American Gods recap: season one, episode six – welcome to Guntown USA
Spoiler alert: this blog is for people watching American Gods on Starz in the US and Amazon Prime in the UK. Don’t read on unless you have watched episode six.
Somewhere in America
You couldn’t pay me to set foot in a foundry. Ever since my beloved T-1000 disappeared into a vat of molten iron back in the 90s, it’s been clear to me that they are a death trap greater than taking a roundabout in a Robin Reliant. I get no satisfaction from seeing my fears borne out once again in this week’s American Gods.
We experience two melt-related mortalities in this episode. The first befalls an unfortunate foreman in Vulcan, Virginia, after he is betrayed by a faulty handrail at his bullet factory. The second sees the owner of the factory, no less than the Old God Vulcan himself, head the same way. His demise is however hastened by being decapitated with a sword tempered from his own steel.
Decapitated by his own sword … Wednesday had no choice but to wield the weapon Vulcan had just given him. Photograph: Jan Thijs/Starz
That this sword was wielded by Wednesday came as something of a surprise. Ian McShane’s character often gives the impression that raising his eyebrows is enough of an effort. But here the Old God had been put in a tricky position. Having come to Vulcan’s home town to recruit him to his cause, Wednesday was informed that the Roman god of fire and arms had actually betrayed him. Wednesday had no choice but to strain his flopping sinews and use the weapon Vulcan had just given him.
Vulcan did seem an odd fit. The battle with the new gods in Wisconsin is coming and Wednesday’s crew is light on numbers. But the longer he and Shadow Moon spent in a town that was a cross between Pleasantville and the contents of a Leni Riefenstahl movie, it was clear the new recruit was not quite their type. Vulcan had a house full of bones and was constantly banging on about sacrifice. Every bullet, he said, was a prayer in his name. A bit too grisly for our gang, I would say, even before he admitted to selling them out.
As an attempt to explore the American fascination with guns Vulcan’s plot felt a bit, how shall I put this, simplistic. Photograph: Jan Thijs/Starz
Vulcan was played by Corbin Bernsen. At roughly the same time as the T-1000 was taking a tumble, Bernsen could be found charming the ladies and riling the judges in TV drama LA Law. But beyond the nostalgic rush of recognising an old star through his new grizzle, I didn’t find much to captivate in Vulcan or indeed his plotline. Apparently Neil Gaiman wrote the character specifically for this drama, but as an attempt to explore the American fascination with guns it felt a bit, how shall I put this, simplistic. Certainly unsympathetic. American Gods has proven to be brave and unpredictable in lots of ways, but in its politics it’s been straightforwardly liberal Hollywood.
Moon-ing about
On the upside, Vulcan (the town) looked good. Those CGI smoke stacks, the pretty little streets and the militia uniforms made for a queasy combination. Think Soviet kitsch in ultra-saturated HD. Just as eerie was the little “hi ho hi ho it’s off to work we go” passage that ended in the foreman’s plop in the pot.
Another nice moment, this time more reminiscent of a charming indie comedy, broke up the story with an illustrated map of the US and two toy cars zooming in different directions across it. This moment served to tee up the other half of this week’s plot, one in which Laura Moon, Mad Sweeney and Djinn-loving Salim go on the road together.
Meandering quite literally … Laura Moon, Mad Sweeney and Djinn-loving Salim hit the road together. Photograph: Jan Thijs/Starz
To me this half of the episode meandered a bit. Not much was divulged about either the plot or any of the characters. In fact it meandered quite literally, with Laura insisting on a detour to her home town to resolve her regrets about her family. What’s more, it seemed she hadn’t really had these regrets in the first place, as she admitted she used to wish her family would disappear even when she was alive. Anyway, just to be certain, she takes her convoy back home. After a moment staring through her mother’s bay window (a moment we see through Shadow’s eyes), she’s reminded of her new motto – “fuck those assholes” – and finally she’s ready to move on.
In other Laura news, her combative relationship with Sweeney continued. The overgrown leprechaun has suggested he can find someone who can resurrect her dead body (at which point she won’t need his bloody coin any more and he can get it back). But that’s about the only nice thing he’s ever done for her. The rest of the time is spent violently abusing her in one way or another. So yes, I was pleased when Laura grabbed Sweeney by his lips and smashed him against the glass partition of a taxi. And yes, it was an entirely deserved punishment for the overgrown leprechaun’s consistent use of the “c” word. A character almost entirely without redeeming features (though I think his dress sense is ok), Mad Sweeney deserves everything he gets.
An overgrown leprechaun who consistently uses the ‘c’ word … Mad Sweeney deserves everything he gets. Photograph: Jan Thijs/Starz
Finally a quick word for Salim. He’s still in the story, for currently unidentified reasons, perhaps because he got some of that Djinn fire in him like Laura got Shadow’s. He is tired and wan and a little desperate, but there’s something dogged about him which I admire.
Deity digest
Farewell then, Mexican Jesus. We hardly knew ye. After being name-checked by Wednesday the other week, it turns out Mexican Jesus is real and just a bit sexy. Sadly, he is also ineffectual. He turns up in the prologue hoping to protect a group of Mexican migrants trying to get into the US. On crossing the border, however, both he and they are mown down by a hail of militia men bullets. And I bet we can guess which brand of bullets were used too.
Questions for this week
Is Shadow a tough guy or a softie? The jury’s still out. Photograph: Jan Thijs/Starz
Is Shadow growing his powers? After making it snow he can now apparently use some kind of telepathy, observing his dead wife remotely. I know, that sounds creepy however you write it.
On a related note, is Shadow a tough guy or a softie? Unflinching in the face of a lynch mob or Mad Sweeney, he gets grossed out by Vulcan’s decapitation and is often to be found wailing about the impossibility of the acts unfolding around him. Is he either, or is he both? And do you find it convincing?
Who will be in the final Old Gods squad for the face-off in Wisconsin? And will we see it this season?