‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Finally Feeling Alive Again

With the ending of episode five, we have finally passed through the Sea of Monsters and can start getting ready to enter some actually riveting plotlines. Not only does this season push past the previous stuff, but it also finally gives the cast material to work with, as well as introducing one of the most interesting guest characters of the book. Read our Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 Episode 5 review.

The episode picks up after the destruction of Clarisse’s (Dior Goodjohn) warship at the hands (?) of Scylla and Charybdis, which leads to Percy (Walker Scobell) and Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) washing ashore at CC’s Spa & Resort, and Clarisse washing ashore at Polyphemus’s Island, where she reunites with Grover (Aryan Simhadri).

The episode introduces Rosemarie DeWitt’s CC, Riordan’s take on the sorceress Circe (who will be played by Charlize Theron in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey), who, to me, is the clear highlight of the episode. It’s been a while since the show has had a performance of this calibre, as DeWitt exudes charisma with every line, which ties deep into the arcs of both Percy and Annabeth and the realisation of their flaws.

This is great to see in what has been a quite underwhelming season. The B-plot of the episode, with Clarisse seemingly talking to Grover and the proper reveal of Polyphemus, was quite great. I did love the Polyphemus design, even though I was expecting a more popular actor in the role. I think the scene had really great chops from Dior Goodjohn, who really finds her footing in the role.

The Sirens was another interesting take on the classic tale, and I think the physical depiction of them could have been better, but I did love the metaphorical depiction of them, with Annabeth flashing into a trance featuring Percy, Luke (Charlie Bushnell) and Grover, as well as her mother, Athena, played by Andra Day.

In all, I really loved how the episode utilised its cast by giving them good material in a season that has been so terribly lacking in it. I think the episode was adapted well here and is definitely the best of the three sets of media (the others being the chapter and the film).

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 Episode 5 stars Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson, Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase, Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood, Charlie Bushnell as Luke Castellan, Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse La Rue, Andra Day as Athena, and Rosemarie DeWitt as Circe. Watch the season now on Disney+ below:

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