Every now and then, being the color commentarian and laptop bag caddy for the Blerdmom brings certain benefits.
The fantastic people at Blerdcon invited the Blerdmom and me to a Blerdcon Exclusive Event — a sneak preview of HBO’s new show, Lovecraft Country. Show runner and director, Misha Green brings us an adaptation of Matt Ruff’s book of the same name. The episode we saw was an extremely polished, but unfinished pilot set to debut on August 16th. Having thoroughly enjoyed HBO’s adaptation of Watchmen, we were thrilled to be in on the ground floor of a new HBO show. We were NOT disappointed.
Premieres August 16th
An Unexpected Beginning
A clue given by the show’s title, Lovecraft, conjures thoughts of the unexpected, the unknown, and the weird. The show opens with a fantastic and psychedelic dream sequence which had us eager to see what happens next. We find our protagonist: ex-Korean war vet, science fiction addict, and glasses-wearing bookworm, Atticus Turner, waking from his dream in the back (of course) of a sweltering bus leaving the Jim Crow south on his way to Chicago. Giving the Kentucky border the middle finger, Misha Green leads of her show reminding us how far we’ve traveled, and how far we have to go as black Americans living in a post-George Floyd, COVID-19 plagued America. The show begins with Atticus’ bus stalled on the side of the road. He and a black lady watch their white companions hitch a ride to the next stop, while they are forced to walk.
Misha Green uses this technique throughout the show giving us set pieces that serve as reminders of how things really were. The show’s pilot follows the book’s early chapters with some minor shifts. Atticus eventually makes it to Chicago, summoned home by his father to pursue a lead to his birthright; some new knowledge about his late mother’s mysterious past. The hot Chicago summer feels like it should — loud L trains, kids playing in a spouting fire hydrant — and feels like 1954. The set is beautiful and feels hot when Atticus climbs the fire escape to his uncle’s house. Atticus arrives just in time to interrupt his Uncle George, publisher of the Safe Negro’s Travel Guide, played by Courtney B. Vance and Aunt Hippolyta, played by Aunjanue Ellis, having a bit of morning delight.
It doesn’t take long for the clouds of suspicion to settle in. Atticus is back home, but his father is nowhere to be found. Atticus confides to his Uncle George about receiving his dad’s cryptic letter, indicating that he’s found his mother’s hometown in Arkham, Massachusetts. Uncle George’s quick thinking discovers that the actual place is called Ardham, somewhat deflating Atticus’ ideas of Lovecraftian thoughts of a sinister place. Atticus retraces his dad’s steps and learns that his dad skipped town with a polished looking white man driving a slick, distinct, silver car.
After a night of partying and dancing in the streets, Atticus tells his Uncle George he’s going after his dad. As publisher of the Safe Negro’s Travel Guide, Uncle George decides to come along. Besides, there’s a nice restaurant he wants to check out for The Guide. When Atticus arrives to set out, he finds his childhood friend and badass, Letitia, packing her things in Woody. Woody is Uncle George’s trusty, red, wood-paneled Packard. Also a bookworm, Letitia was the only girl in their local SciFi book club. Uncle George and Atticus plan drop Letitia off at her brother Marvin’s house on their way. It’s now a quest.
On Our Way to Lovecraft Country
The trip from Chicago to Ardham is one of my favorite parts of the episode. Misha Green creates a scenic montage of cuts featuring our trio driving the Packard across middle America. She shows highlights of their trip along the way. It’s Americana. It’s good and bad. We watch Atticus, Letitia, and Uncle George venture on the open road. We watch them laugh and sing, we see them stop to get gas and ice cream; and for three black travelers, we also see the slights and microaggressions of separate but equal racism along the way. In a truly brilliant touch, James Baldwin’s spoken word is played while the Packard, headlights on, is cruising over a stretch of lonely road at night. It’s my favorite scene in this episode.
Lovers of the book (I’ve become one of those people) may have some small knits with Letitia’s and Hippolyta’s agency, but Letitia did not disappoint in this episode. As with any trip during the Jim Crow era, black motorists had to be concerned with more than highway safety. In one of the pilot’s more climactic scenes, Letitia’s quick-thinking and wheel-handling skills saved Uncle George’s and Atticus’ life after a poor dining choice. Misha Green’s chase scene is just as exciting and visually pleasing as it was in my imagination. As the episode comes to a close, it was Letitia again, saving Uncle George’s and Atticus’ skin when we are left wondering who the scariest monsters are in this world.
At the end of Lovecraft Country, I felt like our heroes. After a long, summer road trip through the hot midwest, encounters with racists, and a couple of brushes with death I found myself panting. I was happy I made the trip, satisfied I got to my destination still intact, and…wondering who the real monsters are in this world.
Lovecraft Country premieres on HBO on August 16th. Don’t miss it. You’ll be in for a wild and fantastic ride.
Make sure you listen to the Blerdmom’s latest podcast about the show, and our post-show reactions with fellow nerds from Blerdcon.
