American Gods season 1, episode 2 recap: ‘The Secret of Spoons’

American Gods peeled back another layer of its surreal world, and with it, we met a whole new set of players.

Last week, American Gods made its long-awaited debut on Starz. The first episode started off with quite the bang, but this week’s episode “The Secret of Spoons” was a much quieter affair. We are introduced to several key players in the war to come, but the episode was lacking in any sort of action or violence, though there was blood aplenty. Before you proceed further, consider yourself warned; this is a recap, so spoilers abound.

Image Credit: Starz

As “The Secret of Spoons” begins, we are introduced to the one and only Mr. Nancy played here by Orlando Jones. Via another “Coming to America” segment, we flash back to the hold of an African slave ship and where Anansi (Mr. Nancy) is summoned by a destitute slave. Jones is fire and thunder here, as Mr. Nancy tells the group of slaves how “fucked” they, and their ancestors for the next three hundred years will be.

It’s a completely invented scene that has no basis in the novel, and no explanation is given to Mr. Nancy’s foresight or modern clothing. After convincing the slaves just how hopeless their situation is, they riot and burn the slave ship. Among the wreckage that washes ashore, is Mr. Nancy in his spider form. What was the lesson we learned today kids? Don’t trust the spider who turns into a man in a purple suit.

Flash forward to present day, and we catch up with Shadow Moon as he is literally stapled back together after his encounter with Tech Boy and the Children last week. The one who rescued Shadow is not revealed and isn’t even brought up.

Image Credit: Starz

Despite arriving back at Mr. Wednesday’s room covered in blood, Mr. Wednesday initially barely seems to notice and seems more focused on bragging about a sexual conquest while Shadow was being lynched. Once the discussion switches to Shadow’s lynching, the conversation doesn’t seem so odd. Wednesday is expressing concern for Shadow, and also reserved anger as Shadow’s beating is an affront to Wednesday.

After taking a bubble bath in a comical undersized tub, Shadow falls to sleep. By now we know that Shadow doesn’t sleep like the rest of us, and this time around Shadow is visited by his dead wife, Laura Moon. Unlike in the book, their meeting is brief and ambiguous, as it seems the show will continue to tease Laura’s return from the dead.

And in another departure from the book, Shadow returns to the home he shared with Laura to box up her things. Like Wednesday’s lack of acknowledgment of Shadow’s wounds, something in the scene feels off. We aren’t told why Shadow is boxing up Laura’s things, or where he is shipping them off to, or why he decides to scrub the toilet and appliances. We are, however, treated to a few sexting pics between Laura and Robbie when Shadow peruses her phone.

And just like that, Shadow and Wednesday depart Eagle Point to the tune of some Creedence Clearwater Revival. Wednesday is cryptically vague when explaining to Shadow not to use the highways or cell phones, which is right in line with his book counterpart. The duo is headed to Chicago looking for Wednesday’s “hammer.”

Stopping in an unnamed town for a meeting and some supplies, Shadow and Wednesday split up to accomplish the two goals. Shadow makes his way to a Sam’s Club looking warehouse store, and begins gathering Wednesday’s supplies. After spending some effort avoiding highways and cell phones, Wednesday might have given Shadow a warning about TV’s, but alas he does not, and we introduced to the next member of the new gods; Media.

Media, played by Gillian Anderson, takes the form of Lucille Ball. If Tech Boy was all stick, Media is all carrot. Attempting to recruit Shadow to the side of the new gods with rewards and promises, Media’s insight into our viewing habits as a society are spot on, particularly as I watched upon my tablet next to my wife.

The encounter leaves Shadow shaken, and doubting his sanity. Wednesday hardly seems concerned, and essentially tells Shadow to go with the flow. Again, its a bit of an odd scene, but perhaps there will be some payoff down the road.

American Gods / Starz

Next up, its another scene with Bilquis. This go round she devours men and women, before heading to a museum to visit relics dedicated to herself. Presumably we are being shown how Bilquis made it to America, but it sort of feels like an excuse to have her on screen again.

And finally, we arrive at the main event of the episode; Wednesday’s meeting with Czernobog and the Zorya sisters. Zorya Vechernyaya is played by Cloris Leachman, and she is wonderful in her small part this episode.

Czernobog and Wednesday’s meeting is initially hostile, but hey Wednesday brought some cheese so its all good. The dinner with Czernobog and the Zorya sisters is odd, though intentionally so. Peter Stromare is spectacular as Czernobog. Relaying a bit of their past, Czernobog comes off as barely constrained menace during dinner before settling for a very important game of checkers.

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The game initially appears to be simply for fun, but quickly escalates with a wager. Czernobog and Shadow wager Shadow’s life if Czernobog wins, and Czernobog’s support should Shadow emerge victoriously. Wednesday hovers on the sidelines, appearing concerned, but clearly pushing Shadow towards accepting the wager.

Czernobog continues to rattle on about his former job slaughtering cows, and with his hammer in hand, is a sight to behold. Czernobog, of course, wins the match as the episode closes, and we are left to ponder the future of our protagonist, Shadow Moon.

All and all a much slower episode than last week, and much smaller in scale. Not a terrible episode to be sure, but startling in its change of pace from the premiere. The third episode of the series will be an interesting one to be sure.