• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

American Gods |OT| You Had Me At Bryan Fuller - Sundays on Starz

Shy

Member
;_______________________________;
NtUg6k9.gif
 

molnizzle

Member
Damn that was the finale!? I thought this was gonna have 10 episode seasons. Damn.

best part:

Shadow: "Now you're just gonna go get a suit made like you're the goddamn godfather?"
Mr. Nancy: "Who the fuck did you think he was?
 

molnizzle

Member
What time does it air over in the states? I would have expected this to be on in the wee hours UK time like Twin Peaks is.

I dunno, but Starz put episodes up on their streaming service at midnight the day something will air. You can watch it there before it even airs on TV.
 
I dunno, but Starz put episodes up on their streaming service at midnight the day something will air. You can watch it there before it even airs on TV.

Ah ok, that makes sense. Amazon Prime doesn't give us the episode until after it's aired stateside, so I thought i'd be in luck watching it tonight (nope).
 

Blackhead

Redarse
Good episode. Horrible finale. I was on board for a while but nah fuck this season. Top much navel gazing and not enough plot. They really should at least gotten the main characters to house on the rock

I dropped Preacher because of its pacing issues and might have to do the same with American Gods :/
 

Burt

Member
eugh

ugh

highs

lows

The first, biggest, can't-get-over-it, cognitively impassable thing that comes to mind when I look back at the episode is how after all the shit Shadow's seen and experienced, what finally tips him over the edge to acceptance is a bunch of grungy (albeit occasionally glowing) hippies at an Easter party.

That says enough about the episode. And the whole season, really.
 

jph139

Member
Overall I liked it. The Laura plot continues to be the weak link, but Mad Sweeney is enough of a joy to make it worthwhile. Easter is a bit of a change, but I think it works - her sort of cheery belle-of-the-ball persona was fun. The Jesus stuff was goofy, which worked for the humor but made his heart-to-heart with Shadow a bit hard to seriously.

I feel like the whole confrontation with the New Gods was a bit... shoehorned in. Like, it was mostly there to make this feel more like a finale. I get why Media would show up to court Easter since they'd have a special relationship, but Mr. World popping up here seemed like a bit much. The "big bad evil guy" shouldn't just be popping in to contribute his two cents... as much as I love seeing Crispin Glover.

My biggest problem though was the fact that Easter can just decide to... turn off spring. For at least 500 square miles, since it hit from Kentucky to Wisconsin. Like, holy shit! If she has that kind of power living off of scraps, why would she have ANY skin in the game? What more can she gain? I think that's the only recurring problem I have with the new stuff they're adding... it gives a LOT of power to the gods, which introduces more than a handful of "why don't they just use their god powers to fix things?" plot holes.

But in the end I enjoyed the first season and am looking forward to the next. Even if it all felt like prologue, really... I mean, that scene where Wednesday recites his names and titles? Gave me chills. REALLY looking forward to the House on the Rock now!

Just finished watching the finale.; Good stuff. Laura continues to be the weakest link and just an awful character though.

How was this a departure though? Someone fill me in on that in detail.

Essentially, the scene with Easter in the book goes - Shadow and Wednesday show up, he makes his pitch (same general thing, where she says she's doing fine, but he says they're saying her name but aren't actually talking about her). She's non-committal but more or less agrees to join up with him. They leave.

Everything else around there (her with Laura, her with Jesus, her with the New Gods, the whole "stealing spring" plot point) is completely new. And this is the second face-to-face confrontation with the New Gods, something that hasn't happened at all at this point in the book.
 
Damn that was the finale!? I thought this was gonna have 10 episode seasons. Damn.

I think they originally had a ten episodes for the first season, but something wasn't coming together in the first half of the season, and Starz let them remove scenes that weren't working plus added in some re-shoots. I'm paraphrasing badly, but I remember hearing Fuller talk about it here.
 

royalan

Member
Rewatching the episode, still haven't gathered my thoughts coherently.

--My favorite part of the show continues to be the side stories. They really carry the essence of the show's narrative. Bilquis continues to fascinate me.

--I'm not understanding Bryan Fuller's obsession with Laura Moon's character. She's gotten more exposition than every other character combined and for what? So we could learn that she's spoiled and selfish? We already knew that.

--Ricky Whittle is one gorgeous, gorgeous man. Wish Shadow Moon got more exposition, seeing as he's the main character and all.
 

gatti-man

Member
Even the finale moves too slow. It's not a good sign when I ask myself why I continue to watch a series during the finale. The last 15 minutes were interesting for sure.
 
I'm not getting the "show is too slow" complaint. It feels like it's going along at a nice pace, every scene is fun to look at, and all the little stories tossed in are awesome. I dug the whole season and I guess now I have to read the book.
 

dabig2

Member
Crazy finale. Now with the gauntlet thrown down, I just want the Winchester boys from Supernatural to cross over into this universe and kill them some prideful, haughty gods.

Creating a mass famine just for prayers and worship because they feel crowded out? Yo, FUCK the old gods. Not even going into Odin's crazy keikaku plan with the murder of Laura and all his bullshit.

All I can think about when it comes to the old gods and Odin's wishing of the old days along with Mad Sweeney saying how they're all dicks is the intro to Hercules: Legendary Journeys:

"This is the story of a time long ago – a time of myth and legend. When the ancient gods were petty and cruel, and they plagued mankind with suffering, only one man dared to challenge their power – Hercules."

