Percy Jackson and the Olympians Episode 5: The Genius Changes to the Fates
The subtle but impactful changes made to the portrayal of the Fates in episode 5 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians have added depth and significance to the story. This article explores the genius alterations made in the Disney+ show and their connection to the original book series, providing insights into how these changes enhance the overall narrative.
The Fates in Greek Mythology and Percy Jackson
Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 5 involves the three Fates of Greek mythology, with one subtle detail changing the scene in a genius way from the original book series. Perhaps the most criticized aspect of the 2010 Percy Jackson movie was the abundance of alterations the film made to the source material. While the Percy Jackson TV show has some book changes, the series as a whole is much more faithful to the story, spirit, and characters of Riordan's original books. From the cast of Percy Jackson and the Olympians better translating their book counterparts to the overarching story of Zeus' master bolt, Percy Jackson season 1 is what many would consider a perfect adaptation of the books. That said, the understated changes made to Percy Jackson season 1 only improve the story in a variety of ways.
The three Fates knitting a ball of yarn in the Percy Jackson TV show
In Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 5, Annabeth and Grover encounter the Fates. In the episode, they are presented as three old ladies knitting a ball of yarn. Annabeth notices the Fates, as one of the women takes a thread from the yarn and snips it. This spooks Annabeth and the daughter of Athena later explains that the Fates are responsible for weaving together the destiny of every demigod from ancient times to the story of Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 5. Annabeth also explains that the snipping of the yarn means that someone's destiny is over and death will soon befall them. This is taken from real-world Greek myths in which the Fates had three separate roles. The first of the Fates, Clotho, was responsible for spinning the thread of fate. The second Fate, Lachesis, measured the length of each thread and allotted how much life each person would receive. The last Fate, Atropos, was responsible for cutting each thread, thus deciding how long each person lived and how they would die. The modernized version of this is shown in Percy Jackson episode 5 by the knitting of yarn, with one change made to the scene from the source material being a secretly genius alteration.
Warning! The following section contains spoilers for the Percy Jackson book series. In the original The Lightning Thief book, the Fates are spotted in the second chapter after Percy destroys Alecto/Mrs. Dodds. The Fates look at Percy from across the street and snip a thread of yarn as they do in Percy Jackson episode 5. That said, aside from the change of placement in the story, the Fates in Percy Jackson episode 5 are looking at Annabeth when they cut the yarn rather than Percy. This change is actually a genius retcon from Rick Riordan, the writer of the original books and creator of the TV show. The reason for this is what is meant by the snipping of the yarn. In the books, the yarn relates to Luke Castellan's life, foreshadowing his death in Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian that saved Olympus from Kronos the Titan. The reason this change is genius and better fits the overall story of the series is that Annabeth's relationship with Luke is essential to the latter's decision to save Olympus. Without Annabeth, Luke would have stayed evil and never sacrificed himself to defeat Kronos. Also, Luke's death is more consequential to Annabeth than Percy due to their strong connection, making the change of the Fates' scene in Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 5 a masterful retcon.
Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase and Charlie Bushnell as Luke in Disney's Percy Jackson
New episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians release every Tuesday on Disney+.
