Lovecraft Country - HBO series Official Thread - Premieres August
- Thread starter geechiedan
- Start date
If they do a second season it will be like True Detective with a new cast
Dee been applying pressure to these crackers since they killed the homie Bobo.
You did well.
Episode 8 Syllabus is out
Dee aka Misty Knight said fuck yo privilege!
wrong thread bruh, but they did pick up that first.
Lmaoooo.. my bad
TBH I didn’t like the finale. It was a little to convoluted and left u to figure things out too much.
Man, just dope.
The statement about faith and magic being ours made me think it was super intentional to separate us from our spirituality and replace it with westernized Christianity.
It misguided is to where power truly is and comes from: us, within.
The statement about faith and magic being ours made me think it was super intentional to separate us from our spirituality and replace it with westernized Christianity.
It misguided is to where power truly is and comes from: us, within.
Great show...They could have cut two full episodes worth of filler, babble and dead plot development from the season, but it was still a mind-bending experience that stands on its on. Now, it's time to close the Book of Names and move on. I hope they don't try to milk the current popularity and slap together some half-assed follow-up or try to do a True Detective-style new storyline with different monsters and different magic. Just keep it moving.
if they have access to the magic,
Why not bring tic and ruby back?
Why not bring tic and ruby back?
Imma need time to process this
wow
wow
Jurnee's ass was distracting the f*ck out of me the entire episode.
but are you willing to die to f*ck her?
Last edited:
'Lovecraft Country' Boss Looks Past That Game-Changing Finale: "There's Definitely a Path Forward"
Eli Joshua Ade/HBO
The Hollywood Reporter speaks with showrunner Misha Green about the final episode of the HBO horror drama's first season.
[This story contains major spoilers from the season finale of HBO's Lovecraft Country, "Full Circle."]
Count the dead, cast a spell, say a prayer. However you choose to process what you've just seen, that's a wrap on the first season of Lovecraft Country.
“Full Circle,” directed by Nelson McCormick and written by Misha Green, was true to its name. Lovecraft Country went back to Ardham for another bout with shoggoths, blood rituals, and tragedy: the deaths of three major characters, even if one of them isn't likely to inspire too much heartache. All of it paved the way for a new hierarchy and a promising future for the series, should there be a future for the series; as it stands, HBO has not yet renewed Lovecraft Country for a second season.
Ahead, The Hollywood Reporter speaks with Misha Green for a breakdown of the three major deaths of the finale, the early word on season two (such as it is), and much more.
READ MORE
'Lovecraft Country': What to Expect From the Season Finale
All of the deaths in the season finale were surprising, but first I'm curious about your decision to kill Christina (Abbey Lee) and Ruby (Wunmi Mosaku), and end their storylines where you did.
We talked about the Christina and Ruby relationship and the course of their arc over the season. In the idea of these potions and being able to swap bodies it felt like at the end of the day Ruby would choose her sister, and that would upset Christina who's actually gotten closer to Ruby than she's gotten to anyone in a very long time. So that just felt like the natural progression of that story and that portrayal. And then Christina, she's not invincible anymore, and it just felt like the question of what would happen to her was answered by Dee's robotic arm. (Laughs.)
And then we get to Tic dying. That was the biggest surprise because he's been the lead of the show this whole season, and connected everyone to this world of magic. So how did you arrive at the decision to kill him off?
In the writer's room we talk a lot about this idea of the hero's journey, and what that means. How do you change power structures that are so powerful? And part of that thought was that you have to make sacrifices to change the world. So it was very interesting to us to watch a hero know that's what's coming, and know he has to do that to change the power structure within Lovecraft Country, which is magic, knowing that his sacrifice was going to be worth that. It was just exciting to watch that character go through that, to see this person that had been kind of actively fighting his death the whole season, actually accept it and walk towards it.
READ MORE
'Lovecraft Country': Michael K. Williams on the "Trauma and Pain" of "Rewind 1921"
What's the status of season two? Have you begun writing or any pre-production yet?
I literally just finished season one like three weeks ago. (Laughs.) So yeah, we're not. We're in talks with HBO the possibility of it, but nothing's official.
Should a season two happen, will Jonathan Majors be back in any capacity?
Pleading the fifth. No spoilers. (Laughs.)
Fair enough. Will season two follow the same characters?
Pleading the fifth. No spoilers. (Laughs.) I think that one of the things that was really exciting for me in season one, and working with HBO PR, was really trying to keep every episode as much of a surprise as possible and to let the audience get to go in and experience it. And I feel the same way about season two. There's definitely a path forward that we have, but I definitely want to keep it close to the vest. It was one of the things that was exciting about reading Matt Ruff's book [on which Lovecraft Country is based] for me: every chapter as it was unfolding I was like "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" We want that to be the experience, because that's the best genre experience.
We know that Tic visited the future in a previous episode and he met a hooded woman with a metal arm, and Dee now has a metal arm. Is the woman in the future Dee?
No spoilers! (Laughs.)
READ MORE
'Lovecraft Country': Jonathan Majors Breaks Down Season 1's Time-Bending Penultimate Hour
Shifting subjects a bit. Is there anything from season one that you learned that you'd want to implement in future seasons?
