Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers forPercy Jackson and the OlympiansEpisode 3.
Disney+‘sPercy Jackson and the Olympiansfollows the title character (Walker Scobell) as he enters a world where myths are real and discovers that his absent father is the Greek god Poseidon. Yet, this is not the first version of Percy’s story. The show is adapted fromRick Riordan’s novels of the same name. The series follows the story of the first book,Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, but is already making significant changes. For the most part, the show’s plot is familiar to fans of the books as Percy sets out on his quest with Grover (Aryan Simhadri) and Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) while facing the same monsters from the books. But some changes were made to the story. Though dedicated fans of any novel are liable to claim the book is always better than the adaption,Percy Jackson and the Olympiansimprove the original story, especially in Episode 3, “We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium.”
This episode makes major changes to the monsterMedusa (Jessica Parker Kennedy). Though she appears at the same point in the book, the show presents an entirely different situation. On-screen, Medusa is a cool and fashionable woman, much less monstrous than in the book. Sure, she still turns people to stone and has a basement full of her victims, but the show rewrote her scenes to give her some much-deserved sympathy. Medusa is a victim of the gods, and the show highlights that fact in a way the book never did. The shift brings the story of Medusa closer to the original myth as it presents a more nuanced version of the character. Though it is a deviation from the source material, it actually fits better with the plot, becoming an early example of the gods’ cruelty and forcing the characters to question the stories they know.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, is coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god, Zeus, accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt; with his friend’s help, Percy must restore order to Olympus.
How Is Medusa Different in ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’?
The show has Percy, Annabeth, and Grover encounter Medusa as Alecto (Megan Mullally) chases them. Knowing the dangers, they choose Medusa over the Fury, sitting down for a meal with her and listening to her version of the story. This is in contrast to the book, where the trio wanders into Medusa’s lair with nothing chasing them, and, due to an enchantment, they don’t realize who they are facing until the last second. The show highlights Annabeth’s quick deductive skills as she figures out the identity of “Aunty Em” almost instantly. Though this doesn’t save them from the monster, it does provide a chance to explore Medusa more thoroughly, as the characters are aware of who she is before she attacks them.
In the book, Medusa dotes on Percy, the son of her former lover, and hates Annabeth for her parentage. This is the biggest hint of her past as Medusa clearly blames Athena for her curse while holding some affection towards Poseidon. However, the show portrays her anger towards both Athena and Poseidon.Though she is still a villain, there is more focus on why she became that way.Medusa describes how she was betrayed, claiming to see herself in Annabeth’s attitude toward Athena, and even offers to helpPercy find his mother. She does attempt to petrify the children when they don’t see things her way, but it is not her immediate reaction to their arrival. While in the books, she plays nice to manipulate them into posing for her, the show explores her backstory and demonstrates that she has goals beyond filling her house with life-like statues. This creates a deeper character, showing her to be more than another monster out for blood. After all, the trio already faced two Furies, and Percy fought the Minotaur, who fit that description. This nuanced, almost morally gray version of Medusa makes a more interesting character and is closer to the original myth than her portrayal in Riordan’s book.
How Does ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Compare to Medusa’s Myth?
Though the show makes changes from the book, Medusa’s story long predates even that. The myth has many different versions, but the most common is far too dark to include in a children’s book. In this version, Medusa was a devout servant of Athena and promised to remain celibate, but her beauty caught the eye of Poseidon. The story comes to a head with a sexual encounter between Medusa and Poseidon inside Athena’s temple. In many versions of the story, this is not consensual, making Medusa a victim of rape. For the disrespect, Athena punishes Medusa, stealing her beauty and turning her into a monster. The story ends with a demigod (also named Perseus) beheading Medusa. Riordan had to clean up this story for his middle-grade book, butin a recent interview,he goes a step further, saying, “As a 12-year-old boy in 2005, I don’t think he had the bandwidth for deconstructing the patriarchy.” As the book is narrated by Percy, there is little time to consider more than the life-and-death situation he’s in.
However, in the show, the characters are not fighting for their lives the whole time, providing a chance to explore Medusa’s perspective of the story. For obvious reasons, the show doesn’t explore all of this in detail. After all, it is aimed at a young audience.But the version Medusa tells alludes to the dark aspects of the myth.She describes her love for Athena, her relationship with Poseidon, and Athena’s punishment for the disgrace she caused. Medusa even comments on the injustice that she was cursed rather than Poseidon. Though it’s not clearly stated, the show hints at the rape, fitting with the myth while keeping it age appropriate. There are certainly differences, like how Medusa doesn’t look monstrous in the show. In fact, she’s pretty, though most of her face must remain covered. In this case, her punishment was not about being ugly but invisible as she is unable to be seen by others. However, as far as modern retellings go, it is close.
The Change to Medusa Benefits ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’
The books never dived into the complexities surrounding Medusa, but the fallibility of the gods becomes a major aspect of the series later on. The gods are imperfect, and Medusa’s story highlights that in the show. She was betrayed by Athena, whom she served, and Poseidon, whom she loved, and only she suffered for it. Medusa’s story forces Annabeth to question everything she knows about her mother. The episode also focuses on the relationship between the gods and their children, or more accurately, the lack of relationship. Percy resents his father for abandoning him, and Annabeth reveals that her mother ignores her. Medusa’s story ties into the many complaints about the gods other demigods express, whichwill be significant later.
The show doesn’t stop Medusa from being a monster, but it makes it clear that she is not the only monster in that story.After killing her, Percy sends her head to Olympus, blaming the gods for creating her. This is an act of defiance as he expresses his anger with them. While the books developed the gods' imperfections in other ways, the show explores this plotline early, yet it fits with the rest of the story. By making Medusa a more nuanced character and exploring her background, the show improved upon the book version of the character.
Percy Jackson and the Olympiansis available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S. with new episodes on Wednesdays.
