American Gods episode 5 review: Stitches, not snitches
Also, it’s managed to assemble a shocking number of legendary actors in a single place. Before this episode, you had an opportunity to see Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane) and Media (Gillian Anderson). On Sunday night’s “Lemon Scented You,” the show opened up the world further courtesy of the first appearance of Crispin Glover in the role of Mr. World, another one of the New Gods bracing for war with the Old Gods. The scenes between the two groups within the prison are almost transactional, as Media and Mr. World state their case for a new paradigm to Wednesday, who found himself somewhat at their mercy following he and Shadow Moon’s arrest. Their eventual departure from the station only sets in motion the course of events to come between the two parties; the entire design of this episode serves as a further reminder that the Old Gods are in fact that: Old. They do not have the upper hand in terms of anything related to the nature of the modern world, and they also lack necessary leverage.
The biggest thing to give the Old Gods kudos for is the continued steely-eyed determination of Wednesday to just keep going, and to have a certain degree of loyalty from Shadow, who could have snitched on him and then gotten out of Dodge completely had he chosen to.
Before moving forward to discuss Shadow’s former partner in life, a moment of praise must be given to Anderson for playing effectively three different characters at this point in the show’s run — Lucille Ball, David Bowie, and then for the big scene at the end Marilyn Monroe. The amount of energy she’s cultivated into all of these characters is fairly remarkable, and it serves as another reminder of why she is one of the best actresses working.
Is Laura coming apart at her seams?
After last week’s stunning episode (a real breakout showcase for Emily Browning), tonight Shadow’s dead wife attempted to appeal to him that they could still have a future together. She handled her undead state about as practically as anyone could, only to then have her dead heart hurt when he told her that it could never be as it once was. That’s especially a shame given that he is the only person who can help her to feel more alive, something that she lacks with her autopsy stitches and inability to feel her own breath.
Laura’s entire existence seems to be predicated on Mad Sweeney’s coin, which Shadow dropped on her grave previously. So when Sweeney arrived hoping to get said coin back, Laura wasn’t too pleased to give it up. She also demonstrated in the process a great deal more power than she certainly had when she was alive. Not only can she overpower Sweeney in some ways, but she also possesses that unique ability to play dead in the bathtub in the event the police arrive.
While the story of Laura is one still shrouded in many mysteries, to date the sentiment remains clear that she may be the show’s best character, a flawed but suddenly-determined woman who must be self-reliant given that she has utterly nobody to relate to. She’s someone the show can do so much with just because she walks that line between being a human and being inhuman — she understands the two worlds, though can identity with neither.
Final verdict
While the story may not have been as gloriously contained this week as in episode 4, American Gods continues to be incredibly well-written and innovative with its storytelling, characters, and ideals. There is no other show like it on television, and it is painful to think that there are only a matter of a few more episodes to go. Grade: A.
More news on American Gods
Remember that you will be able to preview next week’s new episode of the series all the further just by heading over to the link here right now. (Photo: Starz.)