American Gods 1.05 “Lemon Scented You”

So last episode left us with little information on the situation of Shadow and Wednesday but gave us a deeper look into Laura Moon and what she has become. This episode starts off with another amazing vignette, this time about a god long forgotten. The sequence is animated beautifully and maintains the dark tone of the series. There is also a hint of what brings humanity in contact with their gods, a mix of desperation, faith, and sacrifice which seems to draw out great powers. We also get to see a closer look at the new-age gods. Technical Boy and Media make return appearances (Gillian Anderson doing amazing homages to Marilyn Monroe and David Bowie), and a new player, Mr. World, played by the eerie Crispin Glover. These scenes give us a deeper look into the motivations of the new gods, and I really like the extra flavor that some of the new scenes give us. We see some conflict brewing, but we also see a more nuanced portrait of some of the powers coming into play.

Following up on the conversation between Shadow and his dearly departed wife, this episode takes some unexpected turns. For one, the picture we get of Laura Moon now is someone unapologetic, talking with Shadow as one who not only doesn’t regret her actions but feels justified in them. I feel like in the book she’s played much more passively, acknowledging that Shadow must be hurt by her words, but not knowing how to care anymore due to her being dead. The Laura in the show still seems very much alive, with mysterious motivations and her own agenda beyond simply helping Shadow with his problems. I’m wondering if they’re going to do much more on the show to help remind us she’s a zombie.

This shift in Laura is exemplified by an extra scene we get between her and Mad Sweeney. I think my favorite additions to the show thus far are the extra Mad Sweeney scenes. Every time he’s on screen he draws the eye, his design all at once cartoonish and important. His interactions with Laura are entertaining as he has finally come found his lucky coin, but it is still far beyond his reach. I’m not sure how I feel about new Laura, though. I think I’m more concerned that with her seeming much more alive they will choose to play Shadow into her seductions, whereas in the books he knows very much that she is dead and that helps him move forward. Shadow as a consistent, strong character is what I really want from the show. If they can keep that tone consistent it will be great, but I can also see them playing up more of the romance between them to heighten the ‘drama’. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.