There’s a lot to say about the second episode of Lovecraft Country and I just want to get straight into it but obviously, there will be spoilers here in regards to the show and some elements of the book.
Title Meaning
Episode 2 titled ‘Whitey’s on the Moon’ refers to a spoken word poem by Gil Scott Heron which appears in the episode at one point. This criticises the Apollo 11 space mission programme and the money that was spent on it. It states that the US Government were happy pouring billions into putting a white man on the moon whilst people on Earth, namely the black community, starved and were neglected.
This idea of the connection between poverty and capitalism is exemplified early on in the episode in the introduction which picks up almost after the ending of the first entry.
Here we see Leti and George dancing to Moving on Up. There’s a positive vibe to the entire thing but it’s merely a distraction to keep the pair subdued whilst the mansion owners aka The Order Of Ancient Dawn, enact their real plan.
In the book, they were called The Order Of Adam and though it’s switched up here they still worship the so-called first man.
Manipulated Memories
Juxtaposing this, Atticus cannot quite settle and after all the things that he’s encountered thus far he has realised that there are often things beneath the surface that aren’t immediately apparent. This was of course exemplified in the diner last week but here it goes far beyond that.
Leti’s clothes fit perfectly and George has all of the books that he loves at his disposal.
Neither pair remember the horrors of the woods the previous night and to me, this symbolises how materialistic distractions and promises of a better life are often used by politicians to persuade people into becoming apathetic to the truth of what’s going on. Memories can easily be manipulated and things are forgotten with distractions and we see this in full effect here.
The episode is laced with the idea of memories being twisted and we will get into this further in the video.
Caleb is the only one who can sense something isn’t right and the Braithwhite butler…or rather ally, William arrives to give them a tour.
Differences in the Source Material
Now last week I said that I thought this was Caleb, however it looks like the show has done a gender swap on the character and the role will be filled by Christina Braithwhite.
It looks like they are changing certain things from the source material whilst keeping others the same, namely this chapter and its eventual outcome.
White Supremacy
Both Christina and William are Aryan, which is of course a symbol of white supremacy and we discover that they are high-ranking members of an order of wizards that dates back centuries.
This was created by Titus Braithwhite as was Ardham itself. Atticus is directly descended from him and this is why the group have sought the character.
Now when I say created Ardham itself, what I really mean is that he used slaves to build it and profited off their misery. Titus is told to have made his fortune through shipping aka the slave trade and this shows how language is often used to twist the past to fit a certain narrative and make people…well forget.
He’s also said to be awfully kind and though this is said positively, it actually means it negatively. If you’re awful to someone well…you’re awful…so the phrasing ‘awfully kind’ hints as to how Titus really was.
Adam & Eve
We learned that the lodge that Titus built burned to the ground during an Equinox in which is when the sun presides directly over the equator. There was only one survivor of the blaze which was Atticus’ ancestor, Hannah with whom Titus had a baby.
This is viewed as an Adam and Eve situation for their order and with Atticus being a direct descendant it makes him of high value to them. We learn that Titus actually forced himself on Atticus’ ancestor and that she escaped with her child during the blaze. This is hinted at as we see throughout the mansion that there’s this picture of a distressed Eve and Adam with a snake as his…his junk…can’t show it because of YouTube but it’s there.
The trio are distracted by luxurious lunch and George realises that they’re being watched. They find their car completely restored and William sneakily appears out of nowhere. From here they travel to the CGI village of Ardham in search of Montrose. We see that Leti and George actually suspect that Atticus is making it up. This again shows how high-ranking officials can often twist the narrative and make people question those around them rather than those in power.
A Whistle
When they’re about to get to the bottom of it they hear the whistle from the prior night which called off the Shoggoth. I got a lot of comments last week about how they weren’t actually Shoggoths, look I know yeah, it’s just how they’ve been redesigned for the show. Velociraptors aren’t 6 feet tall either they just change stuff up and call it the same thing for tv and movies.
They trace the sound to a woman named Dell who acts as a Sherriff for the village. Similar to a lot of the characters that they’ve met along the way, the subtext of her words carries a lot of hidden meaning to them…well I say that, she’s clearly telling them that she doesn’t like black people but disguising it as her hatred for black bears.
