• 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

hydruxo

Member
Decent episode. Pacing felt a bit odd to me.

Crispin Glover as Mr. World is SO good, though. Up there with McShane's Wednesday and Stormare's Czernobog as the best performances so far. Definitely didn't disappoint in that regard. The scene in general felt a bit too on the nose - like, "here's our big plan, get it, let's be super clear about what's happening!" - but considering some of the reactions here, maybe that was necessary. This episode (and the last one) feel like exposition dumps.

The focus on Laura was a drag, though. The logic that she doesn't really care about what happened in life because she's dead doesn't really work when we've seen her as a stone-cold bitch in life, too. I did get a laugh out of her playing dead in the tub with Mad Sweeney, though. Poor guy. From the next episode preview:
Looks like they'll be pairing up again? That should be fun.

Oh, right, and the opening! That stop-motion style CGI? Crazy beautiful. Such a cool idea. Hopefully they continue to experiment like that with mediums and such.

My only real question at this point is... what the fuck was with that chair/tree monster??

Book spoilers for the bolded part:
according to a storyboard sketch that Bryan Fuller shared on twitter, it's meant to be Mr. Wood
here's a link to it
 

WillyFive

Member
Could be, but I think he came off as much more data-oriented with his Shadow stats and systems talk. Maybe he's some sort of library/Google information hybrid.

I think the technology boy would be in charge of stuff like Google and data; and a business god like Mr. World would naturally be in control of and depend heavily on him.
 

MrS

Banned
Worst episode of the season so far imo. Browning's and Anderson's acting was fucking awful. Like, really bad. Laura Moon is entirely loathsome and it's a shitshow whenever she's on screen. The kid who plays technical boy is shite too. At least McShane and Pablo Schreiber are consistently excellent.
 
I'm liking the show a lot better than the book now. All storylines in the show are riveting at this point, from Laura to Wednesday to the leprechaun to the new villains.



I think he's Wall Street, aka the god of the market, economy, power, greed etc. He wants world dominance.

Hmmm makes sense. It would explain why he is powerful and why he is trying to rebrand Wednesday.
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
More like (((Mr. Globalism))) amirite!?!?!@?
 

hydruxo

Member
Worst episode of the season so far imo. Browning's and Anderson's acting was fucking awful. Like, really bad. Laura Moon is entirely loathsome and it's a shitshow whenever she's on screen. The kid who plays technical boy is shite too. At least McShane and Pablo Schreiber are consistently excellent.

Lol what. Laura is a shitty character but Emily Browning is killing it acting wise. And Gillian has been incredible.
 

besada

Banned
Least favorite episode of the bunch, so far. Not only did they spell out what was going on, they beat you about the head and shoulders with it. Seriously dumbed down to help those who can't parse storytelling, which is a shame, because they've done such a great job up until this point letting the ambiguity ride and letting it out a little at a time.

So I was disappointed when the bad guys turn up, tell everyone who hasn't figured it out who Wednesday is, and then proceed to explain the plot in explicit detail.

Gillian Anderson was also really off this episode, and the guy playing the Technical Boy is just irritating. Glover was fun, though.

Actually, my favorite scene in the whole thing was either the CGI side-story or Laura kicking the shit out of Mad Sweeney. I hope next week gets it back together.
 

Einchy

semen stains the mountaintops
I liked that they told us what is going on not because the audiences needed to hear it but because Shadow did. I mean, even after seeing his dead wife, he was still wondering if a floating lady is "real", mothafucka, I think zombies are more unbelievable than floating. Hopefully he isn't so confused by everything and he'll actually be more proactive with what is happening.
 

Shy

Member
Least favorite episode of the bunch, so far. Not only did they spell out what was going on, they beat you about the head and shoulders with it. Seriously dumbed down to help those who can't parse storytelling, which is a shame, because they've done such a great job up until this point letting the ambiguity ride and letting it out a little at a time.

So I was disappointed when the bad guys turn up, tell everyone who hasn't figured it out who Wednesday is, and then proceed to explain the plot in explicit detail.
Yeah. And the irony is, people still aren't getting it.
 
