Instead, it seems to slow down slightly, dispatching characters on side quests and focusing less on the main plot in favor of a little vamping. Several characters get shot, but it’s difficult to tell who it is until the smoke clears and the battle is over.Īmerican Godsdoesn’t hit the ground running in its second season. At some points, like on the spinning carousel, this works in the show’s favor, but at other points, like the assault on the diner, it just seems to create confusion where none is needed. It feels more like a cudgel than a scalpel, and there’s a lot going on in both the God scenes within the House on the Rock and at Motel America. There seemed to be a lot of heavy CGI, more than usual, and less delicately handles by director Christopher Byrne and the production crew. Perhaps the appearances of the characters-all with glowing white eyes and impressive new costumes-was too much of a distraction. The performances are there-Orlando Jones in particular is in fine form when the true form of Anansi is revealed in Odin’s mental mead hall-but it seems to be lacking something that was present in the character’s previous appearances. Nancy definitely feels different, leaning more on profanity and less on wit during his interactions with Shadow and Sweeney and company. Wednesday seems to lack some of the spark he had in the first season, and Mr. With credits given to Neil Gaiman and Jesse Alexander, it’s probably a good glimpse into what the future holds for the series.
Shadow’s speech is fine, and Ricky Whittle does a good enough job selling it, but something feels off tonally about the episode, and that starts with the screenplay. That seems to skew things in Wednesday’s favor. Wednesday brings a bunch of random Gods together to give them his sales pitch, though they’re reluctant to sign on until Shadow Moon gives them a big speech as a closer. He still offers Odin respect, and he’s loath to launch into a war with the Old Gods, despite their weakness and his high-tech trickery. World sends Technical Boy off to find Media, and he holds court with an elderly security guard at Black Briar. In terms of plot, “The House on the Rock” feels thin.
World uses the power of the Eye of Argus and the Cold War-era nuclear bunker Black Brier, a take on the real-life Greenbrier (a hotel/fallout bunker of massive proportions built in secret by the US government through a front company).įurther reading: American Gods: What Happened in Season 1?
While Wednesday uses the kitsch of roadside attractions and a bacchanal at a diner in lieu of Valhalla’s feasting, Mr. After smashing the New Gods and taking their rightful place in charge of America, of course. Wednesday’s job is to talk a bunch of Gods from a variety of cultures and epochs into working together to stop scraping together worshipful moments where they can find them and actually go out and inspire the people again. World is ready to use all the weapons at his disposal, literally, to stop Wednesday in his attempt to bring the Old Gods together to unite against him and the New Gods. The bulk of the second season debut deals with two stories.