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  1. #1
    Banned Strawberry's Avatar
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    The Lovecraft Country

    Anyone following this? I can't find a thread on it.

    I'm into episode 5 now, and it does give Lovecraft vibe pretty damn well. Probably the best Lovecraft TV show I've seen, close to movies like The Color Out of Space.

    It can get a bit offending as it's very, very anti-white (black cast, black directors, etc) and since Lovecraft was very racist apparently.
    White on black racism is everywhere. It's apparent, it sometimes is bothersome. If it's historically accurate or not I don't know. I never lived in that time period or in the US where slavery was so predominant.

    But, the TV show is called "The Lovecraft Country", so I guess the world is built on how it would look if Lovecraft imagined it. Tons of racism towards black people.

    I rate it 7/10 (9/10 for the episode 1, it got a bit worse afterward).

  2. #2
    not fully caught up on it but i liked the theme of the first episode of them going on a quest or however you wanna frame it. but then it kind of just went in completly different direction and i kind of just lost interest.

    felt kind of like they tried to turn it into that old creepshow style with different stories every time.
    I had fun once, it was terrible.

  3. #3
    The Patient KingSapmi's Avatar
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    I'm deep into it. Mostly because as much as I love H.P. Lovecraft, I am also a big fan of the book this series is based on, written by Matt Ruff. The show is focusing very much on the big important themes of Matt Ruff's story, racism in the 1950's in America, and balancing that with both the occult and the supernatural. Yes, H.P. Lovecraft was quite the racist, if you read his story "The Shadow over Innsmouth", his description of the "inhabitants" of the town of Innsmouth are very... Suggestive towards a specific race. Not to mention the name of the protagonists cat in the story "The Rats in the Walls" (Which just so happened to be the name of Lovecraft's cat when growing up too). Though with that said, as much as I don't support racism (As I am a minority as well, South Samí, and experiencing racism still to this day to a high degree.), I have never found myself able to judge an author in that time period for his racist behavior, since it was not uncommon during the early 1900, it is of course at times very vile and foul language, and his racist thoughts are very out there, though some argue that during his lifespan, his views changed, whether or not this had something to do with him growing as a person, or picking up more positive vibes after he married a Jewish woman, is hard to say. But his racism and at times bigot views on the world around him, and how they some what change through his stories is a great topic. Went a bit off-topic there, I apologize.

    "Lovecraft Country" is basically the area in New England most of Lovecraft's stories took place, it was dubbed "Lovecraft Country" by other authors too, due to the big focus on certain towns, county's and areas surrounding New England. So far the show has done a pretty wonderful job of presenting Matt Ruff's story in a solid way, and as big fan as I am of H.P. Lovecraft (And the writers he corresponded and worked with), I really advice reading Matt Ruff's book too, its fantastic.
    Last edited by KingSapmi; 2020-09-16 at 10:43 PM.
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  4. #4
    I dig it but feel like I missed an episode every week. There is not enough linear narrative to get us from point A to B emotionally- despite the show having a lot of big emotional pieces.

    Also, the acting is uneven. The woman who plays Christina is terrible. Flat out. Bad acting. Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors are up & down episode-to-episode too.

    Michael K. Williams is destroying it every week in his usual fashion. Courtney B. Vance was pretty good for the time he showed up.

    I don't feel like Atticus is having any genuine experiences. His motivations seem oblique and not directly connected to the action on the screen. The fault of this show is it cast its nest too wide. If there was more of a focus on the journey and culmination of what went down at the end of episode 2, I think this would be a more meaningful show.

  5. #5
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    Yea Fencers - I get what you're saying there.

    I am a huge HP Lovecraft fan myself. So I was of course going to tune in to this show and give it a chance. But because its a "different lovecraft story every episode" (as I've heard it summarized) I think that's why the overall narrative is a bit weak/lacking. I imagine its a more difficult task - to both fit in an entire different short story every episode AND make them all interconnected into some sort of overall story. Doable certainly; but perhaps these writers just aren't up to the task?

