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Here’s my review of Episode Three of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, “We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium,” which is based on chapters 9 through 11 of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Find out how many Snapes I awarded the episode based on how faithful it was to the source material, and find out what I thought of the major changes to the character of Medusa.
In the novel, Medusa is a straight up monster who attacks Percy and his friends. Percy kills her in complete self-defense and there is nothing really symapthetic about the character. The show makes Medusa much more complex and interesting, but the problem is that that’s not what the plot of the story needs her to be.
Activity: Devotion or Rejection?
Parents and teachers can discuss Medusa’s choices and viewpoints, exploring ideas that John Milton covered in Paradise Lost. Medusa rejects the idea that the Greek gods deserve eternal, unquestioning devotion, even when they don’t play by fair rules, fail to return love, and can be unfathomably cruel when it suits them. Ask students what they think of Medusa’s point of view, and if they think it’s better to fear the gods in hopes of pleasing them, or to reject them and live a life free from both their help and their harm.