Lovecraft Country Review: Sundown (Season 1 Episode 1)

Horror comes in many forms. On Lovecraft Country Season 1 Episode 1, “Sundown,” racism proves to be the more terrifying act inflicted upon our heroes as they fight monsters both human and unnatural.

It’s a wonderful start to the series, both from a social perspective and from a pulp science fiction perspective. Both are integral pieces to Misha Green’s adaptation of the Matt Ruff novel, and while we don’t know for sure if the genre-bending nature of that book will come into effect, this is a great first step.

The opening war sequence is one of the more peculiar pieces of the premiere, not only for it being the way we’re introduced to Lovecraft Country and to Atticus, but also due to its function as both a dream and perhaps even a precursor.

We’re led to believe this is a dream because of the smash cut to Atticus waking up, and due to its references to classic science fiction (there’s some The War of the Worlds and A Princess of Mars in there), but maybe there’s more to the dream than we think.

Is there some information we can pull from it? Not quite yet, beyond Atticus’ phone call back to Korea and the realization of monsters being a reality later on the episode. Either way, it’s a visual feast for science fiction fans, full of that pulpy goodness.

The inclusion of Jackie Robinson, complete with a firework display, definitely settles it all into dream territory, showing what is playing around in Atticus’ imagination, but I still have this feeling that some of it will prove to be crucial information down the line. With Lovecraft in the title, things will definitely get weirder, after all.

The most potent aspect of the episode by far is its use of racial inequality. The show delivers on the cruel, heartless acts of 1950’s America towards those of color, and uses that as a much more tangible, horrid threat than the very monsters they face at the end.

The trip through the Midwest is an endless cycle of intolerance on display, not holding back on the racist signs, the separate entrances, and in one of its most painful images during this sequence, an eatery where their section is completely ignored while those with white skin enjoy away.

There’s more dread rightfully given to humanity, at the dressing down and dehumanizing that Atticus, Letitia, and George face throughout the episode. Monsters may be more lethal, but it’s the horror of man that causes the most fear.

And it’s that it happens in the brightness of day that gives the most pause. Racism doesn’t sleep, and it doesn’t hide; it’s there, right in the open for all of us to see.

The simple act of wanting a ride into town after the bus breaks down becomes this unnerving, tense experience because you know that Atticus and the woman he befriends won’t be given the same courtesy. The score builds on that harsh reality, along with the quick glances the truck driver sends Atticus’ way as Atticus starts to see what is happening.

It’s what makes the sequence at the cabin so cathartic: the Black characters are now in charge. They have been through so many horrors to get to this point that a few creatures are treated like just another thing.

While the cops panic, the three leads quickly settle into planning and use their knowledge to fight these things: they decide to get the car, they realize light is their ally, and George is the one to question a bite leading to a turn.

Finally, someone runs full tilt in a horror setting. Leti’s run to the car is this thrilling moment where there’s no tripping, no branches to snag at her, just a flat-out flight.

It will be curious to see if Sheriff Hunt returns after his transformation. Does someone turn back during the light of day, or is the change permanent? He’s a truly frightening character, and so disposing of him, after building him up so much, feels rather sudden.

George Freeman, and Courtney B. Vance’s performance, is one of the premiere’s great successes. He’s loving, he’s caring, and he’s a fountain of information due to the guide book he helps get in the hands of those looking for safety on the road.

When we first meet him, his dismissal of his wife taking the trip in his stead reads as overprotective, but it becomes quite clear why he feels this way when he’s icing up his knees and makes mention of the attack he suffered on the road. He knows what’s out there waiting for them, and with all of the sundown horrors they face later on, he’s not wrong in his worries.

But one of the most touching moments comes when he asks her to come along the next time. It’s a quick scene in the grand scheme of things, but the pride and the heartfelt way in which Hippolyta accepts the offer shows how deeply they love one another, and becomes this great shining light.

Of course, the immediate thought is that George won’t make it to that trip, as it’s usually how these things go when good plans are made. But for the moment, he’s made it to the mansion, and so things are looking up, at least for now.

The entire cast is full of great talent. Jonathan Majors captures that balance of strong hero with a fractured, troubled past, making Atticus a deeply relatable character. Jurnee Smollett is just as great here, bringing so much liveliness to Leti and becoming the unsung hero both during the chase from the diner and the savior of the cabin.

The bigger curiosity coming out of the episode is how the mansion figures into the Freeman lineage, and whether or not Montrose is inside that mansion. The way the silver sedan pops up multiple times means that Atticus is being watched by this group of blond-haired, blue-eyed people.

But it’s still unclear if they are the ones who blow the whistle to rid them of the monsters during the night, and if they are the ones who wrote the letter to Atticus (he does appear perplexed by his father’s writing, which brings up the possibility he did not write it at all).

The show does a fantastic job at setting up its universe. The silver sedan is mentioned early on, and is a great visual image of the strange uncertainty that they are walking into. It appears outside Montrose’s apartment when Atticus stays there, it saves them from certain doom on the road, and it’s outside the mansion they discover at episode’s end.

There’s also a good deal of visual storytelling on display. The building next to the diner they enter is boarded up, clearly burned down (which adds into Atticus’ question about the White House), the montage mentioned above adding so much to the world they find themselves in, and the episode is filmed with an eye toward flashes of horror that never loses sight of its characters.

As the start of something special, Lovecraft Country Season 1 Episode 1, “Sundown,” has a lot on its mind. It meets these big ideas with confidence and a surefooted approach to meeting the social commentary of an incredibly troubling period in time that still echoes to this day.

Yann Demange brings a visual flair of gorgeous countryside and petrifying darkness that haunts at the edges, matched by the hot, clinging atmosphere of the Chicago streets. With Misha Green at the helm, Lovecraft Country is a knockout for HBO.

Some stray thoughts on the episode:

• The episode does a wonderful job showing the life and excitement of life in Chicago with the block party. It’s a vibrant, exciting sequence, especially with the fantastic musical performance by Wunmi Mosaku and Jurnee Smollett.
• The phone call Atticus makes at his father’s apartment is curious, as the score and the threatening nature of the warning that he should not have left Korea gives the impression there’s far more to learn about that than we know now. There’s also mention that Atticus has spent time in Florida, so maybe this will play into things, too.

 

What did you think of this episode of Lovecraft Country? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

Lovecraft Country airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

30 Binge-Worthy Dramas on Netflix