TV: American Gods tv adaptation

[jimmythescot]

Gillian Anderson was great in that scene and I liked that they introduced her in public.

I was a little disappointed that they didn't reveal a character when Shadow was collecting possessions as I wanted to see my wife's face.

The Zorya sisters and Czernobog were fantastic and the final scene was absolutely compelling despite the mundanity of what was going on. Like, if I tried to describe it to someone who hadn't seen it, they would think I was very easy to please.

The coming to America bit at the start was great, and although the god wasn't exactly how I pictured him, it was beautifully realised and I'm fully on board with the casting.

Oh and it was great to know what happens to Bilquis' suitors.

Really loving the adaptation so far.

 

[Jumptheshark]

read the book first and that was wrong

 

[SettlementRichie10]

This adaptation is pretty damn faithful so far. I never thought I'd see that Djinn scene on film. Such a strange chapter in the book.

I'm a huge fan of the book and Gaiman in general, and I really like this series so far. The book has some incredible imagery, and the show, almost miraculously, is keeping pace.

Good stuff.

 

[Mrb1p]

Should I grab the book before watching? Ive tried to watch the first episode, and while entertaining, I didnt understand much.

 

[Supermassive]

Should I grab the book before watching? Ive tried to watch the first episode, and while entertaining, I didnt understand much.

As long as it's not a pop-up book, judging from Episode 2...

I haven't read the book yet, just going straight into the series. Not a big fan of prepping for any series. More fun to see it fresh and new.

Episode 3 tonight! Mr. Wednesday didn't seem too worried that Shadow lost the game...

 

[Supermassive]

Not that I have a problem with any of the subject matter in the show...but I just don't see myself recommending this series to my more religious friends.

Great episode tonight. Truly one of the most unique shows I've ever seen on tv.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Not that I have a problem with any of the subject matter in the show...but I just don't see myself recommending this series to my more religious friends.

Great episode tonight. Truly one of the most unique shows I've ever seen on tv.

Gaiman specifically cut a Jesus chapter because his publisher was scared of a religious backlash. So that's a reasonable thought on your end. The highly religious will not take well to this show.

 

[Tawnos]

Not that I have a problem with any of the subject matter in the show...but I just don't see myself recommending this series to my more religious friends.

Great episode tonight. Truly one of the most unique shows I've ever seen on tv.

I mean the book and the show explicitly go against the concept of monotheism, so yeah... probably not their cup of tea.

I enjoyed the third episode. The Anubis bit was excellent.

 

[Hivemind]

Not sure how to feel about this show yet. Some of the set pieces are interesting, but there's nothing really hooking me in yet.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

I mean the book and the show explicitly go against the concept of monotheism, so yeah... probably not their cup of tea.

I enjoyed the third episode. The Anubis bit was excellent.

The Egyptian imagery is still so vivid in my mind. And it's been years since I read American Gods.

Excited for the rest of this season.

 

[Supermassive]

Great Episode 4 this week. Really fun, straightforward romp through Laura Moon's life with Shadow thus far. Cleared up one point about Shadow's rescue from the hanging.

I might have to find the book and read it now. Such an awesome series but no buzz.

 

[mikee]

For those trying to decide whether the read the book you should know it is a different experience, which may be good or bad, depending on your expectations. The book is much more of a slow burn with fewer of the hyper-stylized elements featured in the show. Yes, there are still things like the Bilquis scene, but things like the lynching or the viking scene are not in there. But at its heart it is a road trip story, that just so happens to feature Gods at various stops along the way.

If you are getting confused by the story in the show, the storyline progresses more linearly through the book. There are still the Coming to America/Somewhere in a America interludes just like the show, but the actual main plot concerning Shadow is just that... it is all told from his perspective as he becomes more and more involved in this world and with the Gods. You don't jump from Shadow, to Mad Sweeney, to Laura, etc. It is Shadow getting out of prison -> meets Wednesday -> meets Mad Sweeney -> funeral -> travel to Chicago -> bank job -> meets Czernobog/sisters -> and so on. Shadow himself is much more subdued, he is an already individual who numbed by grief, and then slowly descends into a world he doesn't understand.

 

[Tawnos]

Good sum up mikee. I couldn't have said that better myself. I was discussing the Djinn scene with a friend and was saying that I kinda missed the mutedness of that scene in the book. I felt there was a certain amount of "look at us!" in the show. In certain places, the tone is just totally different.

