Lovecraft Country — Series 1 Episode 5 — Strange Case: A Review

5th October, 2021.

Right … at the moment … I’ve just seen episode five of Lovecraft Country: and will be telling you more tomorrow night.

In writing this intro … ?

I’m doing my usual thing.

Partly … ?

Staking to the territory: and reminding myself I’ve written some notes on the episode.

But also to reming myself I’ve a long day, ahead, tomorrow!

I’ve a phone interview, after all!

~≈🐙≈~

6th October, 2021.

Right … I’m back: after having dinner … and watching the revived Blankety Blank on iPlayer.

Which is a decidedly odd thing to watch: especially as I can remember the original.

At any rate: quiz shows are’t the reason I started this post.

Nope!

I’ve done my usual thing, last night: and watched another episode of Lovecraft Country.

I wanted to tell you about it.

~≈🐙≈~

Episode 5 — Strange Case opens with the traditional summary of previous episodes.

Then shifts: showing us Ruby (Wunmi Mosaku) waking up in William’s bed … to find she’s now white.

Post titles?   The deeply changed Ruby (Jamie Neumann) briefly escapes to her South Side neighbourhood, only to be brought back ‘home’ by police.   Police who think she’s suffering from a fit.

Back at the house, William (Jordan Patrick Smith) turns Ruby back into her normal self, and offers her a deal: the ability to do what ever she wants, using a magic potion … in return for a favour.

Meanwhile?   Montrose (Michael K. Williams) is attacked by ’Tic: after ’Tic (Jonathan Majors) finds Montrose has killed Yahima, and stolen the pages from Titus’ grimoire.

And is forced out of Montrose’s apartment block by some of the other residents.

Once home?

’Tic finds that Leti (Jurnee Smollett) has taken photos of the missing  pages: and uses these images to work on deciphering the Language of Adam, the language the Grimoire is written in, figuring that it could well help African Americans to stay safe … whilst Leti warns that magic is inherently evil and will corrupt him.

Back at William’s?

Ruby decides to stay: and uses the potion to get a job as an associate manager at the department store, under the name of Hillary.

Which is when William calls in a favour.

He and Christina want Ruby to plant an enchanted stone in Captain Lancaster’s office.

Without being found out.

It’s only after Ruby gets away from Lancaster’s office that things start … getting … odd.

She finds out she’s not the only one at Christina Braithwhite’s house using a potion.

~≈🐙≈~

First things first … 

What did I think?

On the one hand … ?   I think elements lept out at me.

I can’t help but think that Christina and William both look like the sort of Aryan übermensch that the Nazis would have idolised: blond, blue eyed, physically very healthy … and frankly, in to all sorts of weird occult stuff.

Then’s the episode’s title: Strange Case.

Given one of the episode’s themes — Ruby transforming into Hillary, Christina into William, Montrose from distinctly heterosexual father into gay lover — I wouldn’t be surprised if this episode’s title is a nod to Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

As another point?   Christina asks Ruby to plant a what I can only think of as a rune stone — a lump of rock with a symbol on it, one not quite the same as a proper rune stone — and plant it in Captain Lancaster’s desk.

Which got me thinking of some of the little I’d read of August Derleth’s version of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos.

Derleth’s responsible for adding what he called the Elder Sign to the Mythos: an ancient sign that’s carved into rock, and supposed to defend its holder from assorted Cthuloid monsters.

Frankly?   I think that stone is, potentially, the show’s equivalent.

Elder Sign

Rune Stone

Quite what it’s supposed to do … ?

Quite what the stone does is hidden from us for now.

~≈🐙≈~

Secondly: and lastly?

Did I enjoy this episode?

That’s a tougher question. to answers.

Frankly, I’m not convinced that I did.

Oh, don’t get me wrong: Strange Case is a a very good episode, a beautifully done character piece.

One that’s shown us more about both Montrose: and, in particular, Ruby.

But, if push comes to shove?   I personally preferred episode four, A History of Violence.

I’d guess I found the latter’s action-adventure feel much more to my taste.

Whatever you do, though?

Don’t ignore Strange Case: don’t dismiss it.

It’s still a very good part — an integral one — of a very good series.

One that leaves me looking forward to my next episode, next week: I’ll see you then.

Strange Case.

★★★☆