Take Three: Lovecraft Country

Lovecraft Country: Season 1, Episode 3 “Holy Ghost” (B)

So this show is definitely horror, which is not something I like, but I do appreciate that, while it’s creepier than “The X-Files” usually was, it’s the same kind of style, where jump scenes aren’t frequently featured but instead there’s an immediate terror to what happens. I thought for a moment that this was turning into an anthology series where we saw the same actors but in different roles and contained stories, especially with the opening description of the three people going missing in the house. What was additionally clever about that setup, however, was that it wasn’t any of the Black residents but instead the three white intruders who came in with baseball bats to try to attack those peacefully living inside. Putting bricks on the car horns so that they constantly went off and erecting signs telling undesirables to go home were continued instances of cruel racism that the police fully supported and even encouraged, especially when they showed up within minutes of Letitia losing her patience and smashing all the car windows after she saw the cross burning on the lawn. I’m not so big on Ouija boards and incantation rituals, but it was definitely interesting to see Letitia refuse to give into her fear and instead take impressive control of the situation, channeling empathy for the ghosts and helping them to reach a peaceful place. This house plotline may be over, but Christina is back, and she has plenty to work on with Atticus. I’d like to see more of that mythology and fewer bloody faces in the mirror in the coming episodes.