American Gods episode 3 recap and review: Head Full of Snow

This week on American Gods, Shadow gets to keep his head, and then helps Wednesday rob a bank. And somewhere in America, sex is happening.

I need to admit something here. I’m finding it difficult to review American Gods. It’s not just that I’m really familiar with the book, although that’s definitely part of it. Yes, it’s a little weird knowing exactly what’s going to happen. I can’t make predictions because I already know, and I don’t want to give you spoilers.

But the real problem I’m having is I just love it too much and I’m not entire sure what else to say other than “YAAAAAAY!” The actors are amazing, and they’re putting everything into these roles. Everyone involved is so dedicated to the production and staying true to Neil Gaiman’s book that the product is just about perfect. They manage to capture all the nuances and and hint at the deeper meanings of American Gods while still keeping the pacing of an action-packed TV show. They leave out and keep in just the right things. Starz, Bryan Fuller, Michael Green and all the actors have crafted a gem of a program. And they know it.

Ok there’s an additional problem. American Gods is dense. You cannot read a recap and get all the important details and textures that make this show so incredibly special. Every word, every camera shot, every facial expression has meaning.  Watch it. Then watch it again.

And with that mea culpa over with, somewhere in America…

Somewhere in America: Meeting Anubis

Mrs. Fadil dies while reaching for a jar of preserved lemons on a high shelf, while standing on a rickety stool. She was making dinner for her family — eight grandkids! — when it happened. She goes on cooking, because she doesn’t know she’s no longer alive. Then Anubis knocks on her door.

Chris Obi (Anubis) – American Gods episode 103 (Official image 1e214a81-e818-4b9c-9ec0-c83fbd6891e9 via Starz)

"If you are here to rob, then rob. There’s a television and I have a phone. My grandson says it’s also a camera.I wish was but a thief; I am not — I am of death. You are dead, Mrs. Fadil."

And he tells her it’s time to go. She argues that she was a good Muslim woman all her life, and questions why an Egyptian god has come for her. He tells her it’s because she knows the stories. She carried them with her to America. She remembers, so he came. Mrs. Fadil follows him.

Anubis weighs her heart against a feather to see if she’s used it well. It’s good enough. He tells her to chose from one of four doorways that will take her to the Du’at. But she asks him to chose for her. He does. And she’s gone.

It’s hard to do this scene justice using just words. The visuals are stunning. This is one of those times that a visual medium like television makes a good story soar. It’s is just indescribably beautiful.

Shadow and Moonlight

Shadow wakes in the night and climbs the fire escape to the roof, where he meets the midnight sister, Zorya Polunochnaya. The one who was sleeping. She’s looking at the stars through her telescope, watching the bear in Odin’s wain. It’s Zorya Polunochnaya’s turn to tell Shadow’s fortune.

Erika Kaar as Zorya Polunochnaya –

American Gods episode 103 (Official image 3891b183-8ebc-4581-94eb-85440467de0e via Starz)

"You are on a path from nothing to everything. You had something recently. You lost it. … Did you sell your head to Czernobog. You keep giving away your life. You don’t much care if you live or die, do you?"

Zorya Polunochnaya says she can help Shadow, and she teaches him how to pluck the moon from the sky. She tells him not to lose it, like the last protection he was given, the sun itself. But she can give him the moon. Shadow wakes with a silver dollar in his hand, and  it’s still the middle of the night.

Rematch

Shadow immediately goes to goad Czernobog into a second game of checkers, with the same bet as before. Of course, Czernobog thinks that’s a stupid idea, because he already won Shadow’s head. But Shadow goes into a very insulting speech about Czernobog being old and tired, and needing a second swing to finish the job. Although Czernobog argues it’s an art, and he’s an expert, he agrees to another game all the same.

Shadow wins. Czernobog agrees to go with Wednesday to Wisconsin, and says he’ll kill Shadow afterwards.

Meanwhile, Wednesday can’t sleep and takes his cup of coffee to Zorya Vechernyaya’s room for some old world flirtation. She tells his fortune instead.

"This thing you want to do. You will fail, and they will win."

When Shadow wakes again to daylight, he looks outside. There’s no fire escape outside the window. Wednesday walks into the room, and tells Shadow they’re going to rob a bank.

