Watch & Remark: American Gods, A Prayer for Mad Sweeney

Mad Sweeney continues to be my favorite character. This entire episode was full of character development for him, and it was a really good episode. We see Mad Sweeney struggling to deal with his own actions and emotions, Laura just trying to be alive again, and some fairy tales in action.

Warning: There's a rather large amount of sex in this episode. They're not exceedingly graphic, but they do make you a tad uncomfortable, if only because Essie shows literally no emotions at any time.

This one begins with Ibis & Jacquel, and we are sent back in time to another coming-to-America story, this time that of Essie McGowan, played by the same actress as Laura. She is sent to America for her crimes, the first time unsuccessfully, and then once she becomes a thief she gets sent back, this time for good. She continues the traditions she was taught as a small child, and brings our favorite leprechaun to America.

We got two sides of Mad Sweeney's story in this episode--his past, as a leprechaun who has just been drawn to the New World, and his present, accompanying Laura Moon, so he can get his thrice-damned coin back. Each side of Mad Sweeney has the same story. He cares too much to be a truly evil leprechaun, and this episode shows that to perfection.

Laura and Mad Sweeney aren't the best of friends, but Laura is kind to Saleem/Not Saleem, and lets him go, leaving Laura and Mad Sweeney to steal an ice-cream truck and drive off. It was rather interesting--if only to see how these two interact, when they both need something from the other and have no buffer.

We also get a surprise, after things have all gone wrong and Mad Sweeney has a chance to get his coin back. Turns out, Mad Sweeney has been following Laura for a longer time than we thought, with not-so-good intentions, and Wednesday might have plotted the whole thing. I didn't remember that coming from the book, but it was a nice touch.

I've enjoyed ever "Coming to America" story that we've seen so far in the show, and this time was no different. We even got to see a little bit more of Ibis, and how he is compelled to write out these stories in a book that looks ancient but isn't yet half-full. These stories are really cool, and set up the foundation of the entire show, and why this war is brewing.

I also liked how Essie was played by the same actress as Laura, and how they used the same actress to play Essie's grandmother, and then Essie herself as a grandmother. It was a nice touch for genealogy and continuity. This whole episode was an exercise in creating connections from the beginning of America's religions to how those religions are fighting in modern times.

The old traditions of fairy tales and old religions are intriguing, and they work them into this episode to show us how humans can worship gods in varied ways--and how those ways have changed, now that we worship in more socially accepted ways, rather than following the old ways.

But until next time, keep a hand on your coins, and leave a bit of bread and milk out for those leprechauns. You never know when you might need a bit of luck.