'American Gods' Recap: 'Git Gone'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

One big reason that so many of us turn to our favorite shows and stories is because they're a fine escape from reality. They help us unwind from a bad day, they help whisk us away to places we never thought we could go; so more often than not, the mundane stuff in our day to day lives are left out to keep things entertaining. But once in a great while, a show will dare to venture into that boring territory all in the hopes of telling an authentic and powerful tale, as was the case with last night's episode of American Gods. 

Which to be quite honest, is an unexpected venture for a show that has featured powerful visuals and enthralling and fast paced tales, but none the less that's where 'Git Gone' went last night because the focus of this particular tale was the life of Laura Moon, and despite the fact that the most boring parts of our existence were on display through Laura, this show found a way to make it all incredibly interesting and by stripping away the larger plot for an entire episode, the show was able to focus on what has become an important new theme over the past few weeks, the need to believe in something. But before it reached that point, this particular tale was truly a grand American tragedy, the kind where it seemed for a moment that Laura was a true villain in this story because of her incredibly boring life and the incredible consequences that come with such apathy. 

Of course, one might think I might be exaggerating and that what went on could not have been that boring because this is a television show after all, but make no mistake about it, Laura Moon's life was filled with nothing, we are truly talking about a hollow and empty existence here. Sure, she does all the things we do in life, go to work, feed her pets and all that jazz, but that's it. There's no coming home to hobbies, or going out with friends. Just work, and silence and solitude and the only thrill she seems to get in life comes from huffing copious amounts of bug spray while sitting in her hot tub with the cover on, because she believes in nothing, heck she even admits it at one point, meaning that the all important moment when she finally meets Shadow should be the turning point in her life...but it's not. She's still unhappy, she's still bored and looking for a purpose or direction in life and it leads her to finally go along with an idea Shadow came up with on the night they met, in that they should work together and rob the casino she works for. 

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This is of course what leads to Shadow's incarceration, once again putting her in that silent and lonely place, leading to the affair with Robbie, and we know how that story ends, and oddly enough, her death was equally as hollow and empty as the life she led. But, something magical happens following her passing, Laura Moon finally wakes up from her life long trance. She fights Anubis at every turn to be granted a second chance and if it wasn't for Shadow and the coin...she never would have received that opportunity and upon her return to the land of the living, the changes in her personality continue.

Suddenly she is vigilant and heroic, since we learn she is the one who saved Shadow from Technical Boy's thugs and to top it off...she is now penitent as well, and that was evidenced during perhaps the most hilarious and awkward apology sequence I have ever seen on a television show. But what matters most, is that she now understands the value of life. She genuinely regrets her actions and the boneheaded way she lived her life, allowing for her to now believe in something, and that seems to be Shadow and the love he once showed her and she will stop at nothing to have that all once again and when all is said and done, what a beautiful story of redemption this episode turned out to be, one that truly took the audience on a wild emotional ride. Because at first...we pity Laura, we hope that something gives her a purpose and once Shadow arrives, we come to despise her for squandering something so beautiful before finally settling in on rooting for her for finding something worth fighting for at last. 

However, a day after watching this particular episode, one thought continues to permeate through my mind...how does this story fit in with the bigger picture? After all, American Gods is not the kind of show to have a throw away episode, everything in this series serves a purpose and already, we get a hint of that since it was Laura who saved Shadow from the attack, so it should be interesting to see how she fits into everything going forward. Either way, the more I think about this episode, the more I love it. It was simple, beautiful, macabre and fascinating, and I was captivated by every single second of it. Because while everyone loves a good redemption story, it's more important to see why a character needs to be redeemed and it's quite satisfying to know that regardless of her current condition, Laura Moon has learned her lesson, and finally has something and someone to believe in. Until next time.

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