‘American Gods’ Recap “Git Gone”
This week we take a major detour from the book. “Git Gone” starts at the very beginning of the legend that is Shadow Moon. And with every great myth or legend, it’s all about a girl.
Before Shadow met Laura, she was dealing cards at a casino and inhaling “Git Gone” brand bug spray in her spare time. Shadow walks up to her table and starts a hustle. She can see right through it. But something about him intrigues her so she warns him that his con is easy to detect. And like the poor helpless puppy that he is, she brings him home after her shift. He never leaves.
Shadow takes a job at one of her best friends, husband’s gym. They get married and life is wonderful for a few years. For Shadow anyway, but Laura has asked him to buy some bug spray. Meaning she wants to go back to huffing bug spray. When she tells him she has news, he hopes she’s pregnant. She has other plans. She wants him to knock over the casino again. But this time she knows the inner workings, the comings and goings. She knows it can be done.
But the next scene is Shadow in custody, not wanting to roll over on Laura. He can do three years in prison, if she can wait for him. She says she can wait for him.
She doesn’t wait for him. Not too long after, her cat dies. She can’t handle it and runs into the arms of Audrey’s husband, played by Dane Cook. If ever there was a perfect role for Dane Cook, it’s this one.
Part of her is faithful to Shadow. Laura refuses to continue the affair. Until Robbie acknowledges that it will stop as soon as Shadow is back. She assumes this means no strings attached and they can turn it off whenever needed. On the eve of Shadow’s home coming, Dane confesses it isn’t enough. He wants to leave his wife for Laura. Trying to say goodbye properly, she goes down on him while he’s driving. This of course, causes the accident that kills them both.
Just as Eve had to bite the apple for Man to leave the Garden, Laura bit Robbie’s fruit right off and died, sending Shadow out of his paradise and into the world. It’s been downhill ever since.
Laura meets Mr. Jacquel in the afterlife. Just as he is about to weigh her heart against the feather, she refuses. She knows where she’s going. Her punishment will be darkness and a bottle of bug spray, since she believed in nothing in life. At that point she is pulled back to the world of the living with Mad Sweeney’s coin thrown on her grave. Even Jacquel is confused.
When she returns, she can see Shadow as a bright light and immediately saves him in the lynching scene from a previous episode, losing her arm in the process. She is his guardian angel. After she cleans herself up she bumps into Audrey in her house. She and Audrey have the greatest scene yet, with Audrey freaking out over seeing her dead friend, locking herself in the bathroom. “Get out of my house, you zombie whore!” “Are you haunting me?” To which Laura replies, “Not on purpose, I needed craft supplies.” Audrey reminds Laura of how she dies and Laura apologies. Laura asks if Shadow knows about the affair? “Yeah, he knows, I tried to f*** him. On your grave. Seemed only fair.” Laura says that it seems fair. Then Audrey tells Laura that she buried Robbie with his severed penis shoved up his ass. “God I’m vulgar. Grieve has made me vulgar. I should thank both of you. It is so much easier grieving someone when you’re glad they’re dead.”
While driving to get back to Shadow, Laura is stopped by Mr. Jacquel on this side of dead. He and his brother Ibis, run a funeral home. Jacquel’s willing to fix Laura’s damaged body and make her pass for living. But he is going to take her back to the darkness as soon as she’s finished on earth. She brings herself back to Shadow’s hotels room. We end with the words, “Hi, puppy,” said to the light that walks into the room.
This episode was the best so far for me. Mainly because Laura and Shadow’s relationship wasn’t developed in the book. Laura never had a personality. Now everything in the novel makes sense. If you aren’t watching American Gods yet, you should start!
See you next week! American Gods can be seen on Starz, Sunday’s at 9pm.
Picture Source: Starz
Lesley enjoys sharing her favorite entertainment with the world. Views are her own and eclectic and fueled by coffee. She likes her heroes and her comedy dark.
