Lovecraft Country (Spoilers SHOW ONLY - no book spoilers)
Who else watched the first episode? I'm really liking it so far - excellent blend of supernatural horror and the all to real horror of being a black person in the US in the 50's. I read the book and liked it a lot, so maybe I was pre-disposed to like this.
I assume this is gonna be 10 episodes, right? Cause I could have sworn in the book they didn't get to that mansion until like 1/2 way through the book and they're already there at the end of episode 1, but I could be misremembering.
I assume this is gonna be 10 episodes, right? Cause I could have sworn in the book they didn't get to that mansion until like 1/2 way through the book and they're already there at the end of episode 1, but I could be misremembering.
Comments
Very much looking forwarder to the rest of the season!
I was really pumped about this show, but after that follow up I'm worried it will be just a series of marginally connected anthology stories that will be ok, but confusing as to what they are trying to do.
I guess I really like it because as a white dude it gives me a sense of what African American people in cities might have thought the south was like and the terrors it brings. And I really liked the fact that these people are scarier than the actual monsters that exist. Totally get that it's moving super crazily and is jumping all over the place but maybe looking at it more as a character drama about Black family dynamics and their relationship with racism in this time period. Hope this helps some of you watch and I hope the next couple episodes focus more on Tic and his dad instead of crazy magic!
Right, not saying its a plot hole or anything, it's just a confusing way to tell the story.
Maybe I'm rooting for this show too much but I think some scenes are really incredible and the family dynamic should be really interesting. I'm hoping the whipping around stops when they get back to Chicago though so viewership stays strong and the story can focus more on Tic and his dad.
So far I feel like the show excels when it tackles racism and family issues but the horror aspects feel clumsy. I’m hoping now that they’ve gotten the mansion out of the way it settles into a rhythm.
Still very much enjoying my time with this, though. Definitely saw some of the CG bleeding through.
I think, really, at the bottom of it I was distracted by pacing and some of the magical elements feeling a bit corny compared to the first episode and generally what I expect from HBO.
Definitely the initial feedback had nothing to do with understanding the use of supernatural to create an empathic response in the audience - just that the way the story was presented visually and edited seemed to take me away from that message.
1. I got the impression the memory loss was directly linked to the whistles, with Tic being immune because of his bloodline?
2. What was that scene where Christina Braithwhite delivered a baby shoggoth all about? It had no relevance to the plot of the episode other than to establish them as guard dogs. There was another scene where that was explicitly stated, so I don't see how it was useful. Maybe it will be relevant later?
3. Some of the transitions were confusing. Maybe I missed a beat, but it seemed they cut from Tic, Leti, and George pulling stones out of the basement of the silo--- straight to Montrose (Tic's dad) punching his way out of the ground with Tic and crew walking up behind him on the surface.
4. Montrose is exactly the asshole Tic remembered.
5. The black wisps that appear to turn everyone to stone in the ritual (save Tic) seems to emanate from the ring that Christina put on his finger.
6. They've established that the Braithwhite manor is one of many houses belonging to this cult. I don't think they're gonna be returning to Chicago, or if they do I imagine it will be short lived.
7. How fucked up was the voyeur party of hallucinations? Was that Tic's mom George was dancing with? The Korean woman who attacks Tic is played by the same actor from the opening scene of episode 1 which seemed to be a dream Tic was having. (She decends from the space ship.)
8. Poor George. He's the Ned Stark of Lovecraft Country.
I think the black stuff came from the ring that Christina Braithwhite gave Tic because it's clear she didn't agree with what her dad was doing, so I thought she put her own spell on it to protect Tic and kill her dad. I was kind of surprised we didn't see her at the end of the episode though.
George's wife "Hippolyta" is played by Aunjanue Ellis.
George calls the lady he dances with "Dora." The role is credited to Erica Tazel. (Rachel Brooks from Justified!)
...and then in E2, none of it mattered. They didn't necessarily act out of character, but the character traits that were established in E1 were just abandoned. The rich world that they created in E1 was replaced by a new world, one that was totally isolated from the one that they worked so hard to establish. What they introduced in place of character and world was...convoluted and rushed, nothing was established - things just happened, mostly without context. It was a jarring departure from the first episode.
Something that I haven't seen anyone comment on...what's with the out timeline music? There was a modern-sounding hip-hop song in E1, and in E2 they played The Jefferson's theme song and then later something that sounded like Marilyn Manson. It's not the first show or movie to use out of timeline music, but it was so pronounced that it makes me wonder if it's meant to be an audible clue to the nature of the world that the show takes place in,...
I guess the implication is that both George and Montrose were in love with Tic's mom (as strengthened by the "he might not be your son" line).