Btw, the entire Laura episode was cool. None of that is in the book. They didn't change much from the book, that stuff is just absent.

 

[Shadow Journal]

Great Episode 4 this week. Really fun, straightforward romp through Laura Moon's life with Shadow thus far. Cleared up one point about Shadow's rescue from the hanging.

I might have to find the book and read it now. Such an awesome series but no buzz.

Really? The TV/film critic types I follow on Twitter are all talking about it every week. I assumed it had some popular interest as well. Wasn't it recently renewed for a second season?

 

[mikee]

Really? The TV/film critic types I follow on Twitter are all talking about it every week. I assumed it had some popular interest as well. Wasn't it recently renewed for a second season?

There isn't a lot of hype in the public because a) it is a pretty weird show with storylines, cinematography and bloodshed that won't appeal to many households and b) it is broadcast by Starz, which is not a popular channel, and even for people who have access to Starz they more likely know it for having worse movie selection than HBO/Showtime and its original programming for over the top violence and T&A than quality. Starz has a branding issue.

Hopefully the critical responses to this on top of the slowly building acclaim for Power and Outlander can help Starz forge a new path. I also enjoyed Black Sails, but that show was hindered by a subpar 1st season and having Michael Bay's name attached to the project so it was never going to garner acclaim.

 

[Rebels57]

Loving this show so far. Episode 4 was excellent. Hope the hype picks up. I'm spreading the word as much as I can.

 

[wej20]

It is on Amazon Prime over here in the UK, I'm guessing that's not the case in the States?

 

[Tomas Sandstrom 28]

[spoil]I am trying to like this show, but I'm not sure how I felt about this past week's episode. I'm having a hard time with Shadow's character/acting. I mean in one scene he's having a conversation with his dead wife's body brought back to life and he's totally ok with that, then later on when he figures out that Mr. Wednesday is a god, he totally freaks out. What gives?[/spoil]


**Mod edit spoiler tags.**

 

[Muston Atthews]

Just finished episode 2 and haven't read this thread yet but it's weird, at first I thought this show was too weird and then it hooked me, for both the first two episodes. The "(wo)man eater" is very very weird lol

 

[mikee]

[spoil]I am trying to like this show, but I'm not sure how I felt about this past week's episode. I'm having a hard time with Shadow's character/acting. I mean in one scene he's having a conversation with his dead wife's body brought back to life and he's totally ok with that, then later on when he figures out that Mr. Wednesday is a god, he totally freaks out. What gives?[/spoil]


**Mod edit spoiler tags.**

I think part of it is the they are being faithful to the book in some scenes but then not in others. The hotel scene between the two of them was similar to the book but the interrogation scene was completely different [spoil](Wednesday wasn't there and it was different New Gods doing the interrogating). It was also an actual interrogation in the book, not a merger offer, and in the book Laura saves Shadow from the interrogators who were planning to torture/kill him.[/spoil]

Things happen at a more leisurely pace in the book. Shadow is taken down a weirder and weirder path and he is exposed to things more gradually. In the show they are throwing more things in early and it does seem to be messing with the tone (and making his reactions uneven). One good thing about the show though is that they actually have Shadow reacting to things at all. In the book he is a very stoic and quiet guy that becomes numbed by grief over his wife's death (and has trouble accepting her return). He barely speaks in some scenes. That would not translate to screen well so they are making him a bit more animated, but that leads to some confusion when they start pulling scenes more directly from the source material because book Shadow is completely different than show Shadow.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Not that I have a problem with any of the subject matter in the show...but I just don't see myself recommending this series to my more religious friends.

Great episode tonight. Truly one of the most unique shows I've ever seen on tv.

that goes without saying and that is even before we touch on that one plot line

 

[Danko]

Just started watching and im on the third episode. weird show.

 

[Lunatik]

I just finished the season finale and although I still don't really understand what is happening (haven't read the book), I am completely fascinated.

 

[jimmythescot]

I just finished the season finale and although I still don't really understand what is happening (haven't read the book), I am completely fascinated.

Things are fairly different from the book but are following the same path, though the finale to the party is extremely different to the extent that I'm not sure where they go from here.

<minor spoilers be here>

I like the expanded role of Laura if it means we get more of that sweet, sweet Sweeney. Both are hardly in the books at all because nearly everything is purely from the perspective of Shadow.

 

[Jori]

As a book reader myself, I found the pacing overall to the season to be very slow. However, loved the expanded roles of Laura and Mad Sweeney into the show.