Percy Jackson and the Olympians 2×04 Review: “Clarisse Blows Up Everything”

Season 2 is proving to be better and more enjoyable than Season 1, and “Clarisse Blows Up Everything” is probably the best episode of the series so far.

One of the best things about adapting a book into a television series is that it allows time for expanding on characters who may not have had a lot of development in the books. Particularly a book series like Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which was told in first person from Percy’s perspective. As I mentioned in last week’s review, in Sea of Monsters, we didn’t see Clarisse until she found them in the ocean. But now we’ve spent some time with her and her crew, which makes their entrance into the Sea of Monsters that much more tense and emotional.

They could very much have made Clarisse a hard-ass who only cared about glory and honor. That is certainly the vibe that she has given off until now. But “We Board the Princess Andromeda” and “Clarisse Blows Up Everything” show that she does genuinely care about her crew and wants to give them a happy ending. That moment on the deck when Carrington turned and looked at her, I can’t imagine the guilt she must have felt. Faced with those circumstances, I fully believe that she would have decided to take her chances against Charybdis instead of sacrificing any more of her crew.

I never thought I would like Clarisse, but they’ve done such a great job of humanizing her. Her conversation with Percy, where she risked showing her vulnerabilities to a kid she considers a rival. Her struggle to pick six soldiers to sacrifice, and then ultimately changing her mind, but then abandoning the cannon to save Annabeth. They’re really making me root for her.

Those last five minutes were fantastic. Cinematic quality, to be sure. It wasn’t just the production and the effects, it was the music and the acting. The tension was phenomenal; I like that they didn’t show us Scylla in all her glory. It was much more terrifying wondering who was going to get nabbed by a tentacle. And that cliffhanger was just diabolical! Thankfully, I know what happens next, or I would be very upset at having to wait a week to find out!

You have to wonder if, at the end, the parts of the boat that were left were being held together by Percy through sheer force of will. Someone pointed out that the remaining pieces were where Percy, Annabeth, and Clarisse were. I am so happy that we finally got to see him deliberately using his abilities. Even if the boat thing wasn’t him, the way he stood on the prow of the ship, just out in the elements, made him seem older and more seasoned than he is.

Through a series of flashbacks, we get to learn more about Annabeth and Luke’s history, as well as have our first introduction to the stunning Thalia Grace. Oh, yeah, I would absolutely follow her into battle.

Still, it does explain why Annabeth is not so quick to denounce Luke. She was so young, and she really looked up to him and Thalia. He did what he could to make her feel safe and protected. Seeing that sweet hug after their confrontation last week really just punches you in the gut, doesn’t it?

We also get to see that Luke has been harboring these feelings for a while. He didn’t just suddenly switch sides. It was clearly something that was festering in the back of his mind for years. I wish we’d gotten more time with him in season 1 so that the betrayal felt bigger, but I do appreciate that they’re already teasing at that thread. In the books, his motivation and the storyline behind it felt like it came out of nowhere.

I also wish they’d kept in the bit from the flashbacks where Annabeth stabs the Cyclops in the foot. I think it was a pretty pivotal moment in her past. That said, I love how they had her just straight up dust the three of Clarisse’s crew members who could do the roles that Annabeth, Percy, and Tyson could fill. That was a pretty smart move, as expected of a daughter of Athena. But it also shows just how brutal and logical she can be when the situation calls for it.

The bonding moment between Tyson and Percy was great. I’ve never been a big fan of that kind of humor, but these are teenage boys – and brothers to boot – and it felt very realistic for them to engage in a burping contest. And who else can say that a burping contest saved their lives?

Actually, all of the dialogue in this episode was great. Annabeth’s whole speech about how it’s not the big decisions you have to worry about, it’s all of the small ones that you don’t see coming, was fantastic. It’s so true, as well. And it goes well with everything Percy has been saying about how prophecies don’t always mean what you think. You start focusing on the specific words, and then you obsess about everything. It often leads to mistakes. I loved him saying that all they could do was what was right.

I saw you, Rainbow! Glad to see you haven’t been forgotten.

Wow, I can’t believe how many Percabeth crumbs we’re getting already! I should have expected it, but still. Percy’s unwavering faith in Annabeth and her abilities is something for the ages. The way he’s so sure that she’s making the right choices. The way he reassures her that Thalia’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain, even if she’d only known Annabeth for a short amount of time.

After every week, I say to myself, “You know, I should finally start that reread.” But this is honestly the first episode where I was halfway to my bookshelf by the time it was over. I can’t wait until next week!

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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