    I've only seen the first two so far (I take the shows slow so I don't run out lol), but knowing that's the format and wondering "Where are they going from here if they already blew up -----" I can certainly see how it may not do the best job at interconnecting everything.

    Considering all the bad Lovecraft-conversions over the years - the fact that this is better than C grade (For me so far anyway) is above what I was expecting and I'm liking it so far. But I'm willing to concede that the main characters and their story may not be all that compelling or connected in order to do ' a different story every episode.'

    As for the racism others mentioned - yea, that's how "Jim Crow" worked. They (writers/directors/etc.) really aren't exaggerating. That is what was going on, in America, at that time. Watch any movie about racism, or any documentary, about racism and the "Jim Crow" years you'll see they aren't making this shite up. Unfortunately. Hell, as someone who grew up in the Deep South, there were still "Sundown" signs around here that weren't taken down till the 80s. So while Lovecraft may also have been a racist, the show is not playing that up because "Lovecraft was a racist." Its just showing the reality of the time they are operating in. If anything, its norming his views with the society he existed in. Because that was 'the norm.'

    But I am enjoying the show and I would encourage anyone who does enjoy Lovecraftian tales, or any 'cross-universe' horror/scifi type stories - to give it a try and see if its for them. It is a solid production.
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  6. #6
    The 80s? My friend was a furniture delivery driver in North Carolina in the late 00s, and saw one of those "Sundown" signs in inland North Carolina.

  7. #7
    The Patient KingSapmi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Koriani View Post
    Yea Fencers - I get what you're saying there.

    I am a huge HP Lovecraft fan myself. So I was of course going to tune in to this show and give it a chance. But because its a "different lovecraft story every episode" (as I've heard it summarized)
    It is not though, its not even Lovecraft based stories this is based on, this is Lovecraft Country, a novel written by Matt Ruff, set in the "fictional" area that are dubbed "Lovecraft Country", which is the area surrounding Massachusetts, New England. It was named "Lovecraft Country" because of most of H.P. Lovecraft's stories taking place in this area. Every episode encompass different stories told in Matt Ruff's novel. The book have about 8 stories told through out, connected through out the novel. Each episode here is based on these stories.

    Don't go looking for any direct references, Matt Ruff added to Lovecraft's existing mythos in his novel, drawing just a few connective narratives here and there, but the overall story is it's own thing.
    Last edited by KingSapmi; 2020-09-17 at 11:58 PM.
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  8. #8
    Yea, this show is not "Anti-White' in any manner. That is a total and complete misunderstanding and flat out ignorance of the time period and locality this story takes place within.

    Race and the African-American experience in the United States is HUGELY important to America's culture in the past and present. It is one of our, the United States, most defining aspects of culture and history.

    One can not honestly communicate a story taking place in the United States, especially set in the past, from an African-American's perspective that ignores the social and historical context of the time.

    The focus of the show isn't even racism, per se. Racism is just ever-present; as it should be for African-Americans and other POCs in this time period in particular. This more to do with legacy and secrets thus far- Montrose has a secret, Atticus has a secret, Christina has a secret, etc, etc.

    The secretive nature of everything is basically ruinous to these people and each other. In the episode in Boston, we see how duplicity and secrets bring ruin to the exact opposite faction; openness, honesty, and transparency. It is, no pun intended, black and white for the most part the dichotomy of the show.

  9. #9
    Brewmaster
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    Quote Originally Posted by KingSapmi View Post
    It is not though, its not even Lovecraft based stories this is based on, this is Lovecraft Country, a novel written by Matt Ruff, set in the "fictional" area that are dubbed "Lovecraft Country", which is the area surrounding Massachusetts, New England. It was named "Lovecraft Country" because of most of H.P. Lovecraft's stories taking place in this area. Every episode encompass different stories told in Matt Ruff's novel. The book have about 8 stories told through out, connected through out the novel. Each episode here is based on these stories.

