Oh, you thought Lovecraft Country was only interested in how black people exist within a white supremacist system? Not so. This episode also took in the relative power of men and women, white woman and black women and the struggle against internalised homophobia. At the risk of opening up a new front in the culture wars, there is even a gender non-binary character. Though I am not sure that is how Yahima, a 200-year old mummified corpse from The Land of Many Waters, would self-define.
It all began with Montrose (Michael K Williams) on another boozy bender, burning old photographs and chucking George’s copy of The Order of The Ancient Dawn into the pyre, then standing over the flames, mumbling: “Smells like Tulsa …” An allusion to the 1921 Black Wall Street massacre, presumably, but a clumsy one, no?
Is it just me, or is something up with Montrose? His name is a near-homonym for “monstrous” and that was all the encouragement I needed to start fermenting a wild fan theory about him having been possessed by a Yithian-like alien spirt during his time in the Braithwhites’ custody. But it could easily be that my attachment to Omar from The Wire is such that I am unable to accept Michael K Williams in a less Robin Hood-esque role.
There was no time to work through these complicated feelings, however, as Christina’s silver Bentley came careering through the Chicago streets, heralding two scenes of hectic plot exposition to follow, first on Leti’s doorstep (the exorcist’s daubing of goat’s blood is still working its magic, evidently), then via Tic and Leti’s library row.
The fact that much of this was delivered in harried whispers didn’t make it any easier to follow, so allow me to summarise: there are two sets of deciphered pages from the lost Book of Names. One is somehow connected to the orrery (model of the Solar System) that is now in Hippolyta’s possession, but Christina believes it to be in the Winthrop House. The other, Titus’s set, is believed to be in a vault below a Boston museum that only Titus (or one of his bloodline) can access.
Seeing as how Christina benefits from some kind of invulnerability spell (the reason Tic was unable to pull the trigger last week) and is also a suspected patricidal genius (she engineered the whole thing to kill her dad!), Leti and Tic figure it would be wise to defend themselves. As Tic concludes: “If I can get my hands on those pages, maybe I can learn the language of Adam and start casting some spells to protect us.”
This necessitated another trip to Massachusetts, AKA Lovecraft Country, and no one was much looking forward to spending 15 hours squashed together in confined quarters. Montrose and Tic were still on bad terms, Leti was angry about Tic’s plans to leave town and Hippolyta suspects them all of hiding something about George’s death. Hippolyta’s grievance is the most justified, not only because they really are hiding something, but because she seems like a resourceful woman whose astronomical know-how could come in handy; if they would only let her in.
Tree (Deron J Powell) was a much less useful addition to the crew. You may remember him from episode one, when he mischievously directed Tic to walk in on bar owner Sammy in flagrante, or perhaps from the time in episode three where he indelicately muscled in on Tic and Leti’s romance. This week, his habitual mischief-making was starting to look more like malice, as he dropped heavy hints to Tic about Montrose (Tic’s dad) being gay. Any amount of information about one’s parents sexuality is too much information. So it is a shame, really, that Tree didn’t accompany them down into the tunnels, where he might have been crushed by a rolling boulder or the like. The episode could have done with a higher body count.
Were there some references here to The Mound – HP Lovecraft’s posthumously published novella about an underground Cthulhu-worshipping civilisation, concealed by a Native American burial site? Any other Lovecraft links I’m missing? Most obviously, of course, this was nothing to do with HP, but rather a chance for Tic to get stuck into the kind of Indiana Jones-esque exploration-adventure that “boys from the South Side don’t notoriously get to do”. Rope ladders, booby-trapped tunnels, floating corpses and mysterious markings etched into stone – Titus’s vault had it all.
Meanwhile, back in Chicago, two women – one black, one white – were attempting to further their career ambitions and being thwarted at every turn. Christina found Captain Lancaster – the same police officer who had previously arrested Leti – was unreceptive to discussing Sons of Adam business with a mere daughter, while Ruby just wanted to get a job in retail. She had her dream dashed when she arrived at Marshall Field and Company and happened upon a recently hired black employee (“I know there are a 103 employees at that department store and two of them are never gonna be coloured”).
Could these two women’s interests be aligned? That is one possible explanation for the sudden appearance of Christina’s boyfriend-cum-henchman, William (Jordan Patrick Smith), in Sammy’s bar, making eyes at Ruby. But then again, as Ruby made clear, a white man seeking the taboo thrill of a black women’s company would be nothing particularly unusual.
The episode’s real shocker was saved right till the end. After returning with Yahima to the Winthrop House (conveniently, the house’s basement is magically connected to the museum’s vault via Hiram Epstein’s evil elevator), Montrose and Tic had an emotional reconciliation and Tic explained his plan to teach Yahima English, since “it might be easier for her to write down the language of Adam than for us to decipher it”. The last thing we were expecting, then, was for Montrose to sneakily murder their new house guest. Seriously, though, what is up with this guy?
Additional notes
What book was the shush-ing boy (AKA Mini Tic) in the library so keen to get back to? Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth, of course — the original subterranean adventure story.
Listen out for the museum guide’s description of “the many artefacts the famed explorer Titus Braithwaite was given, in exchange for teaching these savage tribes the ways of civilised man”. Er … excuse you? Such curatorial framing wouldn’t fly these days, not if Gary Younge’s recent radio documentary is anything to go by.
This week’s title has me stumped. A History of Violence obviously alludes to colonial history in general, but what is the link to John Wagner’s graphic novel? Viggo Mortensen starred in David Cronenberg’s film adaptation and was also in Green Book … I’m reaching now, aren’t?
Ah, so the orrery is some kind of time machine, according to Christina? Hyped for that episode!
Re: William and Ruby’s hook-up, there is an interesting section in The Autobiography of Malcolm X which describes the atmosphere at those 40s Boston nightclubs, where white people would come seeking encounters with black people.
“Always have a love song for your women … that’s all that fussing is anyway … loving.” The final, definitive proof that Montrose is gay? His advice on handling woman trouble is truly terrible.
Listening guide
Sinnerman by Nina Simone: the closing credits music felt particularly well chosen this week. Simone often used this traditional African-American spiritual to end her live performances.
Bitch Better Have My Money by Rihanna: Lovecraft Country’s contemporary cuts usually work well, but this one I could have done without. It suggested a sassiness to Christina that isn’t really matched by Abbey Lee’s performance – I mean, she is cool, but she is no Rihanna, is she?
Money by Leikeli47: this is the track playing when Ruby arrives at the department store. Leikeili47 is known for always performing in some sort of mask or face covering – a subtle foreshadowing of Ruby’s storyline, perhaps?
Tic and Leti lovewatch
Was that really an appropriate occasion for a snog, guys? As you know, I have been cheering on Tic and Leti’s love story since the beginning, but there is a time and a place.
Quote of the week
“Every locked thing has its key,” counsels Hippolyta’s friend. Sure, but what if the key is lost?
