Shadow doesn’t get the welcome he anticipated in Lakeside and has to prove his loyalty to the locals.

OK, let’s immediately address the elephant in the corner – Richie Hinzelmann is now Anne-Marie (Julia Sweeney). We were introduced to her at the end of last week’s episode, but I thought I’d leave that surprise for you. And you know what, once you get past the unexpected gender swap you realise that it’s great casting, with a new dynamic afforded to this important character.

Shadow (Ricky Whittle) finished the previous week with a gun in his back, but it’s just his suspicious neighbour – they don’t get many visitors round these parts. When you read the book you can almost taste the bitter cold, and it’s the same here, as a frozen Shadow kits himself up for the new climate. He also gets a tour of the town, meets the locals, discovers the tradition of the ‘clunker’ and immediately falls under suspicion for something happening in the shadows.

But the show is not just about Shadow, and we spend time with the other players – the gods and monsters. Bilquis, Queen of Sheba, devours a new victim in her inimitable style and immediately finds that they don’t quite agree with her, new god (and dentist) Tyr (American Horror Story’s Dennis O’Hare) is visited by Wednesday on his recruitment drive, and Laura attends a funeral. But the Lakeside adventures are the strongest and most significant.

Verdict: As we discover all things Lakeside, a dark cloud falls over Shadow’s new existence. This isn’t going to be the sanctuary he expected, and we can’t wait to find out why. 8/10