metsallica
Member
I thought S1 was the whole book, and S2 would tackle stuff from the upcoming sequel. Gaiman has been working with Fuller/Green, feeding them info. No?
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American Gods |OT| You Had Me At Bryan Fuller - Sundays on Starz
- Thread starter TheOddOne
- Start date
There's a difference between everything and nothing. You can have a happy medium and so far, 2 episodes in, they seem content with telling us nothing. Just give us some context to why all of this is happening and then they can reveal some more stuff down the line.
I'm not the one you should be worried about, I'm still watching the show, but I bet you a bunch of people are going to stop dropping the show if they don't start telling us what's happening.
More_Badass
Member
They have. Technical Boy's talk in the car, Media's talk to Shadow, Wednesday and Czernobog talking...all those pretty much set up and hinted at what's going right now.
If they keep it up for this season, then I'm very pleased about this renewal.
And for the life of me, I can't remember who was Media.
I think 1 season for the book is too short (if the season is 10 episodes that is), but 5 for one book is way too much.
More_Badass
Member
Considering how much ground is covered in one book, and so far there's only 8 episodes a season, and they're expanding upon characters, adding new characters and so on, I think it could work fine
NoblesseOblige
Banned
I'm not sure what more context you need. Mr. Wednesday offered Shadow a job at basically being muscle/errand boy and they're off to recruit others. Technical Boy tried to kill him. Media made her alliance with Technical Boy known and tried to make Shadow an offer to their side. It's clear a faction dispute is going on and Shadow is stuck in the middle.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
I think the show is fine as is, in terms of the amount of information that is being conveyed to the audience per episode, but I do think they would have captured a bigger initial audience if they had aired the first two episodes back to back.
TwntyOneTwlv
Member
Gotta agree with this. I read the book so I know what's going on, but even if you hadn't, it should be obvious what's happening here. Yeah, there's weird shit, but at this point the story is kinda straightforward.
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
The opening. Gillian Anderson. That dinner scene. Peter Stormare was something else. This show is completely enthralling.
edit: Decided on a rewatch and i caught whats happening. Either that or the editing is way off.
edit: Decided on a rewatch and i caught whats happening. Either that or the editing is way off.
captjohnboyd
Member
wait how did you watch it early? does it stream early somewhere?
Grizzlyjin
Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
It's available on the Starz app at midnight. They do that with all their shows. I wanna watch but I'm afraid I'll fall asleep during.
More_Badass
Member
Episodes go up early on the Starz app
captjohnboyd
Member
Ugh I'm not sure I have access to that....can you just sign in with your cable provider ID like you would for HBOgo?
PhoncipleBone
Banned
Yup. It's great.
adamsappel
Member
This is because they actually don't have a working ID system, lol.Unless you have Comcast/Xfinity.
Just finished the third episode, great stuff! This is the best new show since Fargo, imo. Any chance we can get a Mr. Wednesday spin-off after this show is over? Can't get enough of Ian McShane and his amusing, fascinating character.
I also love how I can watch new episodes first thing on Sunday morning.
I also love how I can watch new episodes first thing on Sunday morning.
Admiral Woofington
Member
Hasn't Gaiman been working on the new book for ages now?
More in the concept phase than actually writing it from what it sounds like in this interview:
http://ew.com/books/2017/04/20/american-gods-2-neil-gaiman/
Baroquemantic
Member
My god, the episode 2 opening scene was one of the best things I've ever seen. Orlando Jones was great.
I noticed this too when I saw that shot. I've been assuming it's intentional somehow, I don't want Shadow Moon to be bad at checkers. Haven't watched 3 yet though. D:
The over use of music is painful, i can't believe it
The show would be many times better if i just muted the tv for minutes at a time
Honestly you (and I) only know this because we know the novel.
Watching with my girlfriend and a few pals - all literary and tv folk (literally work in the industries) who haven't read the novel and they're all confused af and not enjoying it.
The novel took a lot of time setting scene, character and lore. The shocking pacing of this show involves a feverish rush through various concepts and stories with little/no establishment.
Plus there's the whole narrative flaw of "ephemeral protagonist" Shadow working in the abstract pages of a novel but being literalised on screen. Just ruins the whole vibe/narrative imo. Not the creators fault though (in that case).
He was great, but again, context was fucked, don't remember that in the novel (modern dress and patois for Anansi)
Could be wrong - long time since i read it
The show would be many times better if i just muted the tv for minutes at a time
Honestly you (and I) only know this because we know the novel.
Watching with my girlfriend and a few pals - all literary and tv folk (literally work in the industries) who haven't read the novel and they're all confused af and not enjoying it.
The novel took a lot of time setting scene, character and lore. The shocking pacing of this show involves a feverish rush through various concepts and stories with little/no establishment.
Plus there's the whole narrative flaw of "ephemeral protagonist" Shadow working in the abstract pages of a novel but being literalised on screen. Just ruins the whole vibe/narrative imo. Not the creators fault though (in that case).
