American Gods is finally back with a second season, and boy has it been a long wait. From the showrunner changes to the cast dropouts, this show has been through the wringer. Now that it’s come out the other side, what does it look like?
The first season is mainly concerned with the impending battle between the old and new Gods. Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) is courted by some of the new Gods but ultimately joins up with the enigmatic Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane). At the end of season 1, the old Gods are on their way to the House of the Rock to lay their battle plans.
Oh, and Mr. Wednesday is actually Odin, father to Thor and Loki and king of Asgard. And let’s not forget about Shadow Moon’s undead wife, Laura (Emily Brown), who’s also lurking about. It’s a weird cast.
So which characters are returning? And what new characters will we see this year? Check out the list below:
- Ricky Whittle (Shadow Moon)
- Emily Browning (Laura Moon)
- Ian McShane (Mr. Wednesday)
- Yetide Badaki (Bilquis the sex goddess)
- Bruce Langley (Technical Boy)
- Orlando Jones (Mr. Nancy)
- Pablo Schreiber (Mad Sweeney)
- Crispin Glover (Mr. World)
- Sakina Jaffrey (Mama-Ji)
- Mousa Kraish (The Jinn)
- Omid Abtahi (Salim)
- Demore Barnes (Mr. Ibis)
- Chris Obi (Mr. Jacquel)
- Peter Stormare (Czernobog)
- Cloris Leachman (Zorya Vechernyaya)
- Martha Kelly (Zorya Utrennyaya)
- Erika Kaar (Zorya Polunochnaya)
- Kahyun Kim (New Media)
- Dean Winters (Mr. Town)
- Devery Jacobs (Sam Black Crow)
Season two will have a total of eight episodes. Who will win in the battle of old vs new? Which side will Shadow choose? We’ll be reviewing the episodes as they come out. Let’s find out together, shall we?
EPISODE 201: “HOUSE ON THE ROCK”
American Gods is back after two years, and it doesn’t waste any time getting weird. This is a convoluted, complicated, and intriguing story, one told with abundant visual imagination and craft. The visuals are stunning and really bring the story to life. I can’t get enough of it.
“House on the Rock” begins with a man playing golf and getting run over by a limo. The Technical Boy is in it. With him is Mr. World, who is glitching hardcore after what happened with Easter in the season 1 finale. (We miss you, Kristen Chenoweth!) As the leader of the new Gods, Mr. World is itching to engage in war with the old Gods, and needs to get in touch with Media to get things started.
Shadow Moon, Laura, Sweeney, and Mr. Wednesday are all heading to the House on the Rock, where all the old Gods are just hanging out. They all ride a super-amazing carousel that seems pulled out of the best dream I never had. It’s seriously the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, and I wish a fair somewhere in the world could make it a reality.
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While the four of them are on their way, Bilquis, the Jinn, and Salim are already at the House, but it appears Bilquis wasn’t exactly supposed to be there. Badaki plays Bilquis so well it gives me nightmares; there’s just something about her that frightens me. I’m always wondering what she’ll do next.
While on the carousel, things start to spin out of control until Shadow Moon ends up on a beach next to Bilquis. They make their way inside a building where the rest of the Gods have gathered in their true forms — shiny, shimmering, splendid. The purpose of this gathering is plain and simple (and hard to focus on because how cool Mama-Ji looks): the old Gods need to rally and fight the new Gods.
But there’s a catch in the plan; not everyone isn’t on board, including Mama-Ji, who just wants to live in peace as she has been for a while now. Bilquis reminds her that if they don’t all evolve, then death is inevitable because of how powerful the new Gods are. It doesn’t seem like much progress will be made from this gathering until Shadow decides to voice his support for Mr. Wednesday.
The scene shifts dramatically to a diner where the old Gods are in human form again. Laura tries to convince Shadow to stop following Mr. Wednesday. What appears to be a relatively normal gathering turns into all-out chaos when someone starts shooting from outside. This scene is so incredibly graphic and gruesome; there’s just blood and guts everywhere. Game of Thrones has nothing on this.
