American Gods Review: The Unseen (Season 3 Episode 4)
If you’ve seen even one episode of American Gods, you know the show follows the battle between the Old Gods and the New Gods. The old ways versus the new.
Unfortunately for viewers, a similar battle between old and new appears to be waged behind the scenes. After finding its groove early this season, the show backslides into old bad habits on American Gods Season 3 Episode 4, “The Unseen.”
Once again American Gods tries too hard to be an ensemble show, which leads to a messy tangle of plots. All of the characters’ stories are so separated right now and the show’s ricocheting between them gives you whiplash while watching.
Based on last week’s setup, the episode should focus on the related storylines of the team-up between Shadow and Technical Boy, and Bilquis’ captivity.
When it does focus on those storylines, it works really well. Shadow and Technical Boy couldn’t be more opposite in demeanor, so the situational comedy the duo provides brings some levity to the episode.
Bruce Langley’s performance underscores just how fun it can be to watch the bad guy. We know he’s a psychopath with no morals who tried to kill the protagonist, yet it’s hard to look away when he’s on the screen. His outlandish persona pops compared to all of the super-serious characters he’s usually paired with.
Watching Shadow and Technical Boy pretend to be alien abductors to scare a tech CEO’s bodyguard is absurd on its own, but it’s even funnier to think that someone would be more willing to believe in aliens than gods walking the Earth.
They don’t find Bilquis on this episode, but her captivity leads to a breakthrough for the character.
Although she starts the episode in a position of weakness, by the end we see her have the character development the season has built towards. If you’ve been waiting for Bilquis to come into her full power, this episode is a can’t miss.
In her darkest moment, she’s visited by another god, the Orisha Oshun, and realizes she’s not alone. After seeing Bilquis constantly used as a pawn and degraded, it’s uplifting to see her embraced by another goddess and see the weight of loneliness lifted off her shoulders as they dance together.
This visit affirms what she already thought, and now fully believes: She is not the person everyone tries to tell her she is. She is whoever she wants to be.
It’s an important turning point for the character. While she’s never been passive in resisting the two sides pursuing her it appears she’s ready to, not only turn down both sides, but take up her own cause.
These two plots would make for a fine episode. The problem is the episode also jams in two unrelated stories about Wednesday and Laura.
Wednesday visits a biker bar to — you guessed it — get support from allies and Laura miraculously returns from the dead. Neither story services the main plot of the episode, making you question why the writers didn’t save them for a future installment.
After last week’s thoughtful look at Laura’s life, the deus ex machina used to bring her back feels rushed. As soon as she’s back on Earth, the focus immediately goes back to Mad Sweeney and his death instead of allowing her to sit with the revelations she had in Purgatory.
By including all of these stories in one episode, each one ends up less developed than it should have been. Considering two of the aforementioned storylines are focused on the main female protagonists of the show who don’t always get as much screentime, it’s especially disappointing.
Based on the pacing of the show compared to the novel so far, it’s evident STARZ has no intention of rushing American Gods to a conclusion. So why not take advantage of that languid pace to actually explore storylines in-depth instead of ricocheting all over the place?
Although this episode isn’t the best start for some of these plot lines, there’s still plenty of room in the season to finish them off strong. The only question left is, will they?
Additional Thoughts:
- Having one of the Orishas appear to Bilquis seems to solidify the connection between her and Shadow’s fates.
- Turning Ms. World back into Mr. World is a puzzling choice. Was it just so he could shapeshift into the security guard? I think it would be much more interesting if Wednesday goes toe-to-toe with Ms. World the next time they meet.
- Someone should clue Cordelia in on who she’s working for. I would have quit after this latest incident if I was her.
- I loved when Wednesday called Johan, “my gentle, sweet, blood-drinking fire-bear.” Put that on your Valentine’s Day card this year.
- The montage of Laura and Mad Sweeney moments was a nice tribute to all the fans that ship the characters but also felt like an acknowledgment that their journey together is actually over.
What did you think of this episode of American Gods? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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American Gods airs Sundays at 8/7c on STARZ.
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Breeze Riley
Breeze Riley is a pop culture enthusiast who decided to turn her love of watching too much TV into a hobby writing about it. Although she's a convention-going sci-fi and fantasy nerd, she's just as likely to be watching an off-beat comedy or period drama. She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic.