‘American Gods’ Recap “Lemon Scented You”

In “Lemon Scented You” Shadow has to face Laura and all her deadness and Mr. World attempts to negotiate with Wednesday in the war between old and new.

Shadow arrives at the hotel and has a heart to heart with Laura. She sends him to get cigarettes when talk becomes too uncomfortable. He comes back to Laura in a bath, to warm her dead-to-the-touch skin. Shadow can see her autopsy scars. She can’t taste her cigarettes, but when she kisses Shadow her heart beats – just once. She knows nothing more about life or death than she did before, but she is now certain she loves Shadow. Shadow is having none of that, she didn’t know for sure that she loved him in life. He tells her that he is no longer “her puppy.”

A raven gives Odin news. Is Laura’s presence the news? Who knows, but Odin interrupts Shadow and Laura. He goes to Shadow’s hotel room. While there, the police show up to arrest them for bank robbery. You have to wonder if Odin turned them in. The police detective is confused on how they found Shadow, they were handed information via a fax that hasn’t been plugged in since faxes were in fashion. (To me, this sounds like Odin, because Technical Boy and Media would be more up to date on technology.) Shadow is faithful, he keeps repeating “Lawyer” to the detective. Odin plays the crazed old man again, telling the complete truth about their plan involving a leprechaun.

I’ve alternately named this episode “The Adventures of Ginger Minge & Dead Wife” because of the chemistry between Laura and Mad Sweeney. Sweeney shows up at the hotel to get his gold coin back. Was Sweeney tipped off by Odin? Sweeney can’t take the coin. Laura has to give it willingly – harkening back to the myth of tricking a leprechaun out of their pot of gold. But Sweeney wouldn’t be able to take the coin back if he wanted, Laura is strong enough to flick him away like a fly. He tries to bribe her for the coin, but she knows her coin is keeping her in this life. Laura manages to get intel out of Sweeney, who she calls Ginger Minge, and he calls her Dead Wife. Sweeney tells Laura he has seen her kind before and it doesn’t end well because she is still dead and will rot away. The police arrive, just as Sweeney is strangling Laura in the tub. She pretends to be dead, which she is, and we end their scene on “Oh, you’re an A**hole, Dead Wife.” The police take Sweeney away for murder.

At the police station, Media, as Marilyn Monroe arrives with Technical Boy and, our new character Mr. World. Mr. World knows way too much about Shadow and his life. He collects everyone’s data. The media gods talk of alliance with Odin and make Technical Boy apologize for lynching Shadow. Technical Boy acknowledges that Shadow’s lynching was in poor taste since his skin is dark, it was unfortunate symbolism in our times of continued racial tension. Mr. World promises to rebrand Odin and his worship for the new age, a “brand new Lemon Scented You.” Mr. World doesn’t want a truce per say, he wants a merger. Odin doesn’t want either. They fail to sway Wednesday, but will give the old god space to think over the deal. In trying to escape a root or tree has taken over the police station. (Again, this seems like Odin and the Tree of Life to me, not modern gods.) The tree attacks Shadow, stabbing him. Mad Sweeny has the opportunity to escape when his arresting officers are killed inside the station.

The episode ends with Laura escaping the morgue.

See you next week! American Gods can be seen on Starz, Sunday’s at 9pm.

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