American Gods - Lemon Scented You - Review

"Lemon Scented You" picks up right after last episode ended, and the previous one too, but Shadow's reunion with Laura is interrupted when the new gods scheme a plan to have some solo time with him and Mr Wednesday. After understanding or having gotten a glimpse into what made Laura who she was, who she is, we finally get to see how Shadow reacts to her presence. 

The opening sequence is stolen by Ricky Whittle, even with the breathtaking cinematography, those bright colors  that are the middle ground of a filmed graphic novel and road-trip genre of the 80's aesthetic, his performance as Shadow is at the center of our attention. The protagonist goes from skeptic, to confused to curious in a matter of seconds and then he just seems to be destroyed, the dialogue highlights his feelings, but in the meantime he doesn't look just like a lost puppy anymore, and the confirmation comes when he says so to his dead wife.

There's something interesting about Laura's death and the crows, and Mr Wednesday involvement. His excuse of needing a drink to interrupt the reunion isn't as good as what the new gods had planned. The police arrives after a tip of where the robbers or the bank were. And Shadow hasn't been out of prison for long but for a second it looks like he's going back in. Just a  second because even if the pace of the show gives homage to the suspense and horror genre of the classic era, there are foreshadowing in the dialogues that let us breath and now there will be a plot point, not to give us closure but to complicate things further. And that happens when in the middle of the interrogation, Media, Technical Boy and Mr World arrive to propose an arrangement. Prior to that however, we get a glimpse into what might happen when Technical Boy is kidnapped by Media, same method he uses. The goddess is impersonating Bowie and the screen goes pop with the colors and music but not what is being said. It's a fight of power at the same time is obvious they aren't the ones that hold it completely, there's another one more powerful than them: Mr. World. 

Gillian Anderson's chameleonic ways are settled after this episode and show. After her Lucille Ball iconic debut there was something about it that made us questioned who Media was. After tonight's episode she's representing icons but also there's something darker that lays in her performances that's inherently her. Bowie's costume reminds me of his character in Labyrinth, but Marilyn's sensuality is covered by certain melancholy, at first it can be related to the conspiracy theory about her death, but in the end, when the scene is done, we know more about her character because of her demeanor behind the masks she chooses to use.  

There's not much wait to meet Mr World and the mystery around the new gods is somehow deepen as much as relieved. All of them have grace the screen now and the three of them together settle their dynamic. The criticism to post modern society the show drives by is also determined, by what each of them represents and what they say. Technical Boy talks about evolution and tries to make Mr Wednesday stop his war, even if they pretend there wasn't one. As if they were talking of merchandise, their differences are obvious, while the new gods see everything from the point of view of capitalism, Mr Wednesday talks about old values. In the end it's the same, they depend on the people that follow and worships them. 

As the two (anti) heroes escape the police station, the wreckage left by their enemies concludes that no God is playing nice and there are sacrifices to make. 

9.5/10