American Gods “Muninn” introduced us to the hella talented Kahyun Kim and Devery Jacobs, the first playing New Media and the latter playing Sam Blackcrow. And seriously, after one episode of having them in my life, if anything happens to them, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself.
“Muninn” also saw Shadow Moon being left behind like he’s left over garbage that you can’t be bothered to throw away in the bin. Which, rude Mr. Wednesday. Good thing he crossed paths with Sam Blackcrow who helped him along the way. Laura Moon didn’t have the same luck and ended up killing another God to level up Mad Sweeney’s coin before being throw away like Shadow was by Mr. Wednesday.
The Good – New Media and Sam Blackcrow
Introducing new characters in an already tight knit group that is well established, is always hard. Comparisons to the people that came before are unavoidable and there are people that refuse to accept the new if that means saying goodbye to the ones who came before. It stands true with the introduction of New Media and Sam Blackcrow.
These two new characters are set to fill in the space that Media and Easter left at the end of season one. And that’s not a bad thing. Just means change is happening and we can either give them a chance or be bitter about it til the cows come home. I choose to give them a chance and see where their characters take us. And I’m glad I did.
New Media, played by Kahyun Kim, is the personification of everything bright, colorful, and in fashion at this moment. She’s go go go, definitely has a love for like votes, and will do what she has to to keep herself alive. New Media is this characters chance to keep up with the fast paced world we live in today. And in many ways she’s a threat to Technical Boy, who thinks that New Media is getting too comfortable in the place he calls home and that is ultimately only his.
Sam Blackcrow, played by Devery Jacobs, is wickedly smart, trusting, and the right kind of weird that fits into the American Gods world. She didn’t have to pick up Shadow and give him a ride to Cairo. But she could see something in Shadow, something interesting that she had to get closer to. And she did. Sam was close enough to see that Shadow is an anomaly but far away enough where she stayed safe and out of harm’s way.
I love New Media and Sam Blackcrow. I understand what came before them and the spaces that they occupy now. But based on this episode and the weird powerhouse performances we saw in “Muninn” I’m willing and happy to accept them into our American Gods family. We hope that you are too!
The Bad – Shadow Moon Being Abandoned Like Week Old Chinese Food
I know that Mr. Wednesday has great faith in Shadow Moon. He sees good things in Shadow’s future and has been messing with his life for ages. But what the fuck was up with leaving him behind like week old food at the back of the fridge that you know is there and probably still good but you’re like nah. That’s how it felt to see Ricky Whittle’s character being left behind.
He did survive. Shadow got his ass up and used his charms to scam a lady at a rest stop before crossing ways with Sam Blackcrow, who is just as sassy or more than Shadow Moon when he’s in the zone. But damn, he would’ve been saved hours upon hours if Mr. Wednesday picked his ass up and threw him the car.
Part of it was a clear test to see how resourceful Shadow Moon could be and if Mr. Wednesday had put his money on the right horse. What I think was really going down is that Mr. Wednesday needed Laura Moon to do some shady shit with him and the Old God didn’t want to risk Shadow interfering because he’s clearly afraid of his ex-wives’ power.
Shadow deserves answers. No more waiting, no more haggling and skipping around the truth. Our puppy deserves answers to the CRAZY that Shadow and Laura have found themselves in. He can handle it. And if you doubt him Mr. Wednesday, look at what you’ve already put him through. Shadow survived that and he can survive anything that comes near him.
The Ugly – The Spot that Laura Moon is Stuck in Right Now
Shadow isn’t the only Moon that Mr. Wednesday likes fucking with in “Muninn.” There’s also Laura Moon. He lured her in with promises of regeneration and survival, knowing that she wanted to get back to Shadow asap. Using that silver tongue of his he basically knocked over Laura Moon’s house of cards and went about convincing her that no matter what she does, Shadow is never going to want her back.
Even sitting here, writing this review, I felt the pain of that realization for Laura Moon. No matter how bright her puppy shines or what he makes her feel, she’s not the same anymore and neither is he. He wants a woman that doesn’t exist anymore and she wants a life that they can never go back to. Plus, I don’t think Laura wants to give up her power, resilience, or the thrill that courses through her body now that she’s undead.
Part of me wishes that Laura Moon went with Mad Sweeney. Those two are becoming two peas in a pod full of sassing each other. But another part of me, the more sensible part that sees the future that is coming for Laura Moon, knows that she needed to go on this adventure with Mr. Wednesday. She needed to see what Shadow Moon has been caught up in, what she has transformed into, and the world that they now occupy.
At the end of the day, I think Laura Moon is going to stay like this. She’s going to grow, learn, and accept that this is her new existence. And that it isn’t so bad when she compares it to the woman she was before. You know, the one who tried to kill herself in a hot tub with bug spray and who spiraled on a multitude of mental health issues without getting help.
Maybe her death needed to happen to give her another lease on life on American Gods? Either way, I’m here for it and need more of every single woman on this show!
Favorite Moment from American Gods “Muninn”:
Still on that Laura Moon/Mad Sweeney train. New riders are always welcome! Like, seriously, still think Mad Sweeney is on her side. He put her in the trunk so she could be taken somewhere where she could be put back together. And this moment right here is him searching for that sassy asshole that he likes more than he’s willing to admit. Same thing goes for Laura. She cares. And when left alone, with a husband that doesn’t want her and a man who tricked her aka Mr. Wednesday, Laura is going to go after Mad Sweeney because why the fuck not. He’ll help her. Correction, they’ll help each other.
American Gods airs Sundays at 8/7c on Starz.
What did you think about this week’s American Gods? Did you love Sam Blackcrow and New Media as much as we did? Let us know in the comments below!
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