Adapted from Neil Gaiman’s novel of the same name, American Gods follows Shadow Moon as he gets dragged into a war between the Old Gods and the New Gods. After a successful first season, a change of show-runners led to a second season that was not as well-received by critics and fans alike.
The difficulties behind the scenes during the season inevitably meant that the third and final season of American Gods was doomed from the start. The series was canceled after its final episode, “Tears of the Wrath-Bearing Tree,” leaving many fans unsatisfied and several loose ends untied.
10 What Happened To Mr. Wednesday?
In the unintended series finale, Ian McShane’s Mr Wednesday initially dies at the hands of Laura Moon and Mr. World. Chernabog, Shadow, and Mr. World all gather around his body, but as Shadow is later bound to the World Tree to stand vigil for his dead father, Wednesday reappears in a vision. He and Shadow are traveling to the afterlife, on the same plane they met, and it is here that Wednesday reveals his death was all part of a master plan to sacrifice Shadow. With this revelation, he leaps out the plane door, suggesting he is not dead at all. This is the last audiences see of the All Father, leaving fans speculating what he planned to do if he was indeed alive.
9 What Became Of Shadow’s Love Interest, Marguerite?
Shadow’s brief love interest, Marguerite, was his neighbor in Lakeside and a reporter for Lakeside News. She made her last appearance in “The Lake Effect,” the ninth episode of Season 3. After discovering the truth of what is going on with the missing children in Lakeside, including Marguerite’s eldest son Sandy, Shadow attempts to tell Marguerite the truth. She confesses that she’s always suspected what happened to Sandy, but decided to live in the dark so that she had the will to go on. She and Shadow part ways and she is not seen or mentioned again. Does she continue to live ignorant of the happenings in Lakeside?
8 Does Tech Boy Get His Own Back On Mr. World?
Tech Boy has been an interesting, infuriating, yet entertaining character throughout the series, from tormenting Shadow to being the punching bag of both Old and New Gods. However, he really comes into his own in the third season, albeit too late. After Bilquis fries his circuits by showing him the horrors of war, Tech Boy runs a self-diagnostic and determines that he can feel human-like emotions.
After Mr. World traps Tech Boy in a device designed to cage him in his own mind, Tech Boy breaks free and finds Artifact One. The artifact and Tech Boy, Mr. World reveals, are integral to the Shard project, as Tech Boy is the embodiment of human innovation; the bridge between the Old and New gods. All of this is revealed in the final episode, leaving audiences wondering whether Tech Boy will ever use his newfound power to possibly usurp Mr. World.
7 What Will Laura Moon Do Next?
Having killed Wednesday and avenged Mad Sweeney, there is seemingly nothing more for Laura Moon to achieve. She is still motivated by her love for Shadow, and Bilquis knows that the two are soulmates, as demonstrated by Shadow’s decision to save Laura instead of avenging his father’s death (as is Norse tradition). Laura and Liam seem to have chemistry, too, but this is left untouched for the most part. Audiences are left with several questions about what Laura will do next: will she discover Wednesday is alive and Shadow has been sacrificed? Will she save Shadow in some way? What will become of Liam, her companion?
6 What Happened To Shadow Moon?
Audiences know that Shadow was bound to the World Tree, Yggdrasil, and sacrificed for his father’s gains. However, Shadow Moon left behind a ton of unfinished business. It seems he is more than disheartened when he realizes he has yet again been duped by Wednesday, but what is the extent of his feeling? Is he dejected or furious? Moreover, his feelings towards Laura remain unclear, as they do in relation to Marguerite. Wednesday appears heartless as usual, and so is there a possibility that he has a plan to bring Shadow back from the afterlife?
5 Why Did Jinn Disappear, And Where Did He Go?
Jinn was one of many characters from the previous seasons that did not make a reappearance in Season 3, along with Anansi and the surviving Zorya sisters. Actor Mousa Kraish announced that he had not been asked back to work on Season 3, and while this may be because the character does not feature in the portion of the book the third season is based on, audiences couldn’t help but feel confused by his sudden departure.
Seemingly, Jinn had gone on yet another errand for Wednesday, but where he disappeared to was unclear. This is made even more unclear considering Wednesday has been killed, and the next steps of his plan remained a mystery.
4 What Will Happen In The War Between The Old And New Gods?
In the Season 3 finale, there are apparent peace talks between the Old and New Gods, but Mr. World is continuing his devious machinations regarding the Shard project, and Mr. Wednesday has planned to be ‘killed’ from the start. The cliffhanger ending of the episode suggested that the showrunners had planned to delve further into the war in the following season, especially given that Tech Boy had realized who he was, Shadow had been sacrificed, and Bilquis was tasked with finding Shadow’s soulmate to unlock his true strength. Furthermore, it was revealed that Mr. World’s true identity is Loki (albeit it was a small hint many might have missed). This put a new twist on the war between gods, suggesting it would have been larger and more complex than first imagined.
3 Is Death Final In The World Of American Gods?
It is already clear that people, in some instances, can be brought back from the dead in the American Gods universe; as demonstrated by Laura Moon. The deaths of gods is especially sticky, given that they are rarely killed in mythology let alone in the real world. While it is clear that gods disappear from the world of American Gods if they are no longer worshipped, the likes of
Zorya Vechernyaya and Argus were killed by mortal weapons, making it confusing how death works in relation to the gods. Season 3 left it unsaid how gods truly die, and with Mr. Wednesday seemingly evading death (despite being skewered), the concept is made all the more ambiguous.
2 What Became Of Bilquis?
Bilquis was given a much larger role in the series than in the book, having taken over the role of Shadow’s protector after learning of her purpose from the Yoruba Orishas. In the third season, she heads to The Center of America Motel, where the Old and New Gods are meeting over Wednesday’s corpse. There, she finds Laura and is thankful she found her, as Laura is the key to Shadow’s power.
So Bilquis has become a helper to Shadow, but her role is left there, as the season ends with Shadow’s apparent death and Bilquis doing nothing to help. When she has at last found a purpose her character is left unfinished and undeveloped.
1 Who Is The Bookkeeper, And What Role Does He Play To The Gods?
The Bookkeeper represents money in the world of American Gods and is seen conversing with both Wednesday and Mr. World, suggesting he has no alliances to either side. This therefore makes him an intriguing character, particularly as he is able to deny both gods what they want with no ramifications. Unfortunately, his character is barely touched upon, and is left as an unexplored anomaly by the time the show ends. He appears like an accountant type, and so it is possible to suggest he is the one who enables the gods to go about their business depending on the amount of worship and sacrifices they receive. Still, it is a shame he was not developed more.