It is fair to say that American Gods as
a series has been something of a patchwork. Some fantastic scenes,
some great moments, but with a central plot that is weak at best and
non-existent at worst. It has taken me until now to truly appreciate
this show for what it is. It is unconventional in a more fundamental
way than might be apparent in earlier episodes. I must admit that
this is entirely my failing and not the shows. With the introductory
sequences showing various gods coming to America, in the odd
interludes involving Bilquis, even in some of the sequences with the
new gods, there has from the beginning being more of a collage or
mosaic feel to the show, rather than the more typical plot structure
where characters are all introduced to provide something to the
narrative. The show is best understood on a thematic or emotional
level, rather than the typical soap-opera interpersonal drama that we
are used to. That is not to say that the show has not suffered a
little from poor character development, it has, but rather that they
may be attempting something different than most shows.
All that being said, this episode was
perhaps one of my favourite of the entire series. We follow two
interweaving stories. One of a young Irish girl several centuries ago
who is transported to America and her travails in the new world; and
a second with Laura and Mad Sweeney. In the historical tale the girl
is met by Mad Sweeney, and Emily Browning is helpfully cast as the
Irish girl to make clear the comparison between the past and present
tales. I found the story of her plight, her trip to America, failures
and successes very powerful. The cinematography is gorgeous, and the
anachronistic 50's soundtrack lends the whole thing a Tarantino-esque
style. The present day story of them was less engaging, and this is
where I feel that the show has fallen down for me. Having never read
the book I will have to go out on a limb and suggest that the central
plot of Wednesday and Shadow (barely even referenced this week) is
fairly inconsequential. It is a means of introducing us to these
various characters, whose lives and stories are the real focus.
Unfortunately, in this type of episodic show, which almost demands
that there is plot progression each week, it can seem drawn out or as
though nothing is happening. This has been my experience for a number
of episodes. Last week it became clear that the show is not really
about that plot at all, at least not entirely, but rather an
exploration of what gods are, what makes people believe or keep their
faith, and what happens when people no longer believe. All of these
ideas have been present to some extent in the show, but television is
not the ideal medium for discussions of this kind.
This is definitely one of the best
episodes. Great chemistry between Emily Browning and Pablo Schrieber
is a joy to behold again. Both threads of the story land with an
emotional weight that has been lacking thus far, and it sets up a
great finale at the end. Definitely excited to see how they manage to
bring this bizarre experiment of a show to a close.
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