AMERICAN GODS “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (S2E4): One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

I have a vague memory of playing “make believe” as a kid with my cousin. We spent a lot of time setting the scene. We discussed who we were, where we were, and what we were supposed to be doing (most likely, we had set ourselves in the Star Wars universe and were picking our favorite Jedi to portray).

My dad interrupted to tell us that we weren’t going to have time to play if we spent all our time deciding how we were going to play. Do I really have to segue into American Gods or do you know where I’m going with this? There’s a lot of set up, a lot of TV show, and little payoff going on in American Gods.

And it’s starting to wear on me.

Something’s Gotta Happen

In case you need a refresher on this week’s episode, let’s recap so we can get our bearings. After waking up in Mr. Ibis’s funeral home/morgue, Shadow joins Wednesday once more to convince yet another deity to join their cause. Bilquis, Mr. Nancy and Mr. Ibis talk shop back at the funeral home, and Orlando Jones delivers one of his show-stopping monologues, talking passionately about the oppression of black people in America, and relays his anger that the other gods have simply let it happen.

Technical Boy, now under severe scrutiny from Mr. World for allowing Argus to be killed, must find new means of surveillance. After failing, we can assume he meets his demise as a 21st century face hugger lunges at him, effectively silencing his character (but I’m sure we’ll see him soon).

Part of what I really admire about this show is its ability to keep a looming presence of doom and war in the background. Whether it’s the music, the grey skies threatening a storm, or just the ambience of their threats, to make the world seem so huge, as if at anytime things could change. But sooner or later, the dam has to burst. I don’t think anyone’s ready for the climactic showdown, but how long can a show sustain a formula of “Wednesday and Shadow need to get [x] on their side. Watch as they drive down a long road to get there!”? When Mr. World showed up in the diner across from Wednesday, I screamed, “YES FINALLY!” at my TV. I was ready for something to happen.

American Gods is an introspective show with cutting dialogue and wonderful performances that like to sit pensively, reflecting on what they’re saying. But this quiet introspection is taxing, and might turn some viewers off of the show. I don’t need CGI battles, but I do need to see conflict to believe that there’s something to be interested in.

There’s A Lot To Be Said

By far the best portion of this episode was the exchange between Mr. Nancy, Bilquis, and Mr. Ibis. Like I said before, Orlando Jones delivered another one of his brilliant monologues to the other two gods, who both have yet to join the war, as Mr. Ibis stays neutral, and Bilquis makes her decision.

It’s a fascinating and poignant way for the show to discuss race. Mr. Nancy, Bilquis, and Mr. Ibis have to watch the way their worshipers have been treated in this still-new-to-them world. In a show that relies a lot on subtext and symbolism, it’s refreshing for American Gods to abandon pretenses to talk about things that really matter, and are relevant to the viewers.

Speaking of subtext, Shadow, like us, seems to be fed up with the mystery and vagueness of Wednesday’s plan. When he asks Wednesday, “why me?” once and for all, I felt tension release in my jaw that I didn’t know was there. We want answers and meaning in this show, and so does Shadow. He’s going to bring us some. His presence is enough to promise that here will be those in the show that demand to know just what the hell is going on.

What did you think of this week’s episode? Still waiting for something to happen? Will it ever? Let me know in the comments below, and I’ll be back next week!