Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2, Episode 6 ‘Nobody Gets the Fleece’ is about the fleece, of course, and about the quest. But it’s mostly about Percy and his relationships. His relationship with Tyson has grown to mean so much more to him than he could have possibly envisioned. His relationship with Annabeth, for whom Percy would burn it all down.
And the episode is, in many ways, also about what that means for Percy and for this quest, and whatever other quests come next. Because Percy already knows his fatal flaw. In theory, knowing it might make it easier to resist. To make other choices. But Percy doesn’t. When faced with the quest or Annabeth, he chooses Annabeth. And to be fair, he’d already pretty much told us he would.
It’s important to understand that Percy doing this isn’t a romantic declaration. Or at least, not one he understands. He chooses Annabeth because she’s his friend and he cares for her. He chooses Annabeth because he can’t imagine life without her. He chooses Annabeth because, in that moment, saving her matters more than anything, including his life and the quest. He doesn’t understand what that means yet, though. And he won’t for a while.
I DECIDE WHAT’S IMPORTANT
This is a big episode for the Luke that is and the Luke that was, because this is the first episode in Season 2 that gives us a glimpse of how those two coexist. Because if we’re being honest, the show does an even better job than the book at just… making Luke sympathetic. Is he wrong, in the end? Not really. It’s just that his option isn’t exactly better.
But Luke isn’t entirely unfeeling. He still cares about Annabeth. He still cares about Thalia. He can tell himself he doesn’t, that all he cares about is the mission and Kronos, but when push comes to shove, he chooses to help Annabeth. That doesn’t mean he goes out of his way to be a good guy, but it does mean there’s still hope for him. That the Luke that Annabeth and Thalia knew is still in there.
He’s just buried under a mountain of pain and disappointment. And just like Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and even Clarisse, he’s looking for something to hold onto. It’s just that the thing he’s holding onto isn’t all that great.
YOU WERE HERE
The Percy and Tyson reunion we know was coming lives up to every expectation, mostly because Walker Scobell and Daniel Diemer are very believable as siblings who met late in life but have come to truly love each other. When Tyson declares that Polyphemus isn’t his brother, Percy is, it’s a big statement. Because on the outside, Tyson is more like Polyphemus. But on the inside, he and Percy and already bonded.
No one is capable of seeing the best in you quite like a sibling, and Tyson believes in Percy wholeheartedly. Believes he’s the type of hero who cares not just about quests, but about people. And that’s why Tyson cares for him, why he’s come to care for Annabeth and even Grover. And Percy, who had been wary of letting someone else in, who had chosen Annabeth and Grover and for a moment thought he wouldn’t need to expand the circle, finds himself wanting to have a brother. Or, perhaps, just wanting to have Tyson as a brother.
The hug they share in this episode seals that relationship. That’s Percy saying thank you for being there for me in a way I didn’t think I needed. It’s him saying I thought I was taking care of you, thank you for taking care of me back. And it’s also him saying, we’ve got each other. Now, and for whatever comes.
WHAT MATTERS MOST
We’ve gotten quite a few Percabeth moments this season, and with the benefit of book knowledge, we know what they mean—or what they’ll come to mean. We even know that, right now, as much as Percy can’t see it, his feelings for Annabeth likely go deeper than friendship. But Percy doesn’t know it. And if he even suspected it, he’d shut that line of thinking now. Because he can’t afford to go there.
That’s the thing, loving Annabeth as anything else than a friend is, right now, too much of a risk. Even loving her as a friend in the way that he does is too much of a risk, but that part, Percy can’t help. He’s already there. He couldn’t possibly be feeling anything else.
But this isn’t a matter of Percy trying to delude himself. A lot is going on! He just hasn’t had time to think about it. Plus, you know, he’s a teenage boy. Even if he had time to think about it, would he even get there? Probably for the better for us, Percabeth inclined viewers. Because if he truly understood the depth of his feelings, he probably wouldn’t be going around saying the most romantic things we’ve ever heard, like it’s just a casual weekday. And we’ve come to love this version of Percy.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2, Episode 6 ‘Nobody Gets the Fleece’? Share with us in the comments below!
The first five episodes of Percy Jackson Season 2 are now available to stream on Disney+.
