American Gods episode 4, “Git Gone,” is the first episode this series to provide the backstory of Laura Moon, Shadow’s wife. Like the book, American Gods grips its viewers with shocking introductions of the gods in the first episodes, leaving you with questions and wanting more. It’s nice to finally have some answers as we enter the middle of the season.
Laura and Shadow meet at a casino. She’s a dealer and he’s a con artist with a talent for the slight of hand who tries to swap chips at her table. He goes home with her that night, later they get married and all seems right in the world. One morning, she approaches Shadow with a plan to rob the casino that she works at. Shadow left his life of crime to live a simple life with her and tries to talk her out of it. Feeling unfulfilled lately, she persists and because he would do anything for her, he agrees to the heist. Fast forward and now we know what landed Shadow in prison. He serves double time by taking the wrap to keep Laura out of prison, preserving her innocence.
From the first episode of American Gods, we know that Laura dies in a car accident while having an affair with Robbie, Shadow’s best friend. The affair started when she was feeling vulnerable and lonely after her cat died while Shadow was in prison. It doesn’t make it okay, but we start to understand why she does what she does. She makes it very clear to Robbie that she’s waiting for Shadow and their relationship is nothing but physical.
Laura Meets Anubis
When Laura dies, she is greeted by Anubis and taken to the scales where he is to weigh her heart against a feather to determine her fate in the afterlife. Having none of it, and knowing she lived sort of a shit life, Laura demands to be sent back or sent anywhere but the darkness awaiting her. Amused, Anubis is about to send her off to the darkness anyways but something happens. Laura is sucked back to the earth into her body that lays in its grave. What brought her back to life? Was it Mad Sweeney’s lucky coin that was tossed into her grave by Shadow at the funeral?
Laura emerges from her grave at night, puking up embalming fluid when she finds Shadow hanging from a noose. This was when he was attacked by Technical Boy’s faceless men but somehow survives at the end of the first episode. Feeling the rage and love for her husband, Laura punches one of the men and blows his head clear off in a fantastic spray of blood. With her newfound super strength as a revenant, she rips apart Shadow’s attackers limb by limb. She finishes things off with a Mortal Kombat fatality where she kicks a guy’s spine straight out of his body. American Gods delivers another wonderfully violent yet entertaining bloodfest. She then rips the noose setting Shadow free but does not follow him.
Attempting a Normal Life
In an attempt to return to her normal life, Laura goes home, showers, and tries to sew her arm back on that fell off in the fight. She goes to Audrey’s house (her best friend, and Robbie’s wife) for help. Still, they obviously are not on the best of terms. Laura is picked up again by Anubis and new god Mr. Ibis to be taken to their funeral home (Mr. Ibis narrated the Coming to America stories from the first episode). They tend to her arm and paint the life back into her skin, although it’s only cosmetic. She will still probably continue to rot and has to be careful.
Laura cleans herself up and waits for Shadow at his motel room. This takes us right up to the encounter at the end of last week’s episode, ending this episode in the same place. Emily Browning does a phenomenal job portraying Laura Moon. She’s petite but still capable of much emotional damage to herself and others. I started the series hating her and blaming her for Shadow’s problems. However, her story deserves as much validation as his. If she’s willing to crawl back from the dead and fight for her husband, then I say she deserves the chance.
What did you think of American Gods episode 4? Let us know in the comment section below.
Photo courtesy of Starz.
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