good thing about the show that I don’t think I’ll have to retract is that it’s doing a great job with emotional development. They may be relying on ram knowledge on lore, but they are really going into it with the more touchy feely stuff
That's what is still keeping me on board with the show right now
Not to be indelicate. But are you a moron. The best part of the books was the lore and world building. Leaving that out so they can change the story isn't how it works.
I mean, to be fair, Annabeth hasn't seen a lot of the outside world, so perhaps this shady amusement park did seem amazing to her lol Even when Percy mentions it looks straight out of a horror movie, she just says she has to take his word on it, cause she doesn't know how does that look either. Also, in light of future events (The Titan's curse) this introduction to Hephestus and his inclination to build places like this, with unfortunate consequences to those who visit, makes sense.
I do admit that Percy telling Hephestus's story to Annabeth seemed a bit out of place. If i had to guess the logic behind it, it'd seem like his mom told him the stories about the relationships among the Gods and their dynamics but not about their "work/purpose" and other important parts of the mythology, like the furies or the fates. Sally was more interested in the tea but Annabeth&Grover know the official versions haha and this also adds to Sally trying to paint the Gods in the worst possible light to keep Percy wary of them.
12:12 But, all that was stuff Percy did in the book too. And Annabeth killing the fury actually didn't happen in the book. I just reread the books, and, so far, the show really hasn't omitted anything major that Annabeth did.
On the point of a half-blood having to be the one to get the bolt because the gods can't directly do stuff like that; in episode 2 they do say Dionysus tries to trick Percy into getting the wine for that exact reason so I'd say the show did set a precedent for the a half-blood needing to be the one to get the bolt.
Yes. And they did have Grover throw out the idea that it had to be a halfblood during this episode.
honestly though that scene makes it seem more like that way only because Dionysus is cursed. There isn't a reason to believe that applies to all things in general
Agreed. Something that plot important should be told out right, not just alluded to. Hell, maybe even stated a few times to make sure the audience remembers. @@swordyshield
@@swordyshield Fair point. Though given that the curse is a punishment from Zeus and the curse doesn't work like that in the book, I wouldn't be surprised if that scene was supposed to be the explanation.
I am kinda sad that you’re not necessarily enjoying this show because I’m loving it. It seems that Riordan is using this as a way to showcase how he’s grown as a writer and in his understanding of the characters he’d made so long ago. Plus the heart of story is still there and elevated to me because of the additions that were made and or switched around as instead of several times where Percy is having expedition told to him, he now knows what his mother told him but may just need to be taught the finer details of things. Annabeth is still more experienced than Percy but unlike Percy, she relies more on her book smarts while he is just going off instinct and it seems like he and her are learning from one another how to be more effective in their roles and becoming friends at a bit of a slower pace. Grover is now not just comic relief but is an active member of the group who’s just as vital in figuring out the lightning thief’s identity as the others.
I also think that with this show being made Riordan, he probably knew that several things in the original story just wouldn’t have worked for a tv show like this one or that they needed to be moved around in order to keep audiences interested in order for it to work. I also think he wants viewers, whether they’ve read the books or not, to be able to figure out certain aspects like gods having to use demigods to get other gods items or around punishments by looking at the show and seeing how characters interact or do certain things. The biggest example being how Dionysus tried to trick Percy into getting him wine due to Zeus’ punishment in him being in effect and making it so he wouldn’t be able to do so.
I make a bet that Disney is trying to hard to make then "family friendly" and "that progressive company" since the dont say gay thing
I think you'd really enjoy demigod lover's videos on the series so far.
I get that people all have different experiences with changes, but so far a lot of the creators I've watched who read these as a kid are enjoying the changes, and sometimes it's really fun to experience someone else enjoying it to amp up your own joy/experience.
I don’t think the show portrays the humor from the books very well which was a massive part of the appeal and especially Percy’s character. What are your thoughts on that?
I do wonder if Percy's insistence on taking every deadly obstacle head-on is intentional foreshadowing.
Like, is our boy actually suicidal, or is he just trying to quickly fill the self-sacrificing hero role?
I can't wait to see how he will fare once he meets his mother again in the underworld.
Given what happens in heros of Olympus, it's very in character
Book Percy is not completely clueless either and Mr. Brunner's is the only class he actually did pay attention to, so it makes sense for him to know stuff about Greek mythology.
I really love how the show is diffusing the whole notion that Grover, Annabeth and Percy have one character trait each, so: kind, brainy, and reckless, respectively. It's not like the book did that to the extreme, but more so than the show I think.
I really like how the show is treating Grover so far.
Show Grover is my fave.
And there is also the fact that it shows that Sally did prepare Percy. It wasn't in the show explained, but I always got the Sarah Connor vibes from Sally in the books. Studying the myths and legends and thinking about counter measures against the different monsters.
Sally acrually teaching Percy something, even if it is just about how toxic and dangerous the godly family is...
Though I do wonder if Percy realises that Poseidon actually has a wife and son who are gods... _"Percy your mother was a side fling"_ would defiently impact hard 😂 and it could have worked well in the context of Percy not trusting his father to help him
Dom. There is no way they aren’t going to reveal the name of the sword in some cool scene. I feel like it being so iconic to the books means that that it’s going to be an important reveal in the show.
