Written by John Edward Betancourt THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK... Over the course of its short, but effective run, American Gods has accomplished a great many things storytelling wise. For at times, it’s been a powerhouse drama, one that has pulled at our heartstrings as we learned about the tough times and places that both Shadow and Laura Moon have been to mentally and physically through the years. At other times, it’s been a phenomenal fantasy, providing us with magnificent visuals and imaginative moments. But if there’s one element the series has mostly steered clear of during its time on the air, it’s truly examining the human condition, since the show tends to just skim the surface when it comes to that, but all of that changed during last night’s episode. For ‘The Beguiling Man’ ended up being a tour de force that took the time to explore everything that makes us, us, and the decision to go this route was quite frankly, a brilliant one to say the least. Because this choice, allowed for incredible depth to come to the surface for the characters present in this story, and that’s something that I was outright not prepared for. Especially when one considers that this also applies to the Gods that we’ve come to know and love in this tale since they are, for the most part, contained in their own little special world within our world. But here, their emotions and their fears were on full display, and well…this made them incredibly human when all is said and done. Which oddly enough, shouldn’t be all that surprising. After all, mankind created them, in our image no less, so our flaws should be their own. Yet, despite knowing that in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but feel a little sorrow and a little empathy for these powerful deities. For they are now entering undiscovered country, where they don’t know if they can be resurrected in these uncertain times, or what the future will hold for them after the war and it was just fascinating to watch so many of them worry, and feel their fear and their concern ooze through the television screen thanks to the incredible performances on display here.  Yet, the series had more to offer than the Gods quaking in their boots. For this episode also took the time to examine the elements that give us strength in the darkest of times, and how we use that strength, and our memories in general to forge a path forward in life, and all of that was explored by way of Shadow Moon. Who, we discovered was the prisoner of another lackey from Mr. World’s growing cadre, named Mr. Town, and he wanted to know what Shadow knows. And rather than break and spill the beans, he focused instead on the memory of the first summer he spent in America, for that was a life changing experience for Shadow, one that made him the man he is today.
For during that fateful summer, Shadow came to learn about some of America’s darker aspects, like how racism runs rampant here in unexpected ways, and how class matters here, and that jealousy and envy are part of the American way as well. Plus, this is also the summer that Shadow lost his mother and found himself on his own, and well, it became clear that what he learned about America, is what prompted Shadow to have little faith in certain parts of the system. But the loss of his mother is what makes him strong since he learned that if he could survive that ordeal, he can survive anything, and it was just magnificent to learn these things about Shadow and be reminded about how loss and trauma can change us for better and for worse. But what matters most about this tale, is the sheer fact that it didn’t offer any answers when it comes to these matters. It simply presented all of these elements in the raw, leaving it up to the audience to interpret their exact meaning and solution, since I’m fairly certain each of us took something special away from this tale and well, this really was a brilliant episode when all is said and done. For its rare to see a show really take the time to provide the audience with a story that features an honest portrayal of fear and the past and everything in between and well, that’s quite the evolution to find in a series as fantastical as this. Until next time.
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