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12 or 13 feels the norm for me.

Yeah. I mean things like big bang theory do 24-26

But they established.
Even GOT sticks to around 10, Rome did ish, quite a few more expensive productions have hovered around that line per season.

But it seems both a short or long serrid seems to bracket a 10-12 hour window for show total length by that...

I think 8 - 10 is about right for 'story' shows, and whilst world building and sub-plots is nice sometimes they cause drag, for example I loved Daredevil and Jessica Jones but think they could have trimmed 2 or 3 episodes without losing much

 Turnip Jedi wrote:
I think 8 - 10 is about right for 'story' shows, and whilst world building and sub-plots is nice sometimes they cause drag, for example I loved Daredevil and Jessica Jones but think they could have trimmed 2 or 3 episodes without losing much

Long enough to a deep story, quick enough to avoid drag and get to the point.
Maybe 12 if its a first season and you have to set the scene and get groundwork laid.

But yeah. I think around 10 is ideal for a show like American gods.

I'm all for short seasons if they're dense and everything is important. So far in American Gods we've had one total filler episode (Git gone) and one largely filler episode (Prayer for Mad Sweeney). I get that they want to flesh out some characters so they can get at least three seasons out of the book, but it does mean that a quarter of the episodes wont have advanced the plot meaningfully.

It's a real shame because when it's on point it's absolutely fantastic.

Kinda works though as it builds up background properly if doing 3 seasons. They let you get into the universe properly even if not read the book.

They are pretty darn on point though and given oddities etc.
8.5 to 9 out of 10.

Vulcan... Mr wensday, new gods, things are indeed heating up.

Honestly one of few serris I've seen of late to truely grab my intrest and hold it.

Want a season two already!

 jhe90 wrote:
Yeah. I mean things like big bang theory do 24-26

But they established.
Even GOT sticks to around 10, Rome did ish, quite a few more expensive productions have hovered around that line per season.

But it seems both a short or long serrid seems to bracket a 10-12 hour window for show total length by that...

I think it's more relevant to compare AG to GoT, in terms of the production value and (I should imagine) the amount of budget, CGI that is going into each episode (rather than comparing to something like Big Bang for instance)

 Pacific wrote:

 jhe90 wrote:
Yeah. I mean things like big bang theory do 24-26

But they established.
Even GOT sticks to around 10, Rome did ish, quite a few more expensive productions have hovered around that line per season.

But it seems both a short or long serrid seems to bracket a 10-12 hour window for show total length by that...

I think it's more relevant to compare AG to GoT, in terms of the production value and (I should imagine) the amount of budget, CGI that is going into each episode (rather than comparing to something like Big Bang for instance)

True however if you add total tun time. They both add up near same. 30min vs hour episodes. And actor costs it sounds crazy but big bang might cost as much per episode as some cast are on some pretty high salary.

But yeah, the cgi I cannot fault, the production values are excellent, episode have me engrossed and guessing.
Its very rare for me to find something this good.

Overall I enjoyed the first season, a little trippy in some parts but at least it wasn't so trippy it was stupid like Legion. I gave that show 1 episode and never cared enough to look back.

I liked the filler episodes, but i felt like the season should have been longer if they wanted to do that much character backgrounding. But they were still all well done. I'm saving up for a 4K TV this xmas, hoping for a good black friday sale. Maybe I'll rewatch it when I get it... but if my cable box can only do regular HD, is it really gonna look any better?

I'll note that Legion gets better after the second episode. I did really hate that non-linear story telling aspect of the first two though.

I am enjoying the show, but I have a few issues with choices made by the writers and directors. They keep inserting their politics and it distracts from the experience (for those that have different views).

For example, I always watch the commentary after the episode. On one episode they said they wanted to show the best and the worst of Christianity. Their "best" example was a group of people breaking the law for economic opportunity (illegal immigrants). Their "worst of Christianity" was rednecks slaughtering the illegal immigrants with gunfire . So they wanted to show the worst but had to make up some perverse fantasy because this does not happen in reality.