Shadow runs outside to stop whoever is shooting and ends up getting beamed up into some sort of ship, presumably by Mr. World. Meanwhile, inside the diner, the casualties include Zorya Vechernyaya, who passes away from a shot to the chest while Laura has a bullet in her arm. She runs outside to see where Shadow has gone, but he’s nowhere to be found.
Will Shadow be convinced to join the new Gods? And is that such a bad thing? Guess we will have to wait to find out in next week’s episode to find out. Until then, while I wasn’t blown away by “House on the Rock,” I wasn’t bored either. Between the carousel scene and the massacre scene, the visual effects were mindblowing (literally); they made the episode worth watching by themselves. I haven’t read the book (I know, I’m sorry) so it’s a little hard for me to follow a story that feels almost purposefully confusing. But I’m intrigued and ready to see where this season takes us.
GRADE: B-
EPISODE 202: “THE BEGUILING MAN”
Picking up from the violent, turbulent ending of last week’s American Gods episode, this week wastes no time getting into the thick of it. For those who may have forgotten, Shadow Moon has a “Beam me up, Scotty” moment against his will after handling the massacre at the diner. Hooked up to a bunch of wires with his arms in some sort of apparatus, Shadow is being electrocuted and held captive.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t read the books or because this show is so convoluted and intricate that I miss things, but has there been any explanation as to who Mr. Town (Dean Winters) is? I’m so confused why this person has Shadow, but I guess it becomes a bit clearer as the episode goes on. It’s even a question that Mr. Town poses to Shadow, so I guess we’re all confused.
Following the diner massacre and Shadow’s abduction, the rest of the gang is trying to sort through all that has happened. Laura can see Shadow’s light from a distance, but Czernoborg is more concerned about how to handle Zorya’s death. He’s not sure there will be another Zorya since not many worship her anymore.
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Mama-Ji promises to join Wednesday to exact revenge as long she can get her shift covered. God problems, am I right? Meanwhile, Laura is trying to figure out how she is going to save Shadow, but everyone else couldn’t care less. Mama-Ji wants someone to retrieve Wednesday’s spear Gungnir, so everyone splits up. The Jinn and Salim will retrieve the spear, Sweeney will join Laura to look for Shadow, and Mr. Wednesday and Mr. Nancy have other plans in mind.
There is so much to love about this Laura/Sweeney collaboration. Honestly, it’s my favorite part of the series so far. It’s such a hilarious, unexpected pairing but it works and I’m here for it every step of the way.
And then there’s poor Shadow, who has no way of getting out of the restraints but looks damn good shirtless so it’s fine for now. Mr. Town is curious to learn more about Shadow’s connection with Wednesday, but Shadow maintains that he’s just his bodyguard. As the electrocution continues, we get to the interesting part of the episode: flashbacks.
A young Shadow and his mother are seen traveling to New York City from France, but things don’t go well for the young Shadow. The neighborhood kids aren’t exactly friendly, and Shadow finds himself getting beaten up and arrested fairly soon after arriving in town. As time jumps forward, we see that Shadow’s mother is diagnosed with and later dies from cancer.
While it doesn’t feel like an integral part of this particular episode, I did enjoy seeing Shadow’s past. We don’t really know anything about him and humanizing him made him more relatable in this crazy, crazy world.
Laura and Sweeney’s road trip continues to be entertaining as they follow Shadow’s light but run into some speed bumps along the way, including a flat tire and some cows. Sweeney is curious to learn that Laura is an atheist, which is ironic considering all the gods she’s met. It’s becoming obvious that Laura is losing her strength, which isn’t going to bode well as more conflicts arise.
After the Old Gods vs. New Gods meeting gone wrong, Bilquis sits down with Mr. World to discuss what happens from here. But she’s pretty certain that anyone that didn’t want to go against Mr. Wednesday before will certainly do so after what happened at the diner. Mr. World is eager to have Bilquis on team New Gods, but how would love and war mix together?
Bilquis is treading down a dangerous path because she’s sort of playing both teams at this point and it won’t end well if team Old Gods finds out what she’s up to. I can only imagine the wrath that will come upon her, but time will tell.
We all miss Media (Gillian Anderson) in her human form this season, but at least Tech Boy is looking for her. In this episode, he heads to Times Square, which makes for some pretty epic scenes. It can’t be that long until we see her in some shape or form.
