American Gods 1.02.
May. 8th, 2017 12:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakWhich to this reader was great, but also makes me wonder what on earth show-only people make of it, because a self contained episode, this was not.
I spy the first significant departure from the novel by Fuller withholding the reveal that Laura is now undead and her first post mortem encounter with Shadow, which in the book takes place in his first night in the America Motel. One possible reason, I think, might be that Wednesdays "believe it or believe you're mad" challenge works out differently, and so consequently does Shadow's decision to play Checkers with his life as a stake with Czernobog. Talking to tv screens and getting beaten up and nearly lynched by Matrix Agent wannabes is on a different emotional level than having a conversation with your recently deceased wife who is very clearly a walking corpse and quite capable of turning other people into corpses. Though it's not their first meeting but their second in the book as far as I recall when Laura rescues Shadow from Techonological Boys kidnapping, and she does kill those guards and leaves the corpses behind. There's no way he's imagining that.
The first post-mortem encounter also has Shadow asking, not surprisingly, "why?" re: Robbie, and Laura answering that question, and apparantly Fuller wants to keep Shadow in a state of emotional torment and uncertainty about it a while longer? Which in the show version contributes to the recklessness of accepting Czernobog's challenge. But I'm curious whether there are also other reasons for holding back Laura's first appearance outside of dreams and flashbacks. Well, we'll see in future episodes.
As for what is in the show: we open with the "Coming to America" story that introduces Anansi, aka Mr. Nancy, and Orlando Jones is great in the part. What he actually does is also neatly ambigous: yes, the slaves were doomed either way, and there's something to be said for going out fighting and taking your murderers with you, but otoh note the word "sacrifice": there's also (to me) the clear implication that the slaves dying this way empowered Anansi and enabled him to become a god in America, and he knew it would, but of course he didn't tell them that. And you can see the connection to Wednesday manouevring Shadow into the situation with Czernobog (and, um, other things). Maybe even to Bilquis and her human sacrifices.
Gillian Anderson as the Goddess Media: far more regal and impressive than the book version, who came across as mostly irritating to me; true for all of the new gods, come to think of it, in the book. Mind you, given today's technology the whole "speaking from a tv screen even after Shadow unpluggs it" isn't half as freaky or impressive; you can do it without being a goddess. Speaking of technology: updating the novel into the show set 17 years later means there are mobiles, and not until we got that scene between Wednesday and Shadow did it occur to me that this could cause plot having later (if Wednesday, or for that matter anyone else, could simply reach Shadow on his mobile phone, and vice versa), so go Fuller for coming up with an in-universe explanation why Wednesday and Shadow don't have mobiles. (Not anymore. Poor Shadow.) Mind you: on a Watsonian level, I wonder whether Wednesday also doesn't want mobiles near him because they're worshipping devices for another divinity, or because of the more modern reason that they're making him traceable.
The Zoryas and Czernobog so far are just how I've imagined them. I squeed a little when we saw the genie taking his leave of Wednesday; presumably his and Salim's episode is coming up?
I spy the first significant departure from the novel by Fuller withholding the reveal that Laura is now undead and her first post mortem encounter with Shadow, which in the book takes place in his first night in the America Motel. One possible reason, I think, might be that Wednesdays "believe it or believe you're mad" challenge works out differently, and so consequently does Shadow's decision to play Checkers with his life as a stake with Czernobog. Talking to tv screens and getting beaten up and nearly lynched by Matrix Agent wannabes is on a different emotional level than having a conversation with your recently deceased wife who is very clearly a walking corpse and quite capable of turning other people into corpses. Though it's not their first meeting but their second in the book as far as I recall when Laura rescues Shadow from Techonological Boys kidnapping, and she does kill those guards and leaves the corpses behind. There's no way he's imagining that.
The first post-mortem encounter also has Shadow asking, not surprisingly, "why?" re: Robbie, and Laura answering that question, and apparantly Fuller wants to keep Shadow in a state of emotional torment and uncertainty about it a while longer? Which in the show version contributes to the recklessness of accepting Czernobog's challenge. But I'm curious whether there are also other reasons for holding back Laura's first appearance outside of dreams and flashbacks. Well, we'll see in future episodes.
As for what is in the show: we open with the "Coming to America" story that introduces Anansi, aka Mr. Nancy, and Orlando Jones is great in the part. What he actually does is also neatly ambigous: yes, the slaves were doomed either way, and there's something to be said for going out fighting and taking your murderers with you, but otoh note the word "sacrifice": there's also (to me) the clear implication that the slaves dying this way empowered Anansi and enabled him to become a god in America, and he knew it would, but of course he didn't tell them that. And you can see the connection to Wednesday manouevring Shadow into the situation with Czernobog (and, um, other things). Maybe even to Bilquis and her human sacrifices.
Gillian Anderson as the Goddess Media: far more regal and impressive than the book version, who came across as mostly irritating to me; true for all of the new gods, come to think of it, in the book. Mind you, given today's technology the whole "speaking from a tv screen even after Shadow unpluggs it" isn't half as freaky or impressive; you can do it without being a goddess. Speaking of technology: updating the novel into the show set 17 years later means there are mobiles, and not until we got that scene between Wednesday and Shadow did it occur to me that this could cause plot having later (if Wednesday, or for that matter anyone else, could simply reach Shadow on his mobile phone, and vice versa), so go Fuller for coming up with an in-universe explanation why Wednesday and Shadow don't have mobiles. (Not anymore. Poor Shadow.) Mind you: on a Watsonian level, I wonder whether Wednesday also doesn't want mobiles near him because they're worshipping devices for another divinity, or because of the more modern reason that they're making him traceable.
The Zoryas and Czernobog so far are just how I've imagined them. I squeed a little when we saw the genie taking his leave of Wednesday; presumably his and Salim's episode is coming up?
no subject
Date: 2017-05-08 01:40 pm (UTC)Both, I think, though probably more the former than the latter.
And yeah, I can't imagine this working if you haven't read the book, because nothing really happens in this episode, or nothing that pays off within it, anyway.
no subject
Date: 2017-05-09 06:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-05-08 02:16 pm (UTC)Hey, Sens8 took 8 episodes until they got going on the plot and I stuck with that. So hanging in story telling limbo for a bit more, I can deal with. Especially if in the mean time I get stuff like Orlando Jones being awesome and Ian McShane being one charming devil.
no subject
Date: 2017-05-09 06:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-05-08 05:12 pm (UTC)::raises hand:: Non-book reader here and I can tell you this was maddeningly frustrating for me. Both because nothing happened, but more because the character choices aren't making sense to me from what I know (e.g. Shadow taking that bet). I don't care about any of the characters, so I'm not invested in them, which made a lot of this deadly boring.
To me, the most effective parts of this episode were Orlando Jones and Gillian Anderson.
It looks nice, though. I'll give it that.
no subject
Date: 2017-05-09 06:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-05-09 08:39 pm (UTC)That's a feather in your cap, for sure. I watched real time and was stunned, albeit in a delighted way. Because that's the kind of bold move precious few shows could ever pull.
I think it's possible to watch a show and develop affection later than the first few episodes. However, one shouldn't force it.
I hear that. Still, since everyone who has read the book speaks of it in glowing terms, I'm hopeful that the show will end up convincing me to like it? But until that happens, it's a bit of a rough go, I fully admit.
no subject
Date: 2017-05-09 12:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-05-09 06:38 pm (UTC)