Posted in: Movies, TV | Tagged: american gods, bryan fuller, neil gaiman, starz

"What Might I Call You?" Some Takeaways From American Gods' First Episode. The Bone Orchard

Ray Flook writes for Bleeding Cool…

STARZ's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's award-winning novel American Gods premieres on Sunday, April 30^th, so ahead of that the cable channel has started rolling-out the public relations machine with media junkets and early access to the first season's first four episodes…and Bleeding Cool made the cut.

For those not familiar with either Gaiman's work or early production news on the show, American Gods… well…you know what? Let me show some love to STARZ's Press Contacts and Media Relations areas by letting them do the "word fu" heavy-lifting on this one…

When Shadow Moon is released from prison, he meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday and a storm begins to brew. Little does Shadow know, this storm will change the course of his entire life. Left adrift by the recent, tragic death of his wife, and suddenly hired as Mr. Wednesday's bodyguard, Shadow finds himself in the center of a world that he struggles to understand. It's a hidden world where magic is real, where the Old Gods fear both irrelevance and the growing power of the New Gods, like Technology and Media. Mr. Wednesday seeks to build a coalition of Old Gods to defend their existence in this new America, and reclaim some of the influence that they've lost. As Shadow travels across the country with Mr. Wednesday, he struggles to accept this new reality, and his place in it.

So here's how this works: think of this as a combination of what Rich is currently doing with Doctor Who and a "live tweet"…if you were live-tweeting a show that hasn't aired yet…and putting it into an article. This isn't really a review (Bleeding Cool contributing writer Alejandra Bodden will be covering that) so much as a rundown of interesting things to keep in mind while watching the episode and some random observations throughout. Even with that said…*POSSIBLE SPOILERS* moving forward for anyone not familiar with either the book or the show. If you're a fan of the novel, then at this point spoilers may not be that big of an issue for you but there are definitely some things going-on that you'll want to save until you see them for yourself.

So here we go!

Here's the official synopsis for the series premiere, "The Bone Orchard":

When Shadow Moon is released from prison a few days early, following the death of his wife, he meets the enigmatic Mr. Wednesday and is conscripted into his employ as bodyguard. Attacked his first day on the job, Shadow quickly discovers that this role may be more than he bargained for

So let's see how this goes…

• "Even a salad would do" might be the understatement of the year, all things considered. By the looks of it, these guys would be willing to stab their own eyes out…
• …never mind. Scratch that.

• If you didn't know it going in, Executive Producers Gaiman, Bryan Fuller and Michael Green waste no time (or subtlety) showing us the direct connections between faith, sacrifice and violence.

• "This country went to Hell when they stopped hangin' folks." – "Low Key" Lyesmith (Jonathan Tucker), with a line that will come screaming back thematically by the end of this episode.
• Look…I know Laura Moon (Emily Browning) is saying "puppy" but for some reason I keep hearing her say "papi"…and it's hot. Not sure what that says about me…
• In the scene where Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) is notified of Laura's death, the prison warden reminded me of The Cigarette Smoking Man from The X-Files…not sure why. It's not like he looks like him. Hmmm…
• If you thought people had a low opinion of airlines after the United Airlines debacle, they don't do much better in the world of American Gods…with Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane) summarizing it best: "Airlines are the ultimate clip joint."
• The prison interaction scenes between Shadow and Low Key have a very The Shawshank Redemption-type vibe to them but more as a form of homage and not imitation.

• Scrolling through the man's filmography, I think it's safe to say that from now on (and especially when it comes to "geek genre" programming), we need to start putting McShane's name into the same conversations we have about Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.
• "Guess this must be your lucky day, huh?" – Mr. Wednesday (McShane) to Shadow (Whittle), leaving you wondering if he's saying that with a sense of "The Big Picture" or to be cruelly ironic.

