My father, he just... didn't show. I mean, ignoring me is one thing, but he doesn't get to ignore you. I'm gonna make him come down here. I'm gonna make him see me. I'm gonna make him see us both.
This new Interpretation of Medusa in the new episode of Percy jackson, as a survivor of abuse that directs her pain, because of missing justice, against people that she associates with her abusers, shows not only how much Rick Riordan has grown as a storyteller and interpreter of mythology but also how much we as a community have grown in interpreting and understanding the deeper meaning of mythological storys and the context they were made in.
In a franchise this big and this old there are bound to be plenty of weird takes on characters, but I'm especially disappointed by what people do with Trevor.
I get that it can be hard to write fanfiction or RP for a character who has little canon material to draw inspiration from (he's only appeared in one movie so far) but he is fairly basic and straightforward. Trevor is an awkward, gangly teenager who's obsessed with cars and cares about his family. This is the only concrete information we have on him, and yet some folks seem to miss these traits entirely and instead focus on making him the perfect boyfriend material. I've seen people call him "tsundere" and "Himbo" neither of which are accurate to his personality. Sometimes he's conflated with other characters Finn Wolfard plays.
Don't even get me started on how his crush on Lucky, a black (possibly nonbinary) girl gets sidelined in favor of pairing him with generic white guys. Look, I'm not going to act like Trevor X Lucky is a perfect ship, and I'm not even against OC X Canon, but his relationship with Lucky gets NO ATTENTION AT ALL and it makes me want to eat drywall. Can we at least let them be friends?
Worse, his loving relationship with his sister Phoebe will be twisted by certain fans into something more inappropriate. Unfortunately that sort of thing is common in fandoms.
I just try to avoid all that and stick with things made by people who actually understand the character.
Pheobe and Lucky if you feel up to it for the character analysis. (You don't have to do both if you don't want to btw)
Character Analysis ask game!
This is going to be long, so I'm putting it under a read more:
Phoebe:
My overall opinion on the character:
She is my favorite!!!💖 Even before we knew her name and all we had to go on was some vague information about casting, I was already obsessed. A little girl as the lead of a Ghostbusters movie? Who would've thought! She's the character I wish I had when I was her age, but I'm so glad to have her now. She's an inspiration to children, great autistic representation, and a worthy successor to Egon while being an interesting character in her own right!
One virtue they have:
She displays an aptitude for science and a natural curiosity for the world around her. It's what leads her to uncovering the truth and connecting with the past. This is tempered with caution, although she still has much to learn. She is very much the "brains" of the new team.
One flaw they have:
Her headstrong nature means that she's willing to stand up for herself, but it could land her in trouble if she's not careful. She's lucky the only punishment she got after the Muncher incident was losing access to the Ghostbusters gear, especially after she threatened a cop with the proton pack. She got the "Your mother!" instinct from her grandfather, it seems.
Favorite moment from their arc:
Hard to pick! Phoebe is funny, witty and brave. The finale is the culmination of everything that the movie is leading up to, with Phoebe completing what Egon started and facing off against Gozer. When Egon's ghost appears to give her that last bit of support she needs, he's passing the torch to the next generation. What a beautiful moment both in the universe of the franchise and for what it means to us fans!
Least favorite moment from their arc:
Callie getting angry at Phoebe is just hard to watch. Of course she's mad about her child getting in a dangerous situation and causing property damage, but when Phoebe asks why her mom never told her about Egon she calls him an asshole. It could've been worse though. Originally Callie was going to break the PKE meter but test audiences hated her for that. There was also a deleted scene where Phoebe said casually suggested Janine's grandma had dementia. So yeah, the Spengler women are really mean in the deleted scenes for some reason, glad those didn't make it in the final film.
One relationship they have with another character:
Her friendship with Podcast parallels Egon and Ray, but the difference here is that we get to see how they first meet. Phoebe and Podcast connect because they are both a little different. Podcast gets her dry humor and seems to be the first real friend she's made. When she introduces him to Trevor she calls him a "friend" like it's the first time she's said the word. The little smile she has when he laughs at her joke is so cute.
One relationship I'd like to see explored from this character:
There's a lot of relationships I'd like to see more of between Phoebe and other characters so it's hard to narrow it down. Through their brief interactions, we get a good sense of how close she and her brother are, even with the occasional bickering. It would be nice to see more of that along with how their relationship with their mother evolved after the events of Afterlife. I'd also like to know how she gets along with Ray, Peter and Winston. Are they going to be training her and the other kids?
What I would have liked to see happen with them in the media:
There was a cut scene that showed Phoebe firing the proton pack in a field of corn, making it pop in the air. She would have tried grabbing some and catching it on her tongue like falling snow. This was actually the first scene Jason Reitman imagined for the character before the story was written. It's really cute and imaginative! I understand why it was cut since there's already a scene of Phoebe testing the Proton pack at the foundry, but it would have still been fun to see as a featurette or something.
Lucky:
My overall opinion on the character:
It's interesting, When I read the casting call it was clear we'd have 4 lead characters, one of whom was going to be the love interest of "Teen Boy." I speculated a lot on what she'd be like, and somehow correctly guessed she'd be played by a black actor and that she'd get possessed in the final act. A lot of other ideas I had about her were just wild guesses. She's not very popular in the fandom since she didn't get to do a lot in the movie, but I was always more enamored with thinking about who she could be. I think she's got a lot of potential and hope to see that shine in future installments.
One virtue they have:
She has aspirations outside of Summerville and the desire to see more of what life has to offer. It's clear she's level-headed and rational, as shown when she corrects Podcast on the little factoid about fingernails. I get the impression she's someone who can step back and see the bigger picture.
One flaw they have:
What flaws? 💅✨
Honestly though, having only appeared in one film and having so little screen time means that she hasn't really had a chance to show any obvious flaws or make big mistakes. At worst, she's passive. She knew Shandor's name was on everything but didn't question it until Phoebe and co brought her into their adventure.
Favorite moment from their arc:
Her and Trevor sitting over the mine shaft and talking about their lives was a nice scene. It helped give some insight into both of them and revealed a bit more of what was going on in the town. I also enjoy seeing her suit up and use the proton pack!
Least favorite moment from their arc:
I have mixed feelings about the moment where Zuul possesses Lucky. On the one hand, it's a great way to raise the stakes and further display the Terror Dog's powers (They can switch from one host to another!) but it also undermines Lucky's impressive entrance and her attempts to fight Gozer don't amount to much. As it stands now, canon has a chance to build on this moment by showing us the effect it had her. Is she haunted by nightmares about being possessed? Does she feel the need to prove herself a more capable Ghostbuster?
One relationship they have with another character:
As contrived as the implied romance between her and Trevor comes across, I do like their interactions. He's smitten by her, but she responds to him with teasing. Later on she warms up to him and they talk about their lives. She's (rightfully) upset about him lying about his age to work at the same place as her, but after that we see little moments between them that show chemistry and understanding. I would like to see more of them together, even if only platonically.
One relationship I'd like to see explored from this character:
Her parents! We know the sheriff is her dad but don't get to see much of them together. I'd like to know what he thinks about his daughter getting involved in the supernatural or her new friends. I'm also curious about her mom, we never see her. I had the headcanon that her mom passed away due to cancer, but it's possible she's alive and will appear in a sequel. Only time will tell.
What I would have liked to see happen with them in the media:
I've gone over the the final battle in my head and tried to figure out other ways to do it, but I can't really think of a good alternative. Maybe it would've helped if Lucky was more involved in the story before that point, so the audience would be more attached to her. She could have done some more investigating after seeing the Terror Sentinel fly out of the mine.
