Whitey's on the Moon

**Whitey's on the Moon** is the second episode of the first season of Lovecraft Country, and the second episode overall. The episode aired on Sunday, August 23, 2020 on HBO.

## Synopsis

Inexplicably recovered from their terrifying night, Leti and George luxuriate in their new surroundings, while Atticus grows suspicious of their Ardham Lodge hosts – Christina Braithwhite and her elusive father Samuel – who unveil cryptic plans for Atticus’ role in their upcoming “Sons of Adam” ceremony. Later, after Tic, Leti, and George stumble upon a clue that could lead them to Montrose, each takes an unwelcome walk down memory lane.

## Plot

After getting cleaned up, Atticus, George, and Leti regather in the hall after hearing an alarm. William explains that what they heard was merely the lunch bell and offers to escort them to the veranda. Walking, Atticus asks when his father is expected to return from Boston. William is unaware of when Montrose return, however, simply stating that he left to see the lawyer with Miss Braithwhite two nights ago.

Atticus then asks him what hotel they are at to call and check in, but is informed Samuel never installed telephone lines where Christina and Montrose are staying. George sees a portrait of a man thinking is Samuel, but William tells them it is a portrait of a distant cousin of Samuel, Titus Braithwhite. He then explains to them how Samuel Braithwhite inherited the Sons of Adam Lodge from Titus Braithwhite and that the original lodge burned down killing Titus and almost everyone inside it.

On the veranda, Atticus and George suspect that they’re being lied to and that Montrose isn’t in Boston after all. Atticus asks Leti how she can eat after what happened the night before. He soon realizes neither Leti nor George remember being attacked by monsters the night before. George realizes that they’re being watched and tells Atticus to calmly sit down. They plan to go to the village to search for Montrose Freeman.

Despite George’s car, Woody, being crashed into the cabin, they find it in the garage. William explains to them that he found it parked on the other side of the bridge leading into the village. The back window was smashed but, otherwise, Woody was in good condition. William assures them that he drove the car up just as he found it though there was quite a bit of blood in the seat that the butler had wash out.

They head into the village on foot in search of Montrose. Leti starts to suspect that Atticus is going crazy as Woody didn’t seem nearly as damaged as Atticus had claimed it to be. Furthermore, he speaks of monsters, which neither she nor George can recall. They don't realize he's standing in front of them and tells them with a high pitched voice that he has doesn't shell shock and that it doesn't make sense that there is a bookshelf with George favorite books and a wardrobe full of clothes with Leti's exact size. Atticus then hears the high-pitched whistle from the night before. He goes to investigate and finds a woman named Dell with two vicious guard dogs. He asks her what the whistle is for, but she doesn’t answer. George asks if she’s the sheriff, reasoning that she must be given that she's standing in front of the only stone building in the entire village. But it’s actually where she hangs her meat. Dell explains that they have animals in the village who break into the cottages in search of food, but they can’t get into the stone cellar. She tells them how they have an uncontrollable black bear population. She remarks that the "blacks are bad enough," and that "they’re clever enough to cause mischief."

Atticus, George, and Leti make their way back to the lodge as the sun sets. George suddenly recalls something Atticus' mother, Dora, told him years ago about her ancestors. She told him that her great-ancestor was a slave named Hanna and that she escaped her master’s house after a fire. He reminds them of what William said in regards to Titus Braithwhite being "kind" to his workers, meaning that Hanna ran through the very same woods they’re standing in, pregnant with Titus Braithwhite’s child after the fire. They suddenly find themselves surrounded by two large monsters. Christina arrives on a horse and blows her whistle, causing the monsters to flee. She then orders Dell to escort Atticus to her father’s lab and George and Leti to their rooms. George and Leti immediately have no memory of what just occurred.

Atticus is taken to Samuel’s lab, where he finds Samuel undergoing a painful surgery to have an organ removed.

George grabs "The House of the Borderlands" off the shelf in his room. He triggers a mechanism which reveals a secret passageway behind the bookcase. He follows it to another room, where he finds a book that details the laws and precepts of the Order of the Ancient Dawn — a secret society.

Samuel is sewn up following his surgery. He gets to his feet and remarks that Atticus is darker than he expected. He points to one of his favorite paintings of Adam, by Josef Tannhauser. He entitled it "Genesis 2:19." Christina recites the biblical verse associated with it, which details how in naming these creatures, Adam is assigning them their final form and putting them in their place. At the dawn of time, everything was the way it should be, but then Eve brought entropy and death into the world, Christina adds. Samuel compares himself to Adam, stating that he’s worked a long time to return to Paradise. Christina believes that Atticus can help in her father in his mission.