That element of surprise. In season one I think the excitement of going and reclaiming genre space for people of color is definitely kind of the M.O. of the show. So continuing that and expanding that, even just beyond the characters we've met is very exciting to me.
The murder of Yahima in the fourth episode was somewhat controversial this season. So I want to get your thoughts on the intention of that character's death and what you wanted to say through it.
Yeah, I think I tweeted about this, but pretty much my feeling on it was that we were exploring an uncomfortable truth in which oppressed people can also be oppressors. That was the specific thing that we were really going with in terms of “A History of Violence” and the colonists and the colonizers. And it just was not as well thought out as it should have been. It was a storytelling failure on my heart, looking back at it and seeing the reactions to it, and hearing a lot of really good points made about it. But I don't know, I just don't feel like it's a strange thing to admit you failed in a moment, and that you can do better and you will do better.
At the beginning of the season I asked about your cinematic and literary influences for episodes one through five. Would you care to share those influences that you and the writers turned to for episodes six through ten?
Episodes six through ten. Wow. (Laughs.) For six, a lot of war movies. A lot of Judy Garland stuff. We read a lot about kumihos and that whole mythology from Korea. In seven, it was just a plethora of sci-fi movies, every one you can think of. We were just like, what can we pull here for our sci-fi episode? For eight, A Nightmare on Elm Street, which I think I mentioned previously. And recently I really loved It Follows, so we looked at that a lot. Episode nine, time travel. We looked at a lot of time travel stuff and then our minds exploded and we were like, oh my gosh, we've just really got to keep this as simple as possible because there are so many theories and so many things that could happen. And episode ten I think maybe the best example would be the Buffy finales. I think it has that vibe of where you look at a lot of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer finales and you kind of touch on every character, and you have all these quiet scenes, and then you have the big battle at the end. We were like oh okay, now we've just got to settle with these peeps, love them, and then watch them die.
READ MORE
'Lovecraft Country': Nightmares Collide on the Way Toward the Finale
While we wait for a second season, do you have any media recommendations for audiences to tide them over? Not necessarily related to anywhere the story is going, but generally speaking things that people who like Lovecraft Country may want to check out.
I feel like if you like Lovecraft Country I would just encourage people to dive deeper into Black sci-fi writers, like Octavia Butler. And finding people in those horror spaces that are Black and are creating new stories because if you like this one then you'll love what they're doing to.
I've asked all of the central cast members this question in some form or another, but what do you hope that viewers take away from this first season of Lovecraft Country in order to implement real change in terms of our present day situation?
This question is always tough for me because I don't want to tell the audience what to take away from this. I just hope that they take something and that something starts conversation. I think in this moment, we need to talk more, we need to get to some ugly truths, and we need to figure out what are the ways forward. How do we change this system that is affecting all of our lives in a negative way? So I feel like if this show starts conversations, whatever those conversations are, I'm happy.
The Hollywood Reporter speaks with showrunner Misha Green about the final episode of the HBO horror drama's first season.
[This story contains major spoilers from the season finale of HBO's Lovecraft Country, "Full Circle."]
Count the dead, cast a spell, say a prayer. However you choose to process what you've just seen, that's a wrap on the first season of Lovecraft Country.
“Full Circle,” directed by Nelson McCormick and written by Misha Green, was true to its name. Lovecraft Country went back to Ardham for another bout with shoggoths, blood rituals, and tragedy: the deaths of three major characters, even if one of them isn't likely to inspire too much heartache. All of it paved the way for a new hierarchy and a promising future for the series, should there be a future for the series; as it stands, HBO has not yet renewed Lovecraft Country for a second season.
Ahead, The Hollywood Reporter speaks with Misha Green for a breakdown of the three major deaths of the finale, the early word on season two (such as it is), and much more.
READ MORE
'Lovecraft Country': What to Expect From the Season Finale
All of the deaths in the season finale were surprising, but first I'm curious about your decision to kill Christina (Abbey Lee) and Ruby (Wunmi Mosaku), and end their storylines where you did.
We talked about the Christina and Ruby relationship and the course of their arc over the season. In the idea of these potions and being able to swap bodies it felt like at the end of the day Ruby would choose her sister, and that would upset Christina who's actually gotten closer to Ruby than she's gotten to anyone in a very long time. So that just felt like the natural progression of that story and that portrayal. And then Christina, she's not invincible anymore, and it just felt like the question of what would happen to her was answered by Dee's robotic arm. (Laughs.)
And then we get to Tic dying. That was the biggest surprise because he's been the lead of the show this whole season, and connected everyone to this world of magic. So how did you arrive at the decision to kill him off?
In the writer's room we talk a lot about this idea of the hero's journey, and what that means. How do you change power structures that are so powerful? And part of that thought was that you have to make sacrifices to change the world. So it was very interesting to us to watch a hero know that's what's coming, and know he has to do that to change the power structure within Lovecraft Country, which is magic, knowing that his sacrifice was going to be worth that. It was just exciting to watch that character go through that, to see this person that had been kind of actively fighting his death the whole season, actually accept it and walk towards it.
READ MORE
'Lovecraft Country': Michael K. Williams on the "Trauma and Pain" of "Rewind 1921"
What's the status of season two? Have you begun writing or any pre-production yet?
I literally just finished season one like three weeks ago. (Laughs.) So yeah, we're not. We're in talks with HBO the possibility of it, but nothing's official.
Should a season two happen, will Jonathan Majors be back in any capacity?
Pleading the fifth. No spoilers. (Laughs.)
Fair enough. Will season two follow the same characters?
Pleading the fifth. No spoilers. (Laughs.) I think that one of the things that was really exciting for me in season one, and working with HBO PR, was really trying to keep every episode as much of a surprise as possible and to let the audience get to go in and experience it. And I feel the same way about season two. There's definitely a path forward that we have, but I definitely want to keep it close to the vest. It was one of the things that was exciting about reading Matt Ruff's book [on which Lovecraft Country is based] for me: every chapter as it was unfolding I was like "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" We want that to be the experience, because that's the best genre experience.
We know that Tic visited the future in a previous episode and he met a hooded woman with a metal arm, and Dee now has a metal arm. Is the woman in the future Dee?
No spoilers! (Laughs.)
READ MORE
'Lovecraft Country': Jonathan Majors Breaks Down Season 1's Time-Bending Penultimate Hour
Shifting subjects a bit. Is there anything from season one that you learned that you'd want to implement in future seasons?
That element of surprise. In season one I think the excitement of going and reclaiming genre space for people of color is definitely kind of the M.O. of the show. So continuing that and expanding that, even just beyond the characters we've met is very exciting to me.
The murder of Yahima in the fourth episode was somewhat controversial this season. So I want to get your thoughts on the intention of that character's death and what you wanted to say through it.
Yeah, I think I tweeted about this, but pretty much my feeling on it was that we were exploring an uncomfortable truth in which oppressed people can also be oppressors. That was the specific thing that we were really going with in terms of “A History of Violence” and the colonists and the colonizers. And it just was not as well thought out as it should have been. It was a storytelling failure on my heart, looking back at it and seeing the reactions to it, and hearing a lot of really good points made about it. But I don't know, I just don't feel like it's a strange thing to admit you failed in a moment, and that you can do better and you will do better.
At the beginning of the season I asked about your cinematic and literary influences for episodes one through five. Would you care to share those influences that you and the writers turned to for episodes six through ten?
Episodes six through ten. Wow. (Laughs.) For six, a lot of war movies. A lot of Judy Garland stuff. We read a lot about kumihos and that whole mythology from Korea. In seven, it was just a plethora of sci-fi movies, every one you can think of. We were just like, what can we pull here for our sci-fi episode? For eight, A Nightmare on Elm Street, which I think I mentioned previously. And recently I really loved It Follows, so we looked at that a lot. Episode nine, time travel. We looked at a lot of time travel stuff and then our minds exploded and we were like, oh my gosh, we've just really got to keep this as simple as possible because there are so many theories and so many things that could happen. And episode ten I think maybe the best example would be the Buffy finales. I think it has that vibe of where you look at a lot of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer finales and you kind of touch on every character, and you have all these quiet scenes, and then you have the big battle at the end. We were like oh okay, now we've just got to settle with these peeps, love them, and then watch them die.
READ MORE
'Lovecraft Country': Nightmares Collide on the Way Toward the Finale
While we wait for a second season, do you have any media recommendations for audiences to tide them over? Not necessarily related to anywhere the story is going, but generally speaking things that people who like Lovecraft Country may want to check out.
I feel like if you like Lovecraft Country I would just encourage people to dive deeper into Black sci-fi writers, like Octavia Butler. And finding people in those horror spaces that are Black and are creating new stories because if you like this one then you'll love what they're doing to.
I've asked all of the central cast members this question in some form or another, but what do you hope that viewers take away from this first season of Lovecraft Country in order to implement real change in terms of our present day situation?
This question is always tough for me because I don't want to tell the audience what to take away from this. I just hope that they take something and that something starts conversation. I think in this moment, we need to talk more, we need to get to some ugly truths, and we need to figure out what are the ways forward. How do we change this system that is affecting all of our lives in a negative way? So I feel like if this show starts conversations, whatever those conversations are, I'm happy.
Every Burning Question We Have After Lovecraft Country's Season 1 Finale
From Dee's arm to that shocking death.
Eli Joshua Ade/HBO
By Gretchen Smail
Oct. 18, 2020
Spoilers ahead for the Lovecraft Country Season 1 finale. Lovecraft Country's Season 1 finale brought the show full circle, returning Tic and his family to the ruins of Ardham Lodge to confront Christina Braithwaite one last time. But while it tied up some loose ends, it also left quite a few cliffhangers for a potential Season 2. Let's break down everything that happened, and what it all could mean for future storylines.
https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/mindy-kaling-new-hbo-max-series-casts-its-leads
From Dee's arm to that shocking death.
