Lovecraft Country

Starring: Jonathan Majors (10 episodes), Jurnee Smollet (10 episodes), Michael Kenneth Williams (10 episodes), Aunjanue Ellis (10 episodes), Wunmi Mosaku (10 episodes), Abbey Lee (10 episodes), Jamie Chung (10 episodes), Jada Harris (10 episodes), Jordan Patrick Smith (7 episodes), Jamie Neumann (5 episodes), Mac Brandt (5 episodes), Alex Collins (5 episodes), Courtney B. Vance (3 episodes), Regina Taylor (2 episodes), Tony Goldwyn (1 episode)
Directed by: Daniel Sackheim (2 episodes), Yann Demange (1 episode), Cheryl Dunye (1 episode), Misha Green (1 episode), Victoria Mahoney (1 episode), Nelson McCormick (1 episode), Jeffrey Nachmanoff (1 episode), Helen Shaver (1 episode)
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Total Episodes: 10
2020

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Jonathan Majors) travels across the United States to search for his missing father. He runs across horrors of racism and the supernatural during his journey.

Review:
Tim: I was really looking forward to Lovecraft Country. I'd never read the book, but it felt like a very timely show. Jordan Peele had already established a strong foundation of horror combined with social issues like racism and his involvement in this series suggested we were in for something special. I loved the first few episodes, immersing myself into this strange and horrifying world. As expected, the cast had to deal with both supernatural horror and human-created horrors and the human ones are oftentimes harder to watch. This series early on lived up to the hype and expectations.

However, some problematic happened as the series progressed. It felt like it lost its footing. The mythology of the world felt increasingly complicated and the story offered fewer reasons to continue immersing yourself into it. The characters were great, but their adventures started to feel a bit redundant. As the series went on, it slowly changed from a treat to watch to something that felt closer to a chore. It was never a bad show, but it became harder and harder to give it my full attention. There were certainly terrific moments, but these became fewer and further between. By the time the season ended, I felt relief. There was definitely some outcry when HBO decided not to renew the series for a second season- the series had just been nominated for an outstanding 18 Emmy Awards. I have to be honest here, I was relieved. I'm glad I watched this series and there were certainly things I loved about it. However, I wasn't interested in continuing the adventures of these characters. I thought this was a good decision.

Now, this certainly seems like I disliked the series, which isn't accurate. The series was important and I appreciated that it tackled racism among other crucial issues. To see these characters you like facing hatred and bigotry, to have to escape sundown towns, to have the system itself against them, it was a harsh and powerful reminder of the harsh realities minorities have had to face in this country for hundreds of years. We need more movies like this. I liked the pairing of these social issues with horror. Peele has proven how effective this pairing can be and that happens again here. So, I enjoyed the premise and the overall focus of the series. I just got lost a bit in the details of the story (which aren't as compelling as they needed to be).

Now, I loved the characters and the cast that portrayed them. Jonathan Majors is one of the most exciting, fantastic actors I've seen in a long time. I was blown away by his performance in The Last Black Man in San Francisco. There's no doubt Majors will be an enduring star. I loved that we got to spend so much time in this series with him. Atticus is a fascinating character and Majors did exceptional work bringing him to life. Majors has this ability to show so much in his performance- he's proud and strong, but has this emotional vulnerability to his characters as well. I loved Majors in this role and it further cemented the fact that I'd watch him in anything. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I was this excited about an upcoming actor. Jurnee Smollett certainly deserves to be included in this same conversation. She made Leti one of the most memorable, fantastic aspects of this series. Smollett makes Leti feel like a fully developed character- the complexity of this character is what drives you to her. She works well with Majors, but creates a character that stands on her own. Leti isn't an incredible character in relation to Atticus, she stands on her own. I loved what Smollett did in this series. Seeing these two together is undoubtedly the highlight of the series. The one regret I have about this series not coming back is not getting to see Majors and Smollett together again.

The supporting cast was great, too. I love Courtney B. Vance and while he doesn't have a large role, it's one of the most memorable. His scenes are heavier in the first few episodes and it's no coincidence that they are the best of the series. The series takes a big hit when his presence isn't as highly leveraged. Michael Kenneth Williams is another incredible actor and delivers an unexpectedly complex, wonderful performance. Wunmi Mosaku did some terrific work, too. Aunjanue Ellis had some truly incredible moments and I wish she had even more scenes. I wouldn't say I ever really enjoyed Abbey Lee. She's creepy and odd as she needed to be, but her performance left me cold. Jamie Chung was surprisingly better than I expected her to be. Jada Harris had some very nice scenes as well. The cast as a whole is impressive and it's easily the biggest reason to see this series.

The visual effects were good throughout. It really brought these horrific images to life. That was undoubtedly one of the series' big strengths. The story had some great moments throughout, but the overall plot left me a bit disappointed. The episodes did start to feel a bit generic and there wasn't the same sense of forward momentum throughout the series. The first few episodes were fantastic, but the haunted house episode started to lose me a bit. It felt like too much meandering, so there wasn't a sense of big steps forward in each episode. The series' conclusion was solid. There's definitely outstanding moments- the scenes involving the dimensional portal were quite memorable, especially Hyppolyta's interdimensional journey. Diana's curse was likewise impossible to forget.

I know a lot of people loved Lovecraft Country and I understand why they would. I couldn't quite get there. I loved moments- like Atticus' line- "Stories are like people. Loving them doesn’t make them perfect. You just try to cherish them, overlook their flaws." That says a lot about H.P. Lovecraft, about art, and is a perfect comment for this series. There's things I loved about Lovecraft Country, even though it's a flawed series. It should be celebrated for what it achieved, though. It's not a series I will soon forget and even though I wanted it to be better, it was still a memorable journey and one I'm really glad I took.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



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