American Gods

[deanb]

So the trailer is now out for this from SDCC. Looking like a pretty great cast showing in it so far. I felt the book had a bit of whimper, but they might polish it up for the TV show. Gaiman stuff has generally done well for adaptations, so might do quite well. Nice to have shows with a begining middle n end, instead of long ongoing arcs.

 

[deanb]

 

New trailer, comes out end of the month.

[danielpholt]

Holy shit. The guy from Dream Team made it big in the US.

 

 

 

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[deanb]

The title is pretty pretty. Though seems a bit more focused on Technology than the other new gods. Though a cool mix of the old and the new.

btw anyone else read the book apart from @SomTervo (he recommended me the book in the first place).

 

[deanb]

Anyone else see the first episode? It's certainly trippy. Which I guess is to be expected when adapting Neil Gaiman. 

They even pretty much has Bilquis in as it's written in the book, and it's pretty trippy in the book.

I like that the opening kinda establishes how the gods got brought over to America, iirc it's not covered until much later in the books (not that it matters too much). Kinda bummed they skipped most of the prison stuff though, since it sets up Shadow quite well and becomes a bit important towards the end (though I think they're maybe gonna flash back to it for bits, since they've already done it at least once).

Loved Wednesdays first scene, setting him up as a conman.

Oh yeah, this show has a shit ton of red syrup in it. I feel that the "weird" in it is enough to have some intrigue, but I feel could back fire if they don't start covering stuff with a "who is that, what is that, why is that" etc.

[Mr. GOH!]

I've read (and am re-reading) the book and can't wait to start the show, but I'm waiting to watch it at a binging party later this month.

Love the book. 

Edited May 2, 2017 by Mr. GOH!

[deanb]

Yeah, part of me is wanting to wait since I have been spoiled a bit by Netflix with the binging ability but another part of me is happy to have something to look forward to each Monday.

[deanb]

I'd been looking forward to this weeks, Neil Gaiman had been kinda hyped for the fact the show would be exploring the adventures of Laura Moon more than the books (which mainly just show her aftermath since it's from Shadows perspective). Was pretty good, and probably the most surreal part so far for a show that's had gay sex with an ifrit, a woman devouring partners through her vagina and the moon being plucked from the sky.

She's pretty dang cool element, and I like having Anubis n Ibis in early on.

[Thursday Next]

I'm reading the book for the first time and watching in tandem.

 

In the book I'm at:

Spoiler

Shadow holding vigil for Wednesday.

Just watched the Laura episode last night. She's not a very sympathetic character is she? Ian McShane is predictably brilliant as Wednesday.

[deanb]

The bit you're at in the book I've a strong feeling we're not going to get this series. I probably need to re-read book cos I can't remember if that's before or after Laketown.

IIRC regarding Laura the book kinda covers it in that being dead she's not really got any of the bodily functions of hormones and such keeping her emotional so she is "dead inside" as it were, and she is sort of both super-fixated on Shadow (which I think the show did a good job in showing) and also sort of resents him in bringing her back.

A wee preview of next weeks episode.

[deanb]

Interesting finale. Plenty of Jesus to go around  I like the credits, "Jesus Prime".

I'd like to think that Wednesdays "revelation" wasn't as such for the majority of viewers. Easters & Sweeneys revelation was good though.

Also I'll guess that the next series is going to be leading up to House on the Rock.

 

[Mr. GOH!]

I have two eps to go this season. I have really enjoyed the show and I appreciate the changes from the book, for the most part. I like that Laura is a fully-developed character who is not really all that sympathetic. I like the addition of Vulcan, too.

The pace of the overall story is dragging; I feel like Starz is stretching it to fill as many seasons as they can, maybe around five or so. This really should be a three-season show, at least if it sticks to the book. 

I am 100% they will do the vigil in the show (though maybe modified in the details of the location and what other characters are involved) or all the foreshadowing with the nooses hanging from old trees is kinda pointless.

[Thursday Next]

I also thought it was dragging a bit, agree that I'd like to see it wrapped up in 30 episodes tops. I liked the Mr Wednesday reveal, though I have no idea who it was for, as Dean says, probably (hopefully) not the viewers as that was really evident from the first episode although maybe that's because I know about Odin from everything from Final Fantasy summons to Marvel films, to (obviously) the book and I'm just being elitist.

Spoiler

 

I don't recall Laura being killed on Wednesdays orders in the book, but I did think that that should have been how it went down so I'm pleased with that change if it is a change.

I'd be very surprised if they didn't do the vigil since that's a pretty pivotal point in the story.

I wonder if they will do something different with Bilquis, in the book she just gets taken out by the Tech Boy. I don't recall that having any broader impact. Same for the Djinn, just seemed a bit throwaway.

 

 

[deanb]

Story wise I've seen folks make it as if the Nancy opening to the finale was kind of giving a bit of a nod. Since I'm writing this section out of order with the rest of my post it means I've a thought in my mind: There's only so much of the "coming to america" stuff in the book so I've a feeling that we'll have less of those in future episodes which'll given the main bulk of the story more time to play around with so I imagine it'll nip along a bit faster. I guess sort of finding their footing in what'll work, and also I guess making sure they've a bit of a "ending" to have given it's a book that's not really made up of discreet stories to make it nice n easy to adapt.

I'll be honest in reading the books it hadn't crossed my mind, same with Low Key Lyesmith (which he's in this, but yeah they're doing a job in making sure he doesn't have anyone use his name cos it'd be substantially obvious when said out loud :P). But yeah I'd say since then we've gotten Anthony Hopkins bringing nordic lore back into the public. Also since it's spread out over the weeks I'd imagine most places haven't been careful in keeping it "spoiler free" on him being Odin.

Thing is, while I found it kind of cool, I just wasn't keen on that camera motion spinning around them. Made it seem a bit silly rather than Ian McShane being all booming voice and commanding.

Yeah I'm pretty sure in the books she's not killed on Wednesdays orders and certainly not by Sweeney but yeah it's a cool change. Gaiman has been pretty open on having tweaks in the TV show as sort of a 2nd edition. I'd imagine he follows the Douglas Adams school of making tweaks through every adaptation. Vulcan was one he'd kinda regretted not having the inspiration of to add into the book.

Yeah the vigil is a bit of a big, they allude to it in the dreams and Vulcan even mentions Odins original sacrifice too.

In the books Bilquis was kind of meant to show that the gods could be killed. I guess we've got that with Vulcan in this one but it's clear that her arc will come to an head with betraying one side or the other to her demise. Her change now has her as a sort of showing old gods "upgrading" to new gods.

Yeah the Djinn in the book was iirc was mainly just a throwaway story, along with much of the "coming to america" stuff. Which tbh I've loved the integration of those so far. Really liked the prehistoric one being made in stop motion. Could be its own little short. I guess we'll see that guy again next series, he felt otherwise a bit weird. Nice to have around and hey cool to have someone on the show shown actually practising religion.