Agreed naming a should be personal to the wielder. It would be anticlimactic for the centar (chronon?) To just tell Percy this riptide and it's only recently the he pick a name honoring his father so it needs to wait
Hope so.
Having not read the books, I'm following along just fine. Anything that they haven't mentioned has apparently not been important.
Rick made a post explaining that they had to change the sidequest, because all the spiders would have been both a nightmare to animate, and would take up far to much of the effects budget. So they redid it and made the sequence more manageable.
I'm pretty sure the point of the chair was that because it requires a sacrifice, and neither Aries or Aphrodite would be willing to make it, Aries wouldn't get his shield back, pissing him off. Hephestus built the amusement park, because he could. And as someone who had never been to an amusement park (I'm assuming given her backstory) Annabeth would of course be impressed by her first trip to one. To quote the Twilight reviews, "It's not that deep bro".
I was fine with omitting the spiders for whatever reason. I don’t think they’d have looked as cool. Plus, between reading, watching, and listening to The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Chamber of Secrets a gazillion times, I feel entitled to skip the spiders in nearly everything, especially if I’ve already read/seen/heard it. I’m no arachnophobe, and I’ll even carefully escort them out of the house or just let the house spiders get on with things, but enough is enough.
@@professorbutters I hate to disappoint, but in that same post, Rick promised some spiders at a later point.
Why bother with a trap at all then? Why not just take the shield and shove it somewhere Ares can't get to?
@@Electric999999 that's literally what he did, there was no way Aries could get it without delegating to demigods, and even if it was hidden, there was a chance it could get found. Why hide it, when he could taunt him.
@@BookBat Aries would just delegate it to a demigod then though, so that doesn't make sense either
It is a real problem when adaptations rely on viewers having read the book. It can lead to so many plot holes for people who aren't familiar with the source material.
You also can't bank on nostalgia if you change too much because people can't be nostalgic for a story they haven't read.
I had a chance to ask some non-book readers on a forum I go to if they'd been confused with anything so far, but they seemed to be able to follow along fine with baseline knowledge of Greek myths. These are pen and paper RPG people, mind you, so their baseline probably isn't representative of the general population's.
@@Agamemnon2
Did they understand why people thought Percy stole the lightning bolt?
Well, Terrence wanted to see Grover’s dark side. And he certainly delivered in manipulating Ares :P
I honestly love the updates, i think my only complaint is that the pacing is a bit too fast. I wish we had more time of him at Camp Half Blood and bonding/training with Luke.
I actually think they did well with how much Percy bonded with Luke, given the time constraints. I like how they focussed more on Luke than on Annabeth while at Camp Half-Blood. About the only thing I agree with in this video, however, is that the audience might start to forget about Luke. His name really should've popped up more in conversations and we need that Iris message asap! 😅
Luke has been so minimal in this show so far I'm kinda worried it might undercut the twist at the end. I think they were supposed to Iris message back to camp by this point too and that's been either cut or moved.
@@evillittlegoat8338 I just don't think the twist is going to land as well because there's not that much time spent with one another. It was very short interactions. I wish we got more Luke with the other characters as well..
@@evillittlegoat8338thankfully this problem was solved tonight.
@@abookishmess yes, especially more than one brief conversation between Luke and Annabeth probably would've been wise. But I'll wait and see, maybe they'll pull it off anyway. I sure hope so.
I'm not watching the series, but I googled it and I'm so glad they gave Hephaestus at least SOMETHING of his disability. He's supposed to have at least one of his legs be disfigured or otherwise disabled, but its so often forgotten. As a pagan who works with him (partly BECAUSE of his disability), its so refreshing to see it included, and I'm not angry that he isnt severely physically affected
It is exactly the fact that Percy would rush to sacrifice himself for his friends without a single thought that makes Annabeth in fact “better at this” than him.
Annabeth when things are going down: “I gotta figure this out”.
Percy when things are going down: “I gotta die so my friends can live”.
Guess which one has a better chance of actually completing the quest.
Not the suicidal one.
As brave as self-sacrifice is, it’s not gonna get the lightning bolt back.
I think they're holding out on naming Riptide until he actually meets his dad
Why would that be? The sword has nothing to do with him. It belonged to Zoe and the Hercules.
@@jazmineraymond7495 Poseidon has this sword after Zoe-Herackles story, and he give this to chejron (as future gift for Percy).
@@songo4950 I was gonna wait to say this till I had the book, but yeah, didn't Chiron say something about Percys dad wanting him to have it?
They changed the complication for money reasons. The other one was going to cost too much. I could see how Haephestus already had the ride set up but added the trap when he saw two demigods come in talking about the shield. There’s a chance that Athena is so awful that she told Haephestus to add the trap because she wanted Percy out of the way or for Annabeth to be prevented from embarrassing her further. Also if Annabeth had stayed with Ares she wouldn’t have gotten that info out of him because he wouldn’t have trusted her enough to let anything slip. it had to he Grover because Ares thinks he's just a dumb peacenik.
I do take your point that Percy kind of gave up on his life too easily, but he's kind of bought into the quest now and does think Annabeth would have more luck.
