Spoilers might follow the lightning.

(Source: Starz)

This week’s episode of American Gods is called The Secret of Spoons. Honest, that’s the name. Swear to G- Ahem, let’s leave out the swearing for a while. This week we have a powerful and charged intro as we meet the African trickster god Anansi, played by Orlando Jones, as he incites a rebellion onboard a slave ship. Anansi (or Mr. Nancy as he will be known later on) is not offering them to live free, but to die. To kill their new masters and torch the ship. Mr. Nancy does appear to reach the shore in his spider form.

Shadow will also meet another divinity by the name of Media. A goddess that appears to him through the TV screens of a department store, playing the role of I Love Lucy. Media is played by Gillian Anderson and has an offer for Shadow. Ditch Mr. Wednesday, work for her instead.  Shadow honestly starts to consider he’s going mad at this point.

And finally, we visit the home of three slavic sisters and their relative Czernobog. As it should be obvious by now, everyone quirky in this series is either an Old God, a New God or something else in the mythical realm. So obviously Mr. Wednesday is talking to Slavic deities. Czernobog, who has a job slaying cattle, yearns for the old days in which he used his hammer to do the deed. He refers to Mr. Wednesday as Votan. The fact that this name is invoked and Mr. Wednesday also refers to a hammer of his own should confirm that Mr. Wednesday is (or was) the God of War, Odin.

Just don’t expect the Avengers to burst in.

Shadow gets another unexpected challenge. Czernobog wants to play checkers. Halfway through the game, he suggests a bet. If he loses, he will go with Shadow and Mr. Wednesday to lend their support to their cause (a cause we’ve yet to hear explained). But if he wins, he gets to kill Shadow with his hammer at sunrise. Overwhelmed and possibly a little confused at his crazy situation, Shadow accepts. Unfortunately for him, Czernobog proceeds to win the game.

Highs/Lows/ErMeGawds:

  • You couldn’t cast anybody to play up that intro scene more than Orlando Jones. Mr. Nancy is going to be a force of nature.
  • Gillian Anderson plays Media, the goddess of information. She also plays a really messed up Lucy Ricardo.
  • Cloris Leachman, Martha Kelly and Peter Stormare appear as old slavic gods Zorya Vechernyaya, Zorya Utrennyaya and Czernobog. We never get the name of the third sister. We never get to see her either.
  • Bilquis keeps feeding. She takes both male and female.
  • Shadow has started to see his wife in visions/dreams. Is Laura Moon following them?
  • I have to say, so far I can’t help but love the casting. I can’t way to see what the New Gods and the Old Gods are preparing.

That will do for now.