American Gods Review: The Lake Effect (Season 3 Episode 9)

It’s been a long wait to learn the secrets of Lakeside, but Shadow Moon finally unravels the town’s mystery on American Gods Season 3 Episode 9, “The Lake Effect.”

The constant interruptions causing Shadow to leave Lakeside in this season dampened the momentum for this storyline, but the strength of this episode more than compensates for those detours. 

If you enjoyed American Gods Season 3 Episode 2, “Serious Moonlight,” which first set up Lakeside as a small town with a dark side, you’ll enjoy this episode’s similar focus on suspense. However, at times the episode plays more like a modern prestige crime drama than a fantasy show.

The more evidence Shadow finds of a series of murders in the town, the more resistance he meets and the tension builds. The episode hooks you by exploring the town’s psyche in addition to its crimes. Seeing how the townspeople react to the truth is just as interesting as finding it out. 

Lela Loren gives a particularly stand-out performance when Marguerite explains her reasons for choosing to believe her son ran away to his father. You feel her desperation and empathize with her reasoning. When she says it’s the only way for her to survive she’s speaking not only for herself but also as a stand-in for the entire town. 

In Lakeside, denial is a way of life. That’s what makes Shadow the perfect outsider to upset the status quo. He’s seen too much working alongside gods to live in denial. 

It makes sense that he’s the one to discover the truth about Hinzelmann, who turns out to be a god who requires a child sacrifice to bless the town and is behind all of the disappearances. As Hinzelmann points out, the town could have figured out what was happening a long time ago but they chose to turn a blind eye.

Hinzelmann isn’t a villain in the traditional sense, and maybe that’s why the show dispatches with her so quickly. The hurried ending to the Lakeside storyline may leave you with mixed feelings. 

While Shadow saves the day, killing Hinzelmann and freeing the town. He also loses the girl with Marguerite free to move on now that she knows the truth.

It’s satisfying to finally get answers about the town, but you can’t help but feel a little disappointed this chapter is over. Just as soon as Shadow finds a life there, it’s time for him to move on. 

The good news is that the Shadow who leaves Lakeside is a different person than the Shadow who arrived. The growth we’ve seen from the character sets him up to take on the great destiny prophesied by the Orishas. 

In addition to putting a bow on Lakeside, the episode follows Laura’s mission to kill Wednesday. Although I could have watched an entire episode just about Lakeside, Laura’s story provides a necessary segue to the finale.

The scenes with her and Liam Doyle leading up to her attack on Wednesday feel a little unnecessary. How many leprechaun love interests does one character need?

Still, his question about what Laura plans to do next is an interesting one that I hope to see explored more next season. Now that she has her life and revenge, is she capable of moving on?

The scene of her showdown with Wednesday contains all of the exciting dramatic effects we’re used to on American Gods, including a slow-motion sequence of her throwing the god-killing spear at him.

Just in case the murder of one god isn’t enough for you, this episode has two. 

It’s hard to believe Wednesday actually dies on a show where characters get resurrected regularly, but his death would certainly create some new possibilities for the show. His negotiations with the New Gods didn’t exactly go well, so what does that mean for the war if he’s no longer around? 

Just when it seems like the show is wrapping things up for the season, it creates new questions to address in the finale.

What did you think of this episode of American Gods? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

American Gods airs Sundays at 8/7c on STARZ.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

10 TV Characters Whose Faces We’ve Never Seen (and 5 Whose Voices We’ve Never Heard)