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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
“Every locked thing has its key. You’ll find it.” The fourth episode of HBO’s Lovecraft Country is titled “A History of Violence,” written by series creator Misha Green — with the story by Wes Taylor — and directed by Victoria Mahoney (Yelling to the Sky).
Some spoilers ahead for those who have not yet seen this episode or the first few episodes prior. If you have not done so, get to that now, then return to this article!
Misha Green teams up with The Rise of Skywalker‘s second unit director to bring us this thrill-seeking episode of HBO’s newest horror drama, which follows Atticus “Tic” Freeman (Jonathan Majors), his love interest Letitia “Leti” Lewis (Jurnee Smollett), and his father Montrose Freeman (Michael K. Williams) as they journey off to Boston to retrieve missing pages of the Sons of Adam’s book Order of the Ancient Dawn in order to help protect themselves against the Freemans’ distant cousin Christina Braithwhite (Abbey Lee). Meanwhile, Hippolyta Freeman (Aunjanue Ellis) develops her suspicions of her husband’s death, and Lewis’s half-sister Ruby Baptiste (Wunmi Mosaku) learns a disappointing truth about Black women in workplace settings.
Continuing from last week’s episode, “A History of Violence” deals with how individuals cope with loss — that is, the Freemans’ loss of George Freeman and Baptiste’s loss of hope in a job prospect. Montrose gets rid of the white cult’s text but when Christina comes to Lewis’s new home, the only thing stopping them from crossing paths is a spell. Tic, his father, and Lewis set out to an astronomy exhibit/museum to search for the book’s missing pages, and what we see from this point is an adventure into an unknown area with horror elements. The episode incorporates Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth into a Lovecraftian setting, this time involving Native American mythology. In fact, the book can be seen in a split-second frame during a scene at a Southern Colored Library, a location of which conveys the segregation between the white community and the Black community.
Hippolyta sets out to find the truth about her husband’s mysterious death, but not before telling her daughter about her untold and uncredited contribution to the solar system — another loss she had to deal with. Meanwhile, Baptiste learns that few Black women are hired, and is discouraged from pursuing a job/career. She meets Christina’s partner William (Jordan Patrick Smith) at a bar and tells him her troubles. She says:
For us [Black women], it’s a rat race for the finish line and it’s “winner takes it all,” and I damn for sure know that if I was in your [white] skin, I wouldn’t even have to run. What I don’t know is what to do about it.
In addition to the library, the episode subtly points to evidence of the systemic racism that exists on American soil. Such is the case when the Freeman father and son and Lewis meets a Native American hermaphrodite in the exhibit’s secret room, a two-spirit named Yahima (Monique Candelaria). She tells the trio about being locked away inside of the room, and before she could help them any further, she seems to wound up lost. This evidence contributes to the historicity of the time setting in which the series takes place. Yahima’s treatment is an example of what Native Americans endured before the founding of the American Indian Movement in the late-1960s, which advocated against the systemic issues of poverty and police brutality against Native Americans. Also, let’s not forget about the racist chalk writing on the sidewalk that points to the Black people living in the Winthrop home. These examples demonstrate what life as minorities was like living in the 1950s. White groups did not want Black people or other non-white races to have the same opportunities they have.
The episode’s cinematography is outstanding, beginning with its introductory title card. Its musical scoring provides a haunting layer, utilizing Black music artists such as Jade Josephine, Leikeli47, and Alice Smith; as well as taking a liking to Marilyn Manson, who has music appearing in the previous episode and last week’s. The music choices are great in themselves, but weirdly do not mesh with the time period in which the episode takes place.
Williams’s character Monstrose Freeman develops throughout the episode, introducing a strange backstory that goes beyond making a pact with his brother to protect their family.
“A History of Violence” demonstrates the historicity of United States background. The Sons of Adam set up a trap in which Tic and his companions nearly die, dropping a backpack into the abyss beneath them. The plank they use to cross to another secret door can be symbolic of the thin path that Black individuals tread, one which has been created by the white man as a means of struggle and suffering. When searching for a supposed time machine in the form of a model solar system (although Hippolyta discovered it during the house party of the previous episode and now keeps it at work), Christina tells Lewis, “Don’t let the men fool you into thinking it’s always about them.” This only comes to show that the women in America have it just as bad as the men, if not more.
9.5/10
What do you think of the series so far? Have you seen the show yet? Let us know! For more horror, drama, HBO, and Lovecraft Country-related news and reviews follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_).
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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