Laura & Mad Sweeney Should Hook Up On 'American Gods'

It's pretty obvious on American Gods that Mad Sweeney wants Laura's attention. Though they're often pettily bickering and exchanging insults, for Sweeney it seems a lot more like a schoolyard crush. Their chemistry has earned them a fair few shippers, but will the subtext in that relationship ever become text? Will Laura and Sweeney have sex on American Gods?

There's definitely an attraction between them, at least on Sweeney's side. His feelings for Laura are certainly complicated; she reminds him strongly of the woman who first brought him to America, Essie MacGowan, and he's also dealing with a lot of guilt for being complicit in Laura's death. But despite all that history, it also just seems like Sweeney likes Laura; he always has an eye on her in the background of scenes, and he's insistent upon finding a way to keep her alive.

It was Mad Sweeney's lucky magic coin that brought Laura back to life in the first place. And when they first met in Season 1, he swore he'd take it back from her at any cost — only to willingly sacrifice the coin to her in "A Prayer for Mad Sweeney" when it looked like she was going to die again. There's some deep emotional stuff going on between them, even if it's often camouflaged behind a wall of attitude. And that's all well and good, but are they going to hook up or what?

Sweeney would probably be down, at least going by a blink-and-you'll-miss-it hint dropped into Episode 2. In "The Beguiling Man," Sweeney and Laura decide to travel by "hoard," which basically involves painfully teleporting through Mad Sweeney's brain. While they're shrieking and spinning to their new destination, there are a few very quick glimpses of Laura and Sweeney having sex. Reddit user iMangeshSN slowed the footage down to a snail's pace, which is the only way to catch the frame or two of action.

Were those scenes Sweeney's fantasy? Were they a premonition of things to come? It's not entirely clear, especially because the episode didn't linger on the revelation. But they did confirm that sex with Laura was on Sweeney's mind. Getting a grasp on her feelings is more difficult, because more often than not, she seems irritated by Sweeney and focused intensely on her ex-husband Shadow Moon. Still, antagonistic hookups have been the bread and butter of media since time immemorial. It's easy to see how that kind of prickly chemistry could turn into something else, if the circumstances were right.

And the circumstances may be right in "The Ways of the Dead." Though Laura and Sweeney went their separate ways early in Season 2 to take on different missions, they'll be back together in New Orleans by Episode 5. They've gone there to meet with an "old devil" called the Baron who might be able to revive Laura more permanently. When Sweeney explains that he wants to turn Laura's clock back, the Baron and his associate suggest a trade that combines "business and pleasure."

Some fans have speculated that Laura and Sweeney will have sex as part of the ritual that resurrects her. Something like that wouldn't be out of place on American Gods, which is known for its bizarre and boundary-pushing sex scenes. And it would be one way to get Laura and Sweeney in bed together without compromising her continuing feelings for Shadow. But it's not the only possibility. Laura and Sweeney's storylines have been intertwined since the beginning, so if it took a turn for the romantic, there would be countless ways to make it work.