American Gods review: “Tears of the Wrath-Bearing Tree”

And just like that, American Gods has concluded its third season, and my goodness, what a season it has been! From Shadow’s (Ricky Whittle) stay in Lakeside to Odin/ Wednesday’s (Ian McShane) relentless quest to take down the New Gods, there’s been a lot to process and digest.

Many fans had theories of how the season would end, but I’m pleased to announce that I didn’t see this coming. I should have (we’ll go into detail in just a bit), but American Gods did a great job of leading us in one direction only to take us somewhere unexpected.

The big question going into the finale was: is Shadow a God? Or if not, will he transform into one following Wednesday’s demise? We get answers (sort of), and for the first time in a long time, American Gods leaves us wanting more.

Caution: SPOILERS follow below.

It was Wednesday all along

It shouldn’t come as a shock that Wednesday was playing a long con. I suspected something like that when he didn’t even flinch after Laura (Emily Browning) threw his spear Gugnir right at him. It was almost as if he wanted it to happen, but his motive was unclear. After all, why would a God want to die?

“Tears of the Wrath-Bearing Tree” seeks to answer that question with a surprising plot twist. As a vigil, Shadow decides to spend nine days and nights being tied to Yggdrasil, a sacred tree in Norse mythology. Many (including myself) didn’t feel like it was worth Shadow’s time to participate in this vigil, especially considering Wednesday’s propensity to be a selfish a**hole. But throughout the series, Shadow has always felt like he has something to prove to his father, and being tied up in writhing pain for nine days seems like the way to do it.

Shadow is tied to this tree for most of the episode, experiencing bouts of extreme pain and dehydration (although he was able to summon a snowstorm) and visions of the Orisha, Laura and the buffalo with flames for eyes. It all culminates in him eventually “waking up” on a plane next to Wednesday, which he fears may be how he will spend his death.

It’s not exactly death, but rather “somewhere in between,” as Shadow explains. Wednesday knew that Laura would be out for his blood and that upon his death Shadow would offer to stand vigil if under the impression that it would give him power.

And now, Odin can use Shadow’s blood sacrifice to restore himself to his former glory as Odin, the All-Father. This was Wednesday’s plan all along. As the details of the betrayal unravel, Shadow is consumed by Yggdrasil’s vines in the real world. More shockingly, Wednesday’s corpse completely vanishes from the base of the tree as Czernobog (Peter Stormare), Mr. Ibis (Demore Barnes) and Cordelia (Ashley Reyes) look up in shock.

Now, I can’t imagine this series could continue without Ricky Whittle, so I assume that whatever has happened to Shadow is temporary (I refuse to believe anything else). Odin may be the all-powerful All-Father, but I believe the sacrifice Shadow has made will result in him fully coming into his Godhood, perhaps emerging even more powerful than his father.

Laura and Bilquis

I didn’t care much for Laura’s journey before now, but with the arc the series has finally given her, I’m all in for wherever she is headed.

Characters are divided on what to do with Laura after she kills Wednesday. Czernobog and Mr. Ibis encourage Shadow to avenge his father’s death, but that’s not exactly what happens.

Those who have been watching her know that Laura was all but guided to this point by Mr. World (Crispin Glover). She was a pawn in his Old Gods vs. New Gods war, and given that she already had a bone to pick with Wednesday, it was incredibly easy to persuade her.

But as expected, Mr. World denies Laura’s allegations that he told by him how to acquire Gugnir from Sweeney’s hoard and gave her Wednesday’s location. Still, obviously Shadow was never going to take her life, even if she did kill his father. Although their relationship has been twisted by betrayal and anger, there is still love there.

Instead of bashing her brains in as advised, Shadow walk away from her and takes on his destiny, despite her advice not to follow in his father’s footsteps. Meanwhile, Laura is left reeling from strange dreams and visions, mainly of Bilquis (Yetide Badaki). Their paths hadn’t crossed since season 2, so it’s strange to see them back together — and making out, no less — in the final moments of the season 3 finale.

To up the ante further, Laura awakes the next morning to find Bilquis outside her hotel room door. “Thank Gods I’ve found you,” she says. What does this mean? And where could these two go in season 4? If I’ve learned anything this season, it’s that I can’t predict American Gods as well as I would like, so I shall wait with bated breath to learn more.

Never before have all the pieces of the American Gods puzzle so elegantly fit together. Before this, it was a lot of head-scratching moments that led nowhere.

But things have changed for the better in season 3. Unfortunately, the series has not yet been renewed for a fourth season, so it’s possibility we won’t get more of what we were just beginning to enjoy.

But if the show has managed to survive past all of its drama up until now, then I’m sure Starz will see its potential and give it more chances to continue the story. I mean, they have to tell us what happens with Shadow and Wednesday, right?

Grade: B+

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