Same episode had a "gun town" where everyone dressed as Nazis for a funeral. They all shot their guns into the air. Actual gun owners outside of the middle east never do this (barring the odd drunk redneck).

Third and final example, the show runners were so interested in crapping on Christianity with multiple Jesus guys, they ruined a great moment from the book about Easter. Instead of a rich estate, Wednesday talks to her in a cafe where some moody college girl says she does not celebrate Easter because she's "pagan" and Wednesday really rubs in that the old worship is so forgotten that even those who claim to be followers are just posers. A key moment from the books that was lost just to score "Haha! Korean Jesus! Silly Christians!"points.

<end rant>

Seen the first few episods and enjoying it alot - lots of great imagery and characters - even if ti did turn into an overlong gay porn epsiode at one point - still guess it makes a change from the african goddess absorbing partners.

So are the old pagen gods are they just the American versions of themselves - ie Old Norse relegion stille exists in their homeland as do some of the others?

Laura is great - probably my favourite - and her "friend" is also much fun "get away you zombie whore" - liked that she clicked on pretty quickly what she was having actually watched movies etc.

How much fun is Gillian Anderson having

Started a new job in March, and this show served as a very useful ice breaker with one of my co-workers. He fething loves this show. In fact he persuaded me to watch it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Mr Morden wrote:
Seen the first few episods and enjoying it alot - lots of great imagery and characters - even if ti did turn into an overlong gay porn epsiode at one point[snip]

I'm not gay, but that scene was pretty hot. Get fethed by a Djinn so hard, you become a Djinn yourself? Is that what happened? The human's eyes seemed like they starting burning like the Djinn's eyes after the, ah...deed was done.

 Azreal13 wrote:
Probably better you colonials that are fans of McShane don't look out for a show called Lovejoy, it may somewhat undermine your opinion.

I actually liked that show.

 Mr Morden wrote:
Seen the first few episods and enjoying it alot - lots of great imagery and characters - even if ti did turn into an overlong gay porn epsiode at one point - still guess it makes a change from the african goddess absorbing partners.

No more so than the straight sex scenes in ... just about anything else these days.

As for the gods, spoilers from the novel:

Same here.

I'm not one of the younger folk who only know him from Deadwood.

I think the first thing I saw him in was Space:1999 back in the mid 70s.

I first knew of him as the dodgy antiques dealer Lovejoy, but the first thing I actually watched with him in it was one of the Babylon 5 TV Movies - where he played a dodgy antiques dealer - in SPAAAACE!

Lovejoy and deadwood I know him from.

But . Mr Wednesday is more deadwood I think.

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
Started a new job in March, and this show served as a very useful ice breaker with one of my co-workers. He fething loves this show. In fact he persuaded me to watch it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Mr Morden wrote:
Seen the first few episods and enjoying it alot - lots of great imagery and characters - even if ti did turn into an overlong gay porn epsiode at one point[snip]

I'm not gay, but that scene was pretty hot. Get fethed by a Djinn so hard, you become a Djinn yourself? Is that what happened? The human's eyes seemed like they starting burning like the Djinn's eyes after the, ah...deed was done.

I was not sure if it killed him, took his body over or what. Sign of getting old that I just find the porn bits in shows go on a bit

I loved the faceless guys in the last episode and their sort of dance multiplying thing they had going on and they way they spawned the kid god. Didn't like World so much this time though. Also kind of bummed it was all build up to just one zap.

Finally caught up on Episodes 6,7 and 8

Episode 6 was a little shaky, I thing the town would have been more disturbing with a Pleasentville vibe to it rather than the whole Uniforms et al

Episode 7, bit odd, changing Essie to Irish made it simpler to link her to Sweeney as I suspect Piskies are far less known than Leprechauns

Episode 8, Bunnies are creepy, many Jesus' was funny, and never fudge with Wednesday

All in All a good run, roll on Season 2

The "Coming To America" segments are all tied into the main story in the series; in the book, they're unconnected vignettes.