Not Dom single-handedly saving me from another adaptation of a beloved book I would end up hating. Bless your soul, Dominic, by whatever gods may be listening
I am glad to see you acknowledging this shows short comings. While I am still having fun with it there are a lot of problems in my opinion. Relying heavy on viewers having read the books feels very real to me. My husband keeps asking questions I know where already explained in the book but because it has been over a decade I don't remember either and it's making the story feel like it being strung along to get to certain points without the care put in to how they get there.
I disagree with your thought that the filmmakers needed people to have read the books. I had not read any of the books before watching the show (I did read The Lightning Thief after episode 5) and I was never confused or lost, nor was there anything I discovered by reading that I had completely missed in the show. (I even pegged the actual thief as soon as we met them . . . Maybe because I am a cynical old sod). Knowing a swords name is not the only way to know it is important. So far I am enjoying this adaptation very much. I think it is universes better than the first several Harry Potter films not least because it allows the magic to be amazing but not AMAZING. There is a lovely matter-of-factness to Percy’s experience that fits both the books and real life.
Yeah it’s would be too much of an info dump to explain it all in the first episode or two. They are going to have to spread it out and explain as the info becomes relevant. Personally I expect a dramatic name reveal for the sword for example. It would be cool, and just knowing it right now doesn’t add anything significant to the story.
im happy with the changes rick is making to his story to keep it fresh even for book fan like me.
Most people aren't because they want to see the book adapted, not some random version that might fall apart.
@uanime1 see I'd share the same sentiment if it wasn't rick writing it
It is the book being adapted. Did they not do every major thing in the book so far? Yeah some of the details are different but the story is the same. @@uanime1
@@uanime1 That sounds desperately boring. I've read the books already. But to each their own.
@@uanime1 it is being adapted though and fairly well. You shouldn’t expect it to be a 1 to 1 recreation of everything from the book though as even the creator himself said he wanted to make changes
I don’t understand how people can still have this mentality at this point when it’s not going to all of a sudden become exactly like the books
following Hephaestus trap making more sense in the book, the trap that would broadcast Ares and Aphrodite's infidelity is also a really clever adaption of a real myth in which Hephaestus made an unbreakable chain that would trap both Ares and Aphrodite in the act so he could humilate them infront of all of the gods
Which was always an odd one for me. Not blaming Riodan, he was following the myth, just that even in the myth going "Look everyone, my wife is cheating on me with Olympus' biggest moron!" wasn't really a big W for Hephaestus.
@@GriffinPilgrim I expect the idea is that it would make Aphrodite look bad.
@@Electric999999 Well sure, but it also sets a pair of antlers on Hephaestus' head.
@@GriffinPilgrimI assume there must be some social concept we simply lack in our modern day compared to the people that told this story...
Maybe he wanted to show us an other myth or disney wasn't ok with the showing the trap that's related to cheating ?
1:30 -1:40 starting to see why doing this episode by episode might not have been the best idea, like dude they are going to get to everything important it just won't be beat for beat.
I get that January is slow and you need to fill content for it to avoid being penalized by TH-cam though so not worth complaining about much.
i think the reason percy’s more aware of greek mythology is partially because they’re using it to help expand sally without her necessarily being present. in episode one it was also established that tv!percy plays mythomagic, which likely will come more into play going forward especially when nico shows up and becomes a recurring character. rick’s approach to the show reminds me a lot of daniel handler’s approach when making the series of unfortunate events show - streamlining some things and retroactively setting up later developments and changing things that he feels no longer fit his vision. because of this i’m super curious as to whether this upcoming episode will feature some kind of nod to nico and bianca and set them up early.
I find it very interesting that you started this series trying to make every excuse for innacuracies but they've grown larger and you're becoming more critical. Personally i enjoy the show, but i didnt mind the spider boat sidequest being changed because it was always hard to visualise in my mind
I think Rick actually made a comment saying that it would have been too terrifying to see in live action.
This was my favorite episode so far
I also agree!
Mine too! I thought Walker and Leah's acting (and Aryan's as well) was really moving, and even though I haven't read the books and don't know about all the intricacies of plot and character from the original source, so far the story and writing make sense to me and I don't feel lost or confused in the least. It's possible I'm just not picking up on a bunch of other nuances, but honestly, I just don't care that much and I only want to enjoy it for what it is. Maybe my opinions will change in the future depending on where they take the story, but for now I'd say it's a really decent kids/family show that doesn't make me groan or cringe like I thought it would.
I love your content Dom I know you've had mixed feelings about the series so far but I love hearing your opinion even though I love it.
I mean, I think you answered your question about who the chair was for XD It's meant as a trap, it's not meant as a thing Ares and Aphrodite can get around/overcome/outsmart. The point is to trap at least one of them or Ares never gets his shield back. Perhaps it's one more instance of 'pushing each other down the stairs to get what we want': maybe Ares would force Aphrodite to sit in the chair and leave her, causing all sorts of relationship issues, perhaps her refusing would also cause relationship issues as Ares won't get his shield back - any way you cut it, either Ares and Aphrodite are separated permanently (one is stuck in the chair) and they are at the mercy of Hephaestus who is the only one who can get them out, or they're on the outs and Ares doesn't have one of his biggest assets of war he's so proud of. It seems like a much more concise way to show character moments with Percy and Annabeth's mindsets than just a net and spiders they have to fight off - there's not much time for character mindset exploration there.