Somewhere in America: Salim and the Jinn

Salim is a recent Muslim immigrant. After a very unsuccessful day trying to sell crap to a man who wasn’t there, Salim takes a cab home. He and the cab driver both speak Arabic, and they talk about America. Neither likes his job, or what he’s become. Salim can see a fire in the driver’s eyes. Literally fire. His eyes are on fire, and Salim realizes he’s one of the jinn his grandma talked about. He invites the jinn up to his place, and what proceeds is some incredibly tender and romantic sex. They literally ascend to the heavens.  It ends as the jinn literally empties his essence into Salim.

Omid Abtahi (Salim), Mousa Kraish (The Jinn) – American Gods episode 103 (Official image 2fa2867a-e45c-49df-b294-a1da00d2d711 via Starz)

In the morning, the jinn is gone. All that’s left of him are his clothes, his cab, and Salim. Who now has the fire in his eyes.

Perhaps even more than the Bilquis scenes, people have been talking about this one for months. There were rumors that it was going to be one of the most explicit gay sex scenes filmed for television. It’s definitely R rated.

It also explores an uncomfortable reality for gay Muslims, and LGBTQIA people of all sorts of religions and sub-cultures that we find in America. The question is this: How do religious people live within a community that does not accept who they are? It’s an even tougher road to navigate than the “average” coming out story (if there is such a thing), because of how hard is it to keep telling yourself you’re a decent human being when so much of what you believe argues against it.

Snow

After leaving the Zoryas’, Shadow and Wednesday drive downtown and case a bank. And then the old man tells Shadow to look at the clouds and concentrate on snow. Shadow thinks it’s a weird request, but he does it anyway, all the way to Kinko’s.

Ricky Whittle as Shadow Moon, American Gods episode 103: Head Full of Snow (Official image 6c434494-42c8-4075-8146-1ec05d41459a.jpeg via Starz)

While Wednesday gets his printing done, Shadow keeps thinking of snow. And then Wednesday comes over to tell him that’s enough. Shadow looks outside to see a blizzard, even though it wasn’t even cold. This leads to a conversation about belief. Wednesday thinks it’s pretty hilarious that Shadow believes little people on TV can predict the weather, but not that he can make it snow by thinking. Shadow argues that it’s reality versus fantasy.

Belief

After breakfast, Wednesday sets up the bank robbery, but Shadow has major doubts. He doesn’t want to end up in jail after just five days outside. Wednesday ask if Shadow will believe in him if they’re not in jail by the end of the day.

Thus unfurls a plan that cannot possibly work, except it does. Wednesday sits down in front of the bank, and tapes up a closed sign on the night deposit box. He sits down with a clip board and everyone with a deposit bag who comes to the bank just hands him their money, signs Wednesday’s clipboard and leaves. At the end of the day, they leave with stacks of bills.

Driving down the highway through the snow after the job, Wednesday asks Shadow if he believes in him now. He asks why Shadow insists that he’s not the kind of person who believes impossible things. If he believes he made snow, he can live in a world where he can do impossible things. Shadow argues that’s the same thing as delusion. But what about love? Shadow didn’t believe in it until he met Laura. Then he did believe, and the whole world changed.

"Belief is only a part of the company we keep and how easily we scare. And you do not scare easily.And my company is questionable.Always has been. The only thing that scares me is being forgotten. I can survive most things, but not that.Very best part of memory is it’s mostly about forgetting.We remember what’s important to us."

Mad Sweeney’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

Pablo Schreiber (Mad Sweeney) – American Gods episode 103 (Official image 5cf5d470-33f4-41b1-9cbf-b1cea942b988 via Starz)

Mad Sweeney, for the first time in his long life, is having a very bad day. This is not supposed to happen. He always has good luck, but today, he almost dies twice, violently. Bruised and bloody, he has a realization: his lucky gold coin is missing. He thinks back and knows he must have given that coin to Shadow. Out of all the gold coins that spill from his pocket, that’s the one he gave away. He has to get it back.

Sweeney confronts Shadow, who says if he wants the coin, he’ll have to go to the cemetery. Because, if you will remember, he threw it into the newly turned dirt of his wife’s fresh grave. But Sweeney really wants that coin, so he goes and digs six feet down and finds a little round hole in Laura’s coffin lid. But the coin isn’t there, and neither is Laura.

Hello Puppy

At the end of his very long, cold day, Shadow unlocks the door to his room at the motel America. And there, sitting on the bed, is Laura Moon, looking lovely. “Hello, Puppy,” she says.

Related Story: American Gods episode 2 explained: Who is Czernobog?

I think it’s about time for Shadow to start believing impossible things, don’t you?