The epic adventure of Percy Jackson & The Olympians continues with its second episode, “I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom.” How will Percy fare now that he’s arrived at Camp Half-Blood? Will he still be a victim or will he rise to the challenge? And will his true godly parentage be revealed? There’s only one way to find out.
Please bear in mind that this will contain full spoilers for “I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom” so tread lightly if you haven’t seen it yet. Without further ado, let’s begin.
Also Read: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: 5 Failed Franchises That Deserve a Second Chance at Revival
Percy Jackson Episode 2 Plot
Percy wakes up at Camp Half-Blood the morning after the minotaur battle, dead-set on finding his mysterious godly father. Mr. D, played by Jason Mantzoukas, claims to be such to Percy, but this is merely an attempted ruse to access alcohol, as Mr. D is actually Dionysus, the god of wine. No one knows who Percy’s father really is, since gods and goddesses have to claim their children before they can be placed in their respective cabins.
When demigods are unclaimed, they stay in the Hermes cabin; since Hermes is the god of travelers. Percy moves in and quickly bonds with Luke, a senior counselor and actual son of Hermes; who teaches Percy about the idea of glory and assists in Percy’s attempts to figure out what he’s good at. All of these attempts end badly and Percy nearly takes a faceful of toilet water at the hands of Clarisse, a daughter of Ares, before mysteriously redirecting the water back at her.
This feat gets the attention of Annabeth, a daughter of Athena and an old friend of Luke, who recruits Percy for her Capture The Flag team. Percy is left on guard duty and mostly goofs around until Clarisse shows up, ready to kill despite “No killing or maiming” being literally the only rule. Percy manages to hold off Clarisse long enough for his team to win the game, but sustains injuries that are magically healed by water that Annabeth pushes him into.
At this point, Percy is claimed as the son of Poseidon, god of the sea. This makes Percy a “Forbidden Kid,” as Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades had previously agreed not to sire any more demigods due to them being too powerful; leaving Percy alone in the Poseidon cabin after finally starting to make friends.
However, this revelation also starts Percy on a perilous journey; as Zeus has framed him for stealing the Master Bolt and given him until the Summer Solstice in one week to return it. Otherwise, Zeus will declare war on his sea-faring brother and by extension the world. Percy initially refuses to be a part of this until learning that the Master Bolt’s true location in the Underworld is also where his mother, who is in fact still alive, is being held hostage by Hades.
Percy Jackson Episode 2 Critique
“I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom” primarily serves as an introduction to Camp Half-Blood and on that level, it works very well. The glimpses we get of the various cabins all make them feel like miniaturized worlds in and of themselves that capture the personalities and abilities of their respective god or goddess. The introduction of Luke and Annabeth as experienced but sympathetic supporting characters and Dior Goodjohn’s unhinged performance as Clarisse is a sight to see.
Jason Mantzoukas as the arrogant and withdrawal-ridden Mr. D is genuinely perfect casting and it’s nice to see Glynn Turman get more time to shine as Chiron. And the ending hook for the main quest is fairly effective. However, the episode does suffer from some minor pacing issues. Most of the story serves as set-up to get to the big finale moments of Percy being claimed and starting the quest. Even if you haven’t read the books, it’s fairly obvious where this is going and it’s arguably a bit too slow in getting us there.
Also, on a minor note, the rather lax safety measures for camper-on-camper violence is distractingly bizarre given that Camp Half-Blood is supposed to be a sanctuary. In fact, the only penalty for maiming or killing another camper is losing desert privileges and there’s little to no outside supervision to prevent this from happening. It could be argued that this is part of the point, but the episode never really acknowledges it. Perhaps it’s something that’ll be addressed later on.
Despite some minor hiccups, “I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom” is a very strong second episode. The action’s great, the world design is spectacular, the supporting cast is effectively established, and our main story is now fully ready to go. Another winner for this rising star of a series.
9/10
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for more entertainment coverage.