Eli Joshua Ade/HBO
By Gretchen Smail
Oct. 18, 2020
Spoilers ahead for the Lovecraft Country Season 1 finale. Lovecraft Country's Season 1 finale brought the show full circle, returning Tic and his family to the ruins of Ardham Lodge to confront Christina Braithwaite one last time. But while it tied up some loose ends, it also left quite a few cliffhangers for a potential Season 2. Let's break down everything that happened, and what it all could mean for future storylines.
https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/mindy-kaling-new-hbo-max-series-casts-its-leads
Hannah and the Book of Names
The Book of Names has been a mystery all season, and in the finale Tic's ancestor Hannah finally explains what she did with it after stealing it from Titus Braithwaite. She used its spells to hide their bloodline — aka the birthmark they all carry — from other magic users, and created an "ancestral plane" for them in the process. It's in this space that Tic is finally able to reunite with his mother Dora and aunt Hattie, as well as speak directly to Hannah. The women explain that Hannah's been working on a special binding spell for a century that will "change everything" by preventing white people from ever using magic again.
Did Tic Actually Kill Titus?
Once back in the land of the living, Tic and Leti head back down to Titus' tomb to summon him in a salt circle. Tic needs a physical connection between him, Titus, and Christina to make Hannah's spell work, so he literally carves out a piece of Titus' flesh (to later eat, very unfortunately). It's not clear if Tic's actions actually "killed" Titus though. Is it possible to kill a ghost?
Eli Joshua Ade/HBO
Are Tic's Ancestors Gone?
After encountering Titus, Leti and Tic say a spell that causes Dora, Hattie, and Hannah to disappear in a cloud of smoke, making it unclear where they went. Did they just return to the ancestral plane, where they can be contacted again? Or did the emotional music hint that they're now free to move on to the afterlife after having passed their knowledge to Tic and Leti?
What Does Hippolyta's Comic Book Mean?
Back at home, a now blue-haired Hippolyta reveals to Dee that she has a polished version of Dee's Orinthya Blue comics. This is probably one of the most intriguing parts in the episode, as the "Afua" who Hippolyta mentions is in fact Afua Richardson, the Eisner-winning creator of Black Panther World of Wakanda and current artist on Lovecraft Country. It's Richardson who's been crafting the comic books that Dee hands out in the show, and the fact that Hippolyta names her opens an interesting question: is Hippolyta still able to jump across the multiverse? And did she actually visit our own world?
Why Wasn't Ruby at Her Mom's Funeral?
As Ruby and Leti gear up to take on Christina, Ruby finally reveals why she didn't go to their mom's funeral: a longstanding issue that caused a rift between the sisters. Ruby was in jail at the time, but we don't know why.
Eli Joshua Ade/HBO
Is Ruby Dead?
Leti's joy over reconnecting with Ruby is ruined the moment Christina reveals she's been posing as Ruby during their whole trip. She also claims that she killed Ruby for trying to steal her blood for the spell. (Side note: this makes that joyful scene of them all singing in the car feel like a complete travesty). But we don't actually see Ruby's body, and even if she is dead or in a coma, is it possible the Book of Names can reverse it?
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Is Tic Dead?
With the existence of magic and time travel, nothing seems permanent in the world of Lovecraft Country, but as of right now it does look like Tic is really dead. Christina mentions that she used the energy released when William died to create the spell for her transmutation potion; similarly, Tic realizes he needs to generate that energy to set Hannah's spell into motion. So he sacrifices his life, and in the end it's Ji-Ah who weaves the spell together. She uses her Kumiho tails to literally bind Christina's body to Tic, who had already consumed Titus' flesh. She acts as a conduit, helping Leti to finally seal Christina's — and white people's — magic forever.
It's a tragedy that undeniably binds Ji-Ah and the rest of his family together, which potentially sets the stage for a whole host of new relationships in Season 2.
What Happened to Dee's Arm?
Though Leti, Tic, Dora, and Hattie use magic to save Dee's life while in the ancestral plane, for whatever reason it fails to keep her arm from rotting. In the final moments of the show, Dee reveals that she had it amputated and in its place is a powerful mechanical arm, presumably built by Hippolyta. It's strong enough to finally kill Christina, but how Dee will use that arm in the future remains to be seen.
Beyond all of that, there are a few other mysteries. Why did Leti's invulnerability mark reappear, for example? And what was the significance of Tic's baptism? Whatever happens next, Lovecraft Country boldly ventured into practically every genre in its first season, and there are clearly enough threads leftover to keep people hooked until Season 2.
Did Tic Actually Kill Titus?
Once back in the land of the living, Tic and Leti head back down to Titus' tomb to summon him in a salt circle. Tic needs a physical connection between him, Titus, and Christina to make Hannah's spell work, so he literally carves out a piece of Titus' flesh (to later eat, very unfortunately). It's not clear if Tic's actions actually "killed" Titus though. Is it possible to kill a ghost?
Eli Joshua Ade/HBO
Are Tic's Ancestors Gone?
After encountering Titus, Leti and Tic say a spell that causes Dora, Hattie, and Hannah to disappear in a cloud of smoke, making it unclear where they went. Did they just return to the ancestral plane, where they can be contacted again? Or did the emotional music hint that they're now free to move on to the afterlife after having passed their knowledge to Tic and Leti?
What Does Hippolyta's Comic Book Mean?
Back at home, a now blue-haired Hippolyta reveals to Dee that she has a polished version of Dee's Orinthya Blue comics. This is probably one of the most intriguing parts in the episode, as the "Afua" who Hippolyta mentions is in fact Afua Richardson, the Eisner-winning creator of Black Panther World of Wakanda and current artist on Lovecraft Country. It's Richardson who's been crafting the comic books that Dee hands out in the show, and the fact that Hippolyta names her opens an interesting question: is Hippolyta still able to jump across the multiverse? And did she actually visit our own world?
