Welcome to Multiversity Comics’ coverage of Lovecraft Country! This is a show that’s always swinging for the fences but while that’s admirable, it’s also batting about .500.
1. I Just Don’t Know
Every week, I think “this is the episode where I have less to say about this show” and every week I prove myself wrong. There’s just so much to engage with and it’s all so complex and layered and the exercise is really a delight. This week, though, I think I actually have less to say. I want to say I loved “Jig-A-Bobo.” There was a lot to love in Lovecraft Country’s eighth episode. It showcases the whole ensemble, giving each and every member of the cast a moment to shine and they all meet their moments. The story is clearly building toward its conclusion and the narrative construction of this whole thing is really great. The finer details are as strong as they’ve ever been. Still, though, there’s something missing. There are too many things that just don’t work very well. And they don’t not work because they’re admirably ambitious or because they’re morally complicated. They’re just weird and make the show worse than it could be.
2. Misha Green: Triple Threat
As per usual, Misha Green pulls both writing and producing duties on “Jig-A-Bobo” but this marks a new venture for the show runner as she sits in the director’s chair. We know that Green is an incredible writer and she’s certainly got raw directing talent but this is a debut and it shows. Some of the imagery is incredibly on the nose. Some of it is very clearly inspired by other things which is fine on principle but in practice it doesn’t find the right balance between homage and derivative. Sometimes the issues are as basic as seeing the same exact shot type 3 or 4 times in a row (I’m specifically thinking about the three successive middle shots with slow zooms that happen at the episode’s climax). To be fair to Green, this is a broadly well-directed episode and much stronger than much of what we get on television. It’s just not quite up to the standard they’ve set. This is the type of move that you can easily pull off in a long running drama but not quite when it’s a 10-episode miniseries.
3. It’s All About Power
We get more Ruby and Christina content this week and it gives us both an interesting peek into their motivations and the weirdest (worst?) moment of the series thus far. On Christina’s end, we learn that the only living (and white) Braithewhite is seeking immortality- something her father only dreamed of. She’s making mysterious moves to make sure that happens and she honestly doesn’t care about what it takes for her to get what she wants. It’s a classic villain situation though its infused with a certain charm from Abbey Lee and an relatable (and hyper-distorted) motivation. Ruby, meanwhile, feels torn between being in the Black community as they (and she) grieve and the freedom she has to live unburdened as a white woman. She wants that freedom so badly that she sleeps with William (a transformed Christina living out her own power fantasies in case you forgot). That sex scene is probably my least favorite thing that I’ve seen on television this year. The premise is fine but the bloody shedding of white skin and transformation back into Ruby feels like it’s going for a symbolism that doesn’t actually exist. I like Ruby and I like Christina. Both are complex characters with great actresses portraying them (especially Wunmi Mosaku) and their arcs are actively interesting. This week, they’re explored through extremely obvious dialogue and, again, pure weirdness this week.
4. Diana Has a Moment
The brutal murder of Emmett Till is one of the most infamous and horrible instances of racial violence in modern American history. In the world of Lovecraft Country, that also makes an impact on his close friend, Diana Freeman. This is the first time Jada Harris has gotten the spotlight on this show and boy does she know what to do with it. She brings a layered, powerful, dynamic performance that very few adults can pull off. The actual story, though, doesn’t quite work. The opening is very strong: Diana’s father is dead, her mother is god-knows-where (space), and now her friend has been lynched. Diana can hardly contain her grief and rage and she doesn’t feel like there’s anyone that can support her. Then, as she runs from all of the adults in her life, she’s cornered by evil magic police, only traumatizing her further. From there, though, things go downhill as Diana is stalked by what seem to be demons that look like twin Black girls. Listen, some people probably found these little girls very scary and effective. To me, though, they were silly and a bit of a nuisance. Harris sells it well but on the whole, Diana’s storyline is a stinker.
5. Tic and Leti Hold it Down
Jurnee Smolett and Jonathan Majors are unbelievably good together. They’ve been the heart of Lovecraft Country and the center of its narrative. This week, they’re also its saving grace. Here are the basic beats of their stories this week: Tic and Montrose reconcile, Ji-Ah shows up and warns Tic he’s going to die, and Leti tries to get Christina to make Tic invulnerable but instead Christina makes their unborn child invulnerable. Oh, and also Tic got dragged into a portal to the future last week and sent right back after being handed a copy of the novel “Lovecraft Country” written by his son. It’s a doozy and it’s literally all good. The standout here is Tic and Montrose’s heart to heart, which also gives us that time travel revelation. I think a big part of why all of this material works so much more than everything else is that it’s dealing with its themes through smart narrative decision making instead of making subtext text. Tic, Leti, and Montrose are all afraid of Tic’s impending doom and it’s engaging to watch them engage with that in different ways. Far more effective than if we just watched them talk about death. Then there’s that climax. The CPD shows up at Leti’s house and the cops start shooting through the windows. Soon enough, Tic shows up and just before he’s shot, one of the monsters from episodes one and two shows up and gobbles those police right up, protecting Leti and Tic. The end is actually similar to the series premiere: Tic and Leti are covered in blood from monsters eating cops that are a threat to their lives. The circumstances they’re in this time around are very different though. I’m very excited to see where this part of the show is going and hopeful that the rest can catch up.
