We recall and discuss what we saw in the debut episode of the horror series 'Lovecraft Country'.

On the HBO channel, and also on Amediateka, the long-awaited horror series Lovecraft Country by Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams has premiered. We invite you to follow this new project with us, analyze what we've seen, predict what will happen next, and enjoy a potentially very engaging story.

Warning: spoilers for Episode 1 of 'Lovecraft Country' ahead.

The Days of the 'Green Book'

The story revolves around a young Black Korean War veteran, Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors), who returns home to the USA and learns that his father has disappeared. His son left him a mysterious note saying he went to search for their family's legacy in a town called Ardham (the hero initially mistakes it for 'Arkham'). Together with his uncle George (Courtney B. Vance), who periodically compiles his own version of the 'Green Book' of safe routes for Black people, they find this place on the map, located in arguably the most racist part of 1950s America. Nevertheless, they set off to find their relative, also taking along Atticus's childhood friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett).

From the very first minutes, the creators methodically immerse viewers in the atmosphere of the segregation era, when Black people sit in separate seats on buses, go to special cafes and restaurants, and in some cities cannot even be out after sunset. This is what takes up the lion's share of the debut episode of 'Lovecraft Country', to make everyone understand the conditions in which the characters are forced to exist.

What Does Lovecraft Have to Do With It

This series is not an adaptation of the works of the cult writer H.P. Lovecraft, but it is directly related to him. First, literally at the very beginning of the story, we see that Atticus (or simply Tic) enjoys reading the author's works, despite his largely racist views. Second, at the end of the debut episode, our heroes encounter monsters straight from the pages of Lovecraft's works.

As it appears now, the creators will continue to navigate between acute social themes and paranormal elements that add drive and horror. This mix looks quite attractive, even though the first episode of 'Lovecraft Country' made it clear that the project's creators spared no expense on special effects and scale. Just look at the opening scene with the alien invasion and Jackie Robinson!

A Serious Cliffhanger

As already noted, the first episode spent more time building atmosphere and introducing the characters, but the writers didn't forget to weave in intrigue. At one point, our trio narrowly escapes a chase involving a still-mysterious but very striking girl (played by Abbie Lee), who will clearly play a role later on.

At the end of the episode, the authors left a powerful cliffhanger — after the heroes survive a massacre with monsters that tore local cops to pieces, they find themselves on the doorstep of a house where they are greeted with open arms, told that they are now 'home.' Who are these people, and are they even people at all? Is Atticus's father with them? Where did the night monsters with vampire-like abilities come from? We'll await answers to all these questions in the second episode of 'Lovecraft Country'.

Teaser for Episode 2: