Lovecraft Country Episode 1 Review

What the fuck was that? What started off with a fever dream (nightmare?) of a war against aliens, ended with a Black man named Atticus Freeman being welcomed home by a lily-white man in a mansion? In between we got a display of Black excellence and joy, a car chase with a shootout, lots of racism and a splash of Jurnee Smollett being amazing. Instead of sitting here and decoding and deciphering the meaning of everything we just saw (how about we all sit and wait to watch the whole series before talking out of turn?) I want to highlight one or two things each week.

This week’s highlight is how jam packed every line of dialogue is with information. A quick mention of someone’s past gives the audience a clear understanding of where the characters stand. I walked into this show knowing nothing besides the name and day it airs and walked out believing I know exactly who these characters are at the inception of this story. What normally takes a show multiple episodes of character development is accomplished in half of the episode, leaving the other half for a hell of a ride.

In a little over 60 minutes the writers of Lovecraft Country achieved more in character exposition than most shows accomplish ever. For that alone I am invested in the rest of the show.

9 Salutes out of 10 for the debut of Lovecraft Country.