American Gods: A Murder of Gods (Episode 6 Recap and Review)

You know who loves action? Apparently everyone but the writers at American Gods.

Episode 6 starts with a story about immigration and “Mexican Jesus” –which is an uncomfortable title for me to type, so we have been  going to refering to him as MJ, not to be confused with this one

Like most of the coming to America stories it relates almost nothing to the main plot, but is beautifully done and the final visuals after he is shot protecting his people is artistically impressive  (note the stigmata style gun wounds and tumbleweed being an allusion to the crown of thorns)

When the episode picks back up Shadow and Mr. Wednesday are walking down a road at night immediately following the incident at the police station. Of course Shadow wants answers but he gets more of the usual run around, and finally has the opportunity to tell Wednesday at about his wife-of-the-living-dead.

Laura actually tries chasing after them when they get to the hotel and make a getaway, but Wednesday sees her and tries to keep that information from Shadow. The police of course impounded her car, because it belongs to and end woman, and she is left with Sweeney to high jack a car—a suspiciously familiar taxi. Some of the best dialogue in the show comes from the duo of Laura and Sweeney

but they meet up with an unlikely ally(?) Salim, and the three agree on a raodtrip to Kentucky. Presumably multiple deities will be there and Sweeney thinks he knows a god that will resurrect Laura permanently so he can have his coin back (he also name drops Jesus, and which lines up with the beginning of the episode).

While driving away Shadow feels some type of parasite moving inside him, and Wednesday explains it was the tree that attacked him left a type of magical infection. Wednesday does pull over to remove the magical parasite, and tell us about Mr. Wood beijg a particularly ancient god that had to evolve with time and industrialization and sacrificed his forests to become…something else. It all comes off as “falling in with the wrong crowd” and implanting a parasitic, mandrake looking root into Shadow seems to be in line with that.

Laura, Sweeney, and Salim make an unlikely trio, with Sweeney offering up the rude commentary about his associates who seem to be bonding over their sudden life changes.  Oh and when Salim realizes Laura isn’t also a Leperchaun, but instead undead, Sweeney gives her the hilarious new title of lepre-cunt (she knocks him around for it though and always gets the last laugh).

Back to Shadow and Mr. Wednesday who roll up to a town where a man has fallen into a forge at a ballistics factory. The town seems to be ran on white nationalism and more gun centric than the average Midwest town.

They hold a memorial service lead by their godlike leader Vulcan, shoot a few out for their departed comrade, and the subsequent bullet rain is pretty cool.

Wednesday quickly works on recruiting Vulcan, who is down for the idea. At Vulcan’s mansion he harassed Shadow about the old hanging tree in his yard–Vulcan seems to have a disdain for Shadown.  They talk about how Vulcan moved into his new life and development into firearms and his followers, and at the end Wednesday and asks for him to create him a god worthy weapon before they head out for Wisconsin.

Our unlikely trio takes a detour to Indiana for a Laura to say goodbye to her old life and move forward with some closure. More great dialogue with her and Sweeney and the bar Shadow met him in, and back on the road where we see Salim still does his prayers and Laura and him continue to bond–action is limited, but their scene have the best dialogue and don’t feel over dramatic. We are excited to see more of them next week.

In a not-so-shockikg turn of events Vulcan, an old god that found a new niche and is thriving, double crosses Wednesday and admits to being in cahoots with the new gods. By in-cahoots we mean “neutral” and he did alert them that Wednesday and Shadow were there. Stupidly on Vulcan’s part he’d already made a deal with Wednesday and had forged him a weapon, which Wednesday attacks him with and kicks him into his own forge–and then passes on his molten grave, putting a curse on the now-dead god’s entire operation.

All-in-all the episode was enjoyable, but if we don’t get actual action by the end of season one we can’t promise to stay excited for season two, but we’d still guilt-watch out of respect.