'American Gods' Recap: 'Come to Jesus'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

There's something truly magical to be said about television shows that bring everything together in seamless fashion because it is a feat that speaks to so much. For starters, it lets the audience know that the show runners care about the fans since a compete story is always a reward and it also demonstrates that the people behind the scenes truly want to craft a beautiful and sweeping story that is fulfilling in every sense of the word.

So it should it come as no surprise that American Gods, a show that has shattered conventional storytelling rules on television, and delivered unto us a rich and colorful tome, would do the audience the distinct honor of wrapping up virtually all of season one's storylines with a neat little bow in its freshman finale, 'Come to Jesus', because it did just that. All the themes the series presented to us this year, and every character arc for this inaugural run came to a close in beautiful fashion last night, all while taking the time to introduce a new wrinkle to the fold thematically and of course, setting the stage for what should be a powerful and tense second season of the show. So without further ado, let's dig right into this majestic journey, because there is so much wonder to cover.

Let's start with the wrap up of perhaps the biggest theme that the show presented to us this year, the need to believe in something greater, which we've been exploring all season long by way of Shadow, a man who obviously had nothing to lose or believe in when we met him and slowly but surely, he started to realize something more in this world exists. But last night...well everything exploded before his eyes with Wednesday revealing his true identity and unveiling a world that Shadow never knew existed, allowing for him to truly believe in something at last and this was simply a beautiful moment to watch. Because all season long, Shadow has been lost. He does what he does for the money, he keeps his head down and doesn't ask much in the way of questions. But suddenly Shadow's eyes were open to any and all possibilites and the feeling that brought to his soul was one of joy and wonder and he wasn't the only one to find what he was looking for.

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Because Laura has embodied the need for purpose in life all season long and it would seem with time running out, she has finally discovered the importance of having said purpose within one's heart. Because for the first time in the short history of the series, she was humble, she was open and determined to set her mistakes right for a change. She now knows there's more to life than merely existing for the sake of existing and she wants to take that to the next level and give Shadow the love he's always deserved and make him as happy as can be, since he did everything and anything for her.

Yet while it was lovely to see those two big themes come to their logical conclusion in this story, the show was able to introduce and conclude another theme all in the course of the hour, the need to be true to one's self, which came by way of Mister Wednesday and quite frankly, all the Gods that Mister World has corrupted with his shady dealings. Because last night gave us great insight as to how Bilquis, Vulcan and Easter compromised to stay alive and relevant and Wednesday was clever enough and ruthless enough to remind all of them...that who they are deep down matters more than anything and to deny their roots is a crime of its own and it leads to the most stunning moment of the night, when Easter unleashes her fury and robs America of Spring, putting World and his cronies at a disadvantage at last...

In fact, it was downright glorious to see a real taste of fear when it comes to Media and Technical Boy. It would seem that they had no clue what kind of power Wednesday and Easter could yield and despite the declaration of war, I'm sure they're now wondering as to whether or not they will win as easily as World implies. Regardless, what a wonderful way to end a season. Every lingering storyline/concept has come to its logical end, opening up new possibilites to explore in season two. Either way, war has begun, and I'm going to have serious trouble waiting for the next chapter in this saga because American Gods is an utterly beautiful story, and one of the finest shows I've seen in years and I cannot wait to see what wonders await us next year. Until then. 

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