Percy Jackson didn't ask to be a half-blood, but we sure asked him to
Your favorite (okay, MY favorite) demigod is back
Welcome to Gen Z Translator, where I break down trending topics on Fridays. If you’re new, you can subscribe here and follow me on X/Twitter. Happy reading!
It’s December, so you know what that means! Nineteen days until we get to watch the Percy Jackson and the Olympians television series 🎉
To say this is a big deal to me is an understatement. I grew up with Percy Jackson and the early Tumblr and Instagram craze around the series as Rick Riordan wrote Heroes of Olympus.
The first movie adaptation in 2010 was notably disappointing. The fandom had big expectations and the film underdelivered by cutting important plotlines, aging up the characters, and overall falling flat.
Now, the series has a chance at redemption. Riordan himself has been involved in the production and lead actor Walker Scobell (14 years old playing a 12 year old) is already wooing fans.
I wrote an article last year about how the 2014s are returning, starting with Percy Jackson, and that still rings true. My friends and I joke about the resurgence of all our favorite things as teens.
If you haven’t heard the “23 year old teenage girl” joke, now you have. In my opinion, I think the idea stems from the years we lost during Covid. We went in as teens (or barely out of our teens) and came out unprepared for the weight of adulthood. Just look at some of the Twitter/X results.
The phrase also encapsulates the “heal your inner child” movement that was popularized during the pandemic. It normalized tapping into things we used to love, but were discouraged from as we grew up.
Heck, say less. I love healing my inner child. I still build Legos and watch video game play on YouTube. It’s a great time for it, too, as my text messages indicate.
However this show goes, I’m just happy Percy Jackson is getting a second chance. Our three leads playing beloved characters Percy, Annabeth, and Grover – Walker Scobell, Leah Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri – already have my heart. I think they’ll make my inner child proud.
My weekly roundup:
🎶 What I’m Listening To: My 2023 Spotify Wrapped 🫢
🎞️ What I’m Watching: Dan and Phil Games, resurrected from the dead
🔎 What I’m Reading: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yaros
📱 What I’m Scrolling: George Santos memes