The Source of Laura Moon’s Strength

Published June 7, 2017 · Updated July 6, 2022

So far I am enjoying the show. I think the tone is about right for Neil Gaiman having both darkness and whimsy.

The opening Coming to America scene

I think what the show is trying to convey with these is the experience of being told a story by a story teller. What you are being shown is what the story-teller wants you to see – these storys are supposed to be over the top and embellished. I think that the first episodes intro with the highly stylised violence did a really good job of keying us into this. I feel a little like this is introducing new vocabulary to the audience which is always a risky thing to do.

With regards to the intro Vulcan scene. I watched the episode again to see to make sure of my impressions. I can see people getting upset about this. My impression on the second watching though was that the whole think with the music and the shooting in the air looks really really cool. I can see allusions to fascism there but I can also see that the people look grim, honest and not completely unkind. It might be worth pointing out that I am not an American.

If I recall correctly Vulcan either was in the 10th aniversary edition briefly or discussed in the preface to that edition as something that Neil thought (like jesus) that didn’t make it into the book. Also pretty sure that he isn’t dead permantly. I liked the actor. I think this subplot will be important in future seasons when we get to spend a significant amount of time in a town that has very similiar god / human dynamics. (boy does this show do a lot of forshadowing).

With the Selim(?) character. In an interview the showrunners said that they expanded that role because they liked the onscreen chemistry of the actor.

Mad Sweeney

I am pretty sure he will end up dying like he did in the book. Having this happen in the season 1 finale seems a bit rushed to me but could still happen.

Laura Moon

I quite like her as a character and I at least find myself quite sympathetic towards her. I find it interesting that she is so polarizing. Try this for a theory: I think that laura’s superhuman strength comes from her innate ability to disbelieve which could potentially be quite dangerous to a creature of supernatural origin. In this realm she can visualise and then make it happen. This would mean that Laura would not have this power against normal humans. So far I don’t recall such a situation.

Danni C.

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