Recap: ‘Lovecraft Country – Episode 10: Full Circle’

by Conan Simmons – October 19, 2020 – 4:45 am

Season finale starts off feeling rushed. Atticus (Jonathan Majors), Letitia (Jurnee Smollett), Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams) and Hippolyta (Aunjanue Ellis) quickly gather round to perform an exorcism on Diana (Jada Harris). Tic and Leti almost immediately fall into a sort of dream dimension to capture the demon.

The episode finally slows down enough to catch its breath and the characters do likewise as they try to find a way to prevent Atticus from being sacrificed by Christina (Abbey Lee) at Ardham.

This brings up the best moment of episode when Christina barges in to find the Book of Names. The scene works as a metaphor for how white people use black people to build their society. Christina pleads her case for taking Atticus’s blood in order for her spell to give her immortality. Our group of heroes lets it be known that it’s not going to happen.

Leti then makes a deal with Ruby (Wunmi Mosaku) to betray Christina in order to prevent Atticus from being sacrificed. Meanwhile Atticus reconciles things with Ji-Ah (Jamie Chung) and everybody jumps in the car to drive off singing all the way to meet Christina in Ardham.

Everything starts feeling rushed again and almost as random as the first half of the episode. It’s still a good show but with the rushed feeling of everything it leaves an ambiguous feeling to how much of the story is wrapped up and how much is setting up the second season.

Definite SPOILERS ahead, fair warning.

We do get to see the shoggoth reappear but for no apparent reason it is now attached to Diana, herself inexplicably with robotic arm that we are left to assume is Hippolyta’s doing. The final scene with Diana and Christina feels very out of character for Diana who just moments before was frightened by the shoggoth. Why the change in attitude? Could she be repossessed?

Overall this season was very good and a definite move forward for sci-fi/fantasy/horror on television. Never shying away from difficult subject matter and always willing to go all out with its more fantastical elements. The absolute highlight of the series remains the opening sequence of the pilot episode. Flying polyps zipping by flying saucers and Martian tripods zapping soldiers trying to survive in the trenches as a princess of Mars offers sacrifice to Cthulhu just before Jackie Robinson shows up. The scene mostly serves as a preview of the season ahead.

My favorite episode is definitely the seventh, ‘I Am’. There is a lot of history mixed in with literally out of this world science fiction that you’re bound to learn something while being dazzled with the imaginative visuals of alien worlds and alternate dimensions. The writing of the episode is also the most honest and deeply felt of any medium.

All of the actors are superb. Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett prove they are leads both with highly charismatic and commanding performances. Michael Kenneth Williams ably tackles the challenging role of a father trying to suppress his sensitive nature. Wunmi Mosaku brings high intensity as her character struggles with identity. Aunjanue Ellis brings power to her breakout moment as her character claims her self back from all the outside forces oppressing her. Ellis’s Hippolyta became my favorite character in the show and I would definitely be on her side during a magic fight in ‘Lovecraft Country’.

Look for this series to dominate the Emmy Awards next time up. It’s an absolute winner.