In Season Three of “American Gods,” dangerous secrets intensify the inevitable war building between the Old Gods of mythology and the New Gods of technology. When Shadow Moon discovers that his boss, Mr. Wednesday, is not only one of the Old Gods but is also his father, Shadow attempts to break away and find his own path. Guided on this spiritual journey by the gods of his black ancestors, the Orishas, Shadow puts down roots in the idyllic, snowy town of Lakeside, Wisconsin — but this small town holds dark and bloody secrets that force him to accept his destiny. Rather than facing a choice between divinity or humanity, Shadow must now decide just what kind of god he wants to be.
For in-depth thoughts on American Gods: The Complete Third Season, please see my colleague Tia Fabi’s review from its original weekly release below:
- Episode One
- Episode Two
- Episode Three
- Episode Four
- Episode Five
- Episode Six
- Episode Seven
- Episode Eight
- Episode Nine
- Episode Ten
- Season Opinion Piece
Video Quality
American Gods: The Complete Third Season arrives on Blu-Ray with a gorgeous AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The levels of detail this presentation is able to eek out is quite striking, as all of the subtle details in the production design are easily identifiable. One thing that will be readily apparent right away is that skin tones appear very natural across the entire cast. There are thankfully no egregious instances of aliasing or compression artifacts detectable here. The color palette runs a bit on the cooler side with the Lakeside setting, but there are plenty of instances of warmer climates and colors cropping up throughout the season. There are some wondrous instances of beautiful colors popping off the screen. Black levels are appropriately deep and give way to a nice amount of detail in shadows. The bright white of the snow does not fall victim to any blooming in this presentation. The Blu-Ray is quite stunning as it brings a meticulously crafted series to life in a gorgeous manner.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with an incredibly active Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track that creates a truly enveloping world. Dialogue always comes through crisp and clear without being stepped on by the powerful score or any sound effects. Kinetic sequences are given the appropriate power in the mix with a forceful showing in the low end. Ambient sounds are also precisely placed in the rear channels. There are environmental elements that come from the side channels to make it feel like you are being enveloped. Special consideration should be paid to the series music from Andrew Lockington. His work perfectly sets the tone for the story, and it creates a nicely enveloping sound that draws you further into the show. The audio presentation here is fantastic on all levels.
Special Features
- Road To Epiphany – The Season Three Journey: A 21-minute piece in which the cast and crew discuss the transitional nature of season three, the theme of discovery that emerges this season, where the characters are at the beginning of the season, their journey throughout these ten episodes and much more. It is really worthwhile to hear directly from the performers about their arcs and what they have gained from this season.
- Meet The New Gods Of Season Three: A nearly 17-minute piece which explores the new faces in season three, how they impact the character we already know and love, the desire to have a cast representative of the world, the traits these performers bring to their roles and more.
- Five Questions For The Cast: A nine-minute piece which poses questions to our cast such as “Describe the season in emojis”, what they would put in a Lakeside survival kit, things from the world they wish were real and more. This is a more lighthearted piece that shows off another side of the cast members.
Final Thoughts
American Gods has always been a great show, but it reached special new heights in this incredible third season. The fact that it ended up being the final season seems like a grave injustice, but short of a miraculous resurrection we must appreciate these fantastic episodes that we were lucky enough to experience. From characters we have loved from the beginning to new faces that made an impact right away, this season delivered moments we will never forget. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released this latest season on Blu-Ray with a stunning A/V presentation and a couple of supplemental features that fans should enjoy. Now let’s get to work advocating for a fourth season, shall we? Highly Recommended
American Gods: The Complete Third Season will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on July 27, 2021.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