I think Hephestus plan was to show Aphrodite that Ares wasn't willing to give up his life for her/was willing to give up her life to get what he wants. It seems like the plan was to get the two back into the ride, discover the shield, end up in a fight over who should sit in the chair, only for Hephestus to come out like "Ha, you've learned the lesson now, ya dicks!" Or, basically all that, with the exception of Ares trying to force Aphrodite into the chair.
It's not like Hephaestus would have the done the same for her as he never actually loved her in mythology and was either froced into the marriage by Zeus or blackmailed Zeus into giving him Aphrodite as a status symbol.
Ares was always more in love with her than Hephaestus was, and seeing that Ares has been trapped before to save someone he loves, I could belive him doing it again
Another alternative; he thought Ares would send one of his own kids to get the shield and then Hephaestus gets revenge via proxy.
More likely is that Hephaustus built the trap for any demigods that Ares sent his way. Ares doesn't care about his own children, so it'd have to be someone else he conned into it. Hephaustus didn't really give a shit who it was, only that Ares wouldn't get his shield back. Annabeth showing she was better than the gods by trying to free her friend convinced him to change his mind. As for why Hephaustus lives in the Amusement Park, he was banished by Hera and scorned by the other gods, he probably felt like staying in a place he was more comfortable with than anywhere on actual Mt. Olympus.
Grover isn't doing the ride or die thing, but he's doing something that has been built up a bit throughout the show: he's being sneaky. He tricked Ares into revealing he knows who the Lightning Thief is and that Percy is the victim of a conspiracy, something I don't think Annabeth would have been capable of doing at this point due to how young and fresh she is. It's easy to forget that Grover is 24, much older than either Percy or Annabeth.
The amount of coping in this comment is ridiculous. Can we just admit the show is bad yet?
Its not bad. @@blackvendaeta7104
@@blackvendaeta7104I think they heard you the first 11 times
@@blackvendaeta7104 Judging from how many times you posted this, it seems like you're coping with someone disagreeing with you.
Honestly Ares not caering about his kids really pisses me off as in mythology he was probably one of the best fathers out of all the greek gods.
For the chair I dont think it was actually meant to trap ares or aphrodite, I think it was made to make ares fight with aphrodite because she wouldn't sacrifice herself for his shield and for aphrodite to get mad that ares cares more about her shield than her
And it plays really well into Percy's fatal flaw which iirc is introduced in book 2
I enjoyed learning about some differences in the adaptation from your video. And yet, I’m greatly enjoying the show and thought this episode was the best so far.
My thought on the chair trap is that it was intended to show Aphrodite how little Ares cares about her as Ares would likely be willing to sacrifice her for his shield possibly even going so far as to force her into it. There’s probably also a certain level of enjoyment to be had from the general aggravation it would cause Ares to be without his shield and to have to come up with a plan to get it back
I mean, Haephestus could've done that with the shield as a massive taunt because neither would sacrifice themselves so it'd just be right there and Aries couldn't get it. You gotta admit it'd be funny to watch and watch them bicker about it.
I laughed out loud at the music choice for the tunnel of love scene. Surprised you didn't mention it.
Very surprised he's skipping over how rick is keeping his rick humor in the show.
YES! THANK YOU FOR HIGHLIGHTING HOW LITERALLY DARK THE SHOW IS
seriously, I had to turn off all the lights so I can see the damn show... and even then I couldn't see a damn thing!
Annabeth
- Figured out that Percy was the son of Poseidon through observation in the toilets (Percy hadn't figured this out himself at that point)
- Used Clarisse's beef with Percy in order to win Capture the Flag (he may have 3v1'd them but that was his whole job, to be a useful idiot)
- Came up with the idea to sit in the back of the bus, explains that the smells hide them from monsters
- Killed the fury's sister, warned the others of their presence before the fighting started
- Came up with the idea to behead Medusa. She directed Percy on when and how to do it, all he had to do was swing
- Immediately recognized that "Auntie Em" was Medusa
- Figured out Hephaestus' entryway contraption just by looking at it and deducing its purpose
- Has been the main decision-maker and leader for the entirety of the quest, showing both her confidence and her hubris in believing her decisions are the best
I could go on...
The fact that you highlighted Percy's strengths as "defeating" monsters and minimized Annabeth's contributions as "helped" really makes it feel like you're diminishing Annabeth's personality to "spouting off facts about mythology." I feel the series has shared the Greek Mythology knowledge between the leads because the series wanted to avoid Annabeth being a walking exposition dump, and instead are showing her intelligence and confidence by making her more involved in the decision-making, planning, and quick-thinking that they need to make it through. I feel like the Capture the Flag part is a huge part of it that you just glossed over. They were outmatched against the bigger, scarier Ares cabin and needed a strategy that used what they had to their advantage.
I'm not upset that they cut down Luke's relationship with Annabeth, I found myself rolling my eyes when it came up in the book. It felt shoehorned and contributed to the "ugh, women, amiright" vibes I got sometimes from the early books. I feel the same about them not showing the Aphrodite cabin the way in the books.
I liked the actress the second I saw her in the trailer. She just radiates calm confidence. And yes, I do want to see cleverness and strategy. That’s Athena’s thing! Honestly, I always back check stuff to the Iliad and the Odyssey, just for funsies.
