The series ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ receives new episodes every Tuesday, exclusively on the Disney+ streaming platform
Last Tuesday, the 26th, the third episode of the series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” arrived on Disney+, featuring one of the villains from the first book in the saga written by Rick Riordan: Medusa, a character known for having snakes on her head instead of her hair.
Despite being portrayed as an antagonist in the plot, Medusa’s story in her original tale is a little different. In mythology, before becoming the gorgon we know, she took a vow of celibacy in devotion to Athena, goddess of wisdom.
However, one night, she ends up becoming more intimately involved with Poseidon, the god of the sea — where it is in this part that different versions begin to emerge, where some claim that the involvement was not consensual. Despite this, she is still transformed, and ends up being later killed by Perseus.
During the plot of the first book written by Rick Riordan, much of this event is cut, due to the target audience of the work. However, some parts remain similar, due to Medusa’s connection with Annabeth, who is the daughter of Athena, and Percy, the son of Poseidon.
In the series, the relationship between them also ends up being a little different. Second Rebecca Riordan, the author’s wife, “the only reason Medusa isn’t developed more in the books is that it was Percy’s narrative and we don’t get her perspective. It was one of the first things we talked about, like not having a patriarchal lens.”
Rick adds the speech of Rebecca stating that “As a 12-year-old boy in 2005, I don’t think he had the capacity to deconstruct the patriarchy. He was looking at it like, ‘This is a scary woman who’s trying to turn me to stone.'”
In the third episode of the series, we can see Percy, Annabeth and Grover finally meeting Medusa, and taking refuge with her, despite the danger. During this moment, the gorgon, angry at Athena’s daughter’s relationship with the goddess, decides to tell her entire story.
“There are many versions from ancient times about what happened in that temple with Medusa, Poseidon and Athena. Who is to blame? Who is the aggressor? What’s the real story? It’s fiction, but it’s certainly important to recognize that there is abuse involved here. Abuse of power.”, concludes Riordan.
With eight episodes in total, the new chapters of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” are available on Disney+ every Tuesday. Remember the trailer!
Source: Recreio
