Title: American Gods Season 2
Production: Freemantle
Distribution: Starz
Created By: Bryan Fuller, Michael Green
Cast: Ricky Whittle – Shadow Moon, Emily Browning – Laura Moon, Ian McShane – Mr. Wednesday, Pablo Schreiber – Mad Sweeney, Bruce Langley – Technical Boy, Yetide Badaki – Bilquis, Crispin Glover – Mr. WorldOrlando Jones – Mr. Nancy, Peter Stormare – Czernobog, Demore Barnes – Mr. Ibis
Mousa Kraish – The Jinn, Kahyun Kim – New Media
After nearly two years, the sophomore season of Starz highly stylized American Gods is finally upon us. With the third episode airing tonight, I am generally pleased to report the troubled production has certainly maintained its flair for macabre storytelling. After the departure of show creators Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, the hasty exit of subsequent showrunner Jesse Alexander likely left many fans wondering if the series could maintain its shrewdly subversive and darkly comedic undertones. While this season is certainly a pared down facsimile in some respects, there is definitely enough familiar here to woo faithful viewers. This review will be mostly spoiler free, but also assume some familiarity with the preceding season.
Recognized for pointed and unabashed social commentary, particularly around race relations and those constructs governing “acceptable” notions of sexuality, I will admit that American Gods seems to have sacrificed some of its bite in hopes of broadening the audience. The presentation is far more linear and the almost psychedelic imagery that was such a strong draw for sci-fi and fantasy fans early on has been scaled back dramatically. This may be a byproduct of Neil Gaiman’s influence and having the show more closely adhere to the book. As the author, he certainly has the right to insist on parity with his source material, but I can’t help but feel that some of the more experimental deviations under Fuller and Green helped to set the show apart and craft a unique thematic identity.
As previously stated, there is an inherent darkness in this particular telling of the material that is well maintained, but this team seems far less interested in pushing any boundaries within that vein. Where the first season reveled in kinetic violence and relished incisive sensuality, deftly calculated within this established context, season two seems woefully subdued by comparison. Even the performances, while still very recognizable and ultimately entertaining, do little to escalate any sense of tension or urgency. I’ll admit, even one of my favorite personas on screen, the acerbic Mr. Nancy, has been reduced to little more than the quipping comic relief thus far.
But “thus far” is an important distinction. As episode three airs and one of the New Gods pantheon undergoes a rather startling transformation, I know that it is entirely possible that season two is just somewhat of a slow burn. Anticlimactic shootouts and anemic Machiavellianism be damned, there is still an opportunity for a second wind from this series. With the understanding that changes in the production team and budgetary considerations can filter down and undermine some of the more adventurous creative inclinations, I am certainly willing to give American Gods the benefit of the doubt… For now. I loved Neil Gaiman’s novel, but also instantly appreciated that the show was a sleek, aggressive beast all its own. Here’s hoping AG can get its groove back by the finale.201
Christian Davenport
cable201@comicattack.net
That one scene with New Media and Argus was pretty telling on how the effects are a slightly lacking from season 1. Though the eyes popping out of his face and head looked great but the rest was just meh
I can’t understand why anyone would want to take a series as unique and aesthetically arresting and make it more… pedestrian. Even the performances seem to be lacking in some regard. If I had to put my finger on it, I’d say confidence. Could the cast be that jaded already? I’m hoping things will improve, but we’ll just have to wait and see.