Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 5, A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers, features the first true Percabeth moment in Hephaestus’ amusement park. Annabeth emotionally appeals to the god, who convinces him to set Percy free from the gilded prison, leaving fans of Riordan’s books elated.
Percabeth is a couple-name fan of the Percy Jackson books and has been the subject of intense pressure for a TV adaptation following disappointing film adaptations in 2010 and 2013. Episode 5 also provided the first glimpse of Hephaestus, laying the foundation for future seasons.
Rick Riordan explains why it was important to honor Hephaestus’ disability
Timothy Omundson collaborated with Lea Sava Jeffries and Walker Scobell on the Tunnel of Love scene but shared most of his scenes with Jeffries. Hephaestus’ physical appearance in Season 1 is a departure from the source material, as he only appears in book three, The Titan’s Curse, where Percy Jackson saves Annabeth while Hephaestus watches. Fans are excited that Disney+’s Percy Jackson shows Hephaestus earlier, laying the foundation for future seasons.
Hephaestus’ Season 1 debut highlights the disability representation. The series has already included a demigod who uses a wheelchair, seen at Camp Half-Blood in Episode 2. And now, we’ve met the disabled, outsider Olympian god.
In an interview with TV Insider, Percy Jackson and the Olympians author Rick Riordan explained why it was important for the Disney+ series to honor the Greek God’s disability. He said, “It was going to be important to have Hephaestus represent the disabled community because Hephaestus is a disabled god. It was important that we honor that part of who his character is by finding an actor who knows that journey, who knows what that is like.”
Timothy Omundson reflects on his thoughts about how the series portrayed Hephaestus
During the interview with TV Insider, Timothy Omundson was asked what moved him most about how the series has portrayed Hephaestus. Omundson replied, “Well, to me the most obvious answer is embracing his disability without really shining a light on his disability at this point.” He continued, “We don’t really talk about or explain anything about why he’s disabled in this particular episode. It is just who he is, much like it is who I am. So I just appreciated how they chose to handle that.”
Omundson, who suffered a stroke in 2017, uses a mobility device like Hephaestus. Since Episode 5 premiered on January 9, Omundson said he’s received messages from the disabled community expressing appreciation for the representation. “As a matter of fact, I’ve already gotten several DMs in my Instagram account from the disabled community just thanking me for even showing him walking with a cane,” he said.
He continued, “There was one message in particular where this guy — who uses a cane himself, a mobility device user, as they say — who said he’s never really seen it portrayed on screen before, which, I mean, there’s great responsibility for me as a member of the disabled community to really show that in the correct light. I’m just really grateful that Dan, Jon, and Rick have given me the platform to do that.”
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