While running after Shadow’s light, Sweeney and Laura run into a literal dead end and are left with only one option: go into Sweeney’s horde. If you’re wondering what that is, don’t worry, I didn’t understand either until it happened. He pulls some sort of magic trick and it seems like they travel through a portal onto the edge of a bridge where a train is running below them. It turns out Shadow was on the train, hence why his light was traveling so fast.
Catching up with Mr. Nancy and Mr. Wednesday, there is some sort of symbolism to pick up on between Mr. Wednesday and his car. He intends on letting the train run into it thereby allowing it to go to Valhalla. In what is a very intriguing moment, Mr. Wednesday reassures his car that he will unite with it once again upon its reincarnation. This show is truly something, isn’t it?
Sweeney and Laura hop onto the train in hopes of saving Shadow but run into some men. One intense and bloody beatdown later, they find Shadow restrained in wires. Laura knocks Mr. Town unconscious and then goes all Game of Thrones on a guy, squishing him with her Mountain-like strength.
And while Shadow may now be saved, the final moments of the episode take us to a reflection in Wednesday’s eye: did his car just turn into…a horse?
I am the first to admit I can’t always follow what is happening on American Gods because it’s a complex, rich story with lots of characters and hidden meanings. But there’s something to enjoy about all the complexity, especially when it looks this darn good. There’s a haunting beauty in every episode, and this week that came through with Shadow’s scenes as well as Sweeney and Laura’s scenes.
Where is this New Gods and Old Gods war taking us? And who will end up on what side? Honestly, I couldn’t tell you, but I’m excited to find out.
GRADE: B-
EPISODE 203: “MUNINN”
American Gods introduces New Media with a bang in this week’s episode, “Muninn,” and it was interesting.
But before we talk New Media, let’s start at the beginning. After the train wreck, we find Laura in pieces (literally), but hey, at least Mr. Wednesday’s car is okay, right? Even lying in pieces, Laura is concerned with trying to find Shadow, but he’s off to Cairo, Illinois.
Thanks to Mr. Ibis, Laura is slowly stitched back together and faced with a decision. Is she going to go off with Mr. Wednesday or go with Sweeney to New Orleans? And the final verdict is…Mr. Wednesday! Where exactly are they headed? To meet Argus. Now, let’s talk about Argus.
Argus is essentially a being that keeps an eye — or eyes, rather — on the world. He’s creepy AF, and gave me goosebumps as I watched multiple eyes pop out of his body. And while I’m trying to acclimate to this new character, Mr. Wednesday wants Laura to kill him.
And these two aren’t the only ones paying Argus a visit. Technical Boy is there along with New Media, the reformatted version of Gillian Anderson’s character from season 1. This version is very much a millennial and thrives on all the time and energy people expend on social media. She must be unstoppable.
Things get a bit weird (ok, really weird) when New Media has “sex” with Argus. Argus’ wires slip into her and it’s odd. Mid-orgasm, Laura kills Argus per Wednesday’s request and the whole weird techy sex comes to an end. I’m not entirely sure what was happening here but it was hard to look away. American Gods has a way of doing that to me.
Okay, let’s go back to immediately after the train crash. Shadow emerges alive, bruised and beaten up but intact. He starts to hear voices that whisper “Cairo” and “Egyptian”; hopefully that’ll make sense later. Muninn (Wednesday’s crow) assesses Shadow’s condition and reports back to Mr. Wednesday.
While at the gas station, Shadow crosses path with an interesting young woman who gives him a ride to Cairo. Yah, not that Cairo. On their ride there, Shadow is suspicious about who this woman is and I don’t blame him considering the kinds of characters he’s come across by now. But lo and behold, she is human and goes by the name Sam Blackcrow, which is a bit ominous but okay. As they arrived at the funeral home, Shadow limps his way in and runs into a creepy Mr. Wednesday lurking in the shadows.
Elsewhere on American Gods, Salim and Jinn engage with a God at a strip club. They get a seed. I don’t know what for. And then there’s Sweeney, who’s hitches a ride on a tour bus making its way to New Orleans. And that, folks, is the entire episode in a nutshell. How did it compare to the other two episodes of the season?
