Percy Jackson and the Olympians 2×07 Review: “I Go Down with the Ship”

The penultimate episode of season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians makes what I consider to be the first major misstep of the season in bringing forward a major reveal from the book too early.

I sort of understand why they decided to spoil the major twist that was the fleece healing Thalia right out of the tree. Luke’s reaction to the news further humanizes him; the implication is that there may indeed be something that could bring him back to the “good” side and sway him from Kronos. His confrontation with Kronos also cements that he is being manipulated by a powerful entity.

But Thalia appearing at the base of the tree was one of the biggest twists of the series. It’s an impossibility that no one had considered, and it changes the course of both hers and Percy’s futures by introducing another element to the Great Prophecy. I feel like they could have accomplished what they intended while still keeping the reveal in the same place.

Of course, a television show is an entirely different medium than a book, and getting out of Percy’s head gives us the opportunity to see more of the story. The flashbacks we’ve been seeing of Thalia, and the dreams that Percy and now Annabeth have had, foreshadow her return in a way that never happened in the book. So it won’t be quite the grand reveal when she returns. But I do think it’s a bit on the nose to have Annabeth just blurt it out.

Still, we don’t yet know (or at least, TV-watchers do not know) what side of the conflict Thalia will fall on. Annabeth believes that Thalia would have sided with the gods, even though she despises them; Luke clearly thinks that she would have rebelled with him. And Percy does not know what to think, based on his dream.

I do enjoy that they are showing us Percy’s mixed feelings about Thalia. It’s not just about the dream he had, where she is responsible for so many deaths at camp. He must sit there and listen to his two best friends wax philosophical about this same girl. There must be some level of jealousy there as well.

There is also the fact that the big battle that was teased for next week did not happen in the books. And while we may know the ultimate outcome, as there are three books – and therefore hopefully three seasons – after this one, we don’t know how exactly things are going to play out. Grover did mention that when two divine objects – such as Thalia’s tree and the fleece – come into contact, no one knows what will happen. Perhaps that is a statement worth paying attention to.

The rest of the episode was as great as the rest of the season. I love the not-really teamwork between Clarisse and Percy; they worked together well, all without actually working together. Despite their different priorities, each of them ended up completing the other’s mission. While Percy was able to free Annabeth from her bonds, Clarisse is the one who actually saved her. And Percy is the one who snagged the fleece from Kronos’s crypt.

By the way, I am a huge fan of the way that Percy grabbed the fleece and left before Kronos could finish revealing the rest of the prophecy. It felt like such a Percy moment.

There was a lot I loved about this episode. I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to see the Hippocampi up close, but I thought Percy meeting Blackjack was fantastic. I kind of wished he had lingered on the fact that he can talk to horses, but then I feel like it’s a very Percy thing to do that and not realize that he’s doing it; it was the same with his nautical knowledge earlier in the season.

I really appreciate the charmspeak mention. I can’t remember if that’s important in the books, but it is nice to remember that demigods have different abilities based on their godly parent. The rogue demigods playing Mythomagic was also a nice touch.

The action sequences were great. The fight between Luke and Percy was intense, particularly because Percy was fighting with one hand. But I loved watching Clarisse take down five opponents with such ease, unbelievable as it may have been. She was so happy when she found the armory and was able to grab herself some more weapons. I have really loved Clarisse this season.

Some people thought it a little too convenient that Percy gets stabbed while he just so happens to have the fleece. But I think that’s why Luke stabs him in the first place; he knows Percy has the fleece and will be able to heal himself. It’s not about killing him. Luke just found out that Annabeth lied to him to shield Percy, and he’s angry. He wants to make it hurt.

I love how Percy hid the bloodstain on his shirt when he saw Sally. I also love everything about Sally in this episode. It’s so refreshing to see a parent in a show like this who knows everything and comes to the rescue. Her rolling up to save the day in a Prius was spectacular.

I can’t help but notice that Annabeth’s cap fell out of Percy’s pocket when he escaped the ship. I’m very curious as to how that item is going to be returned to its owner.

As we head into the final episode of the season, I hope that it is everything I have been expecting. Season 2 has been so great, and I am anticipating a finale worthy of the rest of the season.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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