In Review: American Gods: Season 2 – Episode 3

Synopsis: As he is tracked by Mr. World, Shadow makes his way to Cairo, thanks to a ride from Sam Black Crow; Mr. Wednesday slyly gains Laura’s help in forging an alliance with a powerful god.

Review: Another episode that focuses more on character development than it does the story.

The Story

Having survived the collision between the train and Mr. Wednesday’s Car. Laure Moon is picked up by Wednesday and Mad Sweeney to be pieced back together by Mr. Ibis. Meanwhile, a disheveled Shadow Moon makes his way from the wreckage and proceeds to find his way to Cairo.

Wednesday and Laura Moon go on a road trip to seek out the God known as Argus who has become the God of all surveillance and has apparently been playing both sides. Elsewhere Technical Boy and the newly resurrected Media who is now known as modern media have also been tasked with finding Argus.

While on the road to Cairo Shadow Moon meets up with Sam Black Crow. The human incarnation of the Crow that Mr. Wednesday has been in constant communication with.  While Shadow travels with Black Crow. Wednesday is taking Laura to Argus where she can get Sweeney’s coin recharged, which will slow down her body from decaying.

The Acting

This week’s episode belongs to Emily Browning and Ian McShane who have interesting chemistry as Laura Moon and Mr. Wednesday as the two travel across the country to hook up with Argus. I really enjoyed how Wednesday was constantly badgering Laura to figure out why she was so determined to stay around. Is she really back from the dead out of love for Shadow Moon or does she have other unfinished business?

Overall

Once again. We get very little progress of the story here, but instead, we get a lot of character development and as a result some interesting character beats.

I really enjoyed the little relationship that formed between Sam Black Crow and Shadow Moon as the two drove to their destination. Hopefully, we’ll get to see more of Sam Black Crow in future episodes because she is an intriguing character for sure.

Also enjoyable was the brief retelling of Argus and his origins from Mr. Ibis as he was working on Laura Moon.

Overall. Some really good stuff here, but very little in the way of forwarding momentum on the actual storyline.