Watch & Remark: American Gods

Wow. Really, just wow. This was an amazing opening to what I'm sure will be an amazing series. This episode sets up the rest of the series very well, and I'm looking forward to reviewing it every week!

Fair warning, this show is extremely graphic. If you can't stand the sight of blood, death, or terrifying sex, this really isn't the show for you. It's gritty, realistic, and looks like it will be one hell of a ride if you haven't read the book yet. Also, this series of reviews for American Gods will most likely be heavy on spoilers, so I don't recommend reading them if you haven't seen the episode!

Image source: IMDb.com

First off: I usually like to start with the intro, and this time it was seriously great. I loved the religious symbolism that was being corrupted by technology, and I thought that it was a great set-up to the rest of the show, especially considering the books.

The show starts off set when Vikings roamed the earth, and gets progressively bloodier. We get an explanation for how the older gods rely on faith, and how the gods traveled to the new world on the backs of their followers, and later we get a glimpse of how the gods survive in the new world (Bilquis looked amazing, by the way).

We see Shadow in his prison yard, Shadow quietly dying inside when he learns that Laura has died, Shadow falling apart and screaming from a cliff. My heart hurt at the irony of his phone call to Robbie, and his interactions with Audrey were slightly disturbing but realistic for a woman struggling to deal with her grief over a man who wasn't the person she thought he was. The panic and anger shine through in these actors.

Overall, the show had awesomely realistic effects (sweat, blood, the whole shebang). The fighting was realistic and well-filmed, and Mad Sweeney is a masterpiece of a leprechaun, and I can't wait to see more of him.

Image Source: DenofGeek.com

I had a few complaints, mainly towards the end of the show. I've never liked villains with faceless henchmen, or faceless henchmen at all. The animation was cool, but felt too broken and rushed for me to really get into. There was a gratuitous amount of blood at the end, and though it was cool to see, it was a bit gore-y for my tastes.

So far, the show looks like it will follow closely to the book (thought of course we won't get everything). From "Puppy" to the coin tricks to Ian McShane's character, it looks like we're in for a bumpy ride. I wasn't sure how I felt about Ricky Whittle until I watched this episode--but he's perfect. I haven't seen him in anything before, and I think that was the right choice for the casting directors. Whittle is gonna be great. Ian McShane was definitely the right choice for Wednesday--he has the perfect face, voice, character, everything.

So, here's to the first season of American Gods. Let's hope that it keeps going, keeps being awesome, and that Shadow gets some peace and quiet soon.

Three shots of mead and it's sealed.

If you aren't sure about American Gods, check out the trailer below, and let me know what you think!