Behold what ‘Gods’ has to offer
What a wonder to behold, if not always grasp, TV has become.
With series as beautifully shot as Game of Thrones and Legion and as joyously complex as Atlanta, The Americans and American Crime, we’ve entered a media world where many shows are better-written — and better-looking — than most feature films. Multiple outlets and adventurous audiences have combined to give us more choices and writers more freedom, creating a new Golden Age for viewers and creators alike.
Certainly, no other TV era would have given us American Gods (Sunday, 9 ET/PT, out of four), a Starz adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s well-loved fantasy novel from Michael Green and Bryan Fuller, the talented auteur behind Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies and Hannibal. Set in present-day America, this eightpart series proposes a universe where the ancient gods who were worshiped and brought to America by our many immigrants clash with the modern “gods” of American consumerism.
Or maybe that’s what’s happen- ing. Starz asked critics not to reveal “storyline details,” which is an easy request to grant, as it’s not quite clear from the first four episodes what those might be. Like many modern cable series, Gods is a very slow reveal — so much so that unless you know what’s happening from the books, or you’re incredibly well-versed in multinational myths, you’re likely to find yourself perplexed.
One more caveat: If that brief description of gods among us leads you to expect something along the lines of Rick Riordan’s entertaining young-adult novels, alter those expectations. In terms of nudity (male and female), profanity and blood-spurting violence — someone at Starz clearly misses Spartacus — Gods is about as adult as TV gets.
After the first of one of the show’s many “interludes,” we meet just-released convict Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle). Moon has his post-prison life planned: A return to his loving wife, and a job with his best friend. But the unexpected death of both leaves him anchorless and unemployed — and the perfect candidate for bodyguard to the mysterious Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane).
The world Moon is entering is a strange one, where sex is more deadly than he could imagine and technology has a mind of its own. It’s a land where beauty, horror and confusion mix but one where a woman’s fury over her cheating spouse or a man’s funny, bitter tirade about centuries of racism can still ring true.
Fuller has gathered a terrific supporting cast — including such standouts as Crispin Glover, Cloris Leachman, Peter Stormare, Gillian Anderson, Orlando Jones and Kristin Chenoweth — and has chosen equally well for his leads. Whittle’s role feels slightly underwritten in the first half of the season, but he’s an attractive, empathetic hero. And McShane is a pleasure to hear, biting into dialogue with the same vigor and skill he brought to Deadwood.
Together, they’re taking us on a road trip with no destination or clear purpose in sight, at least not yet. But the scenery is startling and the company’s great. And for fans of the book or Fuller, that’s probably enough.
May wonders never cease.