I'm looking forward to the next seasons; I'm pretty sure it's going to end up in the same place as the book, but they've muddled enough things up that the path is going to be different. I wonder if Neil's decided who the man in the grey suit is, yet?

Watched the end of the season and we enjoyed.

Ostara was fun - hope she is in it more.

Still trying to get my head round some of the in universe rules - So Odin kills Vulkan - but can he die if people believe in him - same as a Jesus getting killed by his bullets? Still don't get how that works. Do they reform?

Also how does Belkis loose her power if she is basically sex (?) - she should be more powerful once she gets to the us?

Laura is so much fun - and enjoyed her "ancestor".

Equally shakey on the 'rules', maybe another Vulkan will come into existence but it wont be the same one, also possible that the Gods can permanently kill each other, suspect the Sword may also have some bearing

I have a pet theory that Belquis power has been undercut by the New Gods, the destruction of her Temple, and maybe the HIV/AIDS epidemic (the girl in the flashback had a HIV+ wristband) killing large numbers of potential worshippers and therefore her power, so that the New Gods can get her to spy for them

I don't think Bilquis' power was undercut by the new gods - that was done by the old gods (in particular by followers of Islam, going by episode 8). The Technical Boy offered her a second chance, but with a cost. We'll see how that goes in the subsequent seasons.

 AndrewGPaul wrote:
I don't think Bilquis' power was undercut by the new gods - that was done by the old gods (in particular by followers of Islam, going by episode 8). The Technical Boy offered her a second chance, but with a cost. We'll see how that goes in the subsequent seasons.

Spoiler:

In the book, Bilquis is an extra - she refuses the Technical Boy's offer and he kills her, which affects him for the rest of the book, and indirectly leads to his death. I wonder if in the series, he'll be killed by Bilquis instead.

hmm ok thanks

I get that her power can be undermined by Islam in her homeland and whilst it rebuilds in the US in the 60s is again knocked by AIDs - but then why not by Syphalis or other STDs whihc have been around along time? Still a bit confused by her.

Also in the book - can gods who are actually still beleived in die.

ie in the show we see a Mexican Jesus get gunned down by bullets made by Vulcan but presumably he is not actually dead as he still has people who beleive in him - unless he was the god of that specific gorup of people?? Vulcan has a active cult and Odin "kills" him but does he just reform, a New Vilcan comes into existance or becuase Odin did it with the magic sword he doe snot come back and the belief goes to someone else - does Odin inherit it? I half expected the bullets to suddenly have his name on them?

Likely thinking too much about it

 Mr Morden wrote:
ie in the show we see a Mexican Jesus get gunned down by bullets made by Vulcan but presumably he is not actually dead as he still has people who beleive in him - unless he was the god of that specific gorup of people??

Yup. We saw the Mexican Jesus get gunned down. There was a scene in the finale with DOZENS of other Jesuses... Plus Mexican Jesus might be Resurrected.

Vulcan has a active cult and Odin "kills" him but does he just reform, a New Vilcan comes into existance or becuase Odin did it with the magic sword he doe snot come back and the belief goes to someone else - does Odin inherit it? I half expected the bullets to suddenly have his name on them?

Vulcan's followers no longer literally believe in him, rather they believe in the power of modern firearms, which Vulcan piggy backs on through his VulcanIndustries (or whatever it was called) gun manufacturing business. They believe in the power of guns, which he makes, and therefore by extension they believe in Vulcan however indirectly.

However, when Odin "kills" Vulcan, Odin tosses the corpse into the metal vats and pisses in it, which taints and curses the current batches of bullets. The cursed bullets will likely lead to a scandal for the Vulcan Industry business (assuming it still persists after Vulcan's apparent death) and damage their public image and confidence, which will affect the (indirect) worship of Vulcan.

So, I just saw this posted on BOLS..

http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2017/11/geekery-american-gods-creators-leave-the-series.html

Basically, the show's original creators up and quit.

I thought the first season was good, hope they get some good people on board to do the next one.

Ah that's a pity.