sigh Another tedious backstory episode, although we’ve at least now confirmed the crash theory. I’m not sure if there’s any significance to Emily Browning playing Essie Tregowan beyond the concern that an entire episode featuring a new actress would have been even worse.
Sad to report, the next episode is apparently the season finale and we haven’t even gotten to Wisconsin yet. :dubious:
This is becoming almost an anthology show, with the story progression secondary to world building and atmosphere.
But I’m still loving it. I thought the latest episode was great, even if the story barely moved.
Which was to my read the feel of the book as well.
Like most old mythological quest stories (e.g. Odysseus), and even the descendent of them, road movies, the plot is more the … ehem … vehicle to showcase the world, and the series of events that are connected more by character trials and development than anything else.
In this case Gaiman to my read was showcasing two worlds at the same time: the mythology that he is creating; and his take on America and Americana. The plot is there but isn’t the real point as much as a means.
This is a story that is far better not rushed along. The detours off the plot highway to the various odd “points of interest” are the trip, not arriving at the destination.
Unlike some other shows (Lost), I’m not getting irritated at these episodes that add little to the main plot. I’m enjoying the story and the world so much, I just sit back and immerse myself in it. I’m disappointed that the season is almost over, though. While I greatly appreciate the many wonderful series that have been introduced since short-season TV has taken off, sometimes it’s hard to endure the downside. Why must EVERY good show be 13 episodes these days?
Eight episodes, in this case. If there were more episodes in the season I’d be much less annoyed by them spending a full one on backstory and world-building.
The episode was a joy to watch, I don’t understand how anyone can be annoyed after that.
I saw it the other way: Odin would be revered in NK because it would be a new, NK missile platform. So, basically a shit deal, worshiped in NK by people who might be annihilated at any time.
That would just spawn a different Odin in North Korea though. America nuking them would affect the American Odin.
Out of curiosity, why the hell change her name to Essie McGowan? It’s these strange little deviations that seem to serve no purpose that bug me the most, aside from the HEY GUYS I’M SO ARTISTIC cinematography.
Very likely it is an American audience thing. ‘McGowan’ ( Mc or Mac-anything ) suggests Irish/Scots to Americans more clearly that Tregowan, not a common name in the States. I agree it is unnecessary, though such things don’t bother me much.
Personally I think the season is progressing just fine - as DSeid noted the book was really much more about vignettes than the central plot. To some extent Gaiman was still writing like a comic book author. But I do abhor the 8-episode season. Yeah, 22 is unnecessary, but give us 10-13 at least.
It is a TV show, and they wanted to go more than a single 8 or 13 episode run. I for one am quite happy to live in that world an hour at a time and not worry about the changes from a book that came out in 2001 when the world has changed quite a bit since then.
They have the time to explore the characters, share their stories and get you invested in them.
A show like this requires a shytload of very expensive post production graphics. Probably did not want to commit until they knew they had a show with acceptable ratings.
Wait - was it Tregowan or McGowan in the show? I may have misremembered.
Gaiman tweeted that the name change was due to her being from Bantry Bay in the show rather than Cornwall. No explanation for the location change given. Maybe it was just for the framing shots of Essie as a girl waiting for her father’s return, which were striking in the physical beauty of the geography.
Well Bantry Bay is in (County Cork) Ireland, Cornwall is in England. So Bantry Bay and the name change make a lot more sense for an IRISH character.
Much more sense for the direction of this show as well. Essie Tregowan (Cornwall) from the book worships a lot of supernatural creatures but not particularly leprechauns. Essie McGowan (Ireland) in the show is primarily concerned with leprechauns and develops a relationship with Mad Sweeney while she is incarcerated. As the title implies, the episode is about Mad Sweeney. He tells Essie, “We’re like the wind, we blows both ways.” After antagonizing Laura for multiple episodes to get his lucky coin back (not to mention causing her death at Wednesday’s orders) he finally has her at his mercy and takes the coin; Mad Sweeney chooses that moment to show mercy and give her the coin back to reanimate her, as much an act of rebellion against Wednesday. It’s a nice insight into how these supernatural beings relate to their humans and each other.
Well, strike me down, apparently there is a good reason after all. I’ll shut up about it now!
Very well said. 100% agree
Re Sweeney and Wednesday and the coin, this is yet another major shift away from the book.
At this point I’m enjoying the series but is emphatically not the book anymore.
Was the sound really fucked up for anyone else? volume keep getting real low.