Percy and crew make it to their destination as they try to rescue his mum from the Underworld – here’s our Percy Jackson And The Olympians episode 7 review.
This article contains spoilers for episodes 1-6 of Percy Jackson And The Olympians.
Throughout the Disney+ series, Walker Scobell’s Percy Jackson has faced a variety of monsters. On his quest to recover Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt and his abducted mother, he’s fought a Fury, Medusa, and the mother of monsters herself, Echidna. But can all of those things adequately prepare him for what’s to come in the Underworld?
While the realm of god of death Hades is indeed as menacing as it sounds, the most surprising thing awaiting Percy, Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhari) there is the truth of what’s actually going on. At the start of the series, Percy (who’s just beginning to understand his Demigod nature) is accused of stealing Zeus’ master bolt, and the mystery of who the thief really is has run throughout the show.
As episode seven’s title, We Find Out The Truth, Sort Of, might suggest, we come a lot closer to realising how the puzzle pieces fit together in this week’s instalment. But there are still loose ends to be tied, and with the season finale coming next week there are still questions to be answered.
While last week’s journey through the Lotus Casino felt like it was bridging a gap, this instalment builds wonderfully to the series’ climax while also having lots to offer in itself.
You can see how far the trio have come in the opening scene, which sees them team up to once again defeat a monster that stands in their way. Like most in the Percy Jackson universe, this creature is well disguised and lures its victims in in unconventional ways. It’s an exciting way to open the episode and establishes the teamwork and friendship the characters have developed since the start.
The rest of We Find Out The Truth, Sort Of is equally action-packed. It’s the episode where the characters finally get to the Underworld, and as much of the runtime as possible is spent there. Usually the Underworld is associated with typical representations of hell. You’d expect it to be dark, possibly underground, and for there to be lots and lots of fire. Percy Jackson presents a more interesting but no less fitting design for the land of the dead.
Instead of going for ‘flaming pit of doom’, the show’s production designers have instead created a barren, lifeless landscape in the form of a grey desert. There might not be much there to look at, but it’s still oddly captivating and extremely atmospheric. Other locations include an exceedingly creepy forest – but it would be nice if the scenes there were better lit. This episode unfortunately falls foul of the current trend of making everything too murky to clearly see.
Aside from the landscape of the Underworld, the rest of the VFX budget has clearly gone on a certain furry gatekeeper. That’s right, the three-headed giant dog Cerberus appears as one of the obstacles the trio have to pass. To be frank, he’s a very good boy – both a typical, excitable dog and also incredibly intimidating because of his enthusiasm combined with his size.
In previous weeks the godly characters have (usually) been a highlight, and episode seven is no different. This time we get to see Jay Duplass being an extremely charismatic Hades. As we find out the truth of the lightning thief situation (which I won’t spoil here), Duplass reacts to Percy’s accusations with an openness that makes the god of death seem deceptively trustworthy. Some of his requests, though, induce a certain amount of doubt. The gods we’ve encountered before – Ares, Hephaestus and Hermes – have usually been relatively honest with our heroes about the complicated relationships they share with each other. It’s refreshing, then, to get a character whose ultimate motives are unclear.
As the episode comes to a close, it promises both action and intrigue. There are still some lingering mysteries to be solved, but there’s also the hint that Percy won’t get the answers without a fight.
Percy Jackson And The Olympians episode seven is streaming now on Disney+, with the season finale streaming next Wednesday.