He was great, but again, context was fucked, don't remember that in the novel (modern dress and patois for Anansi)
Could be wrong - long time since i read it
therealminime
Member
Oh my god Peter Stormare is so amazing in this. He is having so much fun. Also really wasn't expecting to see Cloris Leachman in this.
Liked:
Disliked:
So far it seems like the show is best when it's embarking on new territory than trying to recapture the book. Maybe I'm holding it to unreasonable standards, I dunno.
Fadil: TV original, great segment. I might be biased because I spent a part of my life in Queens. I wish Anubis didn't have that smirk on his face the entire time though. Maybe it's like the opposite of a resting bitch face, it's a resting laugh face.
Mad Sweeney: In the books you're not really sure why he needs his coin back and as I read it he was keeping it for someone important but here it makes it plain that it's the source of his leprechaun's luck which is not only clearer but makes more sense
Bank Grift: Just like how I imagined it
Czernobog: I hope we get to see more Stormare before the season's over
Mad Sweeney: In the books you're not really sure why he needs his coin back and as I read it he was keeping it for someone important but here it makes it plain that it's the source of his leprechaun's luck which is not only clearer but makes more sense
Bank Grift: Just like how I imagined it
Czernobog: I hope we get to see more Stormare before the season's over
Disliked:
Zorya: Her acting was kind of stiff but also more eccentric and cheery than I imagined her
Salim and the Jinn: The dialogue didn't flow very well even though it's word for word out of the books, I'm not sure if it was a scripting issue or an acting issue, the homolust was good though
Snow: The cinematography doesn't sell it. It makes the segment look comical. I would've liked for them to do like a flashback to where Shadow has vivid memories of snow instead of the awful CG car driving over marshmallows nonsense
Salim and the Jinn: The dialogue didn't flow very well even though it's word for word out of the books, I'm not sure if it was a scripting issue or an acting issue, the homolust was good though
Snow: The cinematography doesn't sell it. It makes the segment look comical. I would've liked for them to do like a flashback to where Shadow has vivid memories of snow instead of the awful CG car driving over marshmallows nonsense
So far it seems like the show is best when it's embarking on new territory than trying to recapture the book. Maybe I'm holding it to unreasonable standards, I dunno.
I vehemently disagree with the notion that the narrative is difficult to follow. Nothing has been explained in certain terms but it's entirely possible to glean from a number of the aforementioned conversations (Technical Boy, Media, etc.) the gist of what's going on.
Namely, there's a conflict. Technical Boy and Media (both of whom embrace technology, or appear to be some new, contemporary kind of divine) take issue with McShane's character who, from clues (the opening of episode one, his false eye and ability to fall asleep instantly) I gather to be Odin. Both he and Stormare's characters are old fashioned in a distinct way. They're like an old guard. McShane is convincing these old coots to ally and presumably fight those who side with Media and Tech dude. I don't know what the point of contention is, but I assume it has to do with either group's viability in the new, "American" world, and that they disagree with one another to such a point that it's come down to warfare. They've broken into factions.
Now I could be completely fucking off-base, but I'm confident in a number of my points. The show's written well enough that I'm as lost in it as Shadow but can glean enough from those who ought to know what's going on (McShane, Stormare, Anderson) that I maintain something of an idea of the series' central conflict. Enough to keep me watching.
Fuller and Co. may not be providing straight answers but I'm not just flailing out here in the ether. There's enough written into the dialogue that I have something to work with, inaccurate or no.
EDIT: I should mention I've read maybe twenty pages of the novel and remember little of it. So no spoilers from me, just speculation.
More_Badass
Member
Same. I only ever read the first 20-30 pages through the Nook sample.
You can gather a lot from the representations we've seen of the factions (Wednesday, Czenbog vs VR Technical Boy and TV Media), the Comig To America segments, Shadow's questions, Wednesday's discussions with his mysterious allies
molnizzle
Member
You already know the show is about literal gods though because you follow threads here on NeoGAF.
If you didn't already know that, the show has done little to explain it during the first two episodes. You guys are going into this already knowing what to expect. For normal viewers, this shit doesn't make any sense at all. My wife was out after the first episode. She expected something to explain what was going on even a little bit. At least a hint, shit.
Hell, half the time I can barely understand what McShane is saying. He's one mumbling motherfucker.
Also the names. Russian hammer dude had a name? Lucy Ricardo isn't a god, but "Media?"
Show needs to explain itself.
Presumptuous. I knew nothing about the show going in, save for the twenty pages I read a while ago, which only really covered some of the prison stuff and which I'd mostly forgotten by time the show came around.
Considering the show concerns itself with deities, deals with incredibly zany supernatural shit no more than three minutes into the first episode and is titled "American Gods," there's really not a ton of work one has to do to attain an idea of what the fuck may be going on, even on a basic level.
I don't know Stormare's character's name, but it's clear from the way he explains himself and his circumstances that he's something else. Not to mention the way in which the show presents him, with all the bleeding hammer, striking cows dead shit.
The show is LITTERED with hints.
