Immaculate in both its conception and execution, Lovecraft Country pairs captivating spectacle with thematic depth.
At its heart, the show is a black reclamation of speculative fiction, touching subgenres such as magical realism, soft science-fiction, paranormal, and horror. It is led by a cast of POC so talented that it is difficult to choose a single standout. Episodes frequently change point-of-view, so that we find ourselves seeing the same world from different perspectives, and the genre of the episode always reflects the central struggles of the point-of-view character.
The show is so thematically dense that you’re almost guaranteed to notice one layer and miss others. It unflinchingly looks at racial violence in the United States, war atrocities, the oft-gendered nature of power structures, and the unhealthy relationships downtrodden folks can have with one another. Its protagonists are allowed to be flawed, vulnerable, and sometimes downright terrible.
But most importantly, the show thumps. Heads get cracked, cars explode, monsters get blown up. There’s mystery, adventure, suspense, and magic. The show just has everything.
Content warning: graphic violence and gore, sexual violence, domestic abuse, language, nudity
Plot: 5
Characters: 8
Themes: 10
Spectacle: 10
Overall score: Nine tails and one mystic tome.
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