“Head Full of Snow” does not begin the same way as the previous two episodes of American Gods.  Instead of the prologue revolving around how a particular god came to America, it focuses on a present-day story of Egyptian gods Anubis and Bast ushering a woman into the afterlife.

This created an interesting bookend to the episode, where it began with one woman’s acceptance of her own mortality and ended with the revelation that Shadow’s wife, Laura, has rejected hers and has climbed out of her grave.

Some scenes that were not in the book revolving around Mad Sweeney (Because who does not enjoy an angry, giant leprechaun?) which filled in some gaps in the chain of events involving Laura’s resurrecting, as well as what the loss of his coin means to him.

Speaking of coins, one of my favorite scenes in the book is when the moon is plucked from the sky and becomes a coin.  It is such an interesting concept, and I was worried if they were going to be able to visually pull it off.  I am happy to report that it is every bit as impressive as I hoped it would be.

We also got to see a bit more of Mr. Wednesday’s conman lifestyle.  His small-time short-changing a clerk to his major bank robbery showcased his range as a swindler.  Ian McShane’s charm is perfect for a man who can lie his way through anything, and I cannot wait to see how they continue to utilize him.