Christina warns Atticus that her father, along with the other arriving lodge members, can be very dangerous and suggests that Atticus look into making friends. Atticus accuses her of performing a spell to make George and Leti forget what they saw. Christina explains that the spell wasn’t specifically targeted towards them, rather anyone who would encounter their guard dogs and live to tell about it. Atticus persuades Christina into removing the spell from George and Leti. As their memories return, they scream out for Atticus, but Christina has used a spell to lock him in his room.

Christina then gets word from a stable boy that "it’s time." She rushes to the barn, where one of the cows have gone into labor. She reaches inside and assists with the birthing process. Rather than giving birth to a baby calf, the cows give birth to one of the creatures that protect their home.

Leti tries to use a pocket knife to pick the lock open on her door. Atticus enters and asks her to sit down. "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" Atticus says to Leti as she had said to him the night before. The last time she said the verse, she relates, she was a terrified kid. Her mother would leave her by herself all the time. She would lie and say she was going to church. She’d always come home, usually with a strange man. Until one day, she didn’t return. Leti sat in the window of the boarding house everyday and said that verse like a prayer for her mother to come back. Atticus tells Leti that he would never abandon her and they proceed to kiss.

On the other side of the estate, the real Atticus communicates with George through a series of knocks on the wall. George eventually spells out the word "wizards" in Morse code. Atticus suddenly finds himself being shot at and attacked by Ji-Ah. He disarms her of her guns, leaving her to attack with a knife.

As George goes back to the bookcase to open the secret passageway, Dora appears to him and asks him to dance with her. She asks what he’s thinking about. He tells her about "The House of the Borderlands" and how a man reunites with his long lost love.

Ji-ah drives her knife into Atticus’ shoulder, forcing him to fight back. He disarms Ji-ah again and knocks her through a table. Atticus proceeds to get on top of Ji-ah and snap her neck.

Dora is thinking about George and Montrose and how they used to drink soda pop on his porch and play that "what if" game. She asks what if magic was real. They recall how Montrose wanted super strength and how George wanted to fly. Dora tells him that it’s all possible and that he could fly with his children. She goes in for a kiss, but George simply kisses her on her forehead and says that she isn’t real.

Atticus lays Leti on the bed and unzips his pants, revealing a serpent in his pants. Leti screams and reaches for her knife.

Eventually, Atticus, George, and Leti realize their interactions were simply illusions, orchestrated by Christina and the other lodge members.

The bell rings and the trio exit their rooms. William tells them that dinner will be served in 15 minutes and that it’s black tie only, as well as men only. After he leaves, Atticus asks George who did they make him see. He says that it doesn’t matter; the lodge is simply trying to get in their heads. He tells Atticus and Leti that they have to stick together and that he’s come across something that’ll work in their favor.

William escorts Atticus and George into the dinning hall with the other lodge members. Samuel joins them. Their founder, Titus Braithwhite, was a son of a son, and they follow in his image just as he followed in the first son’s. As Adam gave of his rib to create Eve, so did Titus give of himself to empower the founding members of the Order. So Samuel honors him by giving a piece of himself over — his organ that was removed during the surgery is to be eaten by the lodge members.

George stands up and announces to the room that he came across the bylaws for the Order of Ancient Dawn. He has experience with societies as he’s a member of Prince Hall Freemasons. Prince Hall was an abolitionist who fought for independence and wanted to join the local Freemasons but wasn’t allowed because he was black. George has learned from their bylaws that the Order wouldn’t have admitted a black man either. But there’s a loophole. Men who are direct descendants of Titus Braithwhite are automatically members. They’re also high ranking members known as sons among sons and can give orders to regular members. George surmises that Atticus is the last blood heir of Titus Braithwhite. Atticus then tells the room he wants everyone but Samuel to leave. At first, no one moves but Atticus reiterates that it is "an order", and the members leave. He then orders Samuel to return his father. Samuel responds by saying that he isn’t a zealot. The limits of his belief in tradition and ceremony stop at the fact that the others believe it. Titus used the Book of Names to spell his body to be more powerful, and Atticus is a reservoir of that power. Diluted and tainted, but still useful.

Atticus and George sneak into the stone silo in search for Montrose, but all they find is his flask. Dell comes downstairs with a loaded shotgun, referring to them as dumb animals. Before she can pull the trigger, Leti knocks her out with a shovel. George then realizes that Montrose must’ve dug his way out, taking inspiration from his favorite book "The Count of Monte Cristo."