Honestly, I didn’t quite understand what was going on with Argus. It seems a bit convoluted. Perhaps fans of the book will be able to fill in some of the gaps? I did find New Media intriguing because of what she represents and how it has such a strong connection to the world today. Let’s see where this story takes us in the coming weeks!
GRADE: B
EPISODE 204: “THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD”
American Gods gives us one of the best scenes to date (at least according to me) in this week’s episode, “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” But before we get to that, let’s check in with the gang. Shadow and Mr. Wednesday go to St. Louis for a meeting while Bilquis shows up at the funeral home (this is the scene I’m talking about). Tech Boy pays a special visit to a certain someone and Mad Sweeney and Laura are back together again.
This episode has a lot going for it, but the scene between Nancy, Bilquis and Ibis really got me. After Bilquis arrives at the funeral home, she gets into a debate with Mr. Nancy and Ibis about the future. The war between the old and new Gods is brewing. What will their roles be?
The argument gets heated, with Mr. Nancy in particular getting passionate. He’s operating from a place of logic, rather than clinging to hope. Nancy talks about the difficulties people of color face on a daily basis. It’s a devastating but empowering speech about how society handles difficult-to-discuss topics like race, discrimination, and the origins of America. Kudos to Orlando Jones for kicking so much ass in this scene.
The episode kicks off with a vignette about a young man intrigued by technology. But his father has something else in mind, and urges him to surround himself with music. The son splits the difference and presents his father with music made with a computer program. Old and new, coming together.
Later, the Technical Boy visits this boy, who is now the CEO of a huge tech company and one his most devoted worshippers. Tech Boy is looking for a replacement for Argus, per Mr. World’s instructions. It all culminates in Technical Boy running away and Mr. World stepping into the meeting that Wednesday is having with the God of Money.
Wednesday and Shadow are also looking for the God of Money, because who doesn’t want that guy on their side in a war? We’re not entirely sure if the God of Money takes anyone’s side, because money itself has evolved over time. What was once simply an exchange of gold has transformed into billions of digital transactions; it’s hard to separate the old from the new there.
There’s a very odd scene with Shadow Moon in this episode; he has a…sex dream about a cat woman? During this dream, the woman scratches his back and when he wakes up he sees a cat lurking in the corner of the room. So…did he do it with a cat or what?
This is a solid Bilquis episode. It ends with her speaking to a woman named Ruby in a chapel. Their conversation is intriguing, all about about Jesus and how he left behind his old rebellious ways to become someone worthy of worship. What does this have to do with this season of American Gods? Tune in to find out.
Laura and Sweeney scenes are far and few between this week, and I have to say I missed them tremendously. They’ve become the heart of the show in my opinion, and quite possibly a ship I’d love to see happen. Here’s to hoping they return next week!
GRADE: B+
EPISODE 205: “THE WAYS OF THE DEAD”
American Gods lost me this week, but at this point, does this really come as a surprise? Thus far, the second season has been a convoluted mess that fails to get to the point. Personally, I feel like all these storylines are taking us nowhere, and it’s hard to make sense of what the purpose of it all is. If it wasn’t for Ricky Whittle, an episode this deep into the season with so little direction would have been a drag.
American Gods has never been shy about having some social commentary, and we get some more in the opening scene of “The Ways of the Dead.” The opening is based on real-life events involving a black man named Will James, a.k.a Froggie, who was accused of murdering a white woman named Mary Pelley. He met his demise when a mob formed and murdered him.
Shadow sees the lynching in a nightmare and wakes up…and things get stranger. As he looks into the mirror, he sees a reflection of James, and then relives the horrific final moments of James’ life. Shadow is not inclined to share this experience with anyone, which is expected from this man of few words.
Alright, who here is a Laura and Mad Sweeney shipper? If so, your dreams came true this week, albeit in the strangest of ways. I think Laura should scrap the idea of being with Shadow and just go all in with Sweeney; they’re obviously a better match. While I haven’t read the book, I do know that Laura and Sweeney don’t cross paths there. I am so okay with this change because it’s the only ongoing storyline that’s consistently interested me.
