Every episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, ranked worst to best

Runner up: Episode 4, “I Plunge To My Death”

I don’t have a problem with Episode 4; it’s placed as my second least favorite of the season merely because it inspired less enthusiasm than the others. The sequences with Echidna and the Chimera are well-executed, but they could just as easily not have taken place, in the grand scheme of things. This episode marks one more stop on Percy’s quest, but the only element of significance to the overall plot arrives in the last couple of minutes.

I was not disappointed by anything in this episode; rather, I was disappointed at the lack of something from the book that should’ve been in this episode. The show could have given Grover the opportunity to mention his environmental mission to save the planet from pollution. I’m sad that this aspect, so important to one of the main characters in the book and so relevant today, was brushed off and barely mentioned at all during the season. 

Despite this, Episode 4 wasn’t bad at all. One thing I absolutely adored was how Percy tricked Annabeth into thinking he would leave her behind on St. Louis’ Gateway Arch, and pushed her into the elevator with Grover, forcing both of his friends away from danger.

Out of the Woods: Episode 6 “We Take A Zebra To Vegas”

The Lotus Casino episode is slightly weak in terms of narrative, but we shall let that pass because it gave us Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes, who's hanging out at the Lotus casino. In this episode, our heroes waste the few precious days remaining on their world-saving quest after breathing in the air at the casino, which causes them to forget who they are and what they're doing. Truth be told, I would’ve preferred for the teenagers to eat the lotus as they do in the book, in a show of mortal weakness.

What’s uncanny is that, in a place that is meant for people to forget themselves, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover spend their seemingly short stay at the Lotus dwelling on the past and strategizing about the future. For Percy and Annabeth, it doesn’t feel like so much time is passing, nor for us watching them. We’re just asked to believe it. I know the excellent minds behind the show could’ve done better here.

The bit I appreciated the most was the interactions between Annabeth and Hermes when they talked about Hermes' son Luke, whom our heroes had met before at Camp Half-Blood, where all the sons and daughters of gods train to use their powers. Also, Annabeth believing she could pickpocket the god of thieves and him being a good sport and humoring her was fun.

Next up, let's take a look at the episodes that deserve to dwell on the ELYSIUM PLAINS: