Anansi sure knows how to make an entrance.
The second of American Gods, āThe Secret of Spoons,ā kicks off with one of the most memorable character introductions in ages. Itās one of the showās ācoming to Americaā vignettes, set aboard a Dutch slave ship on the Atlantic Ocean in 1697, and it highlights that not everyone who arrived in America with their gods came of their own free will. A man named Okoye, shackled and scared, called out to Anansi for help and offered gifts if his prayers were answered.
āLet me tell you a story,ā Anansi started softly. āOnce upon a time, a man got fucked. Now howās that for a story? āCause thatās the story of black people in America!ā
For the next few minutes, the men on the ship (and some of the audience at home) are given a rude awakening. Itās a blunt and candid summation of what black people in America have waiting for them after reaching those shores for the next few hundred years. Although the men on that ship might have no idea what Anansi means when he tells them what will happen, the audience knows exactly what heās talking about.
Anansi is an expert storyteller, and in the hands of Orlando JonesāwhoĀ grew up hearing stories of AnansiĀ long before he readĀ American Godsāheās absolutely captivating. He can enthrall and spin webs, rile up those who listen, or calm them down if he needed to. (In this case, he pulls absolutely zero punches.)
āI was blown away,ā Jones told reporters last month during anĀ American GodsĀ press junket. āI joked when I first read it, I was like, āMan I didnāt know these guys [showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green] were Black Panthers.āā
āItās a brutally honest accounting of obviously the historical elements that come to play,ā Jones continued. āItās in the same way that I think weāre responding to all of our dialogue as the characters in that way that thereās a core resonating through it that we recognize as completely truthful, and youāre almost like, āAre they gonna let us say this?āā
They do that and more as Anansi convinces the men on the ship to kill all of the āDutch motherfuckersā and burn down the ship, which will certainly kill them in the process. And Anansi has a message for them, one that might end up resonating with audiences after the show.
āAngry is good,ā he said. āAngry gets. Shit. Done.ā [x]
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