LOVECRAFT COUNTRY a Fantastical (and Scary) Place

Article first published as TV Review: LOVECRAFT COUNTRY on Seat42F.

HBO premiered LOVECRAFT COUNTRY this week. Based on the novel of the same name by Matt Ruff, it has been adapted to television by Misha Green (Underground) and produced by the likes of Jordan Peele and J. J. Abrams. The story follows a man named Atticus Freeman, his uncle George, and Atticus’ friend Letitita as they flee and fight murderous bigots on their way to find Atticus’ missing father. It’s a fantasy-horror-sci-fi adventure that tackles race head-on, and is set in 1954, when Jim Crowe ran rampant.

This show is excellent, and I mean that on every level. To start with, the style and production of LOVECRAFT COUNTRY look fantastic. It’s a grounded period piece, that also has fantasy elements in the style of author H.P. Lovecraft (obviously). Yet, these are blended in such a way that, even what shouldn’t be able to occur, feels like it fits into this world. It’s also a well-conceived universe, aided by actual history, that has layers beneath the surface and a lot going on.

For instance, one of the leads in LOVECRAFT COUNTRY, Uncle George Freeman (Courtney B. Vance, American Crime Story), is in a loving marriage with Hippolyta (Aunjanue Ellis, Quantico), living in a small town while pursuing travel and astronomy, respectively. George’s travel guides specifically tell African Americans where it is safe to stop on their troubles. Which means it makes perfect sense when George accompanies his nephew, Atticus (Jonathan Majors, When We Rise), on Atticus’ quest to find his father, given his unusual employment and the wanderlust he shares with his wife.

In contrast to this perfect-seeming family, Atticus’ own immediate clan is pretty messy. Atticus doesn’t have an easy relationship with his father, and there’s mystery surrounding Atticus’ mother. There is also tension between Atticus and George, so even within the happy abode, there is drama. The third lead, Leti Lewis (Jurnee Smollett-Bell, True Blood, Friday Night Nights), doesn’t get along well with her siblings (we see two in the pilot), so there are lots of juicy personal interactions to pick apart.

Which means when the danger hits in LOVECRAFT COUNTRY, there are already stakes. We care about Atticus, George, and Leti very quickly, and it would be a major blow to the story if any one of them didn’t make it. Which seems like a distinct possibility, given the monsters and creatures they face.

The monsters being the white people who don’t want the trio, or anyone that looks like them, around. By the time the multi-eyed animal forest dwellers attack, horror has already taken place, from a chase down a road, to guns in the woods. There is a very real feeling of danger, much in the style of Peele’s Get Out, as our protagonists stare into the empty eyes of people who want them dead for no reason more than the color of their skin. Sure, some will complain about the one-dimensionality of these antagonists. But I think we’ll get a little more complexity as things go along, and given the situations presented, it makes sense to simplify it in the way that it is.

All three of the lead actors are performing the hell out of the piece, and several of the supporting players make impressions, too, especially Ellis and Wunmi Mosaku (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) as Ruby Baptiste, Leti’s darker skinned half-sister with a killer singing voice and a strong will.

My only complaint about the first episode is I feel I don’t fully understand the scope of the story LOVERCRAFT COUNTRY seeks to tell. I really would have felt better with a second episode before I wrote my review. I can tell the show is great, I’m just not entirely sure what it is, as it seems like there’s more than presented in the first hour.

Undercovers popularizes sexpionage

    For those viewers still missing Alias, among which I count myself, NBC's new show, Undercovers is the next best thing.  It has action, excitement, adventure, international travel, romance, cooking, and J. J. Abrams.  All of the necessary ingredidents to create one hell of a spy show.  Plus, after just one week, it has coined a term sure to grown in the pop culture lexicon: sexpionage.

     The series stars Boris Kodjoe (Soul Food) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Spooks, Doctor Who) as husband and wife Steven and Samantha Bloom.  Both were top spies for the C.I.A., but kept the details of their classified lives from each other.  When they decide to tie the knot, the gave up the job to run a catering business together, retiring from the dangerous but titilating game they played.  By the way, Samantha's somewhat inept sister, Lizzy (Mekia Cox, 90210) works for them, so they have someone to keep them grounded.  As the pilot begins, they have been in this comfortable, but boring, state for five years.  But it doesn't stay that way for long.

     Leo Nash (Carter MacIntyre, American Heiress), a former partner and boyfriend of Samantha's, who trained with Steven, has gone missing, and may be defecting from the U.S.  Unknown to his friends, Leo has been captured by some Russians, but that's all part of his strategy to take down a dangerous man.  Agent Shaw (Gerald McRaney, Jericho, Major Dad) is reluctantly sent to bring the Blooms back into the fold, enlisting their help to find Leo.  Shaw is not happy about re-recruiting them, but he also isn't telling them (or the audience) the real reason why it is so essential the reactive the Blooms, when there are plenty of capable agents working already.

     Steven and Samantha both claim to be happy in suburbia, but separately approach Shaw to accept the job, on the condition that the spouse not be told.  It is quickly revealed that they both have the same idea, and with the help of Bill Hoyt (Ben Schwartz), who worships Steven, they set off to do the job.  It's a good thing they've both kept in shape and their skills remained honed.  Boy, would it have been embarassing if Steven's beer gut got in the way!  Yet, somehow despite their unhappiness with the status quo, they are still the same people who left the spy business, which makes for much sexier television.  The Blooms, despite having never worked together until after their wedding, already have a great rhytm and chemistry down.  I assume this is because that they are both so dedicated to their relationship, which while suffering a bit of a dry spell, is not what they want changed in their lives.  Once the thrill come back, they are able to swiftly reconnect in all aspects of their lives.

     Ok, so as you can see from my last paragraph, there is a bit of cheesiness.  But it's soon forgotten, because the rest of the elements are so nicely laid in place.  It's a fun ride, and well worth a TiVo season pass.  It's telling that I've forgotten to mention til now that it's the first show of it's kind starring an Afrian-American couple.  It's nice we've finally reached a point where that's not a necessary thing to mention, as it's not the slightest bit crucial to the show itself.  The couple is as sexy, inspiring, and heroic as any pair that have come before them.

     And although J. J.'s goodluck charm, Greg Grunberg is nowhere in sight (yet), imdb.com lists his brother Brad Grunberg in 7 episodes so far.  Perhaps a new era of Grunberg will emerge?

     The second episode of Undercovers airs tonight at 8pm on NBC.