George surmises that as Dell’s tower is the only stone building in the village that it’s actually its prison and this is where Montrose is likely being held.
In the woods, George recalls Atticus’ past and once more they’re attacked by the same monsters as the night before. However this time they’re saved by Christina and we see that George and Leti’s memory of the event quickly fades.
We learn the whistle has a connection to this too and just in the way it can distract the monsters it can also distract humans and make them forget. The only person it doesn’t work on is Atticus and he is taken to the lab which is where he meets Samuel.
Rituals
Samuel is being operated on without anaesthetic and he has an organ removed as part of a ritual. He goes off on a monologue about how he wishes to restore the world to a time like the Garden Of Eden. In the Garden, everything had its place and rather than viewing things as being equal, he sees there as being a much-needed hierarchy.
Christina tries to persuade Atticus that she’s one of the good ones and also states that the group don’t work with the Klan because they view them as being too poor. Again this use of language lets us know that it’s not because of their beliefs but rather because of their wealth. Christina lifts the spell on George and Leti and we hear them screaming, aware of the horrors they’ve seen.
She then goes to deliver a monster and clearly, these are used to protect Ardham.
George’s Fantasy
In Leti’s room, we see Atticus comfort her but this is revealed to be a hallucination and he reveals that his junk is a snake similar to the Adam and Eve painting. In Atticus’ room, he’s confronted by Ji-Ah who appears in the form of a Korean soldier. You may remember last week that Atticus saw her in a vision at the start of the episode before talking to her on the phone.
George sees Atticus’ mother Thora and the pair dance together. They recall their time in Tulsa and we learn that they fled because of the 1921 Massacre. This recently picked up a lot of attention because of the HBO Show Watchmen which depicted the events. However, this very real and horrifying event shouldn’t be glossed over and it’s clearly something that still haunts George to this day.
It’s clear that he and his sister-in-law were more than just friends and thus there are likely going to be complications from this down the line.
The Order
George steps away from the fantasy and Atticus seemingly kills Ji-Ah. We realise that the Order is actually looking over them almost like animals in a zoo and the trio is set free with the sounding of the dinner bell.
William states that it’s men only, further depicting the group’s views on equality. Because of the sexism that also exists Christina has been unable to join the order and this hints at her betrayal at the end. I can see this being the reason why they gender-swapped the character and in my opinion, it works well.
Atticus and George travel to it and we see the looks that the Order give them. Throughout the show so far there have been looks given to Atticus to highlight how people really feel about him and I think this motif of someone looking at someone in an almost disgusted way also highlights their views.
Eyes, looks, views, dunno if I’m reaching there but that’s just how I see it.
William gives lip service to them not wanting Atticus or George there and Samuel steps forward in robes similar to Titus.
We see that the organ he had taken from his body before is now being served up as food and this is meant to represent how he is willing to give up a part of himself for others like Adam.
Family Reunions
George stands up and gives a speech about secret societies. Secret societies are of course exclusive and not inclusive and George discusses how Prince Hall was not allowed into the Freemasons because of the colour of his skin. However there is a loophole in that men who are direct descendants of the leader, they are inducted automatically and can give orders.
These sons of sons aka Atticus are allowed to do what they want. Atticus orders everyone except Samuel out and it’s great watching them having to begrudgingly accept it.
Atticus orders Samuel to return his father and he stands up and drops another monologue. Samuel calls him diluted and it’s hinted that though Atticus is unable to remember that pain that Hannah actually ended up enduring, it’s still there. This of course calls back to the memories and how they often lie beneath the surface which was reflected by George and Leti.
They go to the prison and find Montrose’s canteen and Dell arrives. However, Leti knocks her out and we discover that Montrose was tunnelling his way out as they arrived at the tower.
It’s not the nicest family reunion and here the seeds are sewn that no matter what Montrose may never like his son.
We discover the letter was also sent by the Sons to lure Atticus out there.
Escape Plan
The group try to escape in the silver Bentley that Christina drove last week but it doesn’t go to plan.