Anyway, Laura arrives in New Orleans, where Sweeney is living it up Mardi Gras style. On the quest for resurrection, Sweeney takes Laura to Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte. What do they seek in exchange for resurrecting Laura? Just the truth.
After concocting a potion that requires two drops of blood infused with love, things get…interesting. Laura and the Baron have sex. Elsewhere, Sweeney and Maman are having sex too. Somehow, they all end up in a foursome and eventually it transitions into just Sweeney and Laura having sex. Could they be catching feelings? Let’s hope so.
We see Salim and the Jinn again this week, but I’m completely lost as to the purpose of their story. It just feels unnecessary and irrelevant (fans of the book feel free to chime in). There’s a lot of friction between the two of them about religion and I just don’t get where the story is headed.
At some point, Wednesday meets them and they all head off to meet Alviss (Lee Arenberg), a dwarf from Norse mythology. Wednesday needs his spear fixed, but Alviss is unable to help.
The story of Will James is at the center of the episode. Ibis explains the history behind his lynching to Shadow. As Will James was taking his last breath, he cursed his community of people that looked on but didn’t jump in to rescue or help him. Years later, the curse is still at work, most recently taking the life of another Goodchild family member.
Remember how I said things continue to get weirder and more confusing? Well, here’s what happens next. Shadow follows Jacquel (who has transformed into a Doberman) and sees that he is meeting with Will James’ ghost. The sight of James’ head on a pole of fire is striking, and leads to Shadow being burdened with the weight of the ugliest aspect of American history.
Shadow heads back to the parlor with a message, “memento mori,” which roughly translates to, “remember you must die.” As soon as he utters those words, Shadow comes to and is once again confused and annoyed at what is going on. Shadow, I feel you.
The final moments of the episode show a plant that has grown significantly after Wednesday peed on it at the beginning of the episode. For the sake of spoilers, I won’t reveal what significance this plant holds. I guess you’ll just have to wait for more weirdness!
GRADE: C
EPISODE 206: “DONAR THE GREAT”
Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to learn more about Thor? And no, not the one from the Avengers. This week’s episode of American Gods, “Donar the Great” flips back and forth between the past and present as we learn more about Thor circa the 1930s. The episode picks up with Mr. Wednesday as Al Grimnir hoping to garner worshippers through a burlesque show.
Along with Al Grimnir, there are other Gods that are partaking in the show including Thor (aka Donar), Mr. Nancy, and Columbia (Thor’s girlfriend). Interestingly enough, Columbia also represents something deeper in the form of a version of the United States before freedom.
Back in the present, Shadow and Mr. Wednesday go shopping…sort of? It’s funny to see the duo at a mall, which they’re visiting to get Wednesday’s spear fixed. He’s hoping that a dwarf by the name of Dvalin can fix the spear, but it seems like the dwarves are collectively losing their power. The reason? People are starting to believe less and less.
But luckily, there’s a cure! They may be able to help Mr. Wednesday if he can manage to get a leather jacket that was owned by Lou Reed. For some reason this specific item will give them the power they need to get up and running. How will Wednesday and Shadow get it? Pull off a con, of course!
Mr. Wednesday buys the jacket just as Shadow rushes into the store pretending to be a part of the Secret Service. Not only they do manage to take the jacket, but they take back the money they were going to spend on it. One jacket exchange later and Dvalin does his thing, magically fixing the spear.
I found it interesting how Mr. Wednesday kept thinking of Donar and telling Shadow how much he reminded him of his son. There’s a lot of hurt in his words, and we soon learn why. Despite being a God, something happened to Donar that he could never come back from. He committed suicide.
This moment in Donar’s life came after being used as a display to the world and becoming sick and tired of not having things go the way he wanted. He finally decided to run away with Columbia, but his father managed to get in the way of that. We’re in a 1930s flashback here, so the versions of the Gods we see are a bit different. For example, Technical Boy uses handheld phones rather than the phones he uses in the present. It’s all very intriguing, but simply not enough to keep me engaged in the episode.
