S03.E09: The Lake Effect

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Shadow has to decide the price he's willing to pay for his idyllic Lakeside life. As Laura and her new ally close in on her target, Wednesday has to persuade Czernobog that it's time to make peace with their enemies.

Promo:

Original air date: 3/14/21

Edited March 9, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[LaMatadita]

This episode held my interest, for the most part, but it was certainly a mixed bag.

I thought McShane had incredibly sweet actor chemistry this week with the actress who plays Cordelia. Their goodbye scene was touching enough to make me wonder in earnest if she is also one of Wednesday's children and could actually be Shadow's sibling and divine counterpart. Perhaps that's what the Demeter storyline was all about? In any case, I cared more about Wednesday and Cordelia in this episode than I have ever cared for Wednesday and Shadow, and that's a shame.

I realize that they tried to make Wednesday more sympathetic this season so that we'd feel torn about Laura's mission to kill him, but they accomplished that by spending more time on Wednesday's relationship with a brand new character than on his relationship with Shadow, so I'm really confused about where this is going and how much is intentional and how much is just bad writing. Wednesday definitely seems to be dead, though.

Speaking of bad writing, I really thought they understood that viewers didn't love Sweeney because he was a leprechaun. They can't just be like, "Hey guys, we got you a new leprechaun! He's shorter and nowhere near as angry, but we promise he's just as good as the last one!" That whole scene with them in the church felt like a hollow attempt to insert some random wise man/sexy leprechaun to help Laura self-actualize. I think that would have been a really meaningful conversation for her to have with Shadow instead, but I guess they couldn't make those pieces work. 

I also thought that having Sweeney's coin (and his luck) be part of her taking out Wednesday was very appropriate and should have been meaningful, but it felt more like an easter egg than an emotionally satisfying aspect of the scene. They really spent 7 episodes this season on her figuring out how to let Sweeney go but are just going to leave it at "Fuck you, goodbye"? 

I'm also just confused about the coin and hoards in general. It seemed implied to me that Sweeney's hoard was an extension of his psyche, like Wednesday's little Norse mind palace pocket realm--he kept his gold there, but it seemed like he also kept his madness there and tapped into it when he needed to the same way he plucked coins out of it, which is why it was so terrifying and draining when he took Laura through there in 2x02. I would assume that leprechauns can't just raid each other's hoards willy nilly just because they have a magical coin, so it makes sense for each coin to be tied to a specific hoard. We know that Sweeney's hoard is still active, so should we assume that Liam can no longer access to his own hoard since Wednesday destroyed his coin, and he disappeared into Sweeney's hoard at the end? Considering the conceit that Sweeney's hoard was part of his psyche, it seemed off to me that they wrote Laura as wanting to go there with Liam in the previous episode and then denied her the chance to do so. I'm well aware the actor is not coming back, but I do wonder if we're really done with the hoard or if they might use it to give Laura and viewers who care about that storyline a more emotionally satisfying sense of closure.

Edited March 14, 2021 by LaMatadita

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm glad the police guy was there to witness what happened so that it wouldn't just be Shadow telling a crazy story about how the house caught on fire. Ann Marie framing Derek for Allison's disappearance was so evil that I would have been fine with her dying even if she hadn't been the one behind all of the disappearing kids. I guess the rest of the town is just willfully ignorant about how often teenagers disappear?

Throughout the slow motion sequence at the end, I was hoping that Laura wouldn't drop or lose the coin. When Liam tackled her to keep Czernobog from killing her, I thought we would see the  coin fall out of her hand. When she tossed it to Liam, I was afraid that meant the spear wouldn't hit Wednesday. Now let's just hope that he's really dead (I'm assuming he is because Shadow felt when it happened).

Next week: bowling! Sorry, skydiving. I really would have preferred to see Laura and Liam bowling.

[T Summer]

That was a  lot!   A  lot to unpack.
Huge improvement over last week's episode, which without Salim and Laura's trip to find the new Leprechaun would have been trash (IMO). That whole Tyr/Odin waste of time? ...and that final scene w/ Shadow? SMH That's really the last time we see Wednesday and Shadow interact?

Finally Laura gets her wish to end Odin, and with his own spear as she planned! Now  Laura giving up Sweeney's coin which  really bothered me ends up benefiting her in the end. Yay! Good thing Liam isn't a selfish a-hole kind of Leprechaun and let her use it. I hope they're both ok. Looked like    Chernog's  hammer hit Liam? I watched on a  small BDR TV and it was hard to see. Did he end up in Sweeney's hoard? I got that Liam was locked out of his own hoard when Wednesday took his lucky coin, from the previous episode. As far as whether Sweeney's hoard would now be his? IDK. ... but I hope he found  safety there.

I think we all (even those like me who haven't read the book)  knew that busybody lady in Lakeside was up to no good. Good call to the person who said 2-3 episodes ago the missing child was probably in the trunk of the car on the ice! I was afraid ol' Shadow was going to find himself on the way back to prison when he went to investigate all alone. Oh, and Wednesday went to her... a child killer, to collect on  a favor? [setting op Shadow up in  Lakeside] Yeah, no love lost there. Bye fucker!

What was up with Shadow's vision of an idyllic future with Marguerite ending in her going all  fiendishly strong and trying to drown him in the hot tub? ...and he still talked about getting together with her in Milwalkee after that?

The only downside was no Bilquis, but hopefully she'll be back. She told Shadow in s2 her destiny was very much tied to his.

 

I didn't know how to feel about the church scene either. I was alright with her looking for comfort / intimacy  in the arms of a man just before she might die trying to kill Wednesday, then stopping herself from using her really shitty impulse control. ...but then she went and mentioned Robbie??? I had to think for a minute, and I guess  it was the last time she had actual "alive" sex. ...but still. I realize in New Orleans with Sweeney in the red voodoo sex haze, though she was about as close to being alive as she could be while still being dead, she couldn't count that as actual alive sex. Same goes for the sex with Baron Samedi.   Imagine Brigitte and Samedi's next flap about his infidelity after that when she threw him having sexed the dead girl in his face!

 

6 hours ago, LaMatadita said:

Wednesday's little Norse mind palace pocket realm

 what's this now? I'm still wondering about the thing around his neck  that emitted  the earth splitting light in the previous episode. Also in s2 The Jinn said Wednesday kept him in an amulet around his neck until he needed him.

 

6 hours ago, LaMatadita said:

They really spent 7 episodes this season on her figuring out how to let Sweeney go but are just going to leave it at "Fuck you, goodbye"? 

Even though I didn't see the  Laura / Sweeney thing   the way you did, Lamatilda ... I can certainly see those of you who did  and were invested in that   storyline  finding the  wind up  very unsatisfying.  There's a whole lot in s2 that was up for interpretation or one could even say   just plain doesn't make sense.

[showme]

Are we sure Wednesday is dead?

[WatchrTina]

In the final scene, as the spear is flying and Laura is knocked to the ground by her new Leprechaun friend so as to avoid the big hammer, we catch a glimpse of a guy in aviator sunglasses (which, given that it is night-time, seems to signal that he's a BAD guy.)

Who the Fuck was THAT?

ETA:  Okay, upon further reflection, did the New Gods give Laura a driver -- someone to take her and the spear to where Wednesday was?  Is THAT who the guy in the aviator sunglasses was?

I swear I feel like some things just drag on-screen unnecessarily (like last week's party scenes) and the some things just whiz by off screen without explanation.  For example, are we to understand that Shadow went all the way to Florida, confirmed that his landlady's son is actually missing, and then came home to confront her . . . all off-camera?

 

Edited March 16, 2021 by WatchrTina

[LaMatadita]

I noticed a couple of other interesting things about this episode. For one thing, I think Laura telling Liam that she wants to be free of all the divine manipulations indicates that she would have no interest in becoming a god and being Shadow's divine counterpart and ruling America (or wherever that's going). I've been concerned the writers would try that, but this put my mind more at ease in that regard.

I definitely think the "other side of the coin" is going to be Cordelia, which I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, introducing her in S3 makes her feel like an afterthought to avoid the sexist implications of America being ruled over solely by a male god-king. On the other hand, if they had introduced her any sooner and built up her relationship with Wednesday any sooner, people also would also have figured it out a lot sooner.

I also noticed that they deliberately created symmetry between Shadow killing Sweeney when Laura wasn't there and Laura killing Wednesday when Shadow wasn't there. They both killed someone the other loved and had no chance to say goodbye to. (Edit: I'm not implying that Laura went after Wednesday like this to get back at Shadow. She has never blamed him for Sweeney's death and gave him full notice of her intentions, so I'm just pointing out the parallel.)

2 hours ago, showme said:

Are we sure Wednesday is dead?

He looked pretty dead to me, but whether he'll stay that way remains to be seen!

2 hours ago, WatchrTina said:

In the final scene, as the spear is flying and Laura is knocked to the ground by her new Leprechaun friend so as to avoid the big hammer, we catch a glimpse of a guy in aviator sunglasses (which, given that it is night-time, seems to signal that he's a BAD guy.)

Who the Fuck was THAT?

World told her that she (and Shadow and Salim, at her insistence) would be given protection after the deed was done, so I assume that was one of his flunkies making good on his word and pulling her out of danger?

7 hours ago, T Summer said:

What was up with Shadow's vision of an idyllic future with Marguerite ending in her going all  fiendishly strong and trying to drown him in the hot tub? ...and he still talked about getting together with her in Milwalkee after that?

I presumed that was the influence of Hinzelmann's malice, and with everything that happened shortly after, he probably realized that or even just forgot about it.

7 hours ago, T Summer said:

14 hours ago, LaMatadita said:

Wednesday's little Norse mind palace pocket realm

 what's this now? I'm still wondering about the thing around his neck  that emitted  the earth splitting light in the previous episode. Also in s2 The Jinn said Wednesday kept him in an amulet around his neck until he needed him.

This realm was shown in 2x01, as part of the stuff that happened on the carousel. I believe Bilquis said that it's part of Wednesday's memories but is also a realm of it's own that others can enter. Sweeney's hoard seemed to function similarly. It was a sort of pocket realm where he kept his gold but also part of his psyche, as evidenced by the whirlwind of insanity and glimpses into the future that we saw when he took Laura through it in 2x02, as well as Liam's comment about how nutty it was in there. It seems a little odd to have some other leprechaun just get to take over a remnant of Sweeney's consciousness.

7 hours ago, T Summer said:

Even though I didn't see the  Laura / Sweeney thing   the way you did, Lamatilda ... I can certainly see those of you who did  and were invested in that   storyline  finding the  wind up  very unsatisfying.

I don't have an issue with the scene where she said goodbye to him at all. I thought it was quite moving and true to the emotional complexity of their relationship. I don't think the show was trying to say that Laura didn't love Sweeney by spending 8 episodes on her wrestling with her feelings and carrying his ashes everywhere she went and struggling to say goodbye. They also let her reconnect with Shadow in a healthy way and build on her connection with Salim, and they saved her goodbye to Sweeney for last, which gave him a greater level of importance that was appropriate because her relationship with him was given more screen time and attention than her relationship with anyone else on the show (even after he was dead). She clearly loved him, and the last 3 episodes really hammered home that Shadow, Salim, and Sweeney are, in addition to herself, who she's fighting for. I thought all of that was beautifully done, and kudos to Gaiman, because I think most of her story has been his baby.

My concern is more where things go from here. I think the writers have a very tough job with tying up her arc because they need to make it feel honest and true to her character and emotionally satisfying, which means bittersweet at the very least, not wrapping her up with a trite little bow where she learns to live for bowling and skydiving. To me, despite everything she has learned, and the self acceptance she has gained, and the love she's finally been able to let into her heart, she may not be someone who can just accept and move on from all the painful events she's been forced to endure to get her into the position to kill Wednesday. I just don't know what the writers can do with her that's not either too cutesy or too tragic. Finding that balance for her will be difficult.

And we will never see eye to eye in terms of what Laura felt for whom, but for me, they connected Laura and Sweeney using some pretty cosmic time and death defying moments and imagery, in a universe where gods and magic and the afterlife are real and there's a pocket realm out there that still contains some of his spirit and his magic, and they even wrote a romantic theme for them this season that uses some of that cosmic imagery... yet it seems that they're expecting fans to accept some sort of real world finality for their narrative, like this is a story about Suzy from Chicago who got in a fight with the guy she was falling in love with, and he went out and stepped in front of a bus and now she can never get him back. This show defies death and hands out second chances like candy, so leaving Laura and Sweeney with nothing more than "Fuck you, goodbye" both rings false to the world they exist in and is emotionally unsatisfying. The goodbye scene was satisfying for what it was at that point in the narrative, but the resolution needs to not end there. The actor/character doesn't have to come back to the show for some impossibly happy ending for them to give the relationship a more emotionally satisfying conclusion and not just leave it at that.

Edited March 15, 2021 by LaMatadita

[hnygrl]

World Tree.  Back to the book. And one of The Best parts of the book hands down. I honestly and truly hope they stick to the book's resolution because that was/is brilliant. 

