I always give HBO shows a chance. I believe that their shows really only reach a certain demographic but I fall in that demographic so I’ll always give them a chance. I’ve known about Lovecraft Country since 2018 only because it has been on Jordan Peele’s IMDB which I have consistently checked for upcoming projects since the release of Get Out. I looked up the book to find that it is a story that is heavily influenced by both H.P. Lovecraft and many pulp stories back during the mid-1900s. But the show also deals with race relations and attempts to convey the feeling of oppression that many people have gone through back during both the mid-1900s and today. I have yet to read the book (I probably will at some point), but I did get excited for the show with Jordan Peele involvement and when I saw that showrunner Misha Green was a very well acclaimed writer which did also help. Also I love the entire pulp nature that the show was going for. Even if the show wasn’t on HBO I could see how its style might still attract my attention. The show is now out and while it’s very flawed I still had a blast watching through it.
The general story of the show largely follows Atticus and Letitia and their families as they experience horrors from the world of magic and the real world with the racism that it holds.
The season of an overarching story about Atticus’ connection to the world of magic but most episodes have their own adventures with some having more connection to the overall story than others.
First for the positives. The show’s characterization is incredible with some of the best actors playing them. For the most part you can understand where each character is coming from but even if the show might falter with a character it is quick to make it up. This is with the exception of the white racist characters and I don’t think you really need to defend those perspectives. Those characters come from a place of hate and they don’t really need to be explained more than that. Also the show just looks good. Even when heavily animated the show always goes for the strong artistic direction rather than the realistic which makes it so appealing to look at. I will also applaud that while the show does lean heavily into the supernatural, it never loses track of the very real world implications of what’s going on in the story and will always try to circle it back around. A lot of credit goes to Misha Green who had a writing credit in every single episode and is able to expertly guide the rest of the writing team into what the show is trying to say. Also the art designers were able to create some beautiful designs. My personal favorite episode is the eighth, Jig-Babo, which was directed by Misha Green. The episode follows what happened after Diana’s (Atticus’ cousin) best friend was found lynched and dead. This boy is named Emmett Till who is a real kid that died at the time and this real world fact helps add to the urgency of the show’s message. This episode just does a good job of showing how a girl is dealing with the loss of a friend while also contemplating the reason why (being the color of their skin). I am a white man and I will never understand what it’s really like to be or grow up black, but the episode does do a great job giving you the idea of how bad it can be and to make you care if you are white. Also the way that the episode (as well with many others) deals with police is such a real world reminder that it does stir up some really powerful emotions. The episode is just expertly made with its monsters being simple but the most effective in any horror media in quite some time. If you’ve seen the episode all I need to say is “Dancing girls.” The dancing girls fucked me up. Thanks Misha Green.
But the show is far from perfect. Firstly, I do think that when you are going for the monster of the week type format you are opening yourself up for episodes standing out more than others. While a more ongoing type story format, it’s easier to forgive less stand out episodes because it’s all leading to something. For Lovecraft Country a lesser episode does matter. Also the transition between episode two and three is jarring. At first I thought the entire season would be like a road trip type story but when it transitioned to a more monster of the week type thing it threw me off. While I think this more pulp inspired format works out for the show in the long run, I was a little disappointed by the sudden change. Next, for the longest time I’ve felt like HBO shows have thrown in these sex scenes just because they could get away with it. For the last couple years I thought that they had moved away from that but Lovecraft Country does steer back into it (more specifically with episode five). I don’t think of myself as prudish but something I always ask myself is: When does what’s being shown to me not add anything? This does happen with some of the sex scenes and it can feel like the show becomes soft core porn. Trust me, there is nothing more uncomfortable than watching something for the story and then it starts to feel like you are watching PornHub. This is more in episode five, titled A Strange Case, which has some sex scenes that do add to the story but than there is some just make you scratch your head, like one where it takes place minutes after a son beating the shit out of his father and it was just weird. Also episode five has me feeling really mixed in general. There are some powerful ideas and subject matter but it doesn’t always feel well structured. There is a character where I can say he really gets what’s coming at the end (shoe in the ass) but it did feel like it needed more building up. This is disappointing because this episode has the most compelling idea, a black woman gets a potion that turns her into a white woman, that’s a great idea and I don’t care what anyone says. It just feels like it would’ve done better if it was more disconnected from the main story and with less sex stories. The episode really just felt more exploitative the more I thought about it. This is also disappointing because the next episode has probably more explicit content but it is actually well handled and important to the story. I do think that a sexually explicit scene can add to a show or movie, but you also need to know when to cut it. The thing is I’m not really sure how much this is the show’s fault. I have always theorized that HBO has a mandate for some of their shows to show more skin simply because it is a selling point for the network. I can’t really prove that but it just happens so often with their shows that I find it pretty likely. Lastly, I’m just not sure how well the show sticks the landing. It does check all the boxes when it comes to filmmaking, but I just left the show not feeling that fulfilled. I think as time goes on I’ll feel either feel worse or better about it, but it’s just one of those that seems like it wants me to feel more than it actually is. I think it’s largely because the show’s ending feels like its leaves room for more development that we just didn’t get. I’m assuming they wanted the season to have its own ending in the case of them not getting renewed for a second season but this came at the cost of a conclusion that ultimately felt rushed. There are so many developing plotlines in the show that feel like they are supposed to last years but then this season suddenly wanted to have a concluding chapter that felt like it cut everything short. I wish I could explain more but I don’t want to spoil anything because I do think that the show will still have an audience even with its flaws.
Would I recommend Lovecraft Country? To classic horror fans, absolutely. I think people will get a kick out of some of these episodes while also getting some worthwhile messages that are extremely relevant despite when this show takes place. If you just want something that explores race relations this will have a lot to offer you. If you don’t do well with scares, this will be too much for you. The first couple might be fine, but you will eventually be turned off. If you just don’t do well with explicit content, you won’t be able to work with this but chances are you don’t watch that many HBO shows anyway. If you’ve been watching HBO shows for a while you’ll enjoy Lovecraft Country.
Despite my issues with the show I still had a great time watching it. While the monster of the week structure might hurt the show at some points it also does work in the shows favor. If you have some issues with one episode there the stuff you didn’t like might be disconnected enough for you to be able to enjoy the next. one. If anything, the show makes me excited to see what developer Misha Green will do next. The show displays some incredible talents in front of and behind the camera and it’s easy to impresiate. Though I’m not quite sure what a second season will look like I’m willing to come back to see what happens. This is a very flawed show, but it has a lot of good stuff going on.