Mr. Wednesday confronts Columbia as she’s packing to run away with Donar and lies to her about Donar leaving with the Germans. So she decides to take Technical Boy up on his offer to be the “face of America.” Donar believes she is coming until his father cooks up a lie about her running away without him. It’s devastating and disappointing to see how Wednesday treated his son, and how it inevitably led to his ruin, and his demise.
This moment between father and son also reveals why Wednesday’s spear was broken in the first place. Donar broke it with his hammer, and it’s a moment that was forever seared in Wednesday’s mind.
All in all, this week’s episode was mediocre. I think the reveal behind Gungnir/Donar/Wednesday was pretty important for the story but its placement in the context of the season felt random. It may have been better to have it earlier on.
I just feel like there are so many storylines taking place at the same time that going back and forth between past and present just made things seem more convoluted and hard to follow. With just two episodes left in this season of American Gods, who knows how all this will wrap up. I guess we shall find out soon enough.
GRADE: C
EPISODE 207: “TREASURE OF THE SUN”
American Gods fans, we got ourselves a pretty damn good episode this week, and to think it’s the last one before the season 2 finale! I’m not quite sure how to process it just yet, but the hour kept me invested from start to finish. With an episode focused on Mad Sweeney, what could possibly go wrong?
Well, a lot, but I’ll get to that later.
We start off with Shadow finding Mad Sweeney, who is sans Laura. Sweeney doesn’t have much to say even after they head back to the funeral home. I guess there’s no subtle way to say, “I slept with your wife and then she ran away.” But hey, I’m sure the truth will come out eventually. Side note: What was up with those ants!? Talk about making us feel itchy.
Yggdrasil continues to flourish and grow back at the parlor while Wednesday and Ibis talk war. Ibis is sure that Jacquel will come running when he’s beckoned, and the Jinn is ready to join the cause as well. Maybe not excited about it, but he’s down.
Meanwhile, Wednesday takes a branch off of Yggdrasil and uses it to eliminate the gap in Gungnir. But then he does something…interesting. He entrusts Shadow to guard it with his life. If that’s not the next level of trust, who knows what is?
Did anyone else enjoy the interaction between Laura and Mama-Ji in this episode? I don’t know what it was but Laura trying to sass Mama just for Mama to snap back was everything. Just as other Gods get respect, Mama, aka Kali, asks for it too. And why shouldn’t she? Despite Laura being rude, Kali still imparts some wisdom and tells Laura that she doesn’t have to look for power anywhere else because it’s within her.
I’m not sure what type of sex Laura and Sweeney had but he’s feeling the aftereffects in the strangest of ways. Along with ants, he’s seeing things (the banshee) and hearing things. As Sweeney is tripping out, he ends up in the room where Bilquis is talking to the congregation, but it’s weird. Her talk gets everyone riled up to the point of…well you know. But is it really a surprise that the Goddess of Love can pull this off?
After she finishes, she listens to Sweeney talk all about his past. He was once a warrior living it up with a woman by his side and ignorant of a prophecy involving him. All this time later, Sweeney doesn’t really remember how the past went down, but flashing glimpses give us a pretty solid idea. He had a wife named Eorann and a daughter named Moira!
While he doesn’t quite remember his past, he does know one thing: he’s done with Wednesday and ready to move on. Sweeney is over being used and just needs Laura to give back his coin, which can only happen when she gives it to him on her own. Unfortunately, Sweeney is kind of stuck because he’s part of Wednesday’s plan to get rid of Laura once and for all.
As we learn more about Sweeney, we see that his past struggles mimic his current ones. Once a warrior, he was stubborn about letting anyone use his land and as a result became the target of a curse. Come on, Sweeney, you could have just let them do it.
Whatever the case, Sweeney tries to warn Shadow that he should free himself of Wednesday sooner rather than later because he’s only going to fall deeper in with him and his tricks. Angry and annoyed, Sweeney confronts Wednesday while he’s busy chomping away at his food. Gods have to eat too, right?
This scene is simultaneously the best and saddest moment of the episode, and is what makes the episode as good it is. Sweeney tries to grab Gungnir but Shadow’s got a pretty solid grip on it and is willing to fight for it. It finally comes out that Wednesday asked Sweeney to hurt Laura and is the reason why she got into a car accident. By doing so, Wednesday wanted to get Shadow’s support and help. Oh, and he spills the beans about having sex with Laura too.