Why Wasn't Ruby at Her Mom's Funeral?
As Ruby and Leti gear up to take on Christina, Ruby finally reveals why she didn't go to their mom's funeral: a longstanding issue that caused a rift between the sisters. Ruby was in jail at the time, but we don't know why.
Eli Joshua Ade/HBO
Is Ruby Dead?
Leti's joy over reconnecting with Ruby is ruined the moment Christina reveals she's been posing as Ruby during their whole trip. She also claims that she killed Ruby for trying to steal her blood for the spell. (Side note: this makes that joyful scene of them all singing in the car feel like a complete travesty). But we don't actually see Ruby's body, and even if she is dead or in a coma, is it possible the Book of Names can reverse it?
Ads by Teads
Is Tic Dead?
With the existence of magic and time travel, nothing seems permanent in the world of Lovecraft Country, but as of right now it does look like Tic is really dead. Christina mentions that she used the energy released when William died to create the spell for her transmutation potion; similarly, Tic realizes he needs to generate that energy to set Hannah's spell into motion. So he sacrifices his life, and in the end it's Ji-Ah who weaves the spell together. She uses her Kumiho tails to literally bind Christina's body to Tic, who had already consumed Titus' flesh. She acts as a conduit, helping Leti to finally seal Christina's — and white people's — magic forever.
It's a tragedy that undeniably binds Ji-Ah and the rest of his family together, which potentially sets the stage for a whole host of new relationships in Season 2.
What Happened to Dee's Arm?
Though Leti, Tic, Dora, and Hattie use magic to save Dee's life while in the ancestral plane, for whatever reason it fails to keep her arm from rotting. In the final moments of the show, Dee reveals that she had it amputated and in its place is a powerful mechanical arm, presumably built by Hippolyta. It's strong enough to finally kill Christina, but how Dee will use that arm in the future remains to be seen.
Beyond all of that, there are a few other mysteries. Why did Leti's invulnerability mark reappear, for example? And what was the significance of Tic's baptism? Whatever happens next, Lovecraft Country boldly ventured into practically every genre in its first season, and there are clearly enough threads leftover to keep people hooked until Season 2.
Lovecraft Country Season-Finale Recap: Save ’Em All
By Steffan Triplett
Lovecraft Country
Full Circle
SEASON 1 EPISODE 10
EDITOR’S RATING 3 STARS***
«PREVIOUS NEXT
Photo: HBO
Well, Lovecraft Country was a ride full of ups and downs up until the end, wasn’t it? Just like the pulp stories that Atticus waxed poetic about in “Sundown,” the show had its share of thrilling adventure alongside its own frustrating flaws. Was it triumphant? Not always. Did it have flashes of brilliance, haunting imagery, and evocative genre material? Yes.
“Look what we’ve been through to get here,” Atticus reminds Montrose and Letitia, “monsters, ghosts, a magical treasure hunt, curses, the past, the future.” He is re-articulating not just the stops along the way, but the sacrifices made on their journey, one that started out looking for Montrose but grew into something much bigger and much more dangerous. Now, with the Book of Names they’ve collected from Tulsa, Atticus reminds them of their persisting goal: protecting their family. “We can’t stop fightin’ now,” he insists.
“Full Circle,” picks up right after our gang’s return to Chicago from the observatory in Kentucky. With the Book of Names finally theirs, they can save Diana and prepare for the big bad of endings — the Autumnal Equinox where Atticus seems destined to die by Christina’s sacrifice. Once Atticus reads aloud the (un)binding spell of the Book, he and Leti faint and are propelled into a red-washed ancestral realm. It turns out that Tic and his unborn son’s ancestors have been hard at work; when Hannah “took her own life,” the ancestral space was created. It’s full of red fire, Hannah’s “rage made manifest.” Here they learn the magic they will need in order to beat out Christina in Ardham.
So how did everyone fare?
By Steffan Triplett
Lovecraft Country
Full Circle
SEASON 1 EPISODE 10
EDITOR’S RATING 3 STARS***
«PREVIOUS NEXT
Photo: HBO
Well, Lovecraft Country was a ride full of ups and downs up until the end, wasn’t it? Just like the pulp stories that Atticus waxed poetic about in “Sundown,” the show had its share of thrilling adventure alongside its own frustrating flaws. Was it triumphant? Not always. Did it have flashes of brilliance, haunting imagery, and evocative genre material? Yes.
“Look what we’ve been through to get here,” Atticus reminds Montrose and Letitia, “monsters, ghosts, a magical treasure hunt, curses, the past, the future.” He is re-articulating not just the stops along the way, but the sacrifices made on their journey, one that started out looking for Montrose but grew into something much bigger and much more dangerous. Now, with the Book of Names they’ve collected from Tulsa, Atticus reminds them of their persisting goal: protecting their family. “We can’t stop fightin’ now,” he insists.
