AMERICAN GODS: “The Beguiling Man” (S2E2): Two By Two

Another lovely Sunday spent observing the gods. After last Sunday’s ending to American Gods, I was ready to get some answers on what happened to Shadow. If you missed last week’s recap or just need a refresher, go ahead click the link here. You’re back? Awesome, let’s get into it.

Dispelling the notion that tractor beams only belong to aliens, “The Beguiling Man” shows us that Shadow, instead of being sucked into outer space, had been kidnapped by the mysterious Mr. Town, a torturous crony of Mr. World who is attempting to turn shadow against Wednesday and show him the way of the new gods. Under the torture of Mr. Town, Shadow is tormented by flashbacks of his past, and we are given a look at what has made him the man he is.

Elsewhere, life goes on and the gang that was fleetingly gathered in episode one has already disbanded. Laura and Mad Sweeney chase after Shadow, continuing their begrudging relationship along the way, Mr. Nancy and Wednesday take a scenic route so that Wednesday can further his enigmatic plans, Mr. World confronts Bilquis, who remains neutral in the fight of the gods, Technical Boy continues his search for Media, and Salim continues to pine after The Jinn.

Holy Plots!

It’s a lot, and that worries me. American Gods is a dense novel with a lot of characters, so naturally it’s a challenge making all of their plot lines relevant in an adaptation, but the show doesn’t seem to want to pace itself. In season one, there was an entire episode dedicated to Mad Sweeney, but this past episode made the care and tenderness with which they normally handle their plot lines seem nonexistent.

I’m all for a group splitting up, but when this happens, appropriate time and attention must be paid to the new groups. I couldn’t bring myself to care about Wednesday and Mr. Nancy driving down (another) long road together, when Shadow was being electrocuted and forced back into his own mind against his will. How can I listen to Mr. World whisper his way through lines when Laura and Mad Sweeney are teleporting through a golden vortex? American Gods is going to juggle plot lines this season, and that’s fine, but viewers will probably hope that they gain a little more synthesis as the season goes on.

A New Look At Shadow

But there are of course, things in this episode that work really well. The flashbacks that give us insight into Shadow’s past are great. This is perhaps the most the show has ever done to flesh out Shadow as a character. No longer is he only a man trying to avoid being wrangled back into the prison system. He’s someone who has always been wronged. He’s always been an outsider, and he wants to keep the world from hurting outsiders like him.

The flashbacks are a harsh reminder to the audience that Shadow is a human. He deals with human trials such as prejudice, anguish and grief. It forces us to consider him closely when he helps the gods. He might be apart of their group, but he is intensely human, and is therefore an outsider to them.

More Technical Boy, Please

This episode also made me realize that I don’t particularly care about Mr. World’s character when compared to Technical Boy. Technical Boy is a perfect embodiment of the generation of technology. He’s the first stage of every YouTuber that ends up making a tearful apology video that circulates around Twitter. His search for Media was one of my favorite parts of the episode, as he delivered a powerfully smug monologue about himself being the true future. We still haven’t gotten a glimpse of Media yet, but this search for her is building wonderful tension for each episode, and weighs heavily on Technical Boy, who has to find her or face the wrath of Mr. World.

Laura and Mad Sweeney’s back and forth bickering remains one of the most enjoyable constants in the show. Their moments alone together always verge on the sentimental before being interrupted, such as in this episode, by something as slapstick as a cow. It’s a fascinating relationship, as they grow to begrudgingly enjoy each others company, because we know that when Mad Sweeney finally gets his coin back from her, she will return to the land of the dead. There’s an expiration date on this friendship, so enjoy it while we have it.

What’d you think of this episode of American Gods? Is there too much going on, or not enough? Sound off in the comments below and I’ll see you next week!

The next episode of American Gods airs on Starz on March 24th.