Before we know it, this heated moment takes a turn when Sweeney is stabbed with Gungnir. NOOOO! We’re not ready to say goodbye to him. Why, why, WHY?!
With his final breath, Sweeney sends Gungnir off into the Sun’s Treasure.
Way to make an exit, Sweeney. We are going to miss you dearly.
GRADE: B
EPISODE 208: “MOON SHADOW”
Just like that, we’ve reached the finale of American Gods season 2. Can you believe it? How has time flown by so fast?
The last episode of the long-awaited season was…interesting. We learned some things along the way that I need to dissect and discuss with you all, so let’s get right into it.
Mr. World opens the with a cryptic message: “Fear is fiction.” A broadcast flashes across a black-and-white television screen. The radio is playing. A quaint family of three is listening to reports about chaos in the world: comets, Mars explosions, strange creatures with tentacles, and who knows what else. As any family would, this one makes a run for it.
We learn that the year is 1938, and everything being broadcast is a lie. This is a depiction of H.G. Wells’ famous War of the Worlds radio drama, which actually scared people into thinking that aliens were invading the United States.
Snapping back to the present, Shadow is visibly lost and confused after Sweeney’s death. Did we really have to kill Sweeney? I mean, he was the best character on the show, at least in my opinion. But who knows, maybe he can come back to life. It’s happened with other characters, hasn’t it?
At the funeral home, Mr. Wednesday has snuck off somewhere. Waking up, Shadow finds Laura laying near him. There is a lot of unspoken tension between them, and I think both Ricky Whittle and Emily Browning do a phenomenal job in this scene. As a couple, that’s constantly in danger of losing whatever they once had, if it’s not gone already.
At this point, Laura just wants Shadow to acknowledge that Odin, aka Mr. Wednesday, does not have good intentions. But it’s a bit difficult to take her word on anything; I mean, she hasn’t been the poster child for honesty and truth, has she?
We revisit the CEO and see the moment he created Technical Boy. So that makes the CEO Technical Boy’s father, technically, although he eventually chooses the New Gods over his sort-of dad. Ouch, that has got to hurt.
Laura and Bilquis run into each other again, and while they didn’t share a kiss this time, Laura was hoping to get Bilquis to help her out. She’s not the biggest fan of Mr. Wednesday so perhaps the two could join forces in taking him down. But Bilquis is not about that life; she’d rather stay out of it and do her thing, and who can blame her?
With the help of New Media and Technical Boy, Mr. World goes Mr. Robot on the world. Banks are being attacked, no one’s credit/debit cards are working, and panic is taking over the country. To make matters worse, Shadow is the face of all this criminal activity, along with Salim. The authorities know that they are in Cairo thanks to New Media.
Not long after, the cops surround the entire funeral home. At this point, I’m thinking it’s game over for Shadow. But then something…happens. Yggdrasil pulls Shadow in with its roots just as Shadow begins to see and hear things, including his mother. He manages to cut down the roots and makes his way out to the other side. I’m not entirely sure what happened here, so explanations are welcome. All we know is that Shadow has saved himself and everyone else.
But that’s not all. While in the roots of Yggdrasil, we learn that Odin is Shadow’s father. Say what? At least that’s what I got out of it.
As the American Gods season 2 finale comes to a close, everyone seems to go their own way. Salim and the Jinn are off on their own adventure, Laura is taking Sweeney’s body somewhere, and Shadow has left Cairo behind. The bus he is on, however, is stopped by the cops who ask for his ID. His ID doesn’t say what we think it would, though. It reads, “Michael Ainsel.” I haven’t read the book, so if this name means something, please share! And whatever this name is, it’s enough for the cops to let him go. Hmmm, interesting.
The second season of American Gods wasn’t a home run and had its ups and downs. While there was strong character development, the story itself wasn’t as engaging or interesting as it was in the first season. I think here and there the story got convoluted or went off on tangents that were hard to follow. I will say, however, that seeing the characters grow and learn more about who they are was the highlight of the season. I hope this continues in the next season because it’s season 2’s saving grace.
Until next season, GodSquad!
GRADE: B-
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