• You can feel the chemistry between Whittle and McShane within the first sixty seconds of them being on screen together, and that's essential because now we're at the point where lines are starting to converge and forces are being gathered. Moving forward, the strength of the show rests on the shoulders of the Shadow/Mr. Wednesday dynamic…at least for now.
• Not sure whether or not I care if it's Newton or faith that keeps planes up there in the sky…probably going to be awhile before I feel comfortable taking a flight again.
• If the trailers for and this episode of American Gods are any indication, the soundtrack to this show is going to be pretty insane in all the right ways…illustrated beautifully by Kris Jensen's song "Torture" and how it's used to strengthen our understanding of Shadow's situation and state-of-mind.
• If for no other reason, Whittle deserves an Emmy nomination simply for his ability to act outside and in a soaking wet dress shirt. If that were me, I'd be doing that weird forward-arching, half-zombie/half-mummy move where I'm trying to keep as much of the shirt from touching my skin as possible. Pretty sure it wouldn't have the same emotional impact…

• If her introductory scene is any indication, Bilquis (Yetide Badaki) will be the standout character and actor in a show with standout characters and actors. To be clear: it's not because it's a "sex scene" that makes the scene so memorable. It's memorable because this scene was one of those still-rare instances when a woman of color was able to be both sexual and in control, elevating the moment beyond being just a "sex scene" and to an immersive demonstration of power, faith and devotion. And with all due respect to the actor from Dharma & Greg and Hatchet, I never in my life imagined that I'd put the words "Joel Murray" and "hot sex" in the same sentence but it happened…and I think that speaks volumes for the presence Badaki brings to the screen.

• Speaking of Whittle, I feel like he has a menacing sneer/glare that's a cross between Vin Diesel and Ice Cube. It works, and it's incredibly effective in conveying a man of few words but of deeper and more complex thoughts than most realize.

• Mad Sweeney's (Pablo Schreiber) commentary on how leprechauns have become humiliated and debased for decades by the media's (…or Media's? Hmmm…) stereotyping of them with buckle shoes and pots of gold at ends of rainbows is as relevant today as ever as we continue to look at the misrepresentation and under-representation of many groups within today's "mainstream media."
• In the world of American Gods, mead is either "the drink of the gods" or "drunken diabetic piss."
• Not the biggest fan of spitting in your hand before a handshake to "seal the deal." Weird and pretty disgusting…though I'm fine with the whole "blood oath" handshake deal so I'm not sure what that says about me.
• Mad Sweeney (Schreiber) makes David Blaine and Criss Angel look like hack Vegas magicians.
• Your wife's funeral is probably not the best place or time to find out how she really died, Shadow. Shades of The World According to Garp…
• "I just wanted to come back better than I went in. For you." – Shadow to Laura's (Browning) grave

• On a serious note…when it comes to recognizing quality performances in this episode, special attention and consideration should be given to Betty Giplin and her incredibly heartbreaking performance as Audrey, Robbie's (Dane Cook) widow and Laura's friend. In an episode with many memorable scenes (with a few more still to come), the exchange between Whittle and Giplin is definitely worth a second view.

• Even though we're only briefly exposed to Technical Boy (Bruce Langley) as he seeks to send a "message" to Mr. Wednesday through Shadow, I couldn't help but automatically hate him in the same way that I hated Joffrey in Game of Thrones. That's high praise for Langley, and I'm looking forward to what we get from him next.
• BTW: That device that attaches itself to Shadow? Reminded me of a techno-face-hugger you'd see in a crossover between Terminator 2 and Aliens, with a very H.R. Giger influence to the look (look-up the mic stand Giger designed for Korn for a better visual reference).
• The lynching of Shadow at the end of the episode is like a baseball bat to the back of your psyche and seeing the wall that your car's about to hit at full speed: you know something bad is about to happen, but you're not ready for just how bad it is. It brings the episode to an ending it needed: that with all of these talks of gods and faith and belief, the cruel and brutal reality of racism and hate still permeates every aspect of our society like a cancer.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know…American Gods premieres on Starz on Sunday, April 30^th.

I'll be back with some takeaways from E102: "The Secret of Spoon".

Ray Flook has been a contributing writer to Bleeding Cool since 2013 and "Ray-splaining" geek stuff his entire life. You can follow him on Twitter at @oldmangeek88; on Instagram at @oldmangeek; and soon through the Big Bad Geek podcast.

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