American Gods 2.03
Mar. 26th, 2019 08:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakIn which a character from the novel shows up, and the show characterisation of the lead continues to baffle me.
Bit from the novel that made it into the tv series in this episode: Sam Blackcrow, and her meeting with Shadow, though in the book it happens a bit differently, but still, the essence survives, and I like the actress. (Am looking forward to hearing her deliver the by now famous monologue.) Anything else in this episode is tv show only, and in varying degrees good, bad and just bewildering.
The bad: New Media's debut. Look, no tv show is safe against some actors departing, and you have to cover for it somewhow, and yes, whoever replaced Gillian Anderson was in for a tough time, but I'm with Technological Boy here: This is supposed to be an upgrade?!? Let's hope she's improves in subsequent episodes.
The bewildering: Shadow trying the con from It's only a papermoon only to be caught at it by Sam Blackcrow was a good call back to the show canon of him having been a small time con man pre Laura. It was also the only time in the episode where he got something approaching characterisation. Now Shadow in the novel is at this point (or, well, anything ressembling this point) still a largely passive character, true, but he didn't get tortured by Team New Gods twice while still bemusingly going along with doing what Wednesday asks of him, without the show having provided good enough reasons why Shadow, after that second round, would still go to Cairo instead of heading literally anywhere else.
Also: I'm glad we're getting more gods and more mythology than the novel had time for, but Argus as the god of surveillance feels a bit - well, what's Mr. World's subject supposed to be then, leaving aside certain later book reveals?
The good: Wednesday and Laura. That's a combination we didn't have before (other than very briefly in previous eps), it was a satisfying clash of personalities and actors. I've made my peace with show Laura being a different person from book Laura, and she's been well played, well written and consistent throughout the series. Wednesday isn't wrong that show!Laura's post mortem declarations of her love for Shadow aren't really about Shadow (especially since the tv series, as opposed to the book, gave us no sense that there is an emotional connection there and instead build up her relationship with Sweeney) but about her believing Shadow can make her feel and live again, and the fact that her killing Argus actually does what he claims it would for her neatly makes her into a wild card again as well as making his goals more obscure once more. Otoh she's right that him knowing things about her past doesn't mean he knows her, as a person, and if the tv show maintains anything from Laura's eventual conclusion, Wednesday's going to regret having given her an instrument with which to kill a god.
Though: all the previous husks of Argus hammer down my impression from last week that in show canon, the deaths of gods are always only temporary and work like the Endless in Sandman.
Bit from the novel that made it into the tv series in this episode: Sam Blackcrow, and her meeting with Shadow, though in the book it happens a bit differently, but still, the essence survives, and I like the actress. (Am looking forward to hearing her deliver the by now famous monologue.) Anything else in this episode is tv show only, and in varying degrees good, bad and just bewildering.
The bad: New Media's debut. Look, no tv show is safe against some actors departing, and you have to cover for it somewhow, and yes, whoever replaced Gillian Anderson was in for a tough time, but I'm with Technological Boy here: This is supposed to be an upgrade?!? Let's hope she's improves in subsequent episodes.
The bewildering: Shadow trying the con from It's only a papermoon only to be caught at it by Sam Blackcrow was a good call back to the show canon of him having been a small time con man pre Laura. It was also the only time in the episode where he got something approaching characterisation. Now Shadow in the novel is at this point (or, well, anything ressembling this point) still a largely passive character, true, but he didn't get tortured by Team New Gods twice while still bemusingly going along with doing what Wednesday asks of him, without the show having provided good enough reasons why Shadow, after that second round, would still go to Cairo instead of heading literally anywhere else.
Also: I'm glad we're getting more gods and more mythology than the novel had time for, but Argus as the god of surveillance feels a bit - well, what's Mr. World's subject supposed to be then, leaving aside certain later book reveals?
The good: Wednesday and Laura. That's a combination we didn't have before (other than very briefly in previous eps), it was a satisfying clash of personalities and actors. I've made my peace with show Laura being a different person from book Laura, and she's been well played, well written and consistent throughout the series. Wednesday isn't wrong that show!Laura's post mortem declarations of her love for Shadow aren't really about Shadow (especially since the tv series, as opposed to the book, gave us no sense that there is an emotional connection there and instead build up her relationship with Sweeney) but about her believing Shadow can make her feel and live again, and the fact that her killing Argus actually does what he claims it would for her neatly makes her into a wild card again as well as making his goals more obscure once more. Otoh she's right that him knowing things about her past doesn't mean he knows her, as a person, and if the tv show maintains anything from Laura's eventual conclusion, Wednesday's going to regret having given her an instrument with which to kill a god.
Though: all the previous husks of Argus hammer down my impression from last week that in show canon, the deaths of gods are always only temporary and work like the Endless in Sandman.
no subject
Date: 2019-03-26 09:52 am (UTC)I liked Ricky Whittle on The 100, but he always gets hired to be tall, strong, and relatively silent. I have a feeling he can actually act and hopefully someday he'll get the chance to do that.
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Date: 2019-03-27 05:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-03-26 10:47 pm (UTC)One of my coworkers (who hasn't read the book) had that exact thought and I was like "I CAN'T TELL YOU MAN I READ THE BOOK" (he asked me not to spoil him, although he did ask to borrow my copy of Anansi Boys because Nancy is his favourite). I think he's settled on "gloablisation??????".
The tentacle porn-esque scene with New Media was a bad choice of scene to have in her introductory episode. Is that really the first impression you want us to have of her?!
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Date: 2019-03-27 05:09 pm (UTC)Here's hoping Orlando Jones gets used in the inevitable film version of Anansi Boys as well, because he's really superb in the role.
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Date: 2019-03-28 11:04 pm (UTC)