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American Gods Episode 3 Reviewed

Published

9 years ago

May 14, 2017

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Mixing The Old And The New

♦Tripwire Contributing Writer OLLY MACNAMEE takes a look at the third episode of American Gods, on Starz in the US tonight and on Amazon Prime from Monday in the UK…

American Gods Episode 3
Director: David Slade
Stars: Ricky Whittle, Ian McShane, Emily Browning

After two barnstorming episodes, things slow down somewhat in this week’s episode as we focus more on the growing relationship between Mr Wednesday (Lovejoy’s Ian McShane) and Shadow (Ricky Whittle). Shadow, still an unbeliever, is encouraged once again to see the world differently, which can be a hard ask when you’re asked to believe in the fantastical. Yet, the dramatic cliffhanger at the very end would suggest that he may have no other choice, when the impossible becomes the possible.

Everything about this episode moves at a slower, treacle-like pace, with the tone being set out in the prologue where we have a literal stairway to Heaven and shades of Egyptian mythology come into play, once again playing with the concept that gods, like culture and Coke, can travel the globe. Wherever there are believers, you will find them. All the while, a storm is brewing – again, literally – and Wednesday and others are on the move, heading to Wisconsin, it would seem. But, not before Wednesday tries to convince a still unbelieving Shadow that the world is not simply divided into science or fantasy, by putting the ‘con’ into convincing. Even in this, the heist is not what you would expect and, like the tone of the whole episode, a rather low-key, albeit cunning, affair.

Meanwhile, we have a rather absorbing vignette following the trials and tribulations of a newly minted immigrant, Salim, from Oman (Omid Abtahi) trying to make his way in the world today. A chance taxi ride leads to another magically real encounter in which our down-and-out would be salesman gets to kick back, shall we say, and enjoy some Jinn and juice. What this character will bring to the show is still a mystery, but his inclusion would suggest yet another other worldly power may be coming into play. It’s all starting to build, and with the return of Mad Sweeney (Pablo Schreiber) looking for his lucky charms – and the dire consequences of not having it – while this is a slow-burning episode, it adds to the sense of building towards a grand finale already, and only after three episodes. Shadow broods while Wednesday and his happy-go-lucky attitude works in charming contrast against him. Wednesday clearly knows a lot more than he is letting on, but his cocky confidence would suggest he is a guy who always has the upper hand. Lovejoy’s Ian McShane is a joy to watch and brings a light-hearted air to proceedings, adding some light to another moody, oft-times washed out palette. Whittle brings the muscle and confusion and once again, Czernobog (Peter Stormare) brings a greasy, sleazy menace all of his own.

This is a shaping up into a great show, with director David Slade once again creating a world in which there are elements of the old and the new, and in such quieter moments as this one, it still shines. The story moves on and Shadow is closer to becoming a believer with each event he witnesses that should be, but isn’t, unreal. As Wednesday says, Shadow’s main problem is “a failure of imagination”. This is not an argument one could level at the makers of this show, Bryan Singer and Michael Green, and certainly not at Gaiman himself. Pity I haven’t got my own genie in a bottle to wish for the next episode now!