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Lovecraft Country

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Lovecraft Country Episode 5 “Strange Case” might be the series’ strangest outing yet. The whole story hinges around Ruby’s (Wunmi Mosaku) experiences living life as a white woman named Hillary (Jamie Neumann). What starts off as a nightmare soon becomes a paradise…and then a nightmare again.

However, we also got confirmation that Montrose (Michael K. Williams) is in fact in a romantic relationship with Charlie (Jon Hudson Odom). Elsewhere Tic (Jonathan Majors) told Leti (Jurnee Smollett) that she’s his girl to boot. And, William (Jordan Patrick Smith) showed Ruby that he’s her girl, also. You know because Christina (Abbey Lee) has been William this whole damn time!

While many of Lovecraft Country Episode 5’s twists were right there in the open, there were still small references and little Easter eggs that might have passed you by. Like the fact that “Hillary” is someone we’ve met before or that Winthrop left the Sons of Adam much more than an orrery. Then there are the questions we still need answered: like what is with that glyph that showed up everywhere and who is Tic talking to on the phone?

From the real reason Ruby calls herself Hillary to the big tease for a future episode, here’s five things you may have missed in Lovecraft Country Episode 5 “Strange Case”….

Does She Look Familiar to You?

Even though we’ve been led to believe that the potion William gifts Ruby simply changes the color of her skin, it’s obvious it does more than that. Her hair, eye-color, and physical shape also change. In fact, when wearing her white “skin” Ruby actually is a dead ringer for a character our heroes left for dead all the way back in Episode 2.

I’m talking about Dell, the confrontational animal keeper and groundswoman in Ardham. The same actress, Jamie Neumann, plays both Dell and Ruby’s alter-ego, Hillary.

However, we haven’t yet gotten an explanation on how that can be. In the book, it’s said that the head injury Dell sustained put her in a comatose state. She’s kept alive by the same magic that creates the serum Ruby uses.

Is this the case in the show? We’ll have to wait to find out…

No, Not THAT Hillary

When Ruby goes to Marshall Fields to reapply for a job as a salesgirl with her newfound white skin, she switches up her name to Hillary Davenport. While the name Hillary has some pretty heavy connotations to our modern audiences, that’s not who Ruby has named herself after.

In the book, she names herself after Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first men confirmed to scale Mt. Everest. Of note: he completed the climb with sherpa Tenzing Norgay, a lesser-known name to folks worldwide.

In Matt Ruff’s novel, Ruby is asked what her dream job is, and it’s not Marshall Fields’ employee*. She wants to be a sherpa. One of the indigenous climbers who aid explorers scale mountains. Hence: Hillary.

*In fact the whole Marshall Fields episode is radically different in the book and amounts to her gaining revenge on a former employer who tried to pin a theft on her. Not, uh, that whole, uh, stiletto-based-sexual assault we got.

What Does the Glyph Mean?

Throughout last night’s episode, we are shown a peculiar symbol that has a hidden — probably dangerous — meaning. It’s a glyph that’s included in the protection spell that Atticus is trying to translate and it’s on the rock that Christina asks Ruby to sneak into Capt. Seamus Lancaster’s office. (Related: WHAT IS GOING ON WITH LANCASTER’S TORSO? WHO IS THE MAN IN THE CLOSET? WE NEED ANSWERS!)

Speaking of needing answers, although Tic was able to translate part of the Book of Names to reveal the word “D-I-E,” the glyph in question remains unseen. If it’s not specifically “DIE,” and it’s part of a protection charm, could it be that alone it removes protections in the Chicago lodge’s offices?

Hey, I’m just spitballing here…

Wait, There's an OBSERVATORY?!?

In another one of those classic Lovecraft Country off-handed remarks, we learned that Winthrop left behind something bigger than just an orrery, and Christina and the Chicago Lodge are after it.

While Ruby is hiding in the closet and Lancaster is revealing his weird secret chest situation, we hear the police captain mention a “Winthrop Observatory.” He seems to suggest that Christina’s lust for the orrery — which, as you’ll recall, is a key to time travel — is connected to this observatory.

So, hoo boy, we’ve got the foundations of a space-y, astro, timey-whimey installment of Lovecraft Country on the way, don’t we? And it’s worth noting that, yes, the Winthrop Observatory is a thing in the Matt Ruff novel. And it’s at the heart of a Hippolyta-centric tale…

Who is Tic Talking to in Korea?!?

Since the premiere episode of Lovecraft Country, we know that Tic left some unfinished business in South Korea. And we’re pretty sure that unfinished business is going to be played by actress Jamie Chung. That’s because she appeared in Tic’s dream as Dejah Thoris, featured prominently in his nightmare scenario in Episode 2, and, uh, has been billed as a main cast member since the show’s beginning.

So who is she? And perhaps more importantly what is she?

That is the question Tic asks, at least, after he realizes that she was somehow able to warn him about all this insane stuff ages in advance. And while he didn’t heed her advice, Tic now clearly wishes he had.

Considering the last scene Tic has before this moment is confirming to Leti that they are a serious item and Chung first appeared as a love interest in a dream…we’re guessing that Leti might have some romantic competition on the horizon…

Where to stream Lovecraft Country