Montrose emerges from underground with his hands still cuffed. He's shocked to find the three of them standing behind him. He claims that he didn’t need their help. Atticus recalls his father writing to him and asking him to come. Montrose exclaims that they haven’t spoken in over five years and that he didn’t think Atticus was stupid enough to show up merely because he wrote a letter under duress. On their way back to the lodge in Christina’s silver sedan, George explains that the group has lodges all over the country, and the one they are at is called 'The Sons of Adam', founded by Titus after he found 'The Book of Names' and that they are obsessed with figuring out the spell for immortality. He thinks their first attempt was what caused the fire which burned down the original lodge.

Suddenly, they crash violently into an invisible barrier. The four of them exit the vehicle as Samuel and Christina pull up behind them. Samuel shoots Leti, and Atticus begs Christina for help, but she does not respond. Leti bleeds out in a matter of seconds. Samuel then gives Atticus a choice of who he will shoot next. When Atticus doesn’t choose, he shoots George. The screen cuts to black.

In the next scene, Atticus is standing naked and servant girls are washing blood off him. He asks Christina what happens during the ceremony. Christina informs him that her father intends to open the door to the Garden of Eden, to a time when man was immortal. He believes that he’ll step through it into eternal life. They believe that with Atticus being a direct descendant of Titus, his blood will help Samuel accomplish his goal. Atticus wonders why Christina tries so hard to help her father when he clearly doesn’t care about her. Christina explains that while the things they’ve done are unforgivable, she still comes running whenever they need help. Admittedly, it’s pathetic. Atticus then watches through a portal as Leti resurrects. Christina assures Atticus that her father will heal George as well, but only after Atticus has willingly participated in the ceremony. Christina then gives him the official ring of members of the Order of Ancient Dawn, something she could never have no matter how hard she tried. She tells Atticus that their destinies aren’t decided by their fathers or grandfathers. The smallest thing could take them on a new course.

After being revived, Leti runs into the bathroom. She opens up her shirt only to see that she’s completely healed. She washes the blood off and cries hysterically.

George lays in bed barely conscious. He tells Montrose to break the window and escape with Leti, however, Montrose doubts Leti would leave. She reminds him of Dora in that way. George questions how come Montrose never drew with Dora as he used to draw all the time when they were younger. Every summer, he’d draw a colorful welcome sign and go down to the bus station to cheer on all the Negro league players as they road in from training camp. Montrose reveals that their father caught him down at the station the summer before high school and beat him. George wasn’t aware and apologizes for not doing more, but Montrose isn’t interested. George goes on to say that he wants Montrose to show Atticus that he loves him before it’s too late. George even implies that Atticus may be his son. Montrose reminds George that they settled this matter a long time ago and agreed not to speak of it. George says he's worried Monstrose is all Tic has left, and he has to say something.

Atticus acts as a conduit for Samuel's ceremony. He stands in between three conductors in front of a wooden frame. With Samuel chanting in the background, as an essence emerges from him chest towards the frame and a yellow portal appears and flowers and grass begins to grow around the portal and onto the floor. A black hair-like substance comes out from the ring he is wearing, and he sees a pregnant black woman through a hole standing on the other side of the portal staring at him. The lodge begins to shake and crumble. Leti and Montrose help George out of the collapsing lodge as the ceremony takes place. Samuel is chanting louder and louder, and plants which grew on the frame begin to wither and die.

All of a sudden, Atticus yells as a burst comes out from him, switching everything off and turning Samuel and the other lodge members to stone instantly. Recovering, Atticus follows Hanna out of the collapsing building, with a trail of fire following behind her. She stops and waits for him at the main door, looking at him and surrounded by flames. He runs through her apparition and makes it out just as the entire lodge comes down. Outside, he reconvenes with Leti, who delivers the unfortunate news of George’s passing. Atticus looks inside Woody to find Montrose cradling George’s lifeless body with tears silently streaming down his grief-stricken face.

## Cast

* Jonathan Majors as Atticus Freeman
* Aunjanue Ellis as Hippolyta Freeman (credit only)
* Courtney B. Vance as George Freeman
* Wunmi Mosaku as Ruby Baptiste (credit only)
* Abbey Lee as Christina Braithwhite
* Jamie Chung as Ji-Ah
* Jada Harris as Diana Freeman (credit only)
* Michael Kenneth Williams as Montrose Freeman
* Jordan Patrick Smith as William
* Joaquina Kalukango as Hanna
* Erica Tazel as Dora
* Tony Goldwyn as Samuel Braithwhite

Co-Starring* Logan A. Medina as Adamite Stable Boy
* Robert Bryan Davis as Adamite Vet
* Alea Hansinger as Adamite Midwife
* Don A. King as Son of Adam
* Robert B. Putnam as Son of Adam
* Brian Matney as Son of Adam

## Notes and Trivia

* The episode title, *Whitey's on the Moon*, refers to Gil Scott-Heron's 1970 spoken word poem.

## Gallery

### Promotional

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