EPISODE 4: "Git Gone"
SYNOPSIS: Alternating between the past and the present, Laura’s life and death are explored—how she met Shadow, how she died, and how exactly she came to be sitting on the edge of his motel room bed.
REVIEW: Ever since the premiere of American Gods, I have disliked Laura Moon. We don't really get to see her until tonight's episode, but the fact that she cheated on Shadow with his best friend and died giving a blowjob was enough to dislike her. But, something in the back of my mind wanted to think there was something more going on, something grander and that it was maybe being driven by Mr. Wednesday's machinations. I was holding out hope that she was actually a nice person. "Git Gone" is a showcase for Emily Browning as Laura and exists entirely as a flashback to what led to her death and resurrection. Browning is excellent as the forlorn Mrs. Moon but this hour also cements her as the bitch we all presumed her to be from her actions to this point. American Gods has yet to try and sugarcoat any characteristics of these characters, omnipotent or mortal, but Laura may be the most flawed of all of them.
"Git Gone" features no opening short like the previous three episodes and instead starts with Laura working at the local casino as a dealer. Her face is vacant and devoid of joy. She lives in a house with her cat and doesn't seem to have many relationships outside of work. She is also suicidal and uses a can of the bug spray which this episode gets it's title to try and kill herself. It doesn't work out and she heads back to work where she meets Shadow. Attempting to grift her, Laura catches on to Shadow's scheme and lets him get away. Outside, Shadow approaches her and the two head back to her place. A night of rough sex is followed by a morning where Laura lets her guard down and lets Shadow show her how he does what he does. Soon, the pair are married and it seems like Laura has finally found some happiness in her life with Shadow. As time goes on, Shadow finds work with his new best friend Robbie (Dane Cook) and things seem to be settling into what many would consider a dream life. But, Laura is still not happy. She eventually confides this to Shadow and tries to push him away. Eventually, she reveals she wants to rob the casino and Shadow defers.
As we learned in the first episode, this is how Shadow ended up in prison. He refuses to tell the cops about Laura's involvement which keeps her free. Apart from each other, Laura begins to slide back into her depression. Robbie comes by to help out around the house and makes a move on Laura. She reciprocates and they begin an affair. Laura seems to only do it because it gets Robbie off but Robbie clearly has a deeper emotional connection. Laura is clearly a very broken character and it becomes apparent that she doesn't have true feelings for Robbie but it also opens the question as to whether she has true feelings for Shadow either. As she tries to break things off with Robbie on the eve of Shadow being released from prison, she decides to give him a send-off blowjob which ended up costing them their lives. So, in short order, Laura Moon is a shitty friend and wife but where this dissatisfaction is rooted still remains a mystery. All we truly know is that what comes next has major implications for Shadow.
Laura awakens in the afterlife. In the same realm of judgement as we saw in the prior episode, Laura meets Mr. Jacquel, the embodiment of the Egyptian god Anubis. But, unlike the woman who accepted the judgement of her heart against the weight of a feather, Laura refuses to go forward into the unknown. Mr. Jacquel seems disturbed by this but even more when Laura suddenly is ripped away. We then find that Laura has been brought back to life by Mad Sweeney's lucky coin which Shadow threw on her grave. Laura may be alive again, but her body is still dead, as evidenced by her limbs falling off and the constant presence of flies around her decrepit flesh. Upon her resurrection, Laura is drawn to a glowing light, something brighter than anything else. She follows it and stumbles upon Shadow being lynched. Mad Sweeney's coin did more than just bring Laura back as she now has incredible strength to take down Technical Boy's faceless minions and save her husband's life.
Laura then heads to Robbie's house where she enlists the help from Audrey. Visibly shaken, the former friends put their relationship to rest. While Laura is remorseful for the affair, she now finds a new purpose in finding Shadow. Audrey gives Laura a ride when they are stopped in the road by Mr. Jacquel and Mr. Ibis. Anubis and Thoth in disguise, these two help fix Laura's arm and clean her up so she can serve her purpose in finding Shadow. Laura then heads to the motel where she awaits Shadow for what seems like days without moving before his glowing aura arrives and the episode ends where the prior hour ended, with Shadow and Laura reunited. This was another excellent episode of American Gods. Despite being a standalone hour, this episode felt the most cohesive of any episode and shed some light on the events of the first three despite Laura not being directly involved. With each additional hour, Bryan Fuller's series makes more and more sense. I just hope that what follows in the second half of the season is as great as the first four chapters.
Key Observations From "Git Gone":
NEXT ON AMERICAN GODS: "Lemon Scented You" airs May 28th – Trying to work things out with his dead and unfaithful wife, Shadow’s emotional reunion is interrupted when he and Mr. Wednesday are kidnapped by the New Gods.