I thought it was pretty obvious Mr.World was the Internet but some of these other suggestions seem valid as well. Either way what an amazing episode. LOVE me some Sweeny
 
The New Gods just steal every fucking scene they're in. All except for Anansi, who has yet to appear again. I love how Gillian Anderson was really playing it up since she was dressed as MM, and like overacting everything in her voice lmao
 
4IovYR9.gif
 

Bebpo

Banned
I'm really happy with this adaptation so far. Probably one of the best book adaptations I've seen. As a book reader, I'm almost always dissatisfied with original, changed or filler material, but I'm liking a lot of what's been added and the straight book to screen translations like Czernobog or the Bank Heist are perfect.

My only complaints really are the ep2 Anansi scene feels completely out of character for the God he is and how he's protrayed in this and Anansi Boys and the sex scenes in ep2 & 3 drag on too long, plus the Bilqis stuff just feels like filler T&A considering her book subplot.

Yeah. And the irony is, people still aren't getting it.

Which means they did a good job and it hit the right line.
 

jett

D-Member
This show is just visually spectacular. I can only hope production values continue to be just as high in the second season. There's nothing like it on TV or movies.

I loved this episode, Mr World was the tits. I was gripped the entire time.
 

Epcott

Member
I always thought Mr. World was
the living embodiment of modern globalization. The thing that keeps media and technology in line.

I guess he's probably updated for the show... like the living consciousness of information (satellites and government information). Suppose we'll find out eventually.
 
I am amazed that people are able to "hate" Laura after episode 4.
Why are you surprised?

She's shown to be a cheater with borderline sociopathic tendencies that never truly loved her husband as he loved her, and on the day he was coming back couldn't help but be nice to the poor guy she was fucking by giving him a blow job.

Look ultimately doesn't matter how much they try to develop her character, fact of the matter is that most folks won't like her because beneath it all being cheated on is something many have experienced and can never forgive, and she's so nonchalant about it.

I can bet many are glad that shadow told her that he wasn't her puppy anymore.
 

KarmaCow

Member
Why are you surprised?

She's shown to be a cheater with borderline sociopathic tendencies that never truly loved her husband as he loved her, and on the day he was coming back couldn't help but be nice to the poor guy she was fucking by giving him a blow job.

Look ultimately doesn't matter how much they try to develop her character, fact of the matter is that most folks won't like her because beneath it all being cheated on is something many have experienced and can never forgive, and she's so nonchalant about it.

I can bet many are glad that shadow told her that he wasn't her puppy anymore.

Pretty much. I can sympathize with depression but it doesn't excuse what she did. Even in this episode she's just as selfish.

That said, she's still a more interesting character than Shadow and I'm somewhat interested in seeing how things will play out with her. I just think she's a terrible person.
 

V_Arnold

Member
I think the show plays with preconceptions well.
You get a one dimension start of the character (her death), then in the fourth episode, it is shown that she is the way she is because her life holds no meaning to her (rightfully so?).

In that episode, we can clearly see that for Shadow, her presence was more important than the other way around. Cheating or no cheating ,that relationship almost ended with her asking for the spray to kill herself with again. And if not that, it was clearly not a working relationship, other than them having sex.

She is a broken character, but not an evil one. And a very interestingly broken character.

Pretty much. I can sympathize with depression but it doesn't excuse what she did. Even in this episode she's just as selfish.

What? It does not excuse? It would not have excused a suicide too? Psychology does not agree with you, tbh. She is selfish, just like the rest (99%) of the cast, with the sole exception of Shadow.
 

Burt

Member
I am amazed that people are able to "hate" Laura after episode 4.

I feel like she's supposed to be hated. I mean, nothing against Browning's performance, she's doing a great job, but the character herself seems to be jumping straight to 'clean slate' without any real remorse for her actions, let alone any acts of contrition.

I actually enjoyed the character more before this episode, when her actions were justified by and an articulation of her numbing depression. Now, it's pretty much just "Shadow glows yellow, ergo I love him. Everything's cool, right?" It sort of just gutted her character, and not even the awesome-as-usual Mad Sweeney swooping in to share her scenes could save her.
 

jett

D-Member
Shadow is just the vessel in which the viewer throws himself/herself into. So I'm fine with him being the way he is.

