American Gods Episode 4 Reviewed

A Matter Of Life And Death

♦Tripwire Contributing Writer OLLY MACNAMEE takes a look at the fourth episode of American Gods, which was on Starz in the US last night and on Amazon Prime from today Monday in the UK…

American Gods Episode 4
Director: Craig Zobel
Stars: Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning,  Crispin Glover

I hope you’ve seen last week’s show before you dive into this week’s review for American Gods, episode 4. If not, maybe you want to first.

All done? Good. Then I’ll continue.

After the surprising revelation at the end of last week’s installment, we rewind the story to shine a light on Laura (Emily Browning) and, of course, Shadow (Ricky Whittle), and how they both hooked up and eventually married. Talk about keeping the viewers in suspense for another week! Laura’s story is one of pragmatism and disbelief, in more than one way. She is a disbeliever in almost everything, lamenting on the loss of magic we can all relate to. One day we believe in Santa and the Tooth Fairy, then this selfsame innocent, naive awe of a world we cannot comprehend as children fizzles out as one myth after another fall by the wayside. And yet, some myths we are told to believe for the rest of our lives. Again, the concept of tulpa once more leans into the narrative, it would seem. Santa, like Jesus, is only real if we believe it to be. Si, why are we told to disbelieve one and not t’other? Hell, Saint Nicholas was a real man, after all, just like Jesus, right?

Laura, we very quickly learn, is a pragmatic, practical person, living an unordinary life as a croupier at a tacky Egyptian themed casino (one of only a few nods to mythology in this episode; and possibly a nod to the death of ancient empires, and their gods with it, maybe?).  It would seem that the magical sparks of previous episodes are expelled, for now, as we meet the girl who’s life seems to be a repetitive trudge. Even after meeting Shadow! But then, how do you explain a perfect plan becoming imperfect and landing Shadow in the nick? And, what about those crows? Surely they’re not there simply for mood, right? Well, for those of us who’ve read the book, or worked out who the mysterious Mr Wednesday (Lovejoy’s Ian McShane) really is, then we are more than aware that, once again, the antiquated belief that preordained destiny rules our lives rears its head.

Even in death, and the intervention of the magical back into proceedings and Laura displays the same cool, detached pragmatism she did in life. She has returned, stronger, faster, better… oh, wait, that’s the opening to The Bionic Man. However, while she isn’t bionic, she has certainly changed, that’s for sure. I especially loved the bloody battle in which she literally kicks an antagonist’s skeleton from his body in a scene reminiscent of Fuller’s previous opus, Hannibal. She clearly has a plan, and her determination won’t let anything get in the way of that plan. Even if it means staring down the wife whose husband you slept with, and who’s dick ended up her mouth at time of death.

The whole episode, while filling in gaps in Shadow and Laura’s relationship, is still stylistically in keeping with the rest of the show thus far, thanks to director Craig Zobel, who picks up where David Slade left of last episode, so to speak. But, with a slight change of pace at the beginning. There is no prologue scene this week, developing a shaping the world of the American Gods, which I have thoroughly enjoyed), but rather we get straight into those wonderful, eerie opening credits and straight into the story. Almost as though the pragmatism of Laura has even influenced the story’s narrative structure.

But, when the magic-realism comes, it comes in strong and we are met with at least one face we should recognise from last week. Although, it doesn’t seem to phase our laura, not one bit. Headstrong and ready to roll, upon her resurrection, she barely skips a beat in her determination to move on and get on with whatever life awaits her now as a zombie. Well, ressurection does appear as a recurring motif in many a mythology and religion, so why not here too? In the world of the American Gods, we have learnt that anything is possible. And, usually is.

All involved have created another wonderful, spellbinding addition to the series, while pausing the action to keep us all in suspense until next week’s showing, but never losing our attention. I wasn’t disappointed to find this was a ‘filler’ of sorts. After all, why rush when intimate episodes like this put flesh on the bone of the characters and offering us up Laura’s point of view, and the reasons she has for the actions she willingly takes during life. And, death.

American Gods episode 4 was on last night on Starz in the US and from tonight Monday in the UK on Amazon Prime

American Gods episode 4 review www.tripwiremagazine.co.uk