Her studying the throne of Hera is really in character, too.
6:50 that's the point, I think? That Ares and Aphrodite couldn't get the shield back because they would never sacrifice themselves
Or he would send a demigod that he doesn't care about to either sacrifice themselves or, more likely, he would never get it back because no one would. Yeah, it's the point.
I thought when i first saw the episode that the intent of the trap is exactly what you are saying- to prove that they *wouldnt* do that- in order to do this one needs to have a level of selflessness they would never have, and thus he proves they dont have anything real with eachother, which honestly makes more sense to me than proving something everyone knows is happening is happening, but thats entirely speculation on my part.
Honestly, as someone that didn't read the books, I actually don't mind any of the holes and they hadnt crossed my mind before. The show seems entertaining enough that I don't think about someting missing or not making sence.
I do think you got a little nit picky about the water park being actually built by Hephaestus at 7:48 . The gods mention all the time in the books the different attractions that Hephaestus builds because he’s bored. It absolutely makes sense for him to build a water park for godlings and monsters.
Actors don't actually eat food unless they are super committed, they actually just take a bite and spit it out, which is why you never see them eat entire servings on screen. The real thing to pity them for is that they have the same collection of food sitting out and getting cold at every take so it just tastes foul.
Theory: Hephaestus knew that ares would send a third party, and the chair was set up to make sure that anyone who actually got the shield is nice enough to not give it back to ares.
Why bother then? Ares could just easily take back
Thank you this is exactly what I have been thinking. I actually reread the entire series because I was so hung up on all the things that felt slightly off
I've said this on other post, but it's like Percy is the paladin, Annabeth the wizard and Grover the bard. I like it cause it gives Grover more presence than just being there for hapless assistance and comedy relief.
sick fire eyes and giant bike aside, the ares casting was fantastic impo.
i do feel like they are telling us annabeth is The Smart One, but only by giving her some of percy’s realizations and not much else
I haven’t read the books and I might not be picking up all of the details, but I’m following along the show quite well.
I'll throw in my two dracmas into two of the things mentioned in the video:
1) For the motivation as to why Hephaestus uses the chair, I think it is to either trap Ares or Aphrodite as revenge for for their affair. What I think Hephaestus' plan was for Ares or Aphrodite be forced to go into the tunnel themselves, get across the water and then saccrificing themselves to get the shield and contain one of them in the proccess. If it was Aphrodite, then Hephaestus could keep her for himself with no one in the way to stop him, while if it was Ares, then Hephaestus could likely blackmail Aphrodite to realise him for what he wants in the first place, his wife.
What makes me think that other half-bloods is the power of the water pushing any would be heroes off of the edge of the ride to their doom, whether that be through staying on the boat and falling off the edge or Jumping off and drowning or being pulled by the current off the edge. The fact that Annabeth was struggling to swim in the water and needing Percy's help to get out in the first place makes me think that would likely be the case. The only reason the two make it out is that fact that Hephaestus didn't think Ares or Aphrodite would be able to find someone who could get out of the current themselves such as a kid of Poseiden, though I think it should have been brought up about the Big 3 stopping having kids after WW2 to clarify this. This comes back into the episode with Ares maybe being smarter than he looks too as he's the one to give the sids the one to give the side quest to trio in the first place, using both guile and strength to achieve what he wants and points out that Athena's domain is wisdom, not intelligence and trickery.
The only way that breaks this is that Ares or Aphrodite could just bring one of the half-blood kids with them and sacrifice them to get the shield back, but there is something making me think that they wouldn't being their fatal flaws. In Ares' case, this would be pride, he would want to be able to get this back himself or push someone else to fall into this trap unrelated to him in terms of kids, where his honor is on the line. In Aphrodite's case, this would be vanity as she would likely see her kids as an exstention of herself and would not want such beauty touched. This brings us to Hephaestus' fatal flaw, spite. He may of wanted Ares or Aphrodite to sit in that chair but appon realisng he's been outplayed, is willing to settle for Percy instead. It is only when Annabeth is able to convince Hephaestus, that Percy was never doing this out want to do this out of spite but kindness, that Annabeth doesn't want to do this out of spite anymore and that Hephaestus doesn't need to either, that he doesn't need to play the rest of the Gods games and instead imbrase his own self worth.
As for how Hephaestus got there so quick, I would think he would have some sort of alarm installed into the chair and make it top priorty to come once it was activated. How he got there so fast exactly I would not be able to comment on as I don't remember that books that well since my last read of them was a decade ago, but others have mentioned the labyrinth which could possibly be the case, but take this with a grain of salt.
2) As for the actor and his appearance. The way book Hephaestus is described with his shoulders, makes me think of a medical condtion that I have had in the past: scoliosis. I can understand why they didn't use someone with it, as to achieve that effect that your probably looking for, would require someone with a fairly extreme curve. The trouble being that said curves can be straight up dangerous to have since it runs the risk of damaging organs such as the lungs and can make it harder for those with it to work in the first place. Normally when scolosis goes past around 50 degrees on it's cobb angle they will opperate on it as it can be very painful, if not deadly if not treated. Considering that this series could last years, if not longer with sister series, it could be extremely detrimental to the actor in this role.