There's been no active confirmation that any of the characters Shadow is interacting with are Gods, but the show's presentation makes that unecessary. For now. I do agree that a dump will inevitably occur, but it doesn't have to happen within the first episode or all at once.
First episode I wasn't really feeling. The opening bit was meh, the Zorya scene looked cheap, and the rematch with Czernobog wasn't half as cool as last episode.
Second half was great though. I got chills with the Djinn scene, the bank robbery was just as expected, and the final car ride nailed the atmosphere. McShane is just such a good Wednesday, a joy to watch, really. Oh, and giving us more on the Mad Sweeney plot was a great choice... his face when the guy got impaled was priceless.
Do people literally watch shows without seeing a trailer first? Reading a synopsis online? Brief word-of-mouth explanations form friends and family? Like... Googling it?
I find it incredibly hard to believe people today flip through stations, end up on Starz, and start watching a show with absolutely zero context or further information. Like, I'm sure some people do, but that simply can't be a sizable portion of the audience.
The show is about a brewing war between the old gods and the new gods. If you don't know that much going in, that's your fault, not the show's.
Second half was great though. I got chills with the Djinn scene, the bank robbery was just as expected, and the final car ride nailed the atmosphere. McShane is just such a good Wednesday, a joy to watch, really. Oh, and giving us more on the Mad Sweeney plot was a great choice... his face when the guy got impaled was priceless.
Do people literally watch shows without seeing a trailer first? Reading a synopsis online? Brief word-of-mouth explanations form friends and family? Like... Googling it?
I find it incredibly hard to believe people today flip through stations, end up on Starz, and start watching a show with absolutely zero context or further information. Like, I'm sure some people do, but that simply can't be a sizable portion of the audience.
The show is about a brewing war between the old gods and the new gods. If you don't know that much going in, that's your fault, not the show's.
Uh...yes? Word of mouth usually equates to "You gotta watch this show/movie/game [insert title here]! It's awesome!" You won't be getting full story synopsis from word of mouth unless the friend recommending the thing to you is obnoxious.
You don't need to watch a trailer, and certainly not google it; both of those things are stuff people do when they already have been following the show for a while.
I don't feel like the war of the Gods plot line is all that important to know yet, or even relevant to the show thus far, so it's not a big deal that the show is putting little effort to explain it (albeit it drops hints and clues here and there), but if it was the main the storyline, then yes it would be the show's fault for it not being more clear.
So here's a thought. The following isn't really spoilers, but it's speculation on something that specifically doesn't happen in the book that I'm hoping might in the TV show, so I'll spoiler it.
I am really hoping to see, as expanded material, Greek Mythology appear in the series. It's interesting because Classical Mythology is probably the strongest mythology present in our world save perhaps Christianity, moreso than even Norse. We have our society based on ancient greece, we have our planets named after the Roman Gods, and we still use plenty of in various naming schemes.
So do you think there's any chance we'll stumble upon Zeus or Hercules or something?
So do you think there's any chance we'll stumble upon Zeus or Hercules or something?
If you just go by the title, the show is about American Gods. All the strange people/events happening to Shadow is undoubtedly tied to that. You can figure out that there is some kind of faction war between "old" and "new", even if you aren't necessarily familiar with names or mythology.
I think some people are just being thrown off by all the weird shit. lol
I think some people are just being thrown off by all the weird shit. lol
I knew they were literal gods before I read it because it's Gaiman's favorite trope.
¯\_(ツ
Nope.... his favorite trope is personification of stuff. Like months or dreams or stories and yes, gods too. Because it is in the title =P
He also loves stories about stories.
Really? That's how people watch shows? I'm not saying story synopsis, I'm saying you're know what the basic premise is. You don't go into Game of Thrones without knowing it's about politics and war in a fantasy world. You don't go into True Detective without knowing it's a funky philosophical crime story. You don't go into Hannibal without knowing it's about Hannibal Lecter, that dude who eats people.
I'm not saying that the show isn't esoteric and weird, and goes on a bunch of side trips, and isn't focusing on the plot. It totally is. But that's the basic premise of the show. You take that out, it doesn't exist. You don't turn on an episode of the Flash and complain it's about a dude with superpowers.
Monocle
Member
TheNatureBoy
Member
As someone who hasn't read the books, American Gods definitely isn't a show that spells out anything or holds the audiences hands but I don't think that is the intention. Visually I am enjoying the show and I'm curious to see how things develop, although it hasn't fully grabbed me yet.
I liked the opening segment with the old lady and Anubis.
Mr. Wednesday continues to be enjoyable.
The genie granted the wish of blowing out the saleman's back. Looked like he transferred into him, in more ways than one.
Shadow Moon has powers....
The lucky coin brought his wife back
I liked the opening segment with the old lady and Anubis.
Mr. Wednesday continues to be enjoyable.
The genie granted the wish of blowing out the saleman's back. Looked like he transferred into him, in more ways than one.
Shadow Moon has powers....
The lucky coin brought his wife back