the siren scene changes? impeccable, no notes. here's a hasty nerdy analysis no one asked for:
exhibit A: the way they end up in the situation balances the books and a more realistic scenario perfectly. the situation in the books is a little unrealistic on hindsight: it doesn't make much sense that annabeth, wise girl, is just gonna take a random deadly detour to the sirens. but in the show, they end up there because it's simply the situation they're stuck in: there's no other way to polyphemus, circe steals back the wax etc. BUT the fact that annabeth refuses to untie percy – now THAT showcases her hubris perfectly. she thinks that okay, now we're in this terrible situation, and it will be ME, NOT PERCY who will confront them alone, because i can. because of her pride. YES. the sequence of events become more realistic, and the character motivations and fatal flaws unveil themselves in more nuanced ways, in the little choices. i love it.
exhibit B: Annabeth's vision. I was initially a little confused – why is she seeing basically her two best friends and her brother fighting? then it comes: they look to HER to resolve the disagreement. SHE will bring them all together. then we see her stabbing the sirens and Athena flying in and stabbing the last one and praising her for being the first to set a trap for the sirens.
firstly, the fact that annabeth's vision takes place in 'reality' - i.e. the siren rocks - was a great way to adapt for television because they essentially can immerse the VIEWER in annabeth's vision, both visually and emotionally: we see what annabeth is seeing, and WE THINK IT'S REAL TOO. and we feel what she is feeling too: the relief, the pride that wow she beat the sirens, and the happiness at gaining her mother's approval. god, when athena praised her, leah's smile nearly broke me.
exhibit C: the debrief convo between percy and annabeth. first, I love how it shows us what percy saw with the sirens too. the fact that percy heard the siren song, and says he saw "just you" – just annabeth. this does a great job of showcasing percy's fatal flaw, because I think even if annabeth weren't there, regardless, the sirens would have shown percy someone he loved in trouble, to compel him to come save them. so of course percy just sees annabeth in trouble, and of course he puts himself in danger to save her. there was no trickery required by the sirens, because percy would have seen the same thing either way.
then percy says he thinks he was protected because annabeth's presence shielded him. this does a GREAT job of setting up the last olympian, when he swims in the river styx (which is all about your achilles heel, your weaknesses, your fatal flaws) and annabeth becomes his anchor to the human world. the fact that in this conversation about fatal flaws, annabeth calls her pride "hubris", and percy immediately responds "that's human." annabeth is truly going to be his human anchor, to the human world.
at the end of the day, they "both had to be here", as percy says. they're stronger when they're together.
i am just so happy. and slightly unwell.
edit: saw a post that reminded me that in the book annabeth just breaks down sobbing and percy comforts her. okay i would have liked to see that. that is my one note.
