American Gods - Season 1 Review
This review of season 1 of American Gods is spoiler-free!
Well that was surely something different than I expected. As I previously mentioned in my review of the premiere of Counterpart, I feel like Starz has been on the back burner compared to the giant that is HBO. But now, after watching some of these new releases by Starz and getting into some shows that have been around for a time, I'm starting to feel I may have possibly been wrong about Starz as a network. Sure they still aren't, in my opinion, on the level of HBO in overall quality and success, but shows like American Gods show they aren't necessarily trying to compete in the same genres and that makes me happy and sad as a fan, as competition breeds quality but the spreading out of content variety means a wealth of unique television to watch. American Gods is a unique offering created based of the works of Neil Gaiman's book. I had no idea what I was signing up for going into this series, but coming out I realized there was a lot to love, so lets get into it!
American Gods is all about one man: Shadow Moon. He's a man whose been locked away in prison, and just recently was released into a world that he doesn't recognize. But, quickly he comes upon a man who goes by the name of Mr. Wednesday, a rather suave older gentlemen with an agenda who offers him a position within his guard. He quickly comes to the realization that the world he thought he knew is actually inhabited by higher beings, and magic as a whole. Mr. Wednesday is taking on the task of gathering together a group of people to battle the New Gods, such as Media and Technology, called the Old Gods. Along the way they encounter old enemies and allies, and some creatures Shadow could never believe existed. Along with the main story, we are treated to Coming to America vignettes that show how all of these gods came to America which is a treat on its own. Like I said at the beginning though, I had no clue what I was signing up for with this show, but boy am I happy with what I received! American Gods is a unique premise that challenges the mind and has a unique aesthetic that makes it an impressive viewing experience.
As far as characters go, there really are only two that I want to specifically talk about: Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) and Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane). Whittle's Shadow Moon is a great character, but often times a better stubborn. He's being thrown into a world that's almost entirely foreign to him, and having old memories dredged up by that world and he has to comprehend magic, it's a lot being thrown at him essentially. Like I said though, there's just something about how Whittle plays Moon that is just so excellent and enjoyable. Mr. Wednesday is a completely different style of character than that of Shadow Moon. McShane plays him with a sense of grandeur and confidence that you wouldn't expect from someone who is constantly being hunted. This ability McShane has to make you not really worry about a character who is in dire straights and think more about how he walks and talks and just the little things is excellent. Ian McShane is a stellar performer, and in this role he really shines as he is given an opportunity to spread his wings.
One thing I've noticed in my time after watching season 1 of American Gods is that the show did seem to be mostly a setup for what was to come. For some I can see this being a negative as they want to jump right into the action of the Old Gods vs. the New Gods. The reality of the situation though is that if we were just given a series that focused on the war between these factions, we wouldn't enjoy it as much if we didn't get that level of emotional buildup and tension beforehand. Like the calm before the storm, I can only hope that moving forward this time spent on character development will make the upcoming conflict that much more meaningful. So while some critics may take away points for season 1 being a prep season of sorts, I don't do that as the season on its own is also enjoyable if a bit slow at times.
The truth of it all is that American Gods is a good start for a show that could become so much more. The unfortunate part of this though is that there are rumors abound that when we see this show return, it will be without some of the key players that helped make season 1 as excellent as it was. My hope is that Starz will find a way to make it work where they keep their talent for this series, as it could be one of the next great premium television shows. On it's own though I will say that American Gods was a good show that managed to put together all kinds of fantastical elements into a complete package worthy of viewing. Check out American Gods as soon as you can!
8.5/10
