The epic quest of Percy Jackson & The Olympians properly kicks off with the third episode, “We Visit The Garden Gnome Emporium.” Now that the stage is set and the stakes have been established, how will our young heroes begin their journey? What will be the defining dynamics of our trio once they finally start interacting? And will we say any more of Percy Jackson‘s unique takes on the Greek pantheon?
All these questions and more will be answered momentarily. Please bear in mind that this will contain full spoilers for “We Visit The Garden Gnome Emporium” so tread lightly if you haven’t seen it yet. Without further ado, let’s begin.
Also Read: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: 5 Failed Franchises That Deserve a Second Chance at Revival
Percy Jackson Episode 3 Plot
After receiving a prophecy from the Oracle, Percy is told to choose two companions for his quest; selecting Grover and Annabeth. After being gifted spending money from Chiron and a pair of flying shoes from Luke, the three set off on their quest; with Annabeth quickly taking charge. Percy and Annabeth start butting heads almost immediately, with Grover trying and failing to act as a mediator.
The trio stop at a convenience store for snacks, but are confronted by the Furies, including Mrs. Dodds from the first episode. One of the Furies, Electo, chases them into the woods before being stopped by the Gorgon Medusa; who currently operates as the curator of Aunty Em’s Garden Gnome Emporium. And with Percy and Medusa having mutual sympathies for each other, she invites the three into her home for a hot meal.
While Medusa is outwardly kind to the trio, Annabeth is immediately suspicious. Medusa explains that she was once a loyal and loving servant to Annabeth’s mother Athena, but was given her famous punishment when she once prayed to Percy’s father Poseidon instead. Medusa even points out that she was not dissimilar to Annabeth; a narrative that Annabeth vehemently rejects.
In secret, Medusa offers Percy assistance in his quest if he turns over Grover and Annabeth. Percy of course turns down the offer and a fight ensues; with Percy cutting off her head and using Annabeth’s invisibility cap to safely store it. He uses the head to turn Electo to stone and initially thinks to leave it at the house with the cap on; but changes his mind after learning that the cap is Annabeth’s only tangible connection to her mother.
Percy then reveals the real reason he chose Grover and Annabeth as his companions: a line in the prophecy stating “You shall be betrayed by one who calls you friend.” Given this line, Percy expected Annabeth to betray them and for Grover to always be loyal. The three then mutually agree that they have to trust each other if they’re going to succeed on their quest.
With this in mind, Percy decides to send Medusa’s decapitated head to Olympus to make a statement. And the head is delivered to the 600th floor of the Empire State Building, Olympus’ location in the present day, by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes, ending the episode.
Percy Jackson Episode 3 Critique
While this episode is a fairly accurate adaptation of the early quest section of the book, particularly the “We Visit The Garden Gnome Emporium” chapter from which it gets its name, there are two major deviations. One of which is Medusa. In the book, she tricks the trio by disguising herself, only starts attacking when her true identity is revealed, and is painted as wholly monstrous. Here, the trio immediately knows who she is and she’s painted in a much more sympathetic light while still being a villain.
I genuinely love this change. It makes the characters feel smarter and presents some much-welcome nuance to the Medusa story; a tale which strikes me as more and more of a sympathetic tragedy as I’ve gotten older. My only real disappointment with it is that Medusa still ends up being the villain. It does work in context and I understand that her severed head is a major plot point that you can’t just get rid of, but I think you could’ve found a way to keep it in while not making her evil.
The other major change is with the Percy/Grover/Annabeth relationship dynamic. In the book, Percy makes fast friends with Annabeth shortly after arriving at camp and he chooses the two of them because he genuinely trusts them. Here, he only genuinely trusts Grover, choosing him because he expects to be betrayed by Annabeth; whom he only chooses because she’s the one other person he knows and wants to maintain some semblance of control over the prophecy.
The added layer of animosity between Percy and Annabeth definitely took some getting used to as a longtime fan. Sure, they made fun of each other and had a friendly rivalry in the first book, but it was never this extreme. However, I completely understand why the change was made and I think it makes sense for the story.
Percy has been thrust into an entirely new world with very little idea of what to do or who to trust. Expecting a tactile genius like Annabeth to think he’s expendable makes sense. It also helps the relationship feel more earned once they finally come together at the end of the episode. The only other big change is Hermes showing up at the very end, since he doesn’t appear in the books until The Sea of Monsters. But they’re obviously planning ahead and if you cast Lin-Manuel Miranda, I can understand wanting to show him off.
Overall though, I would still say that “We Visit The Garden Gnome Emporium is yet another great episode. Jessica Parker Kennedy gives a terrific performance as Medusa, there’s a good balance of action, comedy, and emotional moments, and it mostly stays faithful to the source material while making appropriate changes for the modern era. This quest is most definitely on the right track.
9/10
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