“Full Circle,” picks up right after our gang’s return to Chicago from the observatory in Kentucky. With the Book of Names finally theirs, they can save Diana and prepare for the big bad of endings — the Autumnal Equinox where Atticus seems destined to die by Christina’s sacrifice. Once Atticus reads aloud the (un)binding spell of the Book, he and Leti faint and are propelled into a red-washed ancestral realm. It turns out that Tic and his unborn son’s ancestors have been hard at work; when Hannah “took her own life,” the ancestral space was created. It’s full of red fire, Hannah’s “rage made manifest.” Here they learn the magic they will need in order to beat out Christina in Ardham.
So how did everyone fare?
Atticus
In the ancestral space, Atticus not only gets to formally meet and speak with Hannah, but he is also reunited with his mother, Dora. He lays his head in her lap and the two share a tender moment. Hannah tells him, “I realized this magic was not something to be feared, but a gift to pass on.” After this, Atticus acts less out of fear and is more kind. He apologizes to Ji-Ah and is loving toward Letitia. Atticus is given an “out” for the entire situation: if they give Christina the Book of Names, then she won’t kill him. But to honor his ancestor’s plans, he isn’t swayed. Atticus acts with selflessness in his final days.
As predicted, Atticus dies in the Autumnal Equinox ceremony. He is strapped to the machine that we saw in Ji-Ah’s vision of the future at the end of “Meet Me in Daegu”. Christina drains the blood from his arms before they can kill her. Before Atticus dies, he is able to see Leti and the two exchange “I love you’s.” He knew this would be his fate, but he knows his lineage will live on. In the ancestral realm, Hannah told him “you gon’ save ’em all” — they had bigger plans for tonight. It’s not just his family he’s saved.
Ruby
At their mother’s grave, Letitia asks for Ruby’s help in getting a “piece” of Christina. Ruby is resistant, indicating that Leti only wants her to act like “family” when she wants something. Ruby ultimately comes around, albeit offscreen. We see Ruby clock that the metamorphosis potion actually contains some of Christina’s blood, hair, and nails (at least that’s what Christina tells her), and we know she intends to steal it. The two have sex as themselves. Does Ruby do this just to give Christina a false sense of security? It seems that in choosing to steal the potion, she picks a side.
We see “Ruby” bring the potion to the gang before they set out for Ardham. But when prepping for the ceremony in a tower near the ruined lodge, it’s revealed that Ruby never made it out of Chicago — Christina has killed Ruby (offscreen) and is posing as her. She fights with Letitia in the tower and pushes her out the window, as Ruby. It’s nice knowing that Ruby dies trying to help her sister, but this death (and their lack of reconciliation) hurts.
Letitia
After her experience in the ancestral realm, Leti uses the magic and spell casting she learned from Hattie to help Atticus prepare before their journey to Ardham. The couple takes the elevator down into the caverns underneath the museum to conjure Titus Braithwhite with the help of Hannah, Dora, and Hattie. They are able to trap him long enough for Atticus to get a “piece” of him—slicing off some muscle around his chest. Christina removes Leti’s Mark of Cain (i.e., her invulnerability) when Atticus doesn’t agree to give her the Book of Names. Leti leans heavy into her faith and she and Atticus are baptized with Atticus.
In Ardham, after being pushed out of the tower, she comes back to life during the ceremony while Christina and Atticus are connected. It’s revealed (in Ji-Ah’s vision) that Christina restored Leti’s invulnerability after she pushed from the window, perhaps having some change of heart. Leti incants her heart out while Christina approaches invulnerability, but it will never work without Christina being connected to Tic—her blood was never in the potion! Leti even stabs Christina with a sword but the wound doesn’t stick. Thankfully, Ji-Ah uses her tails to connect the two, and Leti successfully bans Christina from magic. “Not just you,” she tells an injured Christina, “every white person in the world.” Okay, Leti! This is what Hannah meant about saving them “all.” White people can no longer use magic in this world.
Ji-Ah
In Chicago, Ji-Ah agrees to meet with Atticus where he apologizes for saying their love was never real. Her mother has recently died, and she’s worried that her ability to feel has died along with her. Atticus helps her assess her feelings, saying that her human feelings will return and that she is just grieving. Atticus calls them “family,” and Ji-Ah is taken in by the group as such.
In Ardham, she understands what the shaman meant when she said, “You have not even become one with the darkness yet.” She walks into the dark cloud that brews as the ceremony ends and uses her tails to tether Tic and Christina’s body while Leti finishes the spell.
Christina
Christina spends “Full Circle” prepping for the Autumnal Equinox ceremony, sometimes with Ruby by her side. There are occasional glimmers of hope, that she might learn something and leave our protagonists unscathed, but of course those don’t come to fruition. Christina kills Ruby (both putting into question all that she’s said before to Ruby about her romantic feelings and further insisting what she’s willing to sacrifice for power). Christina’s plans are foiled when Ji-Ah intervenes and the completed spell causes an explosion. She’s crushed under rubble and left in pain — until Diana shows up to tell her one last thing.
Hippolyta
Now that Diana’s curse has been lifted, Hippolyta can finally tell her about her journeys to other worlds. Diana is upset she was left alone. Hippolyta apologies for not being there when Diana needed her (though we learn that she named herself “Mother” in order to return). In Ardham, Hippolyta helps Ji-Ah and Montrose draw protection symbols and battle off a horde of white townspeople before they’re eventually brought to the ceremony. Hippolyta has a surprise for Diana that’s revealed to us in the final moments of the episode.
