American Gods 1.08
Getting this done before the Munich Film Festival starts tomorrow (guests of honor: Bryan Cranston and Sofia Coppola, who brings her parents along!).
Now that the season is over, I'm still not sure whether Fuller's decision to stretch the main plot out and pace it the way he does is justified. I mean, we STILL haven't reached the House on the Rock yet, and I assumed that would happen in the third episode, as it's this story's Council of Elrond scene, so to speak. Just think of a LotR tv adaption where they've barely made out of the Shire by the time the season finishes. Otoh, all that Fuller & Co. have added does enrich the story and I wouldn't have wanted to miss it, so.
Also, something else I'm not sure about is whether Fuller will be able to keep the main plot twist or indeed the main plot after letting Easter take back spring. This kind of demonstration of divine power is something which just does not happen in the book, not least because the old Gods - even Easter, who is doing well enough - are no longer capabable of it. There's a reason why most of them live low key existences. (While Wednesday enjoys his cons, he's also dependent on them, for example. ) Not to mention: how are the practicalities supposed to work? Who is supposed to tell humans they need to worship Ostara of the Dawn again and if they don't, no more spring? Now, given Wednesday's spoilerly ulterior motive, maybe it's not even supposed to actually work, but in order to sell Easter on this in the showverse, it needs to a plausible plan, surely?
Not to mention: how anything near the book plot can happen now unless Shadow's characterisation is changed radically, I don't know. Because book Shadow would not have kept working for an entourage working a "starve or pray" blackmail. And that's not touching on the fact that I don't see why Shadow would do what he does in the book if he finds out this early Wednesday killed Laura to leave him isolated, with nothing to lose. (My current guess is the cliffhanger ending will be resolved by Laura NOT telling Shadow the truth and instead trying to blackmail Wednesday into resurrecting her properly by threatening to do it. Which would alter Laura's plotline from the book, but would work within the show.)
With all these caveats: Kristin Chenovitch as Easter is utterly unlike how I'd imagined Easter from the book, but she's divine, alright. :) And I love her little reaction when Wednesday says "I dedicate these deaths to Ostara". Seeing Bilquis given a backstory was also welcome. (BTW, all the other "Coming to America" stories in both book and show are firmly focused on the humans, despite technically describing how the supernatural entity in question first came to the new world. Bilquis' story thus is the first where the human is almost incidental, though Bilquis showing up when the Persian woman who brought her to America lies dying was oddly touching and is in tandem with what's established about gods and their believers on the show. I'm not really sold on death-via-sex as an expression of female power, though, but that's a problem of the concept.
The many Jesus - Jesus never shows up in the novel at all, and after this, I hope Fuller lets it be because the gag has outstayed its welcome for me. I will say there's thematic justification to get across what Easter's deal is. Otoh, Easter being friends of a sort with Media as Media has been instrumental for making the Easter rituals so popular makes perfect sense. :)
I've been looking forward to Ian McShane doing the speech of Odin naming himself for eons, and was already resigned to not hearing it this season since it happens in the House on the Rock in the novel, but Fuller moved it elsewhere, so hear it we did, and it was definitely how I'd imagined.
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1238111.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
Now that the season is over, I'm still not sure whether Fuller's decision to stretch the main plot out and pace it the way he does is justified. I mean, we STILL haven't reached the House on the Rock yet, and I assumed that would happen in the third episode, as it's this story's Council of Elrond scene, so to speak. Just think of a LotR tv adaption where they've barely made out of the Shire by the time the season finishes. Otoh, all that Fuller & Co. have added does enrich the story and I wouldn't have wanted to miss it, so.
Also, something else I'm not sure about is whether Fuller will be able to keep the main plot twist or indeed the main plot after letting Easter take back spring. This kind of demonstration of divine power is something which just does not happen in the book, not least because the old Gods - even Easter, who is doing well enough - are no longer capabable of it. There's a reason why most of them live low key existences. (While Wednesday enjoys his cons, he's also dependent on them, for example. ) Not to mention: how are the practicalities supposed to work? Who is supposed to tell humans they need to worship Ostara of the Dawn again and if they don't, no more spring? Now, given Wednesday's spoilerly ulterior motive, maybe it's not even supposed to actually work, but in order to sell Easter on this in the showverse, it needs to a plausible plan, surely?
Not to mention: how anything near the book plot can happen now unless Shadow's characterisation is changed radically, I don't know. Because book Shadow would not have kept working for an entourage working a "starve or pray" blackmail. And that's not touching on the fact that I don't see why Shadow would do what he does in the book if he finds out this early Wednesday killed Laura to leave him isolated, with nothing to lose. (My current guess is the cliffhanger ending will be resolved by Laura NOT telling Shadow the truth and instead trying to blackmail Wednesday into resurrecting her properly by threatening to do it. Which would alter Laura's plotline from the book, but would work within the show.)
With all these caveats: Kristin Chenovitch as Easter is utterly unlike how I'd imagined Easter from the book, but she's divine, alright. :) And I love her little reaction when Wednesday says "I dedicate these deaths to Ostara". Seeing Bilquis given a backstory was also welcome. (BTW, all the other "Coming to America" stories in both book and show are firmly focused on the humans, despite technically describing how the supernatural entity in question first came to the new world. Bilquis' story thus is the first where the human is almost incidental, though Bilquis showing up when the Persian woman who brought her to America lies dying was oddly touching and is in tandem with what's established about gods and their believers on the show. I'm not really sold on death-via-sex as an expression of female power, though, but that's a problem of the concept.
The many Jesus - Jesus never shows up in the novel at all, and after this, I hope Fuller lets it be because the gag has outstayed its welcome for me. I will say there's thematic justification to get across what Easter's deal is. Otoh, Easter being friends of a sort with Media as Media has been instrumental for making the Easter rituals so popular makes perfect sense. :)
I've been looking forward to Ian McShane doing the speech of Odin naming himself for eons, and was already resigned to not hearing it this season since it happens in the House on the Rock in the novel, but Fuller moved it elsewhere, so hear it we did, and it was definitely how I'd imagined.
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1238111.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.