Write a paragraph or two in response to each of the following prompts. In your responses, remember to consider the significance of the titles of these last two episodes, “Rewind 1921” and “Full Circle.”
Consider the questions of history, scars, and healing posed by “Rewind 21” (episode 9), which sees Tic, Leti, and Montrose traveling through time and space to (re)visit the day of the Tulsa race massacre and rescue the Book of Names from the fire that destroyed Tic’s mother’s house. What does it mean for Montrose to witness his own childhood traumas? What does it mean for Tic to intervene as he does? What is the significance of Leti’s conversation with Tic’s great grandmother?
In “Full Circle” (episode 10), we hear many discussions about the idea of “family.” Tic reconciles with Ji-ah and tells her he considers her part of his family. Leti asks for Ruby’s help, claiming that she has realized family is not about obligation but about choice and commitment. And Tic and Christina both try to use the blood connections of family against each other in their competing spells. So, what do this episode and the series as a whole suggest about blood and family?
The series ends with a magical showdown between Christina and her minions against Tic, Leti, and the rest of their family. Who wins in this confrontation? Who loses? Why? What does the series as a whole suggest about the nature of magic and who “owns” it? Why do you think the series’ creators want to emphasize this specific overall point?
At a pivotal moment in the concluding scenes, Diana tells Christina, “You still never learn.” What doesn’t Christina learn? What is the larger significance of Dee’s statement?
Jordan Peele has said he deliberately included no good or sympathetic white characters in “Get Out” (2017) at least in part because he wanted Black audiences to know the film was made specifically for them. Does “Lovecraft Country” include any good or sympathetic white characters? If so, who and what makes them good or sympathetic? If not, why not? Who is the intended audience for “Lovecraft Country”?
Finally, a second season of “Lovecraft Country” is reportedly being considered by HBO. Would you like to see the series continue? Or does the series feel complete? If there were a second season, where do you think this new story would take the main characters? What remains to be explored?
Professor Chuck 