American Gods ‘A Murder of Gods’ saw Mr. Wednesday setting up his pieces for the upcoming finale, Laura Moon & Mad Sweeney sassing each other while talking about the possible resurrection of the former, and the return of Salim, aka beautiful taxi driver from epic Jinn sex scene. *deep breath* All in all, it was a fantastic episode focusing on the power of sacrifice, belief, and what we’re willing to do for it.
Let’s dive right in!
Mr. Wednesday is Pulling a Long Con on Shadow
It became more obvious than ever in this episode that Mr. Wednesday is using Shadow Moon. You don’t drive away and pump up the jams to drown out his recently deceased wife for nothing. It was done on purpose because keeping Shadow at his side and making him believe is all part of the plan. It’s all part of the con.
Think of Shadow as a little battery. Gods are powered up by belief molded over time, handed over by our families before us, and kept alive through faith. And if you have none of that left you have to create it yourself. Shadow is that creation, that belief, and the person who is going to be key in what Mr. Wednesday is planning.
Week after week he’s been testing Shadow. Hell, from the first time they met he’s been trying to shape him and gently nudge him down a road where he could accept that the world was bigger than it seems and that he should believe in Mr. Wednesday, the man introducing him to this new world.
And the part that should scare you and that will probably scare Shadow when he finds it out, is that Mr. Wednesday has been planning this before Shadow even knew the man. Remember those two crows that have been following Mr. Wednesday around and squawking at him, obviously feeding him information? They appeared in flashbacks surrounding Shadow and Laura long before Mr. Wednesday came into the picture.
If this episode has taught us anything, it’s that faith and swearing allegiance can be a mighty sacrifice for power. That could be what Shadow’s been set up to do from the start.
Die as a sacrifice.
Loving a Leprechaun and a Dead Wife is Easy
If Bryan and Michael, the EPs of American Gods, decided that they wanted to give these two assholes a show, I’d watch it. In a heartbeat. Let’s be honest, I’ll even buy the damn shirts with him calling her “dead wife”. It’s just more proof of how much I love them and how great their chemistry works on screen.
Laura and Mad Sweeney are unapologetic, quick to smack each other down with amazing barbs, and have a banter that never stops entertaining. They’re two peas in a pod who are continuously infuriated with each other because they understand the other and are curious about each other. I don’t think they’ve met someone that was just like them, a chip on their shoulder with a fuck you attitude towards the world.
What makes their relationship even better is that deep down they care. Just a tiny bit but it’s there. Mad Sweeney’s advice to her while stealing the taxi or in Mad Sweeney’s comes from him wanting to get his coin back, no doubt about that. But it also comes from a place of helping a down on his luck bastard, get her stuff back together, just like him.
Given time, I think these two can become friends and unexpected wildcards in this long that Mr. Wednesday is pulling on Shadow Moon.
Salim is Back and We Must Protect Him
I was already excited that Laura Moon and Mad Sweeney were going to go on a road-trip together. They’re a disaster and I love it. And adding Salim into the mix…pure genius. Salim, my beautiful taxi driver out to live his new life, acts as a sounding board that balances these two assholes out.
Salim is kind, honest, and is on a journey just like Laura and Mad Sweeney. He’s helping them because he is all those things but also because he’s leading a new life. And in this new freedom he’s found, he wants to reconnect with the Jinn and learn more about the man who freed him from his previous life.
Part of me hopes that Salim sticks with Laura and Mad Sweeney and they can be this rag tag group of crazy driving across America. The more rational part of me wants my beautiful taxi driver to find the Jinn and live a life away from the storm that is coming Shadow’s way. And yes I said Shadow.
Laura’s out to prove herself and she’ll do anything to protect Shadow from the shit storm that Mr. Wednesday has brought him into. Mad Sweeney wants his Lucky coin back and you better believe that he will be sticking with ‘dead wife’ as long as she’s in one piece. And if my beautiful taxi driver is with them he’ll get tangled up in this because he is kind, honest, and if it came down to it, he would help his new crazy friends.
Sigh…pretty sure Salim stole my heart with those big soulful eyes and I just want to protect him from the world, the gods, and anything that might harm his sweater wearing self.
Favorite Scene from A Murder of Gods:
Sweeney, you’ve got a filthy mouth. Might be filthier than the backseat of that cab.
American Gods airs Sundays at 9/8c on Starz.