We learn that the Order has specific books that they pull from which will grant them access to the garden of Eden to give them immortality. This failed attempt during the Equinox is what caused the lodge to burn down in the first place.
There’s also lip service paid to the Necronomicon which George takes and Let inherits. There is a story later in the book which involves her and the dead so I think it being dropped here has some significance.
Before they’re able to make it over the bridge a barrier stops them and this is similar to the one that Christina used last week to flip the car. Also shoutouts Marilyn Manson, I remember the song used here in John Wick and it works just as well.
Samuel shoots and kills Leti which forces Atticus to be a part of their plan.
Atticus will be used in a ritual to channel the sun.
‘Magical Negro’ Trope
Now what I think this reveal is playing upon is the fact that predominantly in fiction there exists the stereotype of the magical negro. This is something that has littered a lot of stories and throughout the decades there have been several films and books that have used the trope that a magical black character should be in place to basically sacrifice themselves to help empower the white characters.
The trope was first really brought to the forefront of discussion by Spike Lee during a speech in 2001 at Yale University.
Lee stated that it basically defined black people as just being useful for one thing and nothing really beyond that.
Stephen King was criticised for adopting this in a lot of his early work including the Shining and of course The Green Mile but it goes far beyond those examples. The trope typically defines the character in a subservient role such as a janitor and they are unable to use their powers for themselves, purely being in place to better others.
It’s an uncomfortable topic to talk about as a white man and so it should be. This was a trope created by white people to create segregation even in works of art. Though laced in the subtext it conveys the message that black characters only exist to further the white character’s goals. You very much get the feeling that the Sons Of Adam here exemplify this and that they believe themselves better than Atticus even though Atticus descends directly from the person that they worship.
I love the way that their arrogance and disregard for Atticus is what blindsides them and Lovecraft Country does an excellent job of taking this trope, flipping it on its head, and having Atticus and the group survive whilst the order perish.
We’ll get into that though and Atticus finds that Samuel actually revived Leti but that George is still wounded. Together Atticus and Christina discuss their shared dislike for their fathers. Mirroring this Montrose and George discuss how the former hated their father. George also discusses how Atticus may not even be his son and this further hammers home the idea that George and Thora had something going on.
The Ceremony
Atticus is taken to the ceremony whilst Whitey’s on the Moon plays and it’sits use here shows that Atticus is having to basically be forced into pain whilst White people around him can achieve immortality.
The portal to Eden opens and Atticus sees Hannah in the doorway. He realises that like she did that he must escape the people who wish for nothing more than to use him until he has no further use.
It’s clear that Hannah was used in a ritual much like how he was and she was the reason for the destruction of the lodge.
Atticus’ power rips through the mansion and brings it crashing down. Samuel is petrified and destroyed and it all comes crashing down in a blaze of glory.
Unfortunately, we learn that George succumbed to his wounds which leaves Leti, Atticus and Montrose.
Now this differs from the book quite a lot as George survived in that and it’s quite a devastating death that I think Atticus will blame himself. He was told that if he took part in the ritual that Samuel would heal him but as he didn’t he now can’t.
It’s a big way to end the episode and yeah, what a tough watch.
Now that pretty much concludes this arc and it ends the first real section of the book.
The Next Chapter
I will be discussing the upcoming chapter so if you don’t want anything ruined then it’s time to dive out of the video.
If you’re still here going forward we are picking up with the next chapter which centres around Leti getting a large inheritance. With her sister, she buys a cheap house that seems too good to be true. Well, it turns out it is and it’s actually haunted. The white neighbours in the area also hate that she and her sister have moved in and Leti comes face to face with the ghosts that live there which I think ties into the mention of the Necronomicon.
Leti of course died and came back to life and I think the afterlife will be used heavily in the next episode when she comes to terms with the ghost.
Anyway, that’s the episode and preview. Also, Christina will be back but I don’t wanna ruin what happens just yet.
Your Thoughts
Now obviously I’d love to hear your thoughts on the episode so make sure you comment below and let me know. I think last time there were some much-needed corrections on things I said and interpreted and I really appreciate people taking the time to write them. I’m trying to educate myself on a lot of this stuff and it will definitely help the videos going forward as I do read them all and try and respond to as many as I can.
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