This episode, while not necessarily as strong of a package as the pilot, features some incredibly interesting tidbits. Primarily, I love how much this episode is leaning into the subgenre it subverts. This sort of Lovecraftian storytelling is usually told as a straight horror--cosmic, unknowable, impenetrable, and often frustrating. That doesn't mean there aren't major successes (Annihilation, Mandy), but more frequently there are entries that come close to excellent but fall into their own tropes. Lovecraft Country, so far, has been leaning into another subgenre that is significantly less common in the modern era of storytelling: pulp sci-fi. Consequently this is perhaps my favorite area of narratives, but that doesn't really negate the fact that Lovecraft Country is an extraordinarily strong addition to a type of filmmaking that has been laid dormant for the past several years--likely due to an over-saturation of it from the mid-90s to the early-aughts. No piece of this is more apparent that the inclusion of Daniel Sackheim as director for this episode, responsible for some of the strongest episodes of television for shows like The X-Files, The Leftovers, Better Call Saul, Game of Thrones, or (underrated gem) The Man in the High Castle.
Although I don't think the directing as strong as it was in the pilot, I like the spin that Sackheim brings to this episode because it makes me excited for the episodes that lay ahead. Leaning into this type of pulp science-fiction makes me excited because it means that we are able to see a resurgence of an incredibly fun type of story, while also bringing in relevant and important social commentary. It also harkens back to another film that I loved but sadly when a bit unappreciated: Overlord.
Review by filmboicoleBlockedParent2020-08-24T15:18:03Z
This episode, while not necessarily as strong of a package as the pilot, features some incredibly interesting tidbits. Primarily, I love how much this episode is leaning into the subgenre it subverts. This sort of Lovecraftian storytelling is usually told as a straight horror--cosmic, unknowable, impenetrable, and often frustrating. That doesn't mean there aren't major successes (Annihilation, Mandy), but more frequently there are entries that come close to excellent but fall into their own tropes. Lovecraft Country, so far, has been leaning into another subgenre that is significantly less common in the modern era of storytelling: pulp sci-fi. Consequently this is perhaps my favorite area of narratives, but that doesn't really negate the fact that Lovecraft Country is an extraordinarily strong addition to a type of filmmaking that has been laid dormant for the past several years--likely due to an over-saturation of it from the mid-90s to the early-aughts. No piece of this is more apparent that the inclusion of Daniel Sackheim as director for this episode, responsible for some of the strongest episodes of television for shows like The X-Files, The Leftovers, Better Call Saul, Game of Thrones, or (underrated gem) The Man in the High Castle.
Although I don't think the directing as strong as it was in the pilot, I like the spin that Sackheim brings to this episode because it makes me excited for the episodes that lay ahead. Leaning into this type of pulp science-fiction makes me excited because it means that we are able to see a resurgence of an incredibly fun type of story, while also bringing in relevant and important social commentary. It also harkens back to another film that I loved but sadly when a bit unappreciated: Overlord.