Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 Episode 7 Review: I Go Down with the Ship

That’s how you do a penultimate episode!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 Episode 7, “I Go Down with the Ship,” marks the impending end of the season with a memorable barrage of action and antics.

Ionically, the weakest element of the season — the action — is what drives this episode’s most successful moments.

That’s because the action is driven by character development and nuanced discussions between the demigods. And it’s shot with a cinematic intent that suggests the fight, like Percy himself, is shaking off its child-like whimsy.

Firstly, the episode opts for powerful imagery over brutality to get the point across, and that’s rather smart.

The tragic shots of Thalia readying her staff, followed by the tree in her place, do more than a dimly lit, cgi fight ever could.

The knives are out throughout this episode in the best way. You can feel the stakes building as Luke awakens Kronos. If you don’t, a quick slice through the elevator door into Percy’s stomach does the trick.

The heartpounding move is swift to remind us this story will turn deadly soon enough, while keeping that grinning love for battle at every turn.

The hand-to-hand combat has nowhere to hide when the two sides meet again on the cruise ship. However, this time, the outcome is drastically different.

Whether it’s Clarisse and Annabeth tag-teaming a gaggle of goons or Luke and Percy battling it out, the dueling fight sequences are shot well with a conviction that is entertaining to watch.

Every hit lands, and every swing has a heat behind it that sells these fights as something with stakes for the characters.

The rest of the episode feels just as intentional, from the dialogue to the redo with Luke and his army. Everything feels incredibly elevated in comparison to where we started at the beginning of this journey.

Percy’s desire to save Annabeth, his “Wise Girl,” is the driving force behind the emotional pull of this outing.

He expertly infiltrates the ship with her baseball cap, and he only puts the fleece before Annabeth’s safety when Annabeth tells him to (because he trusts her strategizing above everything). The moments they spend together are nothing in comparison to the festering longing that happens when they are apart.

Throw in a protective Sally sighting, and this episode expertly targets that emotional bullseye.

Especially when it comes to Luke and exposing the truth we already suspected. Luke isn’t defying the gods; he’s simply being manipulated and abused by another.

Watching him succumb to Kronos’ terror gives the antagonistic characters on his side much-needed backstory going into the big finale battle.

In general, we are drowning in excellent character developments from Clarisse choosing a friend before glory to these sweet children asking Sally Jackson for help instead of the gods.

When that’s not enough, we also get Blackjack, Rainbow, and even a nod to the infamous Mythomagic card game a certain demigod is obsessed with.

This outing authentically demonstrates what a Percy Jackson adaptation can be at its best.

Not only is this episode meaningful and entertaining, but it also sets the season finale up beautifully to bring this Sea of Monsters adventure home.

By returning to the ill-fated Princess Andromeda — the weakest setting of this season — the penultimate installment demonstrates all the ways it has become worthy of taking on this storyline.

While sharpening its sword, Percy Jackson never loses the humor that makes this series so fun to watch. Tyson and Grover are a perfect comedic pairing, and when Sally exclaims, “Aren’t you at camp?!” she expertly slips back into the story to help them land the joke.

This season battled its way back from the shipwrecks of its rocky storytelling depths to ensure it’s smooth sailing from here.

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New episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians drop Wednesdays on Disney+.

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