Series Issues: Finale Thoughts as American Gods Comes to Jesus

You should believe in spoilers coming your way.

American Gods might have been taking the last few weeks to set the stage and show you what world is it you are living in, but this week the cards get put in the table with Come To Jesus.

But first, a story. Mr. Nancy (Orlando Jones at its campy best) is a tailor. The best possible career for someone that works the threads. He’s making Mr. Wednesday and Shadow some new suits when he talks about an Old Goddess. It’s a little history and a lot of passion with the tale of Bilquis.

You can’t help but be fascinated about Bilquis. She starts off strong, living off orgies and the kings who would take her down. But through the ages she’s not only forgotten, but finds herself down on her luck. “Anger gets shit done,” proclaims Mr. Nancy. Persecution against hedonism, againsts carefree love and against freedom of thought does her in. She’s forced to leave her homeland. She soon forgets herself and ends up homeless in the street. She watches her temples get demolished by followers of fanaticism.

Until Technical Boy hands her a phone, the internet, and a way to still instill lust. And then we understand how she survived. That puts her, somewhat reluctantly, on the New Gods side. Old Gods made New.

That is also what they want of Ostara (Kristin Chenoweth), the Goddess of Easter. But before Media, Technical Boy and Mr. World can pitch the thought, we get to watch Shadow and Mr. Wednesday have their turn. Chenoweth plays Ostara with the flare of a celebrity, an over-the-top ostentatious hostess. Well, I thought she was overdoing it until Media arrives. That being said, let’s not go there yet…

Mr. Wednesday and Shadow are not the only ones calling on Ostara. As it happens, a very familiar ice cream truck arrives at her mansion. Mad Sweeney is calling upon Ostara’s gift of Resurrection for Laura Moon. Ostara is less than thrilled of having a dead girl in her fancy party in the beginning, but she does come around to helping Laura. That is, until she senses something in the way she became deceased. Laura’s death was arranged by a God. You can imagine which one.

Before the end of the party, Media will make her entrance. Gillian Anderson plays an southern belle that might just overplay Chenoweth’s very own. With Technical Boy and Mr. World joining in, it’s time for the Old Gods and the New Gods to have their first confrontation. It will definitely not be their last.

And Laura Moon would like a word with her husband.

Finale Thoughts:

• I wasn’t sure about Kristin Chenoweth as Ostara. Seems she ended up being perfectly casted as the Goddess of Easter.
• I can’t wait until Bilquis meets Mr. Wednesday, or Shadow for that matter. However, I really want her to step away from the control of the Old Gods. Technical Boy is out of his league thinking he can boss her around.
• Media is going to be the real antagonist to beat.
• Laura Moon is close to falling apart. Does she get a chance to be resurrected? Forget the book, does that need to happen? In my opinion, not quite yet. Perhaps a partial reprieve from death.
• It was a little unwise for Mad Sweeney to take Laura to the one goddess that could reveal that Laura’s death was his own doing. Laura wastes no time in running up Sweeney up the wall, but she doesn’t want the lackey – she wanted to hear Wednesday’s name.
• We get Wednesday’s name in a reveal that could be considered the worst kept secret. He’s Odin.
• The Easter bunnies, the faceless men in top hats, the crazy colors… Holy crap, I was expecting Willy Wonka to show up around the corner. A very technicolor episode if there was one. Yes, I know I should say hi-def instead.
• The very sensible explanation from Ostara regarding Jesus. Everyone sees him differently, therefore there are several versions of him.
• Shadow Moon gets to talk to Jesus Prime about belief. That being said, this scene is literally the only reason to use Jesus in the title. Ostara gets cheated out of her own episode. I think the episode use the name as clickbait, because he’s a background character at best.
• Shadow has a new vision in which he crawls out of a sea of skulls and finds the white buffalo with fire for eyes.
• When Mad Sweeney gets pressed (and almost crushed) by Laura, he reveals how they wanted Shadow to have nothing left to care in the world. But was really Shadow a completely random choice, as unimportant as Sweeney says? In this world where perception is truth, he’s now a crucial element of Wednesday’s plans.
• The confrontation happens as Mr. Wednesday makes a show of power. Laura finally catches up with both Shadow and Mr. Wednesday after learning the truth about her own murder. The gloves are off between the Old Gods and the New. And of course, you know, this means war.

That will do for now.