In Season 1, Episode 3 of the Disney Plus series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, titled “We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium,” the story unfolds with Percy (Walker Scobell) meeting the Oracle, who, with the voice and visage of Gabe Ugliano (Timm Sharp), instructs the son of Poseidon, confirming the guidance from Chiron (Glynn Turman), to head to the Underworld located beneath the city of Los Angeles to find the Master Bolt. During a quest ceremony, Percy decides to take Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) with him on his quest. However, the real reason he chooses Grover is his suspicion that his protector will betray him, as warned by the Oracle, though it turns out not to be the case later on.
Before embarking on his quest, Percy meets Luke (Charlie Bushnell), who gives him a pair of winged shoes to aid in his journey, while Annabeth bids farewell to Thalia, who became a tree years ago when killed by Alecto (Megan Mullally) and other monsters attempting to kill her for being a forbidden child.
The quest begins with a cross-country journey on a bus in New Jersey, where they are confronted by Alecto and another fury named Tisiphone (Sara J. Southey). Annabeth interrogates Alecto, who reveals her plan to kidnap Percy and take him to Hades alive. The confrontation escalates to a small fight, leading the trio to escape to a forest where they stumble upon a Garden Gnome Emporium run by Aunty Em, who is actually the gorgon Medusa (Jessica Parker Kennedy). The emporium is filled with statues of Medusa’s victims, horrifying Annabeth, who realizes that Em is short for Medusa. They have to leave until Alecto tracks and attempts to take Percy, at which point Medusa arrives, forcing the trio and Alecto to avert their eyes from the veiled gorgon. Medusa offers the trio sanctuary and protection from Alecto, which Percy accepts due to his belief in the inherent goodness of Medusa, despite the tragic curse inflicted upon her by Athena. However, Annabeth is horrified to accept Percy’s decision because she herself is a daughter of Athena.
Later, Medusa invites the trio to lunch and explains her life as a priestess of Athena who loved the goddess deeply and worshiped her with commitment. However, Athena did not reciprocate Medusa’s past love, breaking her until she fell in love with Poseidon, which infuriated Athena. In retaliation, Athena cursed her, making any person Medusa sees with her own eyes turn into stone. Percy sympathizes with Medusa, but Annabeth firmly believes her mother, Athena, is infallible and would not have done such a horrendous thing without reason, considering Medusa a liar playing the victim. Annabeth’s words hurt Medusa, making her angry enough to attempt to convince Percy to allow her to kill Grover and Annabeth. Medusa is being truthful and truly sympathizes with Percy’s desire to save his mother from the Underworld, but she still wants Annabeth dead for insulting her and Grover for her own reasons. Percy refuses, and Medusa’s madness, built up from millennia of isolation, prompts her to attack the trio. The confrontation ends with Percy decapitating the gorgon before using Medusa’s head to petrify Alecto into stone, allowing him to continue his quest unimpeded.
In the aftermath, Percy and Annabeth have disagreements regarding how to proceed with the quest until Grover intervenes, helping them find common ground after some arguments. They reach a common cause when Percy reveals the truth of the Oracle’s prophecy: One of the people Percy trusts and befriends will betray him. With this revelation, the trio works to rebuild their trust in each other and decides to ship Medusa’s head to Olympus using Hermes Express, surprisingly delivered by the Greek God of Messengers, Hermes (Lin-Manuel Miranda), himself.
Percy Jackson vs. Medusa (Aunt Em)
Season 1, Episode 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, titled “We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium,” was another great live adaptation of Percy, Annabeth, and Grover’s confrontation with Medusa in Rick Riordan’s novel Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. In this episode, the collaborative efforts of Director Anders Engström and Writers Jonathan E. Steinberg and Monica Owusu-Breen bring the story to life with some notable differences from the source material.
The episode mirrors the novel’s overarching plot, following Percy Jackson on a quest to retrieve Zeus’s stolen Master Bolt to prevent a war among the gods. Both the book and the episode feature Percy’s encounter with the Gorgon Medusa in a garden statue emporium called Auntie Em’s Garden Gnome Emporium, a setting central to the plot.
In the novel, Medusa’s backstory aligns with Greek mythology, where she was once a beautiful priestess of Athena cursed by the goddess for a romantic entanglement with Poseidon. This curse turns anyone who gazes into her eyes into stone. The confrontation with Medusa in both versions results in Percy decapitating her using a reflective surface to avoid direct eye contact.
However, the episode introduces notable differences. Alecto and Tisiphone, Furies pursuing Percy, are added as additional threats, providing a more action-packed sequence. Luke’s role is expanded, adding depth to his character and exploring dynamics within the group. The episode also delves deeper into the dynamics between Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, with suspicions of betrayal adding tension to the narrative.
Medusa’s character gains significance in the episode as a symbol of tragedy. Her backstory emphasizes the consequences of crossing the gods and introduces moral ambiguity to the narrative. Percy’s decision to accept Medusa’s offer of sanctuary and protection highlights his belief in the potential goodness in individuals, even those considered villains.
The conflict of beliefs between Percy and Annabeth regarding the gods and their actions is heightened through Medusa’s character. Annabeth’s staunch loyalty to Athena contrasts with Percy’s willingness to see the shades of gray in the gods’ actions, adding depth to their character development.
In conclusion, while Season 1, Episode 3 draws inspiration from the novel, it introduces changes to enhance visual storytelling. Medusa’s character, with added depth and complexity, serves as a pivotal figure in exploring themes of tragedy, redemption, and moral ambiguity within the context of Greek mythology.
Rating: 9/10