    Don't go looking for any direct references, Matt Ruff added to Lovecraft's existing mythos in his novel, drawing just a few connective narratives here and there, but the overall story is it's own thing.
    Ahh, the summary I read didn't distinguish that difference. Gotcha.
    I mean in the first couple of episodes I certainly didn't "remember" the exact stories/references - but its been over a decade since I read my Lovecraft so I didn't really think anything of it. But I gotcha.
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  10. #10
    it was ok for like 2 episodes and after that its pure garbage..

  11. #11
    I was on board until "revenge sodomy." Against anyone.

    In my opinion, Lovecraft Country is "reviewer porn," intended to create poetic walls of blog text going into the deeper meanings, laced with just enough mines in the themes and content to protect the show from negative reviews. To say the show is... "not safe to hate out loud" would be fair. It has some wonderful body horror, if you're into that, but it often feels like it tries to do too much. There may be a layer I'm missing because I didn't read the book, but like... that's the show's problem, not mine.
    Last edited by Omedon; 2020-09-22 at 10:33 PM.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Omedon View Post
    I was on board until "revenge sodomy." Against anyone.
    I hated that scene and episode. It also undermined that character when she did that- there was no character development to get her to that point either. Just a random vindictive action in the grossest way possible; even after she herself indulged in exploitation.

    Really put me off.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Omedon View Post
    In my opinion, Lovecraft Country is "reviewer porn," intended to create poetic walls of blog text going into the deeper meanings, laced with just enough mines in the themes and content to protect the show from negative reviews. To say the show is... "not safe to hate out loud" would be fair. It has some wonderful body horror, if you're into that, but it often feels like it tries to do too much. There may be a layer I'm missing because I didn't read the book, but like... that's the show's problem, not mine.
    I only got through the first 4 episodes. I really liked the first episode, then each one after that I lost more and more interest. I read some reviews/recaps and I wish I watched the same show they did. What they described was a lot better than what I felt was actually presented on screen.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Nellise View Post
    I only got through the first 4 episodes. I really liked the first episode, then each one after that I lost more and more interest. I read some reviews/recaps and I wish I watched the same show they did. What they described was a lot better than what I felt was actually presented on screen.
    That's pretty much where I was at, only I sat down to both the 4th and 5th episodes at once, and it did me in.

  15. #15
    I've watched the series, though my attention is often divided between a game and the TV. Some episodes are good. Others are a bit more boring. I barely watched the fifth episode; the concept was interesting, but they didn't do much that interested me with it. I really enjoyed the sixth episode, however. Ultimately I'd rank the episodes as Good, Good, Okay, Good, Lacking, Great. I really enjoy Lovecraft-style paranormal horror, though, so I definitely understand how some might not enjoy the series.

  16. #16
    First 2 episodes were great, after that it became boring. Just my 2 cents.

  17. #17
    This show is just too uneven. Episodes 1 and 6 were really good. Everything else lacks focus.

  18. #18
    I absolutely loved episodes 1, 2 and 6. The rest were meh.

    And being reminded of just how bad things were not too long ago reminds me of how we need to keep up the fight against racism.

  19. #19
    This show is so frustrating creatively. There are amazing moments and incredible acting at times, but then the narrative goes right into the toilet the next scene.

    Just catching up with episode 7; damn, that scene with Atticus and Montrose when Atticus discovers the truth about his father was jaw-dropping.

    Then the rest of the episode was... eeehhhh.

  20. #20
    I like this show, even though I don't care a lot for the main plot, cause every episode feels different enough in its thematic to the point of almost being an anthology series, where you have an 'evil cult' episode, a 'haunted house' one, an 'Indiana Jones', a 'time travel'... Having said that, to me there are several very good episodes in this show, and 8 and 9 are among those. If you already got to episode 6, you should go on and watch the rest, cause You HAVE to check episode 8 at least. =)

    " So much lost time... that you'll never get back!"....

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