So again, FUCK the old gods. Hope Media in this version of the story summons Kratos from the God of War videogames to go after the gods (first the old and then he also kills the new ones because - well - he's Kratos)
 

Chumley

Banned
The reveal that McShane is Odin was fucking awesome, I had a feeling he was basically the God of War a few episodes ago but it was still a great moment.
 

dabig2

Member
Yeah, I totally would be w the new gods in this universe and it isn't close.

Well, Techno Boy is still a dick and Crispin Glover is Crispin Glover, he's fun but I wouldn't want his crazy ass around me or mine. But Gillian Anderson I would pray to unironically.

She and Bilquis are my baes, but at least Media won't suck me up into a vagina nebula for eternity (though I probably totally would anyways but that's besides the point)
 
Definitely one of the most visually impressive episodes of the season, had that Pushing Daises vibe with the bright colors and of course Kristen Chenoweth showing up.

So did Techno Boy send Bliquis to seduce Shadow? Because he seems to have a certain type he's into I'm not sure she falls into the category.

If Easter was able to give Laura life again, would she still be the depressed woman who didn't really feel or would her affection for Shadow carry over?

About time Shadow believes, with all the crazy shit he has seen.

I didn't totally gel with this season, but I have to admit that season 2 has me intrigued.
 

aku:jiki

Member
Shadow: "Now you're just gonna go get a suit made like you're the goddamn godfather?"
Mr. Nancy: "Who the fuck did you think he was?
I liked this one:

Shadow: Fuck it does!
Anansi: Fuck it doesn't!

There was some high quality banter going on in that scene. Loved it.

Aww, I was really enjoying the thought that the casting call literally said "Looking for middle-eastern male, 30-50 years old, 5'7"-6'2", 200lbs, must have giant elephant dong that will be measured."
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
I thought that the final scene with Wednesday, Easter, Media, etc. was kind of shitty to be honest. It just came off as unintentionally hokey and I had trouble taking anything about it seriously.

The main story just isn't particularly compelling right now. I much prefer the side stories featuring the random gods and tidbits of mythology - I honestly don't think I'd mind if the entire series was an episodic anthology where each episode focused exclusively on a different god's journey to America.
 

Einchy

semen stains the mountaintops
I hope they explain why the gods can't reveal themselves to people. Odin could get a fuck ton of people worshiping him if he was like, "yo, I'm Odin and look at this magic shit I'm about to do!".

Maybe that's just kinda swept under the rug since the show wouldn't really work if all the gods did that.
I mean, it's incredibly blatant who he is from the very first episode.

I mean, not really? A shit ton of people had no idea who he was.
 

stenbumling

Unconfirmed Member
I have been iffy about this show, but the finale made me a believer – it finally makes metaphorically and narratively sense to me (I have not read the book).
 
I don't know why you would want to be on the side of any gods. The new ones basically thrive off ignorant consumerism. As long as you're a mouth-breathing fool who buries your nose into a screen then you're contributing to them. They don't seem to care if you're happy or just another drone. They seem they'd happily doom a segment of humanity to appease a larger percentage, evident by Mr. World offering to outright nuke North Korea. Meanwhile the old gods demand some autonomy through active worship, but usually at the cost of some personal tribute or sacrifice in their worship.

Both are selfish and uncaring, not something I'd really want to side with.
 

Blackhead

Redarse
I hope they explain why the gods can't reveal themselves to people. Odin could get a fuck ton of people worshiping him if he was like, "yo, I'm Odin and look at this magic shit I'm about to do!".

Maybe that's just kinda swept under the rug since the show wouldn't really work if all the gods did that.

I don't know why you would want to be on the side of any gods. The new ones basically thrive off ignorant consumerism. As long as you're a mouth-breathing fool who buries your nose into a screen then you're contributing to them. They don't seem to care if you're happy or just another drone. They seem they'd happily doom a segment of humanity to appease a larger percentage, evident by Mr. World offering to outright nuke North Korea. Meanwhile the old gods demand some autonomy through active worship, but usually at the cost of some personal tribute or sacrifice in their worship.

Both are selfish and uncaring, not something I'd really want to side with.

... don't look too closely at the 'logic' of the Gaiman's Gods. If Media (TV, Internet etc) are New Gods, I'd like to believe that there's a old God of Books/Libraries somewhere encouraging knowledge acquisition. But the mechanics of why we have these new Gods is always loosely defined and their powers are what's convenient for plot especially book ending spoiler
when they reveal who Mr World really is
 

Zoe

Member
I'm so tired of rotting Laura, and the whole maggot thing literally made me gag. I hope there's still a way to fix her next season cause that alone can turn me off from the show.
 

Veelk

Banned
... don't look too closely at the 'logic' of the Gaiman's Gods. If Media (TV, Internet etc) are New Gods, I'd like to believe that there's a old God of Books/Libraries somewhere encouraging knowledge acquisition. But the mechanics of why we have these new Gods is always loosely defined and their powers are what's convenient for plot especially book ending spoiler
when they reveal who Mr World really is

Mythology is something inherently incoherent. I'm not even talking about trying to combine them all into one narrative, but even by themselves. In one story, Hephaestus was conceived by Hera without the help of Zeus because she got jealous that Zeus had the child Athena all on his own. But in another story, Hephy helps Zeus dig out Athena from his head. Combine these, and you have Hephaestus helping Zeus carry a child to term that is supposed to be the motivator for his mother to give birth to him.

Now try to combine ALL the myths of ALL the world. It makes no sense. You have multiple, mutually exclusive accounts for creation alone.
 
Top Bottom