My own experience with is condition is that my own cobb angle was around 71 degrees when I was opperated on and that I found it hard to breathe, as I could not use most of lungs. I was tired all the time, found I had to sit down a lot and struggled to do school work just because I was exausted. Someone acting with it would have a pretty rough time of it, and again would likely not be able to commit to the years needed to be like that. While I am sad that an actor with scoliosis could not be used, as I don't think I have seen someone with the condition in the spotlight and would love to see it, I am glad they found someone who is disabled in Timothy Omundson. As others has mentioned, he has had a stroke, has minimal use of his left arm and needs a cane to walk. The amount of disabled actors I have seen in major franchises is small, so to go out of their way to make sure that a character with a disabilty in a major role as this is something. I just hope that more franchises follow suit and show that there is more to disabilty than just the more steriotypical roles that are rarely given to us in the first place.
As for Hephaestus' appearance, I think Hera being a little bit vain would look for any little impefection and use that as an excuse to get rid of him. He would also be compared to his older sibbling, Ares, who is this strong and robust man and always be seen as second best. With this mentality being drilled into him, Hephaestus himself would possibly start believing it leading him back to his own fatal flaw of spite and building the trap in the first place. As someone who looks at themself this way despite my parents being supportive, it can be tough despite the fact that most people wont notice but you do and it just leads to this perfectionist side of you pushing yourself to think you should be doing better and more. This really comes back to what he is god over, crafting, the ability to build something beautiful, regardless of what you are.
He likely headed there as soon as they entered the park. Remember the device at the entrance, where Annabeth said that he now knows that they're there?
So other people in the comments have explained possible plot reasons why the chair would be there as trap for the shield instead of just the trap from the books, but I was too busy focusing on the way the chair was perfectly used to accentuate the point the scene was making, as well as why Percy explained the myth instead of Annabeth.
The myth being told is in two parts, the first part in the tunnel of love when Hera gives birth to a baby, decides it's ugly, and throws it from Mount Olympus. Part two is told by Percy (and importantly he said he learned it from his mom, he doesn't pay attention to Chiron's lessons, we know that. Everything he knows about myths he learned from his mom. Take the Medusa episode when he's told the story and replies "That's not the way my mom used to tell it." Sally has clearly been trying to influence his views on these kinds of things from a young age and the fact that she decided to tell him about the revenge of Hephaestus sticks out to me.) where Hephaestus builds the inescapable chair for Hera and refuses to let her out until Aphrodite is made his wife.
In greek myth and in the Percy Jackson universe, Hephaestus is one of most chill gods, right up there with Hades and Hestia, they just mind their own business. This myth where he takes revenge on his mother and forces a woman who doesn't want him to become his wife is a moment he acts just like the rest of them and does something selfish and stupid (as much as all like to see Hera punished, Aphrodite did nothing, I hate when women in greek myths are forced to marry men they don't want. Anyway.) And it connects back to the line Percy said in the tunnel of love "that this is what the gods are like to each other. This is the kind of family they are."
And Annabeth has now had Percy sacrifice himself for his friends twice and sees that maybe being this kind of person is more important than making a legend out of your own name. And after hearing her decide to try to be better than the rest of their shitty family, maybe Hephaestus has some regrets and he decides that maybe he wants to be better too, so he lets them go with the shield. I thought the scene and the overall message they're trying to send (especially with the inclusion of Hermes next ep) is that the gods can do better and all their excuses are bullshit. People can be good to be each other and it can be worth it. Also Grover playing mind games with Ares was fantastic, don't get how anyone could not love that.
Sorry for talking so much. I think the show is doing great, super excited for the last 2 episodes!
This seems to be the jaded half of the youtube fandom that are so held back by the show not being 1 for 1 with the book they can’t see how great the characterization and the show in general is, most reviewers for this show that are book readers and some not book readers praise this series. Idk if it’s solely a bit for your channel but if not your content I’ve seen comments here already calling for cancellation of this actually great adaptation
Hephaestus definitely could’ve predicted that Ares would get two demigods to retrieve the shield, as gods often deal with their problems by getting half-bloods to do the work for them.
I definitely agree with the point about the writers seeming to rely on the audience reading the books. They don’t discuss who this gods are or what they’re the gods of. They don’t bother to explain certain things like Mr. D’s backstory, why he’s at camp in the first place, why he’s so grumpy. They don’t establish why the gods depend on their half-blood children to do their bidding.
I disagree. I thought that scene with Mr. D pretending to be Percy's dad and trick him into providing him with alcohol did a really good job of establishing the rules without being expository in nature.
@@lauradavison8068 That scene makes sense, explaining how gods use their children to do their bidding. But the questions about Mr. D and why he’s at camp and why he has such a stick up his butt remain unanswered. And I don’t like that. It feels like the writers are relying on the readers already knowing this info instead of taking the time to establish those things.
So I assumed that the trap was for Ares and Aphrodite as an attempt to punish them through ares forcing aphrodite to sit on the chair. create infighting kinda thing.
I really liked the playing with the themes of the gods as messed up family because it heavily plays into the thems that are presented in the series overall. similarly I enjoyed PErcy sacrificing himself as that leans closely intohis fatal flaw. and Annnabeth's flaw of hurbis comes in when she tries to work her way around a machine a god set up . thsi additionally sets up the stuff with daedlus.
