Welcome to Multiversity Comics’ coverage of Lovecraft Country! This is the buzziest HBO debut since last year’s Watchmen and I am thrilled to report that it absolutely lives up to the hype. The quality of this premier is stratospheric and there are almost too many reasons for that to list them here but let’s give it a shot.
1. A Superlative Premiere
What do you get when you cross the pulpy fiction of H.P. Lovecraft with a rich drama about a Black family in Jim Crow America? Something a little indescribable in the best ways. There are about a million things to say about Lovecraft Country, HBO’s newest series, adapted from the 2016 Matt Ruff novel of the same name, essentially all of which fall under the umbrella of “this is incredible.” Lovecraft Country follows Atticus “Tic” Freeman, as he and his family traverse Jim Crow America to find Tic’s mysterious, missing father. There’s a lot in the DNA of Lovecraft Country and while all of its influences might coalesce into something messy in different hands, writer and creator Misha Green (one of the few Black woman showrunners in Hollywood) ably balances all of them, pulling together something masterful. This is a premiere that from its first insane, surreal moments serves as a gripping display of artistry. On all levels, from the musical cues, costume design, and cinematography to the dialogue, performances, and direction, Lovecraft Country works unbelievably well.
2. The 2020 Dream Team
It’s rare that a cast is so clearly and immediately one of the best on television but Lovecraft Country’s truly fits the bill. Throughout the episode’s introduction, we’re introduced to a number of members of the Freeman family, all of whom immediately feel full and interesting but we spend the majority of the episode with just three: Tic, his uncle, George, and his cousin, Leti. The primary Jonathan Majors (Da 5 Bloods, The Last Black Man in San Francisco) tries out the role of leading man for the first time to great effect. As Korean War veteran and H.P. Lovecraft enthusiast Tic, Majors anchors the show with a calm, strong energy. Jurnee Smolett (Birds of Prey) plays the fierce and free-spirited Leti with proper aplomb. Smolett is an absolute powerhouse who plays Leti’s conflicting strength and desperation beautiful and she’s most definitely an early contender for series MVP. Rounding out the trio is Courtney B. Vance (The People v. O.J Simpson), who plays George with expected grace. The three have superb chemistry and bring the feeling of a real family. That chemistry is on special display in small moments: Leti singing defiantly in her father’s face and Tic and Leti making fun of George while he sits in the car. Seeing these performances get fleshed out even further is going to be an absolute pleasure.
3. Dynamic Blackness
Often, when a story is being told about racism and the Black experience in America, the two are treated as synonymous with one another. To a certain extent, that makes sense- it’s impossible to be Black without experiencing racism in its many forms- but at the same time, Black life is so much more full and interesting than that. One of the many, many incredible things that Lovecraft Country does is illustrate the fact that racism is inescapable without making it all consuming. The show gives us a display of Blackness (particularly in Jim Crow America) notable for its dynamism. Black families joke and tell stories and argue. Black children play in the street as a fire hydrants sprays cool water and their community has a concert. The shadow of racism looms large but it doesn’t erase everything else that makes up Black life. Green does incredible work writing those truths and director Yann Demange does excellent work in literally framing it.
4. Racism as Horror
There’s a moment about halfway through “Sundown” where Tic, Leti, and George are run out of a small town by a three-man militia after having the audacity to sit in its diner in hope of getting some lunch. It’s framed like a sequence in an action movie where our heroes are fugitives who get found out and have to pull of an escape just in the nick of time. The scene is horrifying and thrilling and overall incredibly strong. Then, the last 20 minutes or so of the episode outdoes that, giving us some of the television that’s aired this year. When the family pulls over in the woods to find a road that they’ve missed, a police car slowly pulls into view in the background. What follows is an absolutely chilling sequence in which Tic has to negotiate with the county sheriff so that he and his family might escape the county before sundown so that they won’t be lynched. They manage to pull it off but are still cut off by his deputies and brought into the woods. From there, the show pivots almost fully into pulp-town in a great sequence with stellar visual effects and a standout moment for Leti. That county escape scene, though, is significantly scarier than the literal monsters that it precedes. The sheriff’s presence is heart-stopping and the escape isn’t fun at all- we feel desperation along with the Freeman family- praying that they won’t be caught. When they pass the county line, before its revealed that they’ve been tricked, the release is intense. That displays the strength of Lovecraft Country in spades; this is a series whose scariest monsters aren’t literal vampire juggernauts but sheriffs and their deputies. The command of tension here also shows that we’re in for something truly great moving forward. Empathy is commanded, not requested and so this isn’t a story where racism is something that we just know is happening but one where we feel it deeply.
5. What’s the Final Destination?
Thematically, it’s very easy to tell what Lovecraft Country is going for. Narratively? Not so much. And that’s a very good thing. This show stands out from the pack not only in its performances and themes, but in the fact that its unpredictable if you haven’t read its parent text. The mysterious white woman in the fancy white car that saves out heroes and whose house they seem to find at the episode’s conclusion are genuinely intriguing and while their purpose is easy enough to look up, this show is good enough that I want it to hold me completely. It’s exciting to not see where a story is going from its first moments; I hope you’ll stick around while we figure it out.
