Warning: This article contains spoilers for Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ season 1 finale and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.
In the season 1 finale’s post-credits scene, Percy Jackson and the Olympians introduces a change to Gabe’s story that sparks a question about future seasons. Gabe Ugliano, Percy’s stepdad, first appears in the Disney+ adaptation in the premiere and instantly displays unlikable characteristics, such as obnoxiousness and laziness. While a faithful adaptation to its source material in many regards, Percy Jackson and the Olympians changes the problematic Gabe storyline, removing his abusiveness and danger to Sally’s safety.
As one of the few purely mortal characters explored in the show, he isn’t prominent. Despite this, he closes off Percy Jackson and the Olympians‘ season 1 finale with a conclusion to the subplot about Sally and Gabe’s relationship and the latter’s attempts at framing Percy for various crimes, which is much less explored in the show. Although Gabe’s fate doesn’t extend past Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief or the adaptation’s first season, the show alters it in a way that could still impact possible future seasons.
8 Biggest Unanswered Questions & Mysteries After Percy Jackson Season 1
Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ season 1 finale resolves the quest for Zeus’ Master Bolt, though still leaves several questions unanswered.
Percy Jackson Season 1’s Post-Credits Scene Delivers Gabe’s Fate Early
Gabe gets turned to stone by Medusa’s after the reveal that Sally’s leaving him.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians‘ season 1 post-credits scene shows Gabe arriving at Sally’s apartment to find the locks changed and the returned box with Medusa’s head from episode 3. Gabe promptly turns to stone upon looking at Medusa’s head, one of Percy Jackson‘s magical items. Before this, Gabe also reveals that Sally is divorcing him. Where this differs from the book is that Percy first shows the box to Sally upon returning home after Poseidon tells him a package will be waiting for him, referring to Medusa’s boxed head.
Letting Gabe find Medusa’s head also adjusts the order of events since, in the book, it’s suggested Sally lets Gabe turn to stone, then reports him missing to the police. Although the details of how Gabe’s fate occurs are different, he still ultimately gets turned to stone by Medusa’s head. Like many occasions in the season, details like Poseidon telling Percy to expect the package are likely omitted for pacing reasons and to account for other changes made in the show. Including the package is an effective way to reference the book detail about where the box ends up.
68 Biggest Changes Disney’s Percy Jackson Show Makes To The Books
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is being praised for its fidelity to the source material, though that does not mean there are no changes to the books.
Gabe’s Absence After Percy Jackson Season 1 Is In Line With The Other Book Changes
Disney+’s version of Sally Jackson is much more independent than her book counterpart.
From the get-go, Sally Jackson has been starkly different to her book counterpart in one integral way – her independence. Much like the changes to Gabe’s character, Sally also has differences and is depicted as a strong and unwavering character, unfazed by Gabe’s rudeness and unafraid to stand up to him. While she’s more submissive in the books to protect Percy from Gabe’s abuse, the show allows Sally’s character to focus on teaching her son important lessons about his lineage and life, strengthening her influence on him.
Therefore, unlike the hesitancy Sally displays in the book when Percy suggests using the Medusa head on Gabe to resolve many of their issues, Disney+’s Sally isn’t even shown debating the choice to leave Gabe. Prior to the credits, Sally and Percy are shown without Gabe at the apartment, suggesting she’d already filed for divorce at this point and changed the locks to cut him out of her life. While Sally’s confidence in leaving Gabe aligns with how she’s been portrayed throughout the season, the outcome creates a potential issue for a possible Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2.
Medusa’s Tragic Fate Calls Back To 1 Heartbreaking Sally Line In Percy Jackson Episode 1
Percy Jackson & the Olympians puts a tragic spin on the story of Medusa, and her fate calls back to a Sally Jackson line from the first episode.
The Fate Of Percy Jackson’s Step-Father Does Raise A Major Question Ahead Of Season 2
Although Gabe was a freeloading stepparent, his mortal stench hid Percy’s demigod scent from monsters.
Although not explicitly explored in the Disney+ show, Sally’s reason for being with Gabe is because of his overwhelming stench that could mask Percy’s scent from monsters, thus protecting him. In the first book in Riordan’s series, Percy even dubs his stepdad as “Smelly Gabe.” This raises the big question of how Percy will stay safe while away from Camp Half-Blood, since the season 1 finale confirms he has started another school year.
In the book, Percy tells Sally that his training at camp means he can defend himself against monsters, so she doesn’t have to stay with Gabe. Because the section detailing this, how Sally eventually used Medusa’s head to turn Gabe to stone, and her journey to finally finding the courage to free herself from her abusive husband is altered, there could be a potential plot hole for the show. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, therefore, will need to address this threat in a future season, as Percy’s safety is unclear when looking at the show’s lore on its own.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
- Release Date
- December 20, 2023
- Cast
- Walker Scobell , Leah Sava Jeffries , Aryan Simhadri , Jason Mantzoukas , Megan Mullally , Glynn Turman , Adam Copeland , Virginia Kull , Lance Reddick
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Rick Riordan , Jonathan E. Steinberg
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney Plus
- Franchise(s)
- Percy Jackson & The Olympians
- Directors
- James Bobin , Anders Engström
- Showrunner
- Jonathan E. Steinberg , Dan Shotz
