‘Lovecraft Country’ Episode 2: “Whitey’s on the Moon” Recap

Warning: Spoilers ahead

Lovecraft Country, the HBO series created by Misha Green (Executive Producer and pilot screenwriter), Jordan Peele, J.J. Abrams, and Ben Stephenson, kicked into high gear in its second week. After its brilliant and attention-grabbing first episode on August 16th, there was no sophomore slump to be feared with its captivating episode, “Whitey’s On the Moon.”

The show begins with protagonist Atticus Freeman, (Jonathan Majors), having flashbacks of the alien/vampire attack from the previous night while his companions Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) and Uncle George Freeman (Courtney B. Vance) dance around the mansion they’ve taken refuge in. Letitia finds outfits that are exactly in her size filling the closet of her room. Meanwhile, Uncle George has access to a library full of books he loves.

Incensed at their devil-may-care attitude, Atticus confronts the pair only to be met with confusion. They have no memory of the attack they’ve fought off, though they acknowledge a significant gap in their memories.

Having run from racist cops in the previous episode, Atticus is apprehensive about any kind treatment from the white hosts of the mansion they’re in. Letitia rings a handbell on the table she’s dining off of, insisting, despite Atticus’ protests, that there is no harm in taking advantage of a situation where their hosts appear non-threatening. In 1950’s America, be it Kentucky, Chicago, or Ardham, Massachusetts, Atticus knows not to trust even the most generous of gestures from Caucasian people.

Soon enough, it seems Atticus’ point is made. Though they are given liberty to move about at their discretion, they encounter a woman with dogs who compares People of Color to animals. Triggered by hearing a whistle that sounds similar to the one that stopped the aliens from attacking them, Atticus had confronted the woman and asked her if she had been in the forest the night before. Latitia and George, fearing Atticus is suffering from shell shock after being discharged from the army, come to his rescue and attempt to deescalate the situation.

When the woman shows the three of them the inside of the single stone structure in their town, after they mistakenly assume it’s the prison, Atticus and George conclude that it must be the place where Atticus’ father is being hidden. Atticus’ father was the whole reason they had travelled out to where they are in the first place.

The three of them are subjected to various torments over the next few hours. Atticus returns to the mansion to find the owner, Samuel Braithwaite , having something removed surgically by a man in a ceremonial tunic. Uncle George discovers, after pulling a copy of The House on the Borderland (cue foreshadowing), that there is a false wall leading to a larger library. Letitia finds herself alone in her room and Atticus enters, only to have a romantic scenario play out.

Except, then we find Atticus in his own room fighting off a woman in combat gear shooting at him and swinging a knife. Letitia begs the figure she thought was Atticus to not escalate the situation to sex, as he reveals a serpent in his pants (I’m speaking literally, you pervs). Uncle George, found dancing with his wife, calls out the illusion. He tells her, “You’re not real,” and the fantasy ends.

Atticus and his entourage, offered to dine with their white host and his other guests, are reassured, “Just because they don’t want you here doesn’t mean that you’re not supposed to be.”

Yet, when confronting the white diners, using what little power they assumed they held in the circumstance, they are once again met with disappointment. A reminder of Atticus’ instincts to distrust the generosity and kindness shown to them, Samuel says, “Do not mistake ‘useful’ for ‘indispensable.'”

As the title suggests, pulling from the Gil Scott-Heron poem of the same name, the characters play a minor role that will provide substantial gain for their white oppressors. They are assured that the house had been expecting them, that they were important, even that they had relevance, only to discover Samuel was right. They were used for the host’s goal without any promise of reaping the rewards.

All in all, the series takes an exhilarating turn in its second helping. Tragic turns, infuriating twists, and cathartic conclusions provide a promise for a more enrapturing series.

Lovecraft Country airs Sunday evenings on HBO.

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