We all believe in God.
We may not recognize it, but we do.
I know all about gettingLostin a fiction.
Credit: James Dimmock/Starz
Have you not read my golden tablets of recaps?
Sorry to get preachy; I haveAmerican Godson the brain.
Shadow, apparently, is neither versed in Norse mythology nor Marvel movies.
Hes days away from release, but hes beset by premonitions and dreams of impending doom.
She calls him Puppy.
Shes white, too.
And shes cheating on him.
Shadow is constantly working a coin with his knuckles.
It speaks to his faith in his own control and a make-your-own-luck worldview.
That motto is about to become the defining irony of Shadows life, and a costly one, too.
Its the apocalyptic revelation of an increasingly feverish prophet.
She loves this; she hates this.
He bemoans innovations like the bolt gun.
Crossing Shadows path first is Technical Boy (Bruce Langley), petulant god of the Internet.
Hes a punchable twit, part Silicon Valley punk billionaire, part cyber-bully.
His Oompa-Loompa thugs resemble the droogs of KubricksA Clockwork Orange, remade as old school video game avatars.
They pixelate out of thin air, downloaded from some electro-mystic cloud of collective media consciousness.
Its a brilliantly impish moment.
Pay attention to how the show dotes on themes of work, of jobs, of money.
The adaptation is largely faithful.
The showrunners patiently unfold the premise like a map and take their time exploring it.
As he did onHannibal, Fuller plays with time and expectations of serial narrative.
The resolution of the first episodes cliffhanger isnt fully explicated until episode four.
Major characters are introduced in big beats or little bits, then remain off stage for long stretches.
Episodes bring you to places and sit there, marinating in characters, milking scenarios for mood and subtext.
Shadow has to clean his old house before selling it?
Youre going to get a montage of vigorous housecleaning.
That said, it wasnt until episode four that I went from likingAmerican Godsto loving it.
It leaves you hoping the show can be more about Laura and presents a way it can.
The characters, the concept, the deeply considered filmmaking captured my imagination.
I might like its textures and tangents more than its plot.
But hopefully he keeps Media around.
Im not sure I can live without her.A-
