As previously promised by the writer and the showrunners, “American Gods” did not disappoint. In its third episode, the much talked about Starz’s fantasy series artistically incorporated a daring scene. Neil Gaiman penned the gay love story, which everybody is buzzing about, in a good way.
Episode 3 recap
The love story blooms Salim, played by Omid Abtahi, is trying his luck in New York, working hard to earn a penny. He took a cab driven by a Jinn, played by Mousa Kraish an ancient Arab god, whose American counterpart is a genie. The century-old Arab deity immediately felt a certain connection with Salim.
They began to have an intimate conversation about faith and eventually, it went to a higher level of sensuality and lies the center of it is a love story between two men. Present during the screening of the third episode are the Paley Center panel, executive producers Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, together with the actors and author Neil Gaiman who commented after watching that the interpretation of what he wrote into the video has an absolute amazement and joy.
It is all about inspiration
Gaiman has a deep root in creating this sequence. A cab driver in New York who falls asleep while driving because he has been working for 30 straight hours inspired the third episode of “American Gods.” Thinking on how the driver struggles to earn a living, the author’s storytelling ability started to work.
He combined this idea with what he read on “One Thousand and One Nights,” giving a specific attention on Mardrus and Mahdi translations.
Gaiman, as an author thought and learned that there had been several homoeroticisms in the “Arabian Nights” and it is a part of the Arab culture. His inspiration came 18 years ago, and it stuck with him until the time he wrote the gay love story in “American Gods.” In the book, there was only one sequence about Salim and the jinn love story, however in the series, there is a lot more to be expected.
When Gaiman read the script of the third episode of “American Gods,” he said that it was beautifully written, describing the love scene in moving in and out of the dessert. Fuller and Green aim to translate the scene to television in an aesthetic manner without offending those that are not comfortable with the same-sex love affair.
Fuller, being a gay man combined his perspective to Green, as a straight man and a beautiful fusion of a romantic story of two people who found love with each other. Under the direction of Guillermo Navarro, it is the first kissing scene of Kraish, while Abtahi’s second.
They have been friends for almost ten years now, and this factor had a major contribution when they did the love scene. Other contributing factors to the well-made romantic sequel are the idea coming from the filmmakers and the author as well as the shots and the music.
