A Quickie: Bryan Fuller has Done it Again (American Gods)

I have been waiting for this show since it was announced. So, yes, before the first trailer aired I was already excited. It has been some time since I've read the book but with Bryan Fuller behind this adaptation, there was reason for excitement.

The premiere episode was...wow...not enough words to describe it. Suffice it to say it took a good full day for me to get my thoughts figured out about it.

I need to re-read the book as there is a bunch I've forgotten. But, for the parts I do remember, I won't be spoiling on this post.

Behind the Camera

Three things grabbed my attention about the American Gods show on Starz before the first trailer aired. The first was Neil Gaiman. He is an author that deserves the praise he has been given.

Besides American Gods, he has written at least one Doctor Who episode as well as The Books of Magic mini-series. I'm not sure the latter is that well known, but is his one work that I have read the most. Read it so much I finally bought a copy of the comic.

The second thing was the book itself. I have forgotten a lot of if and once I finish IT by Stephen King, I might give American Gods a re-read. That's if I don't start another book in the Dune series.

What I do remember of the book was good. Basically it features gods put into a modern day setting. That's really all I remember of it except for one or two minor details. Such as Shadow Moon being able to do that thing with the coin. For some reason that really stood out in my memory.

The third thing is the thing that gave me hope for the American Gods show. Bryan Fuller has never made something I haven't enjoyed watching. Dead Like Me and Hannibal stand out in my mind.

So putting him in charge made me feel like this show can succeed. That this show can go somewhere. That this show can be something amazing.

Because of Hannibal

Now a reason I had faith that Bryan Fuller could make a good American Gods show is because of Hannibal. That show is one of the best things to happen to television. If you aren't turned off by the cannibalism, you'll be rewarded with a very good show.
You care about the characters and the gore is only what is needed to tell the story. Gross things happen but they're always justified.

Like American Gods, the Hannibal tv series is an adaption. While things were changed, the heart of the books was never lost.

So why bring up Hannibal?

Bryan Fuller was in charge of it. It was both a good show and an adaptation that changed things but never to the point of disrespecting the source material. Such as Margot Vergere being feminine instead of the manly version of the books.

During the series premiere of American Gods, I kept picturing what Hannibal could've looked like if it didn't have any restraints. If Hannibal could have aired on Starz or HBO.

It could've looked even more gruesome than originally shown. For those that are thinking of getting Hannibal on DVD or blu-ray: they have unedited versions of some of the episodes.

The Standouts of the Premiere

Now onto the three standout parts of the premiere of American Gods...first has to be Wednesday. In the book a fun part was guessing who each deity is. I didn't participate in that part because I'm extremely dense.

But for those who do...one of the less obvious parts when Wednesday hinted at which deity he was occurred when he said Wednesday was his day.

The visuals are also stunning. In the premiere alone they are just downright gorgeous. This is even when you stare blankly at the screen wondering if you just saw what you thought you did.

Some of the biggest mindfudges come when Shadow Moon is dreaming. He dreams of his dying wife and of a tree in the middle of a forest. A forest whose ground is littered with skeletons.

The part of the premiere that showed I had forgotten way too much of the book had to be Bliquis' scene. In the 'inside the episode' segment after the episode, they made mention of how infamous this scene was.

Now to describe it...there are ways but none of which give the full oddity of it. But let me try a few different ways even though you need to see it yourself to understand:
A goddess sucks a man through her vagina to become more youthful.
Sex scene went from erotic to...this is probably someone's fetish but not mine.
Woman sucks man through her vagina.