IN REVIEW: AMERICAN GODS: SEASON 2 EPISODE 6

Synopsis: Shadow and Mr. Wednesday seek out Dvalin to repair the Gungnir spear. But before the dwarf is able to etch the runes of war, he requires a powerful artifact in exchange. On the journey, Wednesday tells Shadow the story of Donar the Great.

Review: This week’s episode reveals the fate of Thor. Odin’s son, who is also known as Donar the Great.

The Story

When Mr. Wednesday and Shadow Moon find Dvalin. They are told that he needs a rare artifact to repair the spear, which turns out to be the leather jacket worn by legendary singer-songwriter Lou Reed. In order to get hold of the Jacket. Mr. Wednesday concocts one of his elaborate scams to get a hold of the jacket.

Meanwhile, Mr. World is leaning on New Media to up her game and seek out more worshippers.

The Acting

Ian McShane absolutely rocks it this week. As we see him play the host of a Burlesque show in Europe of the 1930s where the star attraction is Donar the Great. But it is also his performance in the present day as Mr. Wednesday that is impressive as we see more layers to the old God get revealed. One of which is his grief for the death of a son.

Derek Theler also puts in an interesting performance as Donar, who is torn between his love for Columbia and his obligations to sacrifice himself in order to gain more worshippers.

Overall

For my money. This has to be the best episode of the season thus far. Like many people. I’d been wondering when they were going to bring Odin’s famous son into the equation, but I’d never had guessed that his story would be such a tragic one.

I loved the flashback sequences to the Burlesque show and the various characters we got to see in that setting. It was interesting to actually see Mr. Wednesday and Technical Boy on speaking terms back in the 1930s, which must have been the beginnings of the war between the new and old gods. Though I do have to wonder if the Goddess Columbia is to be rebranded as media. Given the sales pitch that Technical Boy was making to her about her being a new symbol for the new world.

Also really enjoyable was the con job that Wednesday and Shadow commit too in order to obtain Lou Reed’s leather jacket.

Overall. A really, really strong episode. More like this, please.