With war looming between the Old Gods and the New, the Starz original has returned for a second season to satisfy fans of the fantasy drama.
For those unfamiliar with the series, American Gods follows ex-convict Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle). Moon is released from prison a few days early upon learning his wife Lauara (Emily Browning) has died in a car accident. While flying home, Moon meets and is offered a job as a bodyguard by Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane), a con artist and the God Odin. After Meeting Mr. Wednesday, Moon gets into a brawl with Mad Sweeney (Pablo Schreiber), a leprechaun also employed by Mr. Wednesday. After winning the fight, Moon earns a gold coin that he later tosses on his wife’s grave bring her back as an animated corpse. While in the employment of Mr. Wednesday, Moon is introduced to various Old Gods who are on the brink of war with the New Gods.
The second season picks up with the Old Gods meeting at House on the Rock in Wisconsin. Moon is allowed to enter while Sweeney and Laura are denied access. The Old Gods and Moon are transported to the Otherworld where Wednesday discusses his war plans. While socializing at a local diner, they are attacked by Mr. World (Crispin Glover), the God of Globalization and leader of the New Gods, leaving Zorya Vechernyaya (Cloris Leachman) dead and Moon abducted. Wednesday vows to avenge Zorya while Laura and Sweeney search for Moon. As the season continues, identities are revealed and new relationships are forged as growing conflict between the Old Gods and the New edges closer.
I’ve never seen another series quite like American Gods. With that said, I found it to be an intriguing narrative blending many Gods and heroes of famous folk tales and pitting them against the “Gods” of the new world, such as technology, media, and globalization. The show creates a good balance of drama and action not allowing one to overtake the other. Visually, the show does an excellent job of using various settings, aesthetics, and backgrounds. I particularly enjoyed the use of flashbacks highlighting certain characters’ pasts and how they got to this point in the show. For other characters, flashbacks display motives, relationships, and help create an emotional connection between particular characters and the audience.
Characters are as strong as the actors that portray them and the cast of American Gods deliver award-worthy performances. Every character is a unique and integral part of the series that pushes the strong narrative and keeps the viewer hooked. Every role has purpose and it’s hard not to have strong feelings, positive or negative, for each individual character. It helps when you have a star-studded lineup portraying such strong characters. Along with the previously mentioned names, American Gods Season 2 features the talents of Orlando Jones, Peter Stormare, Cloris Leachman, Laura Bell Bundy and many more. The only negative remark I have is in regards to Pablo Schreiber’s character Mad Sweeney. Let me start by saying I believe Pablo Schreiber is a fantastic actor and I’ve enjoyed just about every project I’ve seen him work on. Also, I really enjoy his portrayal of Mad Sweeney, but I don’t know that I’ve heard a worse Irish accent. At times it was hard to look past, but Schreiber’s strong performance thankfully eclipses the flaw.
Overall, this is a very interesting and entertaining show that keeps the attention of its audience. If you’re a fan of mythology and fantasy, this show is tailor-made for you. However, I do believe anyone looking for a new show watch can find a lot to like about American Gods.