The cast of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2Image via Disney+
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Kendall Myers
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Kendall Myers is a Senior Author with Collider. As part of the TV and Movies Features team, she writes about some of the most popular releases before, during, and after they premiere. In three years, she has written over 900 articles with topics ranging from classic sitcoms to fantasy epics.
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Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Season 2, Episode 3
Percy Jackson and the Olympians introduces many characters as Percy (Walker Scobel) and his friends explore the mythical world. The story is growing more complex in Season 2 as new enemies emerge, but it's safe to say that already, there are plenty of characters to hate. Kronos (Nick Boraine), as the big bad, Luke (Charlie Bushnell), the demigod who betrayed camp, and even the gods, whose general apathy towards their children has built resentment. However, there is one character who, despite not being a villain herself, is easy to dislike: Clarisse (Dior Goodjohn).
While the series features a camp full of demigod heroes, all hoping to prove themselves to their godly parents, only Clarisse has made it a competition. The daughter of Ares (Adam Copeland) took an instant dislike to Percy, and she uses her skill to bully those around her. As such, it became easy for the audience to hate Clarisse, villain or not. However, in Season 2, Clarisse gets a more central role, receiving the quest above Percy and aiming to save Camp Half-Blood. While exploring that plot, Episode 3, "We Board the Princess Andromeda," switches to Clarisse's perspective, showing Clarisse to have even more depth than the book version.
'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Season 1 Doesn't Paint Clarisse in a Positive Light
Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse in Percy Jackson and the OlympiansImage via Disney+
Clarisse isn't new to the series, and she actually played a memorable role in Season 1. However, it was not a likable role. When Percy arrives at camp, Clarisse is one of his main obstacles. Rather than being welcoming like Luke or including him in her schemes like Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), Clarisse targets Percy, bullying him first for gaining attention with his dramatic entrance and then out of revenge for embarrassing her. Rather than compete in the camp-wide capture the flag competition, Clarisse prefers to attack Percy, putting him in danger just because she's angry. Her introduction shows Clarisse to be quick to anger, selfish, and desperate for glory, which doesn't exactly recommend her as a character.
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Posts By Rahul MalhotraBecause of their differences, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) are quick to assume the worst in Clarisse, and it isn't difficult to believe them. Her brash, vengeful nature instantly makes her unlikable, to both Percy and the audience, so when they (correctly) suspect that Ares was involved in the theft of Zeus' (Lance Reddick) master bolt, Clarisse seems like the perfect accomplice to her father. Though Clarisse's cruelty helps to cover Luke's true nature for the final twist, this assumption is dead wrong. Even when the trio discovers that Clarisse is innocent, they are far from friends. Clarisse may not be a villain, but after her Season 1 actions, she's not exactly popular, and understandably so. Yet Season 2 shows a different side of her.
Clarisse Grows More Complex in 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Season 2
Season 2 gives Clarisse a larger part, and she shows more nuance than the Season 1 bully. As Clarisse receives her own quest, the series highlights the intense pressure from both her father and herself. As Clarisse gets her prophecy, Percy Jackson and the Olympians shows her fear for the first time. Not only is she frightened by the oracle, but as Percy hears his Season 1 prophecy in the voice of the stepfather he hates, Clarisse hears it in her own voice, suggesting that she is less confident than she lets on. This insight into Clarisse proves that she is a complex character, and the rest of the episode supports that.
Like Percy, Clarisse hopes to gain her father's attention, and when she has a quest, she finally does. Ares gifts her a ship to sail with a crew full of soldiers that owe him a debt, but his support isn't without conditions. He makes it very clear that she is to succeed and beat Percy, adding pressure to what she's already placed on herself. Ares goes even further as he proceeds to undermine her authority, telling the entire crew that she has no practical experience and calling her a "little girl." His attitude toward her gives Clarisse something to prove, meaning failure isn't an option. This dynamic with her father humanizes Clarisse, showing where her unyielding desire for glory comes from, yet that itself is not enough.
As Episode 3 continues, a new side of Clarisse emerges. She is vulnerable as her mission seems doomed, with not even her undead sailors following her instructions. She quickly realizes that her usual tactic of attacking first and thinking later will not save her this time, which forces her to show more of herself. Clarisse learns to understand what her ragtag army of the dead wants rather than trying to fight them into submission. Giving a powerful speech about second chances, Clarisse rises to the occasion and gains their trust. This is the most heroic moment on her journey so far, and it suggests greater depth to the character that Season 2 can bring out. Seeing Clarisse's personal struggles as she fears failure and faces pressure from her father makes her a more sympathetic and interesting character.
Clarisse's Portrayal in 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Shows Off the Adaptation's Strengths
Clarisse looking to the distance with a bag and spear in Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.Image via Disney+
Through Clarisse's storyline, Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 highlights its greatest strength over the books by showing a clear view of Clarisse rather than one colored by Percy's experience. Clarisse's Season 2 arc isn't totally new to the series. In fact, this newfound sympathy for Clarisse is present in the second book as Percy overhears a conversation between her and Ares and recognizes how it must feel that he and Annabeth hijacked her quest, but the TV series is better equipped to explore Clarisse's arc than the books.
Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters, like the rest of the series, is narrated by Percy and therefore is biased against Clarisse. However, the TV show is not tied to his point of view, and Season 2, Episode 3 takes advantage of that fact with Clarisse's storyline. This episode breaks away from Percy and the main trio for the first time to explore Clarisse's perspective. While it marks another change for the books, this is a positive one. Showing Clarisse's story from her own point of view is a subtle distinction, but it plays into the strength of the adaptation as it shakes off the unreliable narrator and makes Clarisse a complex and sympathetic character.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is streaming on Disney+ in the U.S. with new episodes on Wednesdays.
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Percy Jackson & the Olympians
Like Follow Followed TV-PG Drama Family Adventure Fantasy Supernatural Release Date December 19, 2023 Network Disney+ Showrunner Jonathan E. Steinberg, Dan Shotz Directors James Bobin Writers Joe Tracz, Andrew MillerCast
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Walker Scobell
Percy Jackson
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Leah Sava Jeffries
Annabeth Chase
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Percy Jackson & the Olympians
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