I think Wednesday wanted this to happen.  Notice one of the oldest of the old gods did nothing to stop HIS SPEAR from killing HIM? He wanted it to happen.  

They  underestimate technical boy, who is a real live man now and is (probably) in no way going to help them with their app.  Bilquis saw to that. 

This sincerely feels like a series finale. I  really pray they stick to the book!

Overall, this season has been fire!

Edited March 15, 2021 by hnygrl
Had to switch keyboards

[T Summer]

Now that I rewatched this episode  aside from  being elated Laura got her wish to take Wednesday out, it left me perplexed by what the whole thing amounts to. We've  watched Wednesday singularly obsessed with  readying the Old Gods for war with the New Gods. While traveling to  convince more  to join in, he   tells   Shadow   that he's his father and  he needs his help  with his endevour.  Now in the second to last episode we get this apathetic defanged Wednesday who doesn't much care about a battle to save his kind? He said  goodbye to Cordelia and  next thing we know he's telling Chernog he  wants to reach some sort of peace   agreement with World. What did we  just watch for most of 3 seasons? Did Wednesday's look of resignation and failure to  duck or lean to one side  to avoid the spear coming at him mean  that  this was his plan all along? Has this whole thing  been about Wednesday going out  and turning the gig over to his son? If that's the case, why was he off like a shot after freeing Shadow with a few uncharacteristicly  sparse words after his "battle"  with Tyr? Plus,  hasn't the message been  the Old Gods had to keep their numbers up to stop the New Gods taking over?

3 minutes ago, hnygrl said:

World Tree.  Back to the book. And one of The Best parts of the book hands down. I honestly and truly hope they stick to the book's resolution because that was/is brilliant. 

I think Wednesday wanted this to happen.  Notice one of the oldest of the old gods did nothing to stop HIS SPEAR from killing HIM? He wanted it to happen

Yes, I haven't read the book was just about to post this^ above.
 

[hnygrl]

Oh, I  wanna talk about it so badly but I can't!  Not even one word...but kid? You're on the right track. 

[T Summer]

Just now, hnygrl said:

Oh, I  wanna talk about it so badly but I can't!  Not even one word...but kid? You're on the right track. 

One of the mods made a speculation thread where such things can be talked about! 