Also Also I much prefer how grover was done here because it prvodes him with far more of a personality rather than just comic relief. I was worried about his arc of coward to brave man, but I trust Rick Riodan has aplan in mind
Percy telling Annabeth what he knows about the god's stories is (in my opinion) just good character building, because the new information she's getting from this is who Percy is. Because of course she already knows the story itself. It's more about her hearing what's underneath the story; Percy's thoughts, feelings and opinions on the matter.
I find it a refreshingly subtle way of building her understanding and appreciation of Percy.
Not to mention, changing it and removing the Spiders removes the introduction of one of Annabeth's main fears and part of her family backstory. I feel like had they kept Haphestus out, Annabeth could have figured out how to break the mechanics of the chair and free Percy. She seemed to be able to figure out the fake trap at the park entrance pretty easily, and we see her fiddle with the gears of the chair anyway. But that could trigger a failsafe and introduce the spiders, giving us both moments and the important character moment for Annabeth. It also gives Percy a chance to use his new powers more to help them escape the spiders. Would have been great
It’s interesting to see so many people in the comments say the main trio are more well-rounded in the show, because I honestly feel like they’re so much flatter here than in the books?? Like, they took out moments of Annabeth’s nerdiness (like her wanting to see the arch just to see it, and the way it feels like they’re kids for just running off and doing that), ALLLL of their relationship before the quest (and the fact that Percy is not against Annabeth the way she’s against him), Grover failing by passing out instead of getting Percy across, Percy not knowing a lot of the myths because knowing would make it more likely for monsters to detect him, etc. I just really feel like so much is lost in comparison, and it’s shocking to me that Riordan said so many times that the show would be accurate to the books to make up for the movies
Like, Annabeth and Percy’s relationship is so much less compelling to me in the show. Their dynamic was pretty unique in the books compared to relationships like theirs in other series, because Percy doesn’t have issues with her and that kind of confuses Annabeth, and they’re navigating starting as friends and then Annabeth avoiding him once he’s claimed and then becoming friends again. In the show, they’re just…at odds. Percy in the books would never have picked Annabeth because he thought she’d push him down the stairs if necessary for the quest; his fatal flaw is literally loyalty. The relationship just feels so alien and disappointing to me. Heck, have we even gotten to hear Annabeth call Percy “seaweed brain”?
7:12
The show has actually been a lot more explicit about gods using halfbloods to retrieve items being an actual mechanic of the lore, rather than a simple handwave whenever Percy asks "why can't the gods just do this themselves?". Dionysus, the Lightning Bolt, Grover even brings up the field trip to Olympus foreshadowing who gets the bolt, rather than it being explained post twist.
But I do agree that, once I was reminded what the original book scene was, I realised how much more underwhelming and less action orientated and cgi heavy the show's version is. It really does feel like Disney only agreed to do this adaptation on the condition that it be filmed on a shoestring budget. It isn't getting MCU money. Even something as simple as Percy using his water powers consciously for the first time, was a lazy cut to black wake up on the shore. It doesn't hurt the show too much, because book 1's roadtrip first adventure tone honestly lends itself to a more minimalist, homemade feel. But anything past the first book and this money saving approach to adaptation is going to doom the franchise.
7:55
I prefer that the characters are three dimensional, rather than one dimensional archetypes. "Annabeth's the smart one, why doesn't she stay with the god" isn't an entertaining story. It's a narrative game of rock paper scissors. Grover not only manipulates Ares because the god underestimates this small and unimportant satyr, but also he uses empathy to try and understand Ares perspective. Annabeth would have also never been able to shit talk Athena and get away with it, either from Ares or from her own mother. If Athena was embarrassed just by proxy of Percy's mailing stunt, what would she do if Annabeth insulted her directly to her siblings face? Would probably turn her into an owl on the spot.
Always looking forward to these videos. I've had a couple of disagreements with certain critiques in this episode.
I think a reason for the shield on the chair could simply be a taunt/show of power. Sort of "remember what happened to someone who wronged me" while mocking Ares for the loss of the shield. There are other logical reasons that there could be and let's not forget that the gods are portrayed as petty, vain, flawed and not perfect beings so there doesn't need to be a reason. Also was Hephaestus "living" there or was an alarm set up and Hephaestus pops in to see what's up. Or maybe he has aspects in different areas as has happened later in the books with some gods.
I could be wrong but Grover remaining in the diner showed off the empath abilities of Grover to me which hasn't really been shown much. He really seemed to understand Ares.
While Hephaestus is not now a lump of a man with a leg in a brace and misshapen head (i.e. less physically affected by his past falls from mountain tops), I think casting someone who themselves has disabilities after a stroke was really quite important and is worth a mention.
Small things like Ares motorcycle not being made of suspicious material is quite understandable. It is a kids show and there is a difference between reading it and seeing it.
Finally, maybe I overestimate the audience of people who haven't read the books but it was established the Demigods can work around godly rules, with Dionysus trying to get Peter Johnson to get him some wine.
None of this is supposed to be a harsh criticism, just some agreeable disagreement.
I adore Show Grover. He doesn’t really agree with Ares, but he listens empathetically. He knows what he’s doing, (“thanks for the emotional abuse.”)
