by Conan Simmons – September 28, 2020 – 5:47 am
Spoilers ahead.
Things get pretty intense for everyone as mysteries are revealed and more begin to build.
After Ruby (Wunmi Mosaku) confronts Christina Braithwhite (Abbey Lee) over her magical deception, Atticus (Jonathan Majors) and Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) discover they both have been having the same dream. Discovering that an ancestor may have escaped the Adamite Order of the Ancient Dawn with the Book of Names, they decide to ask Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams) what he may know about the mystery.
Stopping by unannounced they inadvertently stumble upon Montrose’s secret relationship with Sammy (Jon Hudson Odom). Angered at the embarrassment of being caught Montrose kicks Atticus out of his apartment. Letitia stays back and learns that the book may be with family in St. Louis.
Before they can grab a ride, Hippolyta Freeman (Aunjanue Ellis) takes the car on her own quest after uncovering some secrets about her husband George’s (Courtney B. Vance) death. Deciphering a strange astronomical chart, Hippolyta travels to Kansas in search of answers. With no car, Letitia opts to stay in Chicago to mend things with her sister while Atticus travels to St. Louis alone.
Things get really weird when Hippolyta arrives at her destination and solves a complex math problem to start up a strange machine inside an observatory. A couple of guards rush in upon hearing the machine activated and as they aggressively interrogate Hippolyta, Atticus bursts in to save her. During the struggle the machine opens a dimensional portal that sucks both Hippolyta and Atticus into places unknown.
This is when the episode kicks it up to the next level. Hippolyta becomes a shooting star and lands on a strange planet where aliens take her into a lab. From there she is teleported to Paris, France to dance with Josephine Baker (Carra Patterson), and into what appears to be ancient times training with female warriors led by Nawi (Sufe Bradshaw). They ultimately fight Confederate soldiers who are attacking their village in the middle of the desert.
Then things get really weird.
Reuniting with her husband, together they go on an exploration of bizarre alien planets. Kitschy space suits and outlandish other worldly wonders in abundance make this episode an instant classic in an already fantastic series.
The themes and subject matter pull no punches with the writing coming across with brutal honesty that other shows shy away from. Aunjanue Ellis really gets the chance to shine with a dynamic role that is remarkably well developed.
This is my favorite episode of the series. Karen LeBlanc is a standout as Seraphina a.k.a. Beyond C’est. If things aren’t weird enough the closing scene of Atticus coming out of the portal, of which we see nothing of his journey, is a brilliant cliffhanger of meta storytelling. He is holding a copy of the novel ‘Lovecraft Country’ by Matt Ruff, the very novel this series is adapted from.