Montrose
Montrose is knocked out during the fight with the horde. He comes to after the ceremony and is devastated that his son is dead; he was hoping the future Atticus saw was just an alternate one. Atticus left Hippolyta a loving note addressed to Montrose, celebrating that Montrose now has a second chance at fatherhood as baby George’s grandfather.
Diana
Dee’s curse is lifted, but she can no longer use her left arm. She feels abandoned and is worried she’ll never draw again. In Ardham she is left alone (again!) in the car. A shoggoth starts to attack but the black shoggoth shows up to protect her. Ji-Ah’s vision shows that in Chicago, Tic introduced them and has transferred its allegiance to her.
After the ceremony is complete, with no one left around, Dee approaches a suffering Christina who pleads for her help. Dee says, “you still haven’t learned,” and it’s revealed that Hippolyta made her a fancy robotic arm. Dee chokes Christina so hard with her new hand that her neck explodes, killing her. The black shoggoth roars in the light of the moon as the episode ends.
Leftover Country
• Fittingly, there were few laughs this week, but I found the white gown that Christina wore to the ceremony — and the way she slowly ascended and descended the ruins’ stairs — to be an inspired choice. She has a lot of nerve!
• Hannah’s magic has protected the family for a long time. Tic’s family birthmark worked as a way to hide the bloodline from the Braithwhites all these years.
• We never witnessed the future that Atticus saw when he went through the portal. Who’s the hooded woman who gave him the copy of Lovecraft Country written by his son?
• Dee to Hippolyta: “You weren’t here, and they …” The way she trails off before she’s able to mention Bobo’s name to her mother is pretty heartbreaking.
• In a show where our characters now have full access to magic and where we’ve seen a resurrection, I suppose it’s possible that no one is dead for good. However, because the rules of the magic aren’t entirely spelled out, it’s unclear what all is actually possible. There’s no indication from any of our characters that Ruby can or will be saved. Which is a shame.
• In this episode, there’s a lot of conversation about where the magic our characters have inherited came from and who it belongs to — even occurring in the caves below the museum wing dedicated to Titus Braithwhite’s “explorations.” This, combined with Tic’s talks of family taking care of one another with Ji-Ah, makes Yahima’s absence conspicuous. There was room for Yahima to live and fight alongside our protagonists in the finale.
• I enjoyed the levity of the doo-wop singalong scene on the way to Ardham — though that image is tainted knowing now that we know it was really Christina posing as Ruby and singing in her place.
• Dee’s final act of violence (or mercy?) felt like an ode to comics and character spinoffs, rather than the actual indication of one in the works. I would read that comic or graphic novel, but I don’t know that I’d want to watch that show. It’s an interesting origin story, but very dark! I’m too sensitive! I hope she’s okay after this!
• Gaywatch: Ruby and Christina have sex off-screen as two women for the first time, though Ruby is immediately killed. Should Montrose and Sammy reconcile and take care of baby George together?
• Thank you so much for reading and including these recaps in your Lovecraft Country journey. Take care! May we find “supreme happiness,” as Dumas would say, in this world.
As predicted, Atticus dies in the Autumnal Equinox ceremony. He is strapped to the machine that we saw in Ji-Ah’s vision of the future at the end of “Meet Me in Daegu”. Christina drains the blood from his arms before they can kill her. Before Atticus dies, he is able to see Leti and the two exchange “I love you’s.” He knew this would be his fate, but he knows his lineage will live on. In the ancestral realm, Hannah told him “you gon’ save ’em all” — they had bigger plans for tonight. It’s not just his family he’s saved.
Ruby
At their mother’s grave, Letitia asks for Ruby’s help in getting a “piece” of Christina. Ruby is resistant, indicating that Leti only wants her to act like “family” when she wants something. Ruby ultimately comes around, albeit offscreen. We see Ruby clock that the metamorphosis potion actually contains some of Christina’s blood, hair, and nails (at least that’s what Christina tells her), and we know she intends to steal it. The two have sex as themselves. Does Ruby do this just to give Christina a false sense of security? It seems that in choosing to steal the potion, she picks a side.
We see “Ruby” bring the potion to the gang before they set out for Ardham. But when prepping for the ceremony in a tower near the ruined lodge, it’s revealed that Ruby never made it out of Chicago — Christina has killed Ruby (offscreen) and is posing as her. She fights with Letitia in the tower and pushes her out the window, as Ruby. It’s nice knowing that Ruby dies trying to help her sister, but this death (and their lack of reconciliation) hurts.
Letitia
After her experience in the ancestral realm, Leti uses the magic and spell casting she learned from Hattie to help Atticus prepare before their journey to Ardham. The couple takes the elevator down into the caverns underneath the museum to conjure Titus Braithwhite with the help of Hannah, Dora, and Hattie. They are able to trap him long enough for Atticus to get a “piece” of him—slicing off some muscle around his chest. Christina removes Leti’s Mark of Cain (i.e., her invulnerability) when Atticus doesn’t agree to give her the Book of Names. Leti leans heavy into her faith and she and Atticus are baptized with Atticus.
In Ardham, after being pushed out of the tower, she comes back to life during the ceremony while Christina and Atticus are connected. It’s revealed (in Ji-Ah’s vision) that Christina restored Leti’s invulnerability after she pushed from the window, perhaps having some change of heart. Leti incants her heart out while Christina approaches invulnerability, but it will never work without Christina being connected to Tic—her blood was never in the potion! Leti even stabs Christina with a sword but the wound doesn’t stick. Thankfully, Ji-Ah uses her tails to connect the two, and Leti successfully bans Christina from magic. “Not just you,” she tells an injured Christina, “every white person in the world.” Okay, Leti! This is what Hannah meant about saving them “all.” White people can no longer use magic in this world.
Ji-Ah
In Chicago, Ji-Ah agrees to meet with Atticus where he apologizes for saying their love was never real. Her mother has recently died, and she’s worried that her ability to feel has died along with her. Atticus helps her assess her feelings, saying that her human feelings will return and that she is just grieving. Atticus calls them “family,” and Ji-Ah is taken in by the group as such.
In Ardham, she understands what the shaman meant when she said, “You have not even become one with the darkness yet.” She walks into the dark cloud that brews as the ceremony ends and uses her tails to tether Tic and Christina’s body while Leti finishes the spell.
Christina
Christina spends “Full Circle” prepping for the Autumnal Equinox ceremony, sometimes with Ruby by her side. There are occasional glimmers of hope, that she might learn something and leave our protagonists unscathed, but of course those don’t come to fruition. Christina kills Ruby (both putting into question all that she’s said before to Ruby about her romantic feelings and further insisting what she’s willing to sacrifice for power). Christina’s plans are foiled when Ji-Ah intervenes and the completed spell causes an explosion. She’s crushed under rubble and left in pain — until Diana shows up to tell her one last thing.
Hippolyta
Now that Diana’s curse has been lifted, Hippolyta can finally tell her about her journeys to other worlds. Diana is upset she was left alone. Hippolyta apologies for not being there when Diana needed her (though we learn that she named herself “Mother” in order to return). In Ardham, Hippolyta helps Ji-Ah and Montrose draw protection symbols and battle off a horde of white townspeople before they’re eventually brought to the ceremony. Hippolyta has a surprise for Diana that’s revealed to us in the final moments of the episode.
Montrose
Montrose is knocked out during the fight with the horde. He comes to after the ceremony and is devastated that his son is dead; he was hoping the future Atticus saw was just an alternate one. Atticus left Hippolyta a loving note addressed to Montrose, celebrating that Montrose now has a second chance at fatherhood as baby George’s grandfather.
Diana
Dee’s curse is lifted, but she can no longer use her left arm. She feels abandoned and is worried she’ll never draw again. In Ardham she is left alone (again!) in the car. A shoggoth starts to attack but the black shoggoth shows up to protect her. Ji-Ah’s vision shows that in Chicago, Tic introduced them and has transferred its allegiance to her.
After the ceremony is complete, with no one left around, Dee approaches a suffering Christina who pleads for her help. Dee says, “you still haven’t learned,” and it’s revealed that Hippolyta made her a fancy robotic arm. Dee chokes Christina so hard with her new hand that her neck explodes, killing her. The black shoggoth roars in the light of the moon as the episode ends.
Leftover Country
• Fittingly, there were few laughs this week, but I found the white gown that Christina wore to the ceremony — and the way she slowly ascended and descended the ruins’ stairs — to be an inspired choice. She has a lot of nerve!
• Hannah’s magic has protected the family for a long time. Tic’s family birthmark worked as a way to hide the bloodline from the Braithwhites all these years.
• We never witnessed the future that Atticus saw when he went through the portal. Who’s the hooded woman who gave him the copy of Lovecraft Country written by his son?
• Dee to Hippolyta: “You weren’t here, and they …” The way she trails off before she’s able to mention Bobo’s name to her mother is pretty heartbreaking.
• In a show where our characters now have full access to magic and where we’ve seen a resurrection, I suppose it’s possible that no one is dead for good. However, because the rules of the magic aren’t entirely spelled out, it’s unclear what all is actually possible. There’s no indication from any of our characters that Ruby can or will be saved. Which is a shame.
• In this episode, there’s a lot of conversation about where the magic our characters have inherited came from and who it belongs to — even occurring in the caves below the museum wing dedicated to Titus Braithwhite’s “explorations.” This, combined with Tic’s talks of family taking care of one another with Ji-Ah, makes Yahima’s absence conspicuous. There was room for Yahima to live and fight alongside our protagonists in the finale.
• I enjoyed the levity of the doo-wop singalong scene on the way to Ardham — though that image is tainted knowing now that we know it was really Christina posing as Ruby and singing in her place.
• Dee’s final act of violence (or mercy?) felt like an ode to comics and character spinoffs, rather than the actual indication of one in the works. I would read that comic or graphic novel, but I don’t know that I’d want to watch that show. It’s an interesting origin story, but very dark! I’m too sensitive! I hope she’s okay after this!
• Gaywatch: Ruby and Christina have sex off-screen as two women for the first time, though Ruby is immediately killed. Should Montrose and Sammy reconcile and take care of baby George together?
• Thank you so much for reading and including these recaps in your Lovecraft Country journey. Take care! May we find “supreme happiness,” as Dumas would say, in this world.
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