Laura's fine. She's entertaining to watch if nothing else.
 

Zabka

Member
I like the subtle image stabilization effect used on Mr. World in a few shots. Adds to the unsettling, dreamlike feeling surrounding the whole sequence.
 

molnizzle

Member
Least favorite episode of the bunch, so far. Not only did they spell out what was going on, they beat you about the head and shoulders with it. Seriously dumbed down to help those who can't parse storytelling, which is a shame, because they've done such a great job up until this point letting the ambiguity ride and letting it out a little at a time.

So I was disappointed when the bad guys turn up, tell everyone who hasn't figured it out who Wednesday is, and then proceed to explain the plot in explicit detail.

Gillian Anderson was also really off this episode, and the guy playing the Technical Boy is just irritating. Glover was fun, though.

Actually, my favorite scene in the whole thing was either the CGI side-story or Laura kicking the shit out of Mad Sweeney. I hope next week gets it back together.

It was so fucking necessary, and honestly way too late. Should have happened in the first or second episode. I was glad they finally put the cards on the table and explained what the fuck was going on. The first few episodes were ridiculously obtuse and pretentious as hell.

I can bet many are glad that shadow told her that he wasn't her puppy anymore.

Oh man. So happy.

I am amazed that people are able to "hate" Laura after episode 4.

I'm amazed that anyone doesn't. Something is seriously wrong with anyone who can empathize with a character like Laura.
 

Veelk

Banned
What? It does not excuse? It would not have excused a suicide too? Psychology does not agree with you, tbh. She is selfish, just like the rest (99%) of the cast, with the sole exception of Shadow.

This is the ultimate issue I take with the perception that Laura's sin and morality take precedent over her place as a character in the show.

This isn't something that anyone applied to Wednesday when he's clearly using Shadow to his own ends, or Chernobog when he decided to put Shadow's life on the line in a game just because he wants to relive the good old days, or Bilquis whose eating innocent people alive through sex acts, and so on.

Hatred of Laura's immorality overshadows her perception when it doesn't with other characters. It comes off as a double standard for her. I don't try to excuse Laura's actions. I just don't see a reason why she should be judged via morality as a character. No one else is.
 

Einchy

semen stains the mountaintops
If this episode was supposed to make us more sympathetic towards Laura then they failed. I mean, she's a good character and she brings some interesting stuff to the table, but she's still a shit person who I've no sympathy for.

”Usually when something is out in the world I just let it be," Browning said, ”but for some reason with this show I need to know what people are saying and what people think. And at the end of Episode 3 so many people [on Twitter] were like ‘oh no, not Laura, she's the worst, this ho, get her out of here.' And I suddenly got really nervous. This whole time, I've been going on about how it's great she doesn't have to be likable, it's fantastic. But I still want people to enjoy watching her and I think that's why Episode 4 is really necessary."

So, I dunno, I think she's gonna stay unlikable for a while if episode 4 was supposed to redeem her as a person to the audience.

Also, lol @ "this ho, get her out of here".
 

V_Arnold

Member
I'm amazed that anyone doesn't. Something is seriously wrong with anyone who can empathize with a character like Laura.

Something is seriously wrong with this kind of thinking. This is tribalism meeting sheep mentality cranked up to eleven.

What you are basically saying is: "if you have empathy, you are sick as well". Think that over, please, before repeating it.
 

KarmaCow

Member
What? It does not excuse? It would not have excused a suicide too? Psychology does not agree with you, tbh. She is selfish, just like the rest (99%) of the cast, with the sole exception of Shadow.

I wouldn't call suicide a selfish act. It's the last resort of someone who thinks there is nothing left. It's different that how Laura acts, how she seemingly has no regret or remorse. She knows what she's doing and how it affects the people around her. I mean she just wants Shadow because he's a literally beacon of light to her.

Though yea, Wednesday is also self-serving but I guess it doesn't bother me as much because he's not masking that.
 
Top Bottom