I think Hephaestus here was just taunting Ares rather than necessarily intending the chair as a 'trap'--display the shield as a trophy, plain to be seen, but locked behind a mechanism which, by his nature, and the nature of the whole pantheon, was basically impossible for him to actually retrieve.
Also, Ares has already SEEN that chair. He knows from experience exactly what it does, which is different from reading the story.
Annabeth has never seen movies, and her whole world for half of her life was Camp Halfblood. Of course she’d be impressed by her first amusement park, even if it was an abandoned park built by a god.
I think you've misunderstood the scene with the rollercoaster. The line 'tell me the god of craftsmen didn't build this?' feels appalled, rather than admiring. Like... 'tell me you didn't sell the cow for a bag of beans?'
Honestly, Hephaestus building an amusement park is kinda cool. Amusement parks have a ton of machinery both showing and hidden as normally the entire place is specifically designed for the purpose of guiding the audience towards the attractions and merch.
If you watch documentaries on how Disney Land was built and how it works, it’s amazing how much engineering, architecture and sociology goes into building, design, and managing those parks.
Hephaestus building a amusement park on his own is a great way to show his god-like craftsmanship, as every minor detail of an amusement park has to be carefully designed to make sure wacky, exciting and dangerous looking pieces of machinery are safe to use and enjoy.
i'm not mad about the chair. i'm mad about the lack of spiders.
If Ares and Aphrodite did come together to get the shield back, you can still have “fun” in a chair
the fact that this show makes us have to jump through hoops to decipher character's motivations 🤦♀ugh
I for one am very thankful for the lack of spider armies here. And disney 100% vetoed the whole mirror sex tunnel concept but very bold of to books to do it.
You are a more patient man than me Terrance. I dropped the show when they changed the book so that Annabeth saw the fates. I really liked how Percy thought he would die for 5 books because of the Fates and it wasn’t a big thing that impacted the plot(that they would need to change in an adaptation) so when they changed it, it was the last straw for me
This was the episode that tipped me over the edge of "oh... I don't like this"
OK, I understand it's kind of the point in Dom's case but I'm getting a bit tired of reviewers being upset because this TV series is not a 1:1 adaptation of the book. Two different mediums, significantly different requirements. Percy is much more the hero because TV show leads need to, you know, lead. Books are inside the characters' heads so can get away with having them constantly react to explanations; but onscreen Percy just going 'Huh? Oh!' all the time would be insanely boring. The throne business happened because the scene as written was impossible to enact on a TV show budget (and as many comments demonstrate, can be easily enough explained as a giant middle finger to the lovers). Leaving Grover behind made for a much more interesting scene of sly manipulation - Ares would've run rings around unworldly Annabeth - and allowed for all three actors to get balanced screen time and character development. The theme park was given more visual interest, and there's no time to waste on them changing clothes anyway. Bringing on the gods early allows for more characters, more cameos, more opportunities to attract non-fans into the show's world. Etc, etc.
See, I love comments like this, and I really wish/hope Dom will be reading these and taking them into consideration, because it seems like about 90-99% of the people in his comments completely disagree with him on the whole show, and it's kind of funny to me😂
I don't like how manipulative Grover is in the tv show, he doesn't seem like the same character as the book version and it makes him less likeable.
@@jazmineraymond7495Grover was always an empathetic person; the show just has him actually doing something with it.
This whole series is pretty dimly lit, for a lot of the show I’ve felt like I can barely see anything
Yeah, one of my friends decided to drop the show after this one. While I'm not as pedantic as he is about plot changes, this one stretched me really thin as well, cause of all the character changes (I really truly hate that they took out the only challenge the trio solves together), and all the gravitas that gets taken out of the story in order to make room for guest stars.
Gods appearing in the books is a BIG DEAL. Freaking HERMES is a big deal, he's LUKE'S FATHER! And instead they're shoving him in the Lotus Casino one book early because they got Lin Manuel Miranda to play him. And don't get me started about the Fates.
Saw a post from Riordan about this episode. Just like the 100 eyed giant in camp, they talked about and tried to find out some possible way, but just like adding the giant and having it be realistic/on par with the rest of the animation, adding the spidertrap and everything that came with it would have taken too much money or time than what the show could afford/realisticly use, so they came up with Hera's golden throne trap instead. But Rick said he does want to still add both the giant and spiders later down the line if the oppertunity presents itself and they get enough funds.
It is the point with the chair trap! Ares and Aphrodite would never do that for one another so Ares would never get the shield back. With how selfish the gods are it makes sense! I think having Hephestus here also not be flawless, but also see reason and be swayed by Annabeth was great to give him some nuance and that maybe it's not all lost for the gods. Some are just more stubborn than others, further renforcing the themes and at least what I think, when Percy inevitably tells the gods to pay child support at the end and be more present.
When Annabeth hugged him after jumping out of the water I honestly teared up. Sometimes the fact that i'm watching a pillar of my childhood be adapted with love just hits me like a loving ton of bricks.
I'm sorry, but Ares will forever hold my heart as portrayed in Xena, warrior princess, by Kevin Tod Smith, may he in peace
Rick made a good comment that the tv show has a big benefit of knowing what would happen. There are plot holes you can drive a truck through in later books since Rick obviously hadnt thought of that plot point yet.
I found it kinda funny when people nitpick but also gloss over larger book details that were murky at best