The approach Lovecraft Country has taken to episode structure in its short time on the air has certainly been unique. After burning through enough plot for an entire season during the show’s first two episodes, episodes three and four have each tackled a particular film genre (haunted house in episode three and an Indiana Jones-style adventure for “A History of Violence”) with competence and a solid dose of metaphor. While I’m usually someone who cares more about what happens than the wrapper it’s dressed up in, I’ve appreciated the care with which Lovecraft Country has tackled these last two episodes, doling out a touch of serialized plot while asking the audience to look beyond their preconceived notions regarding the episode’s genre trappings and see the much more complex elements hiding underneath (namely, a hard look at America’s racist past and the tendency of history to be told from the POV of the conquerors).
Adventure quests are fun, frothy, and, when they are working at the top of their game, suspenseful. “A History of Violence” was an adventure story that checked every box of the genre. Thanks to the previous episodes of the series we knew that even the most important characters could die at a moment’s notice (well, die and stay dead – although I can’t imagine a story without either Tic or Leti at this stage of the game), so there were real stakes throughout the heart-stopping trip under the museum in Boston (and back, somehow, to the Winthrop Mansion in Chicago). As tense as the journey was, there were more than enough character beats to keep the series arc moving along (from the tension between Montrose and Tic, to the tension between Leti and Tic, it seemed a different person was annoyed at Tic every moment – and all for good reasons). Before the trio even made it to the secret room with the imprisoned Yahima (a wonderful turn from Monique Candelaria, and some excellent writing from Misha Green and Wes Taylor to highlight how much of our history was created through the pain of native peoples), it was clear this particular crucible was meant to test more than just their physical and mental fortitude – this was a test of their loyalty to each other. And boy, does it seem like something’s up with Montrose.
When one see that Michael K. Williams has been cast in a series, you know that his character is going to have a crucial role to play in the ultimate arc of the show. “A History of Violence” gave us our first inkling as to just what Montrose’s role will be in the overall arc of the series. Yes, he’s shockingly knowledgeable regarding the Sons of Adam, but the question remains is it because of the large amount of research he did into them prior to heading out to Massachusetts before to the start of the series, or is it because something or someone is possessing him. From his terrifying reference to Tulsa while staring at the burning Sons of Adam book (which, in a post-Watchmen world, one can only assume is a reference to the Tulsa Massacre) to his murder of Yahima, the only clue Tic has to deciphering the language of Adam, at the end of the episode, we know something is seriously wrong with Montrose. And with Leti fully on board with trusting him (Tic, on the other hand, remains skeptical), well, I suspect this is going to be the next big series showdown.
Possession is nothing new to genre television, but the way in which it has been handled thus far has been rather unique. Instead of having Montrose continually display signs of his possession (whether just to the audience or through suspicious actions that the characters just haven’t noticed quite yet), the series has smartly opted to slowly offer small tastes of just what is happening with the character. We were told that he’s been erratic for years prior to this latest journey out East and back, so it’s hardly a shock to see Montrose drinking and combative with other characters, so we aren’t looking for signs that something is amiss until it’s too late. And, I suspect, once Tic and Leti catch on and look back as well, they’ll see the signs they missed – moments where they could have prevented the tragic consequences that are sure to befall them and those they care about.
And then there’s the question of just where Christina fits into all of this. She’s managed to infiltrate the Mansion through her creepy henchman William, but Leti said the solar system isn’t in the house (we can assume it’s the same one Hippolyta has at the bookstore, although that certainly could be a red herring), so I’m not sure just how this little incidence of seduction and entering will matter in the scheme of things. I am intrigued that Christina appears to have inherited her father’s immortality (and I’m doubly impressed if she managed to orchestrate his death via his quest to open the portal to Eden as Tic suspects). Christina remains an enigma, and I’m not particularly eager for the series to answer the myriad of questions that surround her, but I would like a touch more screen time for her moving forward. Morally gray villains are the best kind of villains, but we need a touch more characterization to make Christina into a truly great one.
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