Comedy
Dead Boy Detectives
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
Percy Jackson is used to the world feeling … off.
In fact, it’s felt weird for as long as he can remember.
When he was younger, he might’ve sometimes seen Pegasus sit atop a building in his hometown or Manhattan. Or he might’ve looked out the window to find a rhinoceros casually walking down the street.
Times like those made Percy, his schoolmates and even his principal question his sanity.
But, as those sightings become more frequent, there’s no question about it. Something is going on. Something is not right. And things are taking a turn for the worst.
One day, while 12-year-old Percy is sitting outside, he watches his pre-algebra teacher transform in front of his eyes into an evil, bat-like creature who tries to kill him. Percy stabs her with a pen and she disintegrates.
He’s confused. Bewildered. And he’s the only one who saw what happened. Or so he’s told.
Until his mom drives him to a beach house in Montague to tell him the truth: Percy is a demigod.
Yup. That’s right.
Turns out, she fell in love with Poseidon when she was younger. And not long after, they had Percius, or, Percy for short.
Ever since then, evil creatures have been trying to destroy Percy’s life. That’s why his best friend, a Satyr named Grover, went undercover to befriend and protect him at school. That’s why he sees things no one else can see.
That’s why his life has been destined for difference, for greatness, since birth.
But he won’t be great if he doesn’t stay alive–and it seems the threats around him are growing. To keep him safe, his mother and Grover rush him to a magical camp, one protected from evil and the outside world. But his mother is crushed into nothingness by a minotaur in the process and she’s currently sitting prisoner in the Underworld.
There’s only one way to rescue his mother. Percy must venture into the Underworld to return Zeus’ master bolt to him before war breaks out among the gods.
He’ll have to move swiftly, even though he’s inexperienced. And, along the way, he may just catch his father’s eye and learn who he was always been destined to be.
Rick Riordan released “The Lightning Thief”, the first YA novel in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, back in 2005.
Percy Jackson’s character enchanted so many that it became a five-book series. It then morphed into a two-film series produced by 20th Century Fox back in the mid 2000s.
Now, Disney+ has taken the reins and put out their own iteration, aptly titled Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
This TV-PG series is doing its job, visually. The graphics and visuals are sure to captivate a young audience. And I’m sure the storyline, for true fans, will do so as well.
Percy is a loveable outcast, one who is relatable with ADHD, dyslexia and a desire to be accepted by his peers. He also gains confidence and identity along the way as he befriends other demigods and takes the journey of a lifetime.
This series works hard to show the power of a parents’ love. It makes it clear that both parents play a critical role in a child’s life. It shows the importance of identity in all ages, but especially in adolescence. And it lays out Percy’s own journey, which proves how far we will go for those we love.
It also emphasizes loyalty, kindness, empathy and honesty.
But it weaves in other elements and messages as well.
Greek mythology is the bedrock for this entire series. That means that viewers will learn about this mythology and some of its practices and beliefs.
They’ll also see scary, evil, mythological creatures and watch as the heroes battle them to their death. There’s sword fighting, various magical powers and the ever-present understanding that the magical world is filled with both good and evil.
So far, there’s been no profanity, no sexual innuendo and no conversation about sexual preferences. You’ll want to keep an eye on these things though.
And, most importantly, if this is something you choose for your family, you’ll want to have conversations with your kids about the differences in what we believe versus the beliefs that are being established in this mythological world.
Percy Jackson learns his true identity at the cost of his most beloved relationship.
Percy talks about the cons of being a demigod, which are many. He says that many times, the identity gets you killed in painful, nasty ways. He also says half-bloods (those who are both divine and human) aren’t safe in the real world and that’s confirmed by his mother.
At school, Percy often sees magical creatures and people that others cannot. An example: His teacher turns into a bat-like creature and tries to kill him, but Percy stabs her to death and she disintegrates.
He sees other creatures, such as a minotaur that causes a car crash involving Percy, his mom and his best friend. That same minotaur crushes Percy’s mother and she disintegrates. Percy rips a horn off of the minotaur’s head and stabs it to death (we see it disintegrate).
Percy shares that he gets bad grades, due to his dyslexia and ADHD, and is bullied. We see this bullying on the screen a few times, and one girl is especially mean to Percy. She makes him feel like an outcast, she often makes fun of his reserved nature and blames him for things he doesn’t do.
Percy and his friend, Grover, talk about how bullies often are victims of childhood trauma themselves and hide their own feelings of inadequacies–hence the reason they harm others. Percy feels betrayed when Grover rats him out, dishonestly, to the principal. (We find out later that Grover was actually protecting Percy.)
Percy and his mother go to a museum where a naked, male statue, with visible male autonomy, stands. Percy’s stepfather is rude, abrasive and spends his time belittling Percy.
Percy is haunted by bad dreams, including that of a terrifying, hooded figure who we only see from afar. Percy’s mother tells him that she fell in love with a god. He comically asks if she “fell in love with Jesus.” Percy learns about Greek mythology from his mother, as well as his teachers. He also learns about something called “the mist,” a magical veil that blinds the people of the natural world from the magic all around them.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
An elf mage contemplates on connection and regret as she watches her human friends grow old and pass away.