 

```going!```

[taanja]

16 hours ago, showme said:

Are we sure Wednesday is dead?

No. We are NOT!!! At least I'm not. 

I guess I'm in the minority but Wednesday is my kind of god. <unpredictable and kind  mad ... like crazy mad not angry mad though he was that too. Besides, he's the "All Father" so I don't see how he can be dead dead. I figure whatshername-- Demeter-- the giver of life or whatever will come and bring him back? maybe?

Ha! I called it. That coin and the way the camera kept panning to that car on the lake -- I just knew gone girl was inside.  I was afraid for a moment that Shadow would get blamed for her death. And yup. When Wednesday recommended the town as a nice place to Shadow I just KNEW there was some god or another living there making sacrifices (human of course cuz BLOOD! ) to keep the town alive.

[hatchetgirl]

 

14 hours ago, hnygrl said:

think Wednesday wanted this to happen.  Notice one of the oldest of the old gods did nothing to stop HIS SPEAR from killing HIM? He wanted it to happen.  

Ding! I think we have a winner. There is no way he just went quietly into the night. Makes no sense. We know he has orchestrated this whole thing and he's not done yet. 

[T Summer]

1 hour ago, taanja said:

Ha! I called it. That coin and the way the camera kept panning to that car on the lake -- I just knew gone girl was inside. 

I said in one of my posts kudos to the person who stated the missing girl who the town was searching for was likely in the trunk of the car on the frozen lake. Sorry, I couldn't remember who it was ir where the post was offhand... just went back and saw your post on e7 Fire and Ice. Good call!

[rollacoaster]

On 3/14/2021 at 2:22 PM, T Summer said:

Oh, and Wednesday went to her... a child killer, to collect on  a favor?

They didn't really focus much on her role and make it clear what she truly was, but in the book

Spoiler

 

Hinzelmann came to Lakeside from the Black Forest in Germany in the 1800s. He keeps the town safe from economic and other problems in exchange for an annual sacrifice.

https://americangods.fandom.com/wiki/Hinzelmann/Novel

 

 

[tennisgurl]

After several detours, we seem to finally be back to the book, and I am very happy because some of the best parts are coming up and I really like the reveal with Hinzelmann. The book has more details about who she/he is and how they ended up in Lakeside, but this all worked quite well and lined up with how it went down in the book. Glad that the sheriff was there and now Shadow doesn't have to explain why Hinzelmann is dead and her house is on fire. The elephant trunk pointing to the car trunk was pretty clever and the ending of Shadow and Margarite was sad but sweet. Should have know about that clunker contest and festival, it all feels very ritualistic, sacrificing the kids in a big festival without the townsfolk even knowing it, diabolical. The rites of spring and the ending of winter, it all seems almost obvious. Also appropriate that she died in a big fire. Ice and fire, nice. 

I appreciate that Sweeny was there in spirit when Laura killed Wednesday, and I am thrilled she finally got to take Wednesday out, but no way do I buy that he is down for the count. Your telling me that Odin the All-Father, god of war and one of the oldest of the old gods we have met yet that is still out and about, is taken out by a slow moving spear? No way, he was practically holding his arms out to embrace that thing. 

I like new leprechaun pretty well, but he still feels like poor mans Sweeny. This season has really improved on last season, its a lot more focused and the new things they are adding feel a lot smoother. 

Edited March 15, 2021 by tennisgurl

[WatchrTina]

 

22 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Ice and fire, nice. 

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

-"Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost

Meanwhile, back on topic . . . I do have to wonder how that small town managed to "offer" up a kid every year without anyone noticing the appallingly high "run-away" rate among their young nor the fact that one disappeared around the same time each year.

I guess we're left to assume that that was part of the "magic" that lay over the town.  The town prospered due to their (unknowing) annual sacrifice to a demanding god and in return for that prosperity they collectively failed to notice the clues about there being something malevolent going on.  I assume Hinzelmann didn't age and the town simply failed to notice that as well. 

[taanja]

22 minutes ago, WatchrTina said:

Meanwhile, back on topic . . . I do have to wonder how that small town managed to "offer" up a kid every year without anyone noticing the appallingly high "run-away" rate among their young nor the fact that one disappeared around the same time each year.

I guess we're left to assume that that was part of the "magic" that lay over the town.  The town prospered due to their (unknowing) annual sacrifice to a demanding god and in return for that prosperity they collectively failed to notice the clues about there being something malevolent going on.  I assume Hinzelmann didn't age and the town simply failed to notice that as well. 

Hinzelmann said something about everyone in town could ask questions/inquire about the missing people but choose NOT to ask any questions -in other words she implied that they stay ignorant on purpose.

Even Marguerite said something like she wanted to believe her son was in Florida but never actually went looking for him. Something oddly vague like that which seemed odd in and of itself but sort of explained the towns thought process. 

[lightninggirl]

On 3/15/2021 at 1:16 PM, taanja said:

No. We are NOT!!! At least I'm not. 

I guess I'm in the minority but Wednesday is my kind of god. <unpredictable and kind  mad ... like crazy mad not angry mad though he was that too. Besides, he's the "All Father" so I don't see how he can be dead dead. I figure whatshername-- Demeter-- the giver of life or whatever will come and bring him back? maybe?

You're not in the minority. This episode ended 20 minutes ago and I'm still crying. I hope not. I can't figure out why this is making me so sad!!!!! 💔😭

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Inside the episode:

 

[T Summer]

Every time I watch this episode  the way Wednesday acts makes less and less sense. Why would he be telling Chernog he wants to make peace with The New Gods? that his war has been a dismal failure? It hasn't happened yet. Three seasons  of readying for war... the spear, the runes, convincing more to join in

Have we ever  seen him smoke cigarettes before?

[Joimiaroxeu]

Whoa, Ann Marie did not go gentle into that good night. She was  screaming like a banshee. A Norse banshee. 😏

OG Mr. World is solidly not here for détente with the Old Gods. Seems like Wednesday finally let it sink in. Or was he pulling another con?

So Odin is actually dead? Shadow felt...something. Knowing him it could just be indigestion though.

My favorite comment from reddit:

Quote

And just like that, the week suddenly became six days long.

 

[WatchrTina]

On 3/17/2021 at 9:45 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Inside the episode:

OMG -- the actress that plays Laura Moon is a Brit?  I knew that was the case with Ricky Whittle but I did NOT know that was the case with Emily Browning.  Actors are amazing.  And BRITISH actors -- with their competency in multiple accents -- are particularly amazing.

Edited March 25, 2021 by WatchrTina

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Plan