One of 2017’s most anticipated new series is finally here. This week on the podcast, Noel and Kate take a long look at Starz’s American Gods and break down why the premiere left them a little cold. Before that, however, there’s a full week of TV to discuss, including a handful of notable and long-awaited episodes: the backdoor pilot for a potential Zoey-centric black-ish spinoff, RuPaul’s Drag Race’s latest Snatch Game, the dreaded Major-takes-the-cure episode of iZombie, Supergirl’s love letter to Alex and Maggie’s relationship, the reveal of Savitar’s identity on The Flash, and the finale of American Crime. Tune in for our reactions to these installments and more, then leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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Spotlight: American Gods premiere (1:05:03)
Our Week in TV
black-ish (11:28)
Fresh Off the Boat (20:02)
Jane the Virgin (23:51)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (32:05)
iZombie (39:30)
Supergirl (43:07)
The Flash (46:56)
American Crime finale (50:07)
The Handmaid’s Tale (54:32)
Music Featured: “Just Breathe” by Pearl Jam; American Gods Theme song
I seem to be atypical among Hannibal fans in ranking the first season as my favorite, which is also the one that best blended episodic & serialized storytelling. A case-of-the-week approach enabled individual episodes (like the pilot) function well on their own. Fuller acknowledged that Hassun (easily the worst episode of the show) was not up to the show’s usual standards on its own, noting that it was largely setup for the fifth episode. So I agree that American Gods pilot isn’t as good as Hannibal’s, but that’s a very high bar. I’m enjoying the visual imagination & Ian McShane’s Wednesday, so I’ll happily keep watching, even if The Leftovers is my more anticipated Sunday show.
I have not read the book, or any Neil Gaiman except for Good Omens (because it was co-written by Terry Pratchett). The show still works well enough for me, but I’ve also been reading about the show online so I know the basics of who the characters are.
Galleys were coastal ships, while sails dominated trans-oceanic travel. If the wind was in their favor, they might be able to make it back while short some men.
I was confused by the lynching imagery because they were talking about hanging in prison, even though Shadow wasn’t on death row. And if an inmate is going to threaten another, wouldn’t it be with a shiv (so perhaps a slit throat) rather than a noose?