Watta supporting cast. I spotted Orlando Jones, Peter Stormare, and Cloris Leachman, all perfectly cast, right off. But I didn’t realize that was Gillian Anderson until the credits rolled. Which is appropriate, I guess - you should see the icon not the actress!
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This show is very much “out there” and hard to get a hold on but it keeps me engaged so far. The best stuff has been the two “coming to America” opening scenes.
I reread the book last year in anticipation of the show. I’ll admit I never really liked it even when I first read it- I find Gaiman’s prose very stilted. Nice ideas, though.
After 2 episodes, the show is amazingly faithful to the books, but they are also going at a snails place (which I’m greatly enjoying). Each episode is basically covering a chapter, it seems. I can see how they get to three seasons at this pace, but will it sustain unfamiliar viewers that long?
This show is wierd and terrific.
Damn! That is the best performance I’ve seen from Orlando Jones. Amazing opening.
And Peter Stormare was no slouch, either. That checkers scene felt tense, and Stormare was incredibly disgusting, menacing, and yet oddly charming at the same time.
“Is too bad. You were my only black friend.”
I thought Gillian Anderson as Lucille Ball turned out to be brilliant casting. She really was that part.
When reading the book (before I knew they were making a show) Czernobog was Peter Stromare in my head already. It’s really perfect casting in my mind.
Granted I haven’t seen the show yet so…
Excellent second episode. The pacing and casting is so perfect so far.
As someone who enjoyed the book a fair bit back when it came out, I can’t really pinpoint what it is about this that isn’t doing it for me. In fact I find myself looking at the casting and the production values and thinking mostly positive things. But it’s somehow less than the sum of its parts. I can’t really put my finger on what the problem is. The closest I can think of is that it somehow all feels very low stakes and my investment level is low, but even that isn’t exactly right.
Hopefully I get a bit more into it. I do really enjoy watching Ian McShane and Gillian Anderson.
I’ll be interested to see how the ratings turn out for the season, but my initial thought is that this isn’t going to be Starz’s Game of Thrones.
Agreed. Anansi was one of the weaker bits of the book for me, but I have a feeling it’ll be the opposite for this show.
Book spoilers for Anansi:
I didn’t dislike him in the book. He was just sort of there and didn’t really seem to have much personality. He appears as a much older man in the book and while he’s still flamboyantly dressed, he’s a lot less fiery and lyrical in his speech. For a ‘trickster god’ the show is doing Anansi right.
Also, Anansi’s clothes and modern vernacular must make him extra weird / godly / incomprehensible from a 1600s POV.
I think that Gaiman felt the same way, hence Anansi Boys
I never read that book but I’ve always loved the pun in the title.
I’m reading through it now. It takes a spell to get going, but now I’m hoooooked.
I suppose I should check that one out then! Thx.
Watched the first 2 episodes and I’m really enjoying it. Great cast and it is properly weird throughout. Been quite awhile since I’ve read the book, but it seems like it’s been fairly on point so far.
Well, I guess that Starz is pretty confident they have a winner on their hands. After just 2 episodes, American Gods has already been renewed for a 2nd season. Hopefully this opens the door to serialized versions of some of Gaiman’s other works like Sandman or Neverwhere.