american-gods-laura-moon Television 

Five Thoughts on American Gods‘ “Git Gone”

By | May 22nd, 2017
Posted in Television | % Comments

After years of development, the adaptation of one of Neil Gaiman’s most notable works has made it to the small screen. To prepare, I re-read the novel and his recently released Norse Mythology (definitely recommended). There will be some book discussion but I’ll reserve the spoilery talk for my fifth thought, which will always be dedicated to talking about adaptation choices. In this episode, we get the story of Laura Moon, from the moment she met Shadow, right up until she surprises him in his hotel room. Beware, spoilers for the episode will follow.

1. None of This Is From the Book, and That’s a Good Thing

Up until this point, the majority of the show has been pretty faithful to the novel. The showrunners have added things here and there, but this is the first episode that is completely new content. It’s also because of this, that it’s my favorite episode of the series so far (as well as Neil Gaiman’s). It’s the first episode to really feel like a complete piece. There are no god origin stories or sidebars to break up the pacing; the episode gets room to breath, without having to constantly cut away. It allows for longer story telling devices, like the repetition of Laura walking into work, while her facial expression slowly shows the audience just how depressed she becomes, or the repeated sounds of the robo voice on the other end of the collect calls, communicating the struggle of having a loved one in jail. There is also only one person for the audience to really invest in. And as much as I’ve loved Ian McShane and the other scene-stealing gods, this is the Laura Moon show and there is no one to distract from Emily Browning’s killer performance.

2. Emily Browning, Everyone

The singular focus of the episode only works because Browning really sells every scene. We feel the crushing weight of her depression as she goes to work every day. Her posture and expression subtly change as the scenes progress. When Laura tells Shadow, “Yeah, I still love you. I’m just not happy,” we completely understand. Then, she seamlessly shifts from the quiet hopelessness of the first half of the episode to the crazed fighter that saves Shadow from a lynching. Browning is downright scary, as she takes out the gang of Technical Boy’s “Children.” In the first episode, I thought the blood in this scene was excessive and unneeded. From this point of view, it’s still excessive, but really communicates how much of a bad ass Laura is. She also had a ton of great little character moments, like slapping Anubis as he attempted to weigh her heart, casually carrying her dismembered arm like it’s no big deal, or completely reading Shadow and calling him out when they first meet. There is a lot to like with this performance and it really makes me look forward to seeing more of her in the main story.

3. More Anubis, Please

I still can’t believe how good the casting is in this show. Chris Obi as Anubis is just the latest actor to marvel at. The tender god that was introduced last episode does make a slight appearance when he’s putting Laura back together, but we get to really see why he’s the god of death in this episode. Using the hot tub she contemplated suicide in, as a means for Laura to pass into the afterlife, was a real gut punch. Later, the way his whole persona shifts when he tells Laura, “When you are done, I will complete my task, and deliver you unto darkness.” is completely chilling. Just like McShane’s Mr. Wednesday, Obi does an amazing job of showing the multi-faceted personalities of the gods they portray.

4. Puppy

This may seem like a very minor point, but the show changed the origin of Laura’s pet name for Shadow and it’s much better. In the book, the newlyweds’ landlord won’t let them get a puppy, so Shadow tells Laura that he’ll be her puppy. It’s cheesy and off-putting every time she calls him that. It doesn’t do justice to the chemistry that they’re supposed to have, especially when we need to believe that their love is enduring, even after death. The new version, where it’s because Shadow follows Laura like a puppy, helps to flesh out their relationship’s backstory even more, and gives more context to their future interactions. It also makes me cringe a little less every time it’s said.

Continued below

5. Book Spoilers Ahead!

I was genuinely surprised when Audrey encounters Laura trying to sew herself back together Nightmare Before Christmas style. I think it was a great scene, and really shows just how magnetic the character of Laura is. In the book, we just accept that Shadow welcomes her back with little protest, but it’s hard to believe how little anger he has towards her. Now we can see why, people will do anything for her. Shadow goes to jail for her, Robbie betrays his wife and best friend, and Audrey still agrees to drive her around after she comes back from the dead.

It does make me wonder how they’re going to handle when Shadow and Audrey run into each other again, presumably in season two. By the end of her scene with Laura, she doesn’t seem bitter enough to treat Shadow like she does in the book. However they end up handling it, it was worth it for this episode. I hope they can fit in more expanded backstories for other characters.


//TAGS | american gods

Justin Beeson

Justin Beeson is a dad, husband, DevOps engineer, and comic book and Android enthusiast. He covers news, TV, and does the occasional review at Multiversity Comics, and can be found on Twitter at @thisJUSTin816.

EMAIL | ARTICLES



  • -->