Sophomore seasons are a tricky trial for any show to face, as they are both an opportunity to continue on the strengths of the first season and work on its weaknesses and a potential trap due to the spectre of the “sophomore slump”. Thankfully, Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 proves itself to belong to the former category. This second season serves as both a fantastic adaptation of author and co-creator Rick Riordan’s novel Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters and a welcome improvement over the show’s flawed but promising first season. 

Like the novel, the second season follows Percy Jackson and his friends both old and new as he journeys into the Sea of Monsters on a quest for the Golden Fleece. This fantastical quest is brought to life over the course of the season by a show which demonstrates a marked improvement in production value and quality, despite having the same budget as the first season. A huge part of this is down to the creative decision to ditch the Volume technology used for the first season and instead switch to mainly employing practical sets and effects to realise the world for the second season. This change combined with much better lighting for the show’s night scenes—which were quite poorly done in the first season—leads to a show that simply looks better on-screen. Every department from production design to costumes and hair and makeup have come together to bring to life the show’s world of Greek myths. The emphasis on practical effects also means that the VFX budget is not spread thin but instead saved for truly impactful or important moments and storylines. A standout moment at the end of episode 4 comes to mind, as it ends up being truly epic in its execution and is enhanced by a fantastic track from composer Bear McCreary. However, this “quality over quantity” approach to visual effects has the downside of some fantastical elements from the novel being dropped from the show due to budget constraints. In my opinion, the effects we do get are impressive enough to justify this choice, whether they are for large scale environment and stunt setpieces or character and creature effects. In particular, the new addition of Tyson the Cyclops is realised in a jaw-dropping way.

Of course, this improvement in production value would be for naught if it was not in service of a strong and well-written story and characters. Yet Percy Jackson Season 2 also manages to deliver here, as it is both a well-executed season of television in its own right and a bold and exciting adaptation of the source material. The season delivers strong arcs for main characters like Percy (Walker Scobell) and Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), deepening the relationship between these two central characters within the season and allowing the chemistry between the two actors to shine through even more. Scobell continues to prove to be the perfect Percy Jackson, embodying the character’s playful and sarcastic side while also capably handling the heavier material the character goes through especially in the latter half of the season. Episode 6 comes to mind as a fantastic showcase for his acting prowess. Jeffries is similarly excellent in balancing Annabeth’s intelligence with her insecurity and vulnerability, particularly shining in episode 5 of the season. Season 2 also outright improves on the source material in certain areas by giving characters like Grover (Aryan Simhadri), Luke (Charlie Bushnell) and Clarisse (Dior Goodjohn) more substantial material than was present in the novel. Simhadri continues to imbue his portrayal of Grover with a deep empathy and kindness, while Bushnell proves more than up to the task in showing the complexity of Luke’s position as an antagonist. He is also helped by the show’s decision to create a new original character in Alison Simms (Beatrice Kitsos), who serves as the heel representing the forces of Kronos and takes on Luke’s more overtly villainous traits present in the earlier books in the series. This in turn allows the show to write Luke as the more layered, vulnerable and complex character he is in the later books.

The most improved character from book to screen, however, would have to be Clarisse. She evolves from a mean and rather stupid bully in the novel to an actually layered young woman struggling with the difficulties of being a warrior, an arc which Goodjohn manages to capture perfectly over the course of the season, successfully turning Clarisse into a fan favourite. Thalia (Tamara Smart) is another welcome new face, as Smart manages to capture the character’s fierce protectiveness and fire immediately despite limited screentime, but it is Tyson the Cyclops (Daniel Diemer) who proves to be the most valuable addition to the season in a perfect marriage of writing, effects and performance. The show wisely decided to make the character slightly more mature and less child-like than in the books, ensuring that what may have been endearing on the page does not end up annoying when translated into live-action. The effects work to bring the Cyclops to life also proves to be top-notch, ensuring that the emotional power of Diemer’s performance and his portrayal of Tyson’s sweetness shines through at all times. This is particularly affecting in a key scene that concludes Tyson’s arc.

As an adaptation, Percy Jackson Season 2 proves to be a generally strong one across the board. While some of the more fantastical (read: expensive) elements of the novel have been sacrificed, the show ultimately proves that it is capable of making changes while still retaining the spirit of the novel. It is admittedly unable to escape some clunky exposition in the opening few episodes, the show ultimately still delivers a hugely satisfying telling of the story of The Sea of Monsters, retaining many iconic and beloved setpieces and moments from the book while also improving on the storylines of certain characters. The show also takes the opportunity as an adaptation that knows what is to come in upcoming seasons to lay the emotional groundwork for future storylines and character conflicts, bringing in a character revelation from a later book into this season that proves to be a rich alteration to the story. It is thus unafraid to depart from the novel in radical ways across the second half of the season to service what is to come. While book purists may shudder at such changes, there is undoubtedly a clear vision for why most of them have been made, and they ultimately end up setting the stage for a tantalising Season 3. This results in an experience of watching the show that is still fresh and rewarding for book readers.

Yet despite its many admirable attributes, Season 2 is not without its flaws. While some episodes this season are better paced by being allowed to breathe and go past the strict half an hour runtime that season 1 felt shackled to, there are ultimately still other episodes such as episodes 7 and 8 which feel like they could still have benefitted from a longer runtime. In particular, a minor twist in the finale could have landed better if the season had longer episodes to better set it up. The show also makes a change in adapting the material for episode 5 that seems to significantly affect the backstory of a character that plays a key role in Riordan’s sequel book series The Heroes of Olympus and feels somewhat unnecessary at this stage. In relation to that and more egregiously though, the show’s decision to cast an actress of Asian/Spanish/Western European descent to play this character from the books who is specifically Puerto Rican can’t help but feel slightly disappointing given the show’s previously established approach to inclusive casting.

But though it has its fair share of shortcomings, Percy Jackson season 2 is a strong sophomore outing that is largely better than its first thanks to an emphasis on practical sets and effects which dramatically increase the show’s production value and quality, good writing that delivers strong arcs for the show’s main characters and an impressive young cast who just continue to grow and improve with every season. And excitingly, the mid-credits scene in the season finale confirms our favorite demigods will be back for a third season later this year. Bring on season 3! 

8/10