Never has there been an era so godless and yet so consumed by the idea of the sacred (and, by extension, the profane). This is, in many ways, the defining tragedy of our times. Clearly, there has never been a more interesting time to be a God — or to worship one. And when you have Neil Gaiman, one of the most popular and acclaimed writers on the planet, pitting old gods against brutal new ones, the action is bound to be irresistible.
American Gods (2001) is Gaiman’s most accomplished work outside of The Sandman series of comics. Set in contemporary America, its protagonist, an ex-convict called Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle), is hired as a bodyguard by a mysterious con artist called Mr Wednesday (Ian McShane), who seems to have made some powerful enemies, like a deeply unpleasant young man called the Technical Boy (Bruce Langley). Soon, Shadow realises that Mr Wednesday is really Odin the Allfather, the Norse god of war. He is rallying the old gods in an almighty showdown with the new gods, anthropomorphic representations of Media (Gillian Anderson), Technology (the Technical Boy) and Globalisation (Mr World, played by Crispin Glover).
The season première ( The Bone Orchard ) lived up to the hype, for the most part. Whittle is competent, if unspectacular so far as Shadow Moon. Emily Browning is superb as Shadow’s dead-but-alive wife Laura. McShane’s swagger is a thing of beauty. His dialogue delivery and the sense of hidden menace that he conveys with the slightest twinkle in his eyes is electric. To my mind, he is an inspired choice for Mr Wednesday. The other remarkable performance in the première belonged to Pablo Schreiber (currently better known as “Pornstache” Mendez from Orange is the New Black ), who plays Mad Sweeney, the tallest, tipsiest leprechaun in the world.
Sweeney’s bar-room brawl with Shadow is thrilling enough, but a moment that prefaces the brawl is even more satisfactory. Sweeney leans in, his face a mixture of fear and commiseration, and asks Shadow, gesturing towards Mr Wednesday, “Do you know who he is? Who he really is?” A tall, burly Irishman cowering before a mild-mannered, jovial old gent is difficult to pull off, but McShane and Schreiber are beyond convincing.
American Gods has been developed by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, with Gaiman himself one of the executive producers. Fuller has an excellent CV; he developed Hannibal and Pushing Daisies — two very different but equally compelling shows that suffered early cancellation. Fans of these two shows will tell you about Fuller’s unusual visual style, and the ease with which he tackles both extreme gore and seemingly implausible villains — two things that Gaiman revels in. And as the gods align themselves on either side of the battlefield, American Gods will grow from strength to strength.
Indian